Forget chucking the telly out the window, if you want to be the ultimate rebel, you'll REST.
Rest has always been an essential part of the life cycle, but with the advent of industrialisation and the rise of capitalism and consumer culture, endless growth and productivity are what we are told to aspire to.
But we discover at our own peril what happens if we get rid of recovery and rest. Our wise animal bodies function at a fraction of their capacity, or not at all without the time and space to rest. Rest is not a luxury, it’s a necessity, an essential. Time to assimilate and do nothing, with no agenda.
Winter is the natural invitation to go with the wisdom of nature and rest more. Hibernate like these Common and Banded Garden Snails. Bury yourself deep in your nest for a season, like the queen wasp.
The magic circle begins this spell. The pressure to be busy and productive is so pervasive in our culture it’s essential to have boundary, a protection to help us create a softer space.
The dark glossy leaves and blue reflections of the ivy and holly were a real challenge! They both also support so much life in winter when all else sleeps. The Holly Blue butterfly needs both the holly AND the ivy to survive. Ivy quietly clambers self-supporting in any plane, horizontal or vertical. Here they are also firmly outside the inner circle where all is still.
Mistletoe fruits in the depths of winter- providing valuable food for animals and insects. It's parasitic and grows in very satisfying pompom shapes in host trees. This piece came from an old apple tree. The whole plant is poisonous to humans but we kiss under it, as a symbol of fertility when all else is dormant in winter. Perfect to keep out of the inner circle in my Spell For Rest.
When everything else is dormant, the hazel blooms. They are my favourite flowers, TINY and bright pink. Surprisingly exotic but very easy to miss unless you’re looking and such an unexpected treat in the depths of winter. If you tap the tassels when they’re ripe on a sunny day, you'll be rewarded with an explosion of yellow pollen!
You'll find yew trees in most of the graveyards in the UK, they sometimes even pre-date the churches. The yew tree has been associated with death and the journey of the soul from this life to the next for thousands of years. Celtic druids saw yew as sacred and planted it close to their temples to use in death rituals being a symbol of death, but very much alive. Many churches were built on the sites of temples and Christian and pagan imagery and beliefs often mixed together. Yew trees can be thousands of years old! Sometimes known as the Everliving tree they can regenerate from branches that take root and constantly send out new shoots.
Did you know that snails hibernate? When the temperature drops they seal their shell and hunker down somewhere sheltered, often in groups. The take their cue from the temperature, so even though the studio was FREEZING when I painted these, the snails woke up from their sleepover during the drawing session, causing an emergency evacuation!
There are two types of native snail featured here, the Common Garden snail, which are sociable, hibernating in big groups for safety and the much shier Banded snail, which tend to snuggle themselves into nooks and crannies for the winter alone.
Many thanks to Jessica Law for sharing her knowledge and expertise about snails with me.
I was lucky enough to find this wasps' nest in my shed. It is perfect for the inner circle of my Spell For Rest. The queen wasp hibernates all winter and the delicate, intricate design and structure of the nest was too delicious not to paint. After some very careful investigation I was sure this nest was not inhabited and I began my session and YIKES, there was something MOVING in it! Turns out that the nest was acting as a hotel to some moths and a load of tiny mites!
Phew just got it finished in time to put it OUT of the studio.
Often it feels like we may need some magic to make rest happen. Rest is critical for our health and happiness but anything which is "unproductive" may feel very counter-cultural.
Let others carry on and watch their frantic madness from the comfort of your cocoon. It’s hard to go against societal pressure and you might need the support of this Spell to help remind you that life is not a race.
Rest is radical. Rest is where insight, inspiration and recovery are. Rest creates opportunity.
When and how do you rest?
Let this Spell remind you to stop and feel into the wisdom of the natural seasons of your animal body. You might just find that health and insight live there.
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See the whole painting process from start to finish in under 7 minutes HERE.
