GIVING THANKS OPENS THE HEAVENS!

Full Flower

I am getting together a little talk to discuss being grateful for what we have without the trimmings of commercialism....It is good for the children to give this a little thought.  We have so much to be grateful for...especially that we can all be together.    Love from Susanne

Gratitude manifests your dreams.

Full Flower, photo by Emilie

WINTER WOLF

Wolves Are Teachers

What can this wolf teach?  Patience!  Years ago I started a wolf painting, but he was never quite right.  I almost gave up!  I thought about giving him away, not right!  I imagined painting another picture over top of him.  Not yet!

We packed up and moved to a new home, taking the wolf painting along.  I viewed him as he rested in my studio...what does he need to bring him to life?  Several years later, I picked up the book, Living With Wolves by Jim and Jamie Dutcher.  I was entranced by the detailed photos and wolf howl CD of the Sawtooth Pack included with the book.  I got the double DVD, Living with Wolves and Wolves At the Door.  I studied wolves in motion and absorbed their personalities.  I marveled at the slanted eyes and lithe bodies mirrored in our working dogs:  the Collie, German Shepherd, Belgian Sheepdogs, Huskies, Malamutes, and many more.  I cried as I watched. 

I got out my brushes and paint with renewed vigor.  I gave the winter wolf a complete face lift, rounding out the muzzle and enlightening the eyes.  YES!  Wolves can have blue and amber eyes just like our blue merle collie, Sky.  Brushing snow flurries into the deep, think winter coat, after ten patient years the winter wolf came fully to life!  Surprise, it was my collie's face and eyes that appeared to me through loving layers of painting over time.

*Recently I saw the constellation Canis Major, The Great Wolf, following the Hunter Orion in the dawn.  I loved watching Sirius rise, the blue-white star tag on the Wolf's collar.  I read legends about the Celestial Wolf parting the veiled curtains between Heaven and Earth.  I flashed back to our silver collie, Sky, bounding through the deep snow in full winter coat and marveled again at the timeless wolf-dog-human bond.  Sky's spirit shines on through Winter Wolf.


*Related Post 
 A One In A Million Sky, read more about the star Sirius' pulsing light in the Constellation Canis Major.

Living With Wolves book by James and Jamie Dutcher who spent six years in a tented camp in Idaho living with the Sawtooth Wolf pack.

Living with Wolves and Wolves at Our Door, 2 DVD set produced for the Discovery Channel by Dutcher Film Productions.  An intimate look into the lives of these elusive and intelligent creatures.

Buck's Heroes, book written by Johnny Mayo as told by his Husky, Buck.  Spirits of War Dogs visit Buck at the Viet Nam Memorial Wall and push forward to tell him their personal stories.  Full color paintings, for all ages

Spirit of the Wolf CD blends voices of Native Americans and Wolves plus Native American instrumentation


Kerry and the Wolf  Shadow, photo by Dahlis

STARS AND SNOW: SPIRIT OF PHOEBE

Phoebe is a Spirit Cat

Abandoned as a kitten, snow white Phoebe found her way to a farm.  No one could catch her.  She stayed away, hiding...watching.

Meanwhile Judy pictured owning a long-haired white cat.  The image had been with her for quite awhile.  When Judy visited her sister, Mary Anne, the snowy kitten came right up to Judy!  She could hold the little one and feed her!  Naturally Phoebe went home with Judy.  This was the kitten Judy dreamed would be hers.

Judy and Phoebe bonded into a solid soul-mate friendship.  However, another abandoned cat was about to enter the picture.  Judy kept having a prophetic dream about a white cat with a damaged eye.  These dreams were so intense Judy would wake in the night and run to see if Phoebe was alright.  One day a neglected white cat appeared on Judy's porch.  Her eye had been injured. 

The helper from the humane society came to get the stray, but mentioned an older cat like this one would probably not be adopted.  
Reluctantly Judy took the new cat into her home and began to care for her.  Judy named the new one "Brett." 

Phoebe and Brett had an uneasy friendship.  Brett became very pushy with Phoebe.  She routed Phoebe away from her food and stole Phoebe's favorite place on Judy's bed.  Gentle Phoebe never protested nor used her claws against the newcomer.

Years slipped by, Phoebe became Judy's inspiration to reach out to others with more love and joy than she had ever known before.  Phoebe was a good teacher.  When Phoebe became ill, Judy cared for her with great patience and compassion.  Phoebe lived for sixteen precious years, and her passing left a great void in Judy's heart.

Judy felt the need to find an animal communicator to help connect to Phoebe's spirit.  The person told Judy that Phoebe was indeed her soul-mate who had come to Earth to connect with Judy.  Judy began to search for a portrait painter to channel Phoebe's image.  Who would it be?  Judy searched but no painter seemed to be the right one.

Meanwhile Judy's Sister, Mary Anne, had begun to take Tai Chi lessons from me.  In forming our friendship, Mary Anne found out that I painted animal portraits.  Mary Anne commissioned a portrait of Phoebe for Judy.  During our phone conversation, I sketched an inner vision of Phoebe resting on a blue fluffy quilt.

Judy and Mary Anne came to see me.  Judy brought many photos of Phoebe.  One photo stunned me speechless!  It was the same pose I had already sketched of Phoebe on her blue quilt.  I went to the refrigerator and pulled down the original sketch to show!  Judy was totally in tune that Angels would help me paint Phoebe's spirit portrait.  "The paint is incidental." 

Painting with Angels
Phoebe's oil painting began with the usual excitement of thinking, planning, and sketching.  I looked at her photos and imaged them to life, feeling the love radiating from Phoebe and Judy.  Phoebe resembles the Norwegian Forest Cat, and there were some of these in the area where Phoebe was discovered.  Phoebe's first painting session went remarkably well, but I felt intuitively Phoebe had surprises ahead.  The next session flowed right out, and I wondered why I had any doubts about the energy flowing through the brush.  I could feel my guardian Angel Sharon's love and joy surrounding me and helping to guide brush strokes and colors.

Painting is the highest energy and greatest experience on physical Earth for me.  Resting between painting sessions brings quiet and contemplation needed to recharge and paint again.  Oil paintings take time to completely dry between layers of paint to insure permanence and brightness of color in the finished work.  I rested well.

Next came the blue quilted background speckled with stars and snow pattern that gave the painting its name.  Phoebe's face required a lot of fine detail and much prayer.  Once Angel Sharon's touch on the brush was intensely strong on the feathery hairs in Phoebe's left ear.  Judy assured me that Phoebe had a larger tuft of fur right there!  I added white whispers of whiskers on Phoebe's face.  Confident, I photographed the portrait and sent pictures to Judy.  

Judy was crestfallen when she saw the photos.  I had painted Brett's face on the portrait instead of Phoebe's!  Brett had pushed her way into the painting as she had done Phoebe's real life.  Brett was still jealous of Phoebe even as a spirit!  Judy had never mentioned Brett to me.

I began to re-touch Phoebe's face realizing that Phoebe and Angels were teaching all of us more about life lessons and patience.  Discouraged and about to give up, I sat in the kitchen.  I turned and noticed Mrs. Harris, the orange kitten, staring back at me from a nearby table.  "That's It!"  It was as if Angel Sharon spoke to me silently, "Phoebe's eyes are round!"  Mrs. Harris has bright round shoe button eyes!   

Joyous Celebration
I corrected Phoebe's liquid green eyes and rounded them.  I fluffed out Phoebe's snow white ruff.  Judy received more photos.  She called and exclaimed, "You have not only a painting of Phoebe, but her spirit!  I never thought an artist could capture Phoebe's true expression because she was camera shy and always squinted, making her eyes almond shaped instead of round!"

Painted Surprise
In the finished portrait, Phoebe's Angel painted herself up and around Phoebe with outstretched arms and wispy wings of energy, guiding and guarding Phoebe. 

When Judy and Mary Anne came to pick up the portrait, we met in my Tai Chi class.  I brought the original photo Judy had given me of Phoebe on her quilt.  During the class, Judy, Mary Anne, and I noticed that rainbow light was all around the photograph and reflecting onto the wooden floor.  Then at my home they received Phoebe's portrait and took it home.  Judy told me later I was surrounded by pink light as I waved good by in my front yard!

"Imagination is another dimension."
Spaces between notes of music add dynamic motion and feeling.  We wonder what invisible love fills the empty spaces in our hearts.


Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor