Thoughts

In May 2024, my team and I hosted a weaving project with 16 formerly incarcerated women at Why Not Prosper in Philadelphia. Why Not Prosper members brought in an assortment of materials: court documents, baby clothing, graduation sashes, jewelry, shoe laces, and other objects to weave an artwork that tells their personal journey from incarceration to reintegration. 

The artists began by describing the significance of their materials and then shredded or cut up those physical remnants of their past experiences and memories that are no longer relevant to their
lives today. Each artist wove the strands of materials into the weft of the lap looms, paying homage to
their personal style, their life story and their hopes for the future and inspiring viewers who visit F.I.R.M. – the United States first museum dedicated to previously incarcerated women artists, where the weavings hang today. 

Visit @suzannetick to watch short clips of the weaver’s sharing the back stories behind their weavings.

I am proud to be Reverend Michelle’s friend and a fellow board member of the Light Inside, run by fellow Vedic Meditation instructor Joh Jarvis – helping spread the mission of the Light Inside about the benefits of Vedic meditation in those who have been previously incarcerated. 

Why Not Prosper now has four properties  serving formerly incarcerated women. As well, thousands of previously imprisoned women have benefited from the organization’s programs for employment training, alcohol and drug abuse support, finding affordable housing, and assistance reuniting with their children.
 
Rev Michelle and the women of Why Not Prosper need your support to fund some vital aspects of their new endeavor.
 
The museum, which opened Aug 23rd requires $22,000 for a number of key features to complete the space. Still to be acquired are window display boards, shelving, touch screen monitors, and an audio system so people can listen to women’s stories.
 
Let’s support this incredible project! Your generosity can make a tangible difference in the lives of many, fostering a community of support, education and empowerment. DONATE HERE NOW.

We have been working with this embroidery
mill down south for the last 9 years.
I remember walking into the facility and seeing
miles of navy blue fabric on the machines and
thousands of white bobbins
being prepped and wondering
what are they embroidering.

We had just elected the 45th President
and I was feeling less than patriotic at the time.
And I thought to myself,
Oh dear have we made a mistake.

Then they walked me past the machines
of dark blue and we came upon our beautiful
light gray felt substrate
being embroidered with Celadon thread
to create Navigate.

This moment .. was followed
by one of their thirty year quality control
employees engulfing me with the
most wonderful hug and exclaiming
“bless you darlin – now I don’t have
to go to sleep every night with these stars
embedded in my brain..after 30 years,
now. I will mend these beautiful subtle colors,
“I thank you and my family thanks you”.

The mistaken intellect is very active in our minds.
Casting judgements, activating fear,
indulging hopelessness, inciting worry
and worthlessness which all seem
very real in the time while we are deep in these thoughts.
.
An active meditation practice allows
the awareness to seep in before being overtaken
by negative dark thoughts. And giving us the ability
to cast them away.
In most cases a good meditation (two times a day),
spending time outdoors, a long walk,
a talk with a friend you trust, a good nutritious
meal and staying socially active will give
us the answers we need.
And trusting that all decision we make
will lead us to the right answer.

Nature has organizing powers far beyond our own.
This past week we all felt the palpable shift
from a country that could have been ruled by
fear based administration to reclaiming
our patriotic spirit and be proud to be a part of this
UNI (one) VERSE.

One song, sung with each other.
Helping each other without knowing
As we are all worthy to believe in the American dream.

Cheers to Embroidered stars for the American flag

8. 25. 2024 Deck Talk available upon request info@fifthfloormeditation.com

There is a pearly teeth element in everything.
A person could be 90% bad traits but we focus
on the 10% good traits.
When we choose to focus on the good qualities,
they multiply… Sprouting from a seed
of good thoughts, and then to branches,
and then to the fullness of the tree manifested.
We always have the appreciation of good qualities.

Habitually when we think of ourselves,
it’s so easy to fall into our negative thought pattern.
“Why am I still having thought filled meditations?”
(I get that question a lot.)
“I would think by now that they would be smoother.”
“What’s wrong with me or my mantra?”
“Am I not using the mantra properly?”

We are persistent in looking at the negative signs.
My answer at times is to stop and look around you.
Look at what and how your life has changed
since you began meditating.
Focus on the appreciation of the good qualities.
We want to grow in the good.

This weaving is a collection of materials found
when cleaning up the house I grew up in
central Illinois.
My mother saved everything, including jewelry
from my great grandmother and grandmother.
Family members asked “What the heck are you
going to do with all of that jewelry?”
I had a weaving in mind.
Secretly looking at a way of getting closer
to the matriarchs in my family..
A hanky embroiderer and a portrait painter.
I would mutter to my family. “Perhaps an art piece.”
Though I was holding my breath thinking,
“Wow, am I like my mom. Not letting go of things.”

Happily I realized that this weaving
“Grandma’s Pearls” is in essence the story
MMY speaks of in his lecture entitled
“Maharishi on positivity.”

Merrily I weave along…..
And will stick to collecting detritus and
keeping it out of the landfill in honoring
the planet in which we reside.
And look for the pearly teeth in the everyday,
inside my thoughts and outside in the universe.

8. 18. 2024 Deck Talk available upon request info@fifthfloormeditation.com

Meditation exchanges energy for creativity, and creativity takes me to the loom. This small detail of a large whimsical woven sculpture has been in the making for over a year. Hand woven like a tapestry. First the materials are processed. All in random sequential order. Alphanumeric is a new commission measuring Fifteen feet long and Six feet high… Woven from materials collected by the client. Utilizing recycled ledger paper from the 1980’s, 1,200 dry cleaning hangers and 30 mylar balloons collected on FI. What this weaving depicts is “happy,” “strong,” “vibrant,” “energetic” – as described by dear friends due to the immensity of size, seen in this image of the shadow. That beautiful shadow. The reflection of what IS. The Is Ness. The faint remains of the intricate personality of the piece.. strong/delicate, transparent/opaque, straight/entangled. In reflecting on the teachings of MMY, it is written that people try to make a mood of equanimity in pleasure and pain, in loss and gain. They try to create a mood of equable behavior and unaffectedness while engaged in the diverse activities of the world. And what remains from this generality is a feeling of discomfort and a loss of balance. This is a shadow that gets cast over the collective. While others create a feeling of hope and optimism and joy and comfort. We make choices and the flavor of our choices, in our moods, in our giving, in our sharing or not sharing, and what remains, is either a shadow or light. Shadows – what remains – are the reflection of what actions we take and who we are. The essence of what is left after we have left? The quality or state of existence. It’s so lovely to be in the presence of this big weaving. Today I will say goodbye and usher it to its new home. We will talk about what essences we leave behind and their long lasting effects on the collective in this week’s deck talk. What is that state of Being we tap into each time we meditate.

08. 11. 2024 Deck Talk available upon request info@fifthfloormeditation.com

Earlier this summer, Neumann Monson’s interior designer Jillian Riggan sat down with Suzanne to discuss her background and career. Read on for summary of their conversation HERE!