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[Art] Three Corvids as Totems
Oct. 19th, 2018 10:52 amI've often wanted to draw some of the lesser known Corvids.
Initially the Common Raven wasn't meant to be in the batch,
but he snuck in.
In the meantime, I learned that the Common Green Magpie is very vivid green in the wild,
but turns turquoise/blue in captivity,
partly due to excess exposure to sunlight and likely because of a poor diet.
Common Green Magpie as Totem // Cissa chinensis // Available at Etsy
‘Hello! Shall we go someplace shaded? A bit quieter? Oh, I love forests, and bamboo, and keeping myself clean. Everything a magpie like me should. I’m probably not like the magpies you’re used to, or maybe you see me all the time! I don’t love the spotlight, but sometimes I’m so curious I just can’t help but be drawn to it! But I don’t like to be caged or captive, no, my feathers turn blue to match the sadness in my heart and the lack of variety in my diet. We need a rich environment to thrive, don’t we? I’m sure you do! Or you wouldn’t be here. It’s time for you to celebrate all the wonderful, different things about the life you live. You can’t live a narrow life, you must live broadly!
I can teach you how to hunt for whatever you need in life! To speak from the heart and to speak vividly. Do you want to be a strong orator? I’ve got you, friend. Are you curious? Not curious enough? Let me hop ahead and promise that it will be okay, even when it’s not, it will still be okay! Are you taking care of yourself? Are you bright minded? Is your heart shining? Come sit by me. I have enough colour to share with you, enough brightness to lend. Let’s shine together.’
Keywords:
The magic of evergreen and bamboo forests. The bright hunter. Finding wisdom in the dead. A glimmer of insight in dense environments. Needing a rich environment. Showing your dissatisfaction. Shady places. Curiosity. Open mindedness. Bold speaker. Growth and new beginnings. Fastidiousness and cleanliness. A bright mind, a vivid heart.
( Read more... )
Grey Treepie as Totem // Dendrocitta formosae // Available at Etsy
‘What’s that? You wish to speak to me? Well, I’m busy right now, I have ever so many friends, but would you like to be one of them? I hope you’re ready to join me and many others. It’s time for you to keep your eyes open in your life for all the different people around you. Enjoy their company, celebrate what you have in common and respect your differences, and oh, listen to the trees and leaves around you. Everything is always speaking to you, did you know? The earth, the sky, people, yourself, the trees, the leaves. I’m not going to lie, I know more about what the trees, leaves and birds say, but maybe you need to learn these things too?
Maybe you need to listen to the people around you more. Maybe you need to learn how to listen to subtle messages. Maybe you need perspective. Maybe you need to enjoy the company of others. Maybe you need perspective. Or maybe you already have a full life and you just want some company. Listen, no really, listen. We have so many things to share with you. Me and all the millions of leaves in the world. We have so many things to say.
But only if you wish to hear.’
Keywords:
Tree Speaker. Ogham. Leaf secrets. Whispering leaves. Listen to the subtle messages. Navigating dense situations. Diverse company. Sociability. Enjoying diversity. The company of others. Getting perspective. Many voices. Agility. Quick wit and reflexes. Preferring to be unseen. A subtle cleverness. A full life.
( Read more... )
Common Raven as Totem II // Corvus corax // SOLD
‘I see, I see, you’ve come to me, have you? I’m something of a classic, after all. Did you find me in the literature or in film? Did you hear folklore or superstition? Did you see me in the woods or hear me when you woke? Did your mother whisper of dark folklore? Or did your friend tell you of my magic? Because I’m sure you did hear of me. It seems like everyone has, at least once.
But it’s time to go beyond the stories. The story of myself, the story of yourself, let’s fly beyond them. You can turn to almost any culture where I have lived, and there will be a story. You can view nearly any point in your life and people may have a story about that too. But aren’t you more? And aren’t you ready to learn of your own inner alchemy and how that sparks magic in the world around you?
We shall go deep into magic, but you’ll need to trust yourself more than you trust me, and I suspect that you may have good intentions but shy away at the last moment. No? We’ll see. I’ve held court with many, but few stay. I’m remembered fondly by those who get to know me. Mostly. It doesn’t concern me. I have my own magic to make beyond the stories. My own love and family and culture to maintain. I am not just your object of mysticism, but a bird of vivid life. Know me. Dare to know yourself.’
Keywords:
Great intelligence. Ideas. Creating new possibilities. Spiritual work. Spiritual heft and insight. Problem solving. Creativity. Being wary of new ventures. Adapting and learning. Teaching others. Culture and technology. Communication and language. Group gatherings. Respect your emotional processes. Psychopomp. Mediator between life and death. The otherworldly bird. Folklore, mythology, superstition and story. Spirituality and connections to other realms. Good news and bad news. Good deeds and bad deeds. False dichotomies. Nothing is what it seems. Immanent and transcendent magic. Mundane and everyday magic. You are more than the surface of you. Go beyond the story of yourself.
( Read more... )
Initially the Common Raven wasn't meant to be in the batch,
but he snuck in.
In the meantime, I learned that the Common Green Magpie is very vivid green in the wild,
but turns turquoise/blue in captivity,
partly due to excess exposure to sunlight and likely because of a poor diet.
Common Green Magpie as Totem // Cissa chinensis // Available at Etsy
‘Hello! Shall we go someplace shaded? A bit quieter? Oh, I love forests, and bamboo, and keeping myself clean. Everything a magpie like me should. I’m probably not like the magpies you’re used to, or maybe you see me all the time! I don’t love the spotlight, but sometimes I’m so curious I just can’t help but be drawn to it! But I don’t like to be caged or captive, no, my feathers turn blue to match the sadness in my heart and the lack of variety in my diet. We need a rich environment to thrive, don’t we? I’m sure you do! Or you wouldn’t be here. It’s time for you to celebrate all the wonderful, different things about the life you live. You can’t live a narrow life, you must live broadly!
I can teach you how to hunt for whatever you need in life! To speak from the heart and to speak vividly. Do you want to be a strong orator? I’ve got you, friend. Are you curious? Not curious enough? Let me hop ahead and promise that it will be okay, even when it’s not, it will still be okay! Are you taking care of yourself? Are you bright minded? Is your heart shining? Come sit by me. I have enough colour to share with you, enough brightness to lend. Let’s shine together.’
Keywords:
The magic of evergreen and bamboo forests. The bright hunter. Finding wisdom in the dead. A glimmer of insight in dense environments. Needing a rich environment. Showing your dissatisfaction. Shady places. Curiosity. Open mindedness. Bold speaker. Growth and new beginnings. Fastidiousness and cleanliness. A bright mind, a vivid heart.
( Read more... )
Grey Treepie as Totem // Dendrocitta formosae // Available at Etsy
‘What’s that? You wish to speak to me? Well, I’m busy right now, I have ever so many friends, but would you like to be one of them? I hope you’re ready to join me and many others. It’s time for you to keep your eyes open in your life for all the different people around you. Enjoy their company, celebrate what you have in common and respect your differences, and oh, listen to the trees and leaves around you. Everything is always speaking to you, did you know? The earth, the sky, people, yourself, the trees, the leaves. I’m not going to lie, I know more about what the trees, leaves and birds say, but maybe you need to learn these things too?
Maybe you need to listen to the people around you more. Maybe you need to learn how to listen to subtle messages. Maybe you need perspective. Maybe you need to enjoy the company of others. Maybe you need perspective. Or maybe you already have a full life and you just want some company. Listen, no really, listen. We have so many things to share with you. Me and all the millions of leaves in the world. We have so many things to say.
But only if you wish to hear.’
Keywords:
Tree Speaker. Ogham. Leaf secrets. Whispering leaves. Listen to the subtle messages. Navigating dense situations. Diverse company. Sociability. Enjoying diversity. The company of others. Getting perspective. Many voices. Agility. Quick wit and reflexes. Preferring to be unseen. A subtle cleverness. A full life.
( Read more... )
Common Raven as Totem II // Corvus corax // SOLD
‘I see, I see, you’ve come to me, have you? I’m something of a classic, after all. Did you find me in the literature or in film? Did you hear folklore or superstition? Did you see me in the woods or hear me when you woke? Did your mother whisper of dark folklore? Or did your friend tell you of my magic? Because I’m sure you did hear of me. It seems like everyone has, at least once.
But it’s time to go beyond the stories. The story of myself, the story of yourself, let’s fly beyond them. You can turn to almost any culture where I have lived, and there will be a story. You can view nearly any point in your life and people may have a story about that too. But aren’t you more? And aren’t you ready to learn of your own inner alchemy and how that sparks magic in the world around you?
We shall go deep into magic, but you’ll need to trust yourself more than you trust me, and I suspect that you may have good intentions but shy away at the last moment. No? We’ll see. I’ve held court with many, but few stay. I’m remembered fondly by those who get to know me. Mostly. It doesn’t concern me. I have my own magic to make beyond the stories. My own love and family and culture to maintain. I am not just your object of mysticism, but a bird of vivid life. Know me. Dare to know yourself.’
Keywords:
Great intelligence. Ideas. Creating new possibilities. Spiritual work. Spiritual heft and insight. Problem solving. Creativity. Being wary of new ventures. Adapting and learning. Teaching others. Culture and technology. Communication and language. Group gatherings. Respect your emotional processes. Psychopomp. Mediator between life and death. The otherworldly bird. Folklore, mythology, superstition and story. Spirituality and connections to other realms. Good news and bad news. Good deeds and bad deeds. False dichotomies. Nothing is what it seems. Immanent and transcendent magic. Mundane and everyday magic. You are more than the surface of you. Go beyond the story of yourself.
( Read more... )
