The First Limited Edition Wisdom Keepers Oracle Deck
(Available on AMAZON only for a short time. There are only a few left.)
The First Color Edition Wisdom Keepers Oracle Deck
is now available here and on Amazon!
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Introduction to The Wisdom Keepers
These are paradoxical times on our planet. Times of great suffering, and times of great promise. More than ever, our survival as a species depends on our ability to honor and respect our differences while acknowledging and embracing our interconnectedness. My intention in bringing forth these 64 faces is to reclaim, reflect and celebrate the soul of the world – a miraculous multiplicity of ONE. It is my way of illuminating the incredible uniqueness of the individual person or tribe, as well as engaging in a deep, intimate experience that transcends ‘self’ and ‘other’. |
These faces embody the very kind of peace, love and understanding that I long to see in the world and experience in myself. They represent both ancient and new human archetypes that connect us with our collective evolution. Since many of the Wisdom Keepers are elders, one of my deepest intentions for this project is to honor and celebrate the wisdom and radiance of a population that in our youth-obsessed culture all too often go unseen, under-appreciated and under-utilized.
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The Human Face
Often called the "organ of emotion," the human face is a dynamic canvas and one of our most powerful channels of nonverbal communication. From the moment we’re born, we are constantly monitoring, mirroring and reading the faces around us, looking for cues, so that we can better understand what others are feeling and assess whether we are loved and safe in the world. The human capacity to form healthy attachments is deeply determined by the quality of presence in the faces of our early caregivers. Studies have shown that when babies are met with empathic faces, they relax and thrive; when they are met with neutral to ‘negative’ expressions, they often become emotionally disorganized and struggle to form healthy bonds as they grow. That said, we humans are immensely resilient. We have the potential to heal old wounds through the formation of new loving attachments. Just looking into a face that reflects love and acceptance has a lasting impact on how we see and experience ourselves, as well as on our ability to give and receive love. The human face also transmits deeper states of consciousness. When we spend a long enough time looking into the eyes of a truly present being, we begin to access our own inner radiance and aliveness. The faces of the Wisdom Keepers have come specifically to recognize your potential, reflect your beauty and receive your love. Connect with each face as you would a friend, a grandmother, a mentor, a lover or a guide. Relax into the gleam in the eye. Allow yourself over time, to develop a sincere relationship with each of the Wisdom Keepers -- you will be surprised at the power of their medicine. Though each face is different, they all come to love you unconditionally, to reveal important truths about who you are, and to help you remember the dreams that have been seeded in your soul. |
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The Creative Process
The creative process behind the birth of the Wisdom Keepers has been mysterious, whimsical and deeply intuitive. While this process is deeply embedded in my interest in spirituality, service, Human Design and the Gene Keys, the particular faces I’ve drawn have arisen in unique ways. Often they’ve emerged through my dreams and imagination. Every once in a while I've felt a strong pull to capture the energy or expression of an actual person -- or a hybrid of people -- who have inspired or moved me.
There have been times when others have shared their visions of a face with me, and I've integrated those visions into an image. When drawing, I consciously enter into an intimate, meditative and intuitive space. I allow myself to drop in to a highly rhythmic, detailed process -- dot by dot, line by line. Slowly I watch the white paper and black ink intertwine and lose themselves in a staccatoed dance . . . until there is no black, and no white. No this, and no that. Just a multi-faceted being emerging from the background – infused with universal and archetypal symbols, inviting me into hidden worlds and emanating a presence that I can feel in my bones.
The process of creating these faces has been exceedingly soothing to me. It has not only allowed me to work through my own grief about the wounded and conflictual state of the world, but to apply and receive my own form of medicine.
When I gaze into the eyes of these wise beings once they’re fully formed, I feel seen, cherished, and supported. While at first I might be enamored and awed by the specificity of their beauty, in the end, it doesn’t matter what their ethnicity is, or their religion, or the color of their skin. Or even their age. What matters is the possibility of transformation that their gazes inspire.
As I spend time with them, I find myself feeling increasingly relaxed, trusting, patient and forgiving in my everyday life. I feel invited to become more loving, more alive, and more real.
Ultimately, I see these drawings as soul windows, or medicinal mirrors. Each being is an exquisitely unique reflection of the truth that the face of Love & Compassion is universal and of the potential that resides deeply within each of us.
The creative process behind the birth of the Wisdom Keepers has been mysterious, whimsical and deeply intuitive. While this process is deeply embedded in my interest in spirituality, service, Human Design and the Gene Keys, the particular faces I’ve drawn have arisen in unique ways. Often they’ve emerged through my dreams and imagination. Every once in a while I've felt a strong pull to capture the energy or expression of an actual person -- or a hybrid of people -- who have inspired or moved me.
There have been times when others have shared their visions of a face with me, and I've integrated those visions into an image. When drawing, I consciously enter into an intimate, meditative and intuitive space. I allow myself to drop in to a highly rhythmic, detailed process -- dot by dot, line by line. Slowly I watch the white paper and black ink intertwine and lose themselves in a staccatoed dance . . . until there is no black, and no white. No this, and no that. Just a multi-faceted being emerging from the background – infused with universal and archetypal symbols, inviting me into hidden worlds and emanating a presence that I can feel in my bones.
The process of creating these faces has been exceedingly soothing to me. It has not only allowed me to work through my own grief about the wounded and conflictual state of the world, but to apply and receive my own form of medicine.
When I gaze into the eyes of these wise beings once they’re fully formed, I feel seen, cherished, and supported. While at first I might be enamored and awed by the specificity of their beauty, in the end, it doesn’t matter what their ethnicity is, or their religion, or the color of their skin. Or even their age. What matters is the possibility of transformation that their gazes inspire.
As I spend time with them, I find myself feeling increasingly relaxed, trusting, patient and forgiving in my everyday life. I feel invited to become more loving, more alive, and more real.
Ultimately, I see these drawings as soul windows, or medicinal mirrors. Each being is an exquisitely unique reflection of the truth that the face of Love & Compassion is universal and of the potential that resides deeply within each of us.
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The Birth of the Stories
Just as I had little control over who came through when I was bringing the Wisdom Keepers into form, I had little control over what they had to say when it came time to creating the Oracle Deck. Writing the 156-paged Wisdom Keepers Inner Guidebook has been a deeply intuitive process that has required complete surrender and trust. As I allowed the Wisdom Keepers to reveal their personal stories to me, the most important thing I learned was that each one of them earned their wisdom by not only surviving painful and challenging experiences, but by embracing them, as Jung encourages us to embrace our Shadows. I learned that these radiant beings aren’t that much different from you and me. They are deeply human. How comforting it is to remember that very few of us get to be present, loving and compassionate in this life without experiencing some kind of pain, loneliness, discomfort and fear! So wherever you find yourself at this moment, if you are learning to greet your challenges with openness and curiosity, you are also very likely on your way to becoming your own keeper of wisdom. |
Please note: While certain Wisdom Keepers may happen to resemble individuals you know, their faces and stories have been channeled as a way of reflecting archetypal themes and are not related to specific people.
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"I'll be your mirror
Reflect what you are, in case you don't know I'll be the wind, the rain and the sunset The light on your door to show that you're home When you think the night has seen your mind That inside you're twisted and unkind Let me stand to show that you are blind Please put down your hands 'Cause I see you I find it hard to believe you don't know The beauty that you are But if you don't let me be your eyes A hand in your darkness, so you won't be afraid When you think the night has seen your mind That inside you're twisted and unkind Let me stand to show that you are blind Please put down your hands 'Cause I see you I'll be your mirror" -- the Velvet Underground |
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The Human Face
The infinite, writes her stories on the contours of the face;
the ultimate reality shining forth from living mirrors.
The seeker need only cast their gaze upon this holy countenance.
Lost in open receptivity, absorbed in living light,
All ‘other’ disappears as we breathe alone…
Together, Face to Face with the mystery.
~ Prem Tanmayo
Copyright © 2015, Roselyn Ann Aronson. All rights reserved.
Visit us on facebook at www.facebook.com/64faces
If you'd like to use one of my images, please contact me for permission.
Visit us on facebook at www.facebook.com/64faces
If you'd like to use one of my images, please contact me for permission.