And I begin again, yet another idea that danced into my head.
Not sure where it will go.
Or if it will even turn out.
But I know I want to add animals around the base of this forest fairy as I’m calling her.
Inspired by my admiration for St. Francis of Assisi.
XO
Barb
It was “Graceful Spinner” that tugged at my heart.
This term is a translation to describe a minor planet that was discovered in our galaxies in 1997 called Chariklo.
While I’m not an expert in astrology, I enjoy exploring what the planets, signs, and houses have to offer that help paint a picture of who I am and qualities I wish to hone in on.
In Greek Mythology Chariklo was wife to Chiron – who was known as the wounded healer. We all have Chiron in our birthchart which helps us to understand what we are here to heal.
But Chariklo intrigued me which led me to purchase a guided meditation called Chiron and Chariklo – An Inner Journey, from astrologer, Melanie Reinhart.
In the meditation we are invited by Chiron to sit alone in a cave, but I felt nervous to be there by myself. But then we were guided to notice the crystal walls. They were so beautiful!
As I was loving the sparkle and brightness of the cave it was then I felt the presence of a large brown spider. Recluse is the word that came to mind and I wondered if that was a type of spider.
But I felt some fear having spider in the cave with me. I wanted to turn away. But then all of a sudden I noticed the center of the spiders body was the most lovely aqua colored gem. This brought me comfort. Spider then faded away and I was left holding this aqua gem in my hand.
A day later I did some research about Chariklo to discover the translation of her name as Graceful Spinner. The article also mentioned to think of this in terms of Grandmother Spider – symbolic as the Great Weaver.
I then found that yes, there is a type of spider called Recluse. Known for its solitary nature and symbolic of the importance of quiet introspection and self-reflection. And spider showing up in a dream or as in my case during the inner journey, is generally a symbol of internal struggle.
Spider – Great Weaver and Chariklo – Graceful Spinner – then became inspirations for me to dig deeper.
Some of the qualities of Chariklo as noted in an article by Melanie Reinhart is that she has the ability to witness and hold sacred space for those in transition – whether literally or dealing with challenges in life. She is often seen as doing the “invisible work.”
And this has been an internal challenge of mine of late. This invisible work for me is about the inner work I continue to do for myself, but how often it can feel like it isn’t seen and not valued in society as I wish it was. But something I can’t not do even though it isn’t easy at times, because the rewards from it have helped me to find more peace and acceptance in myself.
Recluse Spider also represents patience, resilience, and self-protection, and one who can also regenerate lost limbs.
I realized in my inner work how often it is that I am embodying the energy of Chariklo – holding sacred space for myself – and Spider – who helps me weave together the many aspects of who I am. This takes patience and resilience and how important it is to have boundaries to protect oneself when doing the inner work. And from this space Spider helps us to open to the lost parts of ourselves and when we acknowledge them we are able to feel more whole.
And the aqua gem I was left holding in my hand during the meditation? The color symbolizes freedom, liberation of the soul, and guides one toward self-discovery.
Thank you, Chariklo and Spider for helping me through my sometimes feeling alone and not feeling seen and reminding me that what I am doing is important and that it does make a difference in the world.
Once this piece is complete I’ll share in a new blog post in case you are interested in purchasing this.
XO
Barb
Wolf Mixed Media Collage – The Gentle Call of Wolf – 9 x 12 on birchwood panel – $75.00 plus $8.00 shipping, can be purchased here. Message from Wolf (below) can be adhered to back or sent as separate copy. Let me know your preference when purchasing. For international shipping, please email me for cost.
As I wrote about in a recent blog post, it was laying down for a nap one afternoon that an image similar to this came into my mind. I knew then I wanted to recreate what I was seeing in my minds eye into a mixed media collage.
While I’d finished it about a week ago the message to go with it would take some time to come to the surface.
Wolf for me is all about the heart and she came to me during a time in my life when my heart was broken. While our hearts can feel such exhilaration of love we have a harder time when we experience pain and heartache. How often we want to push those uncomfortable feelings down when they come calling on our door step. But Wolf has taught me to keep my heart open.
And most importantly to feel all that I’m feeling.
So this piece is inspired by my dear friend, Wolf, who continues to walk beside me and encourages me every step of the way to be all of who I am – and especially during difficult times.
Below is the message that comes with this Wolf art piece:
The Gentle Call of Wolf
Wolf comes to you with an important message. There is nothing more important than your heart.
The heart brings joy, love, and peace. This is what inspires you to keep stepping into the one precious self that is you.
But the heart also experiences grief and anger. This is when you want to cry out in pain. To be seen and heard. But how often it is we hold back and don’t allow ourselves to feel. We suffer in shame and a cycle of self-judgment runs through us in a never-ending circle.
Wolf invites you to express your emotions. To howl it out into the Universe as you will be lovingly supported by Mother Nature, the animals, and the Divine.
As you do, this opens a space inside you where you are able to feel a flow of expansion and freedom. You are now able to embrace all of who you are without criticism. You see yourself anew and that you are indeed a magnificent part of the cosmos.
Know that Wolf walks with you every step of the way guiding you to embrace the fullness of you. And encourages you to trust your feelings as valid and important to be all you are meant to be.
With your heart leading the way, your passions and dreams come back into your consciousness once again as Wolf cheers you on to howl with pride and share your wisdom that will echo long after you’ve roamed this earth.
©Barbara Techel
My mixed media Animal Oracle Art thoughtfully blends together chosen images of animals that have inspired and/or captured my attention in some way! Each image and corresponding backgrounds are enhanced with a variety of pastel chalks, pencils, markers, and paint. My collages include dried florals, leaves, and natural elements I discover on my walks such as acorns, feathers, stones, and tree branches, along with bits of discarded/recycled ephemera. Animal image and supporting images are then curated and adhered to create a dimensional effect that is gently and lovingly nestled with care into a 9 x 12 birchwood shadow box. Comes with an intuited oracle message that can be included on back of piece or sent as separate copy that serves as a guide to deepen the connection to yourself, animals, and nature.
XO
Barb