Venetia Nevill – Multi-sensory and experiential art work

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‘I went out to the hazel wood, Because a fire wa

‘I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout....’
William Butler Yeats .
The hazel (Coll) is the 9th ogham tree and represents the letters C and K. I love making new discoveries about these magical trees - A friend told me to look out for the darling little pink flowers on the hazel tree which I had never seen before. And making mandalas for the trees helps me access treasures on my journey I would otherwise overlook. Catkins are such a beacon of hope in these bleak January days, and the hazel invites us to deeply listen within to our true essence, to connect to divine source and trust, and allow that wisdom to guide our intuition. The hazel is connected to Gaia, poetry, creativity, knowledge, abundance and flow. ‘She honours the moon and the waters of our planet ‘. Connecting to the hazel can bring the unconscious to the surface, in the form of dreams, ideas and in my experience, lost parts of ourselves that need nurturing. The unconscious mind needs quiet space and meditation to reveal itself so I am allowing myself the luxury of retreating a bit this month. True healing often comes through keeping an open heart and believing in our capacity to embrace and inspire change. That we are in exactly the place we need to be, however uncomfortable, to take the next conscious step to realize our dreams and visions. Part of the process seems to be to ask for help to overcome creative blocks and limiting beliefs - the hazel suggests studying or seeking the advice of elders and ancestors, to bring clarity to any stuck tender holding. Robins keep joining me when I am sitting under the hazels and these harbingers of spring remind us to sing our own song, let our spirit shine and release any darkness held in the heart and mind. Life loves us....all of us! #hazel #catkins #gaia #inspiration #healing #creativity #intuition #trustyourknowing #ritual #mandala #vision #beaconofhope #meditation #stillness

I love the Holly King! It opens a space for quiet

I love the Holly King! It opens a space for quiet reflection in the stillness of the winter woodland, lights the inner fire of courage in the heart , and reminds us of the evergreen promise of renewal within the cycles of life. Holly has magical powers, provides shelter from the cold for the faery realm and if you sit quietly with it, reveals wonderful elemental beings. Harry Potter’s wand was made from holly and Druids would often invoke the holly energy for assistance in their rituals. It relates to fire and optimism, and is associated with the subconscious and dreams. The holly leaves and red berries can be associated with suffering but it offers us protection and it’s guidance is to keep trusting and being patient. The Capricorn New Moon tomorrow may stir up more uncertainty so it is important to get grounded. Kiss the earth in any way you can and if you can’t get outside to connect with nature, just breathe into your feet and imagine roots going down to the centre of the Earth. Our greatest fear is that we won’t cope but Holly offers protection, resolve and reminds us to believe in ourselves and connect to our inner strength as we move through these difficult times together. Essentially we contain the magic inside us - we just need to remember it and to nurture those little seeds of hope and potential we sowed in the New Year, and gently allow them to move into the light. The paintings are created with iron from the sacred chalybeate spring and painted with holly leaves. Time to move onto the hazel - All about transforming our dreams into reality. #holly #magic #ogham #spirit #elementals #trust #newmoon #seedsofpotential #innerstrength #courageoftheheart #ritual #interconnection #lloveconquersall #stillness #presence

"Let the waters settle and you will see the moon a

"Let the waters settle and you will see the moon and the stars mirrored in your own being" - Rumi By saying the Ho'oponopono mantra “I'm sorry, I love you, please forgive me, thank you," we can send love and healing to all the waters. Our bodies are mostly water, as is our planet and water has an intelligence and memory that responds to our love and intentions. Water communicates energy and it needs our help - not only is it polluted by our waste physically, but also energetically. We can remove the fears and negative frequencies held in the waters by using this prayer. We are 70% water so when we are harsh on ourselves and judge others we weaken our life force and capacity for compassion. Say this beautiful prayer of forgiveness three times to water, to this sacred land, to anyone we are in conflict with, and of course to ourselves and notice how things change. As we cleanse ourselves and the waters, we bring in the light, and become part of the change in shifting the frequency of our planet. Apparently holly used to be planted over ancient springs and wells to channel the light and ground light energies. I collected holly from some remarkable trees growing over sacred waters, to make a blessing for the New Year at midday. I also sprinkled a water medicine created on the Cancer Full Moon from Chalice Well spring water, crystals, and recycled holly from Christmas wreaths placed on the graves of much missed family members. Holly’s evergreen nature is a reminder of the eternal cycles of life and that this too will pass. The lovely Glennie Kindred associates holly with communication, responsibility, restoring balance and direction. Bach said that ‘holly protects us from anything which is not unconditional love’. I asked the holly to show me a sign from Spirit and came across an incredibly early sprig of pussy willow on my path home (no tree in sight). Apparently it is the tree that tells the rest of the world and all the other flora, and trees that it's time to wake up! Happy New Year! #water #healing #mandala #ritual #hooponopono #blessing #masaruemoto #watermedicine #holly #ogham #sacred #vibration #forgiveness #awaken #consciousness

‘I wish I could show you, When you are lonely or

‘I wish I could show you,
When you are lonely or in darkness,
The astonishing Light
Of your own Being!’
Hafiz I love to take sprigs of the sacred mistletoe to favourite trees and special places, around the winter solstice. Known as ‘Allheal’ because of its powerful medicinal properties, its leaves look like wings, which to the druids were a sign of immortality. It never touches the earth so is pure spirit and like the holly, brings good luck and wards off evil spirits. Traditionally cut just before Christmas mine came from an apple tree, (the apple tree symbolises the bringing of wisdom) and I took it with some spring water to offer blessings to the holly on Christmas Day. In pagan lore the holly king is a symbol of peace and rules through the dark winter months while the oak king, its rival, rules the summer. While the oak seems to attract lighting , holly and mistletoe protect us from it. Mistletoe apparently may remain hanging through the year for this protection but it also has a dark side as it is very toxic. The holly tree has become a symbol for Christmas, its leaves symbolising Christ’s crown of thorns and the berries his blood. Legend has it that holly emerged from the footsteps of Christ. Both the holly and mistletoe are evergreen, a metaphor for eternal life. ‘Holly can help to awaken the Christ energies within and open us up to the angelic and faerie realms.’ #treespiritwisdom Even though things are so difficult for many right now , Christmas time reveals a beautiful underlying open hearted energy and sense of interconnection and support for each other. The holly relates to rebirth, and connection to these ancient beloved plants and rituals awakens the sacred in us, and connects to the eternal light within which is beyond suffering. #bethelight #christconsciousness #mistletoe #holly #ritual #sacred #ogham #essence #christmas #mandala #allheal #evergreen #essence #wearethemedicine

Todays winter solstice celebrates the sacred still

Todays winter solstice celebrates the sacred still point when the sun is reborn. Seems more important than ever to light a candle to reflect our inner light and trust in the nourishing solar energy gradually returning. Plant a seed from your heart, send kisses to the stars, walk barefoot on the grass, hug a tree, sing, listen to the heartbeat of the Earth - connect to this sacred land and the elements, in any tender way you can. If you can’t get outside feel the rain on your outstretched palm, listen to the birds sing, take a deep breath! Nature always loves us back in return. Today sees the extraordinary conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, the ‘Christmas Star’ in the southwest sky which brings in the age of Aquarius, the water bearer - the much needed era of cosmic love and raised consciousness. Water is the most direct path to the goddess and connecting to water today will ground these strong light frequencies into the earth. I will be making a blessing over a water medicine to the holly, the 9th ogham tree. Holly symbolises hope and has protective properties.- babies used to be bathed in holly water. The ancient Romans saw holly as the sacred plant of Saturn (Roman god of harvest). Sprigs of holly were given as gifts for good luck during the festival of Saturnalia, while oak is associated with Jupiter, the planet of abundance and expansion. In Celtic mythology the oak and holly kings do battle on this day (though they are really twin souls,the light and dark). The magical holly activates the creative masculine energy, and also contains the feminine aspect of the spiritual warrior helping to open the heart and awaken compassion. Where can we speak our truth from the heart, let go of the outdated coping strategies Saturn has revealed, and step into a faith and love that Jupiter promises? Being in the sacred pause today makes it all possible. #wintersolstice #evergreen #gowithin #light #conjunction #holly #ogham #mandala #ritual #alchemy #speakfromtheheart #oneness
#consciousness #stillness

The total solar eclipse yesterday in the Sagittari

The total solar eclipse yesterday in the Sagittarius new moon felt pretty intense! It seemed to offer no choice but to let go completely of some old beliefs and assumptions, before being encouraged and inspired to move into new directions, and ways of relating to self and others. The spiral was an important symbol in ancient Celtic art representing the cycles of life, connection to the divine, and the natural movement between the inner and outer worlds. I created this spiral with oak galls, which I then combined with iron water from the sacred chaleybeate spring to make ink. I also used the iron water to nourish the oak trees and soaked materials in it to make blessings mats, before drying them on the oak’s roots and letting the excess iron sink into the earth. There are many beings that live around this dear oak and I see Cernunnos, the Horned God of both life and death above the cloth. A lovely friend reminded me that iron is at the heart of Gaia. The iron of the stars runs through our blood, helps our breathing and is related to the solar plexus chakra. It is often associated with male energy, power and strength of will , but the water energy of the spring is feminine and yielding and offers an invitation to align our will with the universal flow. The spiritual guidance with this chakra and the new moon seems to be about speaking our truth, cocreating with nature and others, self acceptance, and trusting, and acting on our inner knowing. I dipped an ogham oak stick i found in the St Helens spring, into the iron spring for extra strength, and it reminded me of the oak wisdom to have courage, faith and find peace in the ebb and flow of the spiral of life. It is time to move onto the holly now, the 8th ogham tree which is all about joy! #spiral #ogham #oak #celtic #solareclipse #newmoon #chakra #solarplexus #iron #alignment #truth #cernunnos #trust #source #innerpeace

The oak is aligned with the element of water and I

The oak is aligned with the element of water and I have recently heard about ‘beacon trees’ - oaks growing over springs that channel strong cosmic energies of light and love. This fired my imagination and I started searching. I was so besotted with the twin yews at this portal that I overlooked the powerful guardian oak, making up the trinity of trees. And at St Helens spring in Hastings another majestic oak appears to stand guard over the beautiful sacred waters. I have no idea if they are ‘beacon trees’ but there presence is palpable. Drinking these waters and collecting rainwater under oak trees is a wonderful ritual - no surprise that the dew under oaks is a magical beauty aid. And the Druids made a distilled water from the flower buds to cleanse their spirit. There are so many extraordinary sacred oak trees I have met on little pilgrimages this year. Among them Gog and Magog, the ‘Oaks of Avalon’, which were part of a ceremonial Druidic avenue of oak trees leading to the Tor, standing at the gateway onto the island. Gog is now sadly dead from a fire and the avenue destroyed by a farmer early last century. These sacred oak groves were potent places for the Druids to worship and practise their rites. The Druids associated the oak with the wren. The Wren inspires us to realise dreams and guides us through dark times. Often overlooked it is seen by few, but influences many. Like the oak its message is to accept and adapt to the things that cannot be changed, reframe obstacles as challenges and be ready for new beginnings - to gently move out of your comfort zone and explore. The elders call this time in December the Oak Moon. As a symbol of strength and eternity the oak helps us survive the trials of winter by finding the spiritual resources within ..... Plant an acorn during the waxing moon and it is said to draw gold to you. #innergold #oak #ogham #sacred #druid #oakmoon #presence #guardian #ritual #wateroflife #wren #inspiration #pilgrimage #gogandmagog #beacontrees #portal
Thank you dear friend @islajmacleod for telling me about beacon trees looking forward to discovering more about them

“An oak tree is just a small nut that persevered

“An oak tree is just a small nut that persevered against the taunts of doubt and fear.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo The oak is revered for its ability to survive lightning strikes, and honoured by many cultures for its connection to the God of Thunder - Zeus in Greek mythology, Taranis the Celtic God and the Vikings linked the oak to the Norse God Thor, the protector of mankind. The oak is connected to Jupiter and Mars and when Mars is close to the Earth it is thought that the roots of the oak are stimulated. Apparently the full moon eclipse in Gemini on Monday might cause tensions and insecurity and bring sudden shifts but if we are flexible like the oak’s branches we will come out stronger, having cleared old ideas and emotions. Today is the first day of Advent, representing hope, and it is important to pause, connect to our inner tree and ground deeply into the nourishing earth. There seem to be a mass of gorgeous galls this year. Created by the gall wasp laying its eggs, they have been used to make ink since the Roman Empire and the Magna Carter is written in it. These paintings were created with ink from galls and other ogham trees and healing iron from a sacred spring. The second picture was painted to align conflicting energies into the one heart. The snake dance of the Hopi people is a prayer to the spirits of the clouds, the thunder and the lightning, that the rain may fall and nature renew and regenerate. The Oak is connected with spells for protection, strength and good fortune. If you get to an acorn before the squirrels and carry it in your pocket it will bring you good luck. And catching a falling Oak leaf before it hits the ground, will bring you good health for the following year. The oak teaches us to have faith in our visions and reminds us that ‘the strength of love has brought you this far and this is the power which will endure’ (Glennie Kindred) #oak #ogham #gall #ink #innerresource #jupiter #abundance #healing #medicine #fullmoon #godofthunder #keepgrounded #alchemy #snakedance #presence thanks to @alchemyofpaint and @penline__ for ink recipes

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