The subject for
this chalk pastel is a literal scene taken from shamanic work I have done with
my students. The client of this work was
a herd of buffalo spirits of place in Buffalo Lake, Alberta. In dreams and forms of divination we were
shown that the buffalo were still part of the nature of the place, even though
now the lake edge was massed with summer cottages, boat ramps and recreational
vehicles. Their presence was strong in
winter, when all the human toys were stored away and the lake edge whispered
with the dry rattle of bare branches. We
understood the buffalo were starving because no one was feeding them by
remembering the beauty of their living there.
And of course as spirits, they could not die, but could continue to
starve.
In one of those
synchronistic moments of inspiration before leaving for Edmonton, I asked my
partner to make us some little arrows of wood, plus I cut some pieces of
doweling and drilled holes to fit the two together—knowing not what the little
boats were for.
Upon arriving and
settling in our guest house on the lake , my students and I realized that the
winter birds could carry our prayers as food to the buffalo, and so we set
about building boats full of seeds for the birds, that they would look kindly
on our request for their help. In order
not to build competition or jealous comparison into our project, which would
not taste good to birds or buffalo, we passed each boat to the next woman at
each next stage of its construction.
When all the boats
were built and filled by everyone, we took them to every kind of terrain we
could find so our prayers would fly in all the voices of the land. From high on hills, and in the tangle of
sedge and willow, and along the lake edge—we sailed our boats to feed the birds
who could carry our prayers of remembering to the buffalo. And later, it did
seem like everything moving among the empty, silent summer cabins that night
was warm and well, and had full bellies.
FEEDING THE HOMELESS
Custom fine art print on acid
free velvet art paper
with archival inks
17” x 11” (43 cm x 27
cm) unmatted….$190.00
shrink wrapped on foam core for
shipping
shipping included
To order contact Kristen at journeyoracle@gmail.com
See more shamanic art originals and prints at
