Does all the decision-making take the fun out of travel for you? Intuitive travel can help.
With the use of a pendulum, it’s even easier. Plus, it’s a lot of fun as you embrace the mystery and follow guidance.
Intuition is playful. It invites you to be curious, wonder-ful, and yes, stretch your comfort zones by exercising trust. Once you start to play with your Team of Divine Helpers in this way, it’s amazing!
Clarity, ease of decision making, playfulness, and experiencing what’s in your Highest Good …. these are all benefits of using your intuition.
Here’s my story and a coaching video on how to use a pendulum for decision-making.
Intuitive Travel on the Cabot Trail
Although most of my trip to New Brunswick to be the godmother of the Atlantic Visual Arts Festival (FAVA) was straightforward and planned, my return trip through Cape Breton island was not.
I’ll start by saying that although I’ve lived intuitively for years and have learned to completely trust my guidance, it doesn’t mean that some of what happened on this trip wasn’t a stretch of my comfort zones.
I’m not a natural risk-taker… yup, a bit of a chicken, actually. But I trust my guidance.
When I Googled places to stay in Cape Breton, here’s the map I got. Yikes! When you blow it up, a lot more places show up.
When I planned my trip, I didn’t even know if I should stay on Cape Breton Island or on mainland Nova Scotia. All I knew is that it was 7 hours away from Caraquet. But I wasn’t sure if I’d be packing up my exhibition that morning or the night before.
So instead of humming and hawing or worrying about it, I simply took out my pendulum to ask a few quick questions.
The trick is that once you get an answer, stick to it, trust it, and stand behind it. If you start to doubt and ask the same question over and over, it won’t work anymore. Your Team of Divine Helpers will stop playing with you.
So I asked:
“Is it in my Highest Good to say on Cape Breton the night of June 18th?”
Yes.
“Is it in my Highest Interest to stay on the right side of the island on this map?”
No.
“On the left side?”
No.
“Is it in my Highest Interest to stay in the centre?”
Yes.
And then I simply put my finger on each accommodation and watched as the pendulum gave me a no, no, no, no, and finally a yes!
When I checked out the listing online to make my reservation, it was perfect for me – on the outskirts of town with a view of the water!
The historic Broadwater Inn near Baddeck was the home of Alexander Graham Bell’s right hand man.
I delighted in the view and comfort after a long drive and very busy week at FAVA. My Team of Divine Helpers were right (of course). It’s just what I needed!
Over breakfast the next morning, its current owner shared entertaining stories and very useful travel tips with his houseful of guests.
For my first day on the famous Cabot Trail, I simply followed my intuition using my clairsentience (clear feeling).
This is a simple intuitive exercise of tuning into your body to sense its yes/no through feelings of expansion or contraction. I teach you how to do it in a previous blog post.
You likely do it all the time unconsciously.
I like walking through a city or driving around in this way. At every intersection, you ask which way is in your Highest Interest and feel your way to a yes, whether it’s go straight, turn left or turn right.
Then you embrace the mystery, trust, and stay hyper attentive with a sense of curiosity and play to find out why you were directed that way.
The Cabot Trail is a 297 km (185-mile) scenic loop that tourism guides recommend driving in 3-5 days. I only had 2.
Intuitive Navigation was a great way to see and do what I knew was in my Highest Interest and let go of all the wonderful things I knew existed but I didn’t have time to do.
I’d check in to spontaneously decide whether to stop at various vistas, artist studios, restaurants, hiking trails, etc.
It was great! And it was fun!
Many have asked if I mind traveling alone. Trust me. I’m never alone. None of us are! My Team of Divine Helpers are great travel companions. They always have my Highest Interest at heart and never complain about my hundreds of photo stops and illogical decisions – in fact, they applaud and reward them.
Where Will I Sleep Tonight?
The skies were threatening rain and it was getting later than I was comfortable with. I didn’t know where I’d be sleeping.
I knew there’d be vacancies as we weren’t in the height of tourist season yet. But not knowing where I’m sleeping is a stretch of my comfort zone for sure!
I’m not the easy going nomadic spirit many people think I am when they look at my resume. I feel the fear, but know to follow my guidance.
In my mind, it was logical to drive to Pleasant Bay to stop for the night and maybe take a whale watching tour in the morning.
But when I got there through the heavy rain and fog, I was intuitively instructed to keep driving.
“Really?! It’s moose-hour and that fog and heavy rain are scary to drive through, especially through this section of roller-coaster hills”.
To keep going meant getting back into the nearly deserted National Park, not knowing how long it would take to reach the next patch of civilization.
But I know better than to say no to my guidance. It only leads to regret.
So, I kept going and all I could think about was “I’m glad my Dad doesn’t know I’m doing this right now“. Through the filter of my fear, it just wasn’t a smart thing to do.
But the moose were kept away and without any other cars on the road, I could drive as slowly as I wanted through the sheets of rain and blankets of fog.
At one point, I passed a hostel with cheap rooms – sounded good. But I got a strong “no” when I spotted the long lines of construction crew vehicles pulled up for the night. So I kept going.
Finally, I got to Chéticamp, an Acadian town I thought for sure would be my final destination. It was nearly 8pm and I’d been driving for more than 10 hours.
But as I stopped in the parking of all the B & Bs, hotels, and roadside cabins to use my pendulum (because I was unable to tune in to my body’s senses as well through the mild panic mixed with trust and tiredness), I kept getting a “no”.
Once I got to the other end of town, I was concerned yet still willing to play. “OK”, I said, “Now where?”.
And soon after that, I got the message to turn right. I was now driving on Chéticamp Island and spotted a bright yellow sign “Camping & Chalet”” ahead.
My whole being vibrated when I saw that sign. It was a clear “Yes” and the joy welled up inside.
My first relief was that the Plage St. Pierre Campground office hadn’t yet closed for the night. My biggest relief, however, is that they had 1 cottage. And it was available!
Better than that, it was the only beach-front lot in the place. Everything else was behind the sand dunes in the trees.
Wow! What a view! It felt like wilderness luxury – with 2 bedrooms, living room, modern bathroom, full kitchen, and outdoor deck for the same price as my first night’s B & B ($120 Cdn).
I couldn’t believe my luck! But I should have. There’s a reason I trust my intuition. Look where it brought me.
I was woken up the next morning at 4:44am (one of my 2 angel numbers) just in time for the sunrise. Then, after a very welcomed hot shower, I walked the deserted beach for 3 hours in the company of my new iPhone X camera and was in total bliss.
There’s no way I would have enjoyed a hotel or in-town stay as much as I did this time to be in Nature stretching my legs with water all around.
After taking my time to leave the campground and then exploring the bumpy road to the lighthouse on the other end of the island, I headed out of Acadian Country.
When I stopped at the Dancing Goat Café & Bakery (recommended by my Broadwater Inn host), I got a definite sign that there was more fun ahead.
First, I was given the order number 44 for my table. Then my bill came out to $11.44 (11 is my other angel number). I was being congratulated and reminded that the game was still on.
So after a healthy lunch, I took the road with a sense of curiosity and wonder. It didn’t take long to figure out what was in store for me.
I was only about 1.5 hours from North Sydney, where I needed to be at 9:30 pm that night to line up for the overnight ferry back to Newfoundland. That gave me all afternoon to explore in the warm sunshine.
So I asked myself, “What would you most like to do?” and kayaking came to heart. I love being on the water and it had been more than a year since I’d been in a kayak. It was still way too cold in Newfoundland, so now was my chance.
I knew my loop would take me back to Baddeck, where I slept on my first night. I’d seen a marina and thought perhaps they’d have kayaks there. It was only half an hour away.
But not 2 minutes after having had that inner planning conversation, I see a sign for The Lakes Campground with go-karts and kayak rentals. For $13, I could take a plastic kayak out onto the pristine lake for an hour.
I had it all to myself, but once again, I was far from being alone.
Within the first 5 minutes I spotted an eagle at the top of a tree and crossed the lake to sing to it. Then I simply relished being on the water (definitely my element), embraced by the forest, and taking in the saturation of colours & abundance of life-giving fresh air.
A red-tailed hawk flew right above me, chased by some angry little bird. The sun through its tail feathers filled me with gratitude as I reconnected to one of my first totem animals from childhood.
While looking up, I also spotted a rainbow-coloured halo around the sun that took my breath away. The contrails added to what felt like a sacred geometry show in the heavens above.
I felt so very blessed and grateful ! I couldn’t ask for a better leisurely kayaking space. I was in bliss!!!
Then, just as my hour was up, the eagle left its perch across the lake, swooped half way down the expanse of water and pulled up a big fish with its powerful talons. Then it let it go and flew away over the distant mountains. It was as if it was simply giving me a show as I’d asked it to do an hour before. Sorry little fish…
I ended my Cabot Trail tour walking through Baddeck. I’m not a shopper by nature, but something compelled me to enter a clothing store. There, I found the perfect necklace to add to my small collection – a very long string of spirals in a hypoallergenic zinc alloy from Turkey – it felt like I’d been looking for it for years.
So I said “Yes!” and “Thank You!” embracing the circulation of abundance on this day.
I then felt completely satiated, so headed to North Sydney early to eat, line-up for my overnight ferry, and start editing the thousands of photographs from my trip.
Intuitive travel is fun. Enjoy trying it out – whether it’s for a couple of hours downtown or weeks on the road.
If you found this inspiring and / or helpful, pass it along and sign-up for my mailing list.
Creative Multitasking & The Freedom Effect
/in Paintings“The Freedom Effect” (11″ x 14″) – SOLD – Acrylics, lapis lazuli, glass beads, mica on canvas
Warning… this blog post may ruin your idealized image of me. Hee hee…
I recently shared this with a few people who were so grateful I did that I’ve decided to share it with you now.
Whether it inspires you to get creative or leads to being more gentle on yourself, good!
I smile when folks talk about what it must be like in my painting studio: “You must have incredible focus and patience Dominique.” Sometimes…
It’s true that there are projects in which I’m totally in the creative flow, channeling visions, messages, and energy healing while painting – especially Soul Energy Portraits.
But that’s not always the case.
That would be awfully intense to keep up during my beloved 12 to 16-hour painting marathons.
So sometimes I sing along to Sanskrit chants in meditative bliss.
Other times, I’m simply playing and experimenting while listening to inspirational podcasts.
Then there are the times I’m painting to escape – from my overly Left-brain to-do list or my overactive thoughts. In this case, I’ll often play movies in the background.
“How can you do both at the same time?” you may ask.
Easy. It actually helps. It gives my ego and/or Left analytical brain a task or distraction so that the Right creative brain can be free to do it’s thing.
I call it creative multitasking.
It keeps the critic, worry-wart, risk-aversive little me busy in one corner while I connect to my Higher Self & Spirit to create.
The Freedom Effect
That’s what happened while creating the detailed layers of this painting called “The Freedom Effect”.
I was in the mood for some dot-therapy. It can be so relaxing to just make dots for hours on end.
But parts of me were objecting – either out of boredom, frustration, or negative self-talk: “You’re overdoing it with the dots, Dominique. Keep it simple stupid! You’re ruining it!”
So on this dot-making day, I watched (or more accurately listened to) Netflix documentaries on Einstein, Ram Dass, Tesla, and Chris O’Neil (yoga photographer). Very inspiring!
I watch Netflix for a living! Not bad, eh?
It’s all part of creating a life by design that incorporates so many of the elements I enjoy. I’m a total movie-buff!
And I apparently didn’t overdo it with the dots because this little jewel of a painting was sold after I posted work-in-progress photos on Facebook – before it even got posted in my online shop.
Now that’s a good day at work!
So now I ask you, what does or what could creative multitasking looking like for you?
Feel free to leave a comment below.
Painting & Poem: A Call to Swana Grace
/in PaintingsThank you to the 23 who contributed name suggestions for this new painting. I’ve incorporated them all in this poem below.
Guidance on Paradise Island Meditation
/in Guided MeditationsI channeled this guided visioning meditation during the Deer Lake Pause for Peace event in mid-June.
In this meditation, you’ll be carried by the gifts of your challenges to your Paradise Island to let go of what no longer serves you, raise your vibration, and receive Guidance.
Trust that the messages you are meant to receive will make it through one of your intuitive channels during this active intuitive exercise: inner sight, hearing, knowing, memories, feelings, smells, tastes, etc.
Intuition has many channels. One isn’t better than the other.
Allow yourself to use this practice to develop your intuitive muscles. The more you practice, the stronger they’ll get.
Each time you listen to this meditation, you’ll tap into new guidance, visions, etc. It will evolve as you do..
May it serve you well as you take this pause for peace. This gift you give yourself is one that you give the world.
Guidance to Paradise Island Meditation
This is a 25-minute Self-Discovery Journey (best listened to with headphones).
ON YOUTUBE:
Namaste
Bev’s Soul Energy Portrait & Traveller’s Prayer
/in Soul Energy Portrait ExamplesThis was part of an email I received during Bev Sharpe’s Soul Energy Portrait Experience as 2016 became 2017. Now, 1.5 years later, Bev offered to share her experience as part of her unfolding process.
Interview with Bev 1.5 Years Later
1. What inspired you to invest in a Soul Energy Portrait Experience back in 2016?
3. How do you feel about your painting 1.5 years later?
An Inspired Prayer
A TRAVELLER’S PRAYER
Dear God and Guiding Spirits,
Angels of Light and Love,
Guide me on my Path to my Highest Good.
Thank you for supporting me
As I transmute the energies
That no longer serve me
To live, learn, and laugh
on my transformational journey.
Bless me in the radiant beam
Of your unconditional Love
That I may mirror your Light
At my very core
In all that I am and all that I do.
As above so below.
As within, so without.
Give me divine patience
To allow the answers to evolve
From the questions of my soul.
Guide me as I continue to explore
The many paths and perspectives before me.
From my centre to the outer rings
Of infinite possibility,
I am rich in opportunities and blessings.
May I accept with ease and grace
the path of least resistance
Abundant in the fruits of my labour
And kisses from the Universe.
I am ready for this daily rebirth
Back to my Self
And my shapeshifting Path.
I am my magnific-essence
Born of the Tree of Life,
I flow, I grow
I overflow and glow.
Aho
Is it Your Turn?
A Soul Energy Portrait Experience is a beautifully intensive co-creative soul-shifting process that brings us together via email for 2 weeks or more. The larger your painting, the longer we work together. As you emerge more fully into your Self, so does your painting. Each layer of our journey together is filled with energy, symbolism, and meaning.
Your package includes a channeled meditation, daily Love Notes with photos, inspired energy work, a summary of the process, and the creation of a unique painting created just for you in your essence.
I work with only 1 Soul Energy Portrait client at a time and only 1 per month. I’m currently working on one now and have a client booked for August. Please reach out if you’d like to book yours for the fall/winter. Payment plans may be available. Prices in Canadian Dollars. Shipping Extra.
Self-Love Package (12″x 12″ or 12″ x 16″) – $3,497
Enhanced Self-Love Package (12″ x 24″ or 16″ x 20″) – $7,497
Premium Self-Love Package (15″x30″ or 18″x24″ or 24″x24″) – $11,497
Ultimate Self-Love Package (24″x48″ or 36″x36″) – $17,497
Learn more here…
Order yours now…
From the Beginning – a New Painting
/in PaintingsAlthough I’m a professional artist, I don’t always paint as much as I’d like. I hadn’t painted since May!
When July rolled around, I started work on a Soul Energy Portrait Experience for a client.
As is my custom, I used any leftover paint from each step of that process to begin a new painting on the side.
Then, about 4 layers in, this painting started taking on a life of its own.
It called to me through visions and extensions of the energy work I was doing for my client.
And that’s how “From the Beginning” came into being – inspired by the energy flowing through me in the service of someone else.
Then, the hours and hours of dot therapy – a form of meditative prayer – infused this painting with extra layers of high vibrational goodness. Can you feel it through the heart-warming and lower chakra nourishing colours?
From the Beginning
SOLD
As the mighty oak tree is already present in the acorn, so is unconditional love already present in our hearts and souls.
Our job as spiritual beings having a human experience is to allow that Love & Light germinating at our core to sprout, grow, flow, and blossom with the dawning of each new day.
Be it in relationship with yourself or with others,
May that love grow
May your love flow
May you be and do love
Rooted in the rich soil of your inner work
Connected to Source and All That Is.
And may you meet, along your path,
The love of one who chooses to grow with you
Learning together the many ways in which
Unconditional Love can manifest in relationship.
This is my prayer for you.
This is my prayer for me.
So be it. So I let it be.
“From the Beginning” (20″ x 24″) – SOLD
Acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas. No framing required.
Intuitive Travel on the Cabot Trail – Pendulum Style
/in Inspiration, My TravelsDoes all the decision-making take the fun out of travel for you? Intuitive travel can help.
With the use of a pendulum, it’s even easier. Plus, it’s a lot of fun as you embrace the mystery and follow guidance.
Intuition is playful. It invites you to be curious, wonder-ful, and yes, stretch your comfort zones by exercising trust. Once you start to play with your Team of Divine Helpers in this way, it’s amazing!
Clarity, ease of decision making, playfulness, and experiencing what’s in your Highest Good …. these are all benefits of using your intuition.
Here’s my story and a coaching video on how to use a pendulum for decision-making.
Intuitive Travel on the Cabot Trail
Although most of my trip to New Brunswick to be the godmother of the Atlantic Visual Arts Festival (FAVA) was straightforward and planned, my return trip through Cape Breton island was not.
I’ll start by saying that although I’ve lived intuitively for years and have learned to completely trust my guidance, it doesn’t mean that some of what happened on this trip wasn’t a stretch of my comfort zones.
I’m not a natural risk-taker… yup, a bit of a chicken, actually. But I trust my guidance.
Booking a Place to Stay
When I Googled places to stay in Cape Breton, here’s the map I got. Yikes! When you blow it up, a lot more places show up.
When I planned my trip, I didn’t even know if I should stay on Cape Breton Island or on mainland Nova Scotia. All I knew is that it was 7 hours away from Caraquet. But I wasn’t sure if I’d be packing up my exhibition that morning or the night before.
So instead of humming and hawing or worrying about it, I simply took out my pendulum to ask a few quick questions.
The trick is that once you get an answer, stick to it, trust it, and stand behind it. If you start to doubt and ask the same question over and over, it won’t work anymore. Your Team of Divine Helpers will stop playing with you.
So I asked:
“Is it in my Highest Good to say on Cape Breton the night of June 18th?”
Yes.
“Is it in my Highest Interest to stay on the right side of the island on this map?”
No.
“On the left side?”
No.
“Is it in my Highest Interest to stay in the centre?”
Yes.
And then I simply put my finger on each accommodation and watched as the pendulum gave me a no, no, no, no, and finally a yes!
When I checked out the listing online to make my reservation, it was perfect for me – on the outskirts of town with a view of the water!
The historic Broadwater Inn near Baddeck was the home of Alexander Graham Bell’s right hand man.
I delighted in the view and comfort after a long drive and very busy week at FAVA. My Team of Divine Helpers were right (of course). It’s just what I needed!
Over breakfast the next morning, its current owner shared entertaining stories and very useful travel tips with his houseful of guests.
How to Use a Pendulum
Intuitive Navigation
For my first day on the famous Cabot Trail, I simply followed my intuition using my clairsentience (clear feeling).
This is a simple intuitive exercise of tuning into your body to sense its yes/no through feelings of expansion or contraction. I teach you how to do it in a previous blog post.
You likely do it all the time unconsciously.
I like walking through a city or driving around in this way. At every intersection, you ask which way is in your Highest Interest and feel your way to a yes, whether it’s go straight, turn left or turn right.
Then you embrace the mystery, trust, and stay hyper attentive with a sense of curiosity and play to find out why you were directed that way.
The Cabot Trail is a 297 km (185-mile) scenic loop that tourism guides recommend driving in 3-5 days. I only had 2.
Intuitive Navigation was a great way to see and do what I knew was in my Highest Interest and let go of all the wonderful things I knew existed but I didn’t have time to do.
I’d check in to spontaneously decide whether to stop at various vistas, artist studios, restaurants, hiking trails, etc.
It was great! And it was fun!
Many have asked if I mind traveling alone. Trust me. I’m never alone. None of us are! My Team of Divine Helpers are great travel companions. They always have my Highest Interest at heart and never complain about my hundreds of photo stops and illogical decisions – in fact, they applaud and reward them.
Where Will I Sleep Tonight?
The skies were threatening rain and it was getting later than I was comfortable with. I didn’t know where I’d be sleeping.
I knew there’d be vacancies as we weren’t in the height of tourist season yet. But not knowing where I’m sleeping is a stretch of my comfort zone for sure!
I’m not the easy going nomadic spirit many people think I am when they look at my resume. I feel the fear, but know to follow my guidance.
In my mind, it was logical to drive to Pleasant Bay to stop for the night and maybe take a whale watching tour in the morning.
But when I got there through the heavy rain and fog, I was intuitively instructed to keep driving.
“Really?! It’s moose-hour and that fog and heavy rain are scary to drive through, especially through this section of roller-coaster hills”.
To keep going meant getting back into the nearly deserted National Park, not knowing how long it would take to reach the next patch of civilization.
But I know better than to say no to my guidance. It only leads to regret.
So, I kept going and all I could think about was “I’m glad my Dad doesn’t know I’m doing this right now“. Through the filter of my fear, it just wasn’t a smart thing to do.
But the moose were kept away and without any other cars on the road, I could drive as slowly as I wanted through the sheets of rain and blankets of fog.
At one point, I passed a hostel with cheap rooms – sounded good. But I got a strong “no” when I spotted the long lines of construction crew vehicles pulled up for the night. So I kept going.
Finally, I got to Chéticamp, an Acadian town I thought for sure would be my final destination. It was nearly 8pm and I’d been driving for more than 10 hours.
But as I stopped in the parking of all the B & Bs, hotels, and roadside cabins to use my pendulum (because I was unable to tune in to my body’s senses as well through the mild panic mixed with trust and tiredness), I kept getting a “no”.
Once I got to the other end of town, I was concerned yet still willing to play. “OK”, I said, “Now where?”.
And soon after that, I got the message to turn right. I was now driving on Chéticamp Island and spotted a bright yellow sign “Camping & Chalet”” ahead.
My whole being vibrated when I saw that sign. It was a clear “Yes” and the joy welled up inside.
My first relief was that the Plage St. Pierre Campground office hadn’t yet closed for the night. My biggest relief, however, is that they had 1 cottage. And it was available!
Better than that, it was the only beach-front lot in the place. Everything else was behind the sand dunes in the trees.
Wow! What a view! It felt like wilderness luxury – with 2 bedrooms, living room, modern bathroom, full kitchen, and outdoor deck for the same price as my first night’s B & B ($120 Cdn).
I couldn’t believe my luck! But I should have. There’s a reason I trust my intuition. Look where it brought me.
I was woken up the next morning at 4:44am (one of my 2 angel numbers) just in time for the sunrise. Then, after a very welcomed hot shower, I walked the deserted beach for 3 hours in the company of my new iPhone X camera and was in total bliss.
There’s no way I would have enjoyed a hotel or in-town stay as much as I did this time to be in Nature stretching my legs with water all around.
More Fun Ahead
After taking my time to leave the campground and then exploring the bumpy road to the lighthouse on the other end of the island, I headed out of Acadian Country.
When I stopped at the Dancing Goat Café & Bakery (recommended by my Broadwater Inn host), I got a definite sign that there was more fun ahead.
First, I was given the order number 44 for my table. Then my bill came out to $11.44 (11 is my other angel number). I was being congratulated and reminded that the game was still on.
So after a healthy lunch, I took the road with a sense of curiosity and wonder. It didn’t take long to figure out what was in store for me.
I was only about 1.5 hours from North Sydney, where I needed to be at 9:30 pm that night to line up for the overnight ferry back to Newfoundland. That gave me all afternoon to explore in the warm sunshine.
So I asked myself, “What would you most like to do?” and kayaking came to heart. I love being on the water and it had been more than a year since I’d been in a kayak. It was still way too cold in Newfoundland, so now was my chance.
I knew my loop would take me back to Baddeck, where I slept on my first night. I’d seen a marina and thought perhaps they’d have kayaks there. It was only half an hour away.
But not 2 minutes after having had that inner planning conversation, I see a sign for The Lakes Campground with go-karts and kayak rentals. For $13, I could take a plastic kayak out onto the pristine lake for an hour.
I had it all to myself, but once again, I was far from being alone.
Within the first 5 minutes I spotted an eagle at the top of a tree and crossed the lake to sing to it. Then I simply relished being on the water (definitely my element), embraced by the forest, and taking in the saturation of colours & abundance of life-giving fresh air.
A red-tailed hawk flew right above me, chased by some angry little bird. The sun through its tail feathers filled me with gratitude as I reconnected to one of my first totem animals from childhood.
While looking up, I also spotted a rainbow-coloured halo around the sun that took my breath away. The contrails added to what felt like a sacred geometry show in the heavens above.
I felt so very blessed and grateful ! I couldn’t ask for a better leisurely kayaking space. I was in bliss!!!
Then, just as my hour was up, the eagle left its perch across the lake, swooped half way down the expanse of water and pulled up a big fish with its powerful talons. Then it let it go and flew away over the distant mountains. It was as if it was simply giving me a show as I’d asked it to do an hour before. Sorry little fish…
I ended my Cabot Trail tour walking through Baddeck. I’m not a shopper by nature, but something compelled me to enter a clothing store. There, I found the perfect necklace to add to my small collection – a very long string of spirals in a hypoallergenic zinc alloy from Turkey – it felt like I’d been looking for it for years.
So I said “Yes!” and “Thank You!” embracing the circulation of abundance on this day.
I then felt completely satiated, so headed to North Sydney early to eat, line-up for my overnight ferry, and start editing the thousands of photographs from my trip.
Intuitive travel is fun. Enjoy trying it out – whether it’s for a couple of hours downtown or weeks on the road.
If you found this inspiring and / or helpful, pass it along and sign-up for my mailing list.
What’s Your Perfect Role? This Was Mine…
/in Enter the Mandala: The Twelve Universal Laws, Inspiration, My TravelsYou’re like no other on this planet. You’re your life experiences, skills, gifts, talents, loves, and passions all rolled into a unique combination that’s here to be in and serve the world in ways no one else can.
You’re an individualized expression of the Divine with a unique role to play. So the question is, what’s your perfect role or combination of elements that would make up your perfect role?
Your answer will be very different than mine.
You can use the meditations at the end of this post to explore your vision in greater depth. Know that part of the process, however, is to let go of the vision and amplify the feeling it gives you to allow the Universe to help you fulfill that vision in ways beyond your imagination.
That’s what I did… for years but more intensively on a daily basis for a month using the meditation in Derek Rydall‘s Awakened Wealth Mastery course.
Exactly a month after I started his program, I received an invitation to fulfill what turned out to be my perfect role.
Where attention goes, energy flows.
Godmother to the 22nd Atlantic Visual Arts Festival (FAVA)
Caraquet, New Brunswick
“God, make me an instrument of thy peace”. This has been part of my lightworker prayer for years.
When I became a full time artist, however, my focus often bounced back and forth from my heart to my head – from thriving to surviving. Becoming a soulpreneur has had its learning curve.
But since part of my mission is to help others align to their True Self to live a happy healthy life, I’ve been constantly reminded of the importance to do so myself.
It’s true, when I first received the organizers’ invitation, I thought that being named the FAVA godmother would be a great opportunity for my career. I equated “godmother” with “featured artist”.
But it was so much more than that, something that gradually dawned on me while preparing for my trip.
What does it mean to be the godmother of an arts festival?
I was chosen to nurture the other artists’ and festival goers’ transformational journeys through my scheduled offerings and presence. What a responsibility… and fun!
The theme of this year’s festival was “La faim de loup” – or “hungry like a wolf” with undertones of humanity’s deeper hunger on a body, mind & spirit level. Basically, the theme was “intuition”.
What a perfect match!
I’d basically been hired to allow my Light to shine and my love to flow through my energy-infused art and intuitive services while opening myself up to a circulation of positive energy in return.
My Team of Divine Helpers had been preparing me for this for years.
Exhibition: Enter the Mandala – The 12 Universal Laws
In 2015, I’d been guided to spend a year creating the 13 Enter the Mandala Project paintings. There’s one 30″ x 30″ mandala for each of the 12 Universal Laws and a summary piece that incorporates symbolism from all 12. See video below.
This was the first time I’d created a body of work that wasn’t for sale (unless I find a buyer for the whole collection willing to display them for the public).
This intuitively guided collection was designed to first teach me about the 12 Universal Laws and then become a teaching tool for others: helping us transform our lives from the inside out by becoming the conscious creators we are meant to be.
The FAVA exhibition was the collection’s first time in public since its 1-day unveiling during a Winter Solstice event in 2015.
I knew I hadn’t painted those mandalas to sit in a closet. Part of me trusted guidance that the collection and I were experiencing a gestation period. But I’ll admit I’d been discouraged when my exhibition proposals for the collection hadn’t been accepted in 2 local galleries.
Still, I held on to visions of the mandalas and I travelling together. The FAVA exhibition was an answer to my prayer.
The festival organizers built a spacious gallery with perfect lighting for my work on the main stage. I was blown away!
The space allowed for 2 chairs to be placed in front of each mandala so the paintings could be used as meditation tools and portals to the Universal Energy Flow.
Many people accepted that invitation to go deeper into both their Self and All That Is by really taking the time to be in the experience.
I was thrilled with the response! It was so fulfilling on so many levels.
I had the honour of energetically supporting a young woman experiencing a healing while sitting in front of The Law of Vibration.
I got to observe a young couple sit in front of each mandala for at least 10 minutes to animatedly discuss them!
I couldn’t help but melt when a beautiful man in his golden years shed one huge tear when I talked about my Source of Inspiration for the collection. The accompanying texts that I’d written as a summary of the painting and inquiry process had inspired him to ask me about my Team of Divine Helpers. His response was but one of so many touching moments during my time in Caraquet.
To witness so many people enjoying, feeling, opening to the exhibition was a dream come true.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Yes, tears are rolling down my cheeks again as I write this – tears of gratitude and joy.
You can learn more about the 12 Universal Laws and my mandalas by clicking here.
Intuition Into Action: A Gateway to Creativity
Another way my Path had led me to this role was in the development of my intuitive services, workshops, and Intuition into Action: 5 Steps to a Happy Healthy Life presentations.
Traditionally, a godmother’s role is to take responsibility for the spiritual education of her godchildren.
Part of my role as the FAVA godmother wasn’t so far off from that definition. I was asked to share in my intuitive gifts and teachings, something that brings me such joy and fulfilment while helping others.
I’ve been inspired to do this work and love it. Still, it isn’t always easy. I’ve had to cancel workshops due to lack of registration after months of preparation and marketing. I’m still learning about the business and marketing sides of things.
Thanks to several recent conferences and a yoga festival, however, I’d come to the conclusion that I love being a special guest in someone else’s group. That way, I can focus on sharing my offerings instead of marketing.
So I’d been focusing on that in my visioning meditations and the FAVA was a perfect manifestation of it.
42 participants attended the visionary art workshop, in which they experienced a channeled meditation before translating their inner discovery journey into a mandala drawing and list of inspired actions.
Many reported that the messages and visions they received had made a difference in their lives, their art, and their understanding of the energy flow as they witnessed it in the group.
*Note: Many of the photos in this blog post are by Louis Légère on the FAVA team.
I also gave a 1.5 hour talk and Q & A session on Intuitive Living & Intuitive Painting. The feedback was equally affirming that my work is making a difference. That’s a wonderful feeling indeed!
To share the intuition offerings I’ve developed in recent years in an event that not only featured my visual art but fully supported and appreciated my desire to share life-affirming processes was truly a vision come to fruition.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
My Beloved Godchildren
Just so you know, I giggled when I wrote that subtitle.
The Artists
One of my favourite parts of being the godmother of the festival is that I was given a leadership role when it came to the 20 or so other artists involved.
As much as I may be an experienced and enthusiastic teacher and public speaker, as much as I can be shy or uncomfortable in public. Hyper sensitive to energy in crowds and an introverted social observer by habit, there have been many times when I’ve chosen to be on the outskirts.
Not this time. I was hired to be a leader and a nurturer, and I thrive in that role.
Instead of focusing only on my exhibition and events (there was a lot to coordinate), I really enjoyed the encouragement my role gave me to connect with the other artists.
I consciously made the time to circulate to their booths to chat or shoot videos that I posted on Facebook or sit with them during meals to have heart-to-heart conversations (instead of taking quiet solo retreat times).
My interest in the other artists and ease with which we shared connections, techniques, experiences, etc. delighted me.
I met so many wonderful beings in this process and look forward to deepening some of these peer relationships through collaborations, exchanges, and more.
Being the FAVA godmother gave me the responsibility and permission to just let my full self shine. I did and was reminded that I shouldn’t need a role or excuse to be and do what I did at this festival – and am grateful for that lesson. I’ll never forget it.
When we shine our light, it gives others permission to shine. Please remember this next time you wonder if you can really fulfill the role of your dreams.
The Community
The reception, appreciation, generosity, enthusiasm, open-heartedness, etc. that circulated during the whole weekend and the days leading up to it was amazing.
Together, we raised our vibration. The more I gave, the more I had to give. The more I received, the more I allowed myself to receive.
As a godmother would, it was my pleasure to proudly share my Caraquet experience, FAVA, and the many wonders & miracles that took place while I lived my perfect role in such a warm-hearted community. If you follow me on Facebook, you know I enjoyed spreading the word about the love & beauty I witnessed in the heart of Acadian country.
From the organizers, staff, and volunteers who helped me with my events and showed me around town, to the light technician who helped my work shine, to the people in the streets that recognized me from my picture in the program they received in the mail, to the costumed characters at the Acadian Historic Village who crossed the time barrier to say they knew who I was – I felt so welcomed!
Yes, I could see how such attention could go to my head. Instead, I let it go to my heart.
I was scared when I came out of the visionary closet a few years back. It wasn’t easy to talk about things I’d learned to shut up about when I was a child. Intuition, however, is always an invitation to grow. I’m glad I followed guidance.
To be so welcomed, acknowledged, appreciated, and given a platform to be fully me without fear or resistance has left me a changed woman.
So I’ll keep asking:”What would love do now?”, “How can I be an instrument of thy Peace dear God and blessed Universe”. And I trust that my next perfect role is on its way.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
The Bucket List
Part of my vision for my life is that my teaching/ art will allow me to continue to travel the world exploring and expressing my love of beauty and the beauty of love.
Thanks to my FAVA sponsor, Tablo-Solution, my 2-week road trip across Newfoundland to New Brunswick was fully paid for.
I also got to check 2 things off my bucket list during this trip: the 7-hour ferry from Port-aux-Basques to North Sydney (which I’d read about in many NL -based novels) and a 2.5-day drive on the Cabot Trail on the island of Cape Breton on my way home from the festival.
I’ll write more about that in the next post.
I wonder… does an event in Ireland need a godmother? That’s still on my bucket list and my mandalas now have excellent crates to travel in. I’m ready! Hee hee.
I’ll keep visioning and generating the feelings of my ideal life and am open to what the next perfect role the Universe has in store for me.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
French Immersion – Acadian Style
/in InspirationIn the next few blog posts, I want to share about all three as inspired by my 2-week trip to be the godmother of the 22nd Atlantic Visual Arts Festival (FAVA) in Caraquet, New Brunswick – the heart of Acadian country.
Today, I focus on my French immersion and offer you an Acadian photo gallery and a guided meditation in French, so keep reading.
Benefits of Immersion
Is there a language or skill you’d like to learn?
Language, as most things, is a lot easier to learn when fully immersed it in. You absorb it into your being as it becomes the new normal. The more you use it and are surrounded by it, the easier it gets.
I learned to speak Czech within a month when I moved there in 1992. I was in a village where no one spoke English or wanted to.
I sat in my hosts’ kitchens, went shopping & socializing with them and soaked it in. After 2 weeks, I was told I was speaking it in my sleep. Having a past life connection to the country and love for the experience and culture definitely helped.
When I moved to South Korea, however, I was surrounded by fellow English teachers and students who wanted to practice their English. So after 3 years, I only learned enough to find my way around, order in restaurants and do basic shopping. So much for thinking I had a facility with languages!
French Roots
I knew from my correspondence with FAVA festival organizers that French was the main language in the area. What I didn’t expect was that only 2 of the thousands of people that came through the festival spoke to me in English.
For 6 days, I spoke 99% French, and it did me so much good on so many levels. It brought me back to my roots, to a part of myself I’d left behind.
French is my mother tongue. We spoke French at home and at school in Ottawa growing up but often English with our friends outside. My first degree at the University of Ottawa was half in French and half in English as I could choose the professor with the better reputation as courses were offered in both languages.
But when I left Ottawa in 1992 to teach English overseas and then in English provinces across Canada, I basically didn’t speak French for 25 years and almost lost it.
It’s only when I moved to Newfoundland & Labrador that the provincial francophone federation and newspaper helped me reclaim my native tongue. I had to get over my fear, shame, and lack of art & intuition-specific vocabulary to answer a journalist’s questions and teach my programs across the province – all great blessings.
Now, I participate in their improvisation comedy club once a week, but that’s the only French I speak apart from calls to my parents which are sometimes in French and sometimes in English.
So a full week immersion did me good. I even had a moment of re-entry culture shock when I stopped for gas in Moncton on my way out of the region, surprised when all the workers and customers were speaking English.
Acadian Country
I didn’t know much about the Acadian culture except for the fact that they’d suffered from deportation and now were everywhere from Louisiana in the U.S. to various parts of the Atlantic provinces. I also knew that they had a different accent than other francophones across the country.
On my way into northern New Brunswick, I couldn’t help but smile, knowing I’d be OK if I inserted English words in my scheduled French TV and radio interviews. When I asked the gas station attendant how to get to a landmark I’d seen driving over the bridge in Bouctouche, she answered “Tu peux parker ton car là …” . With 2 English words out of 6, you get the picture.
I didn’t experience that further north in Caraquet, however and am glad to report I only had to search for my words in French a few times. It all came back being fully immersed in it for a week.
Thanks to the volunteers who showed me around town and took me out to lunch before the start of the festival, I learned more about the resilience of the Acadian people and their rich culture.
If my reception is any indication, Acadian people are definitely generous, open-hearted, and very very welcoming! I was so well received, which made my role of godmother easy to embody – more on that in a future post.
I must have listened to my B3 Acadian music CD I was gifted by one of the band’s musicians about 20 times while driving the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton after the festival. Love it!
Now, I look forward to reading the historic novel I purchased and the souvenir guide to the Acadian historic village I was generously given to learn more about the Acadian history.
Village Historique Acadien
In between a TV interview and the grand opening of the festival, I took 2 hours to drive out to the Village Historique Acadien for a power walk around the village.
A free pass, souvenir guide book and t-shirt were waiting for me when I got there. Wow!
I’d mentioned in the morning that I hoped to have time to visit and the festival organizers ensured their godmother was well received.
It felt surreal, however, when a character from the 1700s recognized me (as many did in town because the FAVA program featuring a big photo of me had been sent to all homes). Time warp!
I could have spent days there! You can actually do that as their historic hotel offers overnight stays in the village. Wouldn’t that be cool?!
With limited time however, I rushed through with my camera – a tool that actually helps me be more present.
I did take the time to sing to the sheep and have a wonderful conversation with the cobbler about intuition. But as I said, I could have spent days here.
Enjoy your mini-tour through my eyes. This is half the photos I shared on Facebook.
French Meditation
And now, as a gift to any who want to immerse themselves in French for an hour, I offer you this guided visioning meditation to help open the gateway to your creativity.
I recorded it in the studio as part of an artist training program. It’s an adaptation from the 24-minute English one I channeled live at a creativity retreat and offered you back in April .
It’ll help you:
Enjoy!
The Layers of Life
/in Inspiration, Paintings, Photography Projects“The Journey: All the Way Home to My Self”
You’re a work of art! Did you know that?
I didn’t say a piece of work… I said a work of art.
Who you are now is a result all your layers of experience from this lifetime and beyond.
They’re what brought you here. They’re the reasons you have the gifts you have to share. They’re why you have the compassion, understanding, perspectives, tools, skills & inner resources to be and do YOU!
As I share in the creative layering process for both my intuitive painting and photography, I invite you to honour the many layers of your life that make you who you are today: your experiences, challenges, blessings, relationships, dreams, etc.
Whether it be in intuitive painting or photography, the final art piece is infused with the energy, symbolism, texture, and colour of the layers that came before it.
Keep reading to discover the parallels between intuitive art & your life.
The Layers of Intuitive Painting
I paint in layers. Some paintings have 20 layers of paint on them. The creative process is as important, if not more so than the final piece.
I sometimes start with a vision I receive for what a painting wants to become, but I often have no idea. I just paint, following the flow of inspiration, layer by layer.
This asks me to:
Each layer, with its intentions, flow & designs, interaction with previous layers, happy accidents, channeled energy work, or misperceived disasters, helps shape what’s to come.
Here are but a few of the layers in the creation of: “The Journey: All the Way Home to My Self” – you can see all of them and close-ups in the blog post on its creation.
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In the end, the piece has a depth of texture, colour, energy, and meaning that goes beyond what the eyes can see. It’s a portal from the process to the Universal Energy Flow. This, I believe is why healers and spiritual seekers have long since been called to my work.
The Layers of Intuitive Photography
I use a similar process when I create the Visual Gifts for Divine Storytelling Time clients – these are a unique and empowering self-study intuitive reading package created at a distance to help you tune into your intuition and take inspired action in your life.
After channeling your soul story for about an hour, I am intuitively guided by your Team of Divine Helpers and mine to pull photographs from my vast collection of images from around the world.
Each of these holds additional symbolic or energetic clues for the client to explore on their Intuition into Action Treasure Map.
Together, these photographs hold the essence of their story and act as a visual portal to move them forward on their Path to their Highest Good. As I manipulate the layers digitally, I create a custom piece that the client can have printed up to wall size – with or without the affirmation.
For example, this client’s Visual Gift was created using 6 layers from 4 photographs (2 repeated with different effects):
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The final result is something new & unique, only possible with the meaningful and colourful layers of what came before it. It’s a work of art inspired by the client’s life and his / her Divine Storytelling Time guidance.
Your Life is a Work of Art
Can you see now how your life is also a work of art?
Sure, it may have had an awkward teenager phase or layers you’d rather scrub off.
But in truth, every layer is a gift.
It’s just about learning to look at each layer through the eyes of your soul, through the eyes of Source to see how each has added the necessary energy, texture, colour, and gifts to what is opening up to you now.
Please allow yourself to see that and to stay open to what the next layer is calling you to co-create.
You’re a work in progress – perfect in your imperfection – and the creation of this masterpiece won’t be over until it’s over.
Happy co-creation!
Oh – and feel free to comment below on how this post has helped you see with new eyes.
Gifts from the Crystal Pond Meditation
/in Guided MeditationsIn this 28-minute Gifts from the Crystal Pond Meditation, you’ll journey on the flow of gratitude & intention to interact with one of your Divine Helpers.
May it raise your vibration so you can tune into Guidance and take inspired action. May it help shift you into greater alignment with your Highest Good.
This is a recording of a live group meditation I channeled at the Body Mind Spirit Retreat in Salmonier.
It’s best listened to with headphones.
P.S. If you’d like me to channel a meditation mp3 just for you, based on your needs, no matter where you live, I’ll do that for you for only $247. You can also contact me if you’d like me to lead a live meditation for you or your group.