Tag: #zen

Totem Animal: Flying Squirrel

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in Totem Animals, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

What a goofy, little critter. These strange creatures are unique from other squirrels as they have a flappy membrane from there front to their back feet called a patagium. This is what allows them to fly, or rather glide, through the air. They are clumsy creatures on the ground so the will try to hide until they can return to the tree tops for safety. Another trait that makes them unique is that most of them are nocturnal. The fact that they only come out at night led to the recent discovery that certain species glow under UV light. Their underbellies glow a vibrant pink. After learning about this, I had to draw one for my next totem piece, even though I’ve already completed a red squirrel.

The drawing came out so bright and crazy! It’s very different from my other totems. The pink is so vibrant, I wanted to make sure I captured that unique trait the best I could! The blue and pink work well together. It was a lot of fun creating this piece and I can’t wait to try even more wild colors in the future! Now on to the symbolism!

************************************

FLYING SQUIRREL SYMBOLISM

Flying squirrels over all have the same lessons to teach as all squirrels. You can read general squirrel symbolism in a post I wrote a while back first if you like. Then come back to this one for a cherry on top.

Because they are nocturnal, the flying squirrel is connected to the moon. The moon is a strong symbol for feminine energy and the flying squirrel is known for fertility in some Native American lore. These little critters also teach us about balance. Perhaps it is time to balance our energies in order to glide, effortlessly, though our day to day. Maintaining balance will help us remain fertile in life, not only meaning family but in joys and riches as well.

Flying squirrels have huge, buggy eyes in order to see better in the dark. Make sure that you are aware of your surroundings. Dangers could be right in front of you but if you refuse to see them, they will get you! Just like a hungry owl gets the flying squirrel. You may also want to check out Owl symbolism to see what could be lurking in the shadows.


************************************

I hope you enjoyed my latest totem and were able to gain some insight from the flying squirrel. Have you ever seen a flying squirrel? Share your story in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by this week!

Glide on, free spirits!

************************************

Sources:

Advertisements

Wacky Website

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in FSM Updates

Hey All! Just a little update post to let everyone know what’s going on with the blog. Last year, I upgraded my plan to the premium package through wordpress. It gave me access to more customization for my blog as well as some other perks. The plan is set up so you pay for the whole year outright which is nice because then you don’t have to worry about it for another year. Well, I made it to my one year marker for the plan so it is time to renew. Unfortunately, I won’t have the extra cash to re-up on my subscription for a couple weeks. Therefore, the customization I had set up on my site is no longer available to me until I do. So wordpress picked a random theme and stuffed my blog in it. Now things are all over the place and look wonky because it doesn’t match up to my premium theme. Understandable, yes, it just creates a lot more work for me. I got rid of some of the clutter already but I am not running through my entire website again and customizing it. I’m hoping when I re-subscribe it will go back to the way it was. So for the time being, please excuse the mess! I hope it’s not too wonky!

If you would like to support the blog and help it grow you can subscribe to my Patreon and receive totem animal cards and prints every month! You can choose any dollar amount you want to pledge starting with $1 and you’ll receive certain goodies based on the amount you choose! I appreciate every bit and all profits go into growing my art and blog. Thanks for your help!

I hope everyone is staying dry and warm in this weather which is just as wonky as my website! Thanks for stopping by this week! Check back next week to see my completed Flying Squirrel totem and learn their symbolism.

Carpe diem, free spirits!

Rhino What You’re Thinking!

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in FSM Updates, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

Hey Everyone! I uploaded the Rhino Totem to my Society6 and my Redbubble. The designs came out really cool! I am enjoying the Redbubble editor. It is so easy and user friendly. It doesn’t take forever to load like Society6 and I can change the color of the background on the editor which gives me a lot of options. I really like the red with the Rhino design.

Society6 has some awesome products though that Redbubble does not. I really like the yoga mats and the furniture is really neat too!

Make sure to give both shops a glance. They are each unique and different like these notebooks. The blue one is from Society6 and the red one is from Redbubble. Like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get! Plus the prices vary between the products. Sometimes one of my shops will be having a sale and the other won’t.

I hope you enjoy the Rhino Totem. There is so much available in the shops it’s crazy! Let me know what you think about each store and what you favorite products are. Do you prefer Society6 or Redbubble? Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Growth is key! Thanks for your support! All profits go right back into my art for supplies, equipment and helps keep the blog running! And remember….

Save the Chubby Unicorns, free spirits!

**********************************

Related Posts: Rhino Symbolism | For Sudan and Northern White Rhinos

ZenSquirrel WIP

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in Work In Progress, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

My latest totem is certainly one of the most interesting. The creature I was inspired to do this time is a flying squirrel. I know I have already completed the Squirrel Totem but I had to add this one to the collection. I recently read an article from National Geographic about the recent discovery that certain species of flying squirrels glow a vibrant pink when under ultraviolet light. Scientists are still trying to figure out why this happens and if it useful to the animals or not. The colors were beautiful with the hot pink in the light areas and a shade of blue in the darker areas. I decided I had to this for my next totem piece. I have the ink finished and will start the color on it today. With just the line art though it is already vivid and bright! It’s fun using different colors than I normally would. Especially pink which is a color I use the least.

Next week I will post the symbolism behind the flying squirrel. I wonder how different or similar it will be to a common squirrel. If you are interested in reading the article from Nat Geo, I posted the link at the bottom of this post. Thanks for stopping by today! Check back often for new work!

Shine bright, free spirits!

Squirrel Totem

*************************************

Related Posts: Squirrel

National Geographic Article:
Flying squirrels secretly glow pink, thanks to fluorescence

Totem Animal: Coyote

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in Totem Animals

The Coyote Totem came out very nice. I had a lot of fun with the different tangles and matching them with the coyote’s natural patterns. The colors were also fun to play with, using the different shades of copper, tans and yellows. I also added more of a background this time. With such a great pose from the coyote, I didn’t want it to look like the coyote was floating in mid air. The background is a design I came up with to represent the tall grasses the coyote will hunt in.

Coyote Symbolism

*********************************

The coyote is a very unique totem from the others I have studied so far. The coyote is a trickster. So much so that they will even fall for their own tricks. They symbolize self sabotage and making things more difficult for one’s self. If Coyote has presented itself to you be sure that you are not blinded by the obvious. You may be caught in disbelief of a stampede coming towards you that you allow it to trample you. Not believing what just happened, you’ll look again only to get struck once more by the same stampede. It is time to be aware of your surroundings. Are you being fooled by someone? Are you fooling yourself or others? Make sure you have not beguiled yourself and others into believing you know what your doing, when in fact you do not.

Do not be alarmed if Coyote has came across your path. Yes, Coyote’s medicine can be perceived as good or bad but it is still medicine. Coyote holds a great wisdom. Seek out this wisdom when you are down about yourself. Coyote wants you to be able to laugh at yourself. It may be laughter from pain or it may genuinely be funny. If you feel as though you have a flaw, shrug it off and chuckle about it. No one is perfect. If you wish to change that flaw then take the action needed to do so but do not fool anyone into thinking your perfect. Own up to who you are and do not let it bring you down.

Beware. Coyote could also be a sign that something may backfire on you. Perhaps you feel like everything you touch is going to sh*t. Or perhaps someone you have tricked in the past is looking to get you back. Keep a keen sense about you, like Coyote, to ensure you can escape any traps laid out for you. Especially be careful not to fall into your own trap! Do not play tricks on yourself and set yourself up for failure!

They are related to everything whimsical and everything funny. They teach us to stay light hearted and remember to laugh. The reason I chose to do the coyote totem next was because I heard them singing in the woods one night. When a coyote calls it may be because things are becoming too serious. They remind us to remain playful and view the world as if through child eyes. The world is a wonderous place and Coyote teaches us that anything is possible.

If you would like to dive deep into Coyote lore, I suggest checking out the book Native American Myths and Legends by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz. There are many great stories in it about Coyote’s magical feats and incredible powers. They are the masters of many skills. Although, they will often seek out ways to benefit without having to use those skills. They are not lazy, quite on the contrary. Though they come off as crazy and foolish, they can also adapt to any situation they are in and any environment as well. They are swift and have many tricks up their sleeves (if they had sleeves) to get out of trouble urgently.

Summary

*********************************

Coyote is the wise fool. They have powerful magic that can get them out of any predicament. Though remember that magic doesn’t always work. Do not fall into traps made by yourself and do not fall for anyone else’s either. If you are known to prank others, there might be someone around the corner waiting to get you back. Stay aware of the obvious and do not second guess what is right in front of you! Use your skills to adapt to your surroundings. Remember that we are all flawed, to err is human. So learn to laugh at yourself when you make a silly mistake. Embrace the true you and stop tricking everyone into thinking your perfect because you’re not. No one is. We just are. So have fun, stay playful and fill your eyes with wonderment. Just remember to not let that wonderment turn into a vale over your head.

*********************************

I sure learned a lot from Coyote! They couldn’t have showed up at a better time. Did you know their howls can be deceptive as well? When they yip and yap through the woods, their call will bounce off the trees. This makes one coyote sound like two and two sound like four and so on. Many believe this is a tactic used to intimidate potential threats that may be close by. Just another tricky prank they like to pull!

I hope you enjoyed Coyote’s Totem piece and were able to take some Coyote wisdom with you as well. Prints are available in both my shops @ Society6 and Redbubble! Thanks for stopping by today!

Keep laughing, free spirits!

*********************************

Related Posts: Coyote WIP

Sources:

ZenCoyote WIP

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in Sketchbook, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

Thankfully the snowstorm has passed and I can finally get back to my art! I started the color on Coyote and plan to have it finished this weekend. Coyotes actually have a diverse range of colors in there fur and it has been interesting pairing them together. I can’t wait to see what it looks like once it’s finished!

Also, I have been adding a lot of my work in my shops on Society6 and Redbubble. I am so excited with how my art looks on everything and it’s so much fun building my shop. Make sure to check it out. Yesterday I added Blue Jay Totem and I love how the tapestry turned out!

Thanks for stopping by! Stay warm, free spirits!