ilithya

**Ethereal Fauna** is a collection of immersive, psychedelic images delving deep into the realms of meditation, spirituality, and visual hypnosis. Each piece is an abstract portrayal of various facets from the world of fauna (aka the animal kingdom): flesh, fur, cellular molecules, blood flow, and intricate shells.

This project draws inspiration from a challenging year marked by personal hardship, and how, throughout the first half of 2023, I immersed myself in meditation and the use of medicinal psychedelics as vehicles to uncover and embrace spiritual guidance. I was on a quest to connect with my spiritual guardian or power animal. Hence, this is a dual visual journey, one through meditation and another through the lens of medicinal psychedelics, studying the parallels between these paths in search of inner tranquility. 

One could argue that the animal flesh and fur that make up *Ethereal Fauna* could represent our connection to the tangible, while the cellular molecules and blood flow could symbolize the essence of our life. The intricate animal shells could signify the protective layers we build around our inner selves — layers upon layers — and there is still more to uncover within ourselves if we choose to dig deeper. 

*Ethereal Fauna* serves as a visual meditation on the timeless pursuit of self-discovery and enlightenment. A series of subtly unfolding visual compositions, hypnotically altering our consciousness, as they guide us into a serene and spiritual state of mind. Let it open a gateway into your inner world, where introspection and a deeper connection with ourselves await. 

This collection is an ode to the enduring human pursuit of inner wisdom, spiritual harmony, and the perpetual quest to uncover the guardian spirit that resides within us. May you find a transcendent experience in the meditative movements of *Ethereal Fauna*.

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**CONTROLS**

[click/tap] play/pause animation

[s] save frame as an image

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**GRATITUDE**

To Nicole Vella, Fahad Karim and Haiver for your guidance.

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**RESOURCES**

・ Color palette (MIT) by Inigo Quilez: https://www.shadertoy.com/view/ll2GD3 

・ Noise (BSD) by Morgan McGuire: https://www.shadertoy.com/view/4dS3Wd

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**LICENSE**

CC BY-NC 4.0

A visual odyssey of the animal kingdom's essence — exploring inner peace and self-discovery — welcome to a hypnotic journey, originating from meditation and medicinal psychedelics, to unveil the mysteries of your spiritual guardian.