Mystique - Prints available at www.spiritofhorse.com

“Mystique”

“I will rise from the fires of adversity
Alight with inspiration and purpose.

The light of my intuition
Dispels the darkness of doubt.

With a courageous heart
I move forward and trust
That love conquers all.”

~ Kim McElroy

Midnight Mystique was a black arabian colt born to author Linda Kohanov’s mare, Comet.  He was only on this earth for a few brief days, and he crossed over quietly on the night of the new moon.  His powerful spirit left its impression in many hearts.   I created this painting for Linda after a vision I had about Mystique, in which I was given the image of a phoenix, in a powerful symbol that portrayed his spirit in the elusive elements of fire, air, and smoke – black against black – like the night of a new moon.

“The rose in the fire symbolizes the daily round of human passion intersected by the divine, so that what could be meaningless suffering is transformed into soulmaking….”  ~ Marion Woodman

Everlasting Shades of Amber

I challenge you to keep your heart open

And know that love is eternal

Release your fear and gallop with me into the unknown

Life is unpredictable

So keep moving forward

Dance with your inner tiger in fierce and joyful play

The riches of your life are in

The gift of each new day

And the treasure of love in your heart

~ Kim McElroy

Shades left the earth to soon.  His owners knew of my art and felt compelled to contact me to ask me to paint his beautiful spirit.

I sit in meditation before composing a portrait, and during this experience I witnessed a vision of Shades emerging from a pool of water, accompanied by a playful tiger.  They romped and rolled, in complete joy, and the experience was so lovely I had to share it.  His owners felt comforted by the idea of his spirit in such joy,  and agreed that they would love for me to include the tiger in his portrait.  I found a perfect image of a tiger running in water, which complimented Shades striking coloring.  When I unveiled the portrait his owners were struck by the additional impact of the composition I had chosen to create.  Unbeknownst to me, the main feature of their property is a beautiful pond, which had strikingly similar features to the water I chose to paint, including the color of the water, and the grass going to the water’s edge.   They told me also that Shades was unusually attracted to the water, so much so that when ridden in the shallows he was inclined to want to roll.  The vision and portrait gave them the feeling that he was communicating his memories and the message that his heart was happy.   These amazing experiences always fill me with awe and joy, and remind me once again that we are all One.

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“The path of Life can contain what may seem like detours
What may look like dead ends…
Yet in any journey there are countless crossroads
We must watch for them

When we turn down a crossroad,
We can leave behind our goal
Thus, not knowing the destination
We may find what we seek”

~ Kim McElroy

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Path Fulfilled Insights
This painting is a Soul Essence portrait created of a mare named Kaylaa. I asked to understand more about her to convey her Soul Essence to her owner Nicole, and also for any information that she might need for her own self as well.

I envisioned Kaylaa as an Afghan tribal horse.  Her task was to carry her rider with an important message to a distant tribe.  But somewhere in the journey – I saw sabotage.  Enemy hands took her halter, and what she carried was taken, but the saddlecloth was removed and left in the dirt. From Kaylaa I felt a sense of loss at not being able to accomplish her task.

I felt Kaylaa needed to believe that she had accomplished what was needed.  So I decided to envision her arriving in triumph to the allies.  A great crowd gathered and called out greetings in ululations of celebration and pride.  She was so proud, high stepping.  The tribe honored her with a gift – it was a cross within a circle. I asked if Kaylaa could receive the wisdom from an animal totem, and the Carrier Pigeon appeared.  This guide was so appropriate to her goal.  I saw Kaylaa in my mind’s eye standing proudly with the cross around her neck, having accomplished her task and with a renewed sense of accomplishment and completion.

In my research for her painting I learned that In the Celtic world and sometimes in the near East, the cross-in-circle was meant to stress that it is ‘this world’ to which we are to return.  I researched Afghan horse culture and discovered reference to a tribe called the Uzbek or Lakai.  Lakai culture was intensely focused on horses and horse breeding.  I used a traditional ‘Da-our’ saddle cloth design for the border for Kaylaa’s painting.

The visions I have are sometimes very complex and I am amazed at the information I receive when I begin researching imagery that I see.  At every turn and crossroad through history and human culture, we find the horse has been there before.

My meditation with Kaylaa seemed to speak to other teachings I have enjoyed – from authors such as Richard Bach and Jane Roberts, who speak of time as network of interwoven relationships and that what we perceive of as “past” and “future” and “now” as all relative.  How powerful, to set the intent for a journey – by knowing there are no mistakes, and that we can also go back and choose a different path.

Power and vision and wisdom
Stirs within your soul as you remember the inner voice
Resounding as an echo
Across the still pool of time.

There is much to be done
To heal the wounds of the survivors
To seal the tombs of the warriors
And move on.

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Ancestral Wisdom Insights

This is a Soul Essence painting of a horse named Buck. Buck was in spirit when I was commissioned to paint him. When I meditated with Buck I asked him what his perception of his spirit is like. He showed me two colored ribbons or ropes – one royal blue and one red. They curved and flowed, sinuous and effortless. The blue seemed to represent emotional feeling and perception through a form of touch or sensing, and the red seemed to represent action, fire, and energy. The red could move, pull, or carry. The blue could caress, weave, and connect. I had the impression I could draw his essence this way – with these two colors both held side by side in one hand drawing the same strokes.

I asked if there was an animal totem that Buck could show me – and I saw a tiger’s paw – not the whole tiger but just the paw. This puzzled me for some time. My awareness was drawn to the mix of the extremely beautiful and soft hairs, surrounding the strong claws, the mix of tender and powerful, soft and sharp. At the end of the meditation – the word came to me what the definition was… it was the word Discernment.

The stones came to represent qualities of Buck’s human family. The circle Callanish was the feminine representation of Nicole, and the single stone – represented the masculine representation of John.

As I worked on the single stone’s designs – I realized that the lines of Buck’s portrait were very Celtic in design – with overlapping swirls just like the designs on this stone! I had created this not even thinking consciously of a Celtic theme.

“Avenger”

"Avenger" by Kim McElroy

Avenger Insights