Behold The Clouds

Behold when we look up in the sky, what may we see.  We all look at the clouds in the skies in different ways, but this one really caught my attention.

I remember when I took the picture, it was just a bunch of clouds. After I downloaded the picture, I saw much more than that.

I'm not going to write it here, because I'll let you see what you see.  Perhaps, you see something different then me.  I'm not certain.   For now, the picture is energizing and uplifting to me.

Let me know in the comments below what you see in the picture.  How does it hit you?  I'd love to hear it and maybe if I get enough comments, I'll share what it is that I see in the clouds.

I Am No Longer Alone

Lately I’ve been in a very dark and depressed place.  I have been struggling with life, knowing that financially I’m pulling us down and the rope is running out.  It isn’t a pretty reality and so the stress had taken me to a new low of almost giving up.  Lately I’ve been struggling to just get out of bed and barely had the energy or desire to do that.  I’ve pushed away just about everyone that cares about me and I was pushing, my partner away.  He couldn’t even touch me.

The other day I finally opened up to him and shared with him just how bad I was feeling and doing.  I just wanted to give up.  I was at a point where I didn’t really want anyone to help me and I didn’t want to ask anyone for help.  I thought I could survive on my own somehow.  I thought it was weakness if I asked for help.  However, I finally got to a point where I knew I could not keep this up and thoughts in my mind seemed to be saying that if I don’t deal with this very soon, it was not going to be pretty.  I have no idea what that means, but I felt it.

It felt like an issue that I couldn’t call a person I normally would either because they were a male and partly because I was feeling so low and so much like a failure, I didn’t want them to see me that way.  While I knew that they would welcome me with open arms, I was feeling so low, alone and bad about myself, it was altering reality for me.  I wanted to hide this from everyone.  I finally kept telling my partner that I wished I could go see Kathi Angeli and after several days of that, it finally dawned on me that this is what I needed to do.  I had no idea how I would pay for it, but I knew I somehow needed to go. 

Will The Doors Ever Open?

Sometimes I wonder if the doors will ever open? I know deep down I am walking the path that I need to walk, yet it appears that the doors just are walls as I move along. It can get discouraging at times and really make me question if I am where I think I am.

However, events happen in our life that help cement and shed light on our path and show us that doors may be opening up around us. Many weeks ago, I remember pulling one of my angel cards on the iphone app (by Doreen Virtue). It said something to the effect and I'm paraphrasing that opportunities are coming my way but may occur different than I would expect them. I thought, okay that sounds nice and wonderful but well, I really can't see it. So in a way, I just dismissed it.

Then today, a couple of things happened that really gave me a glimpse into some doors opening. If I had not gone and done a few things lately that I have done, than this moment would not have occurred in the way it did. The events are completely different and are not remotely close but yet they were both traveling in the same direction. If you would have looked at each event independently, you would have not seen any connection.

It was very helpful and encouraging to have these things unfold a little today. More importantly, it was good to see them unfold in a bigger and broader manner. After seeing doors that looked like brick walls, it warms the soul to see a open ones appear. It is a moment that I am marking down as I walk my path so I will not forget it. It is a moment that I will use to help move myself forward and in many ways, that is the most important part.



Blog Post & Images (c) 2/23/11 Don Shettrly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

The Yellow Butterfly Angel

This is my journal recording of a dream I had this morning (9/4/10) about the yellow, butterfly angel. It is recorded as I wrote these things down. The flow of the words may be a little off, but I am typing this as I recorded it in my journal. The picture that is associated with this write up is what I painted this afternoon.

Just before my alarm went off this morning, I dreamed of a yellow butterfly flying around me. As I looked out a window that had a pasture of green grass over it, in my dream, the yellow butterfly continued to fly all around. It seemed to grow and take on the shape of an angel. When it stopped and landed, it stood upright. Its height was as least as tall as I was and it was looking directly at me.

The colors were magnificent. There were shades of yellow and almost like a red bow of ribbon wrapped around its mid-line area. The wings were unlike any thing I had ever seen. They were so rich, vivid and were full of so much depth. From various shades of yellow mixed in with reds, the image was so vibrant and full of energy. I felt protected, safe and comforted when I saw this. It was a very uplifting and positive image.

The image is unusually clear in my mind as I write this. It only came to me in my dreaming just before my alarm went off or so it seems. I am recording these moments right after waking up to make sure I do not forget any of the detail.

To me, this dream is significant, because lately I've felt the presence of an angel through a beautiful and gorgeous yellow butterfly that has visited me during my meditation times. I rarely see it any other time and it does not always appear.

There is no way I can easily describe this, but I get the sense it is an angel appearing to me much like the dream I had this morning. When I see the butterfly flying around, which again is rare, it is at the moments I've been asking questions in my mind or I just need to know I'm not alone.

I'm not going to try and analyze if this dream is real or just a symbol. The way I can still picture the vivid image in my mind after waking up is unusual for me. The sense of comfort and peace I feel is very much around me. In my mind, I know what I sensed and that's good enough for me.

Of all colors, yellow is one of my favorites but I've never seen these shades of yellow before that I saw in the image this morning. This yellow was so vibrant and so multidimensional. It matches the butterfly that I've been noticing lately. In addition to this, I was able to immediately record my thoughts.

As I record this, I feel a sense of peace, comfort and calmness coming over me. It is like everything I asked about lately is going to be okay. I can feel the lightness of my breathing almost as if I am peaceful, comforted and taken care of. The world around me looks so peaceful and calm right now. I feel that within my body, the tension in my neck, shoulders and back just let go.

The final part of the image from this morning was in the midst of the pasture of green grass where the angel stood, there was a tree growing. It was of medium height but so full of leaves and branches. It seemed to depict keeping myself grounded into the earth as well as showing me that I have so much courage and strength within myself.


Picture taken of the painting, The Yellow Butterfly Angel (c) 09/04/10