60”x48”x4” (cardstock on canvas)

 

On the Winter Solstice of 2024, I performed a quiet, emotional ritual in my backyard. I burned old journals I had written during the time of my head injury into ash. The pages were full of fear, blurry vision, desperate searches for solutions, and me trying so hard to stay positive. Even in my darkest moments, I forced myself into a place of healing. 

As I burned the paper and constructed this artwork, I focused on breathwork, chanted mantras, and listened to the teachings of Ram Dass. The burning became a meditation, a way to release what no longer served me and to make space for spiritual growth and healing.

Each flaming sheet of paper was then submerged in a tub of water collected from Wekiwa Springs, a sacred place to me. This act of releasing the past into naturally sourced water felt like a ritual of cleansing and renewal.

As another sacred act to honor my healing journey and the wisdom gained from it, I smudged the journal ashes onto the burnt paper as I constructed this artwork, infusing it with transformation and healing.

Like a phoenix, I rose from the ashes of my head injury. Though I am still in the process of healing, I am now stronger, braver, and more compassionate than I was before.

Sacred energies infused in the work: Fire, Air (breath work and chanting) and Water from Wekiwa Springs, Winter Solstice, Love, Joy, Wonder , Kindness, Compassion, Gratitude and Peace