Little did I know that upon arriving in the UAE this time, a new aspect of me would emerge! It all started with a tremendous amount of physical pain, nerve impingements and such that prevented me from my usual state of physical activity. Although I knew I needed a sabbatical to transition from my previous life to my new life overseas, I find great comfort in the physical practice of yoga and I did not want to let it go. Yet, the universe wanted me to step out of the comfort zone and to deepen my yoga by going within. It was not about hatha yoga now, but about karma, bahkti and raja yoga at this time. As I struggled to continue moving, my soul struggled to stay still. From that a new passion emerged and all of a sudden, after a dream, I found myself painting.
I dreamt of Arabic letters that at the time I did not understand. Later I learned that the letters I dreamt about spelled “Allah” or “God” in ancient Arabic. That dream gave me the courage and confidence that I needed to not only paint, but make painting a part of my spiritual journey, and to courageously share it. I say courageously because although I studied art for many years growing up and I come from a physical lineage of artists, I was always terribly embarassed to paint. I started painting a few years ago and those that saw my paintings did not take them very seriously, they laughed and mocked my style. The problem was that so did I. I stopped out of the shame that it brought to produce what others and myself judged as less than “beautiful” pieces of art. I do believe that there is a time for each aspect of us to unfold, and that time served for me as a budding that needed time before flowering.
A few years later I find myself here in the UAE, with a new life in my hands (pun intended!). After teaching several Reiki masterships before departing, I felt the depth of the attunements deep within my soul. A deeper level of awareness was arising within me. A new form of expression was emerging, one that could not be shamed by the good opinion of others, one that required compassion to arise within me for me, one that would lovingly put any previous fears or shame to rest.
The dream of Allah served as the bridge, and I started to paint right away. In my half awake, half dream state I usually receive lessons in painting. I am taught how to make shapes, what colors to use, what images to produce. The canvas awaits me every week, revealing new images, new colors. Pieces sometimes start in a certain way and then I am guided to change them and transform them into something else. My soul is invested in every piece. I always begin with the Reiki invocation and allow my hands to lead the way. I sometimes am guided to find images that will serve as guidelines to the inspirations I have dreamt. It has been a most magical and inspiring time upon this journey!
Last month I was encouraged by a fellow artist to participate in a gallery expo in Dubai and for the first time the pieces went for sale. Upon the opening ceremony, I was mesmerized to find myself amongst other artists in the beautiful space where the work was being exposed, being interviewed and photographed by the press. It was interesting to observe it all from a higher awareness, I was seeing it as if looking at myself in a curious movie, and wondered how it was all happening, without any previous planning or conscious awareness of what was to unfold. It reminded me that the angels always ask us to dream big, and allow “them” to work out the details. That certainly was my case here, for had I thought a few years back of exposing my own paintings in a plush gallery in Dubai, I would have discarded the dream as absolutely logically impossible. Yet, here I was, here I am.
I enjoy every painting I make as well as the tremendous challenge that it is for me to create shapes and forms and harmonize colors. I feel my grandfather’s presence with me when I paint (he was a very gifted classical painter), I feel his encouragement, his inspiration, patience, and his compassion.
The paintings are simple, they are deeply healing, yet primitive, they are the expression of an aspect of my soul. I have been guided to post them in different places and I know that they will bring healing to whomever feels touched by them. I know that there is a higher purpose to this aspect of the journey.
That is how ARIEL ART was born, I have no clue how long this phase will last or how it will unfold, but it is here now, and I am so blessed by it. I hope that you will be blessed by it too.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. And as I write this I think of all the beautiful souls that I know in this incarnation. My heart is grateful for each one of you. May we celebrate peace within our hearts on this day, and the joy of connecting with each other across the miles, as One. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
And so I leave you now, with a special note of joy in my heart, as one of my sisters arrives tonight to spend part of the holiday season here!
Blessings always,
May you be surrounded by the phyiscal and spiritual presence of love,
Ariel