Mon's work in Deb's Natura journal

Deb's Natura journal was one I was hanging out to work in for a long time and yet it took a couple of starts to get into the flow.

 A while back while researching Nettles I came upon a passage from a book by Stephen Harrod Buhner ("The lost language of plants") that stated that Elder trees (Sambucus nigra) were keystone species and as such attract bacteria, mycelia etc. to them and "tell" the plants around them what to do and how to behave. They are the leaders of their plant communities.

Being a big fan of Elder I knew I wanted to base my entry in Deb's journal on it. Elder trees have a vast amount of folklore, superstition and of course also remedies written about them.

I chose to paint the Elder Mother sitting under her tree, teaching and guarding her "Queendom".

 

I added a charm to the spine of the journal with some handmade Elder beads from a stick from my Elder tree. They are fun and quick to make as the soft pith in the center is easily hollowed out.

I dyed them with alcohol ink and carved the Elder symbol "Ruis" from the Celtic Ogham in to the focal bead. There are a couple of Job's tears beads from the garden too and a needle felted leaf.

 I really enjoyed working in Deb's journal.

Natura - Louise's pages

What a beautiful journal with a glorious theme for Spring.
I am a keen gardener and I get that thing every spring

 where I need to get seeds into the ground, 

Spring Fever so my page was inspired by wonderful seeds. 

I have been playing around with seed themed elements

 for a while now, and they fascinate me.

Deb's journal is just gorgeous,

 I love her cover with its combination of painted papers

 and sewn fabrics, it is adorable.

I always admire sewing in a journal, 

it is something beyond me so I am always taken

 by its tactile and rhythmic qualities. 

This journal has so many sweet pages 

and this lovely girl being swept along 

by a leaf in the breeze is Debs entry. 

Sharon takes us right into her neighborhood

 and shares the gorgeous nature all around her.

Danielle has us pondering over a magical dandelion.

Nicoles beautiful pages really pop and I can almost smell that flower,

Jan brings in some texture and

 transports us across the world on her travels,

I love the roots growing down through the ancient bricks.

Roz's beautiful pages

 continue with wonderful texture and details.

This cute little owl  caught my eye.

Janene has bought her lovely layered texture into her pages.

I decided to do 2 pages as one page just wasn't enough

 and there were plenty of pages to play with

 and it is Spring after all !

All of that wonderful texture 

in the pages I had to add some as well.

My last page is inspired by Gaia
I used John Seed's Invocation from Deep Ecology
Council of All Beings

Invocation

"We ask for the presence of the spirit of Gaia and pray that the breath of life continues to caress this planet home.

"May we grow into true understanding — a deep understanding that inspires us to protect the tree on which we bloom, and the water, soil, and atmosphere without which we have no existence.

"May we turn inward and stumble upon our true roots in the intertwining biology of this exquisite planet. May nourishment and power pulse through these roots, and fierce determination to continue the billion-year dance.

"May love well up and burst forth from our hearts.

"May there be a new dispensation of pure and powerful consciousness and the charter to witness and facilitate the healing of the tattered biosphere.

"We ask for the presence of the spirit of Gaia to be with us here. To reveal to us all that we need to see, for our own highest good and for the highest good of all.

"We call upon the spirit of evolution, the miraculous force that inspires rocks and dust to weave themselves into biology. You have stood by us for millions and billions of years — do not forsake us now. Empower us and awaken in us pure and dazzling creativity. You that can turn scales into feathers, seawater to blood, caterpillars to butterflies — metamorphose our species, awaken in us the powers that we need to survive the present crisis and evolve into more eons of our solar journey.

"Awaken in us a sense of who we truly are: tiny ephemeral blossoms on the Tree of Life. Make the purpose and destiny of that tree our own purpose and destiny.

"Fill each of us with love for our true Self, which includes all of the creatures and plants and landscapes of the world. Fill us with a powerful urge for the well-being and continual unfolding of this Self.

"May we speak in all human councils on behalf of the animals and plants and landscapes of the Earth.

"May we shine with a pure inner passion that will spread rapidly through these leaden times.

"May we all awaken to our true and only nature — none other than the nature of Gaia, this living planet Earth.

"We call upon the power that sustains the planets in their orbits, that wheels our Milky Way in its 200-million-year spiral, to imbue our personalities and our relationships with harmony, endurance, and joy. Fill us with a sense of immense time so that our brief, flickering lives may truly reflect the work of vast ages past and also the million of years of evolution whose potential lies in our trembling hands.

"O stars, lend us your burning passion.

"O silence, give weight to our voice.

"We ask for the presence of the spirit of Gaia.

Deb's "Natura"

I have been very remiss and not had this finished and posted weeks ago.  Last night I was in the zone and the page came together and just flowed out of me.  Mind you I didn't get to bed until after 1 am!! But I was on a high and had to finish the page.  Now it is winging it's way to Louise for her entry in the journal.

I admit that sometimes I am at a loss as to what to put on a page that has a particular theme, and I guess I had lost a bit of mojo.  BUT it is back and I had soooo much fun creating this page!  I really believe that nature is one of God's special gifts to us.  I know when I feel sad I seek nature even if it is just my back yard, and seeing the birds and the beautiful flowers can give you such a sense of peace.

Here is my entry for "Natura"

Now with Mojo back where it belongs...bring on the next journal lol!!

Cheers

Janene :-)

Jan works in Natura

This was once again a lovely journal and it wasn't hard to feel inspired. I took my cue from places I have been where the land and nature is taking over again what man had altered.

I worked with acrylics and Inktense Pencils and spray inks. I added a feather that floated down in the back yard and attached some seeds and beads from Chile onto the spine. Hope you like it.