animal guides

My New Etsy Shop: Animal Oracle Art! Plus September Animal Wisdom Reading.

Posted by Barbara Techel

I announced my new Etsy shop and my animal oracle art on Sunday morning to newsletter subscribers and must say I’m so honored to have sold over half of my original artwork in a few hours!

As a reader of my blog, I’m now sharing with you what remains for my original artwork inventory. I do plan on offering prints also, so if you see something you like, but missed out on the original I’ll be offering print versions soon.

To check out my original artwork on my website click the graphic above or click here. On my website page it will take you to my Etsy shop if you are interested in purchasing an original or prints coming soon.

As you know if you’ve been with me a while, I love, appreciate, and deeply respect animals and all the wisdom they offer to help us expand and grow. I have a feeling you do too!

I also enjoy the wisdom of oracles which can be almost anything in the world, really, but my favorite oracle by far is the Animal Kingdom and all the unique creatures within it—each with a teaching that never fails to help us along at different junctures of our life path.

So I’ve combined my love of animals, oracles, writing, and collage and also incorporated paint, gel pens, pastel chalks, paper, and dried flowers that surround Joyful Pause Cottage (and some found on my daily walks) and created what I’m calling: Animal Oracle Art.

Because animals are an opening to our hearts…

Some of these creations have been inspired by past encounters and/or connections with certain animals, and some more recent, while some I just felt called to create as a way to learn more about a particular animal.

Diving into a new medium has definitely been another opportunity for me to address and acknowledge my inner critic/inner child. Oh, the vulnerability!

But the animals were once again my guides to appreciating my shadow, calming my fears, and forging ahead despite this — and riding the tails (paws, wings & hooves) of teachings from the animals and the desire to continue to follow my heart.

What’s special about the original creations is that included when you purchase one is it comes with a written personalized inspirational oracle message. This means I will pull one oracle card from a deck of the many I have in my collection that I feel drawn to just for you, plus incorporate intuited wisdom of that animal into the message. 

While the past twenty years of my life have been so much about connecting deeper with the animals and their wisdom, these past eighteen months I’ve found myself gravitating even more to their teachings. They have, and continue to bring me a great deal of comfort, understanding, and assurance that all that is happening in our world is for a higher purpose.

Connecting with that wisdom now through art and combining my love of writing and oracles, I hope you will enjoy this new offering I now share with you through my Etsy shop I’ve named:

Joyful Pause Cottage (inspired by PAWS that taught me to value slowing down, tuning into what matters, and following my heart…)

P.S. The other exciting project I’ve been working on is making my own animal oracle deck! I don’t have a title for it yet but have created 35 cards so far.  It’s been so much fun! While I’ve much yet to create and write,  I’ll soon be sharing some sneak peeks here and on Facebook and Instagram.

And now for September’s Animal Wisdom Oracle reading…

Just click here or on the graphic to watch…

XO

Barb

                  

NEW! Etsy Shop Coming Soon!

Posted by Barbara Techel

Expanding my love of animals and oracles over the past eighteen months inside Joyful Pause Cottage I’ve been happy as a bear dipping her paw into a jar of honey!

So what does this expansion entail you ask? Well, I’m so glad you asked!

In one simple word: ART!

Another hint: I’ve combined my love of writing and collage and incorporated paint, gel pens, pastel chalks, paper, and dried flowers that surround Joyful Pause Cottage (and some found on my daily walks) and created what I’m calling:

ANIMAL ORACLE ART

I’ll be releasing my Animal Oracle Art and more of what it’s all about to email subscribers of “Letters From My Heart” first and then here on my blog and social media…(if you wish to be the first to know you can subscribe here: tinyurl.com/zf3x8tp9

I hope you will stay tuned! I’m so excited to share this with you!

XO

Barb

                  

The Nurturing Remains: Refreshing Gidget’s Memorial Marker

Posted by Barbara Techel

Yesterday John and I spent most of the day refreshing the gardens around our house and Joyful Pause Cottage with chocolate-colored mulch. We will finish the rest today. Yay!

This marker in a shape of a heart with a small heart-shaped rock in the center, a sacred spot I can see right outside my cottage window when I’m at my writing desk, is where my sweet Gidget rests. Her heart within mine forever. Though I see the big heart as hers because that was truly who she was – she had such a large heart and capacity for love.

May 11th will mark two years since she moved on for greater travels. The ache of missing her isn’t as acute anymore. Her spirit is quieter now and her visits from the other side not as frequent. But I still sometimes sit in quiet moments and bring up in my mind favorite times with her. It always brings me a great deal of joy and comfort.

To place new mulch over the spot where she rests I found it a sacred and welcoming opportunity to gently set the stones aside, brushing away the dead debris and refreshing the area with fresh mulch. With each stone, I put back into place I did so with a deep appreciation and love as I remembered Gidget and all her wise teachings, silliness, and being the best cuddler ever.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe I’ve actually gone almost two whole years without another dog. There are times I really miss a dog companion, while other times I’m okay. I continue to trust (though sometimes I have to remind myself) that when the time is right I will know.

In honor of the two-year passing of Gidget and the recent Rio Award for our book, I’m Fine Just the Way I Am, I’ve been working on a special project. I’m recording a short video with an excerpt from each chapter of our book, along with an extra bit of discussion, that will be available on my Youtube channel. My hope is to release the first video on May 11th. So I hope you’ll stay tuned!

As I woke this morning thinking about how good it felt to renew Gidget’s memorial marker yesterday, I was reminded once again of how alive I feel when I can nurture that which I love. Though Gidget isn’t with me on this earthly plane I found that gently and lovingly attending to her place of rest was an enriching way in which I stay connected with her.

And my nurturing her sacred space of peace and all that she means to me, in turn, brought peace and nurturing to my heart.

XO

Barb

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