Door Number 24: The Two of Cups Equinox Portal

Happy Autumn Equinox! (And Happy Spring Equinox to those in the Southern Hemisphere.) After nearly two months of creation, I finished “Door” Number 24 on 9/22/2020, Autumn Equinox.

The 22 and 24 numbers are significant for a variety of reasons. Originally, this patron wanted her portal to be Door Number 22. She wasn’t quite ready at that time, and the commissioned Justice portal came through in perfect timing to be number 22, with an 11-11 built into the image itself. I felt a little bad for bumping this Two of Cups portal back, but even commissioned pieces flow from dreams, visions and synchronicities. I don’t control the timing, but I trust it.

I received very strong instructions that I needed to paint The Magician portal as Door Number 23, so that it would be a 123 “door,” with the Magician’s Tarot number as 1 and the 23rd portal. That one also unfolded in perfect timing and was another very long trajectory from start to finish. I was “told” to paint over a spiral Sidhe glyph I’d done in early 2018, incorporating and layering Faery magic into a Tarot portal. At first I didn’t know why I was painting that one, only that my Dream Guys were most insistent that I do. So I did.

Finally, it came time to paint the Two of Cups portal for this person who’s long known she’d have me paint it for her. She kindly accepted the delay and only in retrospect realized how perfectly things organized themselves. Since we waited so long to begin, she symbolically ordered the oval on her birthday — July 24th — and had it shipped to me. I knew I couldn’t start working on it right away, but she wanted to enhance the birth energy by beginning on her birthday. Only after the fact did she realize the 24 connection to the 24th portal.

She gave me permission to share whatever wants to come through of this process, so I’ll include some of our back and forth as part of the write up. (I’m still keeping many details private, but this was such a magical unfolding across many months, two of them active coding and painting time.)

Comments she shared early on about the birch oval she chose as a kind of “porthole”:

I know we’re not there yet, but I wanted to make sure an oval is feasible.   Then once I found it and the symbolism for the birch, it all just kind of came together with the things I had already found, so I’m sending you my thoughts while it’s all still fresh.

… I looked up birch and it said regeneration, hope, new beginnings and the promise of things to come.   Carries ancient wisdom but appears forever young.

That excited me!  Dovetails nicely with the oval symbolism of rebirth, fertility and immortality. (I found that on an engagement ring site, by the way,  following your rule of going with the first search result.) It also said it stands as a sign of uniqueness and a zest for life. So both the birch and the oval tie in well with my chart and the death/rebirth/change/growth

On August 2, I wrote to her:

Your oval has arrived. I think it came yesterday, but with a shop name called Wooden Hare, I thought it was a gift from Tania, LOL! Just opened a stack of boxes this morning, and the oval is here. 🙂

Bringing Faery Twin Tania into the mix — even symbolically — just amplifies the magic, because she’s one of the most magical people I know. I didn’t think I’d have time to begin any time soon due to a busy session schedule and prior writing commitments, but the next day, I got nudged to do a tiny bit of coding on the portal and give it a Reiki Healing Attunement at the 11:59 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Savings Time) Full Moon on August 3. When I looked up transits after doing the attunement, I found that things aligned very precisely with the patron’s North Node and several other key relationship placements in her natal chart. I didn’t plan that. “They” did.

I gave the oval another Reiki Healing Attunement at noon on August 5, right when transiting Venus and the transiting North Node crossed paths. A powerful moment that seemed too perfect not to include in a Two of Cups portal intending a harmonious, loving, compatible and on path relationship. Those intentions are epitomized by Love Goddess Venus having a date with the North Node destiny point.

At some point — I think the August 18th New Moon — I gave it a third Reiki Healing Attunement after heavily coding the back of the portal using three different systems of Runes. This very slow process of back and forth emails and conversations about intentions, inner processing, receptivity and opening to change brought many possible portal quotes onto the back of the portal as coding, rather than a front quote.

We finally decided on a portal appropriate quote for the front, but on September 7, a dream informed me that the quote would be, “Let my love open the door to your heart” by Pete Townsend. OK, that actually would work much better because it directly referenced a door. She approved the change, and I asked if she wanted me to write the “to” as “2” as an echo of the Two of Cups energy. She went a step further and requested I use “2” and an UR Rune in place of “your.” We went back and forth, because there’s another Rune with a closer pronunciation to “your,” but she loved the UR symbolism.

I told her this would then link Door Number 24: The Two of Cups, with Door Number 16: UR ~ Not All Who Wander Are Lost, posted way back in March 2013. That “painting is dedicated to healing journeys of all sorts and features the UR Rune as an archway into a magical tree-scape. UR invokes healing of the root causes of any dis-ease or situation. Closely tied to the Mother aspect of a Mother-Father Divinity, UR also stirs ancient memories of a much deeper connection to Earth. The repeated sequence of Runes within the portal reminds us that infinite degrees of healing exist, so long as we continue on the journey.”

She loved the link to this portal, which, unbeknownst to her, also ties into a major dream I had on 1/23/2020 … 1/23/4, echoing the sense of going forward on an intertwined and magical journey. (Fun fact: it’s now my exact birth time as I type this — echoing the birth element of this portal.)

Around the time of this UR synchronicity, a female cardinal stared at me from the weeping cherry trees outside my office window, and my client told me of a magical encounter she had with a male cardinal singing to her at 11:11 a.m. as she contemplated the portal. When she returned inside it was 11:22, so another link her originally intended “22,” as well as the Door Number 22: Justice portal with its double 11’s.

Again, unbeknownst to her, this cardinal connected not only with the female staring at me, but with a male singing its heart out to me back on April 9, 2020, after major synchronicities on the 2-year anniversary of my NDE in Detroit. More rebirth energies. Oddly enough, I now see that the post I made about that experience includes a picture of the UR portal painting, so this is a double whammy of UR and everything connected with that portal.

I’m not going to include all the synchronicities, or this post will take forever to write, but the cardinal also linked into Door Number 15: The World Tree and the Norns. A splotch of red paint “accidentally” fell onto that canvas and because of the method I used to paint it, I needed to turn it into a cardinal. That “door” is about aligning with destiny — the Norns are the Norse equivalent to the Three Fates — so yet another layer of this North Node, destiny, Love Goddess, intertwined paths intention.

My client was extra pleased to hear that Door Number 15’s cardinal also links into Door Number 4: Four of Wands, aka “Karuna.” The Four of Wands is often considered a marriage card in the Tarot, and that portal had a similar thing happen with a white splotch of paint. I could not get the background yellows to match again, so I ended up needing to add a white dove overseeing the entire scene. This mysterious connection to additions of highly symbolic birds encouraged me to add a cardinal into Door Number 24, because she had already asked me to make a kind of Peaceable Kingdom around the more traditional man and woman.

It’s difficult to see in the photo, but, per her request, the cardinal sits above two hearts carved into the tree. She also requested an owl, a squirrel, a cat and dog, and we both had major synchronicities with a butterfly on the same day. The dog and cat are actually nods to her cat and dog. I had them cuddling and holding paws to echo the Two of Cups harmony energy. Since she’s a Leo, and her cat’s name is Leo, this also substituted for the sometimes inclusion of a lion above a caduceus.

She wanted the healing and Leo echoes, but not a caduceus, so I painted a twisted tree and her cat Leo instead. A caduceus represents healing, and synchronously, the day I finished painting Leo, the actual cat Leo was having a somewhat risky surgery. I’m happy to report, he came through it just fine! Maybe the portal helped him, too. In any case, here’s Leo snuggling with Hero, the dog.

Above you can also see one of many crystals on this portal. In addition to being the most heavily coded portal, this 9×12″ oval also features the most crystals of any portal. (Door Number 20: Oak, Ash and Thorn, aka The Isis Portal is a close second.) The black crystal “Faery door” in the tree is shungite, a highly purifying stone. It acts as a powerful filter of energies, water, emotions, and offers healing on physical, emotional, spiritual and even mental levels. Shungite’s origins are unknown, but some theorize this 90% carbon stone came from a meteorite. In any case, as soon as I affixed the shungite to the portal, the energy went wowzers. This felt like just the right stone to include as a filter for the most aligned, healing and “clean” relationship possible.

The Two of Cups Equinox Portal by Laura Bruno

Above, you can also see lots of peridot crystals (1:11 right now) attached as leaves of the tree. I took this photo yesterday to show her how the portal picks up light and glows from different angles. Peridot brings powerful energies of healing, forgiveness, protection and rejuvenation. I also liked that with its green color, peridot connects with Gemini’s emerald birthstone, but its connection to the Sun and royalty brings in a Leo element. This patron has a Leo Sun and a Gemini Moon, North Node, and Midheaven. A harmonious, loving, compatible relationship supports both Sun and Moon, and it also aligns with destiny and career. I didn’t put all that together when I bought a bag of tiny peridot pieces for the leaves, but in retrospect, it all worked out.

You can see from this outdoor image that I coded the portal along the “porthole” window into the Faery Realm, too. I wasn’t sure how to create the people, but they came through very Faery. She’s Celtic and wanted a Celtic feel, and she has red hair. She also has a close connection with St. Bridget/Goddess Brigid. Yesterday, she asked if I had included Brigid in some way, right before she realized, “You painted me as Brigid!” Indeed, the woman has many Brigid qualities, including the long red hair, and it turns out the man is wearing Brigid’s famous (and magical) green cloak.

The two tiny acorns painted into cups came from the original “seed” of this Two of Cups portal. Long ago, the patron found some double acorns, and she knew she wanted an oak tree in the painting. We went back and forth on how to include the acorns — at one point even thinking the whole portal would be acorns instead of people. Then, she kept adding and adding things she wanted to include into the portal and requested I somehow make the cups look like acorns.

While trying to figure out how to do this, I happened to be staring across the street and realized I was staring at an oak tree! I walked over there and found these two very tiny, yet perfectly sized, acorns under the tree. I realized I could paint the nuts blue like water — “my cup overfloweth” — and have the base of the acorns as the actual cups. She loved the idea, especially because it also connects to the idea of the Ace of Cups, which often features a cup overflowing. That’s one of the happiest cards in the Tarot deck, along with the Two of Cups and Ten of Cups. I showed her the link to the Ten of Cups portal, Door Number 8, and she felt thrilled to bring that vibration into this portal, too.

Before we started this process, she had “no idea how this works,” but by the end, she grew giddy with all the dreams, synchronicities and portal tie-in’s. I’ve watched her change as the portal unfolded, and yesterday sent her the outdoor images for approval. I noted I might have a couple touch ups but that I sensed I would finish on Fall Equinox. She thought that was the 23rd, but again, perfect timing when you let go of timing: I finished her door on the 22nd, so she got her intended 22 after all.

We agreed I would do another Reiki Healing Attunement at the exact moment of Equinox, 9:31 a.m. this morning. Last night, I awoke after just a couple hours with instructions to add even more Runic coding to the back of the portal. I had left a space for a hanging element; however, in the course of my painting, the patron decided to display the oval on a plate holder. Apparently, my Dream Guys wanted to take advantage of the extra spot for even more intentions coded onto the back.

I got up and recorded the English translation and then went back to sleep. I awoke this morning from SUCH a happy dream. Really high vibe and magical, related to the portal’s energy. I carefully coded the additions onto the back, and then something very strange occurred. I turned over the portal, and it was upside down!

This is very significant, because all along I had checked and double checked to make sure the coding and the portal faced the same direction. In other words, that the coding on the back was upright when the portal was upright. As of yesterday, this was still the case. I know this is true, because I had flipped it over many times in the process of creation, and it was always the same. Sometime between yesterday afternoon and whenever I finished the final coding, right before the moment Equinox, something very significant changed. A 180.

To me, this confirms the portal “worked.” With portal painting, I find the portals always do work — the intentions unfold, and they continue to play out years, even a decade down the road. Little things I didn’t realize were important in the doors will reveal themselves in key, related moments that cause me to go back to the original door, the original write up and go, “Whoa! Holy, moly, wowie, whoa!” To have all the coding somehow flip over to me seems like the portal opened, a timeline changed, or reality got very bendy to accommodate the sweet, loving, destiny level connection depicted in the portal.

I went to do the final Reiki Healing Attunement, right at Equinox, and I had a couple moments before 9:31. I thought I’d snap another photo. Here’s what came up:

Over and over, I tried to photograph the portal, and everything blended together in this energetic swirl of color. I wasn’t shaking, and this was not one photo. I tried taking many, and it reminds me of when I try to photograph the weeping birch focal point of my front garden. I know that tree is a gateway to Faerie, and sometimes, no matter how hard I try, if the energy’s really magical, I cannot for the life of me take a photo of that tree.

I began what I thought was the final Reiki Healing Attunement for this portal, but it turned into four simultaneous Reiki Healing Attunements. One for each Season, on this magical Wheel of the Year day of equal night and day. This four in one attunement took the total number of Reiki Healing Attunements up to magical number seven. Pythagoras considered seven so significant that anyone with Life Path Number 7 was automatically admitted to his Mystery School.

I don’t know what this means, but it seems important. I’ll be sending off the portal this afternoon. We agreed to have me write the post on the 22nd to honor more of the 22 energies she wanted in there, but also so that she has a description to refer to once she unpacks Door Number 24. I mean that in every sense of the phrase. There is MUCH to unpack with this portal. I feel truly honored to have painted it for her, and it’s been amazing to watch her shift and open through this process of creating a door to her sweetest dreams.

I’m not sure if it comes through in the photos, but in person, it really does feel sweet. Between all the animals, the Faery people, the tiny acorns and just knowing all the quotes, song lyrics, hopes and dreams she had me embed into her birch oval, the energy feels like a big heart-smile. Happy Equinox and thanks for sharing some of the journey with us!

Comment Bump Up from Keeping Our Realities Straight

Jean Haines posted a series of recent pieces from RedefiningGod.com and then wrote her own post discussing her feelings about BRICS, Putin, Paul Craig Roberts and “Ken” from RedefiningGod.

For the record, I occasionally used to post some of Ken’s articles (with my own comments and caveats) until his sexist jokes and implications got out of hand. When someone “jokes” about handcuffing someone to their bedposts and saying “Daddy’s hungry,” and then defends that degrading, dehumanizing, anti-feminine joke and others throughout a series of private emails, then they lose post-ability on my blog. The fact that I no longer post his material doesn’t mean I disagree with everything he says, though. I just think that anyone who can justify using misogyny as a calculated means of gaining followers fails to recognize the most important shifts we need to make for a healthy society — not least of which is respect rather than objectification. That said, I left the following comment on Jean’s new blog. Since students and clients frequently ask me my opinion on BRICS, Putin, RedefiningGod.com and similar topics, I’ll share my comment to Jean below.

Please note: I do not give authority for my reality to an external “truth” about any of this. I’m posting my comment to minimize my need to discuss this, not to invite or initiate a lengthy debate. Please do your debating inside and amongst yourselves. My personal outcome and that of any community or individuals actively creating a new reality does not depend on any of these external factors. It depends on our own vision, our own efforts, our own skill, determination and responsibility, and our own direct relationship with the planet Herself. I post this for those already obsessing about these issues, not because I recommend people start obsessing about who’s “good” and who’s “bad.” You can make all of that irrelevant by living your life in a responsible, creative, magical way.

Without further ado, my comment bump up from Jean’s original post:

Jean, I am not a fan of Ken’s style, particularly of his oftentimes sexist “jokes,” and I disagree with him regarding the effectiveness of magic. He lampoons the cabal’s use of magic, whereas, imho, more people ought to educate themselves on energy, symbolism, the power of ritual and the subconscious and how those work so as to direct the energies instead of following someone else’s carefully manipulated energy streams. There’s resisting manipulation, and there’s taking the reins yourself to summon tremendous fuel and energy to your own creation — two different levels of engagement. I radically disagree with him on anything Goddess related. There are gaping holes in his understanding of how energy works, and he often gets stuck in polarized thinking, despite warning people against it.

That said, his research is very good, and he does offer suggestions for solutions — go local, grow your own food, get as self-reliant and local community sufficient as possible, know your neighbors, stop salivating over external Saviors, and find your own direct connection to Spirit/Divinity.

These are wise suggestions. They may not appeal to everyone who wants to just sit in their living room and meditate, but his suggestions are actually quite useful. I’m a big fan of imagination, meditation and reality creation; I also know hope can be a powerful bridge to a carefully crafted alternative reality. I think he’s just warning people against the hopium that got Obama elected. For the record, I saw through Obama when no one else I knew did, except one friend. How people can’t see the things Ken shows is beyond me, but I realize most people don’t until hindsight. In addition to Ken’s suggestions for solutions, I would add to get much more in touch with the land, sea and sky — with the wisdom of Nature and with everything associated with the suppressed Feminine, something with which he seems quite uncomfortable; however, for the most part, his take on international affairs checks with my own read.

I have always said and continue to assert that Putin’s a wild card. Those who claim to know his heart based on speeches or photos would be wise to step back and observe more. He’s a master martial artist; every move, every word, every gesture is calculated, but despite this, there are things he’s hiding even from himself. Those are the wild cards. I don’t even think he knows what he’s going to do. We can hope he ends up stepping away from the script, but right now, in my professional intuitive opinion, he’s right on script. Just because Edgar Cayce — who did not [always] discriminate whom and what he channeled — said Russia held great hope for humanity doesn’t make Putin the answer. Plenty of Russian defectors have given the play by play we’re currently living in, right on schedule. RT News is Russian propaganda. Controlled opposition always includes a large amount of truth or few people would swallow it at all.

I’m not arguing for anyone to have a firm opinion on BRICS. I personally think it’s a bunch of the same old, same old, but used by someone savvy, even the same old, same old could provide incredible opportunities for new things. The only thing I argue for is that people take personal responsibility for their own basic needs and that they educate themselves on basic hypnosis and NLP principles so they recognize them being used. Studying actual ancient traditions instead of watered down Wicca-lite, shaman-in-a-weekend, New Age platitudes would also help make global machinations much less important. If we become wise as serpents, harmless as doves, then we can have our new world, but it will be MUCH more of our making!

Hugs,
Laura

Door Number 13

I finished Door Number 13 a couple weeks ago, but am just getting around to posting pictures here. Another commissioned piece, this portal “lives” in the same home as Door Number 10. It features the Ace of Wands tarot card but quickly began combining that symbolism with the uniting of Twin Souls on this planet. Also known as Twin Flames, these highly unusual, highly spiritual relationships seem to be popping up all over the place these days. I sense that they in many ways lay the groundwork for the new, higher Earth vibe as we shift into greater love, light and freedom.

I will explain more below, but here’s an initial view of the front of Door Number 13:

Ace of Wands by Laura Bruno

The Ace of Wands typically includes a mountain, but this door shows an actual place on Earth known as Chimney Rock, near Pagosa Springs, Colorado. This area resonates strongly with the patron, and while looking for photos we learned some interesting tidbits. For one, Chimney Rock is a dual formation, which houses an unactivated star portal between the two rocks.

Ace of Wands detail by Laura Bruno

In keeping with this “points beyond” theme, I added a Seed of Life “crop circle” in addition to the Runic Coding used to texture Chimney Rock and the surrounding hillside. The “wand” is an oak branch turned into a torch with twin flames. It holds seven oak leaves coded for abundance, as well as an acorn, symbolizing that the mighty oak grows from and is contained within the tiny acorn.

Twin Flame on the Ace of Wands by Laura Bruno

I chose to include two Celtic butterflies, as this door is meant for radical transformation. The night the patron and I decided on the cost, as well as the inclusion of butterflies, a giant monarch butterfly somehow got into my 9th floor Chicago apartment — as though confirming and endorsing the arrangment. You might recognize the butterfly on the right as the same one that appears as Etain on Door Number 3, the Daphne Door.

All of the Ace cards in the tarot usually feature a hand coming out of the clouds, which symbolizes “something from nothing,” “as above, so below,” and Divine intervention. I coded these clouds with Runes representing “The Unknowable,” in order to emphasize the mystical component of Twin Flame energy. The Hebrew on the threshold spells out Elohim, which is the term used in the Genesis Creation story. “Man and woman created he them.” This actually a mistranslation as Elohim is plural and includes both masculine and feminine overtones. This name for the hermaphroditic god as a model for Twin Soul reunion also appears on the Lovers (Door Number 7).

The thresholds are heavily coded with both binary code and Runes as well as the Hebrew. Since this is a commissioned piece, I’m keeping the rest of the coding private. Writing something in Runes is equivalent to a Spell, activating the subconscious to embrace all desired results:

More threshold coding on the Ace of Wands Door by Laura Bruno

If you’ve followed these portal creations, you know that each door contains a quote at the bottom — somehow related to doors, passages, liminal spaces, gateways or entrances. This one combines two songs: “Let my Love Open the Door” and “Heart as Wide as the World,” by Krishna Das. Incidentally, that Krishna Das CD played over and over as I painted this side. The quote reads, “Let my heart open the door to your heart as wide as the world.” All the gold and silver in this portal is actual gold and silver leaf. Holy fumes! (And very intense energetic vibes …):

Quote on the Ace of Wands by Laura Bruno

Door Number 13 serves as the “backdoor” entrance between garage and home. The Other Side sets the stage as they enter their home:

Back of the Ace of Wands Door by Laura Bruno

The back of “the back door” features a Third Eye and Ganesha, the bringer and removal of obstacles and thus a perfect guardian of portals. The Sanskrit is Jai Guru Deva Om from the Beatles’ Across the Universe, which is written in English below.

That song states, “Nothing’s gonna change my world”; however, Door Number 13, as a transformation door reads a bit differently. The Runic Coding on the back says:

TWIN FLAMES UNITE

LOVE and RESPECT

Across the Universe

SOME THINGS SHALL CHANGE

POWER TO NOT POWER OVER

The Sanskrit Mantra is Jai Guru Deva Om and the Runic Coding morphs that into SOME THINGS SHALL CHANGE, intending the necessary shift from exploitation into a responsible and loving use of power to EMpower rather than suppress:

Back of Door Number 13 by Laura Bruno

Ganesha, the elephant god is the bringer and removal of obstacles. As such, he is a most appropriate portal deity. I painted him in the upper right hand corner:

Ganesha on the back of Door Number 13

The last thing that catches the eye before passing through Door Number 13 is a symbol representing the Third Eye Chakra:

Third Eye on the back of Door Number 13

Wishing you all enhanced intuition, love and life!

Also, just a quick note, that I am now making some “porta-portals,” canvas board images designed and coded as doorways, but which do not require my actually visiting people’s homes to create the intentional “doorway.” Door Number 14 will be designed as something that can sit on a desk or baseboard, a kind of mini-doorway into consciousness, which will be shipped to the patron when completed. The process remains the same, but I am curious to see how the sense of a door imprints itself within the image and coding.

Yay for innovation and fun! xoxo

Door Number 11 (The Star Card)

The Star Card/Door Number 11 by Laura Bruno

Door Number 11 was another commissioned piece at a secret location. As far as portals go, this one involved more prep time than usual. The patron wanted energy of the surrounding pristine forests embedded into the door itself, which required this Chicago artist to spend a week hiking and relaxing in some of the most gorgeous country I’ve ever seen. Yes, it was heavenly and a welcome change of scenery. 🙂

Laura Bruno prepping for Door Number 11

Before I paint a commissioned portal, I always spend some time gethering a sense of what the patron needs and wants in life right now and in the future. Many times, but not always, those hopes and intentions suggest a tarot card to me, and I research different artistic interpretations already “out there.” Then I spend time in the actual home, noting style, colors, and overall “feel.” I also like to get people talking about whatever feeds their souls — do they return again and again to particular images, myths or cultures? If so, I try to work some of those into the door, honoring the original energy of the tarot card, but personalizing it.

If a patron has dreams or synchronicities while I’m painting, I pay particular attention to those, as well as my own dreams and nudges. In the case of Door Number 11, the patron dreamt of the back mantra and also requested “faery energy” on the door. I opted to change the typical nude woman into a faery, and we were both pleased with the results. I then used Runes to code the door’s textures and threshold to exactly those elements most important to the patron’s healing and intentions. For confidentiality reasons, I am not explaining ALL the details of this door, but the patron is happy to share the image and some of the explanation with the world. We hope you enjoy the portal!

Door Number 11 by Laura Bruno

The Star card is number 17 in the tarot deck and it usually features a nude woman with two urns. From one urn she pours water into a pond and from the other onto the land. Because of the urns, this card is associated with Aquarius, “the water bearer,” as well as the Age of Aquarius and its connection to the astrology and the stars. For more on the Star Card, please click here.

closeup of Door Number 11 by Laura Bruno

The card features eight eight-pointed stars, which correspond to an ancient Masonic symbol, l’etoile flamboyante. One thing I feel called to share in these portals is a reclaiming of ancient symbols, including Runes and symbols that may have been appropriated by groups or organizations using them for personal gain. I’m not singling out the Masons here, btw, just explaining what appears to be a broader intention of these doors — helping people to reclaim powerful tools, which have been taken away, hidden (occult means hidden) or otherwise denied access. Tarot, Runes, Sacred Geometry, Numerology, Astrology and other symbols or systems that speak to the subconscious do not belong to any one particular group. Part of our shift on this planet involves lightworkers reclaiming the tools at their disposal.

In any case, the eight eight-pointed stars carry much significance. Among other things: 8 x 8 = 64; 64 codons to human DNA; 64 possible readings in the I Ching; 64 squares on a chess board; and 64 is an important and common number represented in binary code.

Dragonfly closeup

The Star Card often shows and Ibis in a tree as reference to the Egyptian God, Thoth; however, the patron doesn’t resonate with that tradition. We opted instead for a dragonfly, which carries both personal and universal signficance.

Bottom quote for Door Number 11

As with all commissioned doorways, the thresholds are also coded to specific intentions. Thresholds offer potent energy, existing as they do “in the spaces between”:

Threshold Coding of Door Number 11

More Threshold Coding of Door Number 11

As mentioned earlier, the other side of Door Number 11 came from the patron’s dream, as well as some of my own dream symbols. The mantra, “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudeevaya” strengthens the aura and seemed like an appropriate one for inside a meditation and healing room. It translates roughly to: O my Lord, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.

The Other Side of Door Number 11 by Laura Bruno

Mantra on the inside of Door Number 11

I had fun painting the symbol, which morphed from an intended Flower of Life mandala into one expressing the Trinity:

Laura Bruno painting Door Number 11

Trinity on the inside of Door Number 11

Door Number 11 holds a special place in my heart, especially since 11 is my own life path number and because I also resonate strongly with faeries. I completed Door Number 12 in the same home and will post photos of that one soon. Thanks to everyone who finds these portal journeys fun as well. For more information about having me create a portal for you in your home, office or business, please email me at laura@asklaurabruno.com .

Many Blessings!

Door Number 10: Hopi/Jewel in the Lotus

Someone commissioned Door Number 10 from me, and I finished it about a week and a half ago. The photos are posted on Facebook, but I’ve had some requests for a more complete write-up here. Ask and you shall receive. 🙂

Door Number 10 by Laura Bruno

Back of Door Number 10 by Laura Bruno

I really enjoyed painting this door! As my first commissioned door, it gave me a chance to code and design a portal to someone else’s intentions and dreams. This part of the process was as fun and rewarding as I anticipated. Once we decided on a theme — The Sun tarot card— I started asking her questions about quotes, mantras and important symbols in her life. By spending time in her home, I got a feel for her decorating style, and I also noticed that she happened to have a sun tattooed on her upper back. I decided to incorporate her tattoo into the door design, but at her request added some extra rays to make it look more like an alchemical sun from old texts.

The other symbols are also near and dear to her heart: replicas of some Hopi jewelry she showed me, a Hopi Kachina, and the Jewel in the Lotus Mantra on the inside of the door. Not only does she love this mantra, but it’s one she actually says, so the door resonates very closely with her interior life, just as the Jewel in the Lotus now graces the interior of her bedroom. Some synchronicities led to the inclusion of the four aspects of the Om Mani Padme Hum path, which are placed around the four edges of the inner door. (More explanation of that later.)

Overall, she wanted something bright and cheerful, but not overwhelmingly so. The door needed to fit within her surroundings. I got the idea to paint it quite vibrant and then “brown down” the colors, giving the suggestion of a faded deck of cards or a rare book. I used mountain colors because she feels a particular draw to the Pagosa Springs region of Colorado. Each of the colors suggests something naturally found in this area so special to her and her family.

Door number 10 also marks my first “functional” door, in that it leads in and out of the master bedroom. When she crosses this threshold, she actually moves through the energies of the door. We decided to work with the molding, too, creating even more of a 3D “portal” effect by using a contrasting color around the door itself.

As you may remember, doors 1-9 are standalone, discarded panel doors. By contrast, the tenth door offered a blank canvas, with no predetermined layers or frames. I initially found this challenging, because I enjoy the inherent guidelines forced upon me by panels. As corny as it sounds, I spent about a day tuning in to this panel-less door, so that I could learn its character. I walked through the threshold, lay down in front of it, stared at it from down the hallway, until I had a real sense of what the door itself wanted to express. Once I felt that, I combined all of the patron’s intentions and requests with the door’s energy and the surrounding colors and a clear image came to mind. The colors divided the door instead of panels.

That’s a bit of the background. I find it difficult to explain my entire process, since it mostly comes from a right-brain, intuitive and spiritually channeled, synchronous place. Music plays an important role as well. This door is most infused with two albums: U2’s The Unforgettable Fire and Krishna Das’ Heart as Wide and the World. Although I listened to other music, those albums wanted to repeat themselves most often, and I probably listened to each of them at least 6 times.

I’ll show some close-up shots below, with a little more explanation. Because this is a commissioned piece, I am grateful for the opportunity to share any photos and explanation here. Some of the intentions are quite private, and they are encoded in Runes as texture and words. I am only describing those elements she has given me permission to share publicly. The door is actually much more complex and layered than I’m letting on here, but out of respect for her privacy and gratitude for her willingness to share, I’m only focusing on the more universal elements.

Although the doors look like artwork, the use of Runes, Sanskrit, Sacred Geometry and ancient symbols directly speaks to the subconscious mind. In this way, the doors do act as portals, because they intentionally program the subconscious mind to accept and embrace desired experiences or states of being. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am using ALL of my education and all of my brain — melding right with left, major nerdy book learning with intuitive flashes, and language with art. Many thanks to my anonymous patron for allowing me to share so much with you!

Doorway Number 10 by Laura Bruno

The woman’s teenage sons were so cute, too. They said the squiggly lines around the sun were “male” and thus represented them being added to their mom’s tattoo. They were really excited to find themselves in the painting.

Closeup of Kokopelli and the Hopi Starblower

Close-up of the Doorway Number 10, Kokopelli, Starblower, Crow Mother Kachina and many, many Runes! As a side note, one reason the water seems to move is that I coded its texture with a Rune that subconsciously corresponds to “flow.”

Buddha Door Quote and Crow Mother Kachini

Out of focus BlackBerry shot of the bottom of Doorway Number 10. It shows the bottom of a Hopi “Starblower” along with a Crow Mother Kachina. The background texture is coded with Runes specific to the owner’s intentions with this portal. The quote says, “There are two mistakes one can make on the road to truth … not going all the way and not starting.”–Buddha

Threshold Coding

Threshold of Doorway Number 10, showing part of the Runic coding, which runs from top to bottom. It spells out the Hopi elder saying, “We are the ones we have been waiting for.” The photo is a bit misleading as the inner room is white and the threshold is cinchilla blue.

Jewel in the Lotus by Laura Bruno

The back side of Doorway Number 10, which is in the master bedroom. It features the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra, which the owner says on a regular basis. The Sanskrit on the sides (and on top and bottom not shown in this photo) lists the four aspects of this path: karuna (compassion), maitri (loving kindness), upaika (equanimity) and mudika (joy).

Thanks for sharing the journey with us! I’ve had some other tentative requests for doors, too — some of them with the possibility of painting Dutch doors. (Those are the ones that split in half and swing separately.) Door number 11 is also a blank canvas (no panels) already planned and set to start painting later next week. Each door reminds me that portals are so unique. They involve not just one element, but so many possible functions, energies, intentions, love and desires. I truly feel blessed to have stumbled upon such a powerful and unusual means of expression.

Many Blessings and if you’d like your own portal door, please contact me privately for details. Cost varies according to travel, complexity, size and style of each door. I would love to create something for you or teach you how to create your own.

Namaste.

9 Portals

My gift to you on this 37th birthday. Thank you for sharing the journey with me! Much love …

Payuurteel by Laura Bruno

The Alchemy Door by Laura Bruno

The Daphne Door (aka Tree of Life) by Laura Bruno

Four of Wands Door by Laura Bruno

King of Cups aka Chiron Door by Laura Bruno

Freya and Frigga Door by Laura Bruno

Ten of Cups Door by Laura Bruno

The Ace of Pentacles by Laura Bruno

Door Number 9: The Ace of Pentacles

I think this might be my favorite door yet. I completed it last week but am just getting around to posting it on this #9 day (5/19/2010), which also happens to be the 12-year anniversary of my life changing brain injury.

A few things about this door: it does not have a lock. I like this. The Ace of Pentacles is all about Manifestation, so I love the fact that the door doesn’t need to be unlocked; it doesn’t even have a lock to begin with!

Secondly, this began as a clear, glass-paned door. My supply of solid doors dried up, but again, I like this particular door for the Ace of Pentacles, because it brings an element of transparency to manifestation. The bottom quote reads, “Remember my friend, you must go down the road to know, it is as above as so below.” Reflection, transparency, manifestation: I like it!

One other note on the pentacle itself. Rather than paint a plain old coin or a simple star, I went digging around for pentacles. And what did I find?? Something cool for the 9th door in a series of 9 sets of 9 (yes, I’m up to 81 as a destination number). I found more pentacles from Solomon’s Keys. The Ace of Pentacles features the 5th Pentacle of Mercury, a magical talisman designed “to open all doors.” I found this appropriate for portal work. Plus, I just like all the Hebrew.

The door has Runes, Sanskrit and Hebrew in large gold letters down the sides. The Runes spell out, “Behold, I have given. Receive.” The Sanskrit says, “Jai guru deva om” from the Beatles’ “Across the Universe” song. Roughly translated, it means, “I give thanks to the heavenly teacher.”

The Hebrew spells out “Shekinah.” For those of you who don’t know, Shekinah is kind of a mysterious, feminine aspect of God, often associated with the Holy Spirit. I’ve been getting a lot of intuitive insights into Pentecost lately, which is when the Holy Spirit descended onto the disciples and allowed them to perform miracles … and I like the resonance of Pentacle and Pentecost. Plus, the idea of “ordinary” people performing miracles seems directly in line with the meaning of the Ace of Pentacles.

The address “42” comes from, among other things, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” which lists 42 as the answer to “the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.” I have that phrase written in Runes down the back of the door, along with Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo on the bottom back. This kundalini yoga mantra translates to “I honor the guru within” or “I bow to that creative wisdom that lives within myself.”

This door shows a portal within a portal, as well as a garden, representative of THE Garden … a return to an Eden-like life of beauty, love, creativity and absolute abundace. Wishing that for each of you!!

Ace of Pentacles Portal by Laura Bruno

Detail Ace of Pentacles by Laura Bruno

Down the Road to the Ace of Pentacles by Laura Bruno

Rose and Pentacle on the Ace of Pentacles by Laura Bruno

Fifth Pentacle of Mercury on the Ace of Pentacles by Laura Bruno

I am awaiting the manifestation of more doors, more room and/or that magical Victorian house that keeps haunting my dreams and offering doors I can paint and actually walk through. The attic still has more doors for me to paint, but they are truly funky ones, and this set of 9 feels complete. We … shall see! My birthday’s on Saturday, and I am VERY open to surprises. 🙂

Door Number 8: Ten of Cups

Door Number 8 began as a tall and impossibly skinny project that proved most challenging to reveal the inner vision that had begun to haunt me. I tried and tried to find a different door that would provide an easier work surface for this particular image, but it appears that the Ten of Cups wanted this door. Having completed it, I can kind of see why. There’s a lot more flow than a two or more paneled door would have allowed.

The bottom quote seems appropriate: “Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t realize you left open.” To learn more about the Ten of Cups, please click here. For some reason, the Runes down the front called out to be Schizandra Ginger Parker, and the Chinese on the right is Wu Wei Zi (Schizandra chinensis), both from my novel, Schizandra and the Gates of Mu. That surprised me, but I don’t argue with inspiration. 😉 Enjoy!

Ten of Cups Door by Laura Bruno (Front)

Detail Ten of Cups Door by Laura Bruno (Rainbow)

Detail Ten of Cups Door by Laura Bruno (Children Dancing)

Detail Ten of Cups Door by Laura Bruno (Stallion)

Back of the Ten of Cups Door by Laura Bruno

Front of Ten of Cups by Laura Bruno

This may or may not be my last door painted in this apartment. I’m honestly not sure! The remaining doors in the attic are either very large, screened, or very odd shapes. The remaining space in my apartment is similarly interesting. We … shall … see…

Many Blessings!

Door Number 7: The Lovers

I finished The Lovers Door last night but needed to wait for daylight to get reasonable photo quality. Inspired by the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, this Lovers door also features a strong sense of Alchemical Union with the Divine. Thus, Archangel Raphael has healing coming out of his palms, and the Runes I used to code this painting evoke not just earthly soul-mate or twin soul union, but also the union of divine masculine and divine feminine energies into a trinity of one. I show two trees in this painting, but without implication of a “Fall from Grace.” This is meant to be a redemptive door, a return to the Garden after many years of exile.

** Please see the note and images below this original post. As of January 2015, the symbolic redemption has occurred even in/on/through the portal door itself, which got a major facelift. On a personal note, I had felt led for years to replace the center writing between the panels with “Gaia,” the name of the Mother Earth Goddess, originator of all fecundity and physical abundance. Humans are natural bridges between heaven and earth, and the star-shaped HAGAL Rune that runs through the lovers as light is itself a union of a deeply rooted feminine YR Rune and the masculine spiritual MAN Rune. (It also combines other Runes, as well, but I painted the portal with the intention of integration to create something new.)

You can see the original version immediately below, followed by close-ups and then the most current iteration as of January 2015.

The Lovers Door by Laura Bruno

Having written my honors thesis on Paradise Lost and having Plato’s Symposium as one of my very favorite books, I’ve long had a fascination with sacred union as a rejoining with the Divine.

Detail of The Lovers Door by Laura Bruno

For the bottom panel, I chose to include a red lotus, which symbolizes hridaya, the heart chakra. Those of you who read Schizandra and the Gates of Mu may recall that the word hridaya is also the same as the Sanskrit word for the “gateway to the highest reality.” The bottom quote emphasizes that the gateway happens without barriers: “Between God and the soul, there is no between.” –Julian of Norwich

Lotus Panel of the Lovers Door by Laura Bruno

The back of the Lovers Door features two quotes. The top panel is a chant called, “Om Radha Krishnaya Namaha,” which, again, honors the union of divine masculine and divine feminine. Deva Premal features this chant 108 times on her new CD, “Mantras for Precarious Times.” I awoke to it playing nonstop in my head last week during my final day of painting the Freya and Frigga door, which I had originally planned as the Lovers.

The bottom back panel has written in Runes a sentence from the Song of Solomon: “I am my Beloved’s [and] my Beloved is mine.” The middle of the door says “Reunion” and the other Runic inscriptions also emphasize this sacred union of divine feminine and divine masculine.

Back of the Lovers Door by Laura Bruno

I hope you enjoy this door. It’s huge! After moving it into my bedroom, I discovered that I may only have room left for one additional door in this apartment. I’ve been “told” that I’m painting 78 doors, so that tells me something’s in process of shifting. I don’t know exactly what, but I’m sure curious to see. 🙂

Close-up of the Lovers by Laura Bruno

JANUARY 2015 UPDATE:

As part of the redemption and reclaiming of humanity’s deep connection to both God and Goddess , to heaven and Earth, I finally received the intuitive instructions that now was the time to replace the original “Elohim” with “Gaia” (written in Greek), thereby grounding the lovers back to Mother Earth instead of leaving them as separate creations. On the left, you’ll see a Wheel of Being and on the right a Destiny Knot. Both Celtic designs come from necklaces David bought me on his 2012 trip to Ireland. The message of the Destiny Knot felt especially appropriate to this portal reclamation:

“Carried as a symbol of Hope and Faith, it is believed that once a person comes to a certain time in their lives, it is said that the knot will then unwind, showing you the true path your life must take.”

Close-up of “Gaia” revision of Laura Bruno’s The Lovers Door

Please click images if you’d like to enlarge them. Below, you can see the full door as it now stands, although I feel I will at some point add a lightning bolt into the center of the red lotus — symbolizing a shamanic union of male and female. As of January 28, 2015, the time is not yet ripe for that one. 🙂

The Lovers Door with “Gaia reclamation” by Laura Bruno

Many Blessings!

Gratitude!

It’s 80 degrees in Chicago and a beautiful, sunny Spring day. Walking around Hyde Park today I felt so overwhelmed with gratitude that I decided to post about it. Tomorrow marks two months in my new apartment, and I cannot believe how blessed I’ve been during this time!

Friends, an organic juice bar within walking distance, actually EVERYTHING I need within walking distance or a quick train ride, an attic full of vintage doors to paint, wonderful apartment management and maintenance. I even had fun getting interviewed for the 2010 Census when they lost my form!

On Monday night I fulfilled a long held dream to see Krishna Das and Deva Premal in concert. Together, no less! The concert was fun, blissful, energizing and felt like a shower for the soul. I loved it, and as I’m typing this entry listening to Krishna Das belt out Jaya Jagatambe I feel even more grateful for the synchronicities that led me back to Chicago, back to Hyde Park and to the concert.

I’m hard at work on sessions and door number 6. I painted the back of this one first, so when I finish the images on the front, I’ll actually be … done. I also found a way to paint with the doors upright, thereby saving my living room from the previous disaster that was “Laura painting doors.” Much nicer!

A few things I’ve been especially enjoying lately:

Elixer of the Lake — I’m not sure what the difference is between this and other Klamath Lake blue green algaes, but I feel super alkaline since starting it a week ago.

Hemp seed-spirulina-cacao nib-maple syrup desserts — OMG are these good! I use just enough syrup to wet the ingredients, but not enough to make it soupy. The perfect late night painting companion. 😉

Brown rice — I don’t know what to say. Maybe I’m channeling my inner macrobiotic lover, but a little brown rice gives me a sound night sleep and happy thoughts.

Gotu Kola — Herb of the yogi’s, I use this off and on. Right now I’m on. It balances the left and right sides of your brain and increases the ability to meditate. I live in pretty much a permanently meditative state, but I like the extra juice.

Speaking of juice — Bonne Sante Health Food Store’s Juice Bar has the nicest employees and some of the best juice I’ve ever had … anywhere. Always with a smile, too!

Superfood green smoothies for breakfast with cucumbers and one Schizandra berry — More than one berry makes it too tart, but one berry gives an amazing depth of flavor to any and all crazy ingredients I add.

Lake Michigan — Oh, I love the Lake! Always have. It’s so big it looks like the ocean, and so windy here we usually have waves.

MSM face cream — Love it and then I don’t have to megadose QUITE so much with the MSM to control my allergies. If you have hay fever and haven’t tried MSM powder, it’s miraculous. For the second year in a row, I have zero hay fever, and I used to be the kind of person who carried an entire roll of toilet paper or an entire box of tissues with her every single day from March through June and then again in August when rag weed season hit. Nothing, not prescription meds, not herbs, not a 100% raw diet, NOTHING made a dent in my allergies until I tried MSM in doses of 8-10 grams per day. This is not medical advice. Please do your own research and if you decide to use it beware you’ll need to ramp up slowly … but for me … nothing short of a miracle.

Instant Manifestation — I was at Starbucks yesterday waiting for an appointment. While in line to buy my tea, I thought, “I WISH Starbucks carried some kind of vegan raw food treat.” I didn’t even look because I have never, not even in Northern California, seen a raw food anything besides a banana at Starbucks. I happened to glance down while paying, though, and what to my wandering eyes should appear … but a Two Mom’s in the Raw Goji Berry Granola Bar. And it was good!

Have a great day today!!! Many blessings to you … Laura