My name is Nicolya Christi and I am a Visionary, Author, Writer, Artist and budding Novelist.
Twenty years ago, I followed the call of my heart and relocated from London UK, where I was born and raised, to the magnificent Black Mountains in Wales (UK). Later, I based myself close to Dartmoor, the great National Park in Devon (UK), before making my way to the Wild Atlantic West Coast of Cornwall (UK). I also explored the distant lands of Scotland, gradually travelling back down the British Isles to Lands End in England, after which I moved to the mystical Isle of Avalon – Glastonbury (UK).
In 2010, I responded to a deep inner ‘call’ that compelled me to leave the United Kingdom and head to the majestic Pyrenees Mountains of southern France. Since that time, I have been living on top of a mountain in the midst of an elemental and breathtakingly beautiful landscape that is steeped in an extraordinary quality of silence. This is accompanied only by the orchestra of birds and bees, frogs and cicadas, the tinkering bells of mountain herds, the neighing of the horses, and the toll of the ancient local village church bell that rings across the valley.
This is a land that is wide open to the elements – to wild winds, cleansing rains, flurries of deep winter snow, extraordinary electrical-magnetic storms, and an ever-changing dramatic sky. It is a deeply visceral experience from early dawn to deep into the night. One day may bring a brilliant golden Sun in cloudless azure skies, and another, the profoundly inspiring dramatic contrast of slow/fast moving and low hanging clouds. A waxing or waning Moon suspended high above the mountains and set amongst a blanket of Stars continues to inspire. On the Dark of the Moon, (New Moon), when the night is clear, it feels like one can touch heaven and, literally, pluck a Star right out of the midnight blue sky.
The house that I live in is found at the very end of a long grassy private lane that affords total privacy. My view is one of rolling mountains … with those in the far distance being snow-capped for most of the year. I have taken many of these photographs from the windows or from right outside my door. This type of seclusion gifts one with a special sense of Oneness with the Natural World that predominates here. There are no cars, barely any people, and with constant exposure to the heady scents and subliminal sounds it is no wonder that Mother Nature remains my greatest Muse. A fairytale ‘Hansel and Gretel’ “perched village” nestles quietly in the mountains on the other side of the dale.
The entire vast and expansive region here in Occitania is on an epic cinematographic scale. The mountains and trees, oceans and skies, rivers and rocks, land and lakes, forests and waterfalls, and ancient castles and hamlets that are poetically dotted throughout the land continue to captivate my heart and imagination.
Some of the photographs I present resemble an actual painting and have had only the slightest edit to render an impression of a work of art. As far as the eye can tell they may well have been painted in pastels, watercolours or oils, yet all are original photographs. Other striking images required the subtlest of touches to maintain the integrity of the raw file, while many remain entirely untouched and are presented in their original form.
Creativity fills my BEing, and its manifestations carry a single Conscious purpose on my part – to align the heart and soul of the viewer and listener to Love, and to the beauty that we each are.
May the images and sounds presented convey the energy of LOVE, immerse you in LIGHT, and facilitate a deeper connection to this beautiful Earth. May they fulfil a role in your own process of healing, integration, awakening, and transformation, as each one has played its part in supporting my own.
LOVE, from the Heart and Soul of my BEing –
Namaste,
Nicolya ♥♥