Play is the exultation of the possible.     Martin Buber  

  What's past is prologue.  William Shakespeare

About Karen

SACRED ART PLAY

Background

Karen is a mixed-media artist and shrine-maker who loves the wisdom of C.G. Jung and is excited about the power of poetry, plays, stories and dreams to facilitate the healing process. She spent three years studying at the Jung Institute in Switzerland before moving to Sheffield, England where she earned a Master's in Art and Psychotherapy. She then spent two more years training as an art therapist before settling in Portland, Oregon with her two muses Taco and Tamale.  

Ode to My Cats

Oh ye of waving tails and paws like pussy willows,

Ye of soft silk fur and cloying claws,

How you do step deftly among trinkets and trappings

And stampede through hallowed halls, paws skittering on wooden floors

Bodies hurling from table

                                        to chair

                                                   to floor 

And drape yourselves on hearth in front of crackling flame

Or curl croissant-like on lap or cushion

and purring, you search my soul with lemon-lime eyes.

How you do tumble as one with two tails, four ears, eight legs

wrestling with catly glee.

Oh ye whiskered ones of lunge and leap

Ye of pause and pounce, stillness and spring

How you do appear in unlikely places

On shelves, in bathtubs, under beds

Or peer around corners with glistening eyes

Or disappear inside drawers,

                                      bags,

                           baskets,

                                                    and boxes

And wait outside closed doors for me,

        two lumps of fur

And greet me with throaty meows of delight,

Or is it reproach?

And perch on top of books I aim to read

Or any other surface not necessarily horizontal.

Oh ye noble guardians of my temple

Ye of small body and mighty will

tiny wreakers of havoc

How you do leap into my arms and lick my face

Or steal bobby pins for a game of fetch

Or knot yourselves together for an afternoon nap

                                                  or evening

                                                     or morning

And pose with leg over head or head under leg

Or any other combination of body parts and positions.

How you do chase away dark thoughts

And surprise me with my smile.

Karen e. Barrueto-Pettit

Two of my favorite things are my cats Taco and Tamale. They are korats, also known as good luck cats in Thailand (where their breed originated). Below is a poem dedicated to them.

Things I Love

Trees

Watching dogs run freely

Words

Seeing children play and discover

A beautiful sentence

Sunsets

A full moon showing through the trees

Cheese - goat cheese, cheddar cheese, gorgonzola, camembert, brie, any cheese God help me with my dairy allergy!

A good book

The sound of the ocean

Color

The theater

The smell of bread baking

A good movie

Favorite People

Rumi

C.G. Jung

Abraham Lincoln

Jesus

Dalai Lama

Shakespeare

Nelson Mandela

Favorite Places

Anywhere in England

Under a tree

On the beach

In the water

In my garden

Santa Fe

The French Quarter

Ashland Oregon (for the theater festival)

Favorite Things to Do

Sit around a bonfire

in my backyard or

on the beach

Read a good book

Laugh or make people smile

Create with my hands

Pet my cats

Gardening

Trying a new recipe

Favorite Quotes

I admit that twice two

makes four is an excellent thing,

but if we are to give everything its due,

twice two makes five is sometimes a very

charming thing too.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Every evening I turn my worries over to God.

He's going to be up all night anyway.

Mary C. Crowley

What is it at this moment in this individual that is the natural urge of life.

That is the question.

C.G. Jung

We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.

Benjamin Franklin

I love it when someone discovers something new about him/herself: a new ability, a new passion, a new dream.

I love it when something wonderful happens to someone, especially when they've been through something difficult.

Art

Watching cats play

Music - all kinds

Seeing loving parents interact with their child

Tapioca with a dollop of cream

Gardening

Birds

Laughter

The sound of the wind in the trees

Inspiring quotes

Working with my hands

The smell of lime. lemon, vanilla, and coconut

(not necessarily all at once)

Browsing in an art supply or craft store

The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.

Carl Jung

I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things... I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.

Leo F. Buscaglia 

Tamale

Taco

Other Stuff I love