The Mysterious Spirit of Nature

This page is meant to offer more information about the cards that make up my oracle deck The Mysterious Spirit of Nature. Originally the cards were going to have a lot more information on them but I decided that I wanted to simmer it down and include only the very essence of each painting, in other words, I wanted to leave a little more room for mystery!

For those who would like to know more about the 48 paintings and drawings, this page is for you. I’ve listed each card in the deck (alphabetically) and in addition to the main message on the card, I’ve included a little commentary for each one. Please enjoy this expanded view.

Want to know more?

I made a blog post that goes into the backstory about the art in the deck here…

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Have you found this page and don’t yet own the deck? CLICK HERE to order.

Expanded Card Descriptions

Adventure

“Life is one great adventure in which the path is the destination.”

Long Way From Home (2019) 

The subject for this painting was a special request by a young fan with a deep love for dogs and wolves. 

I chose to show this girl at peace in her environment among the wild flowers of the forested foothills. The moon assuredly coaxes her on, deeper and deeper into the night in search of the magic of the forest.

Ancestors

“Your ancestors all live within you. Make them proud.”

Oma (2015) 

Your ancestors are all living within you, their influence is there even if you never knew them. This is a painting of a key ancestor in my life who had a profound influence on me. I have represented her here as anonymous to make the painting more relatable. 

Awaken

“Return to nature to find your source of unlimited power.”

Awake (2016)

Representing the merger of plant and human consciousness. The two meet at the center and create a new more evolved consciousness, depicted here by the open eye. 

A cornucopia of life and death swells around this newly evolved energy. I’ve tried to represent the balances of life and death as found everywhere in nature all around us. 

Balance

“We cannot evolve beyond nature.”

The Technology of Bees (2017)

The technology of hornets is fascinating to me, the way they build their hives, and work together as a single well-organized unit to ensure the survival of the whole. There is no individual in this structure. 

How might we learn from these magnificent little creatures? 

Brave Return

“On this day of your rebirth, what will be your first move?”

Brave Return (2018)

Inspired by a deep meditation in which I was witness to my own birth. If I were the guardian of my infant self, what would I teach him about living a full and well balanced life? We are our own teachers and may evolve beyond the trappings of our upbringing, if we allow ourselves. 

Breath is Music

“May your breath be in harmony with the earth.”

Breath is Music (2017) 

Everything alive is gifted with the breath of the universe. A cosmic rhythm connects us all. In our breath is the code of life. If you were to put a flute to your mouth and breathe you would hear it and even feel it, and the world around you would move to that music...

Inspired by the spirit of ayahuasca and the feeling of oneness that so often comes from that experience.

The Call

“The process of self discovery and rebirth will start with a great adventure into the unknown.”

Transition (2009) 

In my late 30s I found myself at a crossroads. While gazing out the window one afternoon, from my desk within a large corporate office, I realized that this was not the life I was meant to live, and most importantly the power to change my life was fully in my hands.

I knew I needed a change but I wasn’t sure exactly what, where or how, I only knew that I needed to change and that that change was not going to come find me, I would have to uproot my life and go looking for it. Furthermore, ‘now’ was as good a time as any.

And so I went looking…

Change

“The endless cycles of change and renewal bring freshness to life.”

Changes (2016)

In this painting I have also shown the balances of nature and the cycle of the four seasons represented in the branches that circle the nest. With each passing season nature teaches us a lesson in change. This necessary process of nature is about renewal and redirecting energies in accordance with the energies of the sun and earth.

It is useless to fight change. Let all just be what needs to be… you’ll be fine.

This is a significantly cropped view of this painting, click here to view the full image.

Circle of Life

“The circle of life spares no one”

Eye to Eye (2010) 

This one was the start of my fascination and ongoing pursuit of the circle of life and death as seen everywhere in nature. I wanted to make a painting that could show death and life in equal beauty, dependent on one another and in perfect balance. 

I’ve seen this painting make people uncomfortable. Some have said it was too dark, I guess because the skull makes them think of death. But the skull is also the seat of consciousness; the container for the brain…call it the ‘brain bucket’ if you will. Besides, doesn’t that sweet little bee, coming in for a landing on the flower of life offset the ‘darkness’ of the skull?

Concentration

“There is nothing you can’t accomplish if you focus on it.”

Concentration (2017) 

I think there is nothing we can’t accomplish if we approach a daunting task in a careful and thoughtful way. 

In regard to my painting process, I started to pay attention to how focused I was while I was working. Most of my life I was happy to throw caution to the wind and attack a canvas with wild abandon. But What if I didn’t do that? What if I slowed the whole process down and had the focus and deliberate movements of an animal of prey that must be fully present if it wishes to eat?

The painting process continues to be my most valuable teacher, and one of the biggest ongoing lessons is on concentration.

Conception

“Is there really any difference between destruction and creation?”

Conception (2019) 

From the collision of opposites comes all energy and from all energy comes life.

This painting is pretty straightforward. I wanted to paint the explosion of life-giving energy that two things experience when they come together.

And in that moment of creation, what is sacrificed?

Confidence

“Stay confident and know that the universe has your back.”

I Am the Universe (2016) 

Any living thing is a microcosm of the whole. This bear is standing upright calmly taking in his surroundings with absolute confidence and gratitude. In his chest is the entire universe in all its magical diversity: its balance of life and death and its self-sustaining complexity and beauty. 

This painting represents confidence and the act of standing up for who you are with calm peaceful assuredness. It’s also a self portrait.

This painting actually has a very long story. Maybe I’ll write that out in a separate place at some point…

Contentment

“Be thankful for what you have.”

Seeker Unto Death and Beyond (2016)

This memorial painting was largely going to be an ode to my mothers famous red hair. But then in the photo I was using for reference a small detail caught my attention: a cheap Timex watch on her wrist. My imagination started moving, what if she were a time-traveler, a being of no time or place, caught between worlds, stopping to rest in a prehistoric place while a tiny bee beside her goes to work establishing all life as it would be known. 

Again I chose not to paint the face. Inside the face is a swirling galaxy which I felt illustrated a timeless oneness, or the concept of no-self. My mother was no longer there in body but the energy that had embodied her was still omnipresent.

Courage

“In the face of opposition, stand by your beliefs.”

Friends? (2018)

This little painting was painted for my dad who has had a lifelong love for the identification and study of birds. 

I think it developed from the idea of him (the little red bird) being inexhaustibly curious about the world around him and always, no matter what the dangers may be, ready to go in for a better look.   

Creativity

“ Creativity is a healing force like no other. Trust your vision.”

Atomic Tree (2010)

This was one of my first paintings I made after a nine year hiatus from art.

It seemed to spontaneously appear one day, with no prior conceptualizing. It just happened, and thus the meaning of the painting is the painting itself, if that makes any sense. It represents creative conception. It’s the light bulb going off, the birth of an idea. You know that moment when you suddenly have an idea and you don’t know where it came from exactly but you know it’s a good idea? That was how this painting was born.

Atomic Tree represents a total reboot to my creative spirit and depicts a reborn sense of self confidence, wisdom and passion for the pursuit of creativity.

Divinity

“Remain in the light.”

Water Spirit (2018)

First I had a vision for the painting titled Forest Spirit (in this deck it’s the Unknown card) then I got the grand idea that I would paint the 5 elements (I still haven’t painted them all, they're coming I promise). Water Spirit is very much a companion piece to Forest Spirit. It’s not clear to me if they’re a couple, probably just friends. They’re definitely close.

If you’re wondering why this girl has a wing, the simple answer is that the Forest Spirit vision was of an owl shaman and since that painting was completed first, it’s influence crept into this painting.

Dream Big

“Dream big. Stay Humble.”

Big Dreams (2019)

When you are too small to know how big the world is, and you have no real concept of what your limitations are, are you capable of accomplishing anything your heart desires? The real truth is, maybe not. However that shouldn’t stop you from trying! I think that the reward is in the doing of something, not in the results of doing it.

I love this little frog, gazing into a world so vast... When you look up at the night sky, do you still wonder how it could go on forever? And if it doesn’t, how could it just end?

Since we will never know the answer to this problem, I like to think that the edge of the cosmos lies at the edge of our imagination.

Harmony

“Everything marches to the beat of the infinite universe.”

Friends of Blackberry (2015)

Inspired by the history of shamanic masks being used in story telling to represent non-human teacher spirits. 

In this drawing the Spirit of Blackberry presents itself to the viewer momentarily, freely offering the plants wisdom for our benefit, so that we may learn to live a better life in harmony with our life-giving earth. 

This drawing is part of a series of drawings that each represent one of the many plant teachers I find around my home in Washington State, for example fern, nettle and dandelion.

Hungry Earth

“ The infinite hunger of earth will never be satisfied.”

Hungry Earth (2019)

My mind is blown by the rate at which nature eternally digests itself in order to live. It feeds upon itself without hesitation and it has become clear to me that there is no clear distinction between life and death at all.

Nature does not discriminate, nature just is. 

Integrity

“Stand your ground.”

Sanctuary (2019)

In America we are experiencing a very tumultuous time. It is scary and fascinating and it feels like the whole thing is about to implode. And it may, but I remind myself that while I have no control over what is happening, I know what is right and wrong and in a corrupt system I will cast my vote by doing what I know is right. While I am just one tiny human, my actions have effects; my every action matters.

In 2019 we moved to a new home out in the woods. Soon after we were hit by a massive wind storm followed soon after by the biggest snow storm in decades... It felt chaotic and yet we never felt more protected. This tree, which stands on the property is a symbol for safety in the midst of upheaval.  

The Journey

“Face the unknown with fascination rather than fear.”

The Journey (2017)

At the doorway to a new dimension, you might want to pause to appreciate all that you have experienced up until now, all that you have learned and how it has made you who you are... 

Now, forget all that and step through the door into the unknown. A new life awaits you with yet more to discover, more to learn, more to grow into.  

This massive 4x4’ oil painting is one panel of two. There is actually another 4x4’ panel that shows what the lion is looking into! In the near future I plan to reveal that other half…stay tuned.

Law of Attraction

“When you follow your bliss the whole world moves in harmony with you.”

Law of Attraction (2018)

A bee’s love affair with the flower is so mysterious. How aware is the bee of the roll it plays in the world? Isn’t the bee just going about it’s business to sustain the needs of it’s own colony, and as a byproduct the flowers it relies on continue to thrive? But how can this advanced technology of nature be accidental? My head wants to explode when I meditate on stuff like this...

The Little Bang

“Have you ever noticed that the nucleus of a flower is formed in the same way as the entire universe?”

The Little Bang (2017)

Inspired by quiet walks around my neighborhood in Seattle where there were many beautiful gardens planted along the sidewalk. 

An incredible poppy flower caught my attention one afternoon; it seemed to glow impossibly from within. This brilliant and fragile little expression of mother nature contained all the fire and motion of our own massive solar system! It was nearly impossible. Even the unopened pods around the flower seemed to orbit it like moons.

Love

“Love is the only response”

Rose Shrine (2019)

In my art I have long been exploring hornets and their nests, but not bees. A little footnote here: Hornets do not pollinate. Their purpose in nature is not as clear as it is for bees and bees get most the love (and sometimes even credit for all life on earth because of the role they play in the cycles of life). Anyway, I was spending all my time with hornets and I felt it was finally time to paint a bee here. The Roses were there first and I kind of thought, what good is a rose without a bee?

You’re probably wondering what the heck is with the big geometric space portal huh? This kind of structure has appeared in several of my pieces, I think it represents the intelligent ‘programming’ of nature and perhaps also is a nod to the ways nature has inspired the minds of human beings, as is evident in our architecture.

The Moment

“On the eternal path of your evolution the moment you have been seeking is now.”

Encounter (2017)

This large charcoal drawing felt like it was a dream vision that unfolded as I drew it. It seemed to emerge from the page as a tiger might emerge from the shadows; slowly at first…

The tiger is not wholly of this world and her form seems to be rippling as she slinks from the shadows of the jungle.

I awake and try to remember the wordless message that she had come to deliver but I can’t hold on to it and it vanishes into the depths of my psyche. I may not be conscious of her message but the seed has been planted, her message is there inside me and I know that it is one of wisdom.

Mother

“Mind your mother”

Cosmic Mother (2018)

This painting shows the cosmos reflected in the face of a woman who’s hair flows out and into the infinite.

The feeling I’m trying to illustrate here is one of oneness, one of connectedness to all. There is no self. If you think that you are separate from nature you’re selling yourself tragically short. Mind you mother simply means, have respect for the all encompassing power of Mother Nature.

No Fear

“Face the things that scare you, and they will be revealed to be merely kittens”

Look Into My Eyes (2014)

After publishing the deck I realized that somewhere out there, there is an individual who’s worse fear IS kittens. If that’s the case for you, replace kittens with dandelion puffs or something seemingly harmless. The point is your fears are largely imagined and in fact can not harm you unless you let them.

In this painting I calmly face one of my spirit guides, ready to learn more about the intricate world too complex to know fully in one life…

This painting is about looking destiny in the eyes and saying, “I do.” 

Nurture

“Big things always have small beginnings.”

Germination (2019)

I’m fascinated with the fact that a tiny seed can lay dormant for ages given the right conditions and then when circumstances change it can come to life suddenly and transform from seed to a living organism imbued with consciousness! What magnificent programming a seed contains.

If it continues to receive what it needs, that tiny seed will grow progressively stronger and become a beautiful flower, a source of food, or even a mighty and wise old tree.

Original Nature

“Who were you before you were born?”

Origins (2015)

Inspired by my first plant medicine ceremony. I found myself in a dark womblike cave, and saw a perfect flame burning white-hot and motionless. It hovered just above the ground, tendrils of light grew like roots from the light that was downcast on the floor, they snaked out and branched infinitely and grew up the walls and ceiling, encaging me.

I later understood that I had witnessed the flame of my own soul. The source. In this well of purity was my original nature: the me which was unaffected by life experience, culture or language. I believe this well of energy is a universal source that is the origin of all life and is available to all.

This symbol appears many places in my art. Have you noticed it elsewhere?

Origins

“Allow yourself to evolve beyond the bonds of your upbringing.”

Mystic (2015)

A memorial portrait of my mother; her wild hair blends with the cosmos, surrounded by lilies, a vast field of stars contained within her. 

I saw her now not as my mother anymore but as a figure of the infinite cosmos, always there, yet never there. Her words hang on the wind, is she in the lone bee that shows up buzzing around me one afternoon?

Truth be told, she originally had a face but I didn’t like how much attention it demanded, and I wanted the drawing to have a wider appeal and so I blocked the face out and made it a star field.

Persistence

“Stay the course. Never give up.”

Revenant (2019)

I love the composure of these cats, their intelligence is generally evident, their physical beauty undeniable and the masterful way they can move through their environment is awe-inspiring. Have you seen the video? Look it up, they are magnificent beings when hunting. They can basically run down a shear cliff. I think they use their extremely long tails for balancing.

I can imagine this cat traveling a great distance through a difficult landscape and emerging stronger than ever.   

Phantom Limb

“Overcome who you have been, so that you can be fully who you are now.”

Phantom Limb (2014)

It is natural and essential for us to change throughout our life. In order to fully move into change we must leave much behind, we must let go of things that hold us back and keep us from fully transforming into the next stage of our life. This is not a loss because the space we move into next is abundant with all that we need to thrive…

I wonder if a tree might experience the same phenomenon that a person does when they loose a limb. The term is called phantom limb, and people report still having feeling in a limb that is no longer physically there! What this implies is very mysterious and I wanted to paint a “dead” tree that has retained an energetic body long after it was cut down.

Power Animal

“You are a bad ass. Own it.”

Power Animal (2019)

Elephants are deeply intelligent. All animals have some degree of intelligence but elephants are particularly interesting to me because of the way they have been shown to trust and work with people, despite the cruelty we have often shown them. I also find their well-known commitment to family very moving.

This painting is a blessing for one of my favorite earthly creatures, and a reminder to call on your inner strength when the going gets tough.

Propagation

“Within you is the unconditional and undying love of mother nature.”

Propagation (2017)

The plant represented here is piñon blanco, a plant that is said to embrace and uphold the heart in love and in light. 

I was in Iquitos, Peru a few years ago for a week of plant medicine ceremonies. On arrival I was interviewed and personally assigned this plant, which I was to work with during my stay there at the retreat center. Everyday I would drink a small amount of the plant, and in the evening we would drink ayahuasca.

On the final night there, this vision came to me, it showed me how integrated plants and humans can become and how we can learn or be influenced by one another. 

Radiance

“There is radiance in quiet devotion”

Radiance (2019)

What wisdom do the plants hold and how might they pass this knowledge to us? Further still, how can we learn to listen?

Inspired by the ubiquitous sword ferns that grow prolifically all over the woods of Washington State where I call home. No other plant feels more like home to me than the mighty sword fern which is certainly one of my great teachers. 

Rebirth

“From the flames you emerge, a survivor bound for new glory.”

Rebirth (2017)

In my drawings I was becoming increasingly interested in straight lines and the juxtaposition of shapes. I was struggling with translating this style to my paintings. Then I developed a method of painting with a ruler so I could quickly achieve long straight lines with a paint brush. This painting is the result of experiments with that technique.  

Rebirth started as a purely abstract work, and in fact for a long time the orientation of it was flipped upside down from what you see here. One day while working on it I decided to flip it over to see how a change in perspective would feel. When I flipped it I suddenly saw a birdlike shape that was more interesting. I never flipped it back. The bird was then slowly developed and brought to life. It’s remarkable what a change in perspective can do.

Resilience

“You are strong.”

Resilience (2016)

I painted this one as another exploration of my shamanic interests in dandelion and blackberry, two of the most common plants in the region I have called home for my whole life. Both are incredibly common and grow largely in places inhabited by humans. Both have much to offer in the way of medicine and also knowledge. Both are quite resilient.

Rise

“From the rubble of your past, comes the strength of experience.”

From the Valley of Bones (2018)

This image of rebirth was quickly improvised one afternoon in front of an audience of several thousand people at a late summer festival.

I had only a vague vision in mind when I started, I only knew that I wanted to express a feeling of rising above limitations and seemingly impossible challenges. Some giant entity is towering above the forest of dying trees, reborn from inner strength and sheer willpower…

Self-Knowing

“Gaze into the infinite well of possibilities…what is your true calling?”

Infinity (2019)

There is a great peacefulness when self-knowing is standing hand in hand with self-acceptance.

This vision came to me while playing a buffalo skin hoop drum. I saw the stoic buffalo, starring into the far distance, through time and space, into the infinite, knowing that through all of the fight and suffering and joy and returns, that it’s all just a feeling in the heart. How you respond to any situation is fully your choice.

Spirit

“The play of spirit knows no bounds.”

Element 5 (2019)

This painting started as an attempt to paint the air element but as it developed I could see that it wanted to become the element of spirit instead.

There is a nondescript geometric form that is just beginning to take shape in the particle-charged atmosphere of an earth-like realm. Even the stars are in alignment as it comes into being, as if it is a collaboration which takes the whole cosmos to complete.    

Symbiosis

“Symbiotic relationships are the only relationships because nothing can exist on its own.”

Bearer of Light (2018)

On my urban neighborhood walks I would see these two plants growing everywhere together; blackberry and morning glory. I began to wonder about this symbiotic relationship. Looking closer I could see that the morning glory was much too fragile to grow tall and meet the full sun without the aid of the blackberry. In return the blackberry was blessed with an increase in bees attracted to the large flowers of morning glory. It seemed like a mutually beneficial relationship.

As for the totem, I basically wanted to design a psychedelic totem pole. I had this drawn out on the board before I decided to bring it with me to a weekend festival up in Squamish BC. When I arrived I was shocked to see that I had drawn the mountains and crescent moon almost exactly as they appeared that night from my easel! Furthermore there was a very strong First Nation presence there that weekend and the totem pole felt very appropriate.

Technology of Plants

“Natures technology is infinitely more advanced than your smartphone.”

The Technology of Plants (2014)

The wisdom of the plant world has been known for ages. This wisdom was shared with humans by the plants themselves not with generosity but out of necessity. 

As deeply intelligent and impactful inhabitants of this planet we call home, it’s imperative that we understand the fragility of life, the workings of nature and the impact that we humans have on the world as a whole.  

This vision came to me in an ayahuasca ceremony and spoke to me about the merger of plant and human consciousness and how this merger was mutually beneficial and necessary. The Awaken card in this deck was also inspired by this same vision and was painted after this drawing.

The Time Is Now

“You are most powerful in this moment when you actively take part and present your best self.”

The Time is Now (2018)

This painting is about the power of this present moment. Between a plan and a memory, there is only the blissful  truth and aliveness of now. 

During an eclipse of the sun, when our great sun which powers all life on earth, suddenly goes dark as night, I wonder if in that moment, do the plants and animals know that it is only for a moment, or do they gasp in fear that this is the end? 

Wisdom

“Wisdom is learning from your experiences.”

Born From Water (2011)

You were born from a great ocean, vast, deep and unlimited in possibility.

I love the thought of molten rock gushing from the ocean and turning ever so slowly into a mountain over time. Is a tree any different, slowly growing from the earth, bigger and stronger each year? I was interested in the merger of these two ideas and painted this volcanic tree growing from the ocean. 

Like much of my work it also is a symbol for evolving consciousness. The water around the base of the tree is very turbulent, as if this event is still in progress, or we are witnessing a moment of action, of movement.