I believe life to be a journey of the evolution of the spirit. At some point in the course of each person's life, something will happen that will bring about a 180 degree shift in the way he or she perceives reality. When this shift takes place, we begin to remember that the answers lie within us. We begin to take back our true power. We begin to remember that our purpose is to love. We begin to remember Who we really are.
     The journey of the evolution of my spirit has been one of great diversity, during which I have taken many a "road less traveled". In retrospect, however, there was undeniably a unifying spiritual thread tying all my experiences together: the theme of surrender. Despite being fiercely independent by nature, I have always recognized that the mystery of who I was, was not one that I would ever succeed in unraveling without divine intervention. Consequently, seeing the invisible, hearing the inaudible, feeling the intangible, and having unconditional faith in the inconceivable, were abilities that came naturally to me, rather than being strengths that I had to work to develop. But it wasn't until the ability to surrender became a conscious choice on my part, instead of something that I just seemed to fall into, that I was able to identify this "underlying spiritual thread" that gave integrity to my life, as being the power of grace.
     The power of grace, which is the divine energy of healing and transformation, comes through each of us in different ways, to differing degrees, and takes on different forms. I believe this to be neither accident nor coincidence, and that whoever is "directing" it knows our strengths and weaknesses, and uses each of us in the most wide-reaching ways possible.
     Grace, as it comes through me as an individual, takes on the power of awakening. On the esoteric levels, grace sometimes touches those in my life with a gentle caress or a lullaby; sometimes shrills like an alarm clock; sometimes awakens with a swift kick in the butt; and, as a last resort, sometimes works through me to dump others (and me right along with them...) into a bucket of ice-cold water, head first.
     The most dramatic physical level manifestation of the power of grace in my life thus far, has been the drawing of a large collection of pictures that I am absolutely convinced are the embodiment of the most powerful, yet subtle, spiritual energies available to mankind at this point in the evolution of our consciousness as a species. I did not just start drawing these pictures, even though at the time, it seemed as though that was what had occurred. One week before the process of drawing actually began, I had begun working with Julia Cameron's book, "The Artist's Way", and I believe that it was my commitment to doing the exercises outlined in this powerful course, fueled by the accumulated strength of ten years of spiritual discipline on a meditation path called Siddha Yoga, that combined to make me strong enough to surrender to the reality of being a channel through which new energies of transformation and integration could make their way into our world.
     For four years straight, these pictures were the center of my life. They evolved on a daily basis, and the deeper I got into the process, the more apparent it became that it was not "me" who was drawing them. Within four months, I was drawing non-stop anywhere from 6-8 hours a day. No matter how tired I might get, any time I would lay down and try to rest, I would "feel" the picture within me, taking shape, and demanding to be put down on paper. Just as any woman who has had a baby knows that it is impossible to say "no" to the miracle of childbirth, once it has begun, so, too, was it with these pictures. They were being born through me, coming into this world from some other realm, a realm of the spirit; and once the process had begun, I had no choice but to do my part in completing it. What was even more amazing was that, after a picture was finished, I would stand and look down at it, marveling at its perfection and its beauty, and then I would literally "hear" voices of all the other pictures, arguing amongst themselves as to which one would be the next one to come through me. Needless to say, this was all exciting, exhausting, humbling, and finally, energizing as, picture by picture, my understanding about what these beings , and why they had come, began to piece together.
     I am convinced that these pictures are a powerful catalyst for the kind of very real spiritual awakening that can help us to transform our lives. They are a mirror, in which we can see the reflection of our own soul. The energy they embody is alive, conscious, vibrating. You can actually form a relationship with any one of these pictures and use it as a tool to assist you in your own processes of healing and growth. I invite you to do so; in fact, I beg you to do so. Our world is in desperate need of individuals courageous enough to take on the challenge of awakening completely.
     Over a period of four years, nearly 350 of these pictures came through me. I never once made an outline and never drew a single picture that was not "perfect" for and as what it was. I consider them my "spirit children" and I love them with a passion. It is my fervent desire that they might touch your life as they have touched mine. They have a destiny all their own: they are here to guide us Home.
     In the sacred space of his or her own heart, each of us knows who we are and what we came to do. The fact of the matter is, it takes a lot more energy trying to be something we aren't, than it does to surrender to the truth of who we are. Meet your life from the perspective of being willing to remember who you are. See your Self in others.   See your Self in nature. See your Self reflected in the dancing colors of these pictures I have channeled. See your Self, honor your Self, love your Self, respect your Self, bow down to your Self. Above all, be true to your Self.
     As their channel, I am very intimate with the subtle differences between these pictures. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about the unique function of the energy in each one. It will be my joy and my honor to share with you what I have come to understand about them and their purpose.

Elizabeth R. Urabe

Spirit Art Medium