February has me thinking of all things associated with the heart. I'm going back to 1992 for this post and some of my personal history.
Here is a piece of hand painted silk that I made in 1992. It is titled "Path of Heart" and it weaves together two traditions. First, the title, "Path of Heart" is from a woman's song in which we sing, "women of power walk a path of heart". It is interwoven into the Lakota myth of the Red Road an the Black Road, with the Red Road representing the good in your life, the Black Road, the bad.
According to Thunder Horse of the Lakota, "If you choose the Black Road, you choose illusion over truth." And "To Walk the Red Road is to look for beauty in all things"
My artwork shows footsteps of a woman walking on the Red Road - her path of heart, searching for beauty in everything.
This painting currently hangs on the wall right beside my bed. It is the first image I see in the morning and the last image I see at night: it is my constant reminder to walk my own path of heart.
May your hearts be full this Valentine's Day! Please enjoy it with someone or something that you love.