Clouds as Inspiration

By: Mary Bartnikowski

Photographing clouds has connected us with the divine in our quest for seeing and breathing more configurations of sky paintings. Watching the sky unfold its power is a visual zap demonstrating how glorious each moment is. Within every cloud formation our cameras captured was the seed of divinity that sparked us onward. We feasted upon the ever-changing patterns that sun, rain and fog bring to the sky.

Our mission, that we decided to accept was to bring back these pure moments of inspiration that had been revealed to us in Bora Bora, California and Upstate New York to share with the world so that they too could experience the magnificence we saw without ever having to leave home or go through the agony of searching fruitlessly for lost luggage on a spinning carousel at the airport. Cloud Gallery is a trip halfway around the planet for those who need to be back in time for lunch.

Our hearts pounded with joy as we were given the chance to witness such luminous beauty as these clouds were being painted before us, infused with the divine. Snaking through the black wet sand of a beach in Tahiti at sunrise on my stomach tapped me into a power far greater than me and my camera. Sitting in pond water to photograph a lotus an inch away from the lense did the same thing to me. Dropping everything to climb to the roof of the house getting an unobstructed shot of a passing float of clouds has taught me that I can follow my heart's calling as long as I wedge the tip of the roofline between my knees while I photograph.

There is wisdom and truth in listening within to our own hearts. The nudges we receive, the whispers of our souls instructing us to leap now, say this, go here, do this -- those celestial urges that move us through fear and doubt to our highest ideal. Walking always towards the sparkle of our own passion.

As we photographed, each substantially resonant sky we were zapped with the beauty and power that lingers after following angelic guidance. This calmed our doubts about going beyond the limitations of our bank-balance for the greater glory of personally experiencing with our own eyes the majesty of the sun setting over the extinct volcano of Bora Bora as we watched aboard a 90-ft. catamaran gliding noiselessly in the cobalt-blue water of the lagoon. This is what burst our souls with celebration.

Now we want to share this beauty with others rather than holding tightly to the reins of fear; What will they do with it, how will they use it? We're offering only the shots that hold the most grandeur, not the less than spirited out-takes.

Make them a starting point for your own imagination to soar. Let each one speak to you. Write down what that peaceful voice inside your heart underneath the clanging of this hurry-up world says to you. Listen to the divine echos filling the sacred valleys of our lives. Let go and let the magic of heaven on earth happen to you by surrounding yourself with beauty, joy and laughter. Start now.

Huddling with the Angels

Here's a fun way to tap into angel power. Or if you want to call it, "the creative unconscious" go ahead. Call it whatever you want, just do the exercise! Write a letter to your angel asking specific questions and voicing concerns -stay pure. Then, settle in for a return answer. Start the letter back to you by writing; "Dear----, [whatever your name is] Now, open up your mind, your eyes and your hand muscles. Keep the hand moving across the page without stopping. Or if you are so inclined, a computer keyboard. Tune out the reasoning mind. Don't pause to analyze, edit or question. Dive down there into the ocean of unlimited artistic expression and see what you come up with. Your soul is trying to tell you things underneath the noisy clanging of this world. Stay quiet and listen. Tap into it!

Here's what came to me in one of my sessions;

Dear Mary,

Your steps toward us we meet with glee. Ask and you shall receive from us the answers to all your questions. There is nothing you cannot know or do. Any time you need comfort or protection, we are there for you to reach out to. We are a heartbeat away. Following our guidance will bring great happiness and lessons that are to be learned in this lifetime. Don't doubt the efficacy or content of what our messages are. Simply hear them, remain open to the whispers and don't condemn them with doubt.

Doubt is the worst scourge on earth. Its good friend fear will prevent you from undertaking the simplest of acts. Do not be held back by these perpetrators of evil. They are its biggest allys. We are more powerful than that. Rise above them with us under the soles of your feet lifting you to a new level of understanding and spiritual challenge. You are learning well the ways of walking past negativity. This has changed your life greatly and you are just beginning to figure out how. By leaving room in your life where the naysayers formerly resided, you have opened up your heart for us to flood into. By consuming yourself with the thoughts of naysayers, you weren't leaving enough room for us to come in. Now you know what a waste of time that is. Churning over the comments of negativity and identifying with them will only produce more of the same. Remain on the path of joy, staying on the flower brimmed pathways rather than straying onto the fields of despair just on the other side of the perfumed roses.

Your job is to steep yourself in positive acts, celebration, joy and laughter. Stick to these and your life will shine upon others to help lift them up. Your soul will be reminded of how the afterlife is a cosmic leap of clarity which can be affecting you now in a positive way. Plans have been made for you. With your free will of deciding to step directly onto the path of spiritual empowerment, all the happiness you can hold will be yours.

There is a voice inside you that you have always conversed with. That is us talking to you and you have heard us more clearly at times than others. Letting logical voices of fear and doubt affect you too deeply has been a stumbling block for you. Now you are starting to leap over the block like a wave hitting the shore. You simply must go after the spiritual growth that is yours by tapping into the inner-realms of power that you now possess. It is time now to take your place among the queens of this sphere. You always knew it was true since being a baby. Inside there was a voice telling you that you are a queen. Just because your family didn't get it, does not make it untrue. It is the same way now. When faced with the doubts of others, you now go inside to that sacred space where you know you are a queen even if they don't. Being who you are and expressing it says far more. Refuse to justify or explain your soul to people who are tampering with the harp strings of your heart. Do the things you want to do and play the songs upon your harp-strings that you are called to do. This is the purpose of life, to walk through the sea of fear to get to the other side. Banishing doubt along the way. You have no time for it. It is fun to throw off the strictures of convention and refuse to be tied down by those stale rules. You feel free because you are free.

Do not detain among the fields of desperation, your dreams. Refuse to lallygag among the ruins of other people's despair. You are building a new life with the bricks and mortar of joy and celebration. Move towards the light with people honoring that decision within you, rather than holding you back with jealousy and nonsupport. The time you have on earth before rejoining us in heaven is short. Make the best use of your time by deciding that you alone cannot change people. Work on yourself first and then give a helping hand to those who are less fortunate than you in uncovering their own sacredness. Always choose joy over fear, laughter over doubt.

Never hold your own glorious self back so that the ego of another person can be drenched in the spotlight of their own spewings . Behaving as a "lesser than" can ruin your health. We are all equals here, no better than the drunk-in-the-street who inspires others to do good deeds. Our fancy houses and cars cannot hide us for long. They are merely the trappings of a life lived in a world of greed. As long as these "things" are not an attachment, your soul can soar. As soon as your stuff becomes more important than soul growth or people, that's when the alarm sounds. Although it is more muffled in people who have replaced their inner wisdom for someone else's more "learned" opinion.

Never doubt the truth we speak to you. The pearls of wisdom that fall upon your inner ear are precious jewels from the other side. Do not sweep them away as if you have more important things on your mind. These are soul-stirrings of magnificent power designed to get you out of your chair and act or to get you into your chair and write. This, my dear Mary comes first, before the wash, the phone calls, the strivings for survival. Leap and the net will appear. Don't linger on the cliff of despair wondering whether or not to jump. This only reinforces doubt and a lackluster belief in your own power. There is such a thing as too much shyness, too much self effacing disbelief. True humbleness is seeing that truly we are all linked on this earth in a spiritual connection of constantly learning from one another. No matter how much money we have earned or stature we have achieved, there is the simple truth that living in gratitude and appreciation for the smell of sweet peas, the kindness of a stranger, the warmth of a friend is the depth at which we all connect in a circle. Joy in the simple things in life is the universal medicine for us. Getting caught up in the glamour of life leads you far from the beauty of nature, wiggling your toes in cool grass.

Always remember the power of returning to the beauty of a sacred garden. This is what we often need rather than a meaningless conversation with doubt. In the loveliness of a blooming flower is a renewal of life that says books full of heartfelt yearnings. Peace can come from a budding rosebush or a freshly sprouting green oak tree. Become an oak bough and you will feel it. Peace is yours.


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