I took a yoga class on January 2nd with a new teacher. Soraya teaches Kundalini yoga, using a gong and card decks to add dimension to the class. She mentioned that 2018, in numerology, is a year of Mastery.

Mastery sounds extremely important on the surface.

Mastery is fluid. It’s not easily pinned down, nor is it an endpoint.

Still, a year of mastery sounds exciting and I quickly thought, "This could be MY Year”! Whatever that means.

As Soraya guided us in a meditation, I felt blue butterflies encircling my head. Could this be a sign of Mastery? After all, butterflies have transformed from caterpillars into an entirely new state of being.

Did you know that while in the cocoon, caterpillars turn into a messy goo that resembles neither a caterpillar nor a butterfly? If the process is interrupted, the butterfly never forms.

Similarly, if the cocoon or chrysalis is tampered with while the butterfly is emerging, the wings are deprived of nutrients and never fully form. The struggle to emerge is essential to the proper growth of strong wings.

All this is a preamble to my latest Tree Diva: Mastery and Mystery. She was first imagined in that January yoga class.

I began painting her January 10th, a day that was filled with frustration. I knew I wanted to begin this painting and I was afraid to start — how could I possibly live up to her potential?

I felt frustrated and frenzied. My time was tugged in different directions by tasks that “had to be done” that day.

I finally shoved paperwork out of my way and just began to draw her — with my eyes closed (that’s a first). I started with her left arm; I wanted her energy to enliven the painting right from the start.

Of course, I erased and redrew parts of her before I was ready to paint, but for the most part, she came together smoothly.

I was excited to see her healthy root structure! This is the first time a tree diva’s roots are showing.

Having a strong foundation is essential for life.

I recently started to work with a personal trainer at the gym. I’ve been experiencing some problems with my right hip and decided this is the next step in my healing process.

My first goal at the gym is to strengthen my legs (my roots). I’ll continue to take yoga classes as well to maintain and enhance my flexibility. Both are necessary for continued vitality.

Reaching a goal once is not Mastery!

Replicating our achievements more than once, and then moving our target out just a little further, keeps us moving toward mastery.

I’m not ready to claim mastery, and will continue to work with the mysteries of life.

I love the magic!

I met her at the beach, Bellows Beach, one of the most beautiful long beaches on Oahu.

She stands stately and tall at the beach’s tree line. She’s been standing there for decades, maybe even a century.

Her limbs are outstretched, soaking in the morning sun and daring the trade winds to try to blow her down. They don’t, they invigorate and strengthen her.

Fearless, she relishes her position on Earth. Her wisdom runs both deep and tall.

She knows who she is and she knows her worth. She trusts the world will provide all that she needs.

Time spent in Mother Nature nurtures our spirit. It reminds us on a deep, often unconscious level, that we are a part of the natural world around us.

We’ve built so much on top of Mother Nature, and often marvel at that part of the world too. But that’s not the part we turn to when we need to feel revitalized.

When we need to “get away and clear our head” we turn to Mother Nature. Like a trusted companion, ever present, yet often ignored, she's always there for us.

Perhaps that’s why we call her Mother.

Mother Nature factors into most of my art. She’s even the inspiration for many of my abstract paintings.

Mother Nature catches my eye. My imagination transforms her energy onto paper. Look closely and you will feel her there.

Art is a natural form of communication. Art speaks to us on conscious and unconscious levels.

We fill our homes with living plants and often share our space with a pet (or several) to keep Mother Nature nearby.

Art is another way to keep Mother Nature close —one that doesn’t need feeding.