All about Co-incidences ! Here: the Path of Feathers

Re-blogged this from

A Journey with Art, Nature & Spirit

A Life Evolving

by Kate Zamarchi - Artist/Naturalist in Spirituality

All of 2009 and into 2010 everywhere I went from the East Coast to the West Coast – there was a crow.  On my front yard, outside my bedroom window, on nature walks along the shore, at distant places I traveled from Maine to California. There it was – "caw, caw, caw" working to get my attention. I'd look at it and it was like it's eyes were looking into my soul.  Crows indicate and are symbolic of change – and changes there were!  I am being transformed.  I am being called.

I did not just wake up one day and notice  - oh – I am different today. This has been going on my entire life but at a much slower pace.  And many times I did not even realize it was happening due to being caught up in 'life'.  Childhood, teenage drama, near death experience (more on this later), military, education, marriage, children, corporate career…  you get the idea.  Through all the phases… I have always been is an artist.  God, The Divine, Greater Spirit – what ever you choose to call it – gave me a gift.  This gift would get me through some tough times.  I was able to use it to spill my feelings out on paper.  As my spirit grew – so did my art.  For many many years – I only drew pencil sketches or pen and ink.  Color would turn to mud.  This was very reflective of what my spirit was like – though at the time I did not make the correlation.  As a young mother I started to look deeper within myself.  I began to read many books on spirit and women's spiritual power.  I blossomed and so did my art – the color was coming through!

Then jumping ahead to 1998 – I was introduced to Reiki. Pronounced "Ray-Key" – Rei = Spiritual and ki = Energy.  This again was such a blessing to my life.  I have always been 'sensitive' to the 'vibes' in a room or from other people.  For a long time I did not even know that I was picking up these feelings from outside myself.  I thought they were my own.  Learning Reiki and eventually becoming a Reiki Master Teacher taught me to understand this part of myself and others.  And gave me another gift I could share.  Our life force, our energy, our Spirit.

In 2009, eleven years later, my husband leaves for Afghanistan for a 12 months.  My daughters are 17 and 20 at the time – so pretty self sufficient. In addition,  I had been suffering from some neurological symptoms that the doctors could not diagnose.  I found myself with some extra time to rest and to think. During this time a series of synchronicity happened that put me on the path I am on right now. This synchronicity story is long – so again I will save it for another post. But bottom line – I put it out to the universe that I was ready to use and share my gifts in a bigger way.  But I needed some guidance on how it all fit together!  Art, symbolism, spirituality, reiki and my love for native american traditions.  And – boom – there it was – The Mandala.

I came across Judith Cornell Ph.D and her Mandala Process for Healing and ended up attending what would be her last retreat and training before she transitioned from her body.  This week changed my life forever.  Through this experience I had a very deep connection with Spirit.  I not only discovered but experienced Oneness with the Divine. Through this week of silence, meditation, vision and creativity – I knew who I was and what I was meant to do here on earth.  There was no going back now.  I returned home – gave my notice to a lucrative career of 20 years in the corporate world and began the newest part of my journey…. www.Golden Spiral Intentions.com

During the transition to this new part of my journey, I had a visit by my Guides during a Reiki session I was giving.  They had always been there – but this time – I saw their faces and they gave me their names – "Red Cloud Medicine Man" and "Sarah Rose".  I was surprised to see what Red Cloud looked like.  He was the spitting image of a bust I made of a Native American way back in high school. As I had this thought – he said to me – yes that was me – I have been with you all this time.  He told me that is was ok to incorporate my love of Native American traditions into my work.  He confirmed that even though I was not native american – I knew what I needed to and he would guide me.  Then Sarah Rose told me that she was going to be incarnated as my third daughter – which turned out to be a tubular pregnancy.  My tube burst  - I almost bled to death internally.  But she said it was better that she did not incarnate – she remains my creative muse.  Along with Spirit (God), my committee (spirits of departed loved ones) and the ascended masters, they continue to guide me each day.

This year the crow occasionally still appears, and I have had many personal encounters with dragonflies (renewal) and butterflies (changes of the soul).  But continually – I have been given gifts of feathers.  The photo above is the collection I have created just this summer and almost all  from my yard – fifty five of them!!! They will become part of a new collection of Bird Totem Art I am creating.

I had to find out what all these feathers were trying to tell me. Symbolically feathers mean ascension and spiritual evolution to a higher plane.  I also came across the "Path of the Feather".  Read this link – I could not put it any better.  This is what is calling me to be a Shamanic Artist.  All of the Art and the Healing practices I do is shamanic now.  The art must have symbolic meaning and healing power.  This path is of teaching, it is a path of creative healing art, it is a path of living life in a sacred manner and being connected to the living earth and helping to heal it.  It is about personal transformation and healing.

This is my first blog post.  I hope you enjoyed it and will follow me by reading my posts on my journey.  Feel free to comment below.

Namaste`