tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65403357647051971662024-02-06T18:30:20.238-08:00SukshmartThe Subtle (Sanskrit 'Sukshma') System of Chakras and Channels reflected in world art through the ages.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-36054163924065228802019-01-10T03:00:00.000-08:002019-01-10T03:05:50.839-08:00Shri Chakra<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5w0zL92Y01I57XxciS1_yfSeC-lMRHsVITmiuKAld46hVZLiTEiUMcUt3EjXUmYEv1uM3-WZbePopkO02Xb6GNWsVngjiBVMEfaVtBX9a5PFiyJztAGMV1ZA3FapVgxrus5dJ4Jq-9BvY/s1600/2560px-Sri_Yantra.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1589" data-original-width="1600" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5w0zL92Y01I57XxciS1_yfSeC-lMRHsVITmiuKAld46hVZLiTEiUMcUt3EjXUmYEv1uM3-WZbePopkO02Xb6GNWsVngjiBVMEfaVtBX9a5PFiyJztAGMV1ZA3FapVgxrus5dJ4Jq-9BvY/s400/2560px-Sri_Yantra.svg.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">The Shri Chakra or Shri Yantra is a cosmic diagram or mandala considered sacred in esoteric Hinduism. It is particularly associated with the worship of the Goddess Shri Lalita or Shri Tripurasundari, a form of Shri Parvati. </span><br />
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The diagram consists of nine superimposed triangles, five pointing downwards (representing Shri Shakti, the feminine aspect of the Divine) and four pointing upwards (representing Shri Shiva, or the masculine aspect). In the centre is a dot (bindu) representing the non dual Self.</div>
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The interlocking triangles are enclosed by two lotuses, of eight and sixteen petals, representing creation. The outermost design is a temple with four gates facing the four directions of space.</div>
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Three dimensional representations of the Shri Chakra, in a mound form, also represent the sacred Mount Meru.</div>
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Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi has explained that the Shri Chakra is a representation of the subtle system of seven chakras seen vertically.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9cRmIqrdbZercE07fjzxzCbK5Q_SqX7uvt98nFUWqPb-Kubuy_iFHMsZs0KjQD9Rz4BX4J4i1OAOR5aEULFfw89_dj4e-LYEm-ATDwCP048exgOnLEjwzyNv-ATM8BXm5UavwUuxg6m9/s1600/5a9249eac0f26ed6e297101f54e65b4d--sri-yantra-meru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="376" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9cRmIqrdbZercE07fjzxzCbK5Q_SqX7uvt98nFUWqPb-Kubuy_iFHMsZs0KjQD9Rz4BX4J4i1OAOR5aEULFfw89_dj4e-LYEm-ATDwCP048exgOnLEjwzyNv-ATM8BXm5UavwUuxg6m9/s400/5a9249eac0f26ed6e297101f54e65b4d--sri-yantra-meru.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-26584536665059840252012-12-19T23:31:00.000-08:002012-12-19T23:56:42.584-08:00Sri Shiva's Cosmic Dance of Creation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqeHO11iHVU0rydRJIObyd0_rFsqDwtbuxjI97ESIzY6xjG59dgoV-Aq4k-ACunG3mSdAFs652ZDMVkWTAEK-hAEzIAZshfBA7uV5iu2ULVFJPBen50MlqJIov8WWcgy7-rwiOZN6fenB/s1600/+swadhi+Shiva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqeHO11iHVU0rydRJIObyd0_rFsqDwtbuxjI97ESIzY6xjG59dgoV-Aq4k-ACunG3mSdAFs652ZDMVkWTAEK-hAEzIAZshfBA7uV5iu2ULVFJPBen50MlqJIov8WWcgy7-rwiOZN6fenB/s400/+swadhi+Shiva.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Shri Shiva Nataraj, the Cosmic Dancer. The Star of David represents the six-petalled lotus of the Swadisthana Chakra, the chakra of Creation.<br />
Though He is also the form of the Divine repsonsible for cosmic dissolution, the dance of Shri Shiva brings the Universe into being.<br />
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Thanks to Pavan for this image.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-50829118467404970092012-11-20T03:58:00.000-08:002012-11-20T04:16:05.048-08:00The Protective Mother Archetype<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtjrvX8PgGxqj1LbYZB0J9bZkdivzcQEfVb7vQE5_roxv1jTqgZb7iWBabuTzQOc43ncf7cDVAsjunyBJWmUmCymROvMOmrapTRWewonhxvrUPh4k9fDdtuOT26HXlKMDzemMUOd74DnI/s1600/south+Italy+madonna+stick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtjrvX8PgGxqj1LbYZB0J9bZkdivzcQEfVb7vQE5_roxv1jTqgZb7iWBabuTzQOc43ncf7cDVAsjunyBJWmUmCymROvMOmrapTRWewonhxvrUPh4k9fDdtuOT26HXlKMDzemMUOd74DnI/s400/south+Italy+madonna+stick.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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A friend emailed me an image of this statue of the Virgin Mary and Child Jesus. It appears to be from a Latin country (Italy?) and is unusual in that it depicts the Queen of Heaven wielding a cudgel or stick to strike a devil, prone beneath Her right foot. I have never before seen the Madonna portrayed in this martial aspect.<br />
It is remarkably similar to Hindu depictions of the Mother Goddess, Shri Durga, battling with the demon Mahishasura. She holds underfoot the buffalo form Mahisha took, and She prepares to strike his true form as it emerges from the wounded animal.<br />
Where an archetype is important in the human collective psyche, it will reappear, even where it has been suppressed, or within religious traditions that seem unsympathetic to it.<br />
If anyone knows any more information about this statue, please add a comment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kaRFn8mulQtqAWIfLJPpl671HKGnuYwOhuK00DrPvgaUuWETI0rceOjSnkDv6PNHaNsZ5f_zxPA1i39HbzIQeddN-35zg5Ds-aSY9hHvONnLj6wNEaP7eWjKGWOB6icyf4SSB7EBfxP-/s1600/Mahishasuramardini+AGNSW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kaRFn8mulQtqAWIfLJPpl671HKGnuYwOhuK00DrPvgaUuWETI0rceOjSnkDv6PNHaNsZ5f_zxPA1i39HbzIQeddN-35zg5Ds-aSY9hHvONnLj6wNEaP7eWjKGWOB6icyf4SSB7EBfxP-/s400/Mahishasuramardini+AGNSW.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-40491362096152115402012-06-28T08:56:00.000-07:002012-06-28T09:33:56.257-07:00The Three Subtle Channels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2hvkePBZPrT9zVDFVHP3adnKCzDjZCsaenAS3u93xoKTCzLwsetfs6rdx_xbg2D6FQ8EsaQlod_1eeMzGMQAo8F_sJTix2s6q1e9WvY8ALeWYa1Wu-LKF764OcVGnn9oNVccym9hoaAB/s1600/Triguna+Buddha,+GB+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2hvkePBZPrT9zVDFVHP3adnKCzDjZCsaenAS3u93xoKTCzLwsetfs6rdx_xbg2D6FQ8EsaQlod_1eeMzGMQAo8F_sJTix2s6q1e9WvY8ALeWYa1Wu-LKF764OcVGnn9oNVccym9hoaAB/s400/Triguna+Buddha,+GB+small.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">painting by Graham Brown</span><br />
The three subtle channels (<i>nadis</i>):<br />
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On the right side of the body is the <i>Pingala Nadi</i> (Sun Channel) which has a fiery energy that can be balanced with cool water.</div>
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One the left side is the <i>Ida Nadi</i> (Moon Channel) which has a cold wet energy that can be balanced by fire.</div>
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In the center is the <i>Shushumna Nadi</i>, which brings a person into balance, and through which the <i>Kundalini </i>energy<i> </i>ascends during the experience of Self-realisation.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-23209347695762937062011-11-10T02:06:00.000-08:002012-11-20T04:22:11.423-08:00Divine Wisdom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIW76JkEagalIFka5iMbYWjXxV5L34REHgx3CTtbV8HbST39Rwa27Wp5dMdsqJ61nCbKW2M8DEEKRf2wmg4FmJVitmHIywbFzg5lSPRfTwwCBgx20W3YoCej2FJw9XVUJWZuEOMCJbOxQn/s1600/Veronese+wisdom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIW76JkEagalIFka5iMbYWjXxV5L34REHgx3CTtbV8HbST39Rwa27Wp5dMdsqJ61nCbKW2M8DEEKRf2wmg4FmJVitmHIywbFzg5lSPRfTwwCBgx20W3YoCej2FJw9XVUJWZuEOMCJbOxQn/s400/Veronese+wisdom.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Detail from <i>Wisdom and Strength</i> by Paolo Veronese (1528-1588)</span><br />
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Divine wisdom is accessible through the Sahasrara Chakra at the crown of the head.</div>
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The Renaissance painter Paolo Veronese has depicted Divine Wisdom as a goddess with an illumined sahasrara.</div>
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She appears in the Bible, in the book of Proverbs 8:22-31, where She is described as taking part in the Creation, being present with God before it took place. She is therefore not a created being, but an aspect of God.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-42916821960171925402011-10-15T00:22:00.000-07:002011-10-15T00:50:04.162-07:00Shri Mahakali<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_Om-qMV5fp37ZJNTt0v19DO1o-EffTe4LK1mqn17tAKw9xb0mIOcA3wJuxCZNYX8QgeLwwbXKCkwDPDoaQUYNVr9jZBaNJ69EuojfUZJay2ARPtOLWPMUDWmyF-bmWmQftS-j2xAzcTO/s1600/Athena+medusa+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_Om-qMV5fp37ZJNTt0v19DO1o-EffTe4LK1mqn17tAKw9xb0mIOcA3wJuxCZNYX8QgeLwwbXKCkwDPDoaQUYNVr9jZBaNJ69EuojfUZJay2ARPtOLWPMUDWmyF-bmWmQftS-j2xAzcTO/s320/Athena+medusa+.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">The Hindu goddess Shri Mahakali is the fearsome destroyer of evil, an archetype which has appeared also outside of India. In Hindu iconography she is usually depicted with wide eyes, terrifying expression and protruding tongue, and sometimes sharp fangs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Gorgon of ancient Greece was originally a goddess whose image enjoyed positions of prestige on the facades of temples and at the centre of shields, where it was placed to repel negative forces.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are many similarities between the cultures of ancient Greece and India. This could be due to physical cross-pollination between the two regions, or the archetypes may have emerged independently from the collective unconscious. It is likely that a terrific feminine aspect of the Divine fulfilled a need in the collective psyche of the Hindus and the Greeks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The top image shows the Gorgon's head on the <i>aegis</i> (see Wikipedia entry below) of the goddess Athena, protecting the centre heart.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: auto;">The winged Gorgon (middle) is from the pediment of a temple (Greek colony of Syracuse in Sicily), below this is a Hindu statue of Shri Mahakali, and the bottom image is a bronze head from a shield (National Archaeological Museum of Athens).</div></div><br />
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From Wikipedia:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">An aegis is a large collar or cape worn in ancient times to display the protection provided by a high religious authority or the holder of a protective shield signifying the same, such as a bag-like garment that contained a shield. Sometimes the garment and the shield are merged, with a small version of the shield appearing on the garment. It originally was derived from the protective shield associated with a religious figure when related in myths and images. The wearing of the aegis and its contents show sponsorship, protection, or authority derived from yet a higher source or deity. The name has been extended to many other entities, and the concept of a protective shield is found in other mythologies, while its form varies across sources.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, the more modern concept of doing something "under someone's aegis" means doing something under the protection of a powerful, knowledgeable, or benevolent source. The word aegis is identified with protection by a strong force with its roots in Greek mythology and adopted by the Romans; there are parallels in Norse mythology and in Egyptian mythology as well, where the Greek word aegis is applied by extension.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznH5nmAyUWhjkD-OwB3DL9JIKYZwDDJ2PQNmqynWfsQLhJWD451_XOSYjkD6JbRi-m3YekJiyJTtN36r3zp_V1y7IW5MA1j-37ZXU1J7HbYT3gl2LDrt8w9JV4xN_ZQ25A_8XFM4sb7ct/s1600/BattleofIssus333BC-mosaic-detail1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznH5nmAyUWhjkD-OwB3DL9JIKYZwDDJ2PQNmqynWfsQLhJWD451_XOSYjkD6JbRi-m3YekJiyJTtN36r3zp_V1y7IW5MA1j-37ZXU1J7HbYT3gl2LDrt8w9JV4xN_ZQ25A_8XFM4sb7ct/s320/BattleofIssus333BC-mosaic-detail1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A protective Gorgon's head is visible on the breastplate worn by Alexander the Great, in this first century BC mosaic.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-87234801566005406982011-10-13T08:43:00.000-07:002013-11-05T05:28:04.659-08:00The Swadisthana Chakra<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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William Blake's image of a bearded Creator surrounded by six angels, reflecting the six days (or aeons) of Creation, is a revelation of the Swadisthana Chakra, which is the seat of creative energy in the subtle body of a human being. </div>
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The Swadisthana has six petals, or sub-plexuses, and is presided over by Lord Brahma and his wife the goddess Saraswati, who together personify the creative aspect of the Divine. Unlike the other male Hindu deities, Shri Brahmadeva is usually depicted with a beard, often long and white, representing his eternal nature.<br />
In Hindu philosophy, the created universe can be divided into six aspects: front, back, left, right, above and below.<br />
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In the Zoroastrian religion, there are six divine beings called Amesha Spenta, the six great divine sparks or emanations of Ahura Mazda (uncreated Divinity) through whom creation was accomplished.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXwgbzHCAAQODuLoHTzmPRn4_pcJvD5kt6GmVxI9uYkPcW4q7hxwvQPDiDBhyAEcywe3hHQJrelo-Na-IOZ6-qK2XODWl5SwqMW1-s6TCiahSpC5siVyZyPbzS9ZZdiITUFi_X-OMZ7WK/s1600/200px-Swadhisthana.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXwgbzHCAAQODuLoHTzmPRn4_pcJvD5kt6GmVxI9uYkPcW4q7hxwvQPDiDBhyAEcywe3hHQJrelo-Na-IOZ6-qK2XODWl5SwqMW1-s6TCiahSpC5siVyZyPbzS9ZZdiITUFi_X-OMZ7WK/s1600/200px-Swadhisthana.png" /></a><br />
Diagram of the Swadisthana Chakra, showing its six petals, each with a sanskrit letter indicating the sound associated with that aspect of the chakra. From the top reading clockwise they are: <i>ba, bha, ma, ya,ra</i>, and<i> la</i>. The seed sound in the centre is <i>vam</i>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-56237090173355499082011-07-28T06:54:00.000-07:002011-07-28T06:56:12.663-07:00Gisele Moura<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdXOc63zDjlnEbDjKwIw4zwX4FnCvkw4aAErmcI_NSwPQQRdncLiLBx02bos-u4-GQ2tmDOKLdxHcQccs5mPzo42Rfu8Meh12YI6a0U-Oj36nsIPIUYNDg-_S2vm7cKbG851rSNMkY_pZ/s1600/Gisele+Moura%252C+Brazil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdXOc63zDjlnEbDjKwIw4zwX4FnCvkw4aAErmcI_NSwPQQRdncLiLBx02bos-u4-GQ2tmDOKLdxHcQccs5mPzo42Rfu8Meh12YI6a0U-Oj36nsIPIUYNDg-_S2vm7cKbG851rSNMkY_pZ/s320/Gisele+Moura%252C+Brazil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Gisele is a Brazilian artist whose work reflects the subtle system of chakras and the spiral Kundalini. Here's a link to <a href="http://gisele-moura.blogspot.com/">her art blog</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDRxgEyXIBbtlxMxr2KPDfKlWogRxu6ZdyFwV8kphfBtDAy_75dBaouQ3wJRs3_Ox8bQC-Gw1WTtc1AdWFmjanZFlrtEdwl1HneqJMgkzWcN-IbnzQ0Cq1UW7Nvr7bFzBvEvvAr79m4bI/s1600/Gisele+Moura%252C+Brazil%252C+Portal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDRxgEyXIBbtlxMxr2KPDfKlWogRxu6ZdyFwV8kphfBtDAy_75dBaouQ3wJRs3_Ox8bQC-Gw1WTtc1AdWFmjanZFlrtEdwl1HneqJMgkzWcN-IbnzQ0Cq1UW7Nvr7bFzBvEvvAr79m4bI/s320/Gisele+Moura%252C+Brazil%252C+Portal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphgnQ39UBPFo30T9lQ_ECCccQi4Z4a82PpGhAgLOnq7VrSWQtghLsCKGX8NL2sDodRL7lVtkae4LFdRzWiy4-aJvCyNYNTNzHYySJ1oGpwdXBifWSDhXhFbzAbJohjeI1Yg4Tqr6dwjNX/s1600/Gisele+Moura%252C+Shakti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphgnQ39UBPFo30T9lQ_ECCccQi4Z4a82PpGhAgLOnq7VrSWQtghLsCKGX8NL2sDodRL7lVtkae4LFdRzWiy4-aJvCyNYNTNzHYySJ1oGpwdXBifWSDhXhFbzAbJohjeI1Yg4Tqr6dwjNX/s320/Gisele+Moura%252C+Shakti.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Shakti</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-71039179647478504222011-06-30T02:57:00.000-07:002011-06-30T02:57:07.346-07:00Al Buraq and Kamadhenu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhJwVIzbirxzQZ8vyc2JaddpH39Yrooy4zChmBOYYrtbagTI0z9jEG9wGISrNdU6ly3zCndAC_D2-O0hm659i04-ZM9DDrSPRyQrdOFyHxTgPkYXVnVwxc78gmhhIDY9-fZCF4cuDz1xc/s1600/Al+buraq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhJwVIzbirxzQZ8vyc2JaddpH39Yrooy4zChmBOYYrtbagTI0z9jEG9wGISrNdU6ly3zCndAC_D2-O0hm659i04-ZM9DDrSPRyQrdOFyHxTgPkYXVnVwxc78gmhhIDY9-fZCF4cuDz1xc/s320/Al+buraq.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkvFqWZ41sbW_oumif3ZfjcU_qRVGYWqFp_XIU7M8sM-1Pa4svY7KBS-zlxIKPD_RdqC6OJzz7h-t64BEwtKONXm2IlZyccdKOCJ2mBCkFj5j2YiRwHn6ngWUjTcTW1hIHQvdbL7Mi3NL/s1600/kamdhenu%252C+Buraq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkvFqWZ41sbW_oumif3ZfjcU_qRVGYWqFp_XIU7M8sM-1Pa4svY7KBS-zlxIKPD_RdqC6OJzz7h-t64BEwtKONXm2IlZyccdKOCJ2mBCkFj5j2YiRwHn6ngWUjTcTW1hIHQvdbL7Mi3NL/s400/kamdhenu%252C+Buraq.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><br />
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The iconography of the Islamic Al Buraq and the Hindu Shri Kamdhenu, are surprisingly similar.<br />
<a href="http://indianminiaturepaintings.blogspot.com/2011/06/al-buraq.html">read more</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-66414405313513101072011-02-11T01:18:00.001-08:002011-02-11T01:18:46.837-08:00The Mother-Sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVOk3D9csMNe69JwI9D-aYFRKhtWS7VV9JFwtaXz-cIeSg7ShNb8xqtLiFxgMwPFXS-ZsD_GiFl7U_lPERY7Mm1dM5xDHEwjAudDrQJe3KBV23IsBr5DzW3Buj2JDU7DftZXIjdOP_9Gw/s1600/the_triad_being+descending+towards+the+Mother-Sea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVOk3D9csMNe69JwI9D-aYFRKhtWS7VV9JFwtaXz-cIeSg7ShNb8xqtLiFxgMwPFXS-ZsD_GiFl7U_lPERY7Mm1dM5xDHEwjAudDrQJe3KBV23IsBr5DzW3Buj2JDU7DftZXIjdOP_9Gw/s400/the_triad_being+descending+towards+the+Mother-Sea.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><br />
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Kahlil Gibran, <i>The Triad Descending into the Mother-Sea</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-27280948300641921782010-12-10T02:04:00.000-08:002010-12-10T02:05:39.580-08:00The Spindle of Necessity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CffM2TwWYlyaRXQbfyDhRWTSdP_0PCk9MZOTWT2TYCpTIjHns14VTAGKGK3bQoKOb3ZMsexKr__6wci260-NkfRmZlIg-3pHRarriSwYkPuWwKqrWFxLrq_Sk__UL70bcwArtIb6UGkX/s1600/blake_marinoff_therapy_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CffM2TwWYlyaRXQbfyDhRWTSdP_0PCk9MZOTWT2TYCpTIjHns14VTAGKGK3bQoKOb3ZMsexKr__6wci260-NkfRmZlIg-3pHRarriSwYkPuWwKqrWFxLrq_Sk__UL70bcwArtIb6UGkX/s400/blake_marinoff_therapy_4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">William Blake, illustration for the poem<em> Jerusalem</em>. </span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br />
On the right a woman with the moon (feminine principle), spins a thread emerging from the crown of the head of a divine creator figure.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">In yoga philosophy, the Kundalini shakti emerges through an aperture at the crown of the head, called the <em>Brahmarandra</em> (rent of Brahma).</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">Jerusalem is a symbol of the Sahasrara and the Eternal Self.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">More at <a href="http://ownerlessmind.blogspot.com/2010/12/spindle-of-necessity.html">Ownerless Mind</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-65752899212749053802010-05-07T05:50:00.000-07:002010-08-26T04:50:56.537-07:00Sahasrara - The Celestial Rose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-fES58vh70eOIPPzIH6WBy8X-zOdT16CIRN_vpS95MtOnOeurlgto118zAhQoN6q6f0f80qKpGpNS5XjLufU_xO1mcD6lqbOH7e-yi80e2yH_dp0X2PDKwmeykNOflh-v7AbLcK2Juiq/s1600/Dante%2520-%2520Paradiso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-fES58vh70eOIPPzIH6WBy8X-zOdT16CIRN_vpS95MtOnOeurlgto118zAhQoN6q6f0f80qKpGpNS5XjLufU_xO1mcD6lqbOH7e-yi80e2yH_dp0X2PDKwmeykNOflh-v7AbLcK2Juiq/s320/Dante%2520-%2520Paradiso.jpg" tt="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrA_CeKdmitM_B2WSLQEekOGtDisvEuI-NyMcI9_VZTIVOBRsWDIF-VrZ1ioFykpunLU1Jd-7ncCPTWpeej0dyGYrmiPhQEqLNM7IJsZiGQxNtQ-3zMd0Q-C0bof7dRCh_B1Qi2Cpr7h5/s1600/dante_paradiso_31_william_blake_danteworlds_utexas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrA_CeKdmitM_B2WSLQEekOGtDisvEuI-NyMcI9_VZTIVOBRsWDIF-VrZ1ioFykpunLU1Jd-7ncCPTWpeej0dyGYrmiPhQEqLNM7IJsZiGQxNtQ-3zMd0Q-C0bof7dRCh_B1Qi2Cpr7h5/s320/dante_paradiso_31_william_blake_danteworlds_utexas.jpg" tt="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdL8EQ_gLkyvkFh38SF4VJifZ0XaXqpmbdJGEWjUqwRsIKVD5IDeskSA8eYS5WcNYwYvXnJl2_Y4V2uWh20xjCW2nFTmwS3Y2peqNHtzPI_MOL6FntvZhECa5XXgmh9IDhJpdQlCP9U7z/s1600/paradiso_canto_31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdL8EQ_gLkyvkFh38SF4VJifZ0XaXqpmbdJGEWjUqwRsIKVD5IDeskSA8eYS5WcNYwYvXnJl2_Y4V2uWh20xjCW2nFTmwS3Y2peqNHtzPI_MOL6FntvZhECa5XXgmh9IDhJpdQlCP9U7z/s320/paradiso_canto_31.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><br />
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<i>The Celestial Rose </i>from the Paradiso by Dante,<br />
Illustrations: <br />
Top, unknown <br />
middle, William Blake <br />
bottom, Gustave DoréUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-65503852750524075402009-12-12T04:15:00.000-08:002009-12-12T04:15:05.254-08:00The Nath Tradition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dpNwDag3G-sPArgoChcZk-LvLv5yxPeSApeSgm7RCQuA5I_7qoE_NLIesy3LekfFB28cSBnbEKcrO92vQ157CV7fuXpKDRpl_M32AzuoV_eeVbPaQKcMVBTCKCFzc6w_w9A98GftXC8O/s1600-h/Chakras+of+the+Subtle+Body,+1823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dpNwDag3G-sPArgoChcZk-LvLv5yxPeSApeSgm7RCQuA5I_7qoE_NLIesy3LekfFB28cSBnbEKcrO92vQ157CV7fuXpKDRpl_M32AzuoV_eeVbPaQKcMVBTCKCFzc6w_w9A98GftXC8O/s320/Chakras+of+the+Subtle+Body,+1823.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><i>Chakras of the Subtle Body</i>, 1823<br />
Rajasthani painting from the <i>Nath</i> tradition of yoga.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-85621781377488282152009-10-09T03:40:00.000-07:002019-01-10T02:30:09.345-08:00Shri Saraswati<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Shri Saraswati is the Goddess of art, creativity and learning, residing in the Swadisthana Chakra.<br />
In Indian iconography it is common to depict the deities seated on lotuses, symbolising their residence in the flower-like chakras in the subtle body.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-39651976360708791482009-08-26T20:54:00.001-07:002010-08-26T04:52:18.471-07:00The Spheres<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnpgSQI0B7JJ8pJbxo4Qcyn4BN6_Rwt_6rvVNVlfREAgawgAvJOIoevHjeZ6ozJBT0hHc_3nXkHy-Ae-Xpnpn8NW03UCRHTq1bCEIMTiuJMeBQuo8EBJ8gKWmMRO2c9hHV-m2ghut7h5ef/s1600-h/The-Deity-from-Whom-Proceed-the-nine-Spheres.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374487195316785170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnpgSQI0B7JJ8pJbxo4Qcyn4BN6_Rwt_6rvVNVlfREAgawgAvJOIoevHjeZ6ozJBT0hHc_3nXkHy-Ae-Xpnpn8NW03UCRHTq1bCEIMTiuJMeBQuo8EBJ8gKWmMRO2c9hHV-m2ghut7h5ef/s320/The-Deity-from-Whom-Proceed-the-nine-Spheres.jpg" style="height: 320px; width: 218px;" /></a><br />
<div><i><span style="font-size: 78%;">The Deity from whom Proceed the Nine Spheres</span></i><br />
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</div><div><i><span style="font-size: 78%;"></span></i></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are seven main chakras within the body. There are also two centres above the crown chakra. This makes a total of nine centres. Each of the chakras has a left, centre and right aspect. In each aspect dwells a different angelic aspect of the Divine.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-1547398631421281162009-06-29T02:11:00.000-07:002012-11-20T04:24:09.184-08:00El Greco<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2v45cgYXXzib0XTG7xzVBll9SbjWoCecJjU05jb1efN5ooUpndpiNeSlxBXAmZp03TG16FnwQ9GxPf7T4ronv3W4UPZt5CZBTmT8JLGv3C3Ezqdm-n02bDZlRqVs5RUmUJdIVapQAaqz5/s1600-h/Fabula,_El_Greco,_c__1600_crop.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352674974304076306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2v45cgYXXzib0XTG7xzVBll9SbjWoCecJjU05jb1efN5ooUpndpiNeSlxBXAmZp03TG16FnwQ9GxPf7T4ronv3W4UPZt5CZBTmT8JLGv3C3Ezqdm-n02bDZlRqVs5RUmUJdIVapQAaqz5/s320/Fabula,_El_Greco,_c__1600_crop.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 320px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><em>Fabula</em>, El Greco, c. 1600</span></div>
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This wonderful painting is incredibly modern for 1600. The Self-realised painter El Greco depicts a youth blowing on an ember in order to light a candle, overlooked by a monkey and a fool. Perhaps the monkey on the youth's right side represents the quickness and agility, but waywardness, of rajas; while the fool on the youth's left represents the dullness of tamas.</div>
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Giving Self-realisation is like one candle lighting another. </div>
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The Self realises itself. There is no source of enlightenment beyond the Self. Indeed there is no thing beyond the Self. However, one Self-realised person may ignite Self-realisation in an "other".</div>
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In the Sufi tradition, Self-realisation is believed to be transmitted through generations of Sufi masters. This transmission is called Baraka.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-34896078382983511992009-02-26T03:19:00.000-08:002009-02-26T03:31:21.821-08:00Matisse<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDh7L-aGJVxCMZ-95hV71N7N6nsBvzO4ljMY0nvTqLdNHoTDvmM25WH8JLHDrMpzRVrSRLnaCy-ZK8NCgIYfXZXrdfeGb6vKflNb_517isfl3u45vKHY8Rtg1DCaQGzx1lDa3_tUyWsx9/s1600-h/MatisseSurLaTerrasse.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307067005946518258" style="WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDh7L-aGJVxCMZ-95hV71N7N6nsBvzO4ljMY0nvTqLdNHoTDvmM25WH8JLHDrMpzRVrSRLnaCy-ZK8NCgIYfXZXrdfeGb6vKflNb_517isfl3u45vKHY8Rtg1DCaQGzx1lDa3_tUyWsx9/s320/MatisseSurLaTerrasse.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Henri Matisse, </span><em><span style="font-size:78%;">Sur la Terrace<br /></span></em><br /><div align="justify">"It seems to me that the way art may be said to imitate nature is by the life that the creative worker infuses into that work of art; the work will then appear as fertile and as possessed of the same power to thrill, the same resplendent beauty that we find in the works of nature. <strong>Great love is needed to achieve that patient striving towards truth</strong>, that flowing warmth and an analytic profundity that accompanies the birth of any work of art; but is not love the origin of all creation?"<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Henri Matisse, "Matisse on Art", Jack D. Flam (Phaidon 1978)</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-24645592366297318442008-12-12T20:22:00.001-08:002008-12-12T20:26:06.156-08:00Happy Christmas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDamYjGgz7NnVnPeBWTzhVDxSVal8OvdtlFXi7thMBLXwT4esmptOjg0GUyDMwU2rH06Q-ySftSyTlrakAY-7xNyEp-m-PnbHNHsdF-Rdoqk7wY5Q-PKIjAqEE9a-XMQP0Og4XzOziIrqd/s1600-h/Virgin_Mary_and_Jesus_(old_Persian_miniature).bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279125542225770802" style="WIDTH: 212px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 290px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDamYjGgz7NnVnPeBWTzhVDxSVal8OvdtlFXi7thMBLXwT4esmptOjg0GUyDMwU2rH06Q-ySftSyTlrakAY-7xNyEp-m-PnbHNHsdF-Rdoqk7wY5Q-PKIjAqEE9a-XMQP0Og4XzOziIrqd/s320/Virgin_Mary_and_Jesus_(old_Persian_miniature).bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Persian Miniature painting, </span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Mary and infant Jesus with aura.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-89457587107826701022008-11-22T22:01:00.000-08:002008-11-22T22:12:42.868-08:00Visshuddhi<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_G5CEnZPQqSaRjxWL1lVBr4QXWp9e3ylmw3CgbpeBNb_umLkO553jTwUzfhuG-DM-Ef8QrDzSSLr4ojRK4jU729lYBaiXtZoJFM9VhuVFgBtPnh1c2322Oh8rdeB4jlVLkfjDCMHSkMgL/s1600-h/Fra+Angelico.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271729463522518082" style="WIDTH: 205px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_G5CEnZPQqSaRjxWL1lVBr4QXWp9e3ylmw3CgbpeBNb_umLkO553jTwUzfhuG-DM-Ef8QrDzSSLr4ojRK4jU729lYBaiXtZoJFM9VhuVFgBtPnh1c2322Oh8rdeB4jlVLkfjDCMHSkMgL/s320/Fra+Angelico.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Fra Angelico</span><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;">Angels Leading the Blessed into Heaven.</span></em><br /><br /><div align="justify">This image communicates a sense of the Visshuddhi Chakra quality of collectivity. The angel's wings are an extension of the Visshuddhi from the shoulders. The Visshuddhi governs the arms and hands - used for communication through gestures. Here they are shown joined together. The expensive blue colour used by medieval artists -made from ground semiprecious stone -was used to symbolise the heavens. The Visshuddhi is blue in colour.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-86865505550445209742008-11-22T21:40:00.000-08:002008-12-10T19:00:46.519-08:00Mooladhara - Picasso<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrz7V8uYuWopEq66dN1dZhL6V37DPETjQZEv4Af1Fb6rMg9iF7hbdTDi254tUorwsrCNrzHvmpGXr4-puClaMJoxCwfytkuhCwy-t5oQdKvu68RpEThKODttd6h8Uz20_JMRLxTFfZYzIb/s1600-h/Picasso+MOther+and+Child+by+the+Sea.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271724128153915826" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 274px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrz7V8uYuWopEq66dN1dZhL6V37DPETjQZEv4Af1Fb6rMg9iF7hbdTDi254tUorwsrCNrzHvmpGXr4-puClaMJoxCwfytkuhCwy-t5oQdKvu68RpEThKODttd6h8Uz20_JMRLxTFfZYzIb/s320/Picasso+MOther+and+Child+by+the+Sea.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Picasso, <em>Mother and Child by the Sea</em></span></div><div><em><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></em></div><div><em><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></em></div><div align="justify">Picasso is amazing in that he painted in so many different styles but his work is always recognisable. Art critics often seem to expect artists to stick to a certain style for life, but Picasso was much too playful and experimental for that. He once said that with each painting he painted he discovered another aspect of himself. </div><div align="justify">This work is from a period in which he was rediscovering the monumental classical art of the past, The style suggests a mood of reverence for the maternal. The simplicity of the image suits the subject matter - the innocent bond between mother and child. The backdrop of the peaceful sea suggests depth of feeling and eternity.</div><div align="justify">Picasso seems to have spent his life searching for innocence. This is why he was fascinated with so-called primitive art. </div><div><em><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-58067779910501979482008-11-22T21:34:00.000-08:002008-11-22T21:40:17.650-08:00Kundalini - Grail<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6Eq53HWG2SSBOUGzR9wxDWM9WoMLK4ZmcikLeg7SVlJn1M0XgnnShBizRoBVtKMHstWL5AQVvtNsnz9uJSo7eEldF6ua6dkqfQRf_Qrm0y_J73GF_4ZwOMvZNoMJMwUAnm5H0970istZ/s1600-h/Dante+Rosetti+-+Damsel+of+the+Sanct+Grail+1874.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271722298924121106" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6Eq53HWG2SSBOUGzR9wxDWM9WoMLK4ZmcikLeg7SVlJn1M0XgnnShBizRoBVtKMHstWL5AQVvtNsnz9uJSo7eEldF6ua6dkqfQRf_Qrm0y_J73GF_4ZwOMvZNoMJMwUAnm5H0970istZ/s320/Dante+Rosetti+-+Damsel+of+the+Sanct+Grail+1874.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Dante Rosetti - <em>Damsel of the Sanct Grail</em>, 1874</span></div><div></div><div>The Holy Grail is a symbol of the Kundalini, the residual energy in the sacrum at the base of the spinal column. In India it is symbolised by the <em>Kumbha</em>, or pot.</div><div>Rosetti has included a white dove - symbol of the Holy Spirit - thus he has associated the Grail with the Holy Spirit.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-11035568032046885022008-11-22T21:26:00.000-08:002008-12-10T19:06:19.556-08:00Mooladhara - Marc Chagall<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzsUfl_lhirrknHrk3VbZ0shkHIGPjpXXY1HTn8VKwZhlcXFHJeGQFsQfD7q-sV8z1Z4fRVCeFjt-WChS6VjrzabgWU13aDaII9YhWeaW6gl7cbcAmW4wY9HxRiVUs0JdWTNjTDk2cMbK/s1600-h/chagall+three+angels.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271720501164669682" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 209px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzsUfl_lhirrknHrk3VbZ0shkHIGPjpXXY1HTn8VKwZhlcXFHJeGQFsQfD7q-sV8z1Z4fRVCeFjt-WChS6VjrzabgWU13aDaII9YhWeaW6gl7cbcAmW4wY9HxRiVUs0JdWTNjTDk2cMbK/s320/chagall+three+angels.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Marc Chagall. <em>Three Angels visiting Abraham</em></span><br /><br />Chagall's work has a wonderful innocence and joyousness about it, and also a mystical dream-like quality. It's a quality of a self-realised souls to go beyond sectarian divisions. Chagall was born into a Jewish community in Eastern Europe. Apart from his secular works, he depicted religious scenes from both the Jewish and Christian traditions.<br />He <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">chose</span> bright colours that reflect the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">chakras</span>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-77159909184087103452008-11-19T22:19:00.001-08:002008-11-20T19:32:01.470-08:00Chakras<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJRv8ES5sbxAWANE0bkxgC2-W8JBjx39DrOXclQc1Oy8zKepjvJTOOJVVn_S0uulY10VEsbReNnkcPh0CPvUQz8i6iFncLMYUJfa4EP044XTD8LpEgTmNE4lGxbXddwVl4rlpl3SL4JZe/s1600-h/Yogin_with_six_chakras,_India,_Punjab_Hills,_Kangra,_late_1700s_National_Museum,_New_Delhi__Ajit_Mookerjee_Collection.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270620572113027666" style="WIDTH: 161px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJRv8ES5sbxAWANE0bkxgC2-W8JBjx39DrOXclQc1Oy8zKepjvJTOOJVVn_S0uulY10VEsbReNnkcPh0CPvUQz8i6iFncLMYUJfa4EP044XTD8LpEgTmNE4lGxbXddwVl4rlpl3SL4JZe/s320/Yogin_with_six_chakras,_India,_Punjab_Hills,_Kangra,_late_1700s_National_Museum,_New_Delhi__Ajit_Mookerjee_Collection.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Yogi with chakras, India, </span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Punjab Hills, </span><span style="font-size:78%;">Kangra, late 1700s, </span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">National Museum, New Delhi, </span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Ajit Mookerjee Collection.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-80427134346775394442008-11-19T22:18:00.000-08:002008-11-20T01:09:18.761-08:00Visshuddhi<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlrvk0J87zxG1EmtfAQRQLJPb-o98_Z3CYArgPauP1KKoiuOqtjoC1BwViDPuQXY6uHMHoRmparQ3IihfUINxh3iKf6O7PbYzX_V8Pp6q5T0KAHREW2grSVhCTdz4EcVQKbhn0Hg-2Bbi/s1600-h/srikrsna.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270620309566565314" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlrvk0J87zxG1EmtfAQRQLJPb-o98_Z3CYArgPauP1KKoiuOqtjoC1BwViDPuQXY6uHMHoRmparQ3IihfUINxh3iKf6O7PbYzX_V8Pp6q5T0KAHREW2grSVhCTdz4EcVQKbhn0Hg-2Bbi/s320/srikrsna.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The element for the Visshuddhi Chakra (Throat Centre) is ether/sky/sound. This painting of Lord Krishna, the ruler of the Visshuddhi Chakra, gives a strong sense of this element. Sri Krishna controls the reigns on the horses driving the chariot, which represents the restless mind. The Visshuddhi chakra controls the brain and the mind.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540335764705197166.post-48788560440335809202008-11-19T22:17:00.000-08:002008-11-20T20:48:32.220-08:00Kundalini - River<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNKzeTN6-ATOJr2nsT7QAb3Ym6Skxhwy0BQRvFpUXnyw8ClPHHVjwdxc_sI4GUyrqxU3cvieZJAF3OtmvwhFXaV9zy4dH4b99EcYIzU1Zh3hjaG5VDdPXIDtQ5UvPuGWfjp47reU8osR_/s1600-h/30046~Mountain-Stream-Posters.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270620128052435746" style="WIDTH: 242px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNKzeTN6-ATOJr2nsT7QAb3Ym6Skxhwy0BQRvFpUXnyw8ClPHHVjwdxc_sI4GUyrqxU3cvieZJAF3OtmvwhFXaV9zy4dH4b99EcYIzU1Zh3hjaG5VDdPXIDtQ5UvPuGWfjp47reU8osR_/s320/30046~Mountain-Stream-Posters.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="justify"><span style="color:#999900;">.</span> </div><div align="justify">The American photographer Ansel Adams had a life changing epiphany while looking at the natural world of Yosemite. After this experience he found that he had a new understanding of what his photography should be. His work is spiritual because it captures the simple essence of the landscape. This stream leading to the mountain peaks is a symbol of the path of the Kundalini.<br /></div><div align="justify">Late one morning in the summer of 1923, wandering amidst the harsh and bleakly beautiful high country east of the valley, he came as close as he ever would to capturing in words the soaring emotions that sometimes came over him in the high mountains.</div><div align="justify"><br /><em>I was climbing the long ridge west of Mount Clark. It was one of those mornings where the sunlight is burnished with a keen wind and long feathers of cloud move in a lofty sky. The silver light turned every blade of grass and every particle of sand into a luminous metallic splendor; there was nothing, however small, that did not clash in the bright wind, that did not send arrows of light through the glassy air. I was suddenly arrested in the long crunching path up the ridge by an exceedingly pointed awareness of the light. The moment I paused, the full impact of the mood was upon me; I saw more clearly than I have ever seen before or since the minute detail of the grasses ...the small flotsam of the forest, the motion of the high clouds streaming above the peaks... I dreamed that for a moment time stood quietly, and the vision became but the shadow of an infinitely greater world -- and I had within the grasp of consciousness a transcendental experience. </em></div><em><div align="justify"><br /></em>He would spend the rest of his life trying to capture on film the quicksilver light he saw that morning - and the sense it conveyed of a deeper truth and meaning.</div><div align="justify"><span style="color:#999900;">.</span></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><em>When I'm ready to make a photograph, I think I quite obviously see in my mind's eye something that is not literally there, in the true meaning of the word. I'm interested in expressing something which is built up from within, rather than just extracted from without. </em></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;">- Ansel Adams</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div align="justify"><em>As a young man, he had seen something in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada -something that resonated far out into the landscape and down into the deepest recesses of his soul -that would haunt him for the rest of his days, and that he would spend his entire life trying to convey.</em></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;">-(From a biographical film)</span></div><div align="justify"><em></em></div><div align="justify"><em>A strange thing happened to me today. I saw a big thundercloud move down over Half Dome, and it was so big and clear and brilliant that it made me see many things that were drifting around inside of me; things that relate to those who are loved and those who are real friends. For the first time I know what love is; what friends are; and what art should be. Love is a seeking for a way of life; the way that cannot be followed alone; the resonance of all spiritual and physical things... Friendship is another form of love - more passive perhaps, but full of the transmitting and acceptances of things like thunderclouds and grass and the clean granite of reality. Art is both love and friendship and understanding: the desire to give. It is not charity, which is the giving of things. It is more than kindness, which is the giving of self. It is both the taking and giving of beauty, the turning out to the light of the inner folds of the awareness of the spirit. It is a recreation on another plane of the realities of the world; the tragic and wonderful realities of earth and men, and of all the interrelations of these</em>. </div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;">- Ansel Adams</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span> </div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;">Read more quotes about Adams here:</span></div><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/ansel/filmmore/pt.html">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/ansel/filmmore/pt.html</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0