What this painting asked of me became incredibly powerful medicine. Its unfolding allowed me to fully anchor into in a field of grace as one of my nearest and dearest soul friends crossed over into the next plane. I felt her with me in every brushstroke: effortless, at ease, and totally ensconced in joy, love, and a radiant, mysterious sense of adventure that echoed a deep sense of familiarity
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 Ouroboros is one of the oldest mystical symbols in the world. While the etymology comes from the Greek for “tail eater”, ouroboros has been depicted as early as 1600 BC in ancient Egypt and is even included in King Tut’s tomb.
The premise of a snake or dragon consuming its own tail symbolizes wholeness and infinity; it speaks to the natural cycle of destruction and creation, representing the unity of all things material and spiritual, which never disappear but perpetually change form. In Jungian psychology, ouroboros is an archetype of the process of individuation. One of Jung’s most frequently quoted phrases that I often reference in my teaching speaks beautifully to this phenomena: “Until we make the unconscious conscious, it will rule our lives and we will call it fate.” Individuation is the process of bringing the unconscious parts of ourselves to light; a welcoming in of all the aspects of ourselves that have been repressed or denied: individually, culturally, societally. Through this process of excavation, illumination, and integration of these denied parts- the self that feels inadequate, the self that feels ashamed, the self that compartmentalizes feelings, the self that feels like a burden to others, the creative self, the playful self, and so on...we call back our Soul’s divine birthright to inner harmony, wholeness, and connection to the unified field of Grace. This piece came to me like a flash of lightning and was completed over Easter weekend on 4/4. It features one of my beeswax ancestral mandala studies, heavily inspired by late mentor Richard Yarde, and includes 44 beings/88 hands- numbers that weren’t pre-planned, but ones that I learned afterward hold powerful vibrations of healing. 20”x20”, mixed media on canvas, 2021Ouroboros is one of the oldest mystical symbols in the world. While the etymology comes from the Greek for “tail eater”, ouroboros has been depicted as early as 1600 BC in ancient Egypt and is even included in King Tut’s tomb. The premise of a snake or dragon consuming its own tail symbolizes wholeness and infinity; it speaks to the natural cycle of destruction and creation, representing the unity of all things material and spiritual, which never disappear but perpetually change form. In Jungian psychology, ouroboros is an archetype of the process of individuation. One of Jung’s most frequently quoted phrases that I often reference in my teaching speaks beautifully to this phenomena: “Until we make the unconscious conscious, it will rule our lives and we will call it fate.” Individuation is the process of bringing the unconscious parts of ourselves to light; a welcoming in of all the aspects of ourselves that have been repressed or denied: individually, culturally, societally. Through this process of excavation, illumination, and integration of these denied parts- the self that feels inadequate, the self that feels ashamed, the self that compartmentalizes feelings, the self that feels like a burden to others, the creative self, the playful self, and so on...we call back our Soul’s divine birthright to inner harmony, wholeness, and connection to the unified field of Grace. This piece came to me like a flash of lightning and was completed over Easter weekend on 4/4. It features one of my beeswax ancestral mandala studies, heavily inspired by late mentor Richard Yarde, and includes 44 beings/88 hands- numbers that weren’t pre-planned, but ones that I learned afterward hold powerful vibrations of healing. 20”x20”, mixed media on canvas, 2021 Who else has experienced the phenomena of “becoming nobody” through a creative practice? Simultaneously dissolving from your self and feeling intimately connected with the whole of aliveness itself. It’s the way I feel in nature, too! It’s what lights me up! Let me know in the comments :) 🗺 🌌 🎨
Original hummingbird heart chakra painting available on Etsy or via email. Full video on my YouTube channel.  Something I feel isn’t discussed enough in the “follow your dreams” space is the incredible amount of trust and faith in the unknown that this path demands. These are qualities that anyone hungry enough can develop within themselves. It requires:
-an acceptance of your worthiness to dream, -a willingness to show up for your dream, -a fortitude for taking action on the dream no matter the approval or acceptance from others, -and a tolerance for being square in the middle of the discomfort of having no guarantee of outcomes of the dream- simply doing something for the sake of how it feels to be connecting with that which brings you joy, meaning, or vitality. Many days this requires an hour by hour, sometimes even breath by breath reminder as we decondition paradigms of scarcity and not-enoughness, and recondition an inner knowing and sense of aliveness. It’s a discipline and practice that Elizabeth Gilbert says must be held both seriously and lightly. I love the paradox of this truth. >>>What else would you add to this list?<<< let me know in the comments. ---- Links to the beautiful acrylic painting originals of Southern Spain Mountainscape and Cosmic Saraswati Peacock as seen in image above from my home art studio :) I was so fired up to recently reconnect with my good friend Dr. Jonathan Pearlman on his podcast years after our transformation journeys began at Prowess Fit⚡️ This ended up being a very vulnerable and passionate conversation around how pursuing various passions helped me learn and integrate greater levels of awareness, aliveness, and wholeness through: -Fitness -Yoga & Mindfulness -Art & Creativity -and becoming an Outdoor Adventurer🏕 “Who am I in this practice? In what ways am I holding myself back? Who do I WANT to become?” and ultimately, “How do I want to show up for this life experience?” are just some of the questions that each of these practices has posed for me over the decades. Each modality has helped me learn more about overcoming my own self-destructive conditioning, and RECONDITIONING that which allows my soul to shine, through dedicated effort and purposeful practice, and we explored a lot of them in depth in this interview.🔥 We talked a LOT about mindset, and how our thoughts and beliefs shape our reality. This is the first time I’ve shared this openly about the shadow side of the journey, and what I learned through various dark nights of the soul: from feeling like an unworthy misfit in art school, to navigating grief of divorce, to managing my own fear and anxiety with COVID 🙄 I’m beyond excited for our next convo, simply for how amazing it will be to look back with even more perspective on all that is transforming within us right at this moment, even if we can't SEE it. 🌱🌸🌺🐝 It's amazing how so often, life only really makes sense in retrospect, and that's really where mindset comes in: it's about having trust and faith in the unknown, and finding ways to connect with what we love even when it doesn't make sense to our rational minds. I'm so glad we got to explore this together! 🦅🌈 Doctor Jonathan Pearlman D.C. specializes in the Gonstead Method of chiropractic in Dallas Texas and adds nutrition consultation (with an emphasis on proper ketogenic and whole food eating) with gut rehab as a Complement to the practice.
You can reach him through his website at: https://www.drpearlmantv.com/ Paramount Chiropractic & Wellness Office Located at: 1201 Richardson Drive, Suite 130 Richardson, Tx 75080 See his other social media at: https://www.instagram.com/drpearlmantv/ https://www.facebook.com/drpearlmantv https://open.spotify.com/show/1XFFXw8... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... #health #Wellness #plantbased #detox #headacherelief #Chiropractic #Ketogenticlifestyle #ketocoffee #exercise #art #inspiration #motivation  Dudh Kosi river, sourced from Mount Everest. Lukla Valley, Nepal If my work as an artist were Nature, the source of my inspiration resides in the crisp altitude of the Mountaintop, where the mind is quieted by the mystical expansiveness of the vibrant panorama, the body dissolves into aromatic alpine winds, and the heart swells from the sheer awe of witnessing that which Life is revealing. The work itself is the River that sings: cleansing, purifying, sustaining, and nourishing life into existence. I am that which holds the River: steady yet yielding to her free-flowing vivacity. As I give shape to her form, so, too, she gives shape to mine. She arises through diverse streams of curiosities, merging into a harmonic confluence of inspiration that flows through my being with colors more vibrant than the eye can see. It has taken many twists and turns through desolate lands to discover this wellspring; steadily building a momentum of yearning to live into the gifts she so generously bestows upon those who seek to know Her.  Dudh Kosi river, sourced from Mount Everest. Lukla Valley, Nepal |
Joanna Elizabeth
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