This painting was inspired by several key components of my life, my mother, my spirituality and in attempt to heal from her passing by creating a space where our spirits could be one…if only for a moment.
Distance Healer was painted with acrylic paints and by using my hands. If you look closely at the leaves you will see they are thousands of small dots that were my fingertips. You will also see several Reiki symbols in this painting as well. The main symbol that you can see in the top center is the start of the Reiki symbol used for distance healing. The Reiki power symbol and emotional healing symbol can be found in this painting as well. I like to incorporate the Reiki symbols and Reiki in my painting process; it really seems to enrich the work and has a positive effect on the viewer.
This painting was a memory of the quarter mile woodland path that went from my mother’s home down to the river front she so loved. The path was steep and the banks were high, lined with ivy, bamboo, wisteria, and trees. It was a wonderland to the senses and left the imagination to run wild. My mother loved this path most of all, it was her path to freedom. At the bottom of the path there was a long wharf and on the shoreline sat her rusty old red canoe. Most evenings she would go to her canoe with her trusted guardian, Elmos, a black as night Great Dane. Together they would travel the shoreline while she cawed to crows and he searched for treasures in the banks.
I like to paint places that are special to those I love. It feels as though their energy imprints in the space and can be still felt there even in their absences. When we paint or create from a place of our souls we naturally move in harmony with our highest selves, that part of our being that is directly connected to everything else, seen and unseen. We are able to feed and heal our spirits in this place. We are able to connect with all that has been and is no more in this space in a very real and organic way. This is why I often hold an intention when I paint. This painting was intended to hold space for my mother’s spirit and mine to reconnect. In this thought the painting itself is really just a byproduct of what I was seeking to accomplish. I put my whole being into this painting, creating, remembering, feeling, destroying and rebuilding. I remember focusing on the way that the paint felt beneath my fingers, cool and soft like butter. I painted this painting with care and love and I thought a lot about my mother’s time with me over the course of my life and this special place and I felt connected to her. I also felt gratitude and peace and there was thanks giving and forgiveness. This is what great art is. Great art is the byproduct of emotion and relationships. Great art is fragments of time and space mixed with memory in harmony within the soul whom created it.
Creativity is a very important element in the healing process and can be a really amazing way to feel connected to those who have passed on. It doesn’t matter what one believes about where we go when we pass on or what does or does not happen. Creativity knows no limitations and it can help restore our spirits. We can also connect with those who are living in a spiritual way as well by using the same process. Is there someone that you lost in your life that you would like to reconnect with or feel closer to? What would it feel like to be able to spend if even a few moments with this person again?
Try it yourself! Here’s how to get started:
Start by sitting quietly in a comfortable space and in a comfortable way with your feet on the floor and your hands to your side or comfortably folded on your lap. Clear your mind of all things. Take three or four deep cleansing breaths, breathing in and out in a smooth and controlled way. Try breathing in for 5 seconds, holding the breath for 5 seconds and breathing out for 5 seconds. Imagine breathing in peace and breathing out love as if your breath was being exhaled from your heart. Once your mind is still and you are relaxed your heart and spirit will be open and it is time to begin bringing in the essence of the person you are wishing to connect with. Begin by thinking about the person in the most basic way, without words, without emotions and without attaching situations. Perhaps you will focus on the way they looked or imagine them smiling at you. Sit still until you feel the connection with this person become strong. State your intention to connect with this person in words. You may say something like, “Thank you for connecting with me, today I would like to feel closer to you, so I invite you into my heart as I create this painting.” You may choose something like “It is my intention to heal from the loss of my grandma with this painting.” It is up to you if you speak to the person or not, there is no right or wrong way. The point is simply to be relaxed and have your intention set. When your intention is set, take another cleansing breath and begin. You may wish to keep a journal handy for any thoughts or ideas that come to you as you are working on your project.
Happy Creating!
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