Portals of transformation is an ongoing series of paintings created to portray our sense of interconnectedness. Each tells its own story of change, transformation & journeying to understand that we are part of the circle & cycles of life on Earth, each connected by root, web, structure, mindset or an openness to learn about our connection to the great Mother Earth, all flora & fauna.
As we stand on the great precipice of change, our journeying & selves are a small part of something bigger, tangible & ever-evolving. We can choose to continue to be destructive or we can learn that our place is as part of the cyclical evolution of our planet. If we remain the same, we are choosing not to do what is required of us as caretakers of our earthly home, a great privilege our ancestors were given. If we realise that our place is part of the whole, we choose to move forward intending to heal what has been wrought on our Mother Earth & we will forever have earned our place amongst our brothers & sisters.
In addition, Portals of Transformation are seasons in our lives where we walk a different path toward our destiny, to that which we envisaged ourselves travelling. It is important to recognise & celebrate these great life changing moments, honouring each as a rite of passage. This ritual purpose is often forgotten in modern society as our synchronisation with the seasons, the turning wheel of the year & honouring our ancestors is out of regularity due to our constant obsession with running the gerbil wheel of work, life, societal acceptance & obsequiousness.
Let me take you on a journey through heart, mind & soul, where our senses are tickled by the temptation to be who we are supposed to be rather than that which we ought to be, great expectations can often lead to great disappointments....
'The Magic Mycelium Connection' by Sheela Adhar (me😊) Is a piece which represents how tenuous, beautiful & interconnected all of life is, by showing how a mycelium root system connects each living organism on a cellular level.
We too are part of this interconnected weaving. In this knowing we are also part of that exchange of sustenance & wisdom between each of our earthly connections.
Each step we take on this planet leaves a print of who we are in that moment & how heavily we may be walking on our mother Earth.
In addition, a root system shows us how reliant we are on our great Mother Earth for all of our natural needs. Within this knowledge is pure earth wisdom, how we connect, how we are part of something so much bigger than ourselves & the lives we lead.
It is not too much to ask of respectful guardianship from we who are part of this cycle & system of life x
The Faerie Portal. There are various stories about the nature of Faerie rings in European folklore. They usually symbolise a place where the Fae, elves & pixies have danced & played or where dragons have laid. This may seem entertaining but many cultures viewed them as dangerous places to be avoided by humans lest they be punished or transported to the land of the Fae where time moves differently to the earthly realm. I could go on about the folklore aspect of fae rings as it is another of my interests.
In fact a ring of mushrooms shows a specific pattern of mycelium growth. The mycelium starts at a sole point & grows into a circle, pushing outward, absorbing the nutrients within the circle, creating a necrotic zone where nothing grows or the ground looks dead, this does not last forever. The circle widens as it reaches out to find alternative goodness. Thus indicating the growth of a wider circle in the next growing season. It never grows in on itself, rather continues to expand over years, sometimes culminating in circles hundreds of feet in width & centuries old. They can be connected to all flora around it or stand alone in a grassy field.
Are we enlightened enough to recognise this movement of growth & incorporate it into our daily lives so that we too are constantly evolving, expanding, becoming?
Where does this Faerie ring take you?
'The Golden portal' or 'Cornish Gold' as I like to call it! represents a journey to another place in which change is constantly fluctuating between night & day, light & dark, tide & time, ebbing & flowing. Life is just like this. We have seasons of change & movement in which we feel the need to evolve. This painting represents a rephrasing of who I am, who I see myself as now, having moved from places I called home to the place I now reside, Cornwall. It portrays what I do & what I like as a portal of transformation, much like my journeying today.
I am indeed in awe of our beautiful celestial satellite, her phasing & what this means for us, rather how it effects us. As the moon governs our gravity & tides, we too are influenced by her presence as a conduit to other cosmic energies. I am an artist, poet & intuitive astrology interpreter. In addition to creating art & poetry, I write bi-monthly articles based on New & Full phase Moon astrology, in addition to other planetary & zodiac aspects. The Moon is my muse to write & I often sit out under her silver light to reenergise myself. Have you ever tried moon bathing? Its a wonderful feeling to be highlighted by the rays of the moon. To wake refreshed & feeling as though your skin is sparling like moonlight is one of the most magical feelings I have experienced.
Is this painting a painting inside a painting? is it a window to the natural world? is it a portal of transformative energy in which we evolve into the person we always wanted to be & embrace the golden moments this change brings?
I choose the latter.
Portals of Transformation is an ongoing project & I will be adding to it over time. This is an important project for me to continue as my journeying evolves.
Bright blessings to you all. My gratitude to you for joining me on this ongoing journey.
Sheela
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