Venetia Nevill – Multi-sensory and experiential art work

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Looking at spirals always lifts my spirit!! The sp

Looking at spirals always lifts my spirit!! The spiral was a sacred symbol in Celtic art, symbolising consciousness, renewal and eternity. The vine is associated with Brigid, the goddess of poetry who can heal our wounds. This has felt like a really intense month. Being with the vine has reminded me to be flexible and reach out for support when I feel vulnerable. Muin (vine) is a symbol of inward journeys and rather wonderfully intertwines the conscious and unconscious mind. Looking at the vine spirals they seem to be bravely reaching out, before coming back to themselves and their sweet knots. We often grow through the process of being with ‘pain’, and surrendering to the ever changing dance of contraction and expansion. I felt drawn to make a water medicine with the tiny violets to say goodbye to the vine, and counteract the fiery energy of the Aries New Moon. Violets are associated with protection, connection and devotion and ruled by Venus, the soother of the heart. Persephone was picking violets when Pluto took her to the underworld, and the pheasant feathers relate to balancing our dreams and aspirations with the need to stay grounded. I love that the spiral motif appears so often in nature, bringing healing and interconnection. And the beautiful ammonite fossil is a potent reminder of continual change and evolution within the unchanging awareness. Imbued with cosmic forces and earth energy, it can remove stagnant energies and connect us to the wisdom of our ancestors. Meditating with it apparently wakes up the kundalini flow. Looking forward to meeting the ivy next, all about an awakening of the spirit ! #spiral #sacred #celtic #ogham #vine #violets #mandala #ritual #aries #motherearth #brigid #healing #ammonite #source #divineflow

Truth is my name I am the Vine The true light of

Truth is my name
I am the Vine
The true light of your heart.
Let me melt your defences
I will show you how to let go.
Rest in my stillness and I will soften your edges as your spirit awakens.
You are my fruit and we are one.
The loving awareness of all that is.
Wrap your hands around me and
Know that I will be holding you too.
Come home to me beloved child
Trust is love and you are that love! The Vine relates to Christ consciousness and the essence of Christ is unconditional love. It guides us to let go and trust that we are always held within the ever-changing, eternal, dancing spiral of life, even it doesn’t always feel like that. The vine teaches us to celebrate our gratitude and connections, and to recognise, and honour the divine in everything. As with the ice, frozen consciousness must ‘melt’ in the light in order to release and come into communion with the whole. Easter is a wonderful mix of Christian and ancient pagan rituals (including the symbols of the rabbit and eggs). The Celtic festival of Oestre, honoured the Goddess of Light, welcoming fertility and rebirth with the spring. Easter blessings to you, however you celebrate this time - keep shining your beautiful light ! (Images from a Letting go ritual and water blessing on Good Friday at a beautiful sacred Spring in Hastings) #vine #openheart #christconsciousness #trustislove #surrender #ritual #waterblessing #mandala #sacred #easter #oestre #ogham #enlighten #stillness #presence

Sending a blackberry kiss to the Libra Moon! The b

Sending a blackberry kiss to the Libra Moon! The blackberry bramble was most likely the beloved sacred wood of the ancient Celts, rather than the grape vine. They both have strong healing qualities and super quantities of vit c. Native Americans used the blackberry which contains salycitate for digestion problems. The Libra super full moon opposite Venus today can apparently highlight relationship difficulties. But it is also aligned with Chiron, the rejected wounded healer who lights a path, showing that our intimate pains are the treasure that can transmute trauma into healing. Luckily Saturn is helping this moon and like the blackberry is good for commitment and financial matters. There are many contradictions with the myths around the ogham trees; the vine seemingly connects with Christ’s teachings in the bible while the bramble is often associated with Satan . Legend tells the story of Satan being banished from heaven and falling into a clump of blackberry vines. Held prisoner by thorns, he cursed them and when escaping he spat into the bush which created the blackberries. Some suggest leaving the blackberry for the fairies after the old michaelmas day. According to Christian folklore the crown of thorns was made of brambles. Witches use blackberries when casting money spells, to bring abundance, and make wreaths from brambles to keep away evil spirits. The rhythmical growth pattern of brambles also helps forensic scientists establish how long human remains have been at a crime scene. I collected the bramble stems from under the darling Oak to make baskets, play, and weave a full moon mandala, honouring both vine and bramble to balance and integrate their opposing energies.
Chiron exposes our vulnerabilities and challenges us to be real in relationships. I invited the heart energy of Venus to reconcile and bring light and shadow into wholeness. More than anything blackberries encourage me to be playful and childlike! #bramble #blackberry #ogham #ritual #mandala #sacred #chiron #woundedhealer #fullmoon #healing #crownofthorns #lightanddark #consciousness #love

Ostara blessings from the Vine, the 11th ogham tre

Ostara blessings from the Vine, the 11th ogham tree (Muin). The vine relates to determination, protection, connection and eternity. The best gift it gives us is to celebrate life and see a glass half full not half empty. It Interweaves the conscious and unconscious and encourages us to speak our truth. Which sounds simple but often involves sooo much trust and courage. I was feeling a bit bereft leaving the Apple tree, and aware that the vine isn’t really that huggable! And then I remembered that one of its qualities is flexibility and that it needs support from other trees. So this is offering me a beautiful opportunity to discover new ways to relate energetically to it and to life. Watching the way that it snakes and weaves through the other trees reminds me to connect to others, to ask for help and support, as well as giving it. The way we communicate is changing at many levels - missing the intimacy of human touch we are having to discover other ways of connecting through our hearts. Whatever is going on, nature grounds me, slows me down and aligns me with its rhythms. I am pretty content hibernating but the vine seems to be encouraging me to take risks and begin unfurling like the emerging precious shoots. The vine relates to Venus and water, and I gave the sacred spring a deep spring clean, and collected water to bless the ogham trees over the spring equinox. This is a special time of rebirth, honouring and holding the balance of dark and light energies. When I really look at the vine, I notice the gorgeous way it is hugging other trees. There is always support if I am willing to lean into it and trust my heart. #ostara #balance #ogham #vine #mandala #trust #lovenature #openheart #connection #sacred #ritual #devotion #gaia #consciousness Thank you @elle_artheals for a wonderful intuitive connecting to plants art session - inspiring me to draw again, and sense more into plants ( I exchanged the pencil and paintbrush for feathers at Art College to be free of my perfectionism)

“And when you crush an apple with your teeth, sa

“And when you crush an apple with your teeth, say to it in your heart:
Your seeds shall live in my body,
And the buds of your tomorrow shall blossom in my heart,
And your fragrance shall be my breath,
And together we shall rejoice through all the seasons.”
― Khalil Gibran The Apple tree represents the archetype of the Great Mother, the Goddess and all her manifestations from maiden to crone. The apple symbolizes the power of love, devotion to this sacred earth and overcoming duality - embracing the dark side and knowing that it is all held in the loving arms of Mother Earth! Each tree opens my heart in a different way. The Apple symbolises immortality, and represents the eternal perfection of the circle of life. Like the trees, I recycle everything in my art and I painted with the old apple slices from the mandala to shift some negative energy. The new moon in Pisces coincides with the end of Mercury’s retrograde shadow, offering us a chance of completion, and the beginning of a new cycle where we can chose to plant the seeds of a different way of being, dreaming and seeing. The Apple has taught me to be playful, generous with, and to myself, softening my edges and allowing myself to get things wrong. Apple tree has close links with the wise woman, shaman and the magician. Merlin, held his magic lessons under an apple tree and the wardrobe in Narnia came from a magical apple tree. The Apple tree represents shelter, and has provided a sanctuary for me to rest, and connect to the magical spirit realms. Apple is associated with the unseen, where faeries and unicorns live, and it offers a portal for otherworld journeys. It has been an intense week, and the trees have offered me a safe place for shamanic journeying to allow unconscious shadows to be seen and transformed. Rather wonderfully any crab apples left on the tree after Samhain were for the shadow folk . . Time to meet the vine, which is about celebration, abundance, connection and laughter - sounds lovely !!! #motherearth #gaia #apple #ogham #ritual #treeoflife #generosity #underworld #shaman #medicineways #portal #wisdom #forgiveness #love #sacred #openheart

“I would I were alive again To kiss the fingers

“I would I were alive again
To kiss the fingers of the rain,
To drink into my eyes the shine
Of every slanting silver line,
To catch the freshened, fragrant breeze
From drenched and dripping apple-trees...’
Edna St. Vincent Millay The beautiful wild apple tree guided me to follow the water to find its sister. With only one old apple hanging to identify it, I found the most gorgeous little tree, next to a symphony of a stream. The apple is linked to the water element, and
both apples and water offer many different ways to nourish and heal us. Apple recommends connecting with our ancestors for wisdom. I always think of my father when I am clearing streams - he was at his happiest playing with water and listening to the song of a stream
always soothes my spirit. Recently, after clearing some blockages in the stream, I was hugging the mossy apple tree and a weasel ran past my legs, sat beside me for a moment, and looked directly into my eyes before it realised I wasn’t a tree and scarpered. I had never seen a weasel before and it was a very emotional meeting. Apparently Weasel spirit animal symbolises heightened perception and helps develop your inner being - to chose to trust instincts over doubts. Glennie kindred writes about the Apple helping us trust in times of lack, and overcoming feelings of unworthiness that block the flow of life force. Generosity always unblocks the flow- seeing the beloved in everything! Apple also recommends immersing yourself in studying ancient ways and to go on pilgrimages. One of the highlights of last year was visiting a dear friend in Glastonbury. Sometimes known as the Isle of Apples - the name ‘Avalon’ is related to the Celtic word “abal” meaning apple. I hope to write more about this and the underworld in the next post. My gift from the Hazel to the garden apple tree was this frozen water treasure from the mollybdomancy magic. Love the alchemy of water! #appletree #wearewater #ritual #ogham #flow #weasel #trust #intuition #avalon #underworld #abundance #source #alchemy #sacredearth

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go t

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."
Martin Luther I wanted to honour the gorgeous, generous Apple trees on the beautiful , soft Virgo Full moon. The apple helps in making decisions and when faced with two good pathways, to commit to one and ‘take a bite of the apple’. I couldn’t decide which tree to make a mandala for but this beautiful ‘volunteer tree’ combines the wild crab apple and the friendly eating one . Using lichen and wood shavings from the dead apple tree to embrace a glass bowl I moulded on a weeping willow tree, I filled it with sacred spring water and apple slices cut horizontally to reveal the sacred pentagram symbol. Pentagrams symbolise the five elements and are used for protection. Both apples and the pentagram are associated with the Goddess of love, Venus, which traces an almost perfect pentagon across the night sky approximately every 7 years. The pentagram was originally a symbol of the goddess, Kore, also known as Ceres, whose sacred fruit was the apple. Apparently the Roma refer to apple cores as Stars of Knowledge - apples are often used in divination, the seeds used in protection spells and pips are burnt and read to identify future loves. The practical and earthy Virgo Full moon also celebrates the Goddess of Mothering Ceres, reminding us to take care of this precious earth and each other, to keep faith and not be limited by old ideas. What seeds are you wanting to plant and grow? The days around the full moon are a great time to plant them physically and in ritual. I had a wonderful time playing with apples and the elements, and planted an apple seed near the old dead tree, blessing it with some dreams and hopes for this year. Feeling so grateful for the grounding, balanced Virgo energy making it possible to soften our edges and enjoy a deep exhale before the energy quickens. #appletree #ogham #venus #pentagram #ceres #motherearth #ritual #fullmoon #mandala #devotion #natureheals #seedsofhope #sacred #interconnection #presence thank you @rebekahshaman for astrology insights

"A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orch

"A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible."
A Welsh proverb I took my precious Hazel stick to the Apple tree, the 10th letter of the Ogham alphabet (Quert, Q and Cc). I thought it might be tricky to tap into its beautiful qualities in the cold of February, but she teaches us to welcome abundance and gratitude throughout the year. The Apple is connected to Venus, representing the unconditional, loving mother aspect of the Goddess and reminds us of the regenerative powers of the cycles of nature. Last week there seemed little happening in the orchard under the snow, but there was a world of treasure with frozen apples, gorgeous lichen and the welcoming energy of the trees. Dead branches needed to be cleared and apple wood used to be burnt at fertility festivals during winter to call for the speedy return of new life. (I will use the ash for art and paeonies love it )The word ‘Lent’ means ‘spring’ and is a time of fasting and spiritual cleansing for Christians and others. Apple wisdom is to cleanse negative thoughts, feelings of unworthiness and any sense of lack. To be open hearted and trust the reciprocal flow of giving and receiving. Giving up something in Lent can open tender space to receive spiritual strengths. Nature is so generous - it teaches us how to be unselfish, and opens our eyes to the magic around and within us, whatever struggles we might be facing. I started a food cleanse, by chance, on Ash Wednesday, to hopefully resolve some digestion issues and am choosing to eat very slowly and mindfully, mostly in silence. It was rather uncomfortable until I closed my eyes and started to really enjoy listening to my body, and taking space to fully savour every mouthful and be completely present. The apple invites us to rest and heal, and intimate rituals are a pathway to become more fully known to ourselves, through self care and appreciation. Gratitude is often best expressed through action. Sadly apples are forbidden fruit for me at the moment! #appletree #ogham #openheart #generosity #ritual #lent #cleansing #silence #regeneration #reciprocity #presence #unconditionallove #goddess #cominghometoourselves

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