“Dragonfly Mystique”

A journey to a remote canyon waterfall where time appears to stand still is the setting for this shift in perception. In the summer of 2000, on a balmy
morning, my friend and I sat beside a tropical pool of water with lush ferns and cascading trickles of water. A giant iridescent dragonfly kept circling around me.
It traveled up the canyon and kept returning as if to say “notice me”! We realized that all the plants, butterflies and creatures seemed to grow very large in this
magical setting. We felt this energy vortex was a place for rejuvenation..…a powerful sanctuary. My friend stated that the dragonfly had a message for me because it kept returning.

Throughout that summer giant dragonflies seemed to circle around me
wherever I went. I wanted to understand the mystery and message of this amazing creature. After research, I discovered that the dragonfly is the messenger that one calls on to change a habit. I was trying to ignore the message. My perception was that the habit I needed to change was that I should work harder and faster. I was already overworked and had no desire to do more. I told my friend that “I was perfect, had no bad habits and that she was the object of the dragonfly’s message!" Each time I hiked the dragonfly hovered around ME. I became suspect that “I” was the one who needed to change a habit!

When I was alone and hiking the tallest mountain in Texas, a deer came closer and closer to me as if it had a message. On another visit to a canyon, a deer stared deeply into my eyes for an abnormally long period of time. I researched and discovered that the deer symbolizes gentleness in the Native American tradition. Many turtles began to appear crossing my path on the hiking trails. The message of the turtle was to be patient and move forward one step at a time. I still struggled to understand the dragonfly’s message. After eight months of creating this painting the message finally crystallized. The habit that I needed to shift was to become more patient and gentle with MYSELF and others and to move one step at a time. The message wasn’t to work harder and faster…