Meditations  on Being: One Body, Mind & Spirit

This series of wall sculptures was originally an installation; one walked along a path, pausing at sequentially arranged niches, each with one of the wall shrines.  The space resonated with chanted sounds, creating a sacred, temple-like ambience, wherein one’s attention was absorbed into deeper energetic messages of healing and wholeness. My involvement with yoga, universal sacred teachings, as well as personal challenges, all influenced the creation of this work. Many healing traditions involve engagement of the multiple levels of our being: physical, emotional/mental and spiritual.

Central to the Christian tradition is the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This master’s seminal experiences are recapitulated through the Stations of the Cross. I honor this lineage through the creation of 8 shrines; each is shaped like a boat, or vesica, a body halo that reflects a human’s aura & subtle energetic presence. In many spiritual traditions, boats are a symbolic vehicle for transformation and travel from one world (state of consciousness) into another. Every shrine has a similar internal structure, containing a ceramic replica of a bodily organ and fruit or vegetable, real herbs, a triangular shape, and other symbolic elements (rock, bone, feathers, etc).  These aspects are a melding of ancient cosmologies, honoring the directions, elements (fire, water, earth, air) and the subtle energies of space, light and spirit.

The (idealized) organ within each shrine connects us to our physical body. The organs represented begin at the base of the body within the pelvic bowl, and move upwards to culminate at the brain. This vertical alignment along the spine, engages Yogic philosophies of the chakras.  The Eastern healing modalities recognize that mental-emotional disturbances lodge in our internal organs and that each organ is prone to holding specific imbalances: fear, for example, may lead to stomach problems. Most traditions use medicines derived from mineral, plant and animal worlds, that seek to re-balance the physiological and energetic levels of being. Thus the presence of healing herbs (like ginger & chamomile for the stomach), and/or other substances, like bone, that has influence in both a chemical (alkalizing mineral) and emotional (grounding) manner and/or a fruit or vegetable that holds symbolic substance (pomegranate for fertility).

The text on the plaque below each shrine is meant to unify mental activity with specific functions of that organ and chakra: physically, psychologically and symbolically (aligning to spiritual sustenance). In a sense, these words are a reminder to resonate higher qualities, such as compassion, courage, etc., which charges our feelings and thoughts (thus beliefs), so these higher qualities will be naturally expressed in everyday situations.

Each of these shrines is a reminder of the healing journey of life, founded upon the wisdom at the heart of all spiritual-healing traditions that inhabit the planet.  At the source, everything is energy, and the human potential for greatness is upheld when we recognize our integrated presence within the Earth and Cosmos.

Meditations on Being: 1 Uterus: cultivate awareness / UNITY

Uterus:  Cultivate Awareness / UNITY

Price: $2,990

Size: 36” x 13” x 10.5”
Ceramics & Mixed Media
Meditations on Being: 2 Urinary ~ Distil Wisdom / Truth

Urinary: Distill Wisdom / Truth

Price: $2,990

Size: 36” x 14” x 10.5”
Ceramics & Mixed Media
Meditations on Being: Intestines ~ SurRender EGO / eXcess

Intestines: surRender EGO / eXcess

Price: $2,990

Size: 36” x 14” x 11.5”
Ceramics & Mixed Media
Meditations on Being: Stomach ~ Strengthen Faith / Trust

Stomach ~ Strengthen Faith / Trust

Price: $2,990

Size: 36” x 14” x 12”
Ceramics & Mixed Media
Meditations on Being: 4 Liver ~ PURify Perspective / Intension

Liver ~ PURify Perspective / Intention

Price: $2,990

Size: 36” x 15” x 9.5”
Ceramics & Mixed Media
Meditations on Being: Heart ~ Embrace LOVE / Compassion

EmBrace:
LOVE / compassion

Price: $2,990

Size: 34” x 14” x 10″
Ceramics & Mixed Media
Meditations on Being: Lungs: Inspire Generosity / JOY

Lungs:
Inspire Generosity / JOY

Price: $2,990

Size: 36” x 15” x 11
Ceramics & Mixed Media
Meditations on Being: Brain: honor Oneself / UNI-Verse

Brain:
honor Oneself / UNI-Verse

Price: $2,990

Size: 36” x 14” x 12”
Ceramics & Mixed Media