The Fox and the Forest. (Finding the light in the betwix)

This jungle represents the amazing amount of medical support being currently received by dad.  I share this picture with you all not for the shock value (although I do recognize that it may be triggering for some to see), but more to paint the picture of what we feel in the room around us all when we are in it. 

While you may see only, tubes, and machines, and such, they also represent the host of spiritual pressence and Love and Light present, and the Web of Light that connects he, and us, and you all.  These machines are sustaining his body just as the Universe/God sustains our spirit.   This is the reality of our humanity, but also the chance to find the magic hidden amongst the hard things.  Hoping that you all can see the magic as well.  In this picture, it has golden eyes and a shiny red coat, and it makes its home in the between places, usually the edge of a forest of trees.  In this case, on the edge of a forest of machines.  Dad is tightly connected to nature and has called many of the animals who he shares it with brothers.  So we are welcoming their support here as well.  Couldn’t think of a better animal than fox to represent the Betwix we are in.  Fox traverses dusk and dawn, forest and meadow, and is quite content and happy there. 
I am personally also reminded of the magic that I shared on a hillside with my dad a few years ago when I was having my own medical situation to traverse.  On one particular day of fear and frustration during my illness, he had the eye to watch for the magic as well, and found a den of swift fox along the roadside.  As the tears streamed down my face, he pulled to the side and encouraged me to walk up the hillside to have a sit with them.  I obliged, and then the most amazing thing happened!  2 fox emerged from the den and sat with me calmly.  Dad watched from the car, eyes wide with wonder, at the scene before him.  They accepted me with ease and we all sat in silence for quite some time, dad waiting patiently for me to process.

It feels as though this is what we are doing now for him.   We are learning to be here in the present moment through this process. Welcoming each moment. Sending out much love and gratitude ourselves!  I am sharing this journey with you all because we all have a part in it.  And because I feel that even the hard spots deserve our honor and our light.  ♡

It’s More Than Paint, It’s a Journey… and You’re a Part of It!

Deep things coming through today and I can’t wait to dive into the unknown and come out the other side carrying the message that the ancient ones bring me, with paint dripping from my fingertips and smudges of color across my face.
I slow my breath to match the strokes of the brush against the canvas.  In and out, expanding and contracting.  Slowly, with each stroke, time drops away, the room slips from my focus, and the black canvas kisses my face tenderly.  I spiral into the center of it and stardust meets me with shimmering enthusiasm.  A path awaits me, with towering trees tickling the underbelly of the night sky, Starlight laughing as the tree boughs sway across her etheric form.
There’s a white bird that sits atop my head.  He preens me with loving care and soaks in the moment with me.  Owl.  My traveling companion.  We venture into the abyss together and translate frequencies of wonder into paint and shape, and the forms emerge, calling out for me to express them, stepping forward to take shape. 

There is wonder in the darkness, and I’ve seen unsavory things as well, who would claw at my spirit and rip me to shreds.  But they cannot because the white Light of my feathered guide envelopes me, clothes me in Love, and walks with me faithfully.
My companion and I walk on through the forest of trees and stars, who reach down to caress our faces with glowing fingers and tendrils of my windswept hair dance in the moment with them.  The night sky winds my hair thoughtfully through her star studded fingers, and then slowly points me in the direction that the canvas would have me go. 

Glowing pebbles light the way now, and Fox emerges when the forest starts to look the same no matter where I turn.  He is master of the betwixt and so cunning in his knowledge of subtlety.   Where I see a thousand trees that all look the same, he sees the tree with the faintest glow of wonder on it.  He sniffs at the air and approaches the tree.  He breathes in her beauty and lays down beneath her as I approach. Trembling with excitement,  I lay my hands on her trunk.  She hugs me tightly with dewy arms and fragrant pine envelopes me.  I snuggle into her side, and slowly open my eyes to find that I have emerged into her story.  A story written on each growth ring she carries within her.

 
Raven calls from above and I hear him ruffle his feathers.  They’re made to glisten in the light and they show me the depth of the dark places, for he is more than just black.  His feathers glow with intensity and he plucks one from his wing for me.  Slowly it falls through the laughing stardust and lights on one ring of the tree.  It strikes a tone that reverberates throughout my being, like the string of a guitar being stroked by a master musician.  An explosion of color and my eyes begin to see the message.  My breathing quickens and I am breathing again with each stroke of the brush against the canvas.  It pours out with furious wonder and I sit quietly with her as she begins to breathe on her own.  Together with my traveling companions we found her, and she emerged from the darkness. Now she is alive on the canvas to find her own way….. her own story to tell.
So you see, it is not just a painting to me.  It is a living, breathing thing.  She carries her own wonder and magic, and brings forth the emotion and the message that the viewer needs to connect with. She has come from another place.  A place beyond time, beyond logic, beyond what we believe to be real, but she has made herself real by allowing me to lay her down and flatten her out on my 2 dimensional canvas.  Those with the eyes and an open heart see her truth…..see more than that.  This is the secret, this is what brings her life: the appreciation, the connection with the viewer.  She needs but one person to love her and she breathes!  It’s all connected.♡
Thank you for helping me breathe life into my paintings.  You are greatly appreciated.
Blessings
Meg

A Message to Fear….With Love

Fear, you’re a coward.
I see you hiding behind faces, and constructs, masquerading as men and eating up anything that will entertain you.  You feed on those who don’t know their true power, & seek to devour their hearts from within.  You bring clouds of destruction.  I see you for what you are, and I’ll not be a mirror for hatred or fear in your pressence. 
No, I vow to use up every bit of you that

ever has or will exist in me as fuel to power my will to love, & turn you into a molten, burning desire for peace and unity.  I will let that desire spill over into every aspect of my life.   Each time you intend to rise up from my inner darkness as my enemy,  I will embrace you as a lesson to learn from.  Each time you emerge within me and around me with the intent to make me cower, hide myself, or withdraw and become small, I will multiply your perceived force indefinitely as love. 
I will stand in my power as the embodiment of divinity.  If I must, I will weep for the destruction that you cause,  I will scream with anger, & pull my children close to me, but I will have no sympathy for you, nor will I hide behind you.  I will shine my light into your darkness until we see each other for who we truly are. 
I am vigilant and true, & even if I face your biproducts of exhaustion, torment, hate, or ridicule, I know I am not those things, so I won’t embrace them. 
I vow to speak directly to you, never the faces or constructs you intend to do your bidding.  I will always focus my gaze solely on you as the culprit. I won’t speak your empty words of hate back to you, but I will speak from my place of righteous anger should you attempt to corner me.  I will slay you with Divine light should you attempt to darken my door.  I will not bow to you.
I will see you dying at my feet, writhing in your own agony,  not that of humanity.  I will burn you up and paint my face with your ashes.
I will always stand as Love, for Love, and with Love. In some men’s hearts, that will make me your enemy, but as love, I have none.  Just a burning desire to make all that does not appear as love whole again.

Facing the Boogeyman & Removing the Mask of Fear

This seems to be a repetitive theme for me as of now, so I’m making it official by sharing with you here so that the Universe knows that I’m serious about taking this lesson and learning from it.  Let it be known that this is not an attack on any belief system.  I’m speaking to FEAR, which happens to be something often attached to our beliefs through life experiences.

Yesterday my family was faced with an amazing learning opportunity while out to an unassuming lunch.  You see, we’re aware that our outward appearance does not always vibe with the collective idea of “acceptable”.  We’re OK with that, but sometimes when we are faced with judgment head on, it’s still a shocker.

We had finished our lunch, and I was shuffling the kids out the door while Derek went back to the table to leave a tip.  As he passed by the table that was directly across from ours, the people at the table started loudly saying, “Don’t look at it!  Just don’t look at it!  Don’t look at his shirt!”  My husband was wearing a shirt with the name of his friend’s band on it.  It had what some would view as a demonic looking creature on it as well as the name of the band which includes the word “Devil”.  The people joined hands and began praying loudly, rebuking the devil……right in front of my husband and the other people in the restaurant.  He stood across from them in shock, amazed that these people would behave so rudely in front of him. He listened for a few seconds, then walked his six foot two, big, burly, vikingesque self straight up to their table and gave them the biggest smile he could muster before walking out.  All the while they sat mortified by his t-shirt….and his presence…….averting their eyes. I was absolutely shocked by such a display of fear, and I find it laughable actually, knowing what the t-shirt and the band meant when they chose to use the words and visuals they did on their shirt.  I know because I asked our friend what the meaning behind it was, and he told me that it was speaking about the day to day choices we all make, in every moment of our day to day lives, and the aspects we embody as human beings…..we all have shadow and light.

It was ironic that they looked at the t-shirt and saw the devil beside them, and projected their judgment rather than check themselves.  It brought up some good food for thought honestly, that I want to elaborate on here, because I was not able to elaborate as much as I’d like in my original Facebook post.  You see, I was not looking at the people themselves who were behaving in such a manner and immediately mirroring back their fear by attaching my judgment to the fact that they were dressed in their church clothes.  I could have, (and I have behaved this way in the past), but instead, I wondered, how often do each of us do that to each other, even under our breath?  Really, how often do we make a rash judgment about another based on external experience?  So many of us are so far disconnected from being able to understand each other from an energetic level, and take that into account just as much, if not more than what we see on the outside.

Now, that may sound weird to some, but science is actually proving now that we have an energetic frequency that is emitted from our heart, that can be sensed by the brain, even if we’re standing across the room from each other.  Think about that for a moment……our brains are wired to sense the frequency emitted by another person’s heart!!!  Why is this not being taught in school?  Why at least is this not common knowledge passed from one person to another?  Why are we not in touch with this phenomenon within our own bodies???

Imagine for a moment, actually being aware of the frequency…..the unique sound…..emitted by the heart of each person you meet.  And imagine that by hearing that sound, you could judge whether or not your frequencies were compatible.  If they didn’t mix well, perhaps you could take the time to find out why, (just like music), there’s a pause in the rhythm, or a deeper bass tone in one section of this person’s life sound.  Imagine that by taking the time to listen and understand it, it could enhance your own frequency in any way you choose by expanding to being open to others.  Rather than just turn it off, or try to force it into your idea of what sounds good, what if you just took a moment to listen and appreciate it for what it is. You can move on anytime you choose, but it doesn’t require you to rewrite their song.   You know, an orchestra or a band consists of many different sounds…frequencies…tones….produced by different instruments, and yet they manage to form a collective sound that’s cohesive.

We have to stop pointing the finger at each other based on these differences, and so I’ve written a manifesto on fear to remind myself of this.

I, for One, stand against FEAR and the situations that occur as a result by being able to differentiate between the energy that fear carries, not by differentiating based o a t-shirt, a tattoo, or a skin color just because the energy coming at us is attached to someone who believes or dresses a certain way.  We need to be aware of our own fears and not project them onto others as well.  These people projected their belief that a t-shirt can carry such power and evil on to my husband in the form of the devil.

I, for One, stand against denying our shadow and turning it into the boogeyman/devil/evil that we see outside of ourselves.  I’m not denying the existence of dark energy, or saying that we don’t have to wage war against it in some instances.  I’m saying we better have some idea of what’s our shadow before casting the darkness onto another.

I, for One, stand next to the man with the devil on his shirt, who embodied the archetype that can turn his cheek with the wisdom to not be shaken by FEAR and any of the emotions brought about by it…..because I love both the archetype and the man in the t-shirt….and I won’t let another human being or dark energy come between that.  We have already fought our battles there.

I, for One, stand for not mirroring hatred back at the people who offend me, because I am learning how to own my own shadow.  While I can have compassion for someone enmeshed in such a way of thinking, I have NO SYMPATHY for the forces that would seek to abuse others through fear.

I, for One, choose to stand for Love above all else.

That’s where I stand.  That’s my manifesto on fear.  That’s what I see when I look into the face of the boogeyman and see it peering back at me with a mask that is comprised of a mirror. That’s when I choose to own The Divine Fire that I possess and let it burn away the reflection the darkness brings me and comfort my own fears into understanding.

Blessings and bravery to you.

Meg

 

An Honest Talk on Hair and Healing

I think it’s time we have a talk about hair, and some other thoughts that have been brought up in conversations about my hair.  As you can see, my ever changing locks are not subtle.  No, my hair is a statement piece.  It also happens to be an amazing collaboration between myself and my stylist. (Check out Summer’s salon here if you’d like:   Bianco & Co.  )  As an artist myself, I find value in self expression, and as an intuitive, I believe my art to be helpful in empowering people along their journey.  This is why all of my readings include a piece of my artwork. It’s my medicine, and it’s the medicine I have to offer the world.

For those of you that don’t know my whole story, which I’ll have to share in detail sometime,  in a nutshell, after years of misdiagnosed illness, and a 7 hour surgery a year and a half ago, I found myself minus a portion of my left kidney.  I quickly realized that I needed more than just physical healing, and I set about finding alternative therapies to support myself as well.  The first thing I did was prescribe myself art.  As soon as I was able to sit up, I made it a goal to paint every day that I was physically able.  It was amazing how helpful it was for me, and I really do contribute a portion of my healing to tapping into my creative outlet.  In short, I began expressing with paint the energies that I was tapping into for healing.

***Artwork entitled “Integration” (C) Meg Johnson***

What does that have to do with my hair?  Well, take a look at this energy painting, and then look at the photo of my hair above.  See anything similar?  I’ve made it a way of life to be intentional about using the things around me in a way that is supportive.  In making my life intentional prayer so to speak, I make it a goal to use all of my resources for my good and that of others.  And yes, I’ve even included that outlook in my day to day practices, which include my monthly trips to the hair salon.  My stylist also happens to be intuitive, so she and I collaborate on my hair and practice our intuitive skills each time I visit.  Neither of us plan ahead, we just let spirit guide during my appointments, with the clear intention that whatever is done serves our highest good during the space of time that we are together.  Sound weird, maybe it is, but I’m comfortable with letting my hair be just as much a part of my spiritual journey as anything.  I like to keep the lines of delineation fuzzy in those areas.

This leads me to the real reason behind what I’m writing.  In expressing myself this way, let’s be honest, I get some flack.  Don’t worry, I am prepared to handle it, and handle it I do, so I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time whining about what I hear, but I will paint a little picture of it in words.  Really, it’s what I’m learning about myself with these experiences that I wish to highlight.  And I will say that I get a lot of amazing compliments about my hair as well.

Here are a few snippets of what I’ve heard in the last few weeks, from varying perspectives.  “I absolutely love your hair.”, “You look like a woodpecker.”, “Stunning.”, “My God, what have you done to your hair?  You were so pretty before.”, “I’m just going to do a series of paintings inspired by your hair.” (Shout out to Sid!), “What the hell!?!” Yeah, contrast in those statements, right?  Contrast does seem to be a part of what we humans do experience on this little ball in the vast cosmos called Earth. And although I’m learning via my hair color, amongst other things, I think we can all identify areas where we deal with external contrast, and hey, we all have been a part of the contrast throughout our lives.  So what I have to ask myself regularly when someone openly voices an unsolicited opinion about my hair, for example is,

• WHAT AM I CHOOSING TO BELIEVE ABOUT THEIR STATEMENT?
• HOW AM I GOING TO USE MY FEELINGS TO LEARN?
• WHAT CAN I LET GO OF THAT ISN’T SERVING ME?
• IS THERE ANYTHING THAT I CAN SAY TO THIS PERSON THAT IS SUPPORTIVE OF GROWTH FOR US BOTH?  (Because sometimes it just pisses me off, TBH.)

Obviously, we’re dealing with more than just hair here, and I’m aware of that.  I am also aware that I have chosen to use my hair as a learning tool and expression of energy, and maybe I kinda am OK if people are stretched by it.  (Sometimes I am, too!)  People do this all of the time with tattoos, piercings, clothing, and choice of music.  We either choose to be subtle, or we choose to stand out, thus creating what is perceived as contrast. In some areas, we are bold, in others, we are barely visible.  For me, the choice to have a head that expresses what is already there anyway, but invisible to those who chose not to observe life from an energetic standpoint as well, is my physical reminder of subtle truth, which to me is actually THE TRUTH.  It’s like wearing my energy on my sleeve.  A peek into what normally may not be so visible.  (Ever heard of Chakras, Auras, etc.?  These are energetic aspects of yourself that are connected to the visible light spectrum.  Frequency emits the colors within the light spectrum, so technically, we are all frequency, and we all emit that frequency out into the world whether we are aware of it or not.  Some people are skilled in seeing and sensing these frequencies that many are unaware of, and often carry names such as shaman, empath, HSP, Psychic, and Medium to name a few. )

What if we all had awareness of such things?  What if we all walked around with our thoughts written on our skin for example?  Would we be a bit more intentional with our thoughts?  How about our emotions? (I think we SHOULD be honest about emotions, and provide space for each other to express them safely.)  So often we dole out opinions without hesitation, myself included.  What if in taking on someone’s thought about my hair, the color of it visibly changed for all to see?  What if it became dull and lifeless, instead of radiant and shining?  These are things we deal with every day on an internal level, ya’ll, and in my chosen reality, these energies eventually emerge as physical illness if left unhealed and unchecked!  It’s time to believe that.  And I will tell you what I am using these experiences to do.  I am using them to be mindful about what I think internally, and what I intend to express externally.  I am finding it important to stand up and say, “That statement is completely inappropriate, and what makes you think it’s OK to just speak it over someone.  (I have said it to other people, and I’ve said it to myself.)

That’s the key, I think.  We need to be able to see a clear picture of our inner landscape before raining on someone else’s.  There may be a lot less rain in our days if so.  Don’t get me wrong, contrast can be amazing, or I wouldn’t have learned what I have, and sometimes we create contrast with someone without even intending to.  This isn’t about avoiding contrast, it’s about using it to serve our highest good.

So this is me, an ever changing beacon of visible frequency on top of my head, shining forth a little piece of my Truth for all to see.  Let’ all look out for one another where appropriate, and first and foremost, let’s remember to tend to our own needs so that what we put out into the world aligns with our Truth!  We’re all artists here, painting our expression as we go.

Blessings,

Meg

Creating Our Days

My kids and I have been focusing lately on being “master creators”.  It’ been a fun concept to explore with a 6 and 9 year old.  They totally understand it too, as so much of our time as children consists of building things, painting things, imagining things.  Their minds are still aware that  each moment they are creating something.  What we are focusing on right now is being mindful of what we create with our feelings.  It started with some negative self talk I was having with myself over, guess what, feeling that I was a subpar parent.  I’m pretty sure I had lost my temper, yelled at them about something, and then felt super guilty about doing that.  I sat in that shame for a bit, and thought, “Where did this feeling come from?  I mean, I lost my temper and yelled, and that sucks, but why am I now spending valuable time shaming myself for it?  Now that I’ve processed it, I’m ready to have a new thought.”  So, I started thinking that if my thoughts and words have power, then I’m going to use that power to create what I do want.

Each morning now, the boys and I have been focusing on the feelings we want to create in our interactions with each other.  Yesterday they chose happiness.  We looked up the definition of happiness, synonyms for happiness that suited each of us, and then we painted a picture depicting that word for happiness and set our intentions to allow for happiness to be the outcome of our day.  Was every moment we experienced ‘Happiness”???  Of course not, but were we able to help guide each other through the feelings we did process throughout the day towards our goal of happiness?  Of course, because ultimately, that is what we wanted in our hearts.  In a moment of frustration at some point in the day, the youngest called the oldest “worthless.”  Ouch.  But it was easy for both to release their feelings about that interaction when we decided to look for a way of expressing ourselves with the goal being happiness.  So instead he came back and said, “You made me mad for not helping, but you are actually worth everything to me.” Gahhhhh……my heart melted into a big puddle with those words, and funny enough, instead of yelling at them for fighting, we all continued our drive in peaceful silence.

I’m no expert at this parenting thing, and I’m no psychologist either, but I know this much, when we can express our emotions freely and yet be powerful enough in our own thoughts to know that we are creating sunny skies or dark clouds on our emotional canvases, it’s a lot easier to decide what colors we will continue to paint with.  Sadness can be beautiful when expressed in the right light and anger can motivate us towards a better outcome.  These feelings become the background and our intent (Happiness), becomes the focal point of our painting.

Don’t be afraid to experience one second of your human-ness……but always remember your power, and paint the picture that best serves your heart.

Meg

My God Wink

Another animal who has often shown up for me symbolically is the Monarch butterfly.  I used to call her my “God wink”.  She usually appears to me as the bearer of good news during times of change.  I always know when I see one that the Universe has heard what’s on my heart, and is bringing me peace and encouragement regarding the situation. I crossed paths with one the day I found out I was pregnant with our first son, and my husband and I also released them on our wedding day as a symbol of our intent to always let our relationship evolve from moment to moment.  To allow each other room for flight, but also to chose to grow new things together during times where we may be experiencing separate growth as well.

The most astounding symbol of change and hope happened for us before I became pregnant with our son.  My husband’s family has been ravaged by a disease known as Huntington’s Chorea.  They have recently made strides in controlling the disease, but at the time we were ready to start a family, there was no help to be had from medicine if you had the disease.  We decided together that we would have testing done to ensure that he was not a carrier of the disease, as it is genetic.  We didn’t want to pass it on to our children.  It was a very long process to get the testing done.  A specialist in the field had to fly in from Omaha to meet with us.  There were assessments made, blood drawn, and my husband had to have counseling with a psychiatrist before he could even receive the results of the testing, which took a few months to get back.  The suicide rate for those who find out they have the disease was quite high at the time.  It was a hopeless disease with no cure.  Finally, we were given the clear and the results were in.  Driving down  the highway to our Doctor’s appointment, a large monarch flew directly across our path.  I knew instantly that the results were going to be positive, and I told my husband what I thought.  Of course, we were pretty scared about the situation.  We were aware that we may be receiving the news of a death sentence.  Although we’re never guaranteed a single day, we’d seen what the disease had done, and didn’t want it to be our story.  Part of me wanted to believe that this butterfly was our God wink, our messenger, and part of me wanted to stay “logical” and not get my hopes up.  We were caught between two paradigms.  Our specialist practiced 8 hours away, and so we were set up with a local hospital to have a Skype session with he and his assistant.  A chaplain from the hospital was required to be with us from the time we entered the meeting room, until we left.

Our Skype session began.  My stomach was filled with butterflies at this point, and I could feel the fear trying to penetrate the room.  I can’t imagine how my husband must have felt.  To add to the intensity, the specialist informed us that his assistant was running late, and that he needed to wait for her to deliver the news.  Time moved so slowly.  It was impossible to make small talk, so we sat in awkward silence, until finally she appeared on screen.  This was it.  The moment of truth.  It was impossible to read their faces.  I couldn’t tell if they were trying to keep our spirits lifted before they broke the bad news, or if they were really happy about the news they had to share.  What we immediately found out, was that, of course, just as the Universe had already confirmed with our butterfly, he was completely healthy and disease free.  Of course we both cried, the chaplain cried, the assistant and the Specialist cried.  They were so happy to deliver good news, as it most often wasn’t the case for them.  And then…….the specialist gave us the most miraculous news of all:  MY HUSBAND DIDN’T EVEN CARRY A CHROMOSOME INDICATING THAT THE DISEASE RAN IN THE FAMILY.  If he hadn’t had the blood work from multiple family members to prove my husband’s relation to them, he wouldn’t have believed the results.  He had no explanation for that, and had never seen someone without the chromosome, even if they don’t carry the disease!  It was absolutely amazing, unexplainable, and perfect.

Not everything has been perfect for us since, but we have repeatedly felt grateful for being able to have children and experience the life we have together.  We try to remember to be in a place of gratitude in our relationship, even when we have a tough day, knowing that even the most delicate butterfly can be the bearer of great news.  If there’s anything I have learned from Butterfly, it’s that power is not dependent on the size of the mountain you may need to climb, but the amount of faith that carries you regardless of your perceived size.

Hoping you all have an amazing day, and as always, thanks for joining me on my journey!

Meg

Visit megjohnsonart.com to see more of my art, and to work with me!

Now that We’ve Grounded, Let’s Fly!

As a kid, I used to have a white owl that would land on top of the flagpole outside of my window and hoot to wake me up at night.  I’d sit at my window and just marvel at him.  He was so beautiful and wise.  In my excitement, I remember waking my mom up multiple times to come and see my friend.  Each time she got to my window, he’d be gone.  I wanted so badly to share him with somebody, but I don’t think anyone else ever saw him.  Over the years, I questioned whether or not he was even real, and regardless of why he only chose to show himself to me, I believe now that he was very much real and that he was a messenger for me.  It was reassuring to know that he was watching over me from outside my window at night, standing guard atop the flagpole like a sentinel, waking me from my dreamtime with his soothing calls so that we might have a midnight chat.  I remember as a kid feeling like I had this whole world inside of me that I’d like to share with others, but having such a hard time fitting in outside of the relationship I had with my family.  I was very talkative at home, but very quiet everywhere else.  I remember actually having anxiety at the thought of having to talk to people I didn’t know, much less spend time with them.  A lot of times, I felt like Owl could hear all of those thoughts bottled up inside of my head, and that he helped me release them in some odd way as we stared into each other’s eyes late at night.  He was my Secret Keeper.

Symbolically, Owl represents the relationship between the dark, unseen world, and the world of Light, and it was an amazing experience to actually share with an animal.  He kept those childhood secrets of mine that I hadn’t yet brought to light, and provided me with a safe place to do it.  I was able to process and integrate so much “light and dark” with him sitting outside my window, even if I hadn’t realized that yet.  It was a beautiful heart connection and a look into the shadows to see that everything that exists in the dark is not scary if we have the courage to only peek our heads out from under the covers we tend to hide beneath.

What a gift to look into the darkness as a child and see the moon reflecting back at me from the eyes of an owl.  One of my most cherished memories as a child, and an experience all my own.  The best part to me is the mystery of it.  I have no proof that Owl was real, I only have my belief that he was/is, and isn’t that just how it should be?   Yet another lesson in faith, and trust in the Universe.  And a childhood experience that spoke volumes about the forces and God/Creator that are ever present watching over and supporting us if we can only see it.

Blessings, my friends, and thanks for sharing the journey with me!

Meg

Above artwork entitled Secret Keeper

Copyright Meg Johnson Art

Find out more about my work at megjohnsonart.com

 

 

Exploring the Elements Through Art

I decided this morning that I was ready to loosely organize my art time to explore the 5 elements as I interpret them:  Fire, Air, Water, Earth, and Spirit.  I’m going to start with the element of Air, which coincides with Spring, as well as the Heart, Throat, and 3rd eye Chakras.  My intent is to work on my Animal Essence series, studying mainly animals that coincide with the Air element before moving on to the next, but I’m going to leave my creative expression open to whatever comes through.  I do have to back track a bit, and connect with the element of Earth to set the stage for my journey.  I want to share this story with you so that you can see where my art adventure really took wing and connected me with the Air element, with my heart.

The first animal that came to mind for me involving the earth element was Fox.  Fox has a special place in my heart as she was there for me throughout a very hard time before my surgery last August. (For those of you who don’t know, after a 7 hour surgery, a lost a portion of my left kidney.) Things were not exactly positive.  While I had finally found a specialist that at least knew what was actually wrong with me (Huge step, really after 3 years of misdiagnosis.), nothing was working out for me as of yet.  The weekend that I connected with fox, it felt as though my entire life was out of sync, and I was feeling somewhat depressed.  Aside from my chronic pain that never went away, but just intensified periodically to the point that I would have episodes where I would nearly pass out, I was also having troubles keeping my business afloat with chronic sickness, and the last straw for me was the issues in getting my records from one hospital to my specialist.  My doomsday was the day I traveled two hours to my Doctors appointment, only to find out it was in vain.  They had nothing they needed to proceed with the next step in getting me healthy.  One total meltdown for me in the waiting room, and a quick exit from the embarrassment of crying in front of an entire roomful of staff and patients, and my dad and I were headed home empty handed.  I felt hopeless and scared, an of course, my dad who was part of my support team, was sad for me as well.

We drove home in silence.  I cried most of the way.  Half way home my dad was reminded of a fox den we had spotted previously.  He suggested that we stop and spend a few moments in nature next to the den.  The den was positioned on a hillside overlooking the highway.  It was a very dangerous spot for them, I thought, next to a busy road.  As we approached, we could see a few of them laying on the hillside.  The closer we got, they disappeared inside.  They were very keen on avoided the approaching vehicles as well as detection by anyone.  I was surprised that we had seen them, but it was no  coincidence.  They had a message for me.

Dad pulled the car over and told me he was going to wait in the car while I took a breather.  Up the hillside I went towards the den, and out of one of the den holes popped a small face, then another.  Having knowledge of animal behavior, I knew that the best thing to do was approach them with my back to them.  I slowly backed up the hill, and sat down about 8 feet from the den.  The foxes sniffed the air, popped in and out of their holes as few times, and then one of them came out, gave itself a big scratch behind the ear, and sat down in the grass behind me.  I sat on the hillside with the foxes for 20 minutes, just soaking up the sunlight and their company before heading home.  Their presence really took me to a peaceful place within myself, and turned my day around.  They showed no signs of fear towards me, and neither I to them.

I’ve since done a lot of study on foxes and found them to be very inspiring symbolically speaking.  Foxes are an excellent guide to the in between places.  They live their lives moving in the spaces between things.  They typically start their “day” at dusk, and end it at dawn.  As with my foxes, they typically reside alongside forests, fields, and even roadways.  And they are very adept at traversing that realm.  That day on the hillside, they taught me a lot about learning to breath and relax in the space between my healing.  Healing is a process, and although at that point I felt that I was not progressing at the pace I would have preferred, Fox was there to calmly reassure me and soothe my frazzled being.  They taught me about patience that day, and gave me a glimpse of the magic to be found betwixt what I wanted and what was yet to come.  Fox, for that reason, is an awesome guide to the elemental realm, as it can be accessed between places as well. Fox showed me how to love myself through that time by showing me how to go within to access my own wholeness, just as they are grounded by their den, which goes into Mother Earth.  And although it took many months for me to see it manifest, with fox as my spirit guide, I traversed from the dusk, the dying of one reality of my path, through to the dawn, where I found my own inner light as well as my physical healing.

Stay tuned for more of my journey!  I can’t wait to explore more the Air element with you through some paint and my writings!  In the meantime, enjoy the Fox energy!

 

Essence Readings by Meg

Welcome to my first blog post, and hello!  This is the home of Meg Johnson Art.  So yeah, it’s pretty obvious that I’m an artist, but I’m much more than simply that, so I’m here to fill you in on what else it is that I do.

My passion is paint, and I’ve been painting since I could hold a brush.  My art journey really changed for me, though, in 2014 when, after years of chronic misdiagnosed illness, I found myself less a portion of my left kidney after major surgery.  I was very sick, and I began to realize rather quickly that there was much more to be healed than just my physical body.  So….as soon as I was well enough to sit up after my surgery, I began seeking alternative healing modalities for myself, and in addition to medical support, I prescribed myself art.  That’s right!  I painted every day that I was physically able throughout my recovery.  My art opened me up to explore the intangible, energetic aspects of myself and the world around me, and help me connect with aspects of myself in need of energetic healing.  In essence, my art became the tangible, painted expression of the energies  I encountered on my healing path.  So much has changed for since then, and I am continually growing in healthy ways through my art journey.

It is my intention that my art empowers those who encounter it to grow creatively as well, and find joy, peace, and love in interacting with it.  I’ve now expanded my art business to further reflect my love of tarot and oracle card readings, as well as intuitive paintings, and welcome any inquiries you may have for me.  Most all of my readings include a small piece of artwork to be used to support you on your life path.

I’m so excited to be sharing this journey with you, and thank you for following along with me as I go!   There will be a lot to share together and lot of painting happening, so here we go!