I thought I would put here some of the digital images I felt compelled to create. These creations come from a number of differing inspirations, which, when appropriate I will comment upon. Know that all of these are layered. Most of the significance I am aware of, but even I don't know the full subtext of them all. They are valuable as an exercise, a meditation, an experiment upon unsuspecting psyches.
In the End
This piece was an experiment with a piece of art I received
from a very good friend. I took a picture
of the acrylic image and played with it a bit.
Once I got the resolution correct (which is to say, it looked reasonable
decent to my eyes), I set about the general goal. What is it like for Set to exist outside
time? Combining the notion of an optical
illusion, Time, and Set who gifts us with the Black Flame this piece was born.
The Rising
I seem to gravitate to three. I generally have three pieces that I mash
together in some fashion to create a layered meaning. It really isn’t a conscious choice, just how
it winds up. In this case, I needed
something that mirrored acceptance and rebirth, so, naturally, I found my way
to a phoenix. That rebirth stemmed from
the introspection brought on by my Work in the Temple of Set, so the Pentagram
of Set found its way in. Finally, there
is the result. Me. The me looking out from behind the flames of
rebirth.
Eyes
This particular creation happened somewhat early in dealing
with the idea I am trangendered. It was
a photo of me dressed. I recall looking
at it and thinking that I looked pretty darn good. Then that part of my psyche that I have
pretended to be rose up in defiance of that.
The twisted nature of transitioning between states caused me to twist up
this photo in reflection of where I was at the time.
The Veil
I have a thing for death.
Like all people, I am fascinated by the idea and terrified by it at the
same time. It is the reason we have the
practice of necromancy. The ancient
Greeks and Romans laced their mythology with it. If you read with discernment, there is a lot
of information around which you can base a practice. I find, for me, it helps just making the
attempt to understand what it means to me as a sentient being through
meditation, imagery, and writing. We
will never truly know what lies beyond the veil until we cross it ourselves.
Familiar
This particular image came about as a result of a riff on
pathwork magic. It was an extended
working on creating a plant familiar.
The original photo was of a Contorted Hazelnut (Corylus avellana
"Contorta") in our garden.
This plant is a first anniversary gift and one of the focal points. Thus, because of the rich connection, it made
sense to extend the effort to work with it as a familiar. The result of the working produced this
image, which is a really rough approximation of how it presented itself to me.
Necromantic Thoughts
Here I have another in the series investigating the idea and
theory of necromancy. The skull seems to
have an instantaneous effect in bringing about the thoughts of mortality and
what lies beyond the veil. It is
shrouded in lore and used to high effect in magical practice. It engages us while simultaneously being
repellent. The sheer weight of its
presence, even if only in the mind, is worth considerable thought.
One of my favorite skull representations is the Serpent crawling through the eyes of a skull as it is a familiar image that survives in contemporary Goth subculture of which I am a part. The serpent is a chthonic god of knowledge and of immortality, because he sloughs off his skin.
The skull brings me to thoughts of one of the oldest accounts of necromancy, which is the account of Circe. She is a powerful sorceress and necromantic practitioner who taught Odysseus how to gain access to the underworld.
One of my favorite skull representations is the Serpent crawling through the eyes of a skull as it is a familiar image that survives in contemporary Goth subculture of which I am a part. The serpent is a chthonic god of knowledge and of immortality, because he sloughs off his skin.
The skull brings me to thoughts of one of the oldest accounts of necromancy, which is the account of Circe. She is a powerful sorceress and necromantic practitioner who taught Odysseus how to gain access to the underworld.
Breaking Through
This digital piece continues the exploration of death. Morbid, perhaps, or one might consider it a
testament to Understanding. Further the
work involved in this activity also creates an environment in which you have to
face a very primal fear and facing fear grants you something powerful over it.
This image combines a couple of elements. The first and most obvious is the skull\skeleton. I purposely elected a sort of grim reaper-esque one to really put home the death modality. Secondly, I opted to blend it into the darkness. The darkness is a representation of facing the notion of vastness, which I feel is in a symbiotic relationship with death. It is, as a friend would have it, facing the numinous. Finally, I wove in a little bit of light in the form of a like smoke. It is the breaking through of understanding in the face of two powerful forces.
This image combines a couple of elements. The first and most obvious is the skull\skeleton. I purposely elected a sort of grim reaper-esque one to really put home the death modality. Secondly, I opted to blend it into the darkness. The darkness is a representation of facing the notion of vastness, which I feel is in a symbiotic relationship with death. It is, as a friend would have it, facing the numinous. Finally, I wove in a little bit of light in the form of a like smoke. It is the breaking through of understanding in the face of two powerful forces.