From Gretchen Del Rio: A prayer for these times . . .
watercolor 5/2020
Wakan Tanka, this night
I lift up voice and hands,
I ask for blessings for
those going through
tragic and hard times,
loss and lonliness, hardship
and pain. I pray for those
fourleggeds without a voice.
May they all feel your
Blessings.
….Crowwolf Douglas (Sunkmanifu Tanka)
A bit of post-holiday enchantment from the magical brushes of Zine friend, Gretchen Del Rio.
watercolor aceo 10/2015
From Gretchen Del Rio: Not just for kitty lovers!
watercolor aceo 11/2014
Celtic lore tells that many house fairies and spirits lived in the form of a cat.
Ultimate wisdom always from The BeZine friend, Gretchen Del Rio.
watercolor 11/2019
To walk the Red Road
is to know you will one day
cross to the spirit world,
and you will not be afraid.
Perhaps the critter equivalent of crossing boards. Lovely!
watercolor aceo 2010
Animals sometimes make friends with their deadliest enemies. I wonder why? I have two cattle dogs and a big black persian mix cat. As long as the cat doesn’t run the dogs leave him alone. My dog ‘Buddha’ actually nuzzles him with affection.
Buddha the Dog and his cat Hari Giri
Another gentle lovely from Gretchen Del Rio …
watercolor aceo 8/2014
T
The book, Who Speaks for Wolf was
written by Paula Underwood and
illustrated by Frank Howell.
Gretchen Del Rio, the queen of spirit animal art, brings us this charming water color of Buddha the Bear and a sweet story of Buddha the Dog … Lovely!
watercolor aceo 7/2014
I have a dog named Buddha. It seems to me as though he looks quite like a bear. He has a very expressive face and he is a stealthy fellow. Many years ago when he was disappointed with the way things were going he decided to chew up a few things. It wasn’t the all out destruction of puppies cutting teeth or boredom. In fact he usually never chewed anything. He was, however, a casual muncher at times. The problem was the arrival of the second dog….Maus. There was one particular little book that was always on a table in the living room. He took it off the table and chewed ever so delicately around the edges. Upon discovery he was reprimanded….”NO CHEWING BOOKS.” Right then and there the book was returned to the shelf. He watched the placement out of the corner of his eye. Next day he was chewing…
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Gaia, the essential mother, by Gretchen Del Rio.
watercolor 7×10 4/2014
she’s present
returned to bite through the umbilical of tradition,
to flick her tongue
and cut loose the animus-god of our parents,
like a panther she roams the earth, she is eve wild in the night,
freeing minds from hard shells
and hearts from the confines of their cages,
she’s entwined in the woodlands of our psyches
and offers her silken locks to the sacred forests of our souls ~
naked but for her righteousness,
she stands in primal light,
in the untrammeled river of dreams
the yin to balance yang
the cup of peace to uncross the swords of war ~
through the eons she’s been waiting for her time
her quiet numinosity hiding in the phenomenal world,
in the cyclical renewal of mother earth,
whispering to us as the silver intuition of grandmother moon
watching us as the warm vigilance of father sun ~
she, omen of peace birthed out of the dark,
even as tradition tries to block her return,
her power leaps from the cleavage of time
)0(
– Jamie Dedes
©2013, poem, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved
Illustration ~ this lovely watercolor painting by Gretchen Del Rio with its girl-tree, panther and other spirit animals seemed the perfect illustration for my poem on the spiritual return of the feminine. The real back-story on the painting is just as interesting. Gretchen says, “I painted this for a 14 year old Navaho girl. It is for her protection and her power. She sees auras and is very disturbed by this. She is just amazing. Beauty beyond any words. You can see into the soul of the universe when you look at her eyes. She has no idea. I loved her the moment I saw her. My blessings for her well being are woven into the art.” Such a charming piece. I posted it full-size so that everyone can enjoy the detail. Bravo, Gretchen, and thank you. J.D.
JAMIE DEDES ~ My worldly tags are poet and writer. For nearly six years I’ve blogged at The Poet by Day,the journey in poem, formerly titled Musing by Moonlight. Through the gift of poetry (mine and that of others), I enter sacred space.
Almost daily, Gretchen Del Rio takes our breath away with her mystical watercolors. Here: a lovely painting of Quan Yin, Goddess of Compassion, which Gretchen just recently added to her “Angels and Goddesses” collection. Jamie
The BeZine 