Creating Healing Art Through Dreams and Breathwork: A Journey with Spiritual Artist Julia Wood

Have you ever awakened from a dream feeling inspired and deeply connected to something beyond yourself? Julia Wood lives this experience, translating her dreams into stunning paintings with healing energies. On our latest episode of "Balm to the Soul," we're honored to have Julia, a spiritual artist whose work with light beings and ascended masters like Buddha and Kwan-Yin resonates with those seeking comfort and connection. Her journey from a simple art course to becoming a conduit for spiritual healing through art is as fascinating as it is inspiring.

Imagine if just a few deep breaths could transport you to a place of peace and creativity. We delve into the world of breathing techniques that promise just that. From belly breaths to heart math breathing, our conversation with Julia offers practical steps to prepare your creative space and foster relaxation. We also explore the colourful dimensions of visualization and how these practices can guide us back to a state of calm, no matter where we are or what we're facing.

As we wrap up our time with Julia, we're left with a tangible sense of gratitude for the love and peace she infuses in her work – an especially poignant sentiment in these challenging times. If her story resonates with you, we invite you to connect with her healing art, even in the absence of a digital footprint. Her approach to sharing her gifts with the world is as authentic and personal as the art itself. Don't forget to engage with our podcast by liking, sharing, and subscribing to "Balm to the Soul," and if you're moved to do so, drop us a review.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 2:30

So welcome everybody to another episode of Barn to the Soul, and today I have a new guest to the podcast and her name is Julia Wood. So hi, Julia, thank you for coming on to the podcast and supporting Barn to the Soul.

Speaker 1: 2:46

Hi, natasha, it's a pleasure to be here with you all Good, so let me just introduce you. So Julia is a spiritual artist who woke into the artistic world starting in 2015 and has now sold almost 500 paintings and is being guided to paint new light beings that bring peaceful, loving and uplifting energies to those who gaze at them. That sounds beautiful. I love the way that you phrase that for me. So describe to us, julia, how you got started, really how you realised. Have you always painted you?

Speaker 1: 3:27

know, how did you start these beautiful light beings?

Speaker 2: 3:33

Okay, well, it was 2015 and I was getting repeated dreams and guidance to start painting, and I hadn't painted since I was at school and took my GCE, and so you know, that's a good 40 years ago and I saw a 10 week art course, you know, covering everything. You know, just a comprehensive 10 week course. And I went on that and the very first thing that I drew, which was a beautiful little blue bird, blue blue tit, the teacher said to me I think I think you missed your vocation looking at that, and it just went on and on and on from there and a pen and ink was. You know, I became quite good at pen and ink and then it started to move into oils and I just seemed to just love working with oils. So I went with that guidance that sort of heart guidance, if you like, what my heart was telling me and started getting these dreams, like, over and over again, I would have the dream of Buddha. Buddha would be coming into my dreams and this happens so much that I realised, oh, come on, this is why you're doing the painting course. You're getting Buddha coming to you so that you can clearly paint his whole sort of upper body, head, and so I did that and it's just amazing how I just started penciling in, sketching in everything.

Speaker 2: 5:24

Then I sort of got some paints together you know, after being taught about the oil, how to use the oils and it just all came together. And I've sold so many of Buddha because the energy that he emanates out of his pictures is just amazing. And it just continued where. Oh well, I'd like to paint something else now and of course, I get another dream. Okay, you need to paint this angel of self-empowerment.

Speaker 2: 5:56

So she came out and her name is Angelina and it just kept going on and on and on like this until I think it's about eight paintings of all these beautiful beings that wanted me to paint them that have actually come into existence. And where I have sold the majority of all of these paintings is that at a beautiful spiritual event called Purple Feather, and they were between Lawford and Wheely in Essex, and there's so many people that have bought. As I say, I've had people buy eight paintings, nine paintings, and send them abroad and ask me to sign them, you know, on the back, and they send them to their friends and things like that. So they have a very, very powerful effect on people who are willing just to sit and gaze at them.

Speaker 1: 7:05

How lovely, so it's almost like you're channeling not only the visuals but you're bringing into being the energy of those beings that you ascended masters, that you paint almost.

Speaker 2: 7:21

Oh, that's very nice of you to say that, but I certainly don't feel like that. I feel that these are like paintings of the masters like Kwon-Yin was another one, an early one that wanted me to paint her and of course she's the angel of mercy and love and again, you know, very, very, very powerful to just look at. I remember I was at one event and a lovely lady, young lady, came up to me and said thank you so much for what you're doing, because my baby was having such trouble with taking in her milk. And she said he was always crying, he was always unhappy. And she said she bought one of the paintings, put it on the wall so that he could actually look at it. And she said the problem was solved, he stopped crying, he started feeling better and I'm just so happy for her that that helped.

Speaker 1: 8:34

So you really have healing properties.

Speaker 2: 8:37

Oh, definitely, yes, yes, definitely. I I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. How I feel about them is I paint them and they are sort of like unique angelic artwork and it's blessed by the angelic realms otherwise I wouldn't be able to paint something like that and it's also imbued, then, with healing Reiki, because I've trained to be a Reiki master and teacher, and so I'm imbuing that energy as well into it, spiritual light energy. So there's so much love that goes into each one of these, these paintings, that I put up for sale at these lovely purple feather events. Wow. And you know, many people have said to me you know I can't find you on the websites anywhere, and I said it's because I just don't need to be people, the people who need what, what I'm sort of offering out there, just just just come yeah, it's a complete trust by you that what whoever needs your work will arrive and connect with you, isn't it oh?

Speaker 2: 10:01

yes, yes, it's. I feel so blessed to have been able to paint in this way. As I say, okay, loved art when I was at school, but that was a good 40, 45 maybe, yeah, 45 years ago now. So I think, looking back at that, it was almost like you know, how many people are looking for a life purpose? What is my life purpose? You know, why am I here? I didn't realize at the time, but because I was reasonably good at art. You know, not fantastic, but you know, reasonably good I could. I could sort of hold my own in my class at the time.

Speaker 2: 10:46

Yeah, I wonder whether that's almost like a sign that that's what you're gonna be really good at in the future, if you want to be, and it's a sign that it's maybe part of your life life purpose. Like some might be really good at sort of maybe mathematics or physics or something you know. They might actually become inventors or some type of innovator or something you know. Yeah, so so you know, looking back, I'm thinking to myself well, maybe that was a sign, but of course I was too young and lacking in knowledge to to realize that was going to be coming up in the future. So let me see my dreams definitely did help me to know what paint, because I think a lot, of a lot of artists think, well, what should I do now? But that's never the case for me, because all I have to do is ask in my my mind, if you like my heart, and just say you know what? What is next? What would you like me to to bring to people now?

Speaker 1: 11:54

and do you actually have a dream of the image of what you're going to paint? You actually you see it, you just get that impression and then sort of a bit more of artistic, your artistic sort of thought goes into it. Or do you just actually see what you're going to paint very clearly a little?

Speaker 2: 12:14

bit of both, I suppose, because I will see the face right. I will see the face in in the dreams several, many, many times really. You know, when it first happened with Buddha, I was a little bit dense, I didn't realize it was supposed to be him. But you know, after a while I suddenly realized. And now, when a face does come through to me, I realize. Yet, julia, this is, this is another one to come, and I native American Indians wanting to be painted. At the moment there's two light beings who are the masculine and feminine of the, the human body. So I will definitely be drawing and then painting a male and a female of, like an evolved human, oh wow that's interesting.

Speaker 2: 13:15

If that makes sense, yes, yes. So yes, that is probably my next one to come is the evolving masculine and feminine equality.

Speaker 1: 13:31

Excellent. So do people ever say to you I'm having issues with, say, with my digestion what's the best picture to have, what's the best healing energy? Does it work like that? Or is it just an overall? There's a benefit for everything.

Speaker 2: 13:50

Basically, when you look at one of these paintings, yeah, it's never been brought to me that it can heal any particular one situation. Right, it's more if you gaze, if I don't know if you're familiar with the term soft eye, but if you just gaze, maybe sit down, get yourself nice and comfortable cup of tea or something like that, and just look at the painting and just take the painting in, just feel that energy, allow yourself to relax a little bit, because most of us, we don't allow ourselves to relax?

Speaker 1: 14:35

No, we might think we are, but we're not really. No.

Speaker 2: 14:40

And this is all you need to do with these paintings is because they've already been imbued with this beautiful angelic and reiki energy. It's just a lovely, lovely experience for people. So I would have thought that if someone did come to me which I don't think they ever have, they've just seen the pictures it's just resonated. I mean thinking back to some events. I've had people walk up and just burst into tears looking at the paintings. You're feeling the healing already, yes, and I remember one couple in particular. They came up I'd never met them before and they just walked up to the store and as soon as she started looking at Angelique, which is the angel of happiness, she burst into tears and couldn't stop crying. Of course her husband's really worried and looked at me. What's going on? I said she's just seeing herself.

Speaker 2: 15:48

She's just recognized that's her in that picture and of course she took it away and it was a lovely thing to see her treasure. That that's amazing, isn't it.

Speaker 1: 16:02

So if somebody buys a picture from you, they've almost got sort of healing on tap, haven't they? Whenever they decide to just slow down, sit down, gaze at that picture, they have a continuous access to those beautiful healing energies.

Speaker 2: 16:24

Oh, yes, indeed, yes, it's there 24-7, it just never stops. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean I'm sitting in my art room at the moment, you know. I know we're looking at each other and I'm surrounded by all of these wonderful masters that have asked me to paint them, and my husband comes in sometimes and he said it feels like a church. He said it feels so holy, wow, and sacred in this room, and I agree because Buddha, mother Mary, kwon Yen, Lady Gaia, the spirit of earth, you know they're all in here and helping me with this wonderful podcast we're doing together today.

Speaker 1: 17:14

Yes, I think that's absolutely beautiful, Julia. I've never heard of the healing energy coming through in that way, so I think that's absolutely beautiful. And we met at one of these purple feather spirit events, didn't we? They're well worth going to all sorts of people there. But I was doing a talk, wasn't I? And we started chatting.

Speaker 2: 17:39

Yes, that was so interesting your talk. Thank you for talking, God bless you, thank you. Yeah, very, very good. Yes, and when we actually spoke, it was like we were old friends meeting up again, wasn't it?

Speaker 1: 17:51

Yes, we recognized each other's energy for some reason. Yeah, short life energy, whatever it is, but yeah, so lovely. So just you talked a little bit about sort of soft dive. But how do you go into a channeled zone? How do you get into that creative flow? You've had the dream, you've seen the picture. Do you straight away go and do the painting in case you lose Because whenever I dream I lose it very quickly or is it there for you then? It's sort of almost like a memory.

Speaker 2: 18:26

Yeah, it's the latter.

Speaker 1: 18:28

It's like a memory.

Speaker 2: 18:29

Yeah, yeah, it's like a memory that is sort of put in there. So I can't forget it, because I'm like yourself. You can have all these incredible psychic dreams. They're all in color, they're very, very detailed and they're so real. You're really in there and yet you wake up and within 10 seconds it's gone. Yeah, yeah, but these dreams aren't like that. They stay in my mind so strongly that it allows me to sketch out what I've seen and then bring in the paints on top of the pencil sketching.

Speaker 2: 19:09

So how I get into a channeled zone and I would say this also applies to actually gazing at the paintings if you want to actually draw that beautiful healing energy in is to get into that relaxed state, and I can take you into that relaxed state. If you would like me to do that, I can sort of almost talk you through how I would just get ready to start to paint. Would you like me to do that? Yes, absolutely, go for it. I'm okay. Well, probably. Firstly, what I would do is okay, I know exactly what I'm going to create. You know, I've got that now ready. And if you're not like me and you don't see, you know what you're going to paint. Just decide what you want to actually create after you've relaxed and gone into that wonderful, happy state. And then next I would say, get all your creative materials ready on your table in front of you, so you might want your pencils, papers, paints, brushes, all different types of things that you're going to need to be able to create what might want to do a sculpture, so clays, all that, moulds, all that type of thing get that already on your table in front of you. Nice comfy chair, maybe a nice little cuddly throw cup, of cup of tea, you know, whatever you feel is going to help you feel comfortable. And then, of course, turning your phone off or putting your phone somewhere it's not going to distract you and just maybe let your loved ones know in the same house.

Speaker 2: 21:12

Okay, I'm just needing a little bit of peace and quiet, just just for a few minutes, and just to allow you to get into this, this peaceful zone that's probably the easiest way I can explain it is. It's a peaceful zone and then, once you've got yourself comfortable, you're feeling happy with all your materials around you. You can then start this relaxation process by breathing, and of course we all breathe to live. But there are certain ways that you can use the breath and it's so easy. And sometimes, when things are very, very simple and easy, we think, oh no, I can't be bothered with that. You know, we feel we've got to have a bit of a challenge, yeah, and that's. That's really not the case in in in this, this situation. So if you would like to join me in this breathing exercise and attention and everyone else, if you're okay, as long as you're not sort of driving a convoy, all you need to do you're sitting comfortably is close your eyes and just start doing what we call the belly breath.

Speaker 2: 22:37

Now this breath starts from the lower belly and as you slowly breathe in, you're bringing that air in, expanding up the body. So if you've got a very, very good lung capacity, you're going to be able to breathe right up to your lung space and it's all expanding. So your lower belly is expanding right the way up, like your. Your whole trunk is is expanding with the oxygen you're breathing in and, of course, then you're breathing out slowly and pulling your belly in, your lower belly in as you breathe out. So you're helping all that oxygen to come out of your body. So let's just do this together now. I've just explained it. Your belly is going out, being pushed out as you breathe in, filling your belly with air, filling the upper part of your body as high as you can possibly breathe the oxygen into the upper body and then just letting it gently go. I'll do this with you as well. I'm breathing in and I'm expanding my lung space as far as is comfortable and then just gently letting it breathe out, breathing in outer belly, pushing the belly out, expanding up to the chest and then just letting that air gently flow out as you pull your lower belly in to gently expel that breath, and let's do it one more time. And then expanding your chest and then letting that air gently go. You may want to do that two or three times.

Speaker 2: 24:59

Normally, say, set yourself doing it three to five times, just that easy belly breath, and then what we do next is what I call the heart math breathing technique. This is a very beautiful way of bringing in a lot of peace into your mind and your body, because if your mind is peaceful, you can usually allow your whole body to become peaceful, which we all really really need in this day and age that we live in. So the heart math way of breathing that I then go into obviously it's involving the heart, and what I start off with is I visualise, imagine in my mind the word love and just see that word love in your mind in your favourite colour, just think what is your favourite colour, and then you see that word love in that colour in your mind, in your mind's eye, in your imagination, and then all you have to do is on your in breath, focusing on that part of yours, focusing on that word of love of yours and all you do is you take a breath in breathing. It's almost as if you're pulling that word love into your heart. And as you pull that beautiful word of love into your heart, on the out breath you're breathing out in the same colour as the word love the word peace. So you see in your imagination the word peace in your favourite colour being breathed out all around you and you just continue this beautiful exercise of relaxation.

Speaker 2: 27:10

You can do it anywhere you like sitting at your desk, at work, even riding your bike. You can even do it with your eyes open. So just if you'd like to join me now I've explained it if you'd just like to do this three times in your own time, your own pace, seeing that beautiful love in your favourite colour in your heart, you breathe in, you breathe out in the same beautiful colour, the word peace and it's just flowing all around you. And then just breathing in again the word love into your heart and then breathing out the word peace all around you. And then the final one, unless you're way ahead of me, breathing in that beautiful word of love into your heart, breathing out in the same color that word of peace. And even in those few little breaths, you may have already felt a slight change in your consciousness.

Speaker 2: 28:30

So if any of you want to carry on with this heart math breathing, then please feel free, because it is so healing, so relaxing and it takes you into a beautiful zone where, once you feel you've breathed enough like this, you can open your eyes, look at all these wonderful creative tools you've got in front of you and you can then start picking up, say, your pencil. If you're going to paint or draw, you may want to do a watercolor. So straight away you're picking up your brush, wetting it, wetting the paint, putting it straight onto that piece of paper you're going to paint on, and you will feel so relaxed about what you're doing. I've known many artists who have become quite uptight about oh, is this right, is this wrong? When you do these breathing exercises, it just relaxes you, so you don't care, you're just happy.

Speaker 1: 29:50

That was lovely, julia. I've never done that heart breathing before and, like you say, I was ahead of you. It was about the fifth breath I did feel. I felt like I did shift and it's almost like a stillness, isn't it? It's like a sort of a stillness descended. It was beautiful, lovely, lovely process to do.

Speaker 2: 30:16

Well, that was wonderful, that you could actually feel that shift from being in the normal world to actually taking that time for yourself to relax, to bring more oxygen into your body, which it really, really needs, and just to allow your body just to calm down, yeah, and to just get into that beautiful place of stillness, like you say, and then from there you can create something amazing.

Speaker 2: 30:54

Yes, and even if you don't want to paint, you decide oh you know, I'm enjoying this breathing so much, I'm just going to sit here and breathe. It really doesn't matter how long you sit there and practice this breath. In fact, it's so, so helpful. It's so good for you, even when you're sitting at your desk at work or you're in a traffic jam or something. You could do it even then just to calm you down, stop you being triggered by little things.

Speaker 1: 31:26

Or even if you're, you know, through your day, like you say, you feel as though you're getting more agitated. Even if you're sitting in the car parked up somewhere, you could just have a few breaths to just calm your nervous system down and just calm everything down. It's a lovely tool to have, isn't it? To just for life, basically because we live in such this, you know, like sort of chaotic world really. You know, even driving to work and driving home again, and the traffic can be, you know, you arrive home in quite an agitated state really. So to just have that ability to just find that place of peace is lovely.

Speaker 2: 32:13

Definitely, and it really helps, I feel, to visualize that word love and that word peace on the out-breath, because otherwise you're just breathing, aren't you? It's just all in. But when you actually visualize or imagine those two words as you breathe in love and you breathe out peace, it becomes so much easier to be able to do that breathing technique, isn't it Because it is in it?

Speaker 1: 32:46

Yes, and it was. It was funny because you said choose your favorite color. Well, I didn't have a choice. It wasn't my favorite color, but it was just there and it was very clear. And it was like a fuchsia pink, which I wouldn't say is my favorite color. Love it, but I wouldn't say it was my favorite. But it was just there, so I just went with it. I used fuchsia pink, but, yeah, lovely technique.

Speaker 2: 33:09

Isn't that your soul? Star chakra color? I believe. I'm not sure. I'm not sure, but I believe that was your soul communicating with you there.

Speaker 1: 33:23

Oh, how lovely, how lovely. I will have to look that up, julia. Wow, well, I'm, I'm, I enjoy talking to you so much. I think I've never heard of someone doing painting, and creativity and channeling healing energy is the way that you're doing. So I think it's amazing. How do people get in contact with you if they are really drawn to find you listening to this podcast? Is there a way that they can contact you? Can I put contact details up under the episode for you?

Speaker 2: 34:03

Yes, of course. That would be just a part of my service to the world. So, yes, of course anyone can phone me on my mobile phone. That would be great. I don't have a website because I've never needed a website. It's just not being important to have a website.

Speaker 1: 34:23

So if I put your email address, that people could email you and just contact you in that way if they feel, if they just feel drawn, something just resonates, doesn't it, and you think I need to see that ladies paintings, or something like that.

Speaker 2: 34:38

Oh, bless you. Well, I was thinking of my mobile phone, to be honest, Well, we'll do that.

Speaker 1: 34:44

Yeah, If you want to put that down. Yeah, yeah, how people contact you. But I have a feeling you might get a few contacts. I think sometimes, when you listen to somebody's voice and you're listening to what they're doing, and you just feel very drawn, and if people follow their intuition in that way, then it's something that they need, isn't it? It's something that they will find something from.

Speaker 2: 35:13

Yes, yes, I'm not at Purple Feather at Wheely or Lawford, essex, until May I think it is, and then thereafter I'll be sent there, sort of say every other month. Yeah, because at the moment I've sort of had this new masculine and feminine painting that needs to be created and brought to everyone who needs it. So, yeah, I won't be there until May, ok, but if anyone would like to phone me and just have a chat, even that's absolutely beautiful, lovely.

Speaker 1: 35:52

Well, thank you, Julia. Thank you so much for coming onto the podcast. It's been a pleasure to speak to you. I find it all absolutely fascinating. So thank you so much.

Speaker 2: 36:04

Oh, bless you, Many blessings to all of you, and just remember being in your heart and finding that love and that peace will get us all through what we're all going through at the moment. Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 36:21

Yeah, that's a beautiful way to finish, so thank you so much. So if you've enjoyed listening to Julia and I chatting, please like and share, and you can always leave a review for Balm to the Soul and you can also subscribe to Balm to the Soul. So thank you very much for listening to this episode and we will talk again soon.