New drawing: Sweet Blessings (Maple tree meditation)

Today’s Affirmation:

“Life is sweet at its core.”

Maple tree symbolism: Balance, practicality, abundance, sweetness in life

May each breath you take today be infused with the sweetness of life. 🙂

Trees are such spiritually sophisticated beings. I’m really grooving on them lately!

This piece started as a doodle. I had done some prayer work involving tree imagery for my friend Tanya English (a gifted healer, by the way, who does remote as well as in-person healings) a while back and she had an amazing connection with a golden Maple tree. She had asked me to do a piece of Maple art for her, but it didn’t come right away.

Then a short while back I started doodling on a long phone call, and this emerged. I hope to have time some day to use it as the basis for a watercolor. Tanya couldn’t wait, though, and printed it out as a coloring sheet!

Does it really matter?

My family & I took part in the Marquette, MI Climate Walk recently. It was an awareness-raising event that involved a 5 mile hike along the shoreline bike path, culminating in a little festival with info booths and live music.

Comparing notes afterwards, my husband Dan and I found that we had each been struck by a different T-shirt worn by fellow participants.

The one I saw that I just loved read: “May the Forest be With You” – a cute but profound reminder of the spiritual power of the woods.

But Dan’s favorite actually spurred him to action. It said:

“Act as though what you do matters – because it does.”

Dan’s been spending a lot of time lately researching vehicles, because ours are really at the point of needing replacement. He good-naturedly cursed that T-shirt, because it prodded his conscience into jettisoning hours worth of research on available models in favor of shopping for an electric car.

Yes, what you do does matter. And what you say. Even the T-shirt you choose to wear today could result in real change for real people.

Choose carefully.

An angelic birthday message…

Today’s Affirmation:

“Laughing makes me strong!”

Got back in touch recently with an old friend. She wanted to get together for coffee, so I picked a day at random and it turned out to be her birthday! 🙂

When I found this out shortly before our rendezvous, I quickly did a little guardian angel painting for her as a birthday gift. I thought at first that the second figure was another angel, but to my surprise it morphed into this amused lion-faced spirit guide.

It seems to me they are reading the book of my friend’s life (and she has had a heck of a life!) The angel seems loving and gently compassionate. But the lion dude(ette) (I’m getting masculine energy from it even though it has feminine features) told me to tell her, “Laugh. Just laugh! It will make you strong!”

As it will all of us! No matter what happens today, go ahead and laugh! 🙂

The holidays are not as far off as they seem. I’m taking orders now for custom guardian angel paintings to be delivered by or before mid December. Reply for details! 

My new hero

Who’s your hero?

I have a few. Harriet Tubman. Peace Pilgrim. My friend Lance, a Vietnam veteran who has devoted his life to serving Mother Earth. People who hear the call to a higher purpose and follow it without hesitation.

So yesterday I fond another hero. Maybe you’ve heard of him. His name is Matt Harding. He’s a kinda geeky, likeable guy who does this silly dance. Just a quirky thing of his – but take a look at the joy that follows in his wake when he follows that little voice inside him to dance, just dance!

You’ve got to click in the image below to see what I mean. I dare you to tell me it doesn’t lift your heart!

What about you? What would happen if you were to spend even 15 minutes a day just doing what comes naturally to you?

This is vital.

Today’s Affirmation:

“I make time today to play and have fun!”

Play time isn’t wasting time. It’s vital time! Get your dose today, and every day.

Love and blessings,

Christie

Lucky girl. Archangel Michael’s got her back…

I first started being aware of angels when I started doing chakra energy scans for people. They often show up for me in people’s chakras.

Lately I’ve been doing guardian angel art readings, but this latest is a bit of a variation. I love doing portraits of children, and decided for this one to tune in to Lilah’s guardian angel and include the angel, too.

In this case, looks like Archangel Michael also has her back!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed painting it.

P.S. I’m guessing an angel portrait would make an awesome Christmas gift. If you’d like more information about that, or to request a free 15 minute energy scan, just let me know! 🙂

It was just a little thing…

Yesterday for some reason the topic of washing machines came up. I mentioned to my husband that I really like the one we have now because it sings a cheery little tune when the wash is done.

He laughed, but I insisted that it does make a difference. Our old one would let out a loud “BLAAAT!” at the end of the cycle. And my reaction was always, “Oh, no, the wash is done, now I have to go deal with it.”

Now, when I hear that little tune, I think, “Oh, good, the wash is done!” 🙂

It’s a little thing. But it does make a difference in my mood. And compounded over time, I’m sure it makes a positive difference in my life – which no doubt ripples out to those around me.

Little things can have big impact. Pay attention today to the little things in your life. Notice how they affect you, either positively or negatively. If the latter, how hard would they be to change?

Dave the Dove

Had an awesome dove experience a couple of weekends ago.

I am a member of a healer’s group that just had a big 4-day workshop in Chicago. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend the entire session because we had to bring our exchange student, Hazuki, back down to East Lansing on Saturday and say farewell to her. 😦 We will miss her! But after that, my daughter Aster and I boogied to Chicago to catch the last day of the Oneness Healing event.

When we got there Saturday evening, everyone was excited to tell us about an uninvited but very welcome attendee.

Dave the Dove had arrived at the hotel on Wednesday evening, at about the same time as most of the rest of the participants. Pure white but rather bedraggled, he actually entered the lobby and had to be shooed out, but then was sighted in various spots outside the hotel before finally settling in to keep vigil just outside our conference room.

He seemed to like the energy, because he stayed there through the entire weekend. By the time I got there he was looking splendid and healthy with his shining white feathers and ruby red feet. (Was it the positive vibes we were sending out or simply the crumbs one of our members threw him each morning? Guess we’ll never know, but I suspect a piece of each.)

Why was he there? I think he carried a message of hope as the world makes the shift into a higher spiritual plane.

But Dave surely was there also for a specific person in the group. During one of our meditations three of us (myself and two others out of only a dozen or so healers) independently had white dove imagery come in for this person. And she told us afterward that the dove does have special significance for her.

When the time came for us to leave, we looked around for Dave to say goodbye, but he was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he knew his purpose there had been fulfilled.

Thank you, Dave. Your presence this weekend was truly treasured!

This wonderful world…

Born in the slums. Abandoned by his father. His mother forced into prostitution. Grew up in unspeakable poverty and crushing racial bigotry. Nobody knows the trouble he’s seen…

He must simply have kept his eye on the Light, and not looked down. Focusing on the wonderful things in this world, and walking on the sunny side of the street….

(Not to mention talking to the animals…) 😉

This man truly understood that when you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you.

If you haven’t yet figured out who this is, click on his picture below to hear a recording of his that is beloved all over this wonderful world:

Red Panda spirit animal meaning

Usually when spirit animals come in for me, they are ones that are native to North America where I live. Or at least domestic animals I’m familiar with. However, the other day I did a spirit animal art reading for a person living in another country. I found it interesting that the animal that came through for her was not one I was even very familiar with. I thought I’d share the reading as it will apply to anyone who is drawn to Red Panda energy.   About Red Pandas: Red Pandas are native to the Himalayas. About the size of a large house cat, they are much smaller than the better-known Giant Panda, and are probably not closely related to them. However, just like Giant Pandas, they base their diet on bamboo. (They also eat other things including acorns, flowers, eggs, insects, and small animals.) They have a special adaptation on their thumb that helps them grip bamboo, but it also makes their front paws nearly as useful as hands. A Red Panda’s beautiful red coat and striking facial and tail markings make it an exceptionally beautiful creature. Red Pandas also resemble the North American raccoon with their ringed tails and their habit of washing their paws in water before eating. In fact, they are quite clean animals and spend a lot of time grooming themselves all over like a cat. Female Red Pandas are only fertile one or two days in a year. Once mating has occurred, the fertilized eggs don’t implant right away. Scientists think this helps to ensure the cubs are born at the time that will be best for their survival. Males don’t help raise the cubs, so the female must take care to hide her young safely in a den – usually in a hollow tree or rock crevice. Red Pandas are nocturnal and mostly solitary. They are great climbers and spend much of their time in trees. Unfortunately they have become endangered because of habitat loss. Red Panda spirit animal meaning: Gentle Red Panda carries the message that you don’t need to be aggressive or loud to succeed or make a difference. You are most likely a very sensitive person and although you may have one primary talent, you are most likely able to learn quickly and pick up easily on new ideas and new tasks. You are probably an independent thinker and self-directed worker, but able to also get along with and work well with others. You can enjoy being part of a team – as long as you are respected for your contributions and can retreat from the crowd when you need to. It is important for you to find a place for yourself to connect with your inner world. Like the Red Panda, you may find that the outer world and modern society encroaches so much on your life that it limits your ability to thrive. You will need to insist on protecting the time and space you need in order to nourish your soul through whatever activities you are drawn to – perhaps yoga, meditation, quiet reading, walking in nature, or just plain sitting and daydreaming. These activities are important not just for recreation but in order to “fill your cup” so you can be highly productive when you need to. This is especially true for your creative projects (whether it’s creative expression through the arts or through a business or social endeavor). You may find that once you get an idea for a project you may need to let it “gestate” for a while in your mind before the time is right to bring it out into the world. Be careful who you speak to about it during this time. You will need to protect your ideas from negative people while they are developing. Early morning and/or nighttime are power times for you. These times are likely to be very productive times for you- either for your work or for spiritual activities. Finally, Red Panda signifies the ability to develop your spirituality to a high level while remaining grounded in practical life. If you find yourself feeling ungrounded, head for the trees. Remember how a tree reaches for the light at the same time as it clings to and receives nourishment from the earth. If you are feeling stressed, going and spending some time in a wooded area or even just hugging a single tree will help you feel better and come back to center.

Yes, I do custom Spirit Animal and Angel art readings.  They include an original painting or drawing based on your personal energy, as well as a written and/or recorded interpretation of its message for you. Great for personal growth or as a gift for an adult or child. Message me for details!