King Neptune - Waves of Emotions

Being open to receive

Sitting quietly one evening, I had this strong urge to create something, something that would speak to me. I didn't have the energy to brain storm an idea from scratch and then sketch and look for references and plan etc. I simply wanted to do something that was quick, meditative and filled with feeling and meaning. I picked some quick and handy art supplies and jumped straight into it. I sat there with an intention of surrendering my ego mind so that I could be receptive enough to let go of control and allow the movement of spirit to flow through me. I believe my guides are constantly surrounding me, trying to help me through my day to day life on this earth plain. By being open to receive we allow them to speak to us, to show us what we are often ignorant of and thus enlightening us to a stronger awareness. 

Getting ready to begin

I set out some supplies that I though would work perfectly for intuitive art. Water in combination with watercolours or inks are a great medium for this because you cannot control how the colours are going to flow in the water. Yupo paper is also great for inks and watercolours but takes longer to dry since it is a plastic paper. Watercolour paper is my next best option. I also use a spray bottle of water, again because I cannot control how the water applies to the paper, the less control, the better. 

Now that I have my supplies I put some meditation music on through YouTube and I light a candle and some incense. I sit quietly for a moment. I listen to my breath a few times, I relax and I speak to my guides. I put my intentions out there.  I talk to my guides by talking to myself, I would say something like this...

"As I sit here quietly I allow myself to be open to receiving some guidance through this creative process. I surrender my judgements and controlling traits and allow my intuition to grow and abundantly work through my hands. I don't know what kind of guidance I am looking for, all I know is that I am feeling something that I don't understand and I would like some clarity on what it is that I'm feeling."  

At this point I am so relaxed I simply just start. I apply water to my paper though a brush and a spray bottle, gradually add some colours and just go with the flow (the time-lapse video of this process is at the end of this blog post). 

​By the end of covering the surface of my paper this is the result (see image on the right).

I left it to dry and went to bed as it was around 11pm. 

The next morning I couldn't wait to find all the hidden objects within this painting waiting to speak to me. 

I again sat for a few minutes to get back into a relaxed and receptive state and began looking at the image to see what may appear. 

Journalling about the meaning of your artwork

Reflection
Once you feel like you have covered the surface of your paper or you feel like you no longer need to add anything to your image, the kind of outcome you can expect is an abundance of shapes and colours and even feelings. This is the time for you to finally find the messages your intuition would like to clarify for you. Look closely at the painting and start noting your observations. 

Journalling
Take out your journal and answer some or all of these questions about your intuitive art:
1. How does the painting make you feel? 
2. What element does the painting connect you to? Earth, air, fire or water? 
3. What images do you see ? Are there animals, people, objects?
4. Has anyone randomly popped into your head while painting or while observing your painting?
5. Has a memory been triggered?

Once you have answered these questions write about what you think it means? Is there something in particular that really stands out to you? If there is then why do you think that is being shown to you? Is there an animal that stands out? Look up what the spiritual meaning of that animal is to find out why you see it?  If a memory was triggered write about it and consider that perhaps theres something in that memory that is relevant to you today. 

What I found was hidden within the art...

KING NEPTUNE
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​The first image to appear was a bearded man. Later when the painting was finished I related him to King Neptune because he was surrounded by water, fish and seaweed. We all know King Neptune as the god of the sea. The sea is life and a good indication of the state of our emotions. The ocean can show us if we are calm, angry or about to drown. If King Neptune is the watcher of the seas then perhaps he appeared to me to help guide me in understanding my emotions. His trident is a symbol of the root of all things and the three prongs birth, life and death, mind, body and soul.

KING NEPTUNE'S MESSAGE: Just as the oceans are calm and sparkling with sunlight, those same waters can be chaotic and turbulent. Use the trident to find the root of your emotions and you'll discover that it too is a cycle. The waves will appear in a state of emotion, it will then have a period of how it affects you, it will then die and pass and you will be able to reflect and finally understand why you endured it. When this understanding appears to you notice how calm the waters are now. 

​NESTING BIRD
The nest is home, a place of love and warmth and nurture. A bird nesting connects us to the love of a mother. In the painting she remains alert and upright, listening,  her protective nature present. The guardian of her home. 

NESTING BIRDS MESSAGE:
Allow yourself time to be home, to be present with yourself and loved ones. This bird is so alert that she might be reminding us to be more earthed in our awareness and listen closely to that which surrounds us. Quite often when we are home we are more oblivious to that around us because we are so comfortable there. Simply be more open to listen, not just hear. 

MASK
A mask is created to cover ones face. We all have many masks, we may wear one mask when around family, another mask around a particular friend, another mask around strangers. We carry these masks to cover our true nature because we are afraid of what we do not understand. In the context of this painting King Neptune is not wearing the mask but it is on top of his head, close enough to use at any time. King Neptune in this painting is there to show us how vulnerable our emotions are. Maybe we need to let these emotions flow without masking them so that they can be released for good. 

MASKS MESSAGE:
The mask covers your truth, often it is worn to stop an overwhelming flow of emotion but what then happens to that emotion, it gets trapped in the mask. Wear the mask less and allow yourself to feel whatever you are feeling. When you face and accept those feelings, they will then be released for good. 

FISH
Fish is a symbol of fertility, creativity and transformation. They connect us to the element of water and bring forth our deeper awareness of our higher selves. 

FISH'S MESSAGE:
You may be feeling like you have an idea or situation that is bringing great excitement to you. Allow it to be fruitful and see it through to the end. Let it transform you. If it is a creative process be open to how it makes you feel and allow that feeling to keep manifesting within you to attract even more of it. If it is an event or situation causing this enthusiasm and excitement, enjoy it, allow it to make you happy, allow it to attract an open awareness and bring forth more connection. 

JELLY FISH
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Jelly fish have no ears, eyes, noses, brains or hearts. Yet they are alive and well and very meditative to watch. Their senses don't rule them only pure instinct or intuition. They are not great swimmers and spend most of their time drifting with the currents. Notice that jelly fish is King Neptunes beard. A reminder to allow your emotions to flow with the currents of the sea. To not try and interfere with those emotions but instead allow those emotions to flow because it can sting you if you do not. 

JELLY FISH'S MESSAGE: 
Jelly fish tells us that we need to have faith. Allow ourselves to surrender our senses and our ego and let the universe take up some of the slack. Allow your emotions to flow with the current of your intuition and simply trust that everything will be, and is okay. 

​NEPTUNES FIST

King Neptunes fist is up in the air and looks ready to punch something. He demonstrates emotions of turbulence, anger and frustration. There is a lot of darkness surrounding his fist and such darkness can cloud ones judgements and lead to hurt and pain. 

MESSAGE: When you find yourself immersed in emotions of pain and darkness picture what it is doing to the colour surrounding your mind. Imagine that you can see the energy surrounding your body and like a squid releases ink, that energy is becoming thicker and darker and clear waters cannot be seen. This causes you to react in extremes and push that ink towards those surrounding you. Rather than contaminating the energy of others and building the darkness around you transform those emotions into crystal clear waters. To do this read on and allow the white bird to guide you. 

​WHITE BIRD

​The composition of the white bird plays a significant part in this painting. It is right in front of King Neptunes fist but it is also unaffected by the darkness surrounding the fist. The waters and air around the bird are clear and tranquil. She represents peace and we can call on her to help us release our bonds. 

A WHITE BIRD'S MESSAGE:  To clear the murky waters and stop it from spreading, white birds asks us to release those emotions though a calm means. This can be through writing or painting. Write about how you feel, how angry you are, swear it out in writing, allow the paper to absorb all that ink. If you want to paint allow the canvas to take on all that feeling through heavy stokes and dark colours. Once you are done you have transferred all that ink that was darkening your energy and the waters around you without harming the waters of anyone else. That release you just had is over now and this is the time to give it to Jelly fish so that it can just flow with the current of the oceans. 

TREE
I love trees. To see how they grow from a tiny seed into something with connecting roots, an abundance of leaves and fruits and flowers and their seasonal changes. The roots ground us and interconnect us, the branches spread in all our directions of life, some fruitful and others not so much. The leaves that come and go as so many things do. Each ring in the trees base showing growth and wisdom. Tree is LIFE. The tree in the painting looks like it is embracing King Neptune. The condition of the tree is naked and fruitless, perhaps it is because of the state of his emotions.

A TREE'S MESSAGE: If a tree is a symbol of life, what is the condition of your tree right now? Are the roots connecting to other trees? Are there leaves or fruits hanging from the branches. Perhaps the season of your tree is winter and you need to have more time with your inner self so that you can make your tree ready for the blossoms. We all need to go through all the seasons. Our tree will constantly go through cycles and reminds us to allow these cycles to happen in order to continue to grow. 

Before and After

Perhaps the raw image on the left shows you something different. A few things that others have seen in the raw image is a crab, a squirrel running up a tree, a white poppy-like flower and an octopus. No one's perspective is identical to another so don't let others try and push you from following your truth. 

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What this artwork speaks to me

You might only see this article months or years from when it is written but the beauty of it is that you can draw from its knowledge at anytime. You'll most like find it at the exact right time.

If you can remember what I wrote at the beginning of this article, I said that I started this artwork with an intention to find out about emotions I do not understand. As I write this article I am 36 weeks pregnant with our first baby and I only just completed this intuitive painting yesterday. The date is June 25th, 2019. For weeks before starting this painting I have felt a sense of confusion when it comes to the direction I want to take in my art business. I feel so spiritually connected to this sweet baby girl I am carrying and with her birth I feel like something else is going to be reborn within me. The appearance of all the elements in this painting speak a wealth of knowledge and I feel like I've received all the answers I need.

King Neptune and the water creatures are a very obvious sign of how I feel about the water element right now. This time of year is in the sign of the zodiac Cancer, a water element. There is a strong likely hood that our baby will be born in this sign. I am also physically carrying really big but a growth scan has shown that there is a lot of fluid around this baby and she is a perfectly normal size. For the past few weeks all I want to do is bath or stand in the shower for a long time just feeling the water pour down my face and my back. I feel a constant thirst for water especially at night after dreaming. Water is my element right now and I am drawing from its life giving energy.  

Since last year I already knew I wanted to take a new direction in my art. I wanted it to reflect my transition into a more meaningful and intuitive life path. I tried to incorporate those changes too quickly and found that I ended up completely confused with no sense of structure or consistency left in my way of teaching art. I lost many students and subscribers and couldn't find any sense of balance. Everything turned into a big confusing mess. 

My pregnancy is what brought me an incredible sense of inner reflection. It helped me step back and spend time with my inner self. I stepped away from social media, I didn't produce much content. I simply allowed myself to enjoy the process of life growing within me and embraced this new and profound connection I already developed with this baby even before she was conceived (that is a story for another time, see blog post called 'Manifesting our baby' ). This confusion I had been facing on how to create art that reflects meaning and provides answers has now been eliminated because I finally feel like I know what to do and how to do it. 

THIS IS IT. Exactly what I am doing here is what I want to be doing with my art. I want to create INTUITIVE ART, art that speaks to me and speaks to others. Art that has nothing to do with experience or details or talent. Art that encourages inner reflection and meditation. Art that you can come back to you at anytime and give you just the knowledge you require. 

King Neptune and his fist showed me how up and down and confusing my waves of emotions were. The white bird showed me how to calm those emotions by reflecting upon this artwork. The tree showed me that it was bare but now it is time for it so blossom. I am letting go of my mask that I have worn far too many time in the last year. The masked was stopping me from facing the fears of letting this side of me out to the public. It told me that...

"you lost way too many subscribers and students, just stick to your old ways because you know they work. You will avoid those comments from people who think you are losing you mind and walking a dangerous and unknown path of darkness. You won't have to start from scratch, you already have a decent following on your drawing YouTube channel. It will take way too long to grow the other channel. You don't know what you are doing." 

The fish is showing me that this path will be a fertile one of growth and that it will provide a stronger connection to my higher self. That I will become better and better at understanding and following my intuition. 

The nesting bird is a very obvious example of where I am physically right now. I am expecting my baby very soon and I know my instincts as a new mother will be at its full force. 

Finally, Jelly fish shows me that I can let go. That I can surrender and trust. This is very important to me right now because that is what I want to do during my labour. I have complete trust in my bodies ability to birth our baby because my body is perfectly designed to do so. I also surrender any control of my labour and trust that whatever happens is exactly how it should happen even if intervention ends up being required. I will be calling upon jelly fish during my time of labour to remind me to surrender, release and trust.  

This is what I'm meant to be doing

I've learnt so much from this intuitive artwork it completely blows my mind. That from a few blotches of colour I was able to find so much wisdom. I feel enlightened and awakened and I have such a strong clarity on what I want to be doing and this is it. 

Even if one tiny thing within this art work gave you the slightest bit of enlightenment then I feel so grateful. I look forward to walking this path and watching each intuitive artwork speak its interconnected wisdom to all who view them. 

I wonder what you will find in your intuitive artwork? If you do try this for yourself and find something from it I would love it if you could let me know in the comments of this blog post. 

With love and light,
​Sheldene