A few weeks ago I had my last workshop of 2020 at the Oak Park Art League. It was very different from most other workshops and classes I have offered, it was sold out, and it turned out to be a really special day. I couldn’t have hoped for a better way to close out this year – positive energy, an uplifting project, people connecting in an meaningful way, and with something so unexpected. Never in a million years did I think I would offer a workshop on making oracle cards.
In a year-long online mixed media class I took in 2017, one of the projects was making oracle cards. It was completely outside of my wheelhouse – I had never heard of oracle cards. I loved the project, though, and the cards I made stuck with me. I enjoyed revisiting them and quite a few of them eventually made their way into new paintings. Oracle cards mean different things to different people, but I see them as intuitive, uplifting messages to your future self, or visual ideas/messages/thoughts that you like to have around you. Some might even be creative seeds for future paintings. It wasn’t anything I had contemplated sharing with other people, as the subject is hardly an area of expertise for me, but then along came 2020.
As this year wore on, I felt it would actually be a really good thing to share with other people, especially after I mentioned it to one of my regular students and she got really excited about the idea. Then I mentioned it to other students and they got excited, too.
On Saturday, November 14 we spent four hours together, with candles and a Reiki master (my friend Tina), and people making beautiful pieces of art to lift themselves up. I am filled with gratitude for that day.
Something unexpected in a year of a lot of pain, suffering, and so much that is unknown, is that moments like that mean more than ever. I am so grateful for the people I’ve gotten to spend time with in this time of separation. It has been a year of loss, too, having said goodbye to too many beloved extended family members, an old friend, and both of our sweet cats. I feel more grateful than ever for life itself.
Wishes for everyone to have as peaceful and happy a Thanksgiving as possible. XO
