Archive for October 31st, 2009
A Fractal World
Fractal World - April 24, 1998
Some of my paintings aren’t taken from my dreams such as this one above. This one is what emerged when I allowed my conscious mind to let go of control in order to see what would appear. Active imagination is an important way to access the unconscious contents. Here, the same scene is viewed from two moods, one is content, the other is depressed. The image tells me that at any given time, the same world exists in different dimensions. For my purposes, one highlights the masculine aspect of sun and the other highlights the feminine aspect of moon.
This is important stuff for me. Not only does it talk about the polarities within my “self,” it also talks to me about typology and how opposites both attract and repel in terms of relationships. The mystery of the “other” always remains a mystery and therefore allows attraction to survive in the long term – this is what the inner self wants and needs. Yet, the frustration also remains and gets in the way of the wants and needs of the outer self. I want quite, you want voices. I need voices, you need quiet. One is both satisfied and frustrated at the same time.
This polarity of a fractal world is externalised in community and in the broader outer world. What the world needs and what the world wants are often at odds. Sadly, it falls to the lowest common denominator where consciousness, itself needs to negotiate to the lowest common level of understanding. That leaves the collective shadow, the collective unconsciousness a large sphere of influence. This is when bad things happen collectively. We see it today in the news, we have seen it in the past when one man’s personal shadow is fed by the collective shadow which in turn raised the level of acted out shadow by the collective. If you don’t believe that a fractal world exists, look at the polarities in the newspapers, look at your community, look at your relationships – finally, look within.
The whole is made up of all the parts. There are no parts to be cast off. We are both shadow and light, god and devil.
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Just an update to today’s post. It is time to now give out treats so I want to wish all a Happy Halloween, or a hallowed eve for All Saint’s Day. Either way, it is a time for the archetypes and shadow figures to come out and play.
