wunjo

watercolor 4/2021

Wunjo is the rune stone symbol for joy, peace.

 

And into the forest I go,

 to lose my mind

 and find my soul.

……..John Muir

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casting of the runes

watercolor 2/2021

If you want to awaken

all of humanity,

then awaken all of yourself.

If you want to eliminate

the suffering in the world, then

eliminate all that is dark

and negative in yourself.

truly, the greatest gift

you have to

give is that of your

own self-transformation.

…..Lao Tzu

Raven is a bird surrounded by ancient lore…..much of which has flavored perception of ravens today. The raven is a clever, mysterious and most intelligent bird. Actually I am beguiled by any creature who crosses my path and raven is no exception. This one is a Druid bird casting the runes and holding the rune Dagaz. This is the rune of transformation. Shaped like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. The rune of awakening, awareness representing a paradigm shift which is now occurring.

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magi

watercolor 12/2020

‘Shine like the whole universe is yours’…..rumi

the alchemist

watercolor 6/2020

Go where the Mother’s blanket 

heals you, where she gives you

new dreams…if you learn to live

in these places, you will live through 

these times…this is the time to 

relearn how to live with the Earth.

it is a time to honor Spirit, to listen

to the Mother, to reawaken our

emotional awareness so we can

communicate with the higher octaves of

reality, upon this sacred egg we call

…..Earth.

……Last Cry, Native American Prophecies

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prophesy

watercolor 6/2020

My favorite bird and I love the myths surrounding this corvid.  Ravens are magical beings and, if there are any predictions to be given to us, I am positive that Raven will be the one to do the job.

How Raven brought Light to the world…….

Once the whole world was dark….inky, all-consuming dark. The reason for this blackness was that an old man who lived in a house by the river hid all the light in a tiny box. He did this because he was afraid to see whether or not his daughter was ugly.

Now, Raven, in a ploy to steal the light shrinks himself to become a hemlock needle in a basket of drinking water so that the daughter will swallow him. Soon Raven is reborn from her as a human child/raven. The old man accepts him as a grandson and soon Raven begs and pleads with the old man to open the box which holds the light. When the old man finally opens the box containing the light, Raven grabs it and flies out of the house—causing light to spread throughout the world and revealing that the old man’s daughter is as beautiful as the fronds of a hemlock tree.

As Raven flies away, Eagle sees him and tries to steal the light, causing Raven to drop some of it, which becomes the Moon and the stars.

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bran the blessed

watercolor 11/2019

In Welsh folklore, ‘Bran the Blessed’ is a primordial raven deity and guardian of Britain whose totem is a raven.

 

stop the words now,

open the window in the center of your chest

and let the spirits fly in and out

…..rumi

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allegheny sorcerer

watercolor 6/2019

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty

and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study

and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.

Let the beauty we love be what we do.

There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

………..rumi

heart’s desire

watercolor 3 x 5 6/2018

Follow your dreams for they are whispers from your soul.

‘Heart’s Desire’ is a commission that I formed around a previous aceo painting. It is painted slightly larger which gives me the liberty to include more detail. There can only be so much included within a 2 x 3 art card so I like the larger size occasionally.

holder of the dream

 

 

Aceo Original watercolor
3/2018

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The raven in this painting is what is called a ‘Spirit Raven.’ It is found mainly in British Columbia. Very rare bird. I personally love genetically white birds and animals. They seem sacred and of course Native Americans  regard the Spirit Raven as sacred.

The common raven has a 4 ft wingspan and is over two feet from head to tail. The raven is often misidentified as a crow – a closely related bird. Ravens are uncommon in populated urban areas. If you see a “really big crow” in the city, the chances are good that it really is a crow and not a raven.

Ravens soar more than crows. If you see a “crow” soaring for more than a few seconds, take another look – it might be a raven. Common Ravens can do a somersault in flight and even fly upside down. Ravens are longer necked in flight than crows.

sacred wisdom

Watercolor 1/2018 5 x 7

 

This is just one of so many Native American tales about Raven as well as other animals. I love to read them.

 

When Raven was killed

Raven had played so many tricks on mankind for so long that one day a great chief decided to kill him. The chief caught Raven unaware and threw him into a large skin bag. Then he began to climb to the top of a steep mountain. Raven asked from inside the bag “what are you doing, where are we going.” The chief ignored Raven. Raven told the chief that bad things would happen if he hurt Raven. But the chief did not listen and finally on top of the mountain, he threw Raven off the mountain. Raven was torn to pieces falling. The chief had killed Raven.

Everyone in the village was happy and they celebrated for days. Then they noticed that all the water was gone. The lakes and rivers were dry. The shaman told them that the water had vanished because the chief had killed Raven. Now the people wanted Raven to come back.

The shaman told the chief that he would have to put Raven back together again. So the chief put all the pieces back together again. Raven came back to life and started to fly away. “Stop” cried the chief. “All the water is gone and only you can return it.” Raven flew higher and said “Look around you, there is water everywhere.”

The chief then turned and saw that the lake was full and that the river ran deep and fast again. As Raven disappeared in the distance, the chief promised never to try to kill Raven again.

Because of his powers and role in their heritage, Natives do not kill ravens.