Celebrating Summer Solstice in Art of the Desert

When planning ways to celebrate summer solstice, find a place where the sun can easily attend.  My understanding is that summer solstice is the Sun's wedding day, and so of course He will want to be there.  If you do not live in the desert--choose a location with a big view, or mountain or massive stone;  choose a place that has the Sun in its majesty and scale already present.

Bring gifts to the creatures whose homes you are disturbing with your wedding festivities. The animals, birds and insects will likely feel better about you descending on their neighborhood if you come with shiny colorful objects and feast foods just for them.

Invite the spirits of place in their sacred plant forms to sit with you to honor the Sun.  Bring special handmade offerings, food and incense.  Spirits are attracted to our effort, and want to taste a little bit of the bounty we create at this summer solstice time.

Leave something precious for the place to enjoy after you go.  At this time of year a cup of water may have great value. So might also a song given to the wind, who could play with the vibration and keep flowing your breath long after you depart.

Leave spirit in place when your festivities for summer solstice are complete.  Leave every small deliciously attractive natural object in its true home.  When we take what is not freely given we leave a hole in the spirit of place, and this in turn leaves a tear in the fabric of our obligation to the other-than-human-creatures, forms and forces that share this earth with us.  

Happy Solstice from the Journey Oracle.  May you find yourself  dancing at the Wedding Feast, and may you remember the taste of the Groom's cake long after the Sun has left the party. 

This series of 6 works in watercolor pencil are from the desert near

Ojo Caliente, New Mexico 

made while I was studying with Martin Prechtel.  

For more information about purchasing these fine art prints

individually or as a set

contact Kristen at journeyoracle@gmail.com

Shamanic painting original and fine art print: Praying for Rain

This chalk pastel painting is the image of a true story of a ritual made to pray for rain.  Many years ago on Cortes Island the rains did not come and the salmon were circling and circling in the sea, waiting to come into the rivers to spawn, but there was not enough water to bring them home.

Myself and two other women spent a day pounding on an ancient stone on the Cortes shore, calling the rain to come and help the salmon.  Earlier I had been given a Heron's wing by someone who just left it in my living room, with no note of explanation.  Since I understand that the Heron is the sentinel of well being in these waters--we burned the wing so that its breath could rise to the clouds and call the rain.

We danced in the smoke and cinders until two porpoise came close to the shore and in their spouting breaths we understood that our call would be answered.  And a few days later, the rains came.  

There are lots of ways to be of service.  And many forms for an Oracle speaking.  I am just now reading Memories, Dreams, Reflections, the autobiography of C.G. Jung.  He describes how we can ultimately only tell our personal myth.  "Whether or not the stories are 'true' is not the problem.  The only question is whether what I tell is my fable, my truth."  This story of  my inner, invisible life with spirit--and how it irrupts into ordinary reality--is for me, the only art worth making.

PRAYING FOR RAIN

Original Chalk Pastel on Matte Board

 70 cm x 54 cm framed…$1,500.00

Custom fine art print on acid free velvet art paper

with archival inks

17” x 11” (43 cm x 27 cm) unmatted….$190.00

shrink wrapped on foam core for shipping

shipping included

For more information contact Kristen at journeyoracle@gmail.com

See more shamanic art originals and prints at 

www.journeyoracle.com