Hours after I decided to include Notre Dame’s Rose Window in this painting, I heard about the devastating fire in Paris. Two weeks before that, I’d been inspired to study the design of cathedral rose windows.
There are more than just layers of paint in “Communing With Community”. There are layers of connection and re-connection through time, space, and experience as I co-created this piece live in Carbonear, NL.
In the 26-minute video below, you’ll get to share in some of that co-creative energy that brought this painting into being.
It all started when I was writing my grant proposal for the Re-Connecting Art Project.
I knew that the theme for the 7th piece would be community. The idea of creating a painting on community alone in my studio didn’t feel right.
So I reached out to Tammy Wrice Paetkau of Ocean View Gallery in Carbonear to see if she’d be open to my coming to spend a week there during my scheduled “Communion” exhibition.
She was!
Tammy and her business partner Michelle Penney-Rowe opened their businesses and their hearts to what I was moved to offer & create there.
They housed me, fed me, and made me feel right at home. I stayed at Tammy’s house with her beautiful family and borrowed her truck for my early morning trips to the studio.
From April 14-19, I offered 7am Tune-In Meditations followed by an 8am walk in the community. Then, I painted until closing time. On the 20th, I offered an intuitive painting workshop that was as much about painting as the personal spiritual process behind visionary art.
What an amazing week! It took me out of my studio and out of my comfort zone, but once I was there, it was the most natural dance of giving and receiving that resulted in the birthing of this painting.
A month later, what I remember most are my heart to heart interactions with those of all generations who came to be a part of the experience.
- the timing of two visitors from St. John’s who joined me in infusing the first layer with community words
- the young boy who asked me so many questions about my art, choice of music, prices, process, etc. for half an hour before settling in to draw quietly in the space
- the teen who was surprised to find me there and was visibly taken aback by the energy in the room and came back to give me a few names to pray for during the dotting stage
- those who came in to hug me and thank me after having experienced the exhibition before my arrival
- the conversations with those touched by the work
- the fellow artist and her husband who had never experienced anything like this exhibition and called back the next day to purchase a piece
- the love, tears, and openings that occurred during the channeled meditations
- my time with Tammy & her family
- And, of course, the whole story of the Notre Dame fire.
Watch this 26-minute video to see the painting evolve and to share in my community experience.
Part of the intuitive painting process is trusting inspiration.
I’d received guidance to study Rose Window designs two weeks prior to going to Carbonear.
I didn’t know if it was for the background I started in the studio or some other painting in the collection. I just followed the flow.
Then, in Carbonear, when an empty circle appeared at the top of the canvas, I knew it was time. I would include one of Notre Dame’s Rose Window patterns at the top.
Later in the day, as I was posting progress photos to Facebook, I came across a post about the fire.
It hit me like a kick in the solar plexus.
Yes, it was personal. I’d visited the cathedral as a child, adolescent, and adult.
But it was much deeper than that.
I felt like I was connecting to communities all around the world – those in the present who were impacted by the news, and those throughout history who built the cathedral, worshipped there, or simply visited it.
I knew without knowing the details, that my being called to paint this window at this time was somehow helping support something greater. Was it a planetary shift or healing?
I didn’t need to know the details. I just needed to paint & pray, connecting to community on a grand scale. But it was local too!
Many conversations ensued with visitors – about their time there, the impact of the fire on them, etc.
A day or so after I’d started painting the window, I found out that Michelle’s son, 11-year-old Liam, had been scheduled to sing at the Notre Dame Cathedral in 2 weeks with the Atlantic BoyChoir.
This was no coincidence. It was a moving example of how I may have been inspired to be there that week for him … or him for me.
On Friday night, after closing time, Michelle found Liam in the gallery standing in front of the completed painting singing the solo he had been meant to sing in the cathedral.
I had tears in my eyes when she messaged me to tell me – and still now as I write about it.
Liam’s song is now infused in this painting. And the energy of “Communing with Community” is now part of his journey.
Who knows what other layers of meaning and purpose may reveal themselves in time.
I’m just grateful I turned intuition into action – bringing me to Carbonear in April to paint the Rose Window at the time of the fire.
I’m so grateful for it all.
A week before going to Carbonear, I asked my Facebook audiences what words described the best of community to them.
A couple of visitors and I used liquid acrylic paint markers to cover the blank canvas with these words and more, infusing that energy into its foundation, You can’t see them anymore, but their energy still emanates from the painting.
The most popular word was “inclusive”.
This was then covered in layers and hours of mark-making, symbolizing the diversity within communities and between them.
Liquid paints in higher chakra colours were then poured on top of these to add harmony to the apparent chaos through communication, self-expression, and connection to the Oneness of all that is.
The diversity in texture is still there, but so is the flow of unity.
Then came 10 hours of dotting puzzle pieces in the outside frame.
Each white dot represents a person, a member of our human communities. Each iridescent violet dot represents a Divine helper standing by our side.
Each piece is then a community within the greater whole of all communities.
I spent many of these hours reflecting on and connecting to the waves of energy that the fire at Notre Dame cathedral stirred around the world.
I also spent a few hours praying for family, friends, and prayer requests that came through Facebook and gallery visitors.
Some were intrigued or surprised about this part of my process. But after I explained how I do energy work as I paint, they gladly offered a few names.
Praying for community while dotting became an integral part of my process when working on # 1 in this series, “Every Dot a Prayer“. It’s one of my ways to commune with community, even when I’m alone.
When I asked my Team of Divine Helpers what might evolve in the centre of this painting, I was given a vision of an arrow with a circle. This was in the early stages of painting.
I had a few layers to go before needing to know more, but the word ‘arrow’ was in my consciousness when my father emailed me to say the windows of Notre Dame may have survived but the arrow had collapsed.
I’d never heard the term ‘arrow’ used for a church before. When I googled it, I found out that Notre Dame’s arrow is more than a steeple. It held 3 sacred relics and acted as “a veritable spiritual lightning rod protecting all those who work for the praise of God”.
My attention was also grabbed when one of my visitors, local yoga teacher Brent Denney took off his coat, revealing a tattoo of an arrow with several circles on his forearm.
It represented the cosmos and earth’s position in it (the little blue dot).
Wow! The meaning of community became much broader when contemplating the design of this tattoo in the context of what I’d been called to co-create.
In my design, I saw the arrow pointing up, aiming community higher, bringing our prayers to the Universe. It represented our planet’s ascension to higher consciousness and Divine Oneness.
As for the circle, I didn’t want to copy another artist’s design. As I tuned in, my initial inspiration of 1 circle became the vesica pisces – my favourite sacred geometry shape.
The Vesica Pisces & Tree of Life
The vesica pisces is a symbol I use a lot in my art.
It’s sacred geometry that’s been used in religion and spirituality for thousands of years to represent a source of immense power and energy.
The Vesica Pisces is the two becoming one.
It’s also
* an opening into the mysteries of higher consciousness
* the seed of the tree of life and basic motif for the flower of life,
* the intersection of spiritual and physical,
* creation/ birthing/ yoni/ Goddess
* a symbol for Jesus Christ (the fish shape in the middle).
At the heart of this vesica pisces I saw planet Earth. I purposefully chose to paint the facade that featured Europe to honour the international attention it was getting due to the fire. Again, it’s like this fire represented a shift that is so much greater than that of a burning building.
Our sacred planet, however, wasn’t just floating in space. It turned with the trunk of the Spirit Tree of Life at its core.
We’re connected here on Earth to both the spiritual and physical.
Roots through time and space nourish our existence.
Branches bearing the fruits of all we are and all we’re doing here connect us to a greater picture, a mystery, our place within the divinity of all that is.
Around these two circles, holding hands, is both our human family & spirit family – of all colours, shapes, and sizes, including a few in wheel chairs.
We’re in this together!
Our pain comes from separation – from ourselves, each other, and God (or whatever term you’re comfortable using).
This painting is to help re-connect us to our True Self and All that Is.
It’s time to ‘burn’ whatever doesn’t serve us – whatever keeps us separate from ourselves and each other.
The last touch on this painting was adding 4 dragonflies in the corners of the ultraviolet light beam, some heading towards the planet and some away from it.
Dragonfly energy helps us to let go of illusions and delusions to get to the deeper truth.
They’re here to help us truly commune with community.
May it be so.
“Communing with Community”
24″ x 48″
(acrylics on canvas)
Original – SOLD
Prints – order yours here.
You’ can order prints of many of my paintings in the size and medium you want from the Print-on-Demand link under my Art/Shop tab.
I’ve only shared some of the insights from my experience here.
There are so many more layers of meaning and energy that I am unaware of.
Are there any that come up for you? Please share in the comments below.
Namaste (the Spirit in me honours the Spirit in you).
Re-Connecting # 8 – Nature Bound
/in Paintings, Re-Connecting CollectionOriginal (24″ x 48″) – $3,700 CAD ; Prints available.
A painted retrospective of my spiritual journey in this lifetime would be incomplete without honouring the role of Mother Nature.
The forest definitely had a hand in raising me, especially between the age of 5-10 when we lived in the Black Forest, Germany.
My solo time in nature kept me connected to my Self, the Elementals, and God. Growing up in a time when children could roam free was perfect for an introverted child like me.
I’ve never been known for my memory and couldn’t tell you what I spent my days doing alone in the forest, but I do remember learning at a young age not to talk about it at school because my classmates would laugh at me.
So I kept my stories of my relationship with animals, fairies, angels and whatever else to myself.
I do remember biking to the next village (or what seemed like) at the age of 5 to spend time with the ducks and swan at the pond.
When we moved to Baden-Baden, my parents had to regularly send out search parties in the forest between the base and PMQs at dinner time. I’d have spent hours in there on my own or with a neighbour’s borrowed dog.
I just asked my Papa, and he said he’d find me with butterflies or frogs. I was happy, unaware of time.
In Lahr, we lived close to the Stadpark, an 11-acre garden filled with roaming peacocks and cranes. I regularly wandered there on my own at the age of 8-10 to speak to the unhappy horse in his stall or to admire the flowers.
Throughout our 5 years in Germany, we were blessed to travel far and wide. I remember the cities (especially the pizzerias) but I cherished our time in nature – skiing in the Swiss Alps to swimming in the Mediterranean Ocean. I wasn’t very athletic and complained during our family hebertism trail hikes, but today I’m so grateful for them.
I got to experience so many of Mother Nature’s beauty as a young one and I continued to seek out contemplation spots as I grew up.
Back in Ottawa, I’d bike to Hogs Back Falls to sit amongst the rocks and sing or contemplate. That was before they fenced them off. Or I’d take the bike trail to a set of swings by the river to feel the freedom of being me. That’s another way to say I was escaping the pressures to become someone different.
My love of beauty fuelled my desire to travel and to seek out nature. It also re-connected me to my intuition when the stresses of the left-brain world had me spinning in the hamster wheel.
Water nourished my soul – I loved nothing better than to cross a lake at a slow breast stroke or spend sunset canoeing with a friend.
Snowshoeing in the Gatineau Hills brought me out in winter. And I loved hiking in the deep snow with my long skirts (with snowpants underneath). Yup, I’m a romantic!
As I said, I’m not the most athletic, but leisurely activity at a slow pace to admire my surroundings has always been pure bliss.
Hiking in groups never worked well as I’d be far behind feeling pressured when I wanted to get on my knees to admire the progress of a snail.
Nature Bound – the Name
So there you have it – # 8 in my Re-Connecting Collection is called “Nature Bound”.
Yes, “bound” is an expression meaning destined or heading towards something, as in going out into nature. But it’s more than that.
This painting’s name also plays with other meanings of “bound”:
Watch it Evolve
I started the bottom layer before heading out to Carbonear for my Artist in Residence week. I used Golden Open paints – professional acrylic paints that stay wet a long time, just like oil paints. So that week away gave it time to dry after the very colourful textured layers.
Part of me regrets covering all that up.But that coursing energy is still under there – the energy flow and Ley lines around the world.
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The Pinecones
See how the tree branches hug each pinecone, embracing each perfectly evolving miracle of nature and nourishing it as it emerges more fully into its Self?
Well, that’s what I was going for anyway…
Did you know this about the pinecone?
(source)
I learned that in 2015 after it came to me in a vision for one of my Universal Law mandalas.
This time, I was inspired to include 3 with white dots highlighting the Fibonacci sequence and the Golden Ratio. (watch this cool video to learn more).
My initial feeling was that they represented nature’s role in my life as a child, teen, and adult. As I grew, so did my relationship with Nature and with my Self.
What else does this trinity represent for you?
The 5 Elements
The frame to this stained-glass window inspired piece is filled with symbols of the 5 Elements: air, water, fire, earth, and aether.
Some of the symbols are universal and others chosen for their personal significance in my life.
Thank God for the Creatures
These childlike drawings of a squirrel, bird, and deer came last when I realized that a painting about nature would be incomplete without honouring the four-legged and winged ones.
Nature’s creatures have been my friends, messengers, teachers, and so much more over the years.
May they too continue to find peace and nourishment in nature’s great outdoors.
Original & Prints
Inquire about payment plans.
Prints available- order here.
The Crystal Cave Meditation
/in Guided MeditationsWhat a blessing it was to channel a guided visioning meditation at 7am five days in a row during my Artist in Residence week in Carbonear, NL last April.
The visions I receive are exhilarating! They’re very similar to a Disney Pixar movie without the bad guys. Add to that the unconditionally loving energy of Source and our Teams of Divine Helpers, and there’s no better way to start the day.
Guiding and listening to the recording of one of my meditations is quite a different experience.
At first, I’m sharing what I’m seeing, with pauses when you’re invited to elaborate on the story depending on what comes through one of your intuitive channels. In those space, my “movie” is on pause.
When I listen to them myself, however, the scenes change and the story fills out with guidance specific to my intention or question. And it changes every time I listen. Fascinating!
That’s what I trust it will do for you too. It certainly did for those who attended these meditations live. You may be moved by emotion, connection, inspiration, guidance, and more.
“Dominque’s visioning Meditation was an amazing experience of self discovery. Her soothing voice allowed me to follow along effortlessly and with focus to explore the inner depths of my soul.”
And if you fall asleep, as many say my voice will do for them, then trust that you’re getting something you need on an unconscious level, as well as well-deserved sleep.
But if you can manage to stay awake, you’ll get a lot more actionable intuitive guidance as a bonus. It’s worth it!
Ready to give it a try?
P.S, It was raining this day and so traffic noise was louder than usual … just imagine the occasional truck driving by like the sound of waves or thunder – whatever works for you.
The Crystal Cave Meditation – Video
Enjoy this 42-minute journey through your inner landscape to the core of the planet and beyond.
Make sure to have a journal nearby to take notes after on the messages and inspired actions that require follow-up.
Remember that you can access all my gifted meditations using the “Meditation” category on my website sidebar or on my YouTube Channel.
Music: “Breathing Light” by Christopher Lloyd Clarke
Featured Painting: Peace Garden II. Learn more here…
What Inspired Action Are You Going to Take?
Since guided visioning meditations are meant to help you connect to your intuition for a happier, healthier life, they’re designed to lead to taking inspired action.
Name one inspired action in the comments below that you came out of this meditation with. It’ll give other listeners an idea of the variety of experiences these can offer. I’d love to hear how they’re inspiring you!
Re-Connecting #7- Communing With Community
/in Paintings, Re-Connecting Collection“Communing with Community” – Original SOLD (oder prints here).
Hours after I decided to include Notre Dame’s Rose Window in this painting, I heard about the devastating fire in Paris. Two weeks before that, I’d been inspired to study the design of cathedral rose windows.
There are more than just layers of paint in “Communing With Community”. There are layers of connection and re-connection through time, space, and experience as I co-created this piece live in Carbonear, NL.
In the 26-minute video below, you’ll get to share in some of that co-creative energy that brought this painting into being.
It all started when I was writing my grant proposal for the Re-Connecting Art Project.
I knew that the theme for the 7th piece would be community. The idea of creating a painting on community alone in my studio didn’t feel right.
So I reached out to Tammy Wrice Paetkau of Ocean View Gallery in Carbonear to see if she’d be open to my coming to spend a week there during my scheduled “Communion” exhibition.
She was!
Tammy and her business partner Michelle Penney-Rowe opened their businesses and their hearts to what I was moved to offer & create there.
They housed me, fed me, and made me feel right at home. I stayed at Tammy’s house with her beautiful family and borrowed her truck for my early morning trips to the studio.
From April 14-19, I offered 7am Tune-In Meditations followed by an 8am walk in the community. Then, I painted until closing time. On the 20th, I offered an intuitive painting workshop that was as much about painting as the personal spiritual process behind visionary art.
What an amazing week! It took me out of my studio and out of my comfort zone, but once I was there, it was the most natural dance of giving and receiving that resulted in the birthing of this painting.
A month later, what I remember most are my heart to heart interactions with those of all generations who came to be a part of the experience.
The Video”
Watch this 26-minute video to see the painting evolve and to share in my community experience.
The Symbolism
Part of the intuitive painting process is trusting inspiration.
I’d received guidance to study Rose Window designs two weeks prior to going to Carbonear.
I didn’t know if it was for the background I started in the studio or some other painting in the collection. I just followed the flow.
Then, in Carbonear, when an empty circle appeared at the top of the canvas, I knew it was time. I would include one of Notre Dame’s Rose Window patterns at the top.
Later in the day, as I was posting progress photos to Facebook, I came across a post about the fire.
It hit me like a kick in the solar plexus.
Yes, it was personal. I’d visited the cathedral as a child, adolescent, and adult.
But it was much deeper than that.
I felt like I was connecting to communities all around the world – those in the present who were impacted by the news, and those throughout history who built the cathedral, worshipped there, or simply visited it.
I knew without knowing the details, that my being called to paint this window at this time was somehow helping support something greater. Was it a planetary shift or healing?
I didn’t need to know the details. I just needed to paint & pray, connecting to community on a grand scale. But it was local too!
Many conversations ensued with visitors – about their time there, the impact of the fire on them, etc.
A day or so after I’d started painting the window, I found out that Michelle’s son, 11-year-old Liam, had been scheduled to sing at the Notre Dame Cathedral in 2 weeks with the Atlantic BoyChoir.
This was no coincidence. It was a moving example of how I may have been inspired to be there that week for him … or him for me.
On Friday night, after closing time, Michelle found Liam in the gallery standing in front of the completed painting singing the solo he had been meant to sing in the cathedral.
I had tears in my eyes when she messaged me to tell me – and still now as I write about it.
Liam’s song is now infused in this painting. And the energy of “Communing with Community” is now part of his journey.
Who knows what other layers of meaning and purpose may reveal themselves in time.
I’m just grateful I turned intuition into action – bringing me to Carbonear in April to paint the Rose Window at the time of the fire.
I’m so grateful for it all.
Community Words
A couple of visitors and I used liquid acrylic paint markers to cover the blank canvas with these words and more, infusing that energy into its foundation, You can’t see them anymore, but their energy still emanates from the painting.
The most popular word was “inclusive”.
This was then covered in layers and hours of mark-making, symbolizing the diversity within communities and between them.
Liquid paints in higher chakra colours were then poured on top of these to add harmony to the apparent chaos through communication, self-expression, and connection to the Oneness of all that is.
The diversity in texture is still there, but so is the flow of unity.
Dotted Puzzle Pieces
Each white dot represents a person, a member of our human communities. Each iridescent violet dot represents a Divine helper standing by our side.
Each piece is then a community within the greater whole of all communities.
I spent many of these hours reflecting on and connecting to the waves of energy that the fire at Notre Dame cathedral stirred around the world.
I also spent a few hours praying for family, friends, and prayer requests that came through Facebook and gallery visitors.
Some were intrigued or surprised about this part of my process. But after I explained how I do energy work as I paint, they gladly offered a few names.
Praying for community while dotting became an integral part of my process when working on # 1 in this series, “Every Dot a Prayer“. It’s one of my ways to commune with community, even when I’m alone.
The Arrow
When I asked my Team of Divine Helpers what might evolve in the centre of this painting, I was given a vision of an arrow with a circle. This was in the early stages of painting.
I had a few layers to go before needing to know more, but the word ‘arrow’ was in my consciousness when my father emailed me to say the windows of Notre Dame may have survived but the arrow had collapsed.
I’d never heard the term ‘arrow’ used for a church before. When I googled it, I found out that Notre Dame’s arrow is more than a steeple. It held 3 sacred relics and acted as “a veritable spiritual lightning rod protecting all those who work for the praise of God”.
My attention was also grabbed when one of my visitors, local yoga teacher Brent Denney took off his coat, revealing a tattoo of an arrow with several circles on his forearm.
It represented the cosmos and earth’s position in it (the little blue dot).
Wow! The meaning of community became much broader when contemplating the design of this tattoo in the context of what I’d been called to co-create.
In my design, I saw the arrow pointing up, aiming community higher, bringing our prayers to the Universe. It represented our planet’s ascension to higher consciousness and Divine Oneness.
As for the circle, I didn’t want to copy another artist’s design. As I tuned in, my initial inspiration of 1 circle became the vesica pisces – my favourite sacred geometry shape.
The Vesica Pisces & Tree of Life
The vesica pisces is a symbol I use a lot in my art.
It’s sacred geometry that’s been used in religion and spirituality for thousands of years to represent a source of immense power and energy.
The Vesica Pisces is the two becoming one.
It’s also
* an opening into the mysteries of higher consciousness
* the seed of the tree of life and basic motif for the flower of life,
* the intersection of spiritual and physical,
* creation/ birthing/ yoni/ Goddess
* a symbol for Jesus Christ (the fish shape in the middle).
At the heart of this vesica pisces I saw planet Earth. I purposefully chose to paint the facade that featured Europe to honour the international attention it was getting due to the fire. Again, it’s like this fire represented a shift that is so much greater than that of a burning building.
Our sacred planet, however, wasn’t just floating in space. It turned with the trunk of the Spirit Tree of Life at its core.
We’re connected here on Earth to both the spiritual and physical.
Roots through time and space nourish our existence.
Branches bearing the fruits of all we are and all we’re doing here connect us to a greater picture, a mystery, our place within the divinity of all that is.
Around these two circles, holding hands, is both our human family & spirit family – of all colours, shapes, and sizes, including a few in wheel chairs.
We’re in this together!
Our pain comes from separation – from ourselves, each other, and God (or whatever term you’re comfortable using).
This painting is to help re-connect us to our True Self and All that Is.
Dragonfly Energy
It’s time to ‘burn’ whatever doesn’t serve us – whatever keeps us separate from ourselves and each other.
The last touch on this painting was adding 4 dragonflies in the corners of the ultraviolet light beam, some heading towards the planet and some away from it.
Dragonfly energy helps us to let go of illusions and delusions to get to the deeper truth.
They’re here to help us truly commune with community.
May it be so.
Bringing it Home
24″ x 48″
(acrylics on canvas)
Original – SOLD
Prints – order yours here.
You’ can order prints of many of my paintings in the size and medium you want from the Print-on-Demand link under my Art/Shop tab.
What More?
I’ve only shared some of the insights from my experience here.
There are so many more layers of meaning and energy that I am unaware of.
Are there any that come up for you? Please share in the comments below.
Namaste (the Spirit in me honours the Spirit in you).
A Change of Scenery – All Within An Hour
/in My Travels, Newfoundland & Labrador, Photography ProjectsI love my sanctuary and work marathons in my home studio.
Plus, I just have to look out the windows to see a river and hillside covered in evergreens.
After a long day of writing, administrative work or painting, I really enjoy going to bed early with my TV tray & Netflix movies.
But I also hunger for time in nature. I need it.
I never regret exploring the great outdoors – kicking my butt out the door can be a challenge though.
You don’t have to go far for a change of scenery. Walking down a different street in your neighbourhood will do it.
But a change of scenery can do you so much good, especially if you’re feeling stuck, bored, disconnected, or lonely.
Even if you’re a happy hermit though, time amongst the elements will add to your existence on so many levels.
I know I’m clearer, happier, and more connected when I spend time in Nature. I can be like a kid in a candy shop.
So whether it’s a walk on the trails in your neighbourhood or a road trip adventure with friends, let time outdoors feed your body, mind and soul. You deserve it!
All Within An Hour From Home
These 3 Nature breaks were all taken within an hour from home within the last month – either by car or on foot.
Where can you go that’s within an hour from your place?
Make it Part of Your Routine
When I was Artist in Residence in Carbonear April 14-19, I committed to going on a community walk from 8-9 am every morning. I chose a different path every time. It became part of my routine.
It was an open invitation to those who wanted to join me, but I ended up going alone most days. Still, I was committed.
Rain or shine, it added so much to my day.
Knowing me, I could have spent the whole week painting in the gallery without really knowing where I was. I’m so glad I made a different choice.
So find a buddy (your camera or inner child count), add it to your schedule, and get out!
Carbonear is only an hour from my home in St. John’s but I knew so little of it.
Do Your Errands On Foot
I’m so glad I embraced this opportunity. My housesister asked if I’d be willing to drop off her car at the mechanic’s in Shea Heights after an appointment.
We’d had freezing rain the day before, but I hadn’t really noticed. I’d been fully focused on my painting in the basement studio.
On my drive to the mechanic’s, my heart sang as the silver thaw glistened in the light.
He offered to drive me down the hill to spare me the taxi ride, but I was thrilled to walk. Even with all the photo stops, it only took about an hour.
During a snow squall later in the day, I went to get the car and made sure to stop at Beaver Pond Park again to add a few snowy photos to my collection.
Where Within 1 Hour?
I’ll admit, we’re totally blessed here in Newfoundland & Labrador to have so much nature nearby.
Bell Island is less than an hour away from my house – part by car and by ferry.
A few friends and I dedicated part of a day to explore it. Wow! I need to do this more often!
Without a car of my own, it’s easy to stay home. But that’s no excuse.
Time exploring with friends can be double the pleasure.
Bonus
Confession. I spent the last week indoors. No nature breaks except in my backyard.
The weather wasn’t great and my regular walking buddy is out of the province, but that’s no excuse. I was just in happy hermit mode again.
So yesterday, I asked my neighbour if he wanted to go for a walk somewhere. I’d gone out to chat while he was giving his cats some outdoor time.
He suggested we go see the icebergs at Cape Spear.
This is the most eastern point of North America and it’s only 20 minutes drive!
I’d never seen such waves there before. It was amazing. I couldn’t help but exclaim my awe and joy. This was better than Netflix! Here are a few pics taken with my ‘real’ camera with telephoto lens.
Your Turn
Whether you’re a homebody, busy bee, or creature of habit, give yourself the challenge to appreciate a change of scenery this week.
Where will you go? Alone or with friends? On foot, by bus or by car?
Feel free to report on your adventure in the comments below.
The Perfect Unfolding Meditation
/in Guided MeditationsIn this one, you’ll get to:
Intrigued?
Know that each time you listen to this visioning meditation, you’ll have a different experience.
Give yourself this time and structure to live a happier and healthier life. Open to your intuition through intention. Trust the process.
Let the good vibes lift you higher. The more you exercise your intuition, the stronger it becomes.
The more you allow it, the more you will experience your perfect unfolding.
“I attended Dominique’s morning visioning meditations every day for a week while she was artist in residence at Ocean View Art Gallery in Carbonear. They were thought provoking and inspiring. By being open and embracing the experience, it allows you to connect to whatever you need at that particular time in your life. Although we all heard the same words to guide us, we all experienced something unique and wonderful. You may connect with a loved one who has passed or strengthen current relationships. Maybe a situation that was causing stress could be viewed in a different light with more clarity. Whatever you need to experience will occur as Dominique’s soothing voice and channeled guidance leads you where you need to go. Thank you Dominique!”
Enjoy the journey into your Self.
The Perfect Unfolding Meditation – YouTube Version
37 minutes
Music: “Adrift Volume 2” by Christopher Lloyd Clarke
Featured painting:”The Perfect Unfolding” – Learn more about it here…
You can always access my meditations by using the Category finder for “Guided Meditations” in the sidebar on my blog or on my YouTube Channel.
A Winner – Every Dot a Prayer
/in Paintings, Re-Connecting Collection“Every Dot A Prayer” Prints available in my print-on-demand page.
Do you remember last November when I told you about a top secret painting I couldn’t reveal until the spring? This is it!
“Every Dot A Prayer” has just won one of the 2019 Arts & Letters Awards in a prestigious annual competition organized by the Newfoundland & Labrador Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.
It was on display along with other category winners & selected entries at The Rooms in St. John’s until May 12, 2019.
This was the very first painting in my “Re-Connecting” body of work that is answering an inner call to examine my spiritual roots from my early Catholic upbringing to a more universal spirituality.
The purpose of this growing collection is to explore and visually express the source, symbolism and narrative that have shaped my path.
If you recall, I received Guidance to create this collection as I sat with my father in Ottawa’s Notre Dame Basilica for the first time since my mother was moved into long-term care.
As soon as I got back to Newfoundland & Labrador, I immersed myself in the creation of this first piece to meet the mid-November deadline for the provincial Arts & Letters Awards.
70 hours of focused meditative studio work resulted “Every Dot a Prayer”.
Building on what I learned at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art in 2013/14 and my evolving full-time practice since, it pushed me to the edge of my artistic skills and brought me deeper into the energy healing work that is characteristic of my art.
Energetic Community Connection Through Prayer
One unexpected aspect of its creative process was communion with community.
After sharing on Facebook how I was praying & chanting while painting dots for family members and friends, prayer requests came flooding in.
Every dot became a prayer dedicated to those who reached out to me and to those for whom they asked to have dots/prayers dedicated. It was the first time I’d done that on such a scale.
This intensity of time, energy, and communion fuelled the evolution of the imagery with every new layer of paint.
I’m used to having art created through me with the assistance of my Team of Divine Helpers as I channel energy.
I’m also used to working with my clients’ Teams when creating their Soul Energy Portrait Experiences.
But this was the first time I was connected to so many individuals during my creative process. Each one is a part of this painting. Each one helped bring this piece to life.
My usual energy work through the art expanded hundredfold, enhancing the studio experience and final painting.
It’s really hard to describe how moved I felt, knowing I was doing God’s work. I have tears in my eyes recalling how powerful an experience that was.
This prayerful dotting for public prayer requests has now become a part of my practice.
The Symbolism
As with many of my intuitive paintings, I didn’t know what it would represent before I started.
I just immersed myself in the creation of the background layers and stained-glass inspired window frame. It grew from there.
Visions received in meditation and inspiration from contemplating each new layer informed its content.
Now, months later, I see how this 1st Re-Connecting piece was an invitation.
In hindsight, it’s clear how its symbolism was sourced in my Spirit Call to Glastonbury for the Goddess Conference this summer.
I don’t think I was consciously aware of that call yet. I certainly hadn’t heard about the conference.
I’d used waters from the Chalice Well in Glastonbury in its creation – as I have in my paintings for years. But it seems to me that my knowing it was time to finally travel there in person didn’t surface until December.
When my shaman-friend Regina told me that the conference was happening at the time I’d felt guided to travel there, it all made sense.
The Upper
The dancing women celebrating the triskele orb (which could be the sun or the moon) confirmed for me my decision to attend the Sun Lover Goddess Conference. These dancers portray the essence of female gatherings and spiritual rituals with a flavour of the ancient Celtic lands.
The triple spiral Celtic design (triskele) is a symbol of both the active and passive, a reminder to balance your being and doing. It also represents the harmonious union, motion and transformation achieved through
Every dot in this sphere is a prayer, a seed, a portal to the Divine – nourishing us, the dancers with Divine Love & Light as we journey on our path to our Highest Good.
Above this celestial orb are the angels guiding us on that Path.
And above them is a trefoil Celtic knot called the triquetra. It’s created with 3 vesicae pisces, my favourite sacred geometry found in many of my paintings – including at the joining of the 2 larger circles in the lower half of this one.
Also known as a “trinity knot”, it has been adapted by Christians from ancient Pagan Celtic images as a religious symbol of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Between the dancers are 5 inverted triangles with a dot in the middle. I often paint symbols I receive without knowing their meaning. I knew from previous research that the inverted triangle is a representation of the female, of the womb, of the yoni. What I didn’t know is that the 5 with the dot in the centre is part of the Kali Yantra, a symbol of the Hindu Goddess of time, transformation, breath, and Divine Love.
Together, the symbols in the upper half of “Every Dot a Prayer” honour both my Catholic roots and more universal spirituality influenced by every dance step of my journey in this and previous lifetimes.
The Middle
Within the circles joining in a non-delineated vesica pisces is the tree of life, another common symbol in my art.
The chalice behind it evolved as I painted the profile of the man and woman’s faces behind the tree of life. It’s the shape between the couple if you look at the coppers instead of the blue. It takes a while for some to spot the faces. They’re looking at each other.
This isn’t a new symbol. I remembered it from psychology class after I’d painted it. It’s Rubin’s vase – an “intuitive demonstration of the figure–ground distinction the brain makes during visual perception”. It’s a reminder here that what we see changes. Reality isn’t always as we think it to be.
In my painting, this top circle of the vesica pisces represents the sacredness of relationship through lifetimes – the feminine/masculine within each of us as well as the soul mate relationships that move us forward in our growth as we connect to Truth.
The green moss agate stone at the eye level of the couple and at the core of the tree is a stabilizing stone that is strongly connected with Nature. Its metaphysical healing meanings include:
It’s embedded in mica for the added energy of love & compassion.
The Lower
The roots of the Tree of Life reach far below to dip into a shallow bowl of sacred water.
Oh how I wish I’d written down more details about the vision I received during meditation while I was creating this piece and the insights that followed. Months later, I only remember reflections in the water, but no details.
I usually share a lot about the creative process on Facebook as I paint, but since we weren’t allowed to share visuals on social media during the Arts & Letters adjudication period, I don’t have notes to go back to. Live & learn.
I do remember how significant this shallow bowl was. It wasn’t a chalice but a bowl. Was it a scrying bowl to see deeper within the Self? An offering for our Nature Spirits to drink in the lower realms? It’s wide open to interpretation – as is the whole painting.
For now, the bottom circle represents how our roots take their nourishment from our visions, our dreams. We are sourced from the very flow of ancient sacred waters across the borders of time and space. We emerge from the well of being-ness, beyond what the eyes can see.
Your Layers of Meaning
There’s so much more to this painting, I’m sure.
You’re only seeing the final layers but there are many layers of symbolism and energy beneath this final layer. I was totally absorbed in the process and only took photos once it was over.
I knew once it was done, however, that it was one of the most powerful paintings created through me and I’m honoured this was recognized by the jury for the Arts & Letters Awards.
What other meanings or feelings emerge in you as you contemplate it? Please share in the comments below.
For Sale- Original & Prints
*As soon as this painting was finished, it told me its price. The number I received is more than I usually ask for paintings this size, but I trust my intuition.
At The Rooms
The exhibition of all winners & selected entries in the youth and senior (adult) categories from poetry to music to visual arts was at The Rooms in St. John’s until May 20th 2019.
Sacred Journey Meditation
/in Guided MeditationsI like to think of them as entertaining participatory contemplations that nourish your transformational journey.
When I close my eyes and ask for Guidance for those in the room and for you who will listen to the recording in the future, I receive what looks like a Disney-Pixar movie (without the bad guys).
This is the same kind of vision as when I do one of my intuitive reading recordings for my Divine Storytelling Time packages.
This time, it’s not a non-stop story.
Instead, it sometimes freeze-frames or goes blurry for me, giving you a chance to experience whatever you’re meant to experience during that musical interlude.
That’s the time for you to open up to receiving guidance, messages, images, knowings, visions, feelings, memories, etc. Your intuition comes through many channels. Even through your imagination.
So let the music carry you deeper into your inner landscape to experience your very own sacred journey.
And the next time you listen, know that it could be completely different – different Guides, scenery, gifts, messages – all leading to different inspired actions in your life.
Are you ready for your sacred journey?
This meditation was the first of five that I channeled live in Carbonear, Newfoundland & Labrador during my week as Artist in Residence at Ocean View Gallery.
“It was exhilarating to participate in Dominque’s Visioning Meditations. Her gifted ability enabled me to go on a journey to my Soul and with clearer understanding of answers I was seeking. She is truly inspiring!”
I’ll be sharing many of the blessings that came from that week in future blog posts and bi-weekly newsletter.
For now, grab your journal and sit back or lie down, close your eyes, and enjoy this half-hour sacred journey into your inner landscape.
Then write down the symbolism, messages, gifts, and inspired actions that came through. It’ll help you explore deeper layers of your experience.
Note: Audio-only is below the video if that’s easier on your technology.
Music: “Across the Sky” by Christopher Lloyd Clarke
Painting: “Birds of a Feather” – learn more about it here…
Your Sacred Journey Symbolism
What creature came through for you? Did you receive any symbolic gifts?
First, tune into your heart and ask what their personal meanings are for you.
Once you’ve done that, Google it for further layers of universal meaning. Always check with your Self if what you’re reading is true for you.
When I listened to this meditation before publishing it, I found myself riding a hippo. When I asked my heart for its personal symbolism, I got that this water beast was a reminder of how my recent weekly swims aren’t only good for my body, but for my connection to Spirit. I’m to continue. So I’ve just decided to head to the pool as soon as I hit the publish button on this blog post.
When I went to my favourite symbolism website, I discovered that hippo symbolism “reminds us of our birthright for greatness” through intuition, creativity & faith. Good stuff!
What creature came through for you? What personal and universal symbolism resonates with your journey? Please share in the comments below.
Welcome to My Studio – a video introduction
/in PaintingsKeep scrolling for French video with English captions.
How good are you at asking for help? What about being in the public eye? I got to do a lot of both for the whole month of March as one of the top 10 finalists in the national FrancoStar talent competition.
If you’re a Facebook Friend or following my Facebook Page, you likely came across my daily requests for votes.
Thank you to my fellow Canadians if you took the time to fill out a ballot once, a few times, or daily as some of you told me you did! Wow!
I may not have won, but I feel like a winner (minus the cash prize).
I truly appreciate the energy and well-wishes that were flowing my way.
Repeatedly asking for votes was a stretch for me. I didn’t want to annoy you.
When people started commenting that they appreciated the daily reminders and easy access to the link, it was yet another opportunity to see how we limit ourselves with false perceptions and fear.
People are busy. They’re inundated with demands on their attention and distractions.
Even though I’m at the centre of my world, I forgot to vote on a couple of days…
If you need help, ask! And ask again. Don’t assume people can guess what you need or remember in a few days.
Sometimes you need to put yourself out there. Reach out to ask for what you need or want. You may be very surprised. Just let go of expectations and don’t take it personally if people have their own reasons not to respond.
Believe it or not, I’m a very private person. At least I used to be. I wasn’t even on social media before my art became my main focus.
Now, I feel my life is my canvas, a work in progress that I share to inspire others.
Plus getting the word of my art & intuitive services out into the world is a necessity and a challenge as a soulpreneur.
That’s one more reason I’m thrilled I created this FrancoStar video! I can continue to use it to spread the word of what I do. It took me 2.5 days to make it, learning some new technical skills along the way.
I’ve just added English captions to it, as requested by one of my fans. So sit back and enjoy this 5-minute introduction, including demonstrations of some of my techniques.
*** If the subtitles don’t automatically show up, click on the CC icon in the bottom right when you hover over the video. You can also use the Settings button to select French subtitles if you’d like.
Click on the video below to play.
Other Channels for Abundance
I believe that the Universe has many channels to bring abundance in our lives. If we’re generating that vibration within ourselves, the wealth will find its way to us one way or another.
If you’d like to contribute to my fundraising efforts and be one of the channels for the Universe to do its work, there are still 37 Limited Edition Spirit Calling Card decks that I had printed to cover part of my travel costs.
It’s a gift that keeps on giving – a tool to help you access your intuition for a creatively fulfilling life.
They’re $111 CAD for 88 cards. Learn more here.
Affirmation Booster 7
/in AffirmationsIsn’t that the truth! It’s another way of saying “Where attention goes, energy flows.”, a principle that keeps coming up for me.
We’re always thinking of something. In fact, I’ve read that experts say we have anywhere from 50,000 to 80,000 thoughts a day. That’s 2,100 – 3,300 thoughts an hour!
Some research claims that up to 98% of those thoughts are the same as those from the day before. Shocking, right?!
If water keeps running the same course, it forms a groove and becomes a river. If a thought keeps being thought, it forms a neurochemical dynamic process that becomes a belief.
So the question is, what do you believe about yourself? What repeated thought formed that belief?
More importantly, is it true? Is it really true? Who would you be if you didn’t believe that thought?
If you don’t recognize this line of questioning, it’s part of Byron Katie’s life-changing The Work. I recommend her book “Loving What Is”as a introduction to her process.
Affirmations Create New Beliefs
Affirmations are a great way to form new grooves in your belief system. They work if you use them often enough to change the current limiting patterns of belief.
Give these 11 affirmations a try to see how they impact your emotions, decisions & actions.
Then pick your favourite and post it on your mirror to repeat every day this month. It just may be the one that creates the most resistance as this shows you where your groove is currently running deep and going in the opposite direction.
Pause the slideshow and repeat one at a time as often as you need with feeling until you can find an example of it in your life. Let the energy of my art support your process. Then focus on that truth and amplify the feeling.
Give yourself a high five before going to the next.
Going back to Oprah’s quote, as you dwell on each one, you’ll become it more and more.
Life will then give you opportunities to practice being the truth of that affirmation.
It’ll also provide mirrors for you to recognize your True Self in them.
Enjoy the process!
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
The 11 affirmations are:
Let Go of Labels & Do It Your Way
/in InspirationWhat would you think if I told you my friend sometimes spends the whole day in bed watching 8-10 movies in a row?
Would you think she’s lazy? depressed? antisocial?
There’s definitely something wrong, right?
In this day & age, there’s a label for everything.
I remember a discourse analysis class in university. The professor said that if you put a video camera in anyone’s house, you could find proof that the person was mentally ill.
Just pause and think which of your behaviours might lead to such a diagnosis.
Now, you may suffer from mental illness and need help. Sometimes a diagnosis and medication may lead to a happier healthier life. This is not what I’m talking about here.
I’m talking about the labels and judgements we put on ourselves and others when our rhythms and ways of going through life don’t follow the standards of society.
Me the Movie Buff
That’s right. Once in a while, I’m the one who loves to spend the whole day & night in bed watching movies. I get up to go to the washroom and get my meals, but bring my TV tray right back to bed to continue my Netflix binge.
My housesister doesn’t worry. She doesn’t judge. She may frown or remark if I express guilt or remorse at my choices. She doesn’t like to see me take the fun out of my fun. She also knows how focused, productive, and hard-working I can be.
When I stopped feeling guilty or telling myself “Ok, just 1 movie and then I’ll get this or that done”, I started enjoying these movie days a lot more. I know that I if I start with one, I’m likely going to follow through with more.
When I hit perimenopause then menopause, my body called for more rest. I was working from home and so it was easier to follow my flow. I’ll admit, I struggled at first. I judged myself.
I imposed all sorts of programs on myself: Netflix-free weeks, 21-day nature challenges, etc. These had their advantages for sure.
Now, when I choose to have a movie day, I just allow & enjoy. Mostly.
I’ve designed a life for myself with a flexible schedule that can accommodate my painting, writing, or movie-watching marathons.
I sometimes have to make a conscious effort to get out of my happy hermit home to be social or physically active in nature. But I do.
I go skating, walking, chanting, to my improv comedy class, and weekly business training days with my best friend.
And if you follow me, you know I’m not lazy. I haven’t missed a Tuesday blog or bi-weekly newsletter since I started, filled with news of the projects I’m working on.
I also love movies!
As a child of 7, I used to bike by myself across the forest from the PMQs to the base in Germany to go to the cinema. We didn’t have a TV at home yet. It was also a time when children were a lot freer to explore the world on their own.
Sometimes, I just need to disconnect and immerse myself in stories. The only time I don’t enjoy my movie days is when I start feeling guilty. I get caught up in the shoulda woulda coulda … and that’s not healthy.
But if I truly listen to my body, mind and spirit and my flow is to be in bed the whole day, then so be it.
Last Friday, after dropping off a painting at a customer’s house at 6am, going swimming for 1.5 hours, doing my grocery shopping and laundry, I prepared the feast in the photo above and giggled my way past my housesister back to bed at 10am for a movie day. No guilt. Pure delight.
I started with the DVD “Speed” (1984). That movie had crossed my mind a few times in the previous weeks, but it wasn’t on Netflix. I spotted the DVD for sale at the library the day before while I was helping my friend set up her photography exhibit. I’m still not sure why it kept crossing my mind, but I’d manifested it and so was glad to explore the possibilities.
And since I know myself and accept myself better than ever, I knew that this first movie at 10am would lead to another and another. I was just fine with that. Depressed? Definitely not!
Instead of feeling guilty or wondering what others would think if they found out (and now you definitely have – lol), I celebrated my freedom and my choices.
We all have our rhythms. This was mine.
Do No Harm
Now there may be labels for my behaviour. And watching movies in bed all day may not be the healthiest. It certainly wouldn’t be if I did it every day or allowed it to interfere with my life, my relationships, my work or sense of fulfillment.
Does it at times? Maybe. But then I self-correct.
We’re all learning to be ourselves in a very prescriptive world.
As long as you’re not harming yourself or others, why not explore your unique ways of going through life. Find your rhythm. Accept yourself.
If you need help, get it. If you simply need to let go of labels and guilt for being different, do that too.
Where in your life are you not accepting yourself because of the fear of others not approving of your choices?
Which of your behaviours do you feel are sometimes healthy but at other times not?
How can being more loving towards yourself (and others) help you find greater peace about your rhythms & patterns so they are more aligned with your Highest Good?
2 people in different houses in bed all day watching movies could be having very different experiences. One may be celebrating life and the other may need help, love, or medication.
Don’t be too quick to judge or to try and change others.
In every situation, be it for yourself or others, ask “What would love do now?”.
Sometimes, it’s about accepting that others are different than ourselves. And sometimes it’s about accepting that we are.
And if any part of you is judging me right now for my behaviour… love yourself through that mirror too.
Namaste – the Spirit in me honours the Spirit in you.