A walk with dear friends at the Rancho Los Alamitos in Long Beach was the original inspiration for the WIP piece I am temporarily titling "Magical Child." It all started with a photograph I took of my then 4 year old daughter at the base of a magnanimous tree near an adobe home the Nieto family built (sometime between 1800-1834) on a hilltop near the location of Povuu'nga land. I find a deep sense of awe that the tree roots into that hilltop location seeming to sing praises to the Rancho's most valuable resource of all, the fresh-water spring right below the hill. The trunk sprawls and gestures like an undulating landmark, mapping the presence of the spring as a sacred site. Each time I look at the tree with my daughter emerging from its roots, I feel transported to the realm of the Magical Child Archetype. I feel the same captivation whenever I interact with my own creative flow and remember my trip to Glastonbury with my visit to the fresh-water springs near the base of the Glastonbury Tor. Trees and other plant life have a way of communicating the presence of such sacred waters. In fact, the Vesica Pisces symbol in the well-head at the Chalice Well Gardens keeps flashing in my mind's eye as I venture into these Rancho tree portals that allow me to feel a reverent connection to Povuu’nga and Tongva sacred sites.
Fast-forward to New Years Day of 2022, when I took a different walk through Descanso Gardens with dear friends who treated us to an evening to celebrate our daughters' birthdays. Descanso is now featuring their annual "Enchanted Forest of Light" exhibition (on display until January 9th,) which is an amazing treat to behold. It is an interactive, nighttime experience, featuring a one-mile walk through unique lighting experiences created by installation artists amongst the most beloved parts of the gardens. As you can see, I was particularly awe-struck by the moon-like light with reflective waters and dancing trees lit by deep ultramarines. I plan to go back to visit and learn more about the history of the place, in particular, to visit the exhibit titled Full Circle: A Return to the Land, on display at the Sturt Haaga Gallery from Nov 13, 2021 to March 13, 2022. I look forward to learning more about the history of Toypurina, a Tongva woman who took a leadership role in the 1785 revolt against the San Gabriel Mission. I feel that the art I am currently creating is particularly dependent upon the interweaving of history, art, and ethnobotany.
Following this hunch, I have already discovered that deep listening to my creative voice can be hugely enlightening in revealing my divine purpose on this planet. I can derive and communicate a mantra of hope from largely unheard perspectives, which fosters a deeper understanding of how I can relate to the land and how I can accept my role and therefore sing my purpose as I traverse this Enchantress-inspired path of evolution from pre-European contact to the present time.
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