|
Mental Health Mantra 23/365  This mantra appeared just as I sat down to do this, I am seeking stretch, I feel I have got into limited patterns of moving, it doesn't feel beneficial for me at all. I then kept hearing in a North Eastern accent, "Stretch Love." It reminded me of the way DCI Vera Stanhope would say it (big fan) she was passing me a message - I heed the call. " Ey pet." I have two super gorgeous yoga mats that I designed myself and they are waiting for me to fall upon and stretch. This body of mine needs stretching and moving. Badly. I feel stuck. Today I woke up to a very large snowfall, I had my green smoothie, but didn't go to a new green place because, well, it was all white. Tomorrow is another day. Keep shining star beams.  "Art with Heart - Calm your Mind, Soothe your Soul" 
0 Comments
Mental Health Mantra 21/365  What was going through my brain as I wrote go and ing on separate lines. It felt like a BIG word and this BIG word needed space between the Go and the ING. It got me thinking about the word, defining 'going' it says in the Dictionary 'to make headway' and 'reach a goal.' I liked the headway bit because that is quite often what we are trying to navigate in this realm of many thought connections. I am feeling the need for real deep peace and quiet. I have to foster this inside of myself, so please if I don't answer your text message, or call you back I am 'keeping going' and what that means right now is focusing inward, there is alot to process. Much is coming through right now, a breakdown of systems and paradigms, I am feeling alot of it, not only in my personal life, but in the greater field of life 'out there.' As an empath I am truly ultra sensitive to other's emotions and vibes so I have to hunker down in 100 acre wood and calm my mind and soothe my soul. That has been my tag line for 10 years now since beginning to draw people, in real terms I have used this tag all my life. Whomever you are reading this. Keep Go ing. You're making headway. It may seem you're not as all around you is crazy town. Stay centred strong in your truth Keep shining your light from within you. For, it matters. It matters A lot.  'Art with Heart - Calm your Mind, Soothe your Soul.'
I’m a huge fan of Vera and I like to challenge myself so here I am drawing DCI Vera Stanhope and creating her Muse Mantra. I love everything about the series, the scriptwriting, the cast, the one liners of Vera. Priceless. For this Muse Mantra I thought I would have a go at doing two different images one with watercolours and one with professional markers. These are my usual go-to but I wanted to see how watercolour would feel for this image. I am always listening and writing down mantras and affirmations, and the one that Vera says in one of the episodes really resonates. xo Julia xo People often ask me how I integrate and weave Reiki into Muse Mantra Portraits How can a 2D piece of paper/canvas absorb Reiki and what does that mean anyway? I find myself talking about this a lot, so I thought I would share my ritual, whether I’m working with paper or canvas. If you’re not familiar with Reiki, it is a wonderful energy system that can be used in any part of your life. It's pronounced “ray-key” which means Rei “spiritual” or “sacred ” and ki “energy.” Together they are translated in the West to mean “Universal Energy.” Ki has the same meaning as Chi in Chinese, Prana in Sanskrit, and Ti or Ki in Hawaiian, however, whatever you choose to call this energy, it’s the same vital energy force of all things. Energy in Art Have you ever looked at a piece of art and felt the energy within the painting? Or perhaps been drawn to an image on a greeting card in a shop? Are you pulled to certain colours and felt soothed by them? As a Reiki Master and having worked with it for the last 15 years, I know that everything is energy; you can feel it, hear, see it and sense it. Ultimately I am infusing the 3 of the symbols I use into the paper. You've heard of using a proxy when giving Reiki, often we can use a teddy bear, or plant or a photograph to send the Reiki, in drawing an illustration of you, I am weaving in the symbols directly into the pencil, pens and markers. You won't see it in the finished piece, but you'll feel it. Any Muse Mantra will become a totem or a talisman for your daily journey.  The more I use Reiki in my creative process, the more messages and stories I pick up, which I now pass onSo what do I do? There are three parts: 1) Setting up the Space: I always take time to set up the zone and space where I’m working. As I gather my things together, and lay them out, I will light incense, a candle and put on some mantra music – I love Snatam Kaur and Deva Premal. 2) Quiet Time: Sitting down, ready to start, I get quiet, and relax. Here I will invite in my Reiki, Spiritual and Animal Guides. I activate my hands with Reiki and ask for it to flow freely within the sketch/or the colour. I wrote my own private prayer so this is where I’ll say it. After I have done this, I then cast my eyes over the collection of photographs that I have of the person I'm drawing. The photos are for me to get a sense, a feeling of who they are. I never create the same image from a photo. 3) The Creative Act (sketch/colour) I now just let this process flow – I begin to sketch. I note down any thoughts, feelings or messages I’m getting, which I can share with them when we connect later. Whether this is for an individual or for a family, the process is the same. During this time, I like to listen to any sonic music, sometimes classical. After I have finished the sketch I then move on to the colour-fill. I make sure to haven lemon water by my side. I’m never without lemons : ) When I’m happy with the finished illustration I will invoke the distant healing symbol within the piece, sending a blessing to the person who I’m creating, even if they have passed over. I also create portraits of animals and do the same. In the past couple of years I have been choosing crystals, laying the illustration down on a crystal grid - the crystals add more insight to the process and I love discovering the ones I have chosen and their meaning. The more I use Reiki in my creative process, the more messages and stories I pick up, which I now pass on. Julia xx |
RSS Feed