My Journey with Intuitive Channeling

Many of you know me as an illustrator and the creator of the Spirit Cats Oracle Deck but what you may not be know is that I have been practicing intuitive channeling for 18 years.

My journey into channeling began when I got a part-time job at a mystical shop on Abbot Kinney in Venice, California called Audrey's Good Vibrations. At the time I was teaching yoga at a few local studios and needed some extra cash. My roommate worked there and got me in. Little did I know that an invisible world of nature spirits was about to sparkle into my life, changing me forever.

The shop was nestled in a cute, white cottage with bright blue trim. Inside, sunlight flooded in illuminating pale yellow walls lined with hundreds of little vials - each one containing a unique flower essence.

Our on-the-job training here was as out of the ordinary as our endless supply of the energetic plant medicines bottled up all around us. We were taught how to open up a "coning" which is basically a psychic conference call with nature spirits, pan, spirit guides, and our higher selves.

Rather then studying and memorizing the benefits each of the hundreds of flower essences, we were taught how to use these conings, with the help of a pendulum, to select the perfect blend of flower essences to create a custom elixir for each customer.

I am a natural skeptic, but I am very open-minded. I never assume to know the true nature of reality and I love to experiment.

Did the idea of a flower essence solution that supposedly carries the specific energy vibration of a plant, that can teach us how to vibrate in rhythm with it and hence, give us access to great healing, seem out there? Did making decisions based on which way a quartz crystal at the end of chain moved seem crazy? Did connecting to people's higher selves and nature spirits for guidance seem almost impossible to imagine? Yes, yes, and yes....

...but I was curious and I always had a penchant for fantasy and all things witchy. And this place did feel quite magical. I always wanted to be brewing potions and playing with crystals since I was little little little – like 4 years old. So, I was eager to play along and see what happened.

What unfolded was a bit crazy and definitely miraculous. I never stopped having doubts but I also just surrendered because I was seeing how this was all working and bringing so much healing. Maybe somethings are just a bit beyond our human understanding.

Time and time again, I would select flower essences for a complete stranger using the coning and pendulum. When we would look up the healing properties of each chosen essence, we would both be baffled by the uncanny accuracy in pinpointing the exact struggles the person was currently dealing with.

There was a wisdom emerging that was beyond what I could have accessed with normal perception and rational study. The nature spirits and spirit guides in the conings were able to see deep below the surface layers to exactly what needed balancing, stabilizing, healing, and shifting. They always got to the root of the matter with such efficiency and brilliance.

Over and over, I watched people experience healing and receive the help they needed from these nature spirits. It was mind-blowing and I never quite understood how it worked, but i could't deny that it WAS working.

The shop eventually closed, along with the artists cafes and other hippie outposts, as Venice gentrified and changed but my relationship with this form of channeling just become more and more rich. The messages that came through were gradually more clear, more nuanced and more specific. I could "hear" not just the "what's" of the guidance but also the "why's" and the "how's."

I still wonder about the true nature of reality but the nature spirits, my spirit guides, and my most magical self (as I like to call my higher self) are always with me and I always consult them. They help lead me through the dark forest of the unknown to miraculous things I couldn't even imagine before. It was through the conings that I kept getting nudged to create the Spirit Cats Oracle Deck and they help me actually make it and get it into the world.

All of my creations are born from this space of channeling.

I like to think of my work as a collaborative effort between my earthly form and the nature spirits, my guides and my most expanded, most magical self. They see things that are beyond my sight and comprehension.

I just stay open, ready to receive these gems from the invisible world and make them visible and real for you.

Gift Guide for Light Seekers

Light Seeker: Someone who is curious about the mysteries of their inner world. They seek to bring light/consciousness into the dark/subconscious depths of their being. They seek a rich, wild, and revolutionary understanding of who they truly are. They are at home in the unseen realm of intuition, dreams, healing, and magic. They can see the golden thread of consciousness /light in all that is. 

Gifts for Light Seekers: I have carefully curated a selection of my favorite intuitive, visionary and healing creations from independent artists, mystics, and witches. These truly are gifts for Light Seekers made by Light Seekers. A perfect way to support indie creators.

Who I am: Let me introduce myself if we haven't already met. I am Nicole Piar, an artist, illustrator, writer and intuitive channel. I created the Spirit Cats Oracle Deck which features my world of fluffy philosophers sharing their healing messages. There are also Spirit Cats Gift Sets available in my shop.

and without further ado....

A Light seeker's Wishlist

Vibrant, lushly-painted DARI LUNA art prints uplift with a colorful dose of joy and hope. These prints are like pure SUNSHINE. 

These hand-painted Pebble Necklaces from Paradise Birdie Studio exude peace, magic, and just a touch of dark mystery. I am coveting quite a few of these one-of-a-kind talisman necklaces (if you are looking for a gift for me :) 

Goddess Lunar Bath Soak, Money & Abundance Intention Oil, and assorted organic herbal, magical concoctions from the BehatiLife Apothecary. Pure lusciousness!!!

Madeleine Joan is a highly-intuitive, accurate tarot reader whose style is honest, friendly, and fun. I have gifted her 30-minute Skype Readings to my mom and 2 of my closest friends. They loved them! Gift certificates available. 

Inner Star Oracle ~ Clairity Edition by Jo Klima: A perfect pairing of Sacred Symbols and concise wisdom that connects us powerfully to our heart and soul. I have this deck and love its deep simplicity. 

Zen Den Candles: hand-crafted in the shape of crystal clusters and made from high-quality materials. Amethyst, Citrine, Aura Quartz, and gold-dipped candles. So unique and enchanting!

The Moon Sisterhood's UnHustle Bundle includes the 2018 Holistic Planner, Moon Cycle Workbook, Chakra Workbook, and Holistic Oracle Card Deck –everything a Light Seeker needs to find her flow and grow towards her dreams. 

Astrology Reading from the talented Aeolian Heart. Deeply healing and revelatory. Gave a Natal Chart Reading to my best friend for her birthday and she was blown away by how it made her feel deeply seen and inspired a loving embrace of her essential nature. She saw her unique beauty. Use Promo Code: HEARTCATS for 10% off.

The crystal grids and crystals from Cave&Canyon will super-charge an altar space. Each grid has its own unique energy expressed through its sacred geometry. These are allies to our meditation, healing and magic practices.  

The Animal Allies Oracle Deck by Jessica Swift is bright, beautiful and brimming with wisdom. For the Light Seekers who are close to the earth and love to connect with animals, this deck calls to their wild heart. 

Resin Garden Crystals & Pendants and Smudge Sticks from Soul and Selene: Some flower magic to bedeck, cleanse, and raise the vibration of your body and home. What an unexpected and striking pairing of crystals and blooms. 

Celestial. Ethereal. Playful. I love these glittering, crystal Starchild Chokers from Aurora Shadow. This is jewelry from the heavens for sure. 

Two magical oracle decks from ETHONY, tarot reader and deck creator: Money Manifestation Cards ~ perfect for deep money healing and The Prince Lenormand Oracle ~ a divination tool. 

Crystals for healing and magic from THE OPAQUE. Love that purple Flourite Owl. So cute! Her jewelry is also amazing if you can catch her in a shop update. It sells out fast. 

Hope you enjoyed perusing the gift guide and found the perfect bit of magic to give your dearest Light Seekers. 

Thank you for supporting indie, mystical shops!

With Magic and Mischief,

Nicole

P.S. For a quick dose of good karma, share this post with your friends.

No More Hoarding Fairies: A story for creators who hide their work

I love to draw and sculpt in the air with my fingers when I dance. Last summer, while I was twirling away under the stars in a Hungarian meadow, I had a revelation.

I imagined that I was making little creatures with these playful hand motions – picture abstract fairies made of sunlight and love. I created each fairy quickly from a place beyond thinking and then blew it off into the crowd like a kiss.

This is the spirit I want to infuse into my art-making. Be fully present in the creation, then let it go into the world.

It is not for me to decide if my art is good enough or smart enough or true enough to leave the confines of my mind or even my studio.

Beauty and energy flow in the giving.

Let’s not hoard our art out of fear, laziness, or self-doubt. Whether we hoard our creations inside ourselves or in the attic, it is time to practice letting them go.

I know it takes courage and commitment. Even I want to hoard my fairies sometimes. (Aren't they safer from mine and other people's judgments if they never even fully exist in the world?)

I just try to remember that we can not predict how our art might help, heal, or inspire someone.

Set your creations free and then, return to the drawing board to create the next thing.

Do it quick before you can overthink it like jumping off a minor cliff into the sea. You do a quick check for rocks and water depth and then, you just jump. If you stand on the edge too long pondering every possible outcome, you will never jump.

Let’s keep sending our light fairies off into the world and trust in their inherent magic. Look, we can do it together and maybe then, it will be a little less scary. 

With love,
Nicole

P.S. Want to hear more of my trials, tribulations, and revelations as a working artist? Subscribe to Moon Letters HERE. Plus, you will also receive access to My Treasury with printable art, digital wallpapers, and guided meditations. 

Interview with the Creator of the Seeds of Shakti Oracle Deck

Oracle and tarot decks possess the unique ability to interface with our psyches in surprising and playful ways. Sudden and enlightening shifts in perspective? YES. Enchanting artwork and symbols? OFTEN. A beautiful, sacred object for inner exploration? DEFINITELY.

After making my Spirit Cats Oracle Deck, I was introduced to a magical league of other indie deck creators – amazing artists and writers with a penchant for magic. 

I am so thrilled to interview Sharron of The School of Gypsy Arts to celebrate the 2nd edition of her Seeds of Shakti Oracle Deck. Available for pre-order at a 25% with extra goodies through Nov. 11.

ORDER YOUR DECK HERE.

Me: I am so excited that you will be opening pre-orders again on Oct. 31st  for your Seeds of Shakti Oracle deck. I would love to hear about your creative process in making this deck. What inspired you and how did it evolve over time?

S: The creative process was extremely intuitive. I was initially planning on creating a chakra affirmation deck when I sat down on my table on the evening December 25th, 2015.

I can remember the Full Moon shining brightly on the snow outside and I knew I couldn't stop, so I continued painting and all of a sudden my chakra affirmation deck took on a life of its own evolved into an oracle. 

The inspiration for the Seeds of Shakti Oracle came from my Indian heritage. I was born in India and adopted at the age of 4. I had longed for a connection to India's rich culture and spirituality, and I feel that creating this deck was a healing journey for me. 

Me: As you may know, I am fascinated by the overlap of magic and creativity. How do your intuition and spirituality intersect with your art-making?

S: I recently picked up Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and in the book she describes the process of creativity and magic perfectly:

 "Ideas are a disembodied, energetic life form. Ideas have no material body, but they do have consciousness, and they most certainly have a will. Ideas are driven by a single impulse: to be made manifest. And the only way an idea can be made manifest in our world is through collaboration with a human partner." 

When I sat down at my table on December 25th to paint a chakra affirmation deck, I believe that the idea approached me. I didn't resist. As a result, the Seeds of Shakti manifested into the world.

In the beginning, I allowed my intuition to guide me to the next oracle card that I needed to paint but as I drew closer to the end, I felt I needed to connect with the collective consciousness and started involving my tribe on Instagram in the process more and more . . . albeit still staying connected to my intuition. 

ME: Your deck features such vibrant and lush colors almost like jewels. Could you tell me a little bit about your art materials and process?

S: I hand sketched the images that came to me intuitively and then traced them with a black fine point Sharpie then used watercolours to bring the paintings to life. After the painting dried, I went over again the lines with my Sharpie.

I got the images professionally scanned and worked closely with Aline Wallace my talented graphic designer to bring the Seeds of Shakti Oracle to life, as I wanted the deck to be high quality. Many sample decks were created until the perfect one emerged!

ME: Each oracle and tarot deck has its own unique personality and energy. What is Seeds of Shakti's personality? How do you see people interacting with your deck?

S:I love your question, Nicole. I feel that the Seeds of Shakti Oracle's personality is bold, vibrant, high vibe, mystical and free-spirited.  Her rich colours trigger your intuition and allow you to tap into your deep subconscious. All you have to do is listen to your inner voice. 

I see the Seeds of Shakti being used as a tool for meditation, intuition, divination, spiritual expansion, the manifestation of your dreams –letting those seedlings germinate & manifest into what your heart desires. 

ME: What magical projects do you have brewing next?

As a Libra, I have such a tough time deciding what my next step is. I usually let my intuition and creative spark guide me to my next project. I would love to do a sequel deck, "Seeds of Shiva Oracle" . . . perhaps that chakra affirmation deck? Ultimately, I do want to create a Tarot deck that will also share India's rich culture and spirituality. 

The winter is when I feel my creative mojo switch into high gear. . . so let's see what transpires in accordance with the universe! 

Sneaking Past the Gilded Gates: A Story for Creative Rebels

The wind tickled my arm as I drove with the windows down making a meandering diagonal from New Hampshire to Los Angeles from the wet, green forests of incubating and learning to the vast desert of possibility.

After finishing school at Yale and leaving a stack of giant paintings in my dad’s basement, I left to experiment with what might be possible in a place with deep summers and a buzzing art world.

Where I hoped for openings, I found mostly locked doors and hard realities. Very young with little money and no connections or friends, the city was a destroying angel.

I lived out of my golden Nissan Sentra covered in a prevailing dust that desaturated everything. Looking for a job and an apartment, I faced rejection after rejection.

Meanwhile, I watched the perfect sunshine people gliding around in crisp designer clothing, sliding into their shiny luxury cars. Our worlds were separated by an impenetrable glass.

After countless nights with my knees screaming from sleeping like a contortionist in my car, a kindly woman rented me a tiny, ticky-tacky oasis in a neighborhood of strip malls and my degree finally worked its magic to land me a meagerly-paying position at a prestigious art gallery.

I hoped entering the art world would help me conjure an opportunity to enter through those gilded gates and make my iridescent, brush-stroke-shaped mark on the world.

But that is not what happened….

Instead, I was the messenger who turned away hundreds of artists hoping for gallery representation. Powerless to let anyone in, I witnessed a never-ending stream of talent, vision, and passion banging against a gate that never opened.

I would like to say that this only made my determination stronger -- that I powered through -- but instead, I felt defeated before beginning. I never submitted my art to a single gallery.

Have you ever, like me, felt like an outsider looking in? Have you felt intimidated by the gatekeepers or discouraged by failed attempts at entry into that golden world of the chosen?

Well, my rebel-friend, there is a way to magically bypass these gates, get your creation into the world and make your own pot of gold.

This is exactly what I did with my Spirit Cats Deck.

And let me tell you, after the radiant success of my Spirit Cats (selling 29K in pre-orders in just 30 days), the gatekeepers (publishers, agents, and galleries) came to knock on my door for a change. The tides had turned.

Kickstarter was my chosen tool but even a brilliant tool can’t work magic on its own. I have seen many crowdfunding campaigns for amazing things never gain any traction, fading out with only a few hundred dollars raised.

Having that specter of public failure nipping at my heels, I did intensive research. I experimented widely. I learned what worked and what was just a lot of useless work.

I creatively translated information designed for tech bros to apply to my magical world of Spirit Cats. I synthesized all this piecemeal advice from disparate sources into a clear and powerful strategy.

Now, I am sharing all these secrets with you in my Crowdfunding Essential course so that you too can sneak past the gatekeepers and entice them with your shining victory to come knocking at your door.

As Willy Wonka says, “We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of the dream.” It is time for your dream to enter the collective dream.

Don’t be diminished by the gatekeepers like I was all those years ago while working in the art gallery. Your creations can transform us in unseen ways. We need your magic. Let it reach us.

With love,
Nicole

Forsaken Elves & Failure: Part 2

When we spoke yesterday, I was facing the harsh realities of printing a bunch of elf-laden holiday cards, posting them to Etsy, and watching as not a single card was sold.

This old failure was casting a shadow over my desire to create my Spirit Cats Deck. (If you missed Part 1, catch it here)

Plus, I was dealing with a very dark view of business as being greedy, soul-sucking and extremely dull.

Imagine a faceless business suit stealing all the color from the world just to make a pile of money to hoard.

Enter my blue-haired, crafty mentor, Jennifer Lee, who translated business into friendships, relationships, heart-felt communication, creativity, and cooperation with a good dose of left-brained strategy to keep things grounded and well-functioning. Wow!

She was the rainbow unicorn dispersing glittering insights – a far cry from that icy, grey-suited, business man of my imagination.

Why did that matter to me so, so much?

I have always been seeking deep connection with my fellows. I want to build a bridge between my inner world and yours.

That is why I make the art I make.

Jenn helped me see how business can be a vehicle for this larger-scale connection. Revelation!

Eventually, I tossed those boxes of elves into the recycling bin and traded them in for real learning about what it takes to successfully reach people with your creations. 

Let me just say that my elf -card scheme seemed pretty silly now that I was armed with eye-opening knowledge. I mean no one, save my family, knew that I was selling those cards.

I thought I had a megaphone when actually I was a mouse whispering in the wall. No wonder no one heard me.

When the Spirit Cats started appearing in my paintings with their healing messages, I knew I had to do better by them than those forsaken elves.

They deserved more than box mountain.

They wanted to speak to people – to move out of my little world and into your lives where they could create some real magic.

So I did 3 things:

1: I choose Kickstarter as a platform for taking pre-orders so I could make sure you really wanted these Spirit Cats before ordering thousands of them. (Ha ha, Box Mountain, you won’t get me this time.)

2: I integrated Jenn's teachings about building community and getting the word out – without becoming an annoying, walking commercial – with a massive amount of research into how crowdfunding works and how to craft a mind-blowingly effective campaign. (Yeah, hope and just posting something online didn’t really work out for my elves)

3: I kept returning to a view of the whole endeavor as a playful experiment so my fear of failure wouldn’t overpower me. (Even if I fail, I was just experimenting and collecting wisdom and data for my next exciting experiment :)

And because I want to make it easier for you than it was for me and save you from your own Box Mountain of Forsaken Elves…

I gathered everything I learned into my new e-course, Crowdfunding Essentials, that I will be releasing on Nov. 2 through a collaboration with the magical maven of business transformation, Jennifer Lee.

So, perhaps, there is something you are secretly wanting to bring into our world… to share with your fellows… to create connection… and make the world a little less lonely…

Crowdfunding Essentials will make your process infinitely easier and catapult your chances for success through the roof.

And if you are a rebel-hearted creative like me, keep an eye out for my next email about turning the rules on their heads and bypassing barriers like a cat burglar.

With love,
Nicole

Forsaken Elves & Failure: Part 1

When scrutinizing my scheme for getting the Spirit Cats Oracle Deck into the world, this image impelled me into cloudy-headed confusion and pushing-against-a-wall resistance:

A towering mountain of unsold Spirit Cats Decks transforming my home into an impassable maze with a sadly-diminished bank account to boot. Yup, I would be surrounded by the relics of my failure in the form of cute magical kitties gathering dust.

Which is why I am so thrilled, like spinning-in-circles-and-doing-a-happy-dance thrilled, that my Spirit Cats are flying out the door. So much so, that I am ordering even more decks so I don’t run out before the holidays.

That vision of failure, though, definitely stalked me like a mountain lion at twilight. After all, I had been down that road before.

In 2008, I illustrated a line of holiday cards featuring quirky elves playing with cozy flames and topping pine trees with sparkling stars. I printed a bunch of them and excitedly posted them in my new Etsy shop.

My grand opening!!!! And……. Nothing. No one bought a single card.

I lugged those heavy boxes with me as I moved from house to house, doling out the unwanted cards as gifts. These cute elves with their sideways smiles hurt my heart and made me feel like a novice ballerina stumbling through her pirouettes.

How exactly did this happen?

Well, consider this... I have always been an artist and writer and while I love science and even math, business instinctively repelled me.

Business equalled greedy, grey-suited men who saw people as marks and nature as our honeypot. Adversarial, arrogant, manipulative, and lacking in humanity.

Yes, it was a pretty dark view.

Yet, my mostly-hermit and hidden method of creating just didn’t seem to be working. No one was receiving the messages I was sending out in the form of cute elves and other magic.

I was virtually invisible.

Tune in to Part 2 to find out just how I escaped from the Land of Forsaken Elves to arrive in the abundant world of my Spirit Cats.

With love,
Nicole