Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

I just read SooZen’s post on Facebook. Cecil has passed. My heart is heavy. *tears*

Please visit his Sunday Streams column below to read his beautiful, poetic philosophy.

for SooZen.

Sunday Stream
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I remember him as a staple at Arcanum as well as here. His writing always seemed to fly a little over my literalist head - but he seemed a generous soul, and was kind to me. A part of the landscape worn away by time.....

Yeah, as winddance asked if there was a way to unite the two sites, both judih and I actually tried to do that through the years. We posted links to AC here often, inviting people to participate. Cecil was one that took us up on it. He liked AC. Others also… mnaz used to post there regularly, for one (there were more). We also brought our Word Jams to AC with Joe’s permission, inviting both sites to the events. Those were great times.

Cecil was a wonderful human being! I loved him!! His Sunday Streams actually started at Litkicks, the site where many of our original members here first meant. Cecil was a bright light in this often troubled world. His poetry was divine, sacred, enlightening. His handle was “mtmynd” which is a spiritual concept. (Empty mind) He was a kind and warm person. Someone who I always wanted to meet in person. His wife, SooZen is also an accomplished writer and artist and I always hoped I could meet them together. Maybe one day I’ll still have the opportunity to meet her, but traveling alone gets more difficult for me as I age, so… I don’t know.

Mnaz (Mark) was lucky to have to pleasure of meeting Cecil (and SooZ). Hopefully he’ll pop in and tell a story or two about his visits with them in the southwest.

I'm kind of stunned by this news. Cecil and I had many long conversations, in person and by phone, going back awhile. We became friends after I first traveled to meet him and Soozen in 2004. The last time we spoke was when he called me in 2022 when I'd just come from a hiking trail. I will miss him.

I’m so sorry, Mark. I know you two were close.

Thanks Doreen

I really liked Cecil. I remember our conversations, onscreen, by phone and in person. I love how Sooz and Cec and I joked about my "new rain powers" when I visited their house the second time when the desert was cold and rainy. Cecil and I relaxed on the back porch, and he told a story about being arrested somewhere in the middle of Texas just for driving a big rig across the plain without the right kind of license when his truck driver friend got tired. One of many stories we shared.

I just now saw this tonight, Mark. Thx for posting this memory of Cecil! It’s so awesome you got to meet him and spend time with him and SooZen. I’m envious.

I actually made it down to their place 4 times- 2004, 2005, 2014 and 2017. On my second visit we talked about spirit animals, a Native American idea that has been criticized as "cultural appropriation," yet it kind of fascinates me. I told how when I was 6 years old a crow walked behind me and followed me at least a half-block to my house, and Soozen said crows might be my animal. And if I had the crows I might also have the wolves; they were both explorers. Which was interesting because I'd just heard a wolf in the eastern Oregon desert a few months earlier while camping, and wolves were quite rare in Oregon ...

Wow! Fantastic, Mark! Four times? That is so special…. I’m so glad you made those trips and got to be so close to your friends. What wonderful memories you have. I’d love to see a photo if you have one. Spirit animals are something I probably believe in… I’m often connecting with big birds… like falcons… an eagle flew by when I was driving recently to my friends funeral and it cawed… no it was a squeal … I can’t quite describe the voice… but she knew I saw her. But I think it was her. No, I know it was her. She was saying she was right there with me going to her funeral. It’s hard losing a friend. Please tell SooZen I think of her often when you call there… or when you think of her, send her my love. I wish I had met them both. Poor SooZ lost a son recently too. I don’t quite know how to reach out.

Anyway, I saw a video she posted on Facebook a few months back… it was Cecil dancing. Ohhh I loved it so much! I could feel his soul…

I really do think that we are eternal beings. And we touch each other’s lives eternally.

It's difficult to know just how to reach out, for sure. Hopefully, family support is strong.

Actually, I just remembered, that discussion about spirit animals (called totems) happened here on S-8 years ago. On Hester's (retired) Mystic Arts Artlog.

Mail a sympathy card? I don’t know. I don’t have an address. I do have SooZen’s Facebook link if you’d like to have it. That’s where I expressed condolences. That’s very cool that the spirit animal discussion took place here on Theda’s Artlog! A search would probably bring it up if you wanted to reminisce. I didn’t remember that they are called totems. I’m remembering it now, thanks! I see Theda on Facebook too. But I sure miss the old days.

Me too. Seems like all I do these days is miss things