Near-death experiences sparked spiritual connection for KC artist

Susan Walter evolves her spiritual encounters into works of art.

The Roeland Park artist depicts individuals’ angels and conveys the visualization of the healing Solfeggio Frequencies as mandalas.

Her most ambitious project to date takes inspiration from the 72 Shem Ha-Mephorash Angels, each of whom holds one of the divine names from Jewish mysticism, to create an informational deck of cards.

“I had all my Angel books all together on the bookshelf, so I just went and I pulled out one,” said Walter. “And it turned out it was a book about the 72 angels.”

These are believed to represent the foundational structure of creation, the spiritual blueprint governing the laws of nature and our destinies.

Born in Iowa, Susan Walter grew up in the Lutheran Missouri Synod. After having two near-death experiences at ages 4 and 6, Walter says that she was introduced to her personal guardian angels and ever since has been able to see them, and eventually other people’s angels.

“From the experiences, you know, like seeing them, it was kind of, they’re very, very transparent,” Walter said. “Because to me, they’re like made of light, right? So it’s like seeing that ray of sunshine between the clouds, but it just has a little bit of shape and shimmer and color to it.”

Walter moved to the Kansas City area in the ’80s after her hometown’s largest employer, Bluebird Bus, relocated. She began teaching herself to code and went on to work in corporate web design for several years before pursuing her art.

Walter now visualizes others’ angels through a specific process:

1. Color: “[The angels] show me what color paper to use and then what color the body is.”

2. Form: “They don’t really even show me the wings, or what we would call wings. They usually don’t even show me that until the body is almost done.”

3. Light Language: The angel’s energy pattern from its throat to the center of the body. “A language more of energy than a language of words.”

For years, she concealed her gift.

“It was just so ingrained in me to not talk about it, that it would because it made my parents so uncomfortable, it kind of was just assumed that would make other people uncomfortable too,” said Walter.

A few years back, Walter was featured in a book about other people who have had near-death experiences. She says that while she has the book, she’s never read it, as there are so few people who share their stories, and she, too, is not very comfortable reading it.

Walter’s art began as a hobby she pursued in her free time, and it was put on hold when she started working in her corporate job and raising her family. When she left, she took her angel portraits on the road to various trade shows and conferences that revolved around her gift of sight.

Now, in her studio at the Zhou B Art Center in Kansas City, Walter offers angel portrait appointments, where you can meet her in person or via video call, and she will draw your angel or angels.

She also drew a Solfeggio Frequency Mandala deck. These frequencies are those at which angels are believed to communicate; for example, the 777 Hz frequency is associated with divine sound and is thought to invoke spiritual awakening and divine guidance.

Another prominent example is 333 Hz, which has made its way into pop culture and tattoo shops everywhere.

“You get to the grocery store, and your total is $33.30. That’s like a, just a little nudge from your Angel saying we’re here. We’re supporting you. You’re not alone,” Walter said.

Now that her deck of 72 Angels is complete, Walter is working on a smaller deck of 36 cards, as well as a second mandala deck. You can also find her at Summer KC Metaphysical from July 11 to 13.