The Shapeshifter

9-15 September 2013; 'The Shapeshifter', Monday's intuited sketch from my soul with a message for the week ahead.

The shapeshifter surfaced as 'She with the fox mask' to say not all masks hide who we are. 

Some masks gift us the exact dose of courage we need to throw off what we have been using as an excuse to make ourselves smaller, less than and unloveable (first to ourselves then with others). These kinds (of kind) self-empowering self-strengthening masks remind us that we always have what we need, which includes courage to reveal our soul truth (first to ourselves then others). To shed like fur or hair that which we no longer are and give light to our vulnerability.

To be vulnerable is to transcend the heaviness that would have otherwise hid your you-ness (yes, first from ourselves then others).

To be vulnerable is to show up as yourself and let yourself be seen. She with the fox mask reminds us that sometimes showing up as ourselves means to hear the call from within that only we can hear. The call that guides us to retreat into our inner world and embark on a journey to our core. The more we familiarise ourselves with this inner path home, the more easeful and direct we can tap into the inner knowing that resides there. She with the fox mask reminds us to deepen this connection with the unseen world, that of our own intuition, inner creative force and the call for transformation into a new way of being from within. Deep inner work is concealed from the outer world at first and can appear as if little to no movement forward has or is being made.

Even in silence, solitude or at a standstill the inner creative force is always in motion.

This week, strengthen your self-trust. Trust with your heart. Trust with your you-ness. Trust that as you are changing, shifting and evolving from within, your outer world is also dancing to the same rhythm, shifting to match your new ways and vibration - as you show up more (and more) as yourself and let yourself be seen.

The more you allow your inner knowing to surface, the sharper it becomes. Like a fox, it is crafty for a reason because it is the stuff from which you shape-shift yourself from old and/or false definitions of self and into your soul's truth in the now (new) moment.

She with the fox mask has an additional note on fur and hair; They are ancient symbols of energy and fertility, and changing it can help change the expression of our own creative life force. Hence we feel anew with a hair cut or change, regardless of how subtle or drastic it is.

I'd love to hear from you. What masks have helped strengthen aspects within you? Add your comments below or be a part of the conversation on my Facebook Page.

Shine on, Jelena x

© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.

Permission is granted to share this post and images within it freely on the condition that the author is credited and this byline is included. Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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Pressure to Potential

Our whole self is born to be just that, whole. And so it constantly invites all our inner aspects to come to the party. There's always a group that don't need to be asked twice. Some arrive ease-fully with their party shoes on and ready to go. Others hesitate, wait by the door for further encouragement. There are those that check in with the rest to see what they are going to do before following suit. Then there are those that show up kicking and screaming. Ah, the ones who are on some level resisting (in that moment) to attend. All that resistance can create conscious and/or subconscious pressure. Which really makes them our diamond aspects. They so often hold the most illuminating of insights that at first glance can appear to be, well, bulky and cumbersome coal.

Our diamond aspects are super savvy at getting our attention. You might have witnessed them showing up in your own life as being; rowdy, mischievous, in the way, too loud, too much, too shiny, too independent, rebellious or stubborn. They are after all, very adamant that if they don't show up in these particular ways - we may very well miss their precious messages.

We can ignore our diamond aspects, push them aside or try to tune them out. Like really, really try. But when you are truly ready for or are in need of their deep wisdom, try as you might they will do their best to be seen. Before they fully come to the party, which they secretly wish to do.

It draws upon our deepest courage to pay attention to where we most resist our wholeness. When we do pause to listen in whatever way calls us, we create the space for our inner diamonds to reveal their true brilliance.

It is in opening to the gifts of our diamond aspects that activates their highest potential - of assisting us to be more of who we really are. Fully and whole.

And, as a bonus it's what gets them to the party.

Diamond aspects surface in divine time. We can not force them to surface, though we can invite them to be more clearly seen. It is a life-long journey to embody more of our wholeness. Trust your own flow.

I'd love to hear from you. In what ways have you noticed your diamond aspects surfacing in your life? Add your comments below or be a part of the conversation on my Facebook Page.

Shine on, Jelena x

© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.

Permission is granted to share this post and images within it freely on the condition that the author is credited and this byline is included. Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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A Super Full Moon

The super rainy weather may have blocked the view of the Super Full Moon here in Sydney tonight, but not its gifts and effects.

This Full Moon in the earthy sign of Capricorn is an ideal time to pause and reflect on your recent emotional growth. To embody the full expression of who you are, means to allow the self to release all that you are not. One layer at a time, one old belief at a time or one self-sabotaging thought at a time. As the moon grew full, you may have been called to tweak or completely redefine what it is you desire to do right now, whether within your home, relationships, family, life or work. As an added bonus, this call very likely arrived with an invitation titled 'Out with the old!', this includes old ways of thinking, feeling and being that simply do not fit anymore.

To honour your journey wherever you are at, here is super-loving Moon Mantra;

I truthfully see how I respond to life. I loving release all I am not. I love all of who I am.

Shine on, Jelena x

© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.

Permission is granted to share this post and images within it freely on the condition that the author is credited and this byline is included. Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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Your Highest Path

Imagine there's a path to the highest vision of your life vibrating in the ethers. It's there for you right now. Are you on it, near it or feel far from it? What if you knew there was no right or wrong way to reach it? That all roads can transform into it when you ask and allow the self to receive?

What might it alter if you knew that the path to the highest vision of your life existed beyond self-made beliefs and limitations? That it's there for you if you believe in destiny and that all things are predetermined. That it's there for you if you believe life is an exclusive free will experience. That it's there for you if you believe that you are a co-creator of your life; creating, choosing and deciding as you go along. Perhaps aware of a higher force taking care of the who, what or where, but knowing it's completely up to you in how you choose to deal with and move through the things that show up on your path.

We can concern ourselves that we've fallen way off track. That we missed a turn that will never present itself again. That we made the wrong decision. Or moved in a way that our present self might feel uneasiness, disappointment or regret about. What is for your highest good is unencumbered by lineal time. Where a choice was made that your present self now questions, the lesson or gift is there for you when you bless not blame your decision. Where your soul desires to manoeuvre, a missed opportunity will present itself in another way. If not, trust your soul desires for a new experience and allow yourself to be present to the new opportunities that present themselves.

Far from an ordinary straight line, our life path is an extraordinary synchronised kaleidoscope of many roads. 

The roads we can journey on are vast and varied. The road of our dreams. The road of our fears. The road we have been told or taught to travel upon. The road we think we ought to tread. The road of struggle. The road of liberation. The road of anxiety. The road of peace. The conscious road. The unconscious road. The road we are walking to avoid another road. The road of our true self. The road of our false self.

If your road had a name, what road are you on right now? Giving it a name acknowledges the path and empowers you in the now. Name it with self-kindness, sans judgement. If more than one name surfaces, you might wish to journal out your response. Or artwork out your path with your pencils or pastels.

There's always a gift on your present road. Whatever road you are on, you can invite in the path of self-love. It is key to transforming all and any roads into the path to the highest vision of your life. 

I'd love to hear from you. In what ways do you know when you are on your highest path or far from it? Add your comments below or be a part of the conversation on my Facebook Page.

Shine on, Jelena x

p.s. Kalvin and I came across this silver heart beside the road while out walking this morning. We loved it. He especially loved that is shimmered. Like a beacon of light reminding him of our inner guidance. He reckons it's divine stuff when we develop and maintain a conscious connection with our inner guidance. He says no matter if you call it your intuition, your soul, your higher self, your gut instinct, your authentic self, your wise self, your heart or your divine life force. He says what matters is that we allow ourselves to trust the higher power within us. The more we trust its guidance, the greater our ability to accept the roads (and stories) we have come from. Acceptance gives us permission to set down the load of yesterday. Allowing the self to hold the beauty found within and on our path today. Like, say, a shimmering silver heart.

© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.

Permission is granted to share this post and images within it freely on the condition that the author is credited and this byline is included. Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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You are a Meaning-Maker

For those of you who know my blog you know I love to share with you soul-nourishing creative good things and deliver self-empowering invitations via creativity and the written word to help you be more of who you really are. This week I felt guided to do that in the form of a more personal story.

I was searching for a particular tiny notebook I had bought in Milan, Italy after spending a month printmaking in Florence in 2006. I looked all through my studio, in my craft boxes, on my shelves, in my drawers and in the cupboards. It was nowhere to be found. So I took to my art supplies storage space under my house yesterday. I still didn't find it. Instead I did come across a stack of blank watercolour papers that had belonged to my mum, Miki Mrkich (1951-2002) . She was an artist, amongst many brilliant things, who allowed me to find my own way as an artist too. In the ten and a half years since she transitioned, these precious papers were still blank, waiting to be used for something fabulous. As soon as I saw them again, I knew what they had been waiting for. My 365 Acts of Creativity project. I'm already two months into it, creating in a beautiful red art journal. Yet I kept sensing that my project wanted to be in another format. Holding the watercolour papers in my hand I knew their purpose, to be the canvas for all 365 pieces. This means quite a few already completed pieces are going to go through a rebirth and transform as new creations. Quite apt really, for the Year of the Snake. Shedding layers to reveal new layers.

This afternoon I placed the papers on the lawn and lay down amongst them. Grateful that creativity - be it through art, craft, photographs, videos, music, voice recordings, hand-written notes, letters, postcards, poems, hand-painted plates, hand-knitted socks, hand-quilted blankets, hand-beaded jewellery, family recipes, hand-planted mulberry trees or any other creative imprints and expressions - gives form to our essence and when shared with others, allows a part of us to be with them in the present and in the physical when we pass on.

Some may say, 'But it's just blank paper, there's nothing on it.'. True. There is nothing on these papers. But they hold a lot. They were my mum's and as such hold a deep meaning to me. They mean the world to me.

As with anything we own, create or do ~ what touches us and can immeasurably shift us the most is the meaning that it holds or the meaning we give it. Whenever we wish to make or create anything for ourselves or another, it is an opportunity to create greater meaning in our life right now. From my soul to yours I say, "Get your create on!".

Your view. If you like this post click LIKE, add your comments below or on my Facebook Page.

Pass it on. Here is a ready-to-go prod for you to share on Facebook, Twitter + elsewhere on the web; You are a meaning-maker, http://ow.ly/i5SV9 via @jelenamrkich

Shine on, Jelena x

p.s. Kalvin dove straight into the papers and hopped from one to the next imagining they were stepping stones. Kalvin says life is a journey of stepping stones. Some stones are more challenging than others to travel across. Each one carries its own experience, which can include; joy, sadness, laughter, tears, easeful~ness, frustration, clarity, confusion, expression, suppression, stillness, movement, wounds, healing, anxiety, liberation, grief, peace or gratitude. Each step holds value, purpose and meaning. Each step is what leads us to where we are. And when we acknowledge where we are at, we allow ourselves to be more of who we are. Kalvin says wherever you are at, express your brilliant self. It's beneficial for your whole self and your sense of wellness. And as a bonus, one day someone who loves you just might one say thank you for it too.

p.p.s. For details on my 365 Acts of Creativity project, see the postscript here.

© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.

Permission is granted to share this post and images within it freely on the condition that the author is credited and this byline is included. Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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Signs on Your Path

Creative Nudge Fridays is here!

Welcome to nudge #13. It's a sign, let's Post-It.

We can wait for a sign to show up on our path or listen to the signs that are on our path right now. Waiting can feel a bit like holding our breath as we wonder 'Is this a sign? This? Maybe that?' or 'When will I get my sign already!'. Waiting often means there is a presumption of what that sign ought to be, which can set ourselves up to miss, dismiss or doubt the signs that are showing up and feel disappointed if it arrives in different packaging to what we expected. Listening to the signs on our path gifts greater guidance in the now, enhances our ability to receive and opens up a more creative space of being.

Here is a nudge to help you tune into the message of your signs. Think about your past few days. What signs have showed up for you? Which sign stands out the most? Ask yourself, 'What message does it have for me right now?'. Then, write the message (or a reminder of the message if your message is a lengthy one) on a Post-It Note and stick it up where you can see it all weekend; on the fridge, on a mirror, on your bedside table, in your bathroom, on your computer, in your car, in your day planner or use it as a bookmark. Write it on a few Post-its and stick them up in more than one location. If you like, get creative with your Post-It, turn it into a mini collage or artwork.

Note, if nothing comes to mind when you think about the signs on your path at the moment, consider what has been synchronistic, felt like a co-incidence, seemed like shear luck, a happy accident or a random happening.

To remind yourself that the signs on your path hold meaningful messages, take a photo of your Post-It, then use the pic as your screen saver or wallpaper on your phone or computer.

Your view. If you like this post, click LIKE or if you give the nudge a go, please let us know. Share a pic with us on my Facebook Page, or add your comments below. I'd love to see your Post-It images! If you share your Post-It images on Twitter or Instagram, let's use the tag #creativenudgefridays so we can find you.

Pass it on. Here is a ready-to-go prod for you to share the nudge on Facebook, Twitter + elsewhere on the web; Get your creative on! Tune into your signs; http://ow.ly/hZxju via @jelenamrkich #creativenudgefridays

Shift from the waiting bay to activate the receiving stream in your life. See the sacredness in the signs on your path right now.

Create on, Jelena x

© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.

Permission is granted to share this post and images within it freely on the condition that the author is credited and this byline is included. Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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365 Acts of Creativity. Let's Do One.

Creative Nudge Fridays is here!

Welcome to nudge #6. The arrival of a new year is a brilliant time to begin new things. 

This week I've embarked on "365 acts of creativity", a creative exploration for my year ahead (details below). 3 down. 362 to go. This weekend join me on the