Where did the tiger go?

Just because I am a medium and can “see” things doesn’t mean that I am skipping down a golden path lined with roses and chocolate, able to know without a shadow of doubt that everything will unfold exactly as I envision. I can see the future, yes. But it NEVER turns out exactly as I predicted it would. Never. Like, a Taylor Swift level of “never, ever, ever”. And yet, in my experience, it always works out better and for the exact right reasons.

Take my old studio, for example. I knew that renting the space on Frankfort Avenue was absolutely the aligned thing for me to do at the time. Notice I did not say “right”. I said “aligned”. My intuition guided me to that decision. My human brain then filled in the blanks as to WHY it was an aligned decision. I was going to have a booming art gallery! The aliens of SHINE were going to sell so fast I wouldn’t be able to keep up! Then I got an intuitive hit that the space next to mine would become available shortly after I moved into my studio (I was right, it did), and I was certain it was because I would become so popular so fast that I would need room to expand! But none of the things my brain conjured up as the reason why I signed that lease ever manifested.

Instead, I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I did not need a fancy studio to be a successful artist. I learned that I prefer to paint at home. I learned that I do not want to ever have to be anywhere on some sort of schedule. And I learned that I have so many friends and family who love and support me. My brain’s stories did not come true, but leasing that studio was absolutely the most aligned path for me and what I needed to learn.

I did a reading for a wonderful woman recently, and was reminded of a message I painted back in 2021 on my solo RV trip out west. Everything is FOR us. Even the “bad” things, even the “losses”, even the “failures”. I put those things in quote because they are not real. Nothing is either good or bad until you think it is. We don’t lose things, we change and grow and our surroundings reflect that. And failure? C’mon. It’s failure if you didn’t or weren’t willing to learn from the experience. I firmly believe that perception is reality, and I choose to perceive how my world is always aligning itself with my highest and best interest.

On Memorial Day we lost our senior kitty, Jezebel. Now our last remaining cat John Daker, the giant king of a cat and only nine years old, has heart failure. This came out of the blue, and we had a close call with him Monday evening. After some swift action by the ER vets, he is stable. But things are touch and go and he just isn’t feeling well. As with Jezebel, we are tuning into him and listening, and doing our best to honor his needs. I am aware of the stories my brain wants to create, driven by my deep desire not to lose him. And yet, I know that everything is happening in the highest and best for all of us, including Daker. Being intuitive means listening to the small still voice inside, even if it is saying things you don’t want to hear. Being intuitive means surrendering to life with an unwavering faith that all is well, even when it appears otherwise. It is a return to how we were when we entered this world, before life taught us to dull down our magic and make decision based on fear. Being intuitive is a natural state of being, and being human is an experience of separation from that state. Right now, my intuition is guiding me and reminding me that all is well, even as we prepare for another change in our family. I am grateful.

Over the past few weeks, as our lives have been shifting, I painted this tiger. Originally it looked very different, with dogwood branches and lavender flowers on a white background. I did not like the white background or the way I painted the flowers, so I scrapped everything but the tiger and on that blank slate, I saw a hand and a mirror. Below is the final piece.

This is it… this is how we are born into this world, as majestic creatures with intuitive instincts and a direct line of communication to the energy that connects every living being. Listening to our intuition is not something we have to learn, it is something we need only remember. Practice it daily in the small ways, and eventually it becomes more natural because, well, it’s our natural state of being.

If this painting and its message connects with you, I’d love to hear about it. It’s also available for purchase, just reach out if it’s calling to you.

With love,

Peyton

16x20” acrylic on birch wood panel, full of big magic