Alchemy

This is one of the first pieces I created. In fact, I think it may be the first. It is based on a dream I had while in graduate school. I stood up to give a lecture at a conference, but everything I had planned to say became something utterly unknown. So I let go of all that I had so carefully prepared. I was speaking from a connection to a deep place of wisdom within the psyche that was outside of my ego’s control. As I spoke, a living mandala opened on the wall beside me. 

The piece represents the journey of individuation in terms of alchemy. It marks the movement out of the nigredo (the dark place of confusion and no differentiation), eventually breaking into the blue that represents the lapis, or philosopher’s stone. The colourful left upper quadrant represents the unknown territory of the feminine that reaches beyond the limits of masculine theories of individuation. It is a collage made of photos from my own life that are cut into different shapes and used for their colours (although there is meaning behind the original images that were selected). This piece hung over my writing desk for many years, giving me the inspiration and courage to speak and write the truth.