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Nature Spirits Revealing the Nature of You
The natural world brings you closer to the nature of you. ~Tania Marie
I love this enchanted, heart and portal-opening video posted by my faery sister and fellow visionary, Laura Bruno. We always seem to be on the synchronicity train and today the theme of that train was “Nature Balance,” which reveals the magic of creation itself.
I’ll just let you enjoy the images, as you allow yourself to surrender to the remembrance of who you are and All That Is.
A Little Nature “Time Out” for Inspiration and Well-Being
Some days I just feel like sharing the beauty of life and Mother Earth…all the miracle joys of creation and vitality that are all around us always. I feel that nature is so important to honor, be in harmony with, and to receive guiding wisdom from. It gets us in touch with our own true nature and teaches us the value of creative energy, cycles of life, and life force energy.
I truly believe that time spent in nature or in any way surrounded with all things natural would support balance and well-being in ways inexpressible.
Because my life is about creating beauty and seeing all of life to be natural creations of art, I am constantly in awe (like a little child) of the brilliance around me and see everything as a masterpiece, being and unfolding, before our very eyes.
So today I felt guided to simply share some of the photos (as always, click on each to enlarge for detail) from all of my time in nature over this long weekend so you can enjoy a bit of natural beauty and immerse yourself in smelling the “roses” even if just for the moments you come across this post. Images have a way of touching us in deep ways.
one of the dolphins from the 3 dolphin pod – where’s your good camera when needed?
monarch butterfly that glided through my photo as i took it
I spent enormous amounts of time Friday through Monday out with nature, feeling the need to take time off from work and explore. I saw many of Mother Earth’s children and came across some magical gifts as well, including a full shedded snake skin and a road runner’s tail feather. They will become part of some sacred shaman ceremonies indeed, to add to my collection 🙂 Some of the magical creatures included seeing a roadrunner (actually not long before the tail feather), a horned toad lizard (wow), a toad, (love amphibians!), a huge pod of like 100 dolphins and then a small pod the next day of 3, and many Monarch butterflies that were gracefully gliding into me at the garden grounds of the Mission we visited.
This all took place while I spent a day in Catalina, did a 5 mile Full Moon hike, a beach walk, an 8 mile day hike, and spent time outdoors in Camarillo on a property full of trees, gardens, koi pond, and tortoise sanctuary. Loved it!
I hope you enjoy these images and quotes of nature and that you come to experience more of the magic that is available to you always.
If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere. ~Vincent van Gogh
Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher. ~William Wordsworth
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~Lao Tzu
Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction. ~E.O. Wilson
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~John Muir
Keep close to Nature’s heart…and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. ~John Muir
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. ~John Muir
There is that in the glance of a flower which may at times control the greatest of creation’s braggart lords. ~John Muir
The mountains are calling and I must go. ~John Muir
Like John Muir I find myself most at home in the wilderness of life….the great outdoors. A place where timelessness is the blending of horizons between sea and mountain, land and sky, Earth and Cosmos, body and soul.
More and more the experience of life for me no longer feels contrasting, as much as it seamlessly is becoming a living meditation of harmony between all things.
Gaia Meets Mo – The Ancients Gather
gaia and mo walk on by each other at first
On Memorial Day we took Gaia, my amazing little Russian Tortoise, out to beautiful Camarillo where we spent the day with family and this is their pictorial and video story documented (click on photos to enlarge). I had Gaia with me on a towel in the car by my feet and she was in her normal spunky mood, excited for the day ahead.
The plan was to introduce her to Mo (short for Mojave) the Desert Tortoise who has a beautiful outdoor sanctuary she lives in on the property. Mo has never seen another tortoise, as she hatched straight from an egg on her home grounds, and Gaia only saw little ones when she was a wee one herself, but hasn’t since for the last 6 years.
buh bye….for now. gaia keeps walking on by mo
Gaia is 10 years old and Mo is 17 years old. We had no idea what would take place, but what did was such a beautiful bonding ritual that was an honor to watch.
At first when I placed Gaia in the sanctuary she marched on by Mo, not giving her a second thought or glance. Gaia is very very focused and seemed to be on a continued mission to explore these new grounds. Mo also did not give Gaia a second thought. Mo had just woken up however and Gaia, well, she simply was going to take things in her own stride.
gaia decides to rest and reflect before her next move
We left them to do as they wanted and when I returned about 20 minutes later, Gaia had found a resting spot and she was in her famous snooze position with head propped up against the wall. Mo had retreated to her shaded pot to continue her nap.
So I let them be and then returned maybe a half hour to an hour later. And to my amazement, Gaia had left her resting spot to seek out Mo and the two of them were nose to nose communicating and nuzzling – Mo still in her shaded pot spot.
gaia goes straight to mo’s resting spot after she’s had enough time to reflect and the communicating begins
From that moment forward, for the rest of the time we were there, Gaia wouldn’t leave Mo’s side and persistently tried communicating (in her Russian Tortoise way) with her by bobbing and twitching her head in a vibratory dance. I kept saying it was like “Morse Code,” which made perfect sense because Gaia is so extraterrestrial and communicates in binary-like language and is very tapped into the electrical currents and sound vibrations – a very complex little one she is. I happened to be talking with my faery sister Laura Bruno at the time and she jokingly said, “Mo – rse Code.” 🙂
lots of love was shared between the two of them <3
My sense was that Mo did not understand Gaia and Gaia, being the relentless persevering soul that she is, was eager and unwilling to give up trying. She had so much to share and was so excited to connect with Mo. Mo seemed very happy to be with Gaia too and regardless of the lapse in communication, their language of love was all that was needed to keep them connected and happy.
I even caught Mo one time, when Gaia walked away briefly, pump her own neck up and down slowly as if to try to imitate Gaia’s language and tell Gaia not to leave. It was adorable. And come back Gaia did and the two never left each other’s side for the rest of the day.
gaia starts following mo
Gaia would follow Mo where ever she went, just two steps behind. If Mo moved forward, Gaia would too. If Mo stopped, Gaia stopped. If Mo took one step forward, Gaia mirrored the same. It was like a reflection of each other in perfect synchronicity. So, so cute.
And when they would stop, they would both explore each other, but mostly spent time nose to nose in deep communion of trying to communicate, and then just giving in to love nuzzling.
and follows…and follows… 🙂
They are a good example of how unconditional love knows no boundaries, bridges hearts together, and exists without fear or judgment.
Tortoises and turtles teach us about turning within to listen to our instincts and that there is no such thing as time. We are simply experiencing the moment and to take it in stride and with patience, smelling the flowers along the way. They are ancient ones that have seen the shifts of ages and are deeply connected to Mother Earth and the cycles of life.
You may enjoy this post of mine about Turtle/Tortoise symbolism: Gaia – Earth Mother and Turtle? Ancient Wisdom For Conscious Living
best buddies
It was so amazing to see these two ancient ones come together and interact. It was as if I was taken back into a timeless space and was getting the opportunity to remotely view, like a fly on the wall, this intimate little gathering.
I hope you enjoy the photos and short videos I took, so that you can experience the energy of this beautiful bonding that took place. It was sad to part them, but they are forever connected and will see each other next time we visit for another play date.
Happy Divine Mother’s Day ~ Awakening Open Hearts Within & Without
Image Source: “The Visionary Artwork of Krystleyez” ~ http://krystleyez.com/
There are many ways to be a mother and there are many meanings for what a mother is to each of us. Regardless of how that looks and comes to be for each, the one we feel to call “mother” in our lives is one who provides us creative life energy, teaching, nurturing, unconditional love, as well as tough love, encapsulated in a timeless beauty seen by the heart.
This Divine Mother Energy can cross all imaginary boundaries of cultures, religions, races, species, life forms and beyond.
The Divine Mother Energy is also what we know as the Divine Feminine Energy – that all-encompassing, unconditional love that is expressed towards others, ourselves, and to all of life. She understands “tough love” and unconditionally challenges her children, as she helps to foster their empowerment. All that the Divine Mother wants is for us to have love present in our hearts and to extend that reach within to our inner child, as well as to all children (our brothers and sisters of the Earth and Universe at large).
When love is present – the spiritual energy force that goes beyond the boundaries of relativity and materialism – we are connected to this Divine Energy.
And a perfect way to practice the Divine Feminine Energy is to reconnect to our hearts and let go of the past, release ourselves from old resentments, anger, and hurts. When we do so, we allow the light of this energy to move freely and deeply in our hearts and we are able to give more from this fullness. When we engage and think about others and all beings, this energy enables us to see to the heart of every living being as the brothers and sisters they are regardless of the form they embody – this is the true Divine Mother energy in all of her glory.
Temple of the Sacred Heart by Tania Marie ~ http://taniamarie.com/gallery1.htm
Tender Divinity shared between mother and child, endangered Asian Elephants representing strength, honor, stability, patience, good luck, ancient wisdom, confidence, removal of obstacles.
We can connect to our hearts through the stillness of silence, relaxing, releasing, and receiving even in the midst of our very active life. This is the Divine Feminine in action and brings us to the conscious awareness of who we truly are – our unique selves as an expression of Divinity itself.
And from this heart center we are able to foster, cultivate, and nurture love through expressions of everything we do and we come to reawaken the intimate oneness connection that we were birthed into, and always were.
We then, ourselves, come to embody the Divine Mother Energy and recognize and honor it in all others, the Earth herself, and as the Universal source of creation and love that it is. And when we merge this Divine Feminine energy in integrative partnership with the Divine Male, we create the impetus for a New Earth experience.
“In each age there is a fundamental shift in the way the divine reveals itself. This shift has already taken place… What is being born within the soul of the world is a quality of consciousness that comes from a union of masculine and feminine. We need to reclaim the feminine so that it can unite with the masculine in a new way, through which a new consciousness can be born, a new way of relating to life, enabling us to have a fuller understanding of our true nature and purpose. Then the deeper meaning of the feminine can become visible, the hidden purpose of the masculine enacted.” ~Signs of God
As Lisa Erickson of Mommy Mystic shared in her lovely post Friday that explores the spiritual journey of motherhood, through goddesses, symbols, and her own thoughts:
“Two things are asked of us as we move through the journey that is motherhood – that we open our hearts ever wider, and that we let go, let go, let go. Motherhood is a journey of loving and letting go. The same can be said of the journey of awakening, of enlightenment…
Whether you are a mother yourself or not, I hope that this speaks to you, as we all – mother or not, man or woman – have these energies within us, and we all have this opportunity to move from our personal loves to universal love to knowing ourselves as love…
It is our guardian mother energy – whether we mother physical children or not – that urges us to work on behalf of Earth and others…
Then we begin to experience the opening of our heart as connection to pure Source – or rather, ourselves as an expression of its Light.”
You can read Lisa’s entire post here: The Spiritual Journey of Motherhood
Gaia’s Gift by Tania Marie
The bottom line is that honoring mothers, be they flesh and blood, adopted, symbolic, embodied as the Earth Mother herself, or the Divine Feminine Energy consciousness within and without, it is a Universal theme that everyone can relate to and is vital to life and enlightenment.
Much love and gratitude to all “mothers,” especially Mother Earth who provides us abundantly in every way imaginable. And much respect and honor to the Divine Feminine within us all that nurtures the very sacredness of spiritual potential and life substance.
Happy Divine Mother’s Day
“One of the major sources of our spiritual consciousness is found in our earliest life – the benevolent oneness of existence in our mother’s womb. Then, as an infant, we experience the freshness of seeing, feeling and touching the world for the first time, the immediate physical presence of our senses and our own needs. Reawakening that intimacy, recapturing a spontaneous unbroken trust in what we know and feel, is essential to finding our spiritual ground in later practice.” ~Jack Kornfield
“We’re sitting on our blessed Mother Earth from which we get our strength and determination, love and humility – all the beautiful attributes that we’ve been given. So turn to one another; love one another; respect one another; respect Mother Earth; respect the waters – because that’s life itself!” ~Phil Lane, Sr.
“The Goddess can be seen as the symbol, the normative image of immanence. She represents the divine embodied in nature, in human beings, in the flesh. The Goddess is not one image but many – a constellation of forms and associations – earth, air, fire, water, moon and star, sun, flower and seed, willow and apple, black, red, white, Maiden, Mother, and Crone. She includes the male in her aspects: He becomes child and Consort, stag and bull, grain and reaper, light and dark. Yet the femaleness of the Goddess is primary not to denigrate the male, but because it represents bringing life into the world, valuing the world. The Goddess, the Mother, as symbol of that value, tells us that the world itself is the content of the world, its true value, its heart, and its soul…..” ~Starhawk, Dreaming the Dark
“This is why the wisdom of the feminine is so important, because the feminine understands the dynamics of relationship, how to listen and be receptive. Feminine consciousness is more attuned to the life of the body, and so knows the rhythms that belong to the cycles of life, rather than the systems imposed by will that are presently strangling our world. The feminine is more instinctively and naturally attuned to life, its patterns and powers. And feminine consciousness is less dominated by reason, more open to the mystery of the symbolic inner world. The feminine is vital in this work of awakening.” ~Alchemy of Light: Working with the Primal Energies of Life
“Certain kinds of work now specifically require the light of women. There is, for example, a work of bringing into this plane of existence a particular quality or vibration of spiritual energy that is needed for the transformation of life. This is a spiritual energy that belongs to the sacredness of matter, and because women have an instinctual understanding of the sacred nature of matter, this work of transmission can only be done by women. Women carry the sacred substance of life in their spiritual centers and understand how to give this quality of light to life; in their ability to give birth, women have the natural capacity to bring the light of a soul into the physical world of matter and thus awaken the spiritual potential of matter. Women also understand the connections between people and the connections within life; at this time women are needed to bring a seed of pure light into life where it can create new forms and new patterns of interrelationship that are essential to the healing and transformation of life.” ~Alchemy of Light: Working with the Primal energies of Life
Valeria by Tania Marie
“We need to reclaim the wisdom of the feminine but we cannot return to the time of the priestess. The masculine and feminine have to work together; our actions in the outer world must be guided by our receptivity to the inner. And there is no hierarchy to this work. Part of the blueprint of the future is the ability of each individual to participate directly with the work of the whole.” ~Spiritual Power
Nature’s Gifts – An Artist’s Inspiration
Gaia’s Gift by Tania Marie – original available for purchase: http://taniamarie.com/gallery2.htm
Painting is my sacred key of life. Like the wing of a butterfly is essential to its flight, creating visionary art is the breath of life to my soul. My inspirational muses are the natural world, Earth’s beautiful creatures, the mystical and ancient worlds, the Cosmos, celebrations of life, expressions of the immensity of love, and conscious, collective awareness.
Nature provides an abundance of miracle beauty to feed the heart and soul of each of us and if you are an artist, there is unlimited inspiration to immerse yourself in to your heart’s content.
When I view the world around me, I see everything as a miraculous birthing from the source of boundless universal love and creative power that explodes into experience each time a new conception of inspiration takes place through a channel of the Great Central Sun, Universe, God, All That Is, Source….
I honor with deepest gratitude our loving Mother Earth, Gaia, Terra…she endlessly and tirelessly nurtures us with her precious gifts.
My painting pictured left, Gaia’s Gift, was channeled in honor of her and currently I am completing a new piece in my series, Universal ARKitecture that also honors our beloved Terra and connects us to the roots of these ancient origins through another animal spirit guide – the Tortoise.
The mysteries of the Universe cease to amaze. There is unlimited awe-inspiring bursts of creative beauty every fleeting moment.
Spending time in nature is balancing, healing, and integrative for us all. For me in particular, I need time spent immersed in it, as well as soaring the “other” realms. It not only nurtures my soul, but provides inspiration for the work I do, along with a constant sustaining source to fuel me.
Water or its essence, in particular has always been a main source of my healing, energy, creative inspiration, clarity, flow, and sense of home. That may be no wonder by my being a Pisces, but there is definitely a theme of energy I have been surrounded by my entire life and where I chose to birth into. Having lived nearly all of my life on the Southern California coast, this has been a gift to my soul to be near the Pacific Ocean and its Lemurian energies. Each of the other places I lived all either were on the water, by the water, or of watery and Lemurian essence as well. This included living on the water for about a year in Indianola, Washington (on the Kitsap Peninsula in Puget Sound), living in Sedona, Arizona a couple of years, and living at stunning Lake Tahoe, Nevada for a few years.
Definitely life themes for me in where I feel drawn in order to be most naturally me and channel my expressions of that, but being by a large body of water I have found to be a necessity and not a luxury for me – whether close to it, or actually on it. Otherwise, as they say, I feel like a fish out of water….
Needless to say, the water is but one of the magical elements Earth has to share with us. The trees, the animals, flowers, weeds, dirt, sand, rocks, mountains, lava, wind, etc. each have their own majesty. And as an artist, I view them through a different lens, which is one of the reasons I am always photographing what I see, as I find it all so spectacular and like “instant art.” I’m like a little girl unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning every time I see something new, as each fleeting moment is full of creative spontaneity manifesting. I envision everything as a painting that has been beautifully brushed into being and I draw upon the awesome explosion of colors as an emulsion of nature’s heart and soul.
Intuitively, I’ve been drawn to get out on the beach with my toes in the sand and feet in the water at least 2-3 times a week lately, either for the day or at sunset or both. It’s mirrored my integrating balance and listening to my intuition, as to what my soul needs for the shifts I am going through and how I can best receive what is needed to assist and serve others. I have found it very helpful with my artistic creations and this new series of paintings I have been channeling forth.
And every time I visit the beach, there is always something amazingly synchronous and beautiful that takes place, as if the Universe is gifting me for listening to the calling. Whether dolphins appear, encounters with pelicans and other sea birds I end up helping, new discoveries, no one there making it a private beach, or otherworldly, amazing sunsets, it all helps my sense of peace and connection. And thereafter, I approach my painting with freshness, flow, and greater access to my innate abilities to bring forth the visions I feel. If I feel anything blocking, the ocean energy quickly helps me to flow once again.
It is because of this that I also recently incorporated the Laguz Rune – literally meaning Water or Ocean, but more importantly the essence of what that is esoterically – into my “Spiritual Skin” I wear as an energetic portal of its embodiment – utilizing the productive energies and honing and being conscious of the undercurrents as well.
The last time I just ventured to the beach for a picnic dinner sunset, there was such a breath-taking dance of color in the sky that surrounded me full-circle. It was so beautiful and it kept shifting moment to moment, each second was like a personal performance I was watching in gratitude and amazement. It is arrays like these that inspire my personal style of painting and of course I not only was running in the sand like a little girl and saying, “wow! look at those colors! and oh my gosh look! and there’s this and that and a portal and a celestial being and…in the sky,” as I snapped away photograph after photograph, but I was also conscious that these displays mirror something for me and that they provide energetic downloads. I always say thanks and feel blessed and honored.
Not only the artist me receives abundant inspiration from such beauty, but the entire “beingness” of me receives all that it needs and in return I mirror that creative expression and love through the gifts I have to give and share with the collective.
I hope you enjoy these photos from my sunset time at my favorite beach in this area – Crystal Cove (no surprise this beautifully named beach would energetically draw me in – love the name and reminds me of all the towns along Lake Tahoe’s shores named after crystals too). The following photos share how the sky developed into one new painting at a time, in front of me while I communed with Source – the Great Central Sun. My way of sharing inspiration so that you may feel the joy and receive an expressive experience of this energy in your own life. And if you too are an artist, I send a little extra creative inspiration energy through these images to support imbuing new energy into your creations. In love, Tania
Honoring Mother Earth Today and Always – 24 Hours Only 50% Off Earth Inspired Paintings
Gaia's Gift
Wishing everyone a beautiful Earth Day! I hope that you will find your own unique way to share your love and gratitude with our ever-giving and miraculous Gaia.
Yesterday we went to see the Dalai Lama who was here visiting and spoke on “Peace of Mind in Troubled Times” at the Long Beach Arena. It was wonderful to see the thousands of people that showed up to hear him. His endearing personality was such a joy and he so simply conveys the essence of his messages, showing us how we make things more challenging and complex than they are. He emanates vibrant joy and loving compassion that we can all easily embrace if we choose. He is definitely a voice for humanity and global peace.
“We each have a song to sing, but together, we create a beautiful symphony.” ~ Me
What I creatively and lovingly channel is a devoted passion focused on heart-based creations intended to help support global peace, return to natural harmony, collective unity, empowered consciousness and unconditionally loving and compassionate synergy.
My paintings help convey these messages, reminding us, activating us, helping us to reconnect with our vibrant and loving Mother Earth and to live more loving, connective, and responsibly conscious lives.
In honor of Earth Day, I am sharing these specifically themed paintings to provide visual inspiration and symbolic awakening energies to your experience today.
Rebirth ~ Children of the New Earth
The three pieces offered at 50% off are: Gaia’s Gift, A Walk Between Worlds, and Rebirth ~ Children of the New Earth, which can be seen in more detail, including their regular prices, here: Heart Visions
Regular prices resume Monday 4/23 at 12:30 pm. 🙂
Gaia was one of the paintings that was part of the Love Offer donations special. With the 24 hour Earth Day special she is now available for $25 plus shipping.
Contact tania@taniamarie.com
Much love to you all and to our lovely Mother Earth,
Gaia
Tania
A Walk Between Worlds
Sacred Throat and Heart Chakra Tattoo Design
I’ve supported the co-creation of a lot of Heart Chakra and some Throat Chakra sacred tattoo designs, but this latest one is one that combines Throat and Heart in one! Yesterday was a very stormy and brrrrr day outside, with huge winds and thunder storms – almost hurricane-like! Wild and fun and an excellent day for channeling some creative inspiration through sacred tattoo design. As I danced within the inner realms this design (pictured above) is what poured through the channels. I was really inspired by the beautiful energy of my client and new friend, finding that the more open and courageously vulnerable each person is in opening up and sharing, the more divinely open the flow between us for creative channeling.
There were a lot of things my client shared of their personal journey that were all important, however for this first tattoo (of perhaps more to come) I was drawn to certain elements that were speaking loudly and felt most powerful for their path in the now.
This piece was created for their upper back area, lying center between the shoulders, with the dream catcher near the lower back of the neck, and design continuing down thymus (higher heart) and flowing down into the heart region. The size is almost 9 inches across by about 10 ½ inches long. (Whenever there is a lot of detail I recommend not going too small.)
As shared, this piece will be empowering for both the Throat and Heart Chakras. My client has a strong spiritual connection with a healer/teacher path, as well an affinity to native spiritual traditions and shamanism, and a connection with Mother Earth, crystals, nature, and the Faeries. There are many symbols present in this design that are subtle, but imbued within it.
We have the encircling wreath of flowers and leaves that crisscross at bottom – integrating, but also represent that connection of Oneness, eternal cycling of energy, etc. and of course the Earth energy in abundant blossom for manifestation and grounding. Then we have the shaman/healer/Mother Earth/Faery Queen representation at center. She wears a gown of leaves, flowers and spirals with a large unfurling leaf at her Solar Plexus Chakra extending in all directions and with a crystal at its center that is revealed. She wears a spiral necklace and spirals in her hair – the cosmic spiral and journey of life. She wears two feathers and leaves also in her hair, as well as a crystal head band that lies on her Third Eye Chakra. Her gown also at top is designed as a heart, which is subtly mirrored also below it – mirroring of a twin soul connection for them and also of an integrated heart both grounded and divinely opened. It is made of feathers, and leaves and with almost firey feather edges to be like that subtle sacred firey heart symbol. She stands centered, grounded and balance, in peaceful grace, courageously and vulnerably opening her heart to the world and revealing her true nature of giving and love – arms wide open to the flow of giving and receiving, palms open to embrace life and offer her love in service. The four directions are represented by flowers and leaves at each, and of course the dream catcher, with one sacred feather hanging from it, above the Crown Chakra of the woman at center, but will lay over the Throat Chakra of client – supporting their truth and authenticity to be communicated and shared with the world from their heart center, which the design connects through. Both hands reach out and are met with fully blossomed flowers, giving and receiving the nurturing abundance of life, as well as from her right hand, a beautiful bird emerges, representing freedom, joy of life both personally and collectively and flying courageously out into the world to spread their gifts to share with others. And rather than literal wings, I have the energy of emanating heart energy shown in the markings of almost lightning-like energy coming from center, but they also can be subtle, energetic symbolism of ethereal wings.
Here is some cool information I found on the symbolism of some of the images conveyed in this sacred tattoo design, you may find interesting.
FEATHERS
Feathers symbolize truth, speed, lightness, flight, ascension – spiritual evolution to a higher plane. Feathers were worn by Native American Chiefs to symbolize their communication with Spirit, and to express their celestial wisdom. Also in the Native American Indian culture, feathers represented the power of the thunder gods, along with the power of air and wind. Native American Pueblo Indians would pay homage to the Feathered Sun which is a symbol of the cosmos and the center of existence. Another symbol meaning of feathers also revolves around prayer, and the Pueblo use feather sticks as they dance in prayer for rain during solstice rituals. As a Celtic Symbol meaning, the feather was worn by Druids in the form of ornate feathered robes. Celtic Druids donned these robes in ceremonies to invoke the sky gods and gain knowledge of the celestial realm. It was believed that the feathered cloak along with the presence of the sky gods would allow the Druid to transcend the earthly plane and enter the ethereal realm. The Egyptians believed that feathers were symbolic of sky gods too. Ma’at, the Egyptian goddess of justice, would weigh the hearts of the newly dead in the underworld against the weight of a feather to determine the worthiness of his or her soul. In Christianity feathers represented virtues. In fact, an image of three feathers were made into signet rings – each feather symbolizing Charity, hope, and faith. These rings were worn as a symbol of a virtuous soul – they were also used as wax seals. The ring would be dipped in warm wax then pressed against documents to seal the closure. The recipient would know the documents came from a virtuous man by the indication of the three-feather symbol in the wax. In dreams feathers mean travel or the ability to move more freely in life.
DREAM CATCHER
The dream catcher can also be a medicine wheel and with specific intention, with all the parts of the dream catcher having meaning. To begin, the web represent the spider forever repairing the eternal web of life. Thus weaving your life dreams and energy in the universe when you dream. The ring represents the earth mother and the humble walk we do upon her. As we believe that we are related to all things and that all things are part of us then the Dream Catcher and medicine wheel is a representation of such sacred belief. The ring and the woven web represent love, honesty and purity. All of the elements of the dream catcher together represent the earth, fire and water. Things we need to live. It represents the ability to be love and to love, to take the risk and get out of the nest and fly on your own, the ability to live beyond your shadows. The web is from the spider whose web represents the cycles of life – in each time of life there are many forces that can help or can interfere with the harmony of Nature. The web is a perfect circle with a hole in the center, to be used to help yourself and others reach their goals, making good use of their ideas, dreams and visions. If you believe in the Great Spirit, the web will filter your good ideas and the bad ones will be trapped and will not pass. The legend of the Dream Catcher is that it captures the bad Spirits and filters them. Protecting us from evil and letting through only the good dreams. It is believed that each carefully woven web will catch bad spirit dreams in the web and disappear by perishing with the first light of the morning sun. The good spirit dreams will find their way to the center and float down the sacred feather. Dream Catchers are believed to bless the “sleeping ones” with pleasant dreams, good luck, and harmony throughout their lives. It is how lessons were remembered and where visions were received. It is said that when you get a good night sleep you can remember when the spirit has talked to you.
Gaia’s Gift – Return to Natural Harmony
Close up of Gaia's Gift by Tania Marie
Gaia's Gift by Tania Marie
I recently finished my newest painting, Gaia’s Gift – first of many to come that are leaping out of my heart to be created right now. I have been away from painting for sooooo long, but the creative energy has been percolating and is bursting forth. I had so much fun creating this “Heart Vision,” as the paintings I’m channeling are called, and am excited for all the rest that will follow. Each painting has their own unique expression of channeled inspirations from the collective heart I am connecting with to create these visually encoded messages. They hold a resonant vibration that helps to access integration with your highest heart.
I like for these portals of experiences to speak for themselves. The experience is always relative to the person viewing.
Gaia’s Gift comes through at a time when a return to natural harmony within ourselves, each other and our beautiful Mother Earth is essential. Receive her gifts. The time is now.
This painting will be one of the paintings featured and for sale at my upcoming art opening in Orange County on Saturday 2/25 (details to follow), alongside other paintings, new crystal pendant collaborations with Allison Jacobson, my book, Spiritual Skin and some vegan and raw vegan yummies, including a fashion show!
For now, I would like to leave you with these quotes to ponder:
| “Those of us who consider ourselves to be somehow involved in the birthing of a new age, should discover Gaia as well. The idea of Gaia may facilitate the task of converting destructive human activities to constructive and cooperative behavior. It is an idea which deeply startles us, and in the process, may help us as a species to make the necessary jump to planetary awareness.” – James Lovelock |
| “Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.” – William Wordsworth |
| “There is hope if people will begin to awaken that spiritual part of themselves, that heartfelt knowledge that we are caretakers of this planet. “ – Brooke Medicine Eagle |
| “A human being is part of the whole called by us universe … We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive.” – Albert Einstein |
| “Look deep, deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein |
Celebrating, Honoring and Loving the Earth Mother Energy – My Personal Journey to Integrate Balance for Grounding the New Energy
Gaia by Tania Marie
With a Mayan Tzolkin Sun Sign of Caban/Earth (Keeper of the garden of Earth) and Capricorn rising (Earth sign), I am one who has always been deeply connected with Gaia – our beautiful Mother Earth – and with all of her exquisite gifts and children she shares with us, I am both greatly affected, AND simultaneously supported, by integrating with her energies. I have devoted a partnering commitment to natural harmony with her and the Cosmos, which is the focus of much of my service I share and the basis of many of the life choices I make whole-heartedly.
Like her, I experience the earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, blizzards and seasons of life that can rock my world with powerful and transformative energy. When I can embrace and flow naturally with the changes, things are far easier than if I fight or get caught up in the panics and fears. It can mean the difference between vibrant health and abundant flow or major life-shaking challenges and short-circuited life outages!
Lately life has been quite a ride that hasn’t always been very comfortable, to put it gently, and with that has come the necessity to rely on my intuition and heart guidance, which has proven to be very telling, even if at first I have had challenge listening to it. I love when synchronous reiteration comes when I ask for messages, signs, or to be led to the right support. It really helps to be able to have your feelings mirrored back, when you are feeling not quite at full throttle capacity and less than your empowered self due to temporary interference.
What I’ve been hit over the head with like Tower Tarot Card lightning is how much our lovely Earth Mother energy has been an integral force, seen or unseen, in my life. Every where I turn, earthy energies are abound and are a much needed part of my life ever more so currently. Having reached a stage of short circuiting my amped and evolving new energy, due to the huge expansion I’ve been working towards with many others, and DNA changes, the constant message that I am being reminded is the need for grounding.
I have found myself for a while now attracted to different crystals and stones I didn’t used to be, all of which are grounding, earthy and root chakra connected – like red coral and black tourmaline. I have also been drawn to all of the very earthy and grounding foods – like squash, seaweed, yams, brown rice, etc. more than others – and switching more to cooked from my usually high raw diet. I have also been enjoying more low impact exercise like easy hikes and walks on the beach, just to get out and feel the earth beneath my feet. Not to mention, spending tons of time with my little ones, especially Joy – my lop eared bunny – holding her and communing with her earthiness.
I also have felt the importance of taking extra care and attention to my physical body due to all the shifts and challenges I’ve going through and to getting medical intuitive support to understand how to better assist my overall well being. The latter really being a key and very helpful eye-opener to help make the needed adjustments to get things back on track in an even more efficient and beautiful way. Thanks Laura Bruno for your support and loving friendship!
The message in it all has been focused on the NEED TO KEEP BALANCED and GROUNDED. Integration, one of my favorite words, is so important and vital. As we progress in one way or the other we need to be mindful of the other side of the coin and to do things to keep that balance in tact otherwise you can topple over completely.
I’m so grateful to get these beautiful reminders and reiterations, as it really has helped to shift things, simply in the realization of the importance to my life this is. I tend to be an extremist and have been working so hard towards expanding myself in large ways, but the true magic comes when all of our parts are operating at optimal. The real magic takes place when we have all of our parts working with us in equal partnership.
Interestingly, I have currently been working on a new painting – the first in SO VERY long – and it is also associated with this energy. It is called “Gaia’s Gift.” And yes, what a beautiful gift Gaia is to us and what immensely valuable gifts she has to offer. I just love all of the signs that have been around me that I was following intuitively, but the real difference helps in consciously understanding how it all fits together so that every moment can be a very present and mindful one.
The photo on this post was an old painting I did for fun of Gaia, so I thought it would be fun to post it, while I’m transitioning into a new creation of her as we speak.
My parents are visiting right now from Reno and I can’t tell you what a gift it is to have my mother with me. It is almost like having a real vacation in my home because she treats me like a guest in my own house. How grateful and lucky I am to have her. And what beautiful timing amidst all of this beautiful Earth Mother energy, which my mom possesses most lovingly. Having Virgo rising, it is no wonder she is quite the epitome of a nurturing earthy mother.
And I will be off to Reno in just a couple of days! Reno has always been a very grounding and healing place of stability for me and I cannot wait to return there, but especially to my beloved Lake Tahoe to really take in the needed earthy energies of her magic. I look forward to sharing this experience with my dear girlfriend and new partner on several new creative offerings we are collaborating on, Allison Jacobson. Will be fun to see things through her eyes and I sense some new friends will be coming through on this journey. Not to mention inspiration from the earthy recharging that is much welcome and needed.
Yes, I am in deep celebration, honor and LOVE for Gaia and her beautiful Earth Mother energy that is so powerfully supportive to us all. It is so vital to our shifting new energy, to be in communion with her even more than we ever have and in deeper ways than ever before.
Please Don’t Cry Mother Gaia!
Today I wanted to highlight Sonya Oak’s lovely short story ebook: Please Don’t Cry Mother Gaia! which mirrors my own heart’s reflection and work towards creating a return to compassionate harmony on Earth and throughout the Cosmos.
Sonya contacted me while she was writing this, to ask permission to use my article information, which helped confirm her understanding of what Mother Gaia is: Gaia – Earth Mother and Turtle? Ancient Wisdom For Conscious Living” – http://ezinearticles.com/?id=1341797. She so graciously listed me along with other contributors in her bibliography, but it is she who I would like to place the spotlight on, as I LOVE her story!
Please Don’t Cry Mother Gaia! is a quick and colorfully sweet read, which she is granting rights to others to post, copy, distribute and embed freely, at no charge. Her intent was to create a story about Earth and animal rights issues, as well as health and veganism that is more playful and easier to digest, while still maintaining the integrity of the information that is serious at the core. And she managed to do just that! Her story is sweet and presents the information in such a loving, endearing, magical way through the eyes of the animals, Earth and beyond. A great and easy, quick read for children and adults alike.
I love the energy of it, which emanates in such a positive and compassionate way! I think it’s great, and as I am a child at a heart, this touches the child within me and us all, at a vulnerably innocent level without intrusive rhetoric. Things don’t have to be complex to make a difference.
Thank you Sonya for being a part of spreading this light and love, sweet sister, in an accessibly easy way. I hope that many will discover the messages you share from your heart to theirs.
For more about Sonya Oak visit: http://creatorblessings.com/about_me.html
Here is the link: https://acrobat.com/app.html#d=Pw1tP7IpC2gBSOZBYy3FLQ