This mandala came to me as I was beginning to understand that I, along with many others, have had a hard time opening my heart fully. Childhood wounds last a long time and are imprinted indelibly on the young psyche. It takes a lot of discipline to start changing behaviors which can then reflect back to the soul that it is safe to come into the opening of intimacy. This can be a long journey and it is absolutely necessary for our planet that we at least try to be part of this movement toward the unbounded heart.
For many years, I have worked with the Four Directions symbolically in both the Shamanic tradition as well as the rituals I have performed with my tribe of friends. After working with such a feminine energy in the Dragonfly piece, I wanted to try something more native to the land. This more masculine mandala soon arrived to meet my desire.
The square symbolizes the four directions, East, West, North and South and is superimposed with two Star of David motifs, which represent Unity and Balance of the spiritual and the material realms. The tiny triangles in the borders and colors of red, turquoise and green seemed to give this piece an indigenous quality and it felt like a grounded piece based on spiritual wisdom. This mandala was dedicated to David Glenn, Santa Cruz artist, on March 21st, the date of his transition to the Spirit world.
This mandala is a representation of the cosmic web of creation. As humans we are blessed to be a part of the radiant light the emanates from the central axis and allows us to feel a part of all the layers. It is important that there are mechanisms in place for each social and psychological collective unit to maintain unity and harmony is the microcosmic web as well as the macrocosmic. Weaving the web together periodically through group ritual recognizing initiations of birth, death, unions and the cycles of nature is an important function of maintaining the web.
This mandala was inspired by the work of an amazing physical trainer, Brad Bartenen, who trains dancers, circus performers and regular athletes as well. The training reaches to the depths of one’s being and encourages superior performance on all levels. The ballet dancer and the trapeze artist are such a metaphor for the potential of all human beings as they surpass all expectations of defying gravity which we all take for granted as a limitation.
The Message: This mandala is about transcending those limitations, emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally. It is dedicated to Brad as he trains those of us who need encouragement in freeing the natural body and bringing it to perfect performance. It also evokes the awesome relationship humans can experience through developing a relationship with the greater reality that is our cosmic birthplace.
This mandala was done as I become intrigued with the idea of creating a piece of art based on the shape of the ellipsis. My son Eli helped me with the engineer’s expertise of how to draw an ellipsis. It is a difficult image to create and he had the perfect solution using a string and pencil. Fun to make after learning how to do it… The energy of this drawing is very dynamic and the bottom part represents water falling into consecutive pools.
This painting was inspired by my wish to have the masculine and feminine energies in balance and harmony. It followed a story that my brother told me about being essentially rescued on the high seas after a sudden storm overtook his fishing boat and threatened to sink it. A pod of dolphins suddenly arrived and calmly accompanied the boat back to the harbor. This story spoke to me about the possibility cooperation and love between the species. It was evidence of the beauty and harmony that can come about through faith. In this painting, the female dolphin is in a state of radiance while the masculine dolphin honors her. The geometric shape reflects the future of consciousness.
Message; Humanitarianism will be the salvation of our species and our planet. Similarly, cooperation between the species as well as the sexes is absolutely imperative to our continued existence. This will occur as we accept within ourselves both the masculine and feminine sides of ourselves and become whole persons.
Many years ago, my friends Lucy Ruggles and Jil Windsor and I had a women’s group called the Aphrodite Circle and we were discussing how each of us might relflect the essence of a certain flower. Lucy and Jil said they were most drawn to the Passion flower as my particular essence. The next day I was walking over a nearby river bridge and there was a mass of passion flower vines near the pathway. I brought one to my studio and later that afternoon I painted this picture to the strains of Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved”. I had recently seen the movie and was profoundly impacted by this man’s commitment to his art and the great lengths he went to to put his inspiration into form, against all odds.
Because of the power of the music, as well as the background theme of his love affair that fueled his passions, I felt a synergy of the erotic, the lovely and the cosmic. Combining these three forces is the basis of grace. I felt like a midwife to this painting which came to represent a sense of awe and appreciation for this magical energy which can visit us under the best and most unexpected times.
The message: Surrendering to one’s inner passions leads the way to a state of grace: it is the process of putting passion into form that creates powerful and exotic beauty.
In 2004 our family cat was dying and since no one else was available, I made the choice to shepherd him through the process at home death. It was the first time; I had been with anyone at the moment of death. It was daunting, but satisfying to know that our beloved Tiger had died in front of a warm fireplace with Hawaiian music playing and being petted through till the end. I was there for Tiger’s last breath on this plane. It turned out to be a transformative experience as I no longer feared death and felt comfortable in my role as midwife. I also understood the power of the breath.
Soon thereafter, any cats I encountered seemed to follow me around and be magnetized to my presence. I attributed this to “receiving” the gift and blessings of the cat world through Tiger’s last breath. It was a powerful lesson in the healing powers of the animals and our invisible but strong relationships with them. The intuitive powers of the cat seemed to now be part of me.
The “Angel of Passion” painting was about the relationship of women and their cats and the intuitive, mystical realms both women and cats inhabit, left to their own devices, as cats often are and women less so because of all the roles they are called upon to play in caretaking everyone. Domestication for both seems to diminish the connection with the unseen worlds.
The Message: For women it is important to protect the wild, private and mystical side our nature for this is where the true healing is available to our culture, our planet and us. The cats are guardians of this energy especially the powerful big cats. Staying connected with our passions, feeling selves and inner messages is crucial to all healing. The intuitive and instinctual side of the feminine. is the source of all creativity must be manifested despite cultural dictates to the contrary. Our strength lies in our passions and fierce commitments to what is true for us. In this painting the Cats are guardian the energy of the Angel. The angel represents the messenger from the invisible realms.
This painting was done one year after the sudden and unexpected death of my beloved brother. More than any other single event in my life, I felt the extreme tragedy of this occurrence and was opened to Spirit in a new and powerful way. This painting was homage to the myth of Psyche and Eros, a story that continues to be an inspiration to me. Psyche was transformed by pure love and brings a gift from the Underground in a box. That gift is Beauty. Psyche integrates the energies of the masculine and the Feminine and is transformed and elevated to the Divine by the inner work she does in order to accomplish this difficult feat. She is then charged with the creation of joy and beauty and bringing them into the world. The music and butterflies represent the energies of joy and transformation
The message: It is only through our willingness to open to pure love that true joy and beauty will return to our lives as a healing force. We can all be assisted in this journey by invisible and unexpected helpers as Psyche was in her journey with Eros.
