jungian psychology |

Gnosis

Influenced by Jung’s concept of the ‘anima’, and influenced by the representation of the feminine in Hinduism and Christian Gnosticism. Known as Mohini and Sophia respectively.

In Christian Gnosticism, Sophia represents the feminine aspect of God.

Sophia and the feminine aspect featured in the Gnostic Gospels, yet were excluded from the Bible, along with other scriptures, leaving the masculine God, or Father God, without it’s female counterpart, feminine aspect and equal. The feminine aspect of God was relegated to flesh and bones with Mary being the closest aspect of the feminine to God, yet only human, hence why Christianity, along with other institutionalised religions were/are out of balance and primarily patriarchal and tyrannical in nature, causing much damage and destruction within societies through the ages, such as witch hunts, the degradation of women and much worse.

Without the feminine principal, or the degradation of the sacred feminine, societies and the individual will be out of balance, as can be seen throughout history. Fortunately, the feminine principal is striving to maintain the balance once again in modern times, although it is evident within societies, politics, the workplace, and so on, that the balance is not yet completed, but is pointing in a positive direction.

At an individual level, the feminine must be respected by the masculine and vice-versa, to maintain the balance and to respect each side of the equation. A man must be at peace and united with his own feminine nature and the woman must be at peace and united with her own masculine nature, which may have to happen despite the cultural inheritance of the individual, to be a balanced individual and reflecting outwards to the feminine and the masculine within nature. From a gender-neutral point of view, this can be represented with the yin yang symbol from Chinese philosophy, which would also be an expression from the archetype(s) of this nature or essence. In essence, the archetypes are invisible, or inconceivable to the human being, which is why they express themselves in so many forms, from culture to culture and individual to individual.

Gnosis, featured in the painting is the feminine aspect of a male at an individual level, communicating repressed features to the male ego-consciousness of the particular individual at that moment in time. Gnosis has revealed herself in mythical form in the individual’s psyche, although she may take many forms and change shape and form throughout time within the individual. She takes many forms in modern collective culture and sub-cultures, showing the state of the collective mind, culture, or sub-culture within that group. If the culture, sub-culture or group is out of balance, it will be up to the individual to correct his or her own original nature and balance. If not, and the individual’s cultural inheritance is unhealthy, the individual may be plagued with visits from hostile and tormenting entities in dreams and visions, revealing itself as an opposition to their own selves, which unfortunately can express itself in the physical world, with conflict on many levels, which is evident in the the world we live in now.

Orgasmandala

Painted in 2003 and influenced by Eastern and Western spiritual, philosophical and psychological ideas.

The ‘mandala’ surrounds and crowns the female form of Vishnu, also known as Mohini from Hindu tradition. The mandala is also split into four, representing dominating traits in the human personality, inspired by Jungian psychology. The traits are taken from a group of eight traits, which divided into two, gives four traits with their opposite four.

The female represents the feminine part of the psyche contained within a male, which according to Jung, is the spokesperson and bridge which communicates between a male’s unconscious and conscious mind – the communicator of dreams, visions, ideas and intuitive information. Jung calls this entity the ‘anima’ which means ‘soul’ or ‘mind’. The opposite exists within the female and is called the ‘animus’ and appears in male form.

Orgasmandala represents the arrival of an idea, insight, or epiphany, when the individual finally integrates what is communicated from the unconscious mind via the anima to the conscious mind, which may arrive as a problem solved or a feeling through intuition, realised by the conscious mind. A psychic (meaning, relating to soul or mind) orgasm, which leads to a further understanding, contributing to balancing the mandala, representing the individual’s psyche as a whole – striving for a balance between the unconscious mind and the conscious mind, or dark and light parts of the soul, or mind.

The mandala emanates from the indigo orb situated at the centre of the mandala and at the centre of the anima’s forehead – representing the source of all things, or pure consciousness, where light and dark, good and evil, and all opposites do not exist. An undivided unity, not separated by a human perception of duality and fragmentation. An eye of insight, or ‘anja’, as it is known in Hinduism.