Firefly sure seems to be flying alongside me these days!
I recently shared the cover reveal of my Animal Reflections Healing Oracle deck and how firefly is represented in the design and why.
Then early last week someone by the name of Hello From the Cocoon left a comment on a post I shared about my donkey card from my upcoming deck. One thing led to another quite quickly and with many synchronicities, and I ended up taking the self-paced online workshop to do a firefly painting facilitated by an inspiring and sweet woman named, Laurie who is from Hello From the Cocoon.
After painting the top half and then the bottom section with most of the reflective pond I turned off the light, closed the Victorian screen door to Joyful Pause Cottage studio, and went into my house for the evening.
Early the next morning the painting was on my mind. I could hardly wait to get out to my studio to work on it some more!
Shining the ott light onto the painting once again I realized how small I’d made my reflecting pond. Huh. That is interesting, I thought.
My Animal Reflections Healing Oracle deck is about helping others deepen their own insights and heal parts of themselves that need attention. It’s also about reflecting on situations and issues they feel challenged by and doing the inner work to discover why.
So why had I made the reflecting pond so small? This was an intriguing clue for me to ponder about. But one thing I knew was I needed to make that reflective pond larger. What was it I didn’t want to see as a reflection?
While Laurie’s tutorial was all about painting, I felt called to add elements from nature as I like to do in my own artwork I offer for sale.
After adding dried florals I collect on my walks plus a few stones, it was then I intuitively felt called to add a frog to sit along the water’s edge and a moth to hang out around the flowers.
When the painting was complete I know that Firefly is about continuing to shine my light out into the world (even when at times I wish to stay too long in my cocoon out of fear) and helping others do the same. While frog for me represents change and moth speaks to me about letting go – as in the sense of the death of something.
While I don’t have complete clarity about this yet, I will continue to simmer in the healing waters of that reflective pond and pay attention to any additional insight.
For now, I’ve hung the painting on a wall in my cottage and look forward to what may be revealed next.
XO
Barb
