heArt-a-Day

“Highest Spring” is the first acupuncture point of the heart meridian. I found a nice article explaining different important points along the heart meridian (Using the Spirits of the Points: The Heart Meridian). It uses the metaphor of the heart as the benevolent ruler over the other organs. I also found another article online that says the Liver is the ruler. Probably much farther along in the studying of traditional chinese medicine is the answer as to how they are both rulers on different levels. But I’m not there yet. So for now, since this is a blog about hearts, I declare the heart to be the “Supreme Controller”.

In the middle of filling my head full of eastern medicine theory and western anatomy I joined a doodle swap. Apparently there is a trendy new method for doing doodles with a trademarked brand name: Zentangle. The swap organizer mentioned it and that sent me off on a hunt for more info. It seems to be about a 9 on the art fad scale these days. My hunting/gathering/Googling expedition inspired me to start another Squidoo lens about doodle art. That, in turn, is making me accept the notion that I’m really happiest at doing art when I’m just doodling and it’s okay, it’s finally a legitimate art form. All of that led to heArt #134.

By the way, the irony of this being called Highest Spring at the beginning of the spring season in the northern hemisphere is not lost on me. This point is located in the very heart of your armpit. Seems to be exactly where Spring is this year -deadpans-.

Drawn in Photoshop with a Wacom tablet.

This digital painting is a portrait of my friend Anita’s new (and first) grandbaby. Melanie and Jun are the proud parents of baby Liam. From the photos his aunt Rachel sent me I can see that he’s very much a cutie pie. Too cute to not commemorate his birthday with some heart art. Congrats to Liam’s family!

“Painted” using a graphic tablet in Photoshop with some brushes by BSilvia at graphics-illustrations used in the background.

Massage therapy school has started and I’m learning the basics of Shiatsu. The very first meridians we learned last week were two related to the heart. What’s a meridian? According to traditional chinese medicine theory our bodies are fueled by lines of energy which western science can measure as electromagnetic fields. Along these lines of energy are specific points that can get blocked. Techniques such as shiatsu and acupuncture can open these points.

The real heart meridians run down the arm, unlike my heart meridian drawing above. As is often the case, I’ve done this piece of art but I’ll figure out what it really means later. I went with the first words that came to mind.

Created in Photoshop with a combination of shapes and brushes.