Three Creative Ways to Talk to Spirit in Your Art Journal

My art journal is a magical, spiritual tool—a place where art meets intention, my words become a bridge to spirit and my celebrations deepen my connection to nature. I do my deep inner work in my art journal. I align with the moon in my art journal. I practice magic and cast spells in my art journal. I celebrate the Wheel of the Year in the pages of my art journal. And I communicate with my subconscious realm and my spirit allies and ancestors in the pages of my art journal. 

Practicing spirituality in your art journal is about merging creativity with faith, using art as both a mirror and a map of your spiritual journey. It’s a practice that not only enhances your creative skills but also enriches your spiritual life, providing a colorful, tangible, and transformative way to explore and express your deepest beliefs and feelings.

Your art journal provides a highly personal space where you can explore and express your spirituality in ways that are uniquely meaningful to you. And it acts as a visual diary, documenting your spiritual journey over time. By creating pages that reflect your spiritual experiences, insights, or feelings, you create a tangible record of your spiritual growth.

It also offers a safe space to explore deep emotional and spiritual questions. By expressing these through your art, you can confront and process complex feelings that may be difficult to articulate in words alone. This can facilitate deeper emotional healing and spiritual understanding, as the act of creating art can unlock subconscious thoughts and bring them to the surface. I’m always surprised and amazed by what happens when I sit down with my art journal and the moon.

One of my favorite aspects of my art journal is how it becomes a bridge to spirit. It is where I can enjoy conversations with my spirit allies and ancestors. Trust me, your art journal can become a tool to communicate with the forces of love that want to support and hold you. 

Which is why today, I want to share three creative ways you can receive messages from your spirit allies or ancestors in your art journal.

Before I talk about that, don’t forget, if you want to stay updated on how to work with the magic of the moon in your art journal, sign up to my mailing list. Every Monday, you’ll get reminders of the moon’s energy for the upcoming week and how you can work with it in your art journal to practice magic, tend to your soul or do your deep inner work. You can sign up here.

It Begins with Timing

There are specific times that are particularly auspicious for connecting with your spirit allies or ancestors in the pages of your art journal. Here’s a list of some of them.

New Moon

Because the moon is not visible in the sky during the new moon, it symbolizes a time of quiet introspection, where the external world’s influences are minimized, allowing for deeper internal reflection.

The energy of the new moon supports diving into the subconscious, making it easier to tap into the spiritual and mystical realms. It’s a time when the veil between the physical world and the spiritual world can feel thinner, enhancing communication with spirit guides, ancestors, and other spiritual entities. The new moon’s quiet, introspective, and potent energy makes it a perfect time to seek guidance and wisdom from your spirit allies or ancestors. It’s especially a great time to set intentions with the help of your spiritual allies, ask for guidance or messages, and express your desires and hopes for the upcoming cycle. 

Full Moon

During the full moon, the moon is at its brightest and fullest, illuminating the night sky and symbolizing the illumination of things that are typically hidden in the darkness. This phase of the moon brings things to light and heightens emotions, making it a powerful time for revelation and deeper understanding.

The full moon’s energy is conducive to receiving clear and potent messages from the spiritual realm because it enhances psychic sensitivity and intuitive powers. It’s a time when your capacity to connect with the unseen is amplified, allowing for more profound communication with spirit allies, ancestors, and other spiritual entities. The full moon can act as a gateway to the spiritual world, providing an ideal opportunity for performing rituals, including art journaling, that seek guidance, support, or wisdom from these higher powers.

When the Moon is in a Happy Relationship with Mercury

When the Moon forms a trine or sextile aspect with Mercury, it creates a harmonious connection that enhances communication and mental clarity, making it another good time to connect with your spirit allies or ancestors in your art journal. These aspects are considered beneficial and supportive, facilitating ease and flow in activities involving the mind and communication.

When the Moon, which governs emotions, intuition, and psychic sensitivity, trines Mercury, the planet of communication, thought processes, and expression, it enhances your ability to articulate your feelings and insights. This makes it easier to receive and interpret messages from the spiritual realm clearly and intuitively.

You might find that your writing flows more naturally, your symbols are more meaningful, and the connections you make with your spirit allies or ancestors at these times are more profound.

Samhain

Samhain, traditionally celebrated from October 31st to November 1st, marks a significant time in the Wheel of the Year that is considered one of the most spiritual times of the year, holding a special significance for connecting with the ancestral realm. It is a particularly potent time for connecting with your ancestors in your art journal. The thin veil, the focus on remembrance, and the overall spiritual atmosphere of this celebration provides a unique opportunity to engage with the past and the unseen in a deeply meaningful way.

In ancient astrology and various cultural beliefs, Samhain represents the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, making it a time of transition when the veil between the physical world and the spiritual realm is believed to be at its thinnest. This thinning of the veil makes it easier to communicate with the spirits of the deceased, who are thought to be more accessible during this time to offer guidance, wisdom, and insight.

The energy of Samhain is conducive to reflection, remembrance, and honoring ancestors. It’s a time when people traditionally pay respects to their ancestors, remembering their influence and seeking their blessings. This makes it an auspicious time to connect with ancestors in the pages of your art journal.

You can use this time to create art that honors those who have passed, to write letters to them in your journal, or to record any messages or dreams that you feel have been communicated from the spirit world.

During an Eclipse

Eclipses are powerful times for transformation and deep spiritual work. In ancient astrology, eclipses are seen as gateways that open up new paths of understanding and intense spiritual experiences. A solar eclipse can bring about new beginnings, making it a prime time for initiating contact with spiritual entities or ancestors. A lunar eclipse, on the other hand, is about releasing and closure, making it ideal for resolving past spiritual debts and communicating with ancestors to seek wisdom and guidance for completing cycles.

When Mercury is Cazimi the Sun

In ancient astrology, cazimi is a term used to describe a planet that is very close to the Sun, within about one degree of it. The term cazimi means in the heart of the Sun. This condition is considered powerful and beneficial. The Sun’s immense light and energy can either overwhelm a planet or, in the case of cazimi, give it a special boost of strength and clarity.

When a planet is cazimi, it’s thought to be in a position of protection and power, as if it’s being infused with the Sun’s vital energy. Essentially, the planet in cazimi is getting a royal treatment, having an audience with royalty—the Sun—and receiving all its wisdom and power directly.

When Mercury becomes cazimi the sun, it signifies a potent moment of rebirth and renewal for Mercury-related themes in our lives, particularly commerce, communication, thought processes, and the way we exchange information.

Mercury is so close to the Sun it’s as if it’s sitting in the Sun’s throne, gaining a special protection and strength. During this time, Mercury is said to be purified by the sun’s ritual fires, offering us all a chance to cleanse our minds, reset our thoughts, and clear the slate to start anew. This purification process is happening during a retrograde period, which is a good time for reflection and review.

The cazimi moment gives Mercury full access to the sun’s wisdom, and this time around, this is happening in the sign of Aries—a sign where the sun is exalted!

Hello eye-opening ideas, clarity, wisdom, and insight!

The divine insight you receive with Mercury and the sun’s help can support you in making sense of everything that has been happening in your life. During this time, your capacity to receive messages and understand subtle signs could be heightened. In your art journal, this could translate to channeling messages from ancestral spirits with greater ease, clarity, and significance. You might find that your writing and drawing are more intuitive and flow more freely, capturing insights and messages that seem to come from a deeper source.

Now that you know some auspicious times you can communicate with your spirit allies or ancestors, here are my step-by-step suggestions for how to do that in your art journal. 

Here are three creative ways to talk to spirit in your art journal.

Preparing to Connect with Your Spirit Allies and Ancestors

Before we begin, let’s talk about the importance of preparing to receive messages from your spirit allies and ancestors.

Whenever you’re seeking advice, clarity, or insight from your spirit allies or ancestors, it’s beneficial to start by setting a clear intention and creating a sacred space – both in your body and in your environment.

Here’s a simple way to do this:

Clear Your Energy

First, take a moment to clear your energy. You can do this by taking several deep breaths, envisioning yourself surrounded by a cleansing light, performing a smoke cleanse, ringing a bell or spritzing yourself and your space with moon water. The aim is to let go of any negativity or distractions.

Set the Space

Next, you might want to place objects that hold personal or spiritual significance next to you and your art journal, such as crystals, photographs of loved ones, candles, or anything else that helps you feel connected to your spirit allies or ancestors.

Tune Into Your Body

Before you begin, take a moment to check in with how you’re feeling physically and emotionally. This can involve simply sitting quietly and noticing any areas of tension, discomfort, or emotional unrest in your body.

When your body is holding onto challenging emotions like anxiety, sadness, or anger, it can be difficult to receive divine messages clearly.

By tending to your body and emotions first, you create a more peaceful and receptive state of being. This might involve taking some deep breaths, practicing gentle stretches or movement to release physical tension, or using visualization techniques to imagine releasing these emotions. Some people find it helpful to write down their feelings or speak them aloud as a way of letting them go. Do whatever works for you in the moment.

Creating this calm and centered space within yourself improves your ability to be open-hearted and receptive to the subtle energies and messages that come through.

Let’s be honest, you probably won’t be able to address or resolve all the challenging emotions you’re feeling or the tension your body is holding onto in that moment. That’s okay. The aim is NOT to be in a state of complete emotional and physical tranquility or to reach some ideal of meditative perfection before you begin.

Instead, the purpose of taking a moment to tune into your body and emotions is about honoring and respecting where you are right now. By acknowledging your feelings and physical sensations, you’re not trying to force them away or achieve a flawless state of being. Rather, you’re giving yourself space to be present with whatever is true for you at that moment. This act of acknowledgment can, in itself, create a shift towards more openness and receptiveness.

Even if you’re unable to clear away all discomfort, simply by recognizing and respecting your current state, you create a more authentic and grounded starting point.

Approaching your art journal and your spirit allies with honesty and self-compassion opens the door to deeper connection and clearer insights.

Invite Your Spirit Allies or Ancestors

When you’re ready, formally invite or invoke the spirits you wish to communicate with. You can speak their names out loud, hold them in your heart, or write them down in your art journal. As you do this, clearly state your intention for reaching out. Whether you’re looking for guidance, an answer to a question, or simply to feel their presence, be specific about what you’re seeking.

Personally, I often do this step in my art journal by placing the names of the four directions and the spirit allies and ancestors I want to connect with in the four corners of my art journal page or by writing a letter to a specific spirit ally or ancestor and using that letter as the background for the art I’m about to create.

Surrender to the Process

After setting the stage, it’s time to surrender and trust the process. Let go of expectations about how messages should come through or what they should say. Trust that your spirit allies and ancestors will connect with you in the way that’s best for you at the moment.

Now that you’re prepped and ready for receiving divine insight and wisdom, try one or all three of the following techniques for receiving messages from your spirit allies or ancestors in your art journal.

Technique #1 – Collage a Story

This process allows you to tap into your subconscious and intuition, potentially revealing deeper truths and guidance in a creative and unexpected way. It’s a method of opening up to divine or ancestral wisdom, using storytelling and imagery as a medium for insight. Remember, the focus is on the process and the insights that emerge, rather than creating perfect stories or finding direct answers.

1. Write Down Three Questions: Start by having three pieces of paper of equal size and color and jotting down three questions you have in your life right now or areas where you’re seeking guidance – one question on each piece of paper. These questions can be things you’re troubled by or just aspects of your life where you need some support. Fold each piece of paper so you can’t see the questions and number each folded piece of paper 1 to 3.

2. Set Your Intention: Take the first folded piece of paper and place it in front of you without unfolding it. Quietly or out loud, set your intention by saying you’re doing the following exercise to receive answers or insights for this question. This step is about mentally preparing yourself to be open to the guidance that comes through

3. Find a Random Image: With that first folded piece of paper and the question it is hiding in mind, open a magazine to any page without looking for anything specific and tear out a random photo from the page you flipped to. The key here is not to overthink your choice; just pick an image quickly and intuitively.

4. Create a Story: Paste the image in your art journal. Look at the image you’ve chosen and let your imagination run free. Make up a story about what you see in the photo. You can paint, draw or write the story around the image. Don’t worry about making it realistic or logical; allow the story to flow naturally, even if it seems silly or irrelevant. The story doesn’t need to be long—capturing a few details in imagery or writing a short paragraph is enough.

5. Repeat for Each Question: Repeat steps 2 to 4 for each of the numbered questions, always choosing a new random image from the magazine and creating a story in your art journal without knowing which specific question you’re addressing.

6. Reflect on the Stories and Questions: Once you’ve completed all three stories, it’s time to reveal the questions. Unfold each piece of paper and read the question alongside the story you created for it. Reflect on how the story might relate to the question or offer insights into the situation. Consider what lessons or messages the story could be conveying about your problem or area of concern. Ask yourself what you think your spirit allies or ancestors might be trying to communicate through these stories.

Don’t forget, when you’re delving into the realm of the subconscious or receiving messages from your spirit allies and ancestors, the answers you receive aren’t always straightforward and direct. Instead, the insights and messages you get can be subtle, symbolic, or even metaphorical, speaking to you in a language beyond words. This means that working with and interpreting these messages requires a different approach, one that is more about feeling and intuition.

To effectively work with and understand the guidance you’re receiving, it’s important to pay attention to how you feel as the messages come through. A sudden sense of calm, a wave of emotion, or even a physical reaction like goosebumps can all be clues to the deeper meaning of the messages.

It’s also helpful to remember that these insights may resonate with you on an emotional, spiritual, or energetic level, even if your rational mind can’t immediately make sense of them. This is why it’s important to be open and receptive, allowing yourself to feel and experience the messages without the need to immediately categorize or understand them fully.

Sometimes you need to reflect and consider them over time. You might find that a message that didn’t make sense initially begins to unfold and reveals its meaning over time or as your life circumstances evolve.

Connecting with your subconscious or with spirit requires a willingness to listen deeply and to trust in the wisdom, even when it doesn’t come in the form you might expect.

Technique #2 – Scribbles and Scrambles

Let’s use scrambled words and phrases and your colorful scribbles as a bridge to the spiritual.  This method allows you to tap into your subconscious and the spiritual realm in a playful way.

1. Prepare Your Page: Start by grabbing your art journal and a pen. Write letters, words, or short phrases randomly across the page. Fill up as much of the page as you can with anything that comes to mind—these can be words you’re drawn to, names, emotions, places, things, inspiring messages or anything else. Don’t worry about it making sense at this stage. Just trust whatever comes to mind and add it to the page in a random order.

2. Intuitive Scribble: Once your page is filled, choose a marker in a color that resonates with you at the moment. Close your eyes to shift your focus inward and away from conscious choices. Think about the question you’d like to receive an answer for from your spirit allies or ancestors. Let them know you want to use the page you just created to receive their message to you. With your eyes still closed, use the marker to draw a random line or scribble across the page. The idea is to let your hand move freely without aiming for any specific words or areas of the page.

3. Discover the Message: Open your eyes and look at the path your line has taken across the page. Notice which words or phrases the line intersects or highlights. These are the elements of your message. Write them down in the order they appear or in a way that feels right to you, trying to form a coherent message or piece of guidance from the seemingly random selection.

4. Interpretation: Reflect on the words and phrases you’ve connected through your line. Consider how they might relate to each other and what message or insight they could be offering you. Sometimes the guidance is clear, while other times it may require deeper reflection and contemplation to understand its relevance to your life or question.

5. Repeat for Further Insight: If you have another question or area of your life you’re seeking guidance on, select a different colored marker and repeat the process. Close your eyes, make another intuitive scribble on the page, and then see what new words or phrases are highlighted. This allows you to receive additional messages or deepen your understanding.

This process leverages the randomness of scribbles and the subconscious selection of words to tap into insights that your conscious mind might not immediately recognize. Remember, the key is openness and trust in the process. The messages you receive may be direct or may require time to fully understand. Start by believing they hold the wisdom and guidance you’re seeking and go from there.

Technique #3 – Swirls and Twirls

This method is similar to looking at clouds and seeing shapes or images form. 

1. Start with a Scribble: Open your art journal to a blank page. Think about a question you want your spirit allies or ancestors to answer or provide guidance on then grab any writing or drawing tool you feel drawn to at the moment. Without any specific intention or direction, begin to scribble on the page. Allow your hand to move freely across the paper, creating loops, lines, and swirls. The goal here is not to make anything recognizable but to let the scribble be as random and chaotic as possible.

2. Look for Images: Once you’re done scribbling, take a step back and observe the marks you’ve made on the page. Relax your gaze a little and start to look for shapes, figures, or images that seem to emerge from the chaos of your scribbles. This is similar to finding shapes in clouds—what you see is highly personal and can reveal subconscious thoughts or messages.

3. Identify What Stands Out: Pay attention to any images that catch your eye or seem to stand out to you. You might see animals, faces, symbols, or other forms. Maybe you see just the hints of something. Draw, color or paint more details to make what you see really stand out and to complete the image.

4. Reflect on the Images: Think about the images you found and created in your scribbles. What do they represent to you? Consider why these particular images might have appeared to you at this moment. What could your spirit allies or ancestors be trying to communicate through these symbols? Each image can hold specific meanings or messages, depending on your personal associations or feelings towards them.

5. Contemplate the Messages: Spend some time reflecting on the possible messages or insights these images provide. You might find it helpful to write down your thoughts or feelings next to each image in your journal. Consider how these messages relate to your current life situations, questions, or challenges.

6. Trust Your Intuition: Remember, the process of interpreting these images is deeply personal and relies on your intuition. Trust the feelings and insights that come to you as you contemplate the images. The messages from your spirit allies or ancestors might not always be clear or direct, but they can provide valuable guidance and perspectives.

By finding order in chaos and meaning in randomness, you open yourself up to receive insights that can support and guide you.