Guided Spirits: Weaving Spiritual Insight into Creative Expression
When I was a teenager, my mother introduced me to someone who could perceive beyond normal senses. He told me about a spirit guide who was helping me on my journey. My mother often reminded me, “We have angels around us all the time.” When I asked what a spirit guide was, she explained they’re similar to angels but more personal. Spirit guides provide guidance, advice, and support throughout your life, often connected to your spiritual growth and path.
This spirit guide, named Five Feathers, became a quiet yet comforting presence in my life. While I trusted he was there, I longed for a deeper connection. I wished I could see him as the person who told me about him could, but at the time, my mind’s eye didn’t reveal that insight.
As I grew older, I could feel a presence guiding me through many adventures, but I stopped actively searching for Five Feathers. It became more about trust, a quiet knowing that I wasn’t alone.
About 40 years later, I started painting and created a piece featuring five feathers. The act stirred something deep within me—feelings I hadn’t acknowledged in years. That painting, which I titled “Guided Spirits,” felt like a bridge to that connection I had once longed for. It brought Five Feathers back into my consciousness. Since then, I think about him often, listening more intently for his guidance. He feels like the silent whisperer who wakes me in the middle of the night to deliver messages my conscious mind needs to hear.
Over the next five years, I felt guided in two directions: to continue my work in the healing arts or to reawaken my passion for the visual arts. I chose the latter, yet bringing the tools of love, intention, and healing vibes from my previous work into my creations.
In 2024, the desire to visually connect with Five Feathers resurfaced. I wanted to create another painting that represented him. One day, I asked, “How do you want to be represented?” A few days later, shapes appeared in my mind’s eye—a triangle with wedges cut into its lower left side, a small circle near the upper left corner, and a larger circle at the top of the triangle.
Intrigued, I sketched these shapes in my notebook. As I drew, the triangle transformed into a feather, and a spine/quill emerged, connecting the upper circle to the triangle. The spine started to resemble braided hair, weaving up around the larger circle. It felt deeply meaningful, as though Five Feathers was guiding the design himself.
Each time I redrew the shapes, more details appeared. A line emerged near the smaller circle, suggesting a shoulder and a delicate arm-like line emerged. “How strange,” I thought. “What could this mean?” I experimented further, adjusting the head’s angle and turning the hair into jagged, feather-like shapes. Slowly, the figure came alive—a combination of feathers, braids, and a mysterious presence.
Continuing to sketch, I looked at my hand for inspiration, holding it palm-up. Suddenly, the figure’s arm-like line curved upward, resembling a hand holding a sphere. This was it—this was how Five Feathers wanted to be represented.
Life got busy as we prepared for an October trip, but I took my sketchbook and colored pencils, hoping for downtime to explore this design further. On vacation, I created the first colored version. I thought to myself this is him, Five Feathers, but I had a deeper feeling that it really wasn’t. So I created four more, and each figure took on a unique personality or attribute: Service, Knowledge, Libra, Mercy, and the fifth remained unnamed.
At first, I thought these figures were channels of wisdom, drawing information from a higher source. Then I wondered if I was the sphere, connecting deeply with them. Eventually, I stopped overanalyzing and allowed myself to simply feel their presence and purpose.
When I returned home, I was eager to turn these ideas into paintings. I completed one, Valor, but something about the colored pencil medium captured their essence in a way painting could not. Unfortunately, I don’t consider myself a colored pencil artist, so I began exploring new ways to bring these guides to life.
Some of you may know I closed my business in the healing arts mid-December 2024 to pursue art and enjoy life. When I was working I always wanted to take classes held by the local art guild, but never had time. After looking through some of their class options I also found out they have a colored pencil sub club. I’ve attended one gathering so far, and it’s been refreshing to explore this medium.
For those who love oracle cards, my goal for 2025 is to create a deck called “Guided Spirits.” Each card will represent a guide’s personality or attribute, offering insight for your day or week. I’ll share the process of creating these cards on Instagram @desert_art_vibe, and by year’s end, I hope to find a venue to exhibit the original collection alongside their stories.
This journey has taught me to trust my creative instincts and listen more closely to the quiet guidance that’s always present. I look forward to sharing more of this journey with you.
Wishing you an amazing 2025,
Wil