Indiana Pagan Artist Spotlight | Under the Single Tree: Carolyn Miller-Schulz

Artist’s Statement:

Blessed Be, My Sisters and Brothers:
Let your heart sing under the Triple Moon.

My art is what my mind’s eye sees and my soul feels. It is inspired by my studies: stories and tales derived from diverse religious, mythical and metaphysical themes which celebrate The Great Mother, Life, Native cultures, mystical, magical Wiccan Themes and Spirit.

I have been a “working” artist for a long time, drawing or sketching something since I could hold a crayon. I am self-taught and I enjoy exploring new media and techniques.

Under The Single Tree Gallery
Indianapolis, Indiana
singletree3@hotmail.com
Medias: Acrylic, Oils, Pen and Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor

Affiliations:
Hoosier Salon
Southside Art League
Acrylic Artist’s Guild
National Acrylic Painters Org.
National Watercolour Artists Society
The Willow Grove
Spirit Card Center
Saatchi-Gallery - UK

Carolyn Miller - Schulz

I am not limited to any set "Style". My colors are usually vibrant and bold because I love the drama, contrast and the dancing excitement of color. My art is an outward expression of the things that touch me in some way.

I am a Solitary practitioner of the Old Ways. I guess if you had to classify me I would be an Eclectic - Traditional Solitary. My Native American stylized work is signed using the pen name Singletree. I do this in honor and in memory of my mother who passed through the veil when I was 13. Other subjects I love include, History in general and the Woman's role in it, Writing, Teaching, Music, The Occult Sciences, Anthropology, Egyptology, Mythology and so on and so on…

Now fall is beginning to paint hints of orange and yellow on the leaves and you can feel a new snap of coolness in the air. Walk gently now through a stand of trees and listen to the leaves and grass begin to whisper and rustle beneath your feet.

Touch the trees and feel them warm and hum under your hands, soothing and constant.

Stand quiet and hear the call of the birds as they rush to finish their season's work and prepare for the hard cold times to come.

Samhain pronounced "sow-in" ( October 31 ) will be here soon, and we will start our new year! It is also known as Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Hallowmass or Day of the Dead, Samhain is the Wiccan & Witch new year. This is one of the most important of Sabbats, for we remember those that passed from the world of the living, to the world of the dead and the veil separating the two worlds is at it's thinnest.

Now is the time to prepare and focus your thoughts on those who have gone before you, now is the time to plan ways to honor those who were special to you in this life and to concentrate your energies for the coming new year.

© Caroyln Miller-Schulz - used with permission

As is my custom, I will do my own service that involves only writing down all the old hurts, bad feeling and baggage from this last year and burning it, then I will write about my hopes,dreams and wishes for the coming year , seal it and offer it up in smoke with a sweet incense.

I will write and burn a long letter to my mother who passed through the veil so many years ago and then I will write notes of remembrance to special family or friends who have passed. After all of that, I will cleanse my house with sage , light it up with sweet smelling candles and make a wonderful dinner using some or all of my fall harvest favorites, like a pumpkin pie with pecans and a rich and luscious zucchini lasagna..yum.

It doesn't really matter what your personal custom may be, you can be as creative and outrageous as you like or as quiet and pensive, all that really matters is that you do honor to those loved and passed and then, look forward to the future with hope and surety that we are all a part of the Goddess, the Earth and the spirit within us all is interwoven in eternity..

Till next time: Blessed Be My Friends,

We all come from the Goddess and to her we shall return, like a single drop of rain, flowing to the ocean.
Open your arms to the night sky.
Open your eyes to the moon’s light.
Open your ears to the owl’s song.
Open your mouth and sing praise.
Empty your cup of life’s pain .
Refill your soul with beauty.

Blessed Be:
Carolyn

© Caroyln Miller-Schulz - used with permission

One particular Native American stylized piece that I did a while ago is special to me because it illustrates the point of my story: How the courage and faith of a single person can benefit many. This is her story..

“White Star’s Vision”
By Carolyn Miller - Schulz  AKA "Singletree"
16 x 20 Original Acrylic on canvas

It was the winter of too many stars and it had been a hard one so far. The snow was deep and had lasted so very long. The "People" were hungry. Brother Wolf was also hungry, his mournful howls could be heard all through the night as he and his tribe searched vainly for food. There was no game to feed anyone.

White Star slept fitfully one night in the deep winter, she dreamed of the buffalo, he called her by name, saying "White Star ! Come to the high place,White Star come now ! Hurry!" She woke up startled, it had seemed so real.

As soon as the sun danced, sparkling on the drifted snow, White Star sought council of Standing Otter, the medicine man.

The dream was still so vivid in her mind , she felt drawn to the high place, but was afraid to go because of the depth of the snow and those howling wolves. Standing Otter listened intently to her dream and told her after much thought, that if the Wakan Tanka had called her through one of the Buffalo People, then she must do as she was asked, for not to obey would surely bring misfortune. Also, if she was going to go she should go this very night, because the Buffalo had told her to hurry and had come to her in the night while she slept. Standing Otter promised to make offerings for her to take with her and to speak of her in his prayers to Wakan Tanka this day.

That evening, White Star slipped out of camp, hugging close to her breast the medicine bundle so meticulously prepared for her by Standing Otter. The climb to the high place was more difficult than she had imagined, rocks and branches hidden under the deep snow cover reached out to grab her ankles. Many times she fell, floundering in the heavy wet snow but each time she fought her way to her feet, keeping her eyes on the point of the high place, willing her aching body to go on. Strangely, she was not cold, but the eerie howling of the hungry wolves in the distance was quite frightening, making her shiver as if she were cold.

Not long after the moon had climbed to it's highest, White Star reached the high place. It had taken much out of her, but she was finally there. Still gasping for breath in the frozen air, she carefully unwrapped her offerings and tied them to the branches of a small brush pine, the she stood and sang prayers to the Wakan Tanka, thanking them for helping her to reach this place in safety. Suddenly the wind became confused and seemed to blow in all directions at once and looking up, she watched as the clouds swirled and churned and began to form the shapes of White Buffalo and Brother Bear among the twinkling stars.

A voice like thunder shook the ground saying.."White Star ! White Star ! We know that your people have suffered much and we want to tell them that we have not turned our faces from them. "

"We have held council and decided that since you have listened to your dreams, we will ask North Wind to leave and South Wind to come gently to this place, further, since "The People" have honored us daily in prayer and offering even though they were suffering, we will cause this great famine to end. Even as they spoke, the warmth of the South Wind touched her face gently and the snow began to melt around her feet. "White Star, go now and gather your hunters, tell them to go to the foot of the mountain in the East, there in it's shadow will they find all that they need." Then, swirling like it came, the vision vanished.

White Star rushed quickly as she could through the melting snow back towards the camp and reached it just as the first rays of the sun touched the tops of the tipis. She raced excitedly to see Standing Otter and told him what she had seen and heard and he quickly sent the hunters to the place that had been spoken of. When the hunters returned they were laden with much buffalo meat and went back many times to get more. There had been an avalanche when the warm spell came, trapping a large herd of buffalo in a canyon at the foot of the mountain to the East. Thanks to White Star's vision they would not be hungry any more. From that day on, White Star was most honored among "The People" for her courage.

Article and images © Carolyn Miller-Schultz. Reproduced with permission.