New Focus, New Vocab

I'm learning so much from the 21 Secrets art course I'm doing. Most recently I've been following the artist Cassia Cogger.

I'm learning some of the symbolism of the circle, especially focusing on how it relates to me personally as a Christian, a gardener, and as a chronic pain survivor (sounds so much more positive than chronic pain sufferer, don't you think?) trying to invite peace and healing into my frustrating & tense life of dis-ease. 

As a high school math teacher, the easiest definition of a circle for me is: a set of points at a fixed distance around a centre point. 

As a Christian, for me the circle represents God, the Creator of the whole universe, with no beginning and no end. (Circles in art are often referred to as mandalas,  symbolic representations of the universe.) 

Both definitions include an important point: without a defined centre,  there can be no circle.

That important centre point of a mandala is called the bindi, a sacred spark from which all else emanates. I just loooooove that word! The visual of the Holy Spirit, the idea of us being created in the image of God, radiating out of us gives me goosebumps. 

Here is my mandala art for today.

I was happy to discover that there is no top to this painting, you can rotate it either direction, and it still feels "right" and balanced. 

I also did some research on the colours I chose and wrote down the meanings that seem to resonate for me personally.

I am definitely painting myself healthy. I am embracing my love for purple and green with enthusiasm. Pink and yellow remain my happy colours. I feel energized. And even tho' I'm not in less pain today, I did distract myself for more than 2 hours ... All great stuff.


Sent on my iPhone  🐨