Re-Connecting # 8 – Nature Bound

Original (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.

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”:

• As a noun, it’s a leaping movement upward – that boost my spirit gets from being in nature.
• As the past tense of the verb ‘bind’ it means to be united or joined with – as in becoming one with Nature,
• It also means to be committed to or apprenticed to – alluding to that teacher/student relationship.
• As an adjective, it talks about the likelihood of something happening – the promise of re-connection that happens when I spend time among the Elements.

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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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?

“Our “Pineal Gland, shaped like (and named after) the Pinecone, is at the geometric center of our brain and is intimately linked to our body’s perception of light. … It is considered by many to be our biological Third Eye, the “Seat of the Soul,” the “Epicenter of Enlightenment” — and its sacred symbol throughout history, in cultures around the world, has been 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 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.

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.

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