Iwanickimedia

Persona α:

Carl Jung identified a construct of the psyche that faces the world. He dubbed it, “Persona”.  Persona is the mask that our true selves put on... the roles that we assume in different aspects of our lives.  Sometimes we have to put on the mask of happiness. The Sun and the fractalized trees, the pleasantry of nature, represent this mask of happiness.  However, there is a darkness that is palpable…and this darkness seeps through the mask.

 

Journey of the Self α:

As the Soul enters this plane of existence, it is pure, white, unblemished.  As the child  emerges into the World, outside forces soon begin to influence its' Being.  Mother and Father, the two most important influences on a child, bracket its consciousness…determining how the Child will see itself and the World.   Soon after, Religion begins its influence, in this case represented by the energies of the Christian Trinity.  As the consciousness begins to break the ‘mind forged manacles’, it sees the many paths and energies of the World.  Represented by the union of Sun and Moon, the soul harmonizes the masculine and feminine aspects of itself.  A grasping of a cosmic consciousness is attained, represented by the cosmos and the stars of the twelve signs of the Zodiac.  Finally, the oroborous, ancient symbol of life death and rebirth, brings the soul back to its original purity…ready for another round through the Wheel of Samsara.

 

animasumina α:

In Jungian psychology, the Anima (here represented by the Moon) is the idealized version of the female within the mind of a male.  The Animus (here represented by the Sun) is the idealized version of the male within the mind of a female.  The spiritual union of these masculine and feminine archetypes is depicted with the geometrical concept of the Vesica Piscis, two circles with a shared radius. 

 

Will to Power α:

German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche coined the term Will to Power, which at its most basic understanding is an individuals desire to exert its strength onto the outside world.  The Hindu concept of Chakras are used in this depiction of Nietzsche’s ideas.  Blending Manipura and Svadhishthana, these are some of the energies required to manifest desires in this plane of existence.

 

Libido α:

Will, represented by fire, and emotion, represented by water, come together in this depiction of Freud’s concept of Libido…the sexual energies inherent in Man.

 

Daledreamdoor α:

The two sides of this painting represent the World of Dreams (blue) and the World of Waking Consciousness (red).  In the center of the picture is a stylized version of the letter D; which in the Hebrew alphabet is known as Daled, or Door. When analyzed more closely, the letter D is actually a half square and a half circle.  In essence the letter D could be considered a squaring of the circle.  Squaring the Circle was a geometrical euphemism for the Philosopher’s Stone – the goal of the ancient Alchemists.  The inclusion of the Eye of Horus is indicative of the pineal gland, located in the center of the physical brain.  In metaphysical circles, the pineal gland is known as the Seat of the Soul.

 

Iniladnuk α:

In the Hindu ayurvedic tradition, the human body has 3 parallel energy channels called “Nadis”.  The central energy channel, running up and down the spinal column is called Shushumna.   At the very bottom of the spinal column lies a dormant energy called Kundalini.  Only after years of intense spiritual study, meditation, and chanting of mantras can this energy be awoken.  When it is awoken, a burst of energy shoots up through the shushumna activating the chakras and opening the mind of the recipient to Enlightenment.  This depiction represents the opposite journey of energy from the Crown chakra to the Root chakra.

 

The Kingdom α: 

This piece is comprised of five symbols.

 

Fire: Representing willpower, life-force, Prana.

 

The Feather of Ma’at.  The Egyptian Goddess Ma’at represented balance.  One of her symbols was the feather.  According to the Egyptian Mythology depicted on the Papyrus of Anu (aka the Egyptian Book of the Dead), at the end of persons life, their heart is weighed against the feather of Ma’at.  If the heart is lighter than that feather, the soul is allowed access to the Hall of the Dead.  If the heart is heavy, then the soul is cast into the abyss where it is devoured by the crocodile headed god, Sobek.

 

The Tree of Life:  The Tree of Life is an ancient motif that has its roots in the beginning of human consciousness.  The most famous version of this motif lives in the Christian bible with the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  This rendition within the image refers to the spiritual and physical union of male and female.  Together, the man and woman create their shared Tree of Life both genetically and spiritually.

 

Ankh:  Few symbols are more readily associated with Egypt than the Ankh.  An interesting feature of the symbol is that it is a composite of two astrological symbols, the symbol for the Sun (circle) and the symbol for the Earth (cross).  In essence it is a symbol for the union of Heaven, the domicile of the Sun, and Earth.

 

The Ecstatic Eyes of a Child:  In the Christian Bible, Matthew Chapter 18, verse 3 states, “And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”