Today I'd like to take a deeper dive into my "Mermaid with a Pink Lotus", born in June of 2020. She is the tenth piece in my Mermaid series, and the first of seven pieces I painted during the pandemic.
The hotel gifted me the book, and it led me to Dr. Joe's "Blessing of the Energy Centers" meditation. I was very new to chakras and meditation, and listening to this 45 minute journey through the energy centers of the body brought up a lot of emotions for me. I was particularly taken by his words during the fourth center, the "Heart Chakra", where he spoke the words "Let my heart open wide, let it bloom like a flower". It made me cry a bucket.
Somehow I knew this was going to be key for me. Let my heart open wide. Love. Beginning with Self Love.
Let it bloom like a flower. Which flower? My mind went to the Lotus, a beautiful blossom that literally emerges from the mud.
In meditation I began to picture myself as a Mermaid holding a lotus, a pink one to be exact. I was wearing pearls, a symbol of beauty formed by adversity. And I was naked to the world, standing in my truth, as are most of my Mermaids.
I started to see so clearly my own inner healing work that needed to be done, and journaled the following: "...the thought came to me that maybe I should look at a year in Tucson, as a retreat of sorts, one where I could focus on creation and self exploration. I could come back to Cali later if I choose, once I know my retreat is over." While I yearned for this time alone, I didn't have a clue how it could happen. I tucked both the painting idea and the retreat idea away and slugged along in what was gearing up to be yet another one of my dark nights of the soul!
About six months later, in March of 2020, the world shut down, and it didn't take long before I began to receive the gifts of the pandemic. I was still not alone, and still not in Tucson, yet I moved to exactly where I wanted and needed to be at the time, namely confronting the same unresolved issues! It hit me like a ton of bricks! So much healing still needed to be done. The words began to echo in my head once again... "Let my heart open wide, let it bloom like a flower". The first gift of the pandemic... seeing what needed to be healed. Love. And the first is Self Love.
The second big gift of the pandemic was time. With all of my events shut down, I was given focused time to paint. And paint I did! Working in Acrylic and Fine Art paper on Ampersand Claybord, my "Mermaid with a Pink Lotus", 24"x18", was born by the end of June. It was only later that I began to understand just how important this painting would become in my own development.
Symbolizing my "Higher Self", she was the first to arrive so that she could lead the way. As the summer of 2020 progressed, along with a record heat wave, so did my meditation practice, and my spiritual awakening. The next painting to arrive on the scene to assist me was my "Protector", and I will write about him next!
If my journey towards healing and self love resonates and you would like to have your very own print of "Mermaid with a Pink Lotus" on the wall to remind you of the importance of self love, you can click here to see my print options. It would be my honor to inspire you in this way!
With Love and Light,
Linda
