EFY MCDONNELL
efy McDonnell, a contemplative fine arts photographer, and published author has traveled the country speaking on the Transformative Journey. She is a Spiritual Director to others who are seeking such a path.
Life is said to be a journey. What’s it about then? Are our lives supposed to be transformed and transformative? Does the Divine actually address us in ways we might not recognize as coming from the Divine? How is our purpose made clear to us?
efy shares her transformative journey as a speaker, author, spiritual companion, how she walks through her daily life with an open heart. “I speak about trust and listening to the Divine in my daily life. How incredible my path has been even through the shattering of my heart more than once. I have learned to trust in full faith and gratitude. I can feel the ‘nudge’ of the Divine and this is my guidance, my walk, my call. I embrace this and share my light.”A native of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, she has always felt a powerful relationship to nature. With an Associates Degree from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, efy began her love affair with the natural world with a 35mm camera, capturing spirits of light, color, and movement in the beautiful natural areas of the county. Now, she uses a digital camera to capture nature’s “rarely seen prayers” and “dances.” Her work has been described as “moving,” “unusual” and “spiritual.” Light beings or nature spirits dance in her photographs, illuminations appear – some comfort, some surprise.
“I feel nature calling to me,” she says. “I make it a rule that the image – be it a heron flying low over a lake, human toes squishing in the sand at the bottom of a clear creek, light dancing down a waterfall from a heart-shaped rock, or a flaming red Maple leaf against a mossy rock – must speak first to my heart and soul before I point the camera’s lens. Nature is my teacher, my guide into deeper listening and living.”
HEALING THROUGH DIVINE LIGHT: A Journey in Photos is her first book, in which her wondrous photographs are full of the sense that the Divine is everywhere. efy makes the case that the Divine reveals itself in the most unusual of circumstances. She was searching for physical healing, which she received, yet she was also gifted with emotional, psychological, and spiritual healing as well. Nature and the spirits in nature were partners in her healing.
“efy’s talk is from the heart and inspirational. Her images are beautiful to look at and speak to the blessings nature has provided to those who wish to listen. efy is a wonderful example of how trust plays the most important part in her life and that same trust can be the goal for each of our lives as well.”
“efy McDonnell is a great guide on the journey. She will help you move out of the dark and into the light of your own life”
“efy will share her transformative journey, how she walks through her daily life with an open heart.”
I don’t think I’ll ever forget you standing up there in your bare feet and sharing your journey with the audience in such a heartfelt and authentic manner. I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this but you have a beautiful voice. It is melodic – just full of love and joy – it is absolutely captivating, very unusual. Can’t explain it better but when you begin talking in person or for sure on that stage, the listener is drawn in and held. So thank you, thank you for doing this for us – it was so well received.
efy came to Maine and took numerous photographs that capture the beauty and grace of this part of the state. Yet, they are much more than beautiful photographs. I consider them numinous. She has captured the spiritual, mystical energy that draws me time and again.
efy has a true passion for photography. When I look at her pictures, I’m reminded of God’s presence all around us and it gives me a lasting feeling of peace and tranquillity. Her works both incite and inspire me to look for beauty in nature. efy’s art needs to be shared with the world.
I have always enjoyed efy’s work but when I first laid eyes on “Ponder” at an exhibit in Tuscarawas County Art Center I was so overwhelmed by how beautiful it was that I got emotional to the point of being teary-eyed, I knew had to have it. The depth and richness of the piece are perfect for a peaceful space we are creating in our home.
The winning combination of her love of nature and her love of God provides a true reflection of the spiritual nature of her photographs. Her gift of the spirit and natural talent present themselves in the portrayal of her work, as she speaks of her life journey and inner peace. She is a true talent and her love of nature and God are both heartfelt and inspiring.
