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Ravenari β Umiri - Local Land Spirit 01
Published: 2009-02-05 07:35:47 +0000 UTC; Views: 6832; Favourites: 250; Downloads: 0
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Description
Umiri(Paperbark grove spirit in Koondoola bushland)
01.
I'm moving house soon, and one of the ways I feel the land wants me to pay tribute to it before I leave it, is to draw some of the land spirits I've encountered. Now, these are land spirits I've personally encountered, not ones I've read about in books or heard about from people. So they could just be delusion. But they're real to me (I suppose that's what a delusion is).
I met Umiri in the Southern end of Koondoola bushland, reaching up to the skies to replenish a swamp that is, for now, dry and barren (the local government uses Koondoola's groundwater to provide fresh water to all of us, and thus there are no longer any swamps in Koondoola bushland). Umiri is a patron of that particular swamp paperbark grove.
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A4.
illo's board, fineliner, metallic and paint, pencil, acrylic, aquarelle.
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Comments: 97
may the spirits be pleased by your tribute 
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It's amazing that you actually saw something like that... Out of curiosity, I hope I'm not rude or anything, but how did you start seeing spirits?
Your art is wonderful
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It's not rude at all. As for seeing them, I probably started as a child, and just hung onto it. I was lucky to be raised in a family with a lot of different belief systems including those who believed in land spirits and in connecting with them
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Interesting! Have you tried communicating with any of these spirits? Are there any spirits outside what humans consider 'natural' eg. a 'town spirit'?
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In my practices as a shamanist, I work with land spirits on a regular basis (and if necessary urban/suburban spirits as well, including spirits of particular buildings or streets etc.) I speak with them (when I'm allowed/permitted, I am very insignificant to most land spirits!), and sometimes work with them.
But I think it's possible for all people who love nature to feel spirits of place - that particular thrill when in your favourite forest (or home), or even a sense of foreboding that says 'don't go here today.'
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And what do you say to them? Do you speak a specific language with them?
And what are those spirits doing, in their everyday life? (I mean, a man will work and raise his family, but what does a spirit do?)
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Usually I give thanks, or I might ask if there's anything more I can do to increase my connectedness with them / the land around me. As for a specific language, in animist spiritualities, a lot of references are made to the 'hidden' language. I know it as Nembhut. But my experiences are that most land spirits transcend our capricious human languages, and still make their wants/needs known if people listen.
A tree spirit is a tree, in its every day life. A mountain spirit is a mountain. Most land spirits occupy the land, just as we occupy our homes or our workplaces. But, I'm only human, who knows what many spirits do in their every day life. Land spirits though - based on their name - are connected and stay connected to the land.
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Hmm... So what is that a spirit wants/needs?
Haven't you tried to befriend one of them, to get to know them? Like, maybe a younger and more easy-going one? (Can you tell their age?? Do they even HAVE an age???)
Also, can these spirits shapeshift? (eg take the form of a tree or stone, or even a human??) And if so, can you tell them apart from non-spirit onjects/beings??
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this is pretty amazing. i really like your style in general
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beautiful, I love those spiral backgrounds and all the other texture created by the patterny designs, and the bold graphic quality of the rest work very well together.
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Thank you very much.
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I love your work....looking through your gallery....just incredible.
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This is stunning. Also i live in south australia and have seen spirits that look very simillar here.
I love this picture!
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Thank you! 
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Ah, this is sooo beautiful...the base of the spirit, the tree trunk part, reminds me a of a local tree that was, unfortunately, cut down in the past few years...it was one of the oldest and most prevalent spirits (for me) in the area. When I realized part of the spirit was within/was the tree, that popped up in my mind...
The depiction of the sky also brings memories to me.
It's just so beautiful! I'm sure I could find a hundred of my own stories within this piece, though I've never been to Austrial, let alone Koondoola, to encounter it's spirits.
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I'm sure you could. Local land spirits lend themselves to stories and story-making.
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Beautiful, I love the details in the background such as the swirls and the dots and i love how the blue fades into dark blue and the greens in the foreground... and of course I love how you presented the spirit. It feel very real. it almost reminds me of the forest god in princess mononoke when he is walking at night. very majestic. Amazing piece altogether
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Ah I love Princess Mononoke, its respect for land wights / spirits always makes me sooooo happy.
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And it's beautifully created as well 
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Absolutely, stunningly beautiful work.
I've been feeling bad for falling out of touch with what's going on with you; I've not been on LJ in a long time, and I feel as though I missed out on a lot of your wisdom. I'm going to try to be better about that from now on
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Aw, that's okay. We all disappear from the internet from time to time. Well except for me, I am the internets! *hugs*
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Wow, very nice work. I love the mood and atmosphere in this one - the way the spirit is reaching up is very well done, and I like the white circles in the background, they feel like they could be the eyes of more spirits.
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Thank you, I hadn't thought of the white circles in that way until you said it; what a beautiful image.
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Thi is gorgeous! The colours are so harmonious, with the red adding eerie, powerful charm to it. I'm enthralled.
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Beautiful and powerful! I have some (possibly delusional, but true to me) relationship with land spirits too. Faved it (:
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Thank you, it's awesome how many people have 'delusional, but true to them' relationships with the land. *grin*
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Wonderful job. Captivating, and tells a story with the picture (of course your own artist comments help as well)
I live in an area where there's virtually no nature to go tromping around in; a suburb of Chicago that basically has houses and stores as far as the eye can see. I've been waiting to get my chance to get out of this place and expand my knowledge base of more natural geography.
I kind of feel kindred with certain places myself; and can "get lost" in a forest without actually getting lost. It's nice to know there are others who respect the land and respect the energy of certain places - as well as having that someone be an artist who can represent their interpretations of said places...
I think that's what being an artist is about... telling a story or showing one's view of the world to the world.
Today, that has made me smile.
Thank you for sharing, and keep up the great work!!!
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Thank you! I really love connecting with the land / land spirits, even in the city, where I think certain buildings and places can take on a kind of sentience.
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In my head/experience, I wonder how much of the draw to buildings is the earth, and how much is past people who have been there... that's why cities are very 'noisy' to me ^_^ It's hard sometimes, being in the midst of that, be it natural or... paranormal
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Well if you're delusional, it's pretty f'ing fabulous delusions.
I love this. Heh... I also love that I'm not the only person who sees land spirits.
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*snugs* Yay for land spirits!
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I don't know what to say about this, except that I love it. Very haunting and somewhat sad.
I would love to be able to get into touch with land spirits, animal totems, etc, though my life is so hectic right now and I don't really know where to begin.
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Thank you. I find it very haunting myself when I look at it.
I'm hoping to write some articles about contacting land spirits soon; on my website [link]
Sorry to hear your life is so hectic! I hope it's in a good way!
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I've been lurking around your website off and on for awhile, I've found it very enlightening.
And yes, life's been hectic in a great way--been working on an independant film. Takes up almost all of my free time, but it's more than worth it.
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Ooooo independent film! What are you doing in it? My partner did film (camera-man), but I always liked script-writing.
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I'm building sets/miniatures and doing conceptual design mostly.
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IΒ΄m sincerely in love with this, especially the upper part.
IΒ΄ve experienced connection with land, too. ItΒ΄s a wonderful feeling, but hurts a lot when thereΒ΄s something wrong with it.
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Thank you so much!
And it does indeed hurt when there is something wrong. It's kind of like when a friend is ill, and you just want to help. :/
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