"In the Kingdom of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is King"
This painting is a mix between Egyptian symbolism and personal understanding through experience. The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, royal power and good health. The name Horus also means the foresighted, where one eye represents the Sun and other represents the Moon. The Sun was Known as "Horakhty", or Horus in the Horizon. Horus was considered as the god of the east and the rising Sun. Horus has the shape of a falcon or can take a human shape with a falcon.
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The quote written cryptically in the halo of the figure is by Desiderius Erasmus, “In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” I wrote this quote to speak to our current state of the world. In a time where so many people are choosing to look deeply into ones selves, a certain change of perspective occurs. We must learn to start from scratch, so we can reteach ourselves with a more true understanding. We go from being blinded of our true potential to beginning to see clearly what we are capable of.
Past? Present. Future?
Time has become an extremely interesting concept to me lately. So, I made this painting to continue the process of understanding this idea we have of “time”. Our contemporary/ most socially acceptable idea of time says that time is- Past, Present, Future.- and one must recognize this order of events. However, the more I explore this concept, the more I am learning that there is truly only one time that matters. Present. Now.
The fault in paying attention to any time outside of now, can carry a detrimental amount of weight on the mind. When one lives fully in the present moment, the concept of “problems” dissolves as problem becomes challenge. For the only way something can become a “problem” is if one has “time” to think about said issue. When we live in the present moment, we no longer have time to think about things that are outside of said moment, and if something happens, it must be handled right away, so it is a challenge because there was no time to create a problem.
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Dwelling on something that happened in the past or could happen in the future pulls our mind away from the present moment, and we lose our ability to be at peace. Put it to the test and see how this perspective can serve you. The next time you find yourself concerned about a problem, ask yourself if that problem is truly a problem. Is it happening right now? Is there anything you can do right now to solve your “problem”? If there is something you can do right now, then you best stop thinking about it and put your self to action to solve your current challenge.
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However 99% of the time the answer is going to be no. And if that’s the case, see what happens when you focus on what is happening in the present moment. Watch your problems diminish and your mind find ease. Practice this daily, and in due time, with lots of practice, the possibility of being at peace no matter your situation becomes achievable.
Lose Your Self, Find Your Self
In the process of awakening, a very transformative experience occurs the first time we can see our self as separate from our body and our mind. Not everyone is able to recognize a separation of these parts of existence, and life tends to be one of uncontrollable events when we live in this manner. However, through an experience known to some as an ego death, or a self-awakening, we can begin to peel away the layers of existence to see how each plane effects our daily lives.
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This painting represents the moment when we lose sense of our physical self, which is also the same moment we find our higher or inner self. Through this experience, we are able to begin to take control through understanding our lives and situations from a more conscious perspective. We begin to understand how our physical health, our mental thought process, and our emotional state of being control what happens to us in our day-to-day experiences.
Lost in Thought
When we take on the path towards awakening and finding enlightenment, there are many highs and many lows. Its very easy to get caught up in the mind state, and forget that this too is just another illusion of control that we need to learn to let go of. The thinking mind loves to run, to process situations from multiple angles, and to plan for the future as well as the unknown. This is a great tool for the human species, but it is a tool. Tools serve their time and place when used properly, however they can be quite damaging when used improperly.
Learning to allow the mind to quite and rest provides a great sense of peace to the practitioner. This is the basis of meditation and the reason why so many people are turning towards this practice for a sense of relief from the normal chaos of everyday life and thinking. Through letting go of our need to think constantly, we can begin to truly appreciate the world around us, and the actions we are doing in the current moment.
“Sat Narayan Wahe Guru Hari Narayan Sat Nam”
The Chotay Pad Mantra, more commonly known as Sat Narayan, connects you to the water element and helps you go with the flow of your life.
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The more we can relax and allow ourselves to be in a state of non-resistance, the greater inner peace we can find within. From this state of inner peace, we can project outward peace, happiness, and good fortune. This mantra brings purity of consciousness, clarity of mind and perception.
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Gyan Mudra is a powerful mudra (or hand position) practiced for thousands of years by yogis that brings peace, calm, and spiritual progress. Gyan Mudra does many things. Stimulating the root chakra, it eases tension and depression. It relates to expansion and knowledge. It is extremely calming and brings the practitioner spiritual openness and ease in meditation.
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The Chickadees are symbolic of higher a thinking capability, which implies a better understanding of the self as well as that of the world. It also refers to fearlessness with regards to expressing oneself, and being happy in the self, the individual tends to be truthful and faithful to others around.
“Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo”
The Adi Mantra connects us to the universal insights of the community of Kundalini teachers and students – otherwise known as the golden chain. The Golden Chain is a way of describing the energetic link that exists between a teacher, their teacher, their teacher’s teacher and so on back into history. When a Kundalini yoga teacher teaches, the first thing they do is connect with the Golden Chain and invite their wisdom in to teach through them.
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Sacred words often have multiple meanings, and that is certainly the case for the Adi Mantra. It is a mantra that both protects us and connects us to the highest source of wisdom. There are many ways to translate it, but one is, “I bow to the All-That-Is. I bow to the Divine Wisdom within myself.”