Feminine Mysticism in Art

Other artists have envisioned the divine feminine in the form of Quan Yin, who is one of the most universally beloved of deities in the Buddhist tradition. She is the embodiment of compassionate loving kindness. The many stories about this Goddess illustrate an enlightened being who embodies the attributes of an all-pervasive, all consuming, unwavering loving compassion readily accessible to everyone.  Theresa Sharrar, an impressionistic and mystical painter from Silverton, Oregon, envisioned a bright and colorful representation of Quan Yin in a beautiful pristine garden with translucent pools of water cascading from top to bottom.  To her, the water symbolizes the endless flow of love and compassion bestowed by Quan Yin. Her loving compassion not only nourishes the human spirit, but calls us to open our hearts so that we can receive her love and in turn, learn to love and accept others.

Resonant of the soft and gentle beauty of Quan Yin, cosmo artist Ausmaminea from Sedona, Arizona created a stunning piece entitled “Life Pattern”.   Although it wasn’t her intention to paint Quan Yin per se, she definitely captured her universal essence. She said, “The inspiration for creating this piece came from the beautiful poetry found within the unfolding of new life on a world as described in the Urantia Book. It was my desire to express a timeless sense of balance and serenity as the Universe Mother Spirit patiently and lovingly watches over the new stirrings of life. Through the medium of glass I worked a mosaic tapestry as part of the composition to express the diverse life pattern on each unique world. The oriental feel gives our mother a connection to this world, and yet there is an other-worldly aspect to her, I feel, that captures her essence as universal.”

The Great Goddess has most definitely revealed herself to various cultures in an assortment of ways. However, all cultures at some point referred to the Earth as the Great Mother, a living entity who in both her temporal and spiritual manifestations creates and nurtures all forms of life. In light of the ancient nature based religions, or the Gaia tradition, a number of female mystics envision the great goddess as Earth Mother. Krista Lynn Brown, from Deva Luna Studio in California, creates powerful, earthy Goddess images that portray a deep and rich relationship between humans and the earth. Her image entitled, “Sleeping Earth” is a potent representation of the Divine in all of her glory and splendor.

Offering sustenance and holding the seed of creation and potential, the great Mother nourishes us in more ways than we know. She says, “My paintings are an invitation into a hidden magical reality shimmering beneath skin of the ordinary-portals to an alive interior landscape of dreams, visions and possibilities. In this supple place, plants can awaken and dance, a woman can become a river sighing to the moon and a bird can embody the fleeting voice of intuition. I see this reality and paint it in a language of visual poetry, a tongue of archetypes woven into forms that echo the movements of nature, the undulations of waves, the growth of vines, the contours of flowers.” Krista’s images are by far some of the most powerful images of the Goddess I’ve yet to come across.   During the Neolithic Era, spiritual ceremonies were often performed in a cave. As the womb of the Earth Goddess, the cave was considered by the ancients to be the repository of mystic influences. In the original cosmology, a cave was the symbol of the whole world, providing passage for the dead and for the rebirth of souls. This is where one went to commune with the deepest, most resonant and awesome powers. In fact, many tribal people and Native Americans still hold the belief that their first, mystic ancestors emerged from caverns, or “the underworld.” One of my recent paintings, entitled “Towards the Within,” portrays a woman meditating in a cave, with sagebrush burning in an abalone shell.  She is in a state of complete inner focus, which means her self or ego has been transcended. Rising above her head into the heavens is what I refer to as the universal unconscious or an umbilical cord to the spirit realm. Like Uma Rose, I didn’t fully understand why I painted this piece until much later when I happened upon the symbolism and meaning of the cave in ancient sacred art. Living in the southwest, I am surrounded by breathtaking caverns and caves, some of which have been designated as sacred sites to the Navajo and Hopi Indians. There are certain times of the day that the light shines through, illuminating the curvaceous and spiraling canyon walls. In my visits to various canyons, the peaceful stillness of the canyon quiets my mind and opens up the small still voice within me.