HAPPY NEW YEAR! It is hard to believe that another year has gone by so quickly. I would love to hear how your holidays were and what you have been up to. Taking a much needed break from all of my school work has been good, but I have been itching to get back into my studio and connecting with all of you. The holidays have been filled with guiltly pleasures and too much TV watching. This made me realize how important it is to stick to a routine for my reading, writing and artwork, however small. Traveling back and forth to NH didn't allow much time for artful projects, but I savored the time spent visiting with family and friends. I am ready to get back to work, start some new projects and to hear from all of you. What have you been up to?
I just started reading Signs of Life by Angeles Arrien. It is about symbols that hold meaning for us, specifically the circle, square, triangle, cross and the spiral. I was wondering if any of you have had a symbol that has been significant in your life. If so, what meaning did it hold for you? What kind of things do you find yourself noticing?
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
discussion question (6)
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Interestingly enough circles have been emerging in my work for some time now. They usually came out in my abstract, meditative work. These are small, quick, paintings that I do in the morning with no expectation to the outcome. They have been liberating because I have managed to "kill the censor" for a time. Looking at them all after last semester I started to see similarities emerge with color as well as with the repetition of circles.
After watching Joseph Campbell's, "The Power of Myth" I was struck by his observations of symbols throughout history that were repeated and their significance. When he said that circles were symbolic of "analyzing yourself, totality and the universal cycle" I got an eerie chill. Trying to discover where I fit into the larger picture if life is something that I have been struggling with since I started grad school. It has made me question so much of "what I knew for sure" and made me really look deep within myself to think about what contribution I can make to the larger picture of life. Why is my work important? Should I be teaching and continue to grow from that?
Further reading in the book, "The Sign of the Time" states that the circle represents wholeness and "indicates a desire to be independent and self-sufficient." This was interesting to think about as I have spent so much time "with myself" since I have been in school. To some degree I think that I have always relied on others to give me direction and help me in my journey and now I realize that I have to do this myself and trust my "inner guide". Maybe it is all about that "awareness" that so many of you talk about. Hopefully when we dig through the surface layers and trust ourselves on a more intimate level we will arrive in a peaceful place and be comfortable in the "not knowing" of it all.
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