Italy – The Last (or Next) Piece of the Puzzle

Well it seems that the intuitive I had an informal chat with one day in St. John’s was right.  So were, in a sense, the countless folks who, for six month before I left for Vienna, kept asking me about my trip to Venice.  It’s amazing how many people mix those two cities up.  I kept saying “I’m going to Austria, not Italy … not that I know of”. In the end, however, I’ll have been to both countries during this year of overseas art education – even if my plans don’t actually include Venice.  Instead, they now include the sacred pilgrimage destination of Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis of Assisi. When I was a child, I used to read lots of stories about the lives of saints and deeply resonated with St. Francis’s legendary skills as an animal communicator. I still don’t resonate with his vow of poverty, however – simple living and loving, yes, but I’m really not meant to be a starving artist.

So – what brings me there?  I’m going to a 7-day retreat in late May with one of the artists I introduced as one of myinspirations in an earlier post –  Rassouli.

He’s the first contemporary visionary artist whose work I was introduced to back when I lived in Saskatoon – and one whose work I still resonate with the most. I had contacted his team a few months ago wanting more information on his workshop close by in the Czech Republic, which was advertised for May 2014 (which I just found out was a typo – that was the 2013 workshop).  That retreat included tours of Vienna and Prague, which I wasn’t interested in, but I thought I could arrange to join them for the 4-days of painting just 2 hours from here.  I was nervous, however, because the wrongly advertised full tour dates overlapped with my top priority – the “Free Your Expression” collaborative live painting workshop with Amanda Sage here at The Vienna Academy of Visionary Art. That workshop is the main reason I went through the trouble of getting my residency visa to return to Austria after Bali.  I was in suspense, therefore, waiting for details while Rassouli’s team were unaware of their typo. They simply told me they’d send details about his next retreat as soon as they had any.  As luck (or destiny) would have it, Amanda’s workshop dates were changed to June 9-13 and Rassouli’s workshop is actually happening in Italy.  It all works out!  Of course 7 days in Italy will be much more expensive than 4 days next door, putting me just above my fundraising results for this year, but I’m trusting my guidance on this one.  All my major expenses (except Amanda’s workshop and part-time Spring classes here) are paid for until June, so I’ll just have to live even more frugally when it comes to daily expenses for the next few months. Either way, I still plan to return to Canada at the end of June debt free.

Rassouli’s workshop is being organized through The Academy of Art, Creativity and Consciousness near Assisi – intriguing indeed! The retreat itself is described as “an alchemical exploration of architecture, painting, photography, yoga, song, dance, music, and fun to fully live and breathe your creative heart” –  a perfect continuation of this year’s theme.

Saturday Morning’s Dream:

I wrote this part immediately upon waking – I have many of my own interpretations of the elements of this dream, but won’t get into all of them.  The final message is what counts.

I just woke up from a dream.  I had been saving seats at a movie theater for my parents and sister.  While I was waiting for them to return, some of my Asian ESL students came to sit next to me – we laughed, shared stories, and I tried on this elaborate multi-layered transparent white shirt that one had bought on her travels.  At first I thought I should have bought something like that while I was there, but then thought – the material isn’t comfortable, it’s too much trouble to wash, and I have other financial priorities anyway.  When my family returned, I excused myself.  I grabbed my pile of Newfoundland & Labrador calendars that I had brought back from Canada for my Czech friends (which feature one of my photos and which, in reality, I’ll finally get to give to them this month) and started running down the grassy hill to where I knew I could find wrapping paper.  We were now outdoors (you know how dreams work) and I was soon running with wild abandon, past the stage where the rock/movie star winked at me as I ran by.  I was picking up speed and let out a “woooo hooo” (if you know me – I’m a bit overcautious at times and this running downhill with wild abandon isn’t something I would do – I’m not a thrill seeker when it comes to sports, etc. – but running like that felt great.)  When I got to the bottom, I had to avoid running into people and I finally came to a halt at the storefronts where I sat down with my back leaning on the wall .  It was dark (being a movie theater, you know) and I was approached by a man with a big dog.  In my mind it was a security guard/police and I was concerned I had done something wrong. The dog, however, was more like an Afghan, but partially shaven in the back with large tattooed symbols on his flanks.  I didn’t take a good look at them – wish I had.  The man leaned in and said something.  I couldn’t make it out and couldn’t see him clearly in the dark.  I had him repeat it 3-4 times.  I said “if what you’re saying is important, please say it again louder – I can’t hear you and I’m about to go in there (the closed store to get wrapping paper.  In my mind, I was now one of the event organizers and had access to the closed store).  I wanted to make sure it was OK to go in.  Then I heard him:  “What you’re going to see/say/express/experience? about St. Francis (or Assisi – can’t remember which) will make a difference”.  He wasn’t a police, but a messenger or guardian of a different sort.   I woke up knowing my decision was a good one.

P.S.  I just read that “genetic testing has placed the Afghan Hound breed among those with the least genetic divergence from the wolf on some markers” – one of the most ancient breeds.  The wolf is an important part of the legend around Saint Francis of Assisi – I like those connections.  I wonder what those signs on its’ flanks were…

Saint Francis Prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

Movies about Saint Francis of Assisi:

Believe it or not, I have time to watch movies, even with 40 hours/week in school, ~10-15 hours of blogging and photo editing/week, playing tourist, hiking, and ~ 15hrs/week+ of online learning/homework on the business of art before school.  This is where being an introvert with very little social life here in Vienna benefits me… In fact, movies are about the only thing I have energy for after I get home from school at 7pm and make dinner, before my bedtime at around 9pm.  I have no problem waking up at 5am and being productive, but don’t ask for my brain to be too active after 6pm.  It rarely happens.

So guess what my latest movie theme on YouTube has been – you guessed it: Saint Francis of Assisi.  If you’re interested, there are several free movies on his life online:  Flowers of St. Francis (1950) – Italian but you can turn on English captions; Francis of Assisi (1961); and  Clare and Francis (1987).

OK – it’s almost time for me to meet my classmates for a hike – glad I had time to share the good news.  May love, peace, joy, health, wealth, happiness, and freedom bless your days and your nights.