March 8, 2010 by catvibe

St. Claire saving a child from a wolf. By Giovanni di Paolo (circa 1455)

Visions of Sister Moon:

An entirely fictional and imagined correspondence between Claire and Francis of Assisi. By Cat Vibert

Oh Francis, it pains me to attempt to explain my thoughts to you. Indeed I am not certain I will deliver this letter to you upon your return, but must record what I have seen. I must write for the sake of understanding my own thoughts, and so I begin.

For such a time after you left for Rome, I was distraught with sadness. I felt a great shame that I caused you to consider straying from the true path that was revealed to you in your visions. I do not know how to separate my desires to know you as a wife from the holy tryst you ask of me in becoming a bride to Our Lord. I have never known a possession such that every room in the house of my thoughts would be filled with your image, leaving no space for contemplation of Our Lord’s will. Indeed until this morning’s vision my night dreams were filled with a blackness such that not a sliver of moon was present to guide my sight. Only when I woke, I would be filled again with thoughts of you, of that night we walked under the stars. Remembering the touch of your warm breath upon my lips. So close were mine, that night, to lips I yearn for, yet shall never know the taste of.

I have been wearing my wedding veil to ward off advances from my brother’s friends and the like. They jest when I pass, calling me sister moon the loon, then stating vulgar epitaphs. I seek refuge by walking the hills above the village in the afternoons, talking to the birds and squirrels I meet along the path. I kneel at times, along the way, to pray for Our Lord to enter my visions again, and to instill discipline to my thoughts.

Yesterday as I walked, I came upon a mother who was kneeling on the ground suckling her infant child. Her face was hidden behind a mask. What I could see of her skin was dark, and yet her child was fair as snow, with eyes that shone of gold. The woman was cackling like a crone. She asked me through her laughter, if I was afraid of her. I admit that I felt fear, a great fear, but of what I did not know. It was as if I was afraid of myself, it was not her presence that disturbed me. She told me I would see her again. I offered her the flowers I had collected on my walk and wished her well. I heard her cackle echoing through the hills as I walked back toward the village.

In the night, the moon was full and I gazed upon it as it rose in the East. I walked out to the meadow where I last felt your hand upon mine, and imagined you with me. I imagined the meeting of our lips. I know I should not let my thoughts linger in such forbidden places. I do not know how my feet managed to carry my legs home upon the formless structure they became in that imagined kiss. I managed to find my way to my bed, however, and upon falling asleep in the ray of moon that shined across my eyes, I had a vision. It began as the same vision that I have just described, I walked in the woods and came upon the same mother and child, and she asked me if I was afraid. I asked her to remove her mask, and she did. In her face, I saw you, and then your image melted away and I saw myself. I then saw her child being torn apart by wolves, and this image melted into a sea of blood, with mighty waves that dashed into rocks and cliffs, spraying blood high into the air. Then the storm calmed and her face again became a woman, beautiful with dark skin and golden eyes, like the eyes of her child, who was whole again within her arms.

She asked me to follow her, and stood, beckoning. There appeared a cave before us, and we entered and walked into the dark, feeling along the mossy walls until we came to an underground lake illuminated by a tiny candle. The woman then asked me to drink of the water. I drank, and she told me that the light was Our Lord and that she was his bride and her child was the church. I then woke to the shining sun and the sound of the village bell. I will think on the meaning of this vision today and write on it later.

Oh Francis, I do not ever think I will be able to give you this letter, but I give you my heart on wings.

All of my undying love,

Your beloved, Claire

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Visions of Sister Moon, Pt. 3

March 3, 2010 by catvibe

child-with-the-sisters-of-darkness-and-light

St. Claire meets the Dark Mother by Cat Vibert

Visions of Sister Moon Pt. 3

Click here to view series on one page.

Interlude

In solitude she walks under the moon

Yet prays to Francis’ God as she steps forth

She veils herself to keep from wanton swoon

And keeps her eyes downcast to avert mirth

Her visions have gone black as raven’s night

She sees but naught an answer to her prayers

She’s taken to the hills on dreams of flight

For to escape the mills of town nay-sayers

Yet there, upon the bluff, a woman sits

No face has she, but shines as dark as night

A child she holds to suckle at her teets

No doubt but sure this child is pure as light

The darkened mother’s mask disputes despair

Or so her light, as moon, appeared to Claire

@2010 Catherine Vibert

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Visions of Sister Moon Pt. 2

February 25, 2010 by catvibe

Canticle of the Saint Francis of Assisi” (Giovanni Bernardone, 1181-1226)

Visions of Sister Moon:

An entirely fictional and imagined correspondence between Claire and Francis of Assisi. By Cat Vibert

Click here for Part 1

My Clair de Lune,

By the time you receive this I will be well on my way to Rome. And while I agree with you as to the structure of holiness of the church, surely you understand the political nature of things. The church’s blessing is required in order to provide the funds necessary to establish the new order. If we receive it, it will be a blessing to our community, which as you know, is sorely lacking in its relationship to Our Lord. I tell you this to provide you with comfort and assurance. I too have had visions, and I continue to be led by them to not cower before the majesty of the church, but to be humble and ask for what is needed for the good of Assisi and of the new order. Assisi is to become a symbol for the future of all Christianity. A day will come when our work with the animals and the land will be recognized by the peoples of the entire world as a potent reminder of our purpose as stewards in Our Lord’s dominion. You need not worry, I will not be corrupted by the grandeur of things. I will always wear only this simple brown cloth that you have woven for me, which in itself is the richest vestment any man could want.

As to your vision, your sight is an astounding revelation. It is as clear to me as daylight shines its glorious light that you are indeed a bride to Our Lord. My Claire who has visions under the light of the moon, the deer in your sight is a clear symbol that Our Lord has entered your visions and speaks through them, for only Our Lord can cast away demons while invoking compassion. The water in the lake is the state of piety, as you know, the lack of piety has caused such horrors, and people are being led astray by claims of golden redemption. Only tears of compassion and forgiveness can bring the people back to walk in the true path of Our Lord. When that happens, and the people drink of those tears, they will once again follow.

When I return from Rome, my dear Claire, I ask you to allow me to receive you as a bride to Our Lord. As to the conversation we had in regards to marriage the night we walked under the stars and dreamed of a home to tend the animals, I maintain that my love for you is as full as any heart can hold, but that is because you are so full of Our Lord. We must never sully that love with earthly desires but must dedicate our lives together to serve Our Lord. Only you will ever know how close my heart came to choosing an earthly wedding to you over the establishment of the new order. My confused prayers have been answered with visions, and I must obey Our Lord. But Claire, I need you by my side always, and so I ask you again, to take the holy vows. Keep watch to your visions, you will find an answer there.

I will see you upon my return, and pray that you will keep safe. Pray for our success. I am accompanied by eleven of my companions, and I do not think that any ill can befall us with the likes of them nearby. Oh, lest I forget mon Claire, you would be amused to see the number of birds that have flocked to us and have joined us on our journey. I have been feeding them. They have voracious appetites and so I imagine would follow even a devil if he carried a seed bag. But you, my frail moon, you must keep care to stay pure as the light you are. Until I return my love.

My love to you through the heart of Our Lord,

Francis

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Visions of Sister Moon

February 20, 2010 by catvibe

A statue of St. Claire, Photograph by Cat Vibert

Visions of Sister Moon:An entirely fictional and imagined correspondence between Claire and Francis of Assisi

My dear Francis, my soliel de frére,

I woke again with another vision. They are coming every night now. In my vision all of the people of our world were standing by the shore of a lake, and they were unclothed. The water was brown and the people could not drink it. There was a man dressed in vestments and holding a scepter and shouting to the people that he would take care of them, that he spoke for God. They were shivering in cold, and kneeling before the man. Their bones showed through their skin. One of the women brought a dead child and lay it down in front of the man and he stepped upon it and shoved the woman away, shouting to the people to kneel and pray in front of Our Lord. As in the other visions, an army of birds descended from the South. A raptor swooped down and with his talons extended, he took off the vestments of the man. Another raptor took the man’s scepter. The man was standing naked and the rest of the birds descended, circling the man and lifting him high into the air, they dropped him into the masses. The people began to rip him apart, tearing off his limbs, the faces of the people looked to be possessed by demons.

Just then a deer appeared from the North and walked into the middle of the crowd. But he was not just a deer, he was golden and grand, his antlers were perfectly formed, and did not look to have ever been used to fight in battle. He walked into the middle of the crowd and up to where the people had torn apart the man. He bent down and licked the man, looking at him with such a compassion that I could feel my heart aching to watch. A tear fell out of his eye, and the tear was a diamond. The man was healed in body, but did not wake, and then he ascended, his entire body lifted into the sky and he was gone.

The deer then turned to the people and looked at them with the same eye of compassion, another tear fell as a diamond, and dropped into the lake and the lake became pure. The people gathered around the deer and kneeled, and then the birds returned, circling around in the sky above the deer and the crowd. The deer began to walk toward the East, the birds above him leading the way. The people rose, drank from the lake, and then followed, walking in a deep peace behind the deer, and as they walked, they regained health. When I woke, three bluebirds were at my window.

Oh Francis my love, I fear that you will not accomplish your mission by going West to Rome and I beg you not to go. It is not a holy place and the Pope does not speak for God. God speaks through the animals, through the trees, through the birds and the wind, not through a single man, not through a book. God does not condone violence, or riches of absurd grandeur. You have more of the essence of God in your eyelash than does the entire church, I beg you to see that holiness, and to stay and not leave this land, not leave me, to chase an impossible dream. To have the Pope’s blessing? What will that give you? Give us? Everything we need is right here. The animals need tending, I need your love, please stay.

Your beloved, Claire de lune

PS: Reminder to please vote for me in the WNC Magazine emerging artist competition. Monday is the last day, and you can vote every day until then. http://www.wncmagazine.com/otv/vote and again, deepest gratitude.

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Moonlight Snow Sonnet

February 14, 2010 by catvibe

Moonlight on Snow by Cat Vibert

Oil on Canvas

Twas in the snowy moon I heard your call

As silent footsteps wandered down the path

I heard you and upon my knees did fall

And cried to you my heart’s unending wrath

I raised my arms as branches to the moon

And called to you to save me from this pain

The fairy stories woven in my looms

Have shrouded me in skeins of ices plain

But there in silent fields of snowy white

A sudden warmth came flooding through my soul

As seeds of Love will fly on wings of night

The mysteries of longing take their toll

As sure as night will rend its snowy hand

Love’s touch will melt the hour in the sand

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I apologize for not getting around to blogs. Besides painting this week, I overdid the computer thing and have the dread computer arm thing going on, but I’ve been resting and am on the mend. I will be around soon to catch up.

Congratulations to Jozien for winning the print of the Golden Buddha. Thank you so much to all who participated. There are many excellent poems in the bunch, if you haven’t read through them, I recommend you take the time. Many of them left me in tears (of joy of course). Here is the link.

Finally, a reminder to vote for me today and everyday until 2/22 at the WNC On the Verge emerging artist competition.

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I Need Your Help

February 12, 2010 by catvibe

Dear Friends

I sent this on Facebook and to my general email list and now I’m blogging it too. Forgive if you are receiving this multiple times.

I have entered WNC Magazine’s On the Verge emerging artist competition. There are 130 others who have also entered this highly competitive and very beneficial contest and there will be 10 winners. A win in this contest would be a huge boost for my fledgling career as an artist. With a great deal of media attention.

Here’s where you come in: There is a slot amongst those 10 winners for the People’s Choice nod. You can vote once every day until February 22. To vote for me, go to the bottom of the page I’ve linked here and select my name from the voting list. Here is the link: http://www.wncmagazine.com/otv/vote.

I am deeply grateful for your vote. And even more grateful if you do it every day until February 22! And share this link with your friends and ask them to vote for me. Tweet it, Facebook it, and did I mention thanks? And THANKS! and THANKS AGAIN?

I hope you are all well and surviving this very wintery winter, staying cozy and warm.

Warmly,
Cat

PS: Don’t forget to enter the contest to win a beautiful Golden Buddha print before tomorrow night (February 13th). The drawing will be on Sunday morning and I will post the winner then. Just scroll down a couple of posts, or click here to get you there the quick way.

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Love’s Melting

February 7, 2010 by catvibe

Ice on Branches by Cat Vibert

wrapped in a sea of ice,

landscapes of solitude

prisons of thought

Love, universal, absolute

always flowing

armored cocoons

nothing remains solid

in Love’s river

(Don’t forget to enter the drawing on the previous post! You have until February 13th at midnight to enter.)

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Contest Prompt: Golden Stillness

February 1, 2010 by catvibe

Golden Buddha by Cat Vibert

Photography Collage

Available in Art Store

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I will meet you there. … Rumi

Friends and followers, February is the month of love. Love is a giving thing, and I am joining the many bloggers out there who are giving things away in honor of blog love. On Valentine’s Day, I will hold a drawing for a chance to win the above image. To enter, leave a comment on this post with a short poem about Stillness.

Spread the love, tell your friends. Tweet it, Facebook it, be creative, and let’s have some fun!

Love,

Cat

Added on Feb 3: Awesome entries so far everyone. Keep them coming, tell your friends. I’ll accept entries until midnight on February 13th. I will announce the winner on February 14th. Good luck everyone!

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Nothing Stays the Same

January 29, 2010 by catvibe

Dancing Buddhas by Cat Vibert

From Headless Buddha Series available in Art Store

Oh they do come and go

Dancing in

Swirling out

In

Out

Come

Go

Like my heart beating blood

It comes in blue

It goes out red

 

You rush in red

I come out blue

Because I can’t hold blood

 

You walked in silently

Through layers of fog

Touched the triangle

Reaching clarity

Touched the triangle

Instant opening

Touched the triangle

With quiet revelations

The dam is broken

 

I bleed

 

The doctor exposes the wound

And is gone

 

I stumble, I feel, I ache

I don’t feel, I am numb

 

The fog is thick

The triangle bleeds

 

It bleeds

 

I don’t know how much

 

It doesn’t matter

 

Blood comes and goes

 

It comes

and

goes

 

Nothing stays the same

(PS, I’d love to know your thoughts on this image. I had fun ‘doctoring’ it recently as I’m entering the Headless Buddha Photography series into a juried exhibition. To see the original unedited version click here. Thanks! ~ Cat)

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Color Blazes from the East

January 27, 2010 by catvibe

Three Graces under the Air Streaked Sky by Cat Vibert

Photography

This image is not yet available for sale in the Art Store.

Color blazes in from the East

Waking me from a black and white

Night of the forgotten

One who touches me

Where fire is not allowed

And the cold blue dawn

Ignites in rainbow visions

That have no home

In this reality

Of forgotten dreaming

Air streaks cross the sky

Arcing from North to South

As fallout dusts

The sunset West

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Visions of Sister Moon:

An entirely fictional and imagined correspondence between Claire and Francis of Assisi. By Cat Vibert

Visions of Sister Moon Pt. 3

Interlude

Visions of Sister Moon:

An entirely fictional and imagined correspondence between Claire and Francis of Assisi. By Cat Vibert

Visions of Sister Moon:An entirely fictional and imagined correspondence between Claire and Francis of Assisi

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Catvibe Creative

Visions of Sister Moon:

An entirely fictional and imagined correspondence between Claire and Francis of Assisi. By Cat Vibert

Visions of Sister Moon Pt. 3

Interlude

Visions of Sister Moon:

An entirely fictional and imagined correspondence between Claire and Francis of Assisi. By Cat Vibert

Visions of Sister Moon:An entirely fictional and imagined correspondence between Claire and Francis of Assisi

Images from Art Store

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