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Sandy Ginsberg

Title of Work:          Maintaining Balance in the Pack Medium:                  Journal Drawing, edited with PS (4.5" x 2") Date Created:          May 25, 2009 5/25/2009 MAINTAINING BALANCE IN THE PACK I have a vision. It’s beautiful, like a numinous photograph. There are black wolves in a cold, quiet, majestic landscape. The light is gorgeous. They stand in , or just beyond a remnant of fallen water, which reflects them to me. It’s most interesting to me to see them opposing one another, on a very even scale. They are matched, to a wolf. Things are very tense. I wait to see what will happen. The two lead wolves have their teeth bared and I hear their far-off breathing …but, it could be that everyone ends up getting along. They ARE all in the same pack, after all. I am left to ponder why I see them in this way. What am I supposed to learn from this? EOD AFTERWARD: Two days later, while walking my dog, an unknown dog comes from nowhere and is nose to nose with my dog. This newcomer wears a spiked collar and has scars (presumably from fighting). Both dogs are extremely stiff and tense. No one moves. I try to remember what Caesar Milan suggests and keep my own tension out of the leash as much as possible. I keep thinking to try to keep the balance even between them. Within maybe 60-90 seconds in this limbo/hell, I simply back away with Dobie and we make our way up the street. Thankfully, my husband kept his eye on the other dog. Later, I remembered the dream that taught me the importance of “maintaining balance.”

Title of Work:   The Seven Doors Medium:           Journal Drawing, edited with PS (3.5"x3.5") 3/21/2009 DAVE AND THE SEVEN DOORS I’ve been pursued and I’m glad I made it home safely. I get inside and I hide, locking the door … but someone knocks and Dave goes to answer it. I beg him not to open it. He opens the door, but there’s another one behind it. He opens that one and there’s an identical one behind that. I notice that the hinges allow them to open easily without hanging up. Then another door, and another, etc. … He’s opened six doors and there is still one to be opened. I am afraid of the man on the other side of the door. I’ve done something wrong and I’m going to be punished. EOD REFLECTIONS: I write in my journal, “The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit … again?” And I wonder, “How can all the doors fit in the door-jam together?” But I know somehow they do. And I remember the puzzle when I was young … Having to choose a door (of two). “What’s behind the door you choose … the lady, or the tiger?”

Title of Work:   Support for my Femininity Medium:           Journal Drawing, edited with PS (3.5"x3.5") Date Created:   September 15, 2009 7/2/2009 – NEEDING HELP WITH MY “FEMININE” My breasts are bare … naked … full. They need support and it becomes an engineering problem to be solved. Shall something hold them from above? Shall something support them from below? Do I need both to help lift them from their heaviness? My imaginings are cinematic, surrealistic. Small people join together to support from below. All methods of suspension are enlisted to hold them from above. Shall I not move? EOD REFLECTIONS: Last night was the Dream Ball at the IASD Conference in Chicago. As we were leaving, Sheila Asato extended a gracious invitation to visit her in Minnesota sometime. I feel so good in this community. Tomorrow the conference will disband, and I will miss the closeness of all these wonderful dreamers. Sheila was the leader of my morning group and very inspirational to me during this week-long process. I felt enriched to be so close to the intuitive, feminine part of me. All this was on my mind as I lay my head down to sleep and dream. To wake with this image … well, I knew we were planning a few days of vacation in Wisconsin … so we called Sheila, and plans were established for us to journey up to Minneapolis in order to honor the dream. It feels good to receive support from all directions.

Title of Work:   Smile Full of Diamonds Medium:           Journal Drawing, edited with PS 6” x 8” overall – 3” x 2.5” detail) Date Created:   September 15, 2009 9/11/2009 – THE REFUGEE (WITH WEALTH IN HER SMILE) WHO CAN OFFER ME REFUGE … I’ve kind of lost my way, but I still know generally. I don’t have a ride and I ask a 60 – 70ish ethnic (Armenian?) woman to help me. At first she can’t be bothered. I convince her to let me come with when she drives home, since she says she lives in that neighborhood. She agrees finally, and smiles – and I see that around the connections of each of her teeth are small diamonds! Strange … this old, short, overweight babushka lady – tough as nails – with diamonds in her teeth! So I get into her car. It seems old like her, like they’re both of an era. But she drives in the opposite direction. I complain immediately. “Hey! What’s going on? You told me you’d take me home!” And she laughs. I can’t control it and I’m really mad. I insist she, at least, take me back to where we started. And (surprise) … she does! She seems very sad and defeated, and starts to cry. I have pity for her and begin to know her story. Her people were persecuted. Her family died. They had had a plan. They’d pile up on top of each other … and then, on top of the top-most one they’d put a large metal car bumper, which fully hid them all. When the fire swept over them (like enemies with fire weapons) the bumper would get hot, but it would protect them. If it stayed hot, it would melt the top brother. If it kept staying hot, it might melt two brothers, etc. She told me she was the youngest sister and the only one of her family to survive the enemy. All of them perished before the enemy gave up. She was only a child. She has the job of living for all of them now. Her sadness is because I didn’t want to join her on her joyous ride around the city. She would’ve eventually brought me to my home. I should’ve trusted her. EOD

Title of Work:   Hand and Fish Connection Medium:           Assemblage of construction paper tracing, images of butterflies and fish eye, and Strathmore paper with pastel drawing (10” x 8”) Date Created:   2009 IMPALED TO THE DECK OF THE COLLAPSING BOAT BY THE TEETH OF THE BIG FISH I’m on a ship which is in trouble. It’s collapsing … deflating or something, flattening out upon the surface of the sea. I feel frantic and don’t know what to do. Maybe it’s going to sink. I might slip off soon. I’m frantic. Now a huge fish comes up beside the ship and I’m even more scared. I slip off the boat and I try to hold on, and the fish swims toward me with really big teeth, and I try to scramble back onto the deck of the boat, but I can’t. The fish impales my hand onto the sinking ship with its sharp teeth. I’m stabbed through, bitten, wounded! Now all is lost! I feel afraid and I’ve given up hope. EOD GESTALTING THE FISH: I can see the danger and fear that Sandy has. She’s all alone, and thinks there is no one to help her. There’s no way I can convince her that I am here for her. I’ll keep watch. I’ll vigil for her, circle ‘round while things are stable. But now they worsen, and the ship is going under and she’s in danger. I have to save her. Even though she fears me, I’ll keep her safe. I’ll pin her to the one last thing that will float. She’ll be safe, even though she’ll think of me as the enemy. I always watch over her.

Copyright 2009: All images contained herein are protected by copyright.  Images may not be used, copied, transmitted or reproduced in whole or in part in any form nor may they or any part of them be stored in a retrieval system of any nature without written permission from the individual artist.