Moments

Moments of Stillness

Pure air and silence of mountains encircle the gentle Himalayan people who smilingly welcomed me into their homes. Using the seven Chakra colours, I pay homage to the Indian women I met, to their strength and creativity - and indeed to Meditation itself.

Knowing when to blaze, when to hide, glowing colours enhance this flamboyant male pheasant. Emphasising stillness, rays of autumn sun follow his wings’ shapes: although able to, he rarely flies - reminding us to camouflage our vibrancy as self-protection.

A pink blossomed almond tree frames the awakening landscape: a flock of geese returns to the lake; shadowy figures walk downhill. The words by Shiki: “Without my journey, I would have missed this dawn” float through the air in my Pictographic alphabet.

These translucent, fairy-like creatures dart, hover and float on the air, arriving when we need to adapt. Symbolising wisdom, transformation and self-realisation, they lighten our thoughts, their short life-span reminding us to live each day joyfully.

These translucent, fairy-like creatures dart, hover and float on the air, arriving when we need to adapt. Symbolising wisdom, transformation and self-realisation, they lighten our thoughts, their short life-span reminding us to live each day joyfully.

The painting is cut in half to indicate Yin/Yang energy; and feathers symbolise spiritual awareness and light-heartedness. The words in my Pictographic alphabet are: “Life, crystallised in a brilliant jewel of a moment, warms my tranquil heart” (Barbery).

In Spring, walking in the Dorset countryside, sunlight filtered through canopies of shadowed leaves conveying strong Universal energy. So the gateway symbolises the portal of Change we must walk through, into the sunlight to embrace this Brave New World.

As Pegasus struck his hooves on earth, he unleashed Waters of Healing and Life. Horses symbolise clairvoyance; wings denote ‘flight of the soul’ so a Winged Horse represents the soul’s immortality; our innate capacity to invert negative forces into good.

In Rajasthan these powerful creatures are kept in enclosed parks - just for tourists. They came to symbolise for me Light and Dark: Rich and Poor; Beauty and Fear; Colour and Shadows - yet they also contain the overwhelming mysterious beauty of India.

This still life of brush, ink-pot, pen arranged on jade silk (with butterfly and daffodil) is imbued with a life beyond the ordinary: free-flowing handwriting comes from deep within, connecting hearts, minds and souls with the Past and the mirror of Time.

Together, my grandson and I read this wonderful story of the ancient battle between Good and Evil. Inheriting his powers from his mother (it’s her Emerald Pendant), the boy can relate to and communicate with the natural world, to “talk” with the Norwolf.

Framed by a feathery canopy of trees and grasses, the Stour’s peaceful tranquility flowed past. I was part of the Circle: “I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in the circled flight…I am not there. I did not die.” And the Dove of Peace appeared.

Marbled inks create a swirling atmosphere of water, sky, and universal consciousness. The turquoise sitting figure represents the beauty of the inner world open to all. When the human spirit transcends the outer world, our souls can fly free.

The first snowdrops remind me of the Christian legend: Gabriel pities banished and icy-cold Adam and Eve. He blows gently on the snowflakes, which are warmed in his hands and turn into the first snowdrops, symbolising the return of Spring, Light and Hope.