Have you ever been so spiritually connected to another living being, that you knew that the two of you were two parts of a whole?
That, not only were you meant to meet–that you’d met before, that you were always, from Time Immemorial, part of each other’s lives? Of each other’s souls?
In Irish, the phrase, “Anam Cara” means, “Soul Friend.” It indicates that, millions of years ago–if, indeed, we can measure the realm of the spiritual in the very-lacking human thoughts about Time and Space–that Always and Forever–you’d been united. That somehow you got separated–but then, thank God–you reconnected.
This is how I feel about Seattle Slew–and that’s weird, I know, because I never had the blessing of meeting Slew in the flesh, on this earthly plane. But still, Slew is Anam Cara to me.
And that is how Jennifer Contessa feels about Rydilluc, and Rydilluc, about Jennifer. The moment their eyes met–they fell into those orbs, and down the shamanic tunnel to the very spirit of each other.
Rydilluc, a magnificently handsome–and spiritually enormous–son of the marvelous Medaglia d’Oro, out of Swift and Classy (Clever Trick) was conditioned and trained by Jennifer’s husband, Gary Contessa. Together, they raced–Jennifer was at every one of Rydilluc’s races, except one–until her boy was sent to Chile for the next steps in his career.
And yes, Jennifer always called Rydilluc, My Boy, because he is very much a part of her life. The moment they laid eyes on each other, it was Love. No, it was more than Love. It was spiritual connection–two souls, traveling–looking–landing in each other. They recognized each other, for they were not meeting for the first time: no, this is a relationship that always has been–it is so hard for limited human minds to wrap around that concept, of not measuring by Time and Space. But in the world where Rydilluc and Jennifer know each other–Time and Space are irrelevant.
The photo above is not a photo. Rather, it is a photo of a painting–a most exceptional painting–by a truly gifed artist, Jessica Bader Leonard. Having seen her website and experienced the painting of Rydilluc first-hand, I feel confident reporting that she paints using Light and Shadow to define her subjects. (I took a Theatre Design course in college–the professor taught us to paint NOT using LINE to define our subjects. Just show the direction of the light, he said. I thought he was crazy, until I realized that even I could draw, now that I’d learned to see in this way.) I believe that Jessica Bader Leonard paints using that same Light and Shadow, and in so-doing–she goes so far beyond lines.
Lines create borders. Lines cut off one thing from another. Lines are not meant to be crossed. Lines confine.
But Light–Light illuminates. Light shows direction. Light comes from God. Light contains all colors, all at once. Light is porous, as close as physics can get to the realm of the Spiritual.
Light is Music, at a higher frequency.
Jessica painted Rydilluc, showing his magnificent, deep black coat and marvelous, strong head by defining him with Light and Shadow. Notice his strong chest muscles, and the definition of his neck? Light/Shadow.
Now, notice that Eye. See the gleam in his eye. You’re drawn to it, aren’t you? You can’t take your eyes off his one, beautiful, inviting eye. We are privileged to see that retinal invitation, because what we are seeing is that which Jennifer experienced the first time she met him (on this plane). His eyes lit up in recognition–she was back! His Anam Cara had re-entered his Life. His eyes shone like the cool, white Light of the full moon. His eyes welcomed Jennifer into his heart, for the next round of their relationship. (If we’d been there that day, we would not have experienced this, as that moonglow warmth was for Jennifer, only. So we’re blessed, that Jessica has such breadth of soul to allow her the ability to see what Jennifer’s camera captured that day, and turn it into this painting of that singular Moment in Time.
Jennifer cried when she received the painting, because Jessica had so expertly–so spiritually–captured not just a horse whom Jennifer loves–but a Moment in Time with a soul who is eternally connected to her own.
(A few minutes later, I saw the painting, and I cried, too. I’d met Rydilluc only once–but I could feel the love between him and Jennifer IN the painting. And, because Love touches everyone around it–I felt that warmth and Light, too.)
Jennifer loves Rydilluc. Rydilluc loves Jennifer. They’re not in each other’s physical spheres right now, but everything in its Time: they’ll be back together in physical form when God and the Universe know the time is right. In the meantime–they’re separated only in the physical, certainly not in the realm of Anam Cara.
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To see the magnificent works of Jessica Bader Leonard–to buy a painting, or commission one of your very own, contact her thus:
Jessica Bader Leonard
http://jessicaleonardart.weebly.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jessicaleonardart?fref=ts
(518) 578-1098
jessicaleonardart@gmail.com