The Clairvoyant Artist

Life holds endless possibilities for those that hope for something greater than their present reality of struggle and misery. If we dig deep enough we eventually come upon the keys that open the doors to our success and prosperity. But if we ever choose to stop digging then we accept defeat until we pick the shovel of hope back up. Many reach the grave never finding their set of keys. They tossed their shovels to the side and watched others dig. Some stop digging due to the influence of others or because they have lost vision and reason to continue. Yet there is always a small remnant within the crowd of diggers that never put down their shovels. With sweat on their brows and sore arms, they push until they have the ring of keys dangling in between their fingers. They prove victorious in a world full of defeat. Why? Because no matter how many breaks they took or how many times the shovel was tossed, they found a way to pick it back up and dig deeper.

Here outside of a famous art gallery on West 24th street in New York is a parked car. In this parked car is a highly sensitive artist. She is starving and discouraged. She is losing grip on her shovel while still attempting to dig. She is desperate to come upon the keys to her success. She is in a tight spot in her life. She's backed up on rent and utility bills. With three mouths to feed and no steady income, she is overwhelmed with the thoughts of failure. No one can see her inner turmoil. And yet she is choosing to dig at this moment. She is nerve-wracked at the idea of the gallery owner denying her a spot in the upcoming show. The art pieces that she has accumulated over the years sit in the backseat waiting to be examined and critiqued. Discouraging judgment runs laps around her mind in the voices of her relatives and friends. The same voices that told her to quit pursuing her art career and to find a real job. The voices echo with the memories of the many failed moments. Each that toppled over like dominos within the past weeks of tribulations. She couldn't catch a break and wondered how this will be any different. This art gallery is famous and her art is mediocre in her mind. She shivers a bit, refusing to turn the heat of her car on. She slowly creeps into a deep sleep. Deep inside the temporal lobe of her brain, the hippocampus activates a richly detailed hallucinatory experience. Sending her into a reality of white walls dressed in art pieces similar to those that sit in her backseat. She walks down a hallway that appears suddenly. Her art hangs within the hallway. The art aligns on the walls and begins to come alive. Each art piece begins to move and vibrate with sound when she passes by. She slowly walks past a framed image of a lion she painted with a golden halo behind him. The eyes of the lion begin to follow her before turning completely white. She hears a thunderous roar and then a growl. Then she hears a voice whispering to her. The words that she hears are gentle and soothing. They say, "We can spend all of our days worrying about the life we think we need, or we can live out today as if it's our last and make it count for eternity. This is the day made for us."

She continues to hear the same voice speaking even though she passes the lion painting and arrives at a new blank art piece. She looks up and witnesses a bright white barn owl soaring above her head. The majestic wings spread wide as it glides from the high heights of the white room. It suddenly dives out of the sky, into the hallway, and onto the canvas of the blank piece. The owl merges into the canvas and becomes a masterpiece of colors. The same colors of her oil pastel art piece of an owl in the backseat. The purples and blues move together in harmony as the owl adjusts into a perch position. The whispers become more clear as she looks into the owl's glowing blue eyes.

The whispers become louder and more audible saying, "Live each day as your last. We are all a work in progress, but we shouldn't use that as an excuse to stay where we are. The Universe has so much more for us when we are willing to practice doing what's right until it becomes a part of who we are. Don't let the times when we fail to keep you from continuing to walk out your dreams with hope. You need to grow so that you can tell others. When we know we don't have to be perfect, we are free. You are free. Look into yourself to find the answers you seek. Let your heart guide you. I wait patiently for you to pursue it with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. If you do, you will find what you long for. A new life." The whispers fade as she moves on to the next art piece hanging up. She hears the sound of wings fluttering as she approaches the canvas. The sound changes into the sound of a giant applaud from a large audience. The closer she gets the more visible the image becomes. Within the golden frames is a stern-faced Superman staring into her soul as he hovers. It was a replica of the custom piece she made for a friend a year back. The claps become the sound of his cape in the wind and the whispers began to grow louder once again.

This time the whispering voice becomes one of thunder and waterfalls, loud yet still soothing saying, "Compassion is a gift we receive so that we, in turn, can give it away. On this day you receive kindness and compassion like never before. Your dreams are bigger than you could possibly imagine. Let me give you a greater perspective. Your faith and hope, lived out every day, is not only for you. It is for future generations too. The prayers that you pray today will echo through generations that come long after you. Every hard choice that you make to follow your dreams helps to pave the way for those you love to follow. Every action lays a foundational stone for the next generation to stand on. Keep our eyes fixed on eternity, and your life will be driven by eternity. Your commitments will be a light to lead many out of the darkness. Do not doubt in the darkness what you know to be true in the light. Your life of hope and faith will be the foundation on which future generations will stand. This is my promise to you if you believe." The room becomes blinding white as she jolts awake. At her window tapping on the glass, is an elegantly dressed woman. The woman smiles when she looks at her and rolls down the foggy window. The woman says, "Hello there. I saw your marvelous art in the back seat. If you are here to show your art portfolio then please come with me. I'm the owner of the gallery you spoke with earlier this week. I am truly amazed at your work from what see." The young woman unbuckles her seatbelt and begins to grab her masterpieces one by one with a smirk of hope across her face. Remembering her vivid dream, she picks up her shovel and decides to dig deeper. Knowing that this time she will land on her ring of keys to prosperity.