I began to share my painting with others, talking more and more about my experience and need to paint Soul Portraits of others. Still doing my best to trust my inner guidance, I turned to my dear soul-full friend Melody, telling her about my promptings …
and asking her if she might be interested in doing a trade … a soul portrait for an iridology reading. Of course, dear soul friend Melody, said, “YES!”
Prior to Melody's arrival at my home studio, I sat with the canvas and intuitively flooded it with color washes, directing the paint in different directions, abstractly on canvas, based on my sense of energy that was asking to be expressed. In 20 or 30 minutes I had painted the base colors and patterns that began Melody's soul portrait … a fraction of the time I had spent with the initiation of my own portrait.
Melody arrived, and nervously, yet somehow knowingly, I initiated the first soul portrait session with the amazing, brilliant acrylic paints flowing quickly on top of the background colors and patterns I had already laid down.
I think we might have talked and I might have timidly mentioned that we set an intention for the session. I have a hard time remembering! My guidance told me to keep it “comfortable, low key and casual.” We chatted and I painted furiously; again flooding the canvas with form, color and an infusion of energy. Melody told me at the end of the session how fascinated she was at how incredibly fast I painted. I knew it was just as if I was the vehicle for an inordinate amount of energy and intelligence to be expressed on canvas in a short amount of time.
I didn't communicate much specifically to Melody during the session. Melody spent less than an hour with me. I felt my guidance tell me that she could leave the session and I could spend a few more hours in my studio intuitively painting the rest of the portrait. And so we did exactly that. Later, when I presented the painting to Melody, I spoke more specifically of the colors and patterns in regards to her soul purpose, and the messages of encouragement and love being expressed there.
Initially timid in verbally expressing my inner guidance with any of the soul portraits, my guides and angels continued to tell me that even if I didn't find words to accompany the paintings, that the messages would flood through to the individual through the intent of the painting, the colors and patterns, and the infusion of energy that flooded through the session into the paint on the canvas. They encouraged me to speak when I heard messages, and most importantly to paint … just paint what I felt and perceived … and get my conscious, limited, insecure attitudes out of the way. I received constant love and encouragement to open up to this unlimited, universal omniscient energy. It was a blessing, a gift … one that had to be shared.
After Melody received her painting, I asked her to let me know if she noticed any particular changes, messages, or promptings. I needed some confirmation of whether what I was receiving intuitively was in any way accurate and helpful as I felt it had to be. Weeks later Melody let me know that she took the painting everywhere with her … strapped “her” into her SUV to travel safely to work and home again … that her painting's eyes would follow her around the house … that there was a definite connection and drawing into the painting when she sat with her … and eventually an acknowledgement that somehow the presence of the painting reminded her to stay on track with her life … an awareness of her soul's purpose and how it affected her choices. And yes, the painting is a “Her” a real presence, alive with powerful energy, vast love and wisdom … a true reflection of Melody not only in this lifetime, but beyond all time.
