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Michele-lee Phelan
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| Win 'Secret of the Phoenix' Original Artwork |
[Jan. 23rd, 2010|11:14 pm] |
Hello everyone,
I hope the new year has been kind to you so far. 2010 promises to be a wonderful, vibrant, and creative year for so many of us. Come celebrate the new decade with not only the purchase of some gorgeous, magickal artwork, but the opportunity to win the original artwork, Secret of the Phoenix. Spend $100.00 or over on prints or original artworks and you automatically go into the draw.
Only one week remains. The competition closes on February 1st, and will be drawn on February 15th, so fly to Dreams of Gaia and fill your walls and home with magick.
Brightest blessings
Michele-lee
http://www.dreamsofgaia.com |
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| 2009 - A Retrospective |
[Jan. 2nd, 2010|11:27 am] |
2009 – A Retrospective
What can I say about 2009? I could say that it sucked completely, but it didn’t. I could say that it was the worst year I have lived through in a very long time, and in some ways I would be speaking only the truth, and yet, I will not say it was.
2009 was a very challenging year. It was a hard year. It was a year that tempered me, and made me stronger. It was a year of many highs that were as high as the lows were deep.
My depression returned and I came to accept that it is always going to be a part of me. It is part of who I am, and the days when I feel sad and alone and desire nothing more than to hide myself away, are meant for me to do exactly that. My depression makes me thoughtful. It makes me pause. During the dark days I look inward, I problem-solve, I analyse. I take the time to see what’s working for me … and what’s not working for me.
The dark days also make me appreciate the good days even more.
Financially speaking, 2009 was the year that almost broke me emotionally and professionally. I knew it was going to be a hard year from the very beginning, but when my partner’s overtime was cut completely and his earnings no longer covered even the most basic of costs, it suddenly became a necessity for me to make money. Not since the darkest days of my battle with depression had I been so anxious or afraid. I had no licensing income. My print sales were negligible, and I was meant to be working on several projects that brought in little or no income. I had stopped doing commissions the year before in order to complete these projects, so my earning potential had reached an all time low.
But I did it. Somehow the bills were all paid thanks to those who purchased print and original artworks throughout the year. We survived one of the harshest years many have experienced. I am very grateful to those who supported me. Thank you. You helped to keep a dream alive.
Emotionally and spiritually, 2009 was a growing year for me. I grew into my own skin and found it a comfortable fit. I realised that I am happiest being me, and no longer willing to try and fit this square peg into round holes. I like being a square peg, and if I cannot find a square hole to slide into, then I decided I would carve my own.
I shine.
And while the depression came back, in many ways this too was something I saw as a blessing. I had become quite hard and indifferent to other’s suffering because I believed that if I could overcome then so could they. But I was one of the lucky ones, and quite arrogant in my assumptions that people should just pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and get on with life. When my depression returned, I was once more reminded that it is just not that easy.
So, in 2009 I found myself becoming a little less hard and arrogant, and a little more compassionate and empathetic. My depression has, in many ways, made me a wiser person … a kinder person.
My readings began to make sense at last. I could hear my animal guides cheering with glee and delight as I experienced a ‘light switch’ moment and at last understood their message. Mountain Lion (the leadership card) no longer terrifies me, and Badger (Aggressiveness) and Wild Boar (Confrontation) no longer make me quake in my shoes. They are my friends, and now they have helped me to see what I needed to see, they have made way for Eagle to soar into my life.
It was an amazing year spiritually. I used to fly in my dreams and meditations all the time, but sometime during my teenage years, my wings were clipped and I found myself afraid to fly. In 2009, for the first time in almost 25 years, I soared – I became an Eagle who soared across a field of green and gold, my wing tips, touching the flower petals as I flew just above them.
Since that moment, I have felt great peace. Spiritually, I know who I am. I trust completely. I am no longer afraid to fly.
Professionally, 2009 was a huge year for me. I painted less, but larger. I painted 49 paintings during 2009, and at least two-thirds of them were 12”x17” in size. I challenged myself with every painting, trying a new technique or colour scheme with every one. Technically, my work improved. My greatest challenge however, was to find a middle ground between working with the energies around me and meeting their creative demands, and creating art that has both an emotional appeal and commercial appeal, that merged symbology, colour, emotion, and was imbued with energy and spirit.
I discovered just how mentally, emotionally, and physically draining this level of creating can be. I have not questioned myself as much as I questioned myself in 2009. My fears almost overcame me on several occasions. What right did I have to do what I was attempting to do?
I have every right. I do what I have been asked to do by Gaia herself. It matters not what others think. Some will understand, others will not. It is not my place or purpose to try and sway those who do not. It is my role to create … and so, I create. I trust in my purpose implicitly.
It was also a year that I became less willing to meet ‘commercial’ demands, and more determined to simply paint what was in my heart and mind … to let my soul speak the language of Gaia. That one choice brought me more freedom and pleasure than I could ever have imagined.
2009 was the year I came out of the hermitage and embraced life. I wandered, taking thousands of photos. I spoke to strangers without wanting to hide. I allowed people into my heart, able to trust once more. I found myself surrounded by friends, both new and old, knowing that I was loved and no longer questioning whether I deserved it or not. I found myself simply happy to be with people whom I enjoyed talking to and sharing space and time with. I found myself unafraid to love, and unafraid of being loved.
Yes, I’m still a work in progress. The last few weeks of 2009 brought with them an awareness that I still have a few trust issues when it comes to sustaining this dream of mine. I find myself fretting about money still, wondering if I am going to be able to meet the financial burden I have chosen to place upon my shoulders. I long for abundance, but I still have moments when I look at the bank balance and feel quite afraid because the wealth well is not very deep. I long for rain to fill it. I pray for rain to fill it. But instead of having faith that the rains will come, I stand here watching for clouds and fretting when none appear.
2010 is destined to bring with it great change to my life -- a lot of creating, hard work, and responsibility, and yet I know it is going to be an amazing, powerful, magickal, and creative year also. It is a year that fills me with excitement, but also makes me nervous because there is so much ahead that I have to simply trust in. So, trust, working with trust and fear are my spiritual lessons to learn for 2010.
2009 was for me a ‘seed’ year – a seed was created over the last ten years. In 2008, the seed was planted in deep, dark, fertile soil. Last year saw it sprout, sending strong roots down deep into the earth, into Gaia, while a fragile, questing shoot began its quest up toward the sun.
2010 will see that shoot push out of the dark and into the light, reaching for the warmth of the sun, and the kiss of the rain. My prayer is that I will get both when I have need. |
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| Weekly Update No. What was I up to? |
[Dec. 17th, 2009|12:23 pm] |
I am sorry I have been so silent. Life and work are just so madly and insanely busy right now. I am striving to complete the last of the writing and art for Oracle of the Wisdoms. The deadline I have set for myself is January 1st, and with much writing and painting still to do, it's going to be a hard deadline to meet. However, I would love to greet the new year with nothing else on my desk but the Dreams of Gaia Tarot. I am literally itching to get back to work on it.
For those who are wondering, my book, Dreams of Magic, is now at the printers. It will be available for purchase in first half of the New Year. That being said, I am no longer going guess or commit to a 'when'. I have now learned that with publishing it will be available when I have a copy of it in my hands, and until then, who knows? ... I will begin to take pre-orders once I have been advised that the books have been shipped and are on their way to the warehouse here in Australia.
For now, I ask you to come celebrate the dawning of a new decade with me by taking the opportunity to win one of my original artworks. Come visit at Dreams of Gaia.
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| Mind Body Spirit Festival |
[Nov. 3rd, 2009|11:03 am] |
I would like to invite you to join in a new and exciting adventure for me. This coming weekend, I will be working for the very first time with two amazing and magickal women - Lucy Cavendish and Serene Conneeley - at the Triple Goddess (B13) stand at Sydney's Mind, Body, Spirit Festival.
Lucy Cavendish, the respected author of White Magic and Lost Lands, creator of enchanted oracles, and workshop facilitator, and Serene Conneeley, the visionary author of Seven Sacred Sites and A Magickal Journey, will be working their magic with me so that we may share some of the beauty and wonder of our creations with you.
There will be a number of original artworks, limited and open edition archival prints, giftwares, as well as Lucy and Serene's books, and copies of Mythic Oracle, Oracle of the Dragonfae and Wild Wisdom of the Faery Oracle available for purchase.
We'd love to meet you, so come by and say hello. Come share in our adventure, while enjoying one of the most amazing festival events to be experienced.
Below is a little more about the festival, taken from the MBS website ...
"It’s a fantastic fun day out, filled with new experiences, entertainment, learning, and expert advice.
At the Mind Body Spirit Festival, you can learn to conquer stress in minutes, discover the latest herbal supplements, or realise your psychic powers. Perhaps you'd like to know how to find your soul mate, enjoy the mysteries of tantric relationships, find that highly prized work-life balance, or balance your chakra.
There is something for everyone searching for a healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle. Your friends will love it!"
Thursday 5 November - Sunday 8 November 2009
Hall 1, Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour
10am - 7pm Daily
Prices:
Adults $16
Concession/Student $13
Children under 14 free
All Enquiries phone: 03 9276 5555
For those interested in attending, below is a half price ticket offer just for you. Print it out and present it at the ticket booth and get $8 off your adult ticket entry price.
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| Weekly Update No. 4&5 |
[Oct. 8th, 2009|10:31 am] |
Oh, I missed a week. It would appear that I cannot squeeze more than one journal entry into a week, and last week I wrote ‘Live Your Dream’ instead of my regular update. Forgive me? *wry grin*
Art
It’s been a challenging fortnight on the art front. I am working on a large 20”x40” canvas and it’s only the third time in ten years that I have, one, worked on canvas, and two, worked on anything this big. I am painting the largest fairy I have ever painted, and while I am enjoying the process, it’s a lot more challenging and time consuming than I thought it would be. I’ve been working on her upwards of five hours every day and so far I’ve been working on her for almost two weeks. My muse loves what I am doing, but she’s starting to itch and chafe a little. She wants the painting done, because there’s another she would like me to begin and complete before the first weekend in November.
That’s on top of the artworks I am painting in the evening by lamplight. I continue to work on the card illustrations for Oracle of Little Wisdoms at night. In the last fortnight I have painted three more – Learning, Giving, and Cleansing. I’m feeling a little unsure about Learning, and therefore have decided not to post her yet, but I am very happy with both Cleansing and Giving. They are both exactly as I wanted them to be. If you’ve not seen them yet, please be sure to look below at the end of this journal entry.
Website
After experiencing a great decline in sales from America, and an increase in local Australian sales, I decided that it is time to switch back to selling in Australian currency. So the big chore this week has been to reset all of my prices. I hope to have the store and the gallery completed by the end of the month so I can go live with it just before the Mind Body Spirit Festival in November.
Projects
Oracle of Little Wisdoms – Work continues slowly but steadily. The last few artworks fit so well with the deck. I still have the following cards to complete – Calling, Dreaming, Growth, Abundance, Leadership, Union, Choice, Fear, Natural Law, and Battle. The line works for each have been completed. It’s now just a process of painting one after the other until all are finished.
I have also decided to replace the much-maligned Beauty artwork with a cropped version of the fae in Silver Moss – the canvas I am working on. She is more suited, and more in keeping with my idea of what Beauty should represent.
Mind Body Spirit Festival – November, 2009 - There’s no backing out now. I have now paid for my share in the stall costs and so I am committed. *laughs nervously* I am delighted to be sharing space with the goddesses, Serene and Lucy. We’re going to have such an amazing stand, with art, oracle decks, books and meditation cds available for purchase.
And the next few weeks will see my brain flirt with the idea of exploding as I start the crazy process of making print and card stock. Thankfully, I already have a good half of the prints I am taking stashed under my bed, but I have a just as many still to print. I’ve ordered a fresh supply of clear bags, and this week I will stock up on ink and paper. Next week, I begin printing. Any suggestions as to what artworks I should make available?
Self
I’m feeling good. I had a scary bad reaction after the severe dust storms we experienced here recently – within 24 hours of the storm, my sinuses flared. Lymph nodes in front and behind my ears swelled up, as did my face. It’s taken a few weeks for the toxins to work their way back out of my body after a great deal of flushing with lots of water and antioxidants. It scared me for a while as I had to deal with random dizzy spells, unsettling sharp stabbing pains, popping in my ears, headaches and swelling, but thankfully it has now all subsided and, as mentioned before, I’m now feeling rather good, both physically … and emotionally.
My depression could be in remission again. I’ve been consistently happy now for a couple of weeks. I’m not wanting to jinx myself, but yes, things are looking brighter, and I have many wonderful friends to thank for the love and support they have given me over the last few months.
Future
As mentioned in my last update … I am not thinking of the distant future at the moment. I’m focused on three things – the website, the oracle and the Mind Body Spirit Festival. I have four weeks to have all three completed and prepared for. Nothing else matters right now.
xxx
Title: Cleansing
Size: 5.5"x8.5"
Medium: Acrylics
Title: Cleansing
Size: 5.5"x8.5"
Medium: Acrylics
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