Observer (The Lion)
My first drawing for Animals of Inspiration
Patrick awoke and was having a vision. He said to me one morning with great excitement and enthusiasm, “Wake up and listen, don’t say anything, just let me describe what I’m seeing. We are going to put together a project. It will be called Animals of Inspiration. I will do the writing and you will draw the animals.” I’m thinking to myself that he’s lost his mind, I do not have the skill to draw the images he will need, having hardly drawn at all and not having the first idea where to start. But he insisted, so I smile and nod with the understanding in my mind this will be a very short lived project, lasting a week tops.
But for Christmas he purchased an art station and a set of technical pens (my medium of choice), all the tools needed to begin. Everything was set up in the master bedroom where I had the most room, where it was quiet and out of sight. So I began, not realizing the incredible inner journey I was embarking upon.
I surprised myself each day, becoming more engrossed in the work and the desire to finish. When done it was not something I thought should be thrown in the garbage, I was actually quite proud of what I had accomplished. I was excited to get started on the next one. Perhaps Patrick was not as crazy as I first thought.
Lions to me are majestic and proud, fierce and deadly. But as I drew the eyes, I felt a sense of peace and calmness take me by surprise. Rather than feeling fear from this animal I was bringing to life on my page, I was feeling respect and a desire to better know him. Perhaps he was giving me the courage to continue with this journey despite my lack of faith in my abilities. This connection became a common thread with each additional image I drew, allowing me to relate to each animal, bringing out their personalities as I worked.
Fast forward a few decades…
While working on my Pecha Kucha presentation I came to the realization each of the animals I have drawn represent a unique aspect of my personality. For example, I have always considered the lion to have great courage and strength, a majestic being, and looking back I now see how I have needed great courage and strength to face all I went through as a young girl. The lion was there inside me, fighting for my freedom.
This was a great moment for me, to see myself having these traits, pulling them out of the darkness with each pen stroke, reminding me of who I am. That we are not so very different from animals in many aspects of our lives was an interesting realization. It is a simple matter of choosing an alternate view of the world and its inhabitants. We are then we able to understand there is a connection between all things if only we wish to see it.
Years later during one of my many experiences with healers, I was told, “There are no words written today that can describe what you have gone through in this life.” This statement was strangely comforting because there was complete understanding from this person. I did not have to explain or justify anything to him, it was just understood. There are not many who can truly comprehend the scope of my experience, but he did, and I felt some of the weight leave my shoulders.
The first shard had returned….
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