Thursday, March 27, 2014

Epiphany - have you had one?

Sometimes the dreams that come true are dreams you never even realized you had.
Alice Sebold - The Lovely Bones

Epiphany


Someone asked me at one point which of my poems or artworks most conveys what my vision and my spiritual and personal life journey is like at this late stage of my life. My answer is always the same. Although most of my poetry, particularly that designed or created especially to accompany an image or vice versa, reflects who I am or where I've been, this image and poem really say it best. “Epiphany” is a very emotionally charged statement of what still drives me every day and underlines my hope and the image is a composite of those things that were part of my "awakening" if you will.

In this case, the image of course was created to go with the poem, specifically to try to say visually what I expressed in the poem and to do that in a way that would be representative of who I saw myself to be as a writer and artist at that time. The central element in the image is a symbol that is important to me from my experience with meditation – it’s a variation of and an extension of something called a Tau Cross – note that it is the intersection of what I see as my connection to the earth (the roots) and to the universal mind – the explosion of light/thought/energy from the center and all arching to form a heart – representing the LOVE I feel for all life, for that which is beautiful and inspiring. 

I do have moments when I’m alone in my “cave,” when I’m standing beside the sea or walking up a creek, or just watching a glorious sunset when I am simply overcome with emotion. I never realized until I allowed myself to open up and express it, just how deeply emotional I am. I never cried – and even when my beloved grandmother died, my father died and my husband died, I cried very little. I was the “rock” upon whom everyone leaned. Now tears come easily – as often from joy or wonder as from sadness or grief. But I’m still an impatient person in many ways – I want to KNOW everything. I want to know how to do everything so I can create more effectively.


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