Gather Together

Yesterday, I stumbled across this little gem of a verse:

“Gather together, come, draw near, all you survivors of all nations. Come forward and urge your case, consult together”.

ISAIAH 45 : 20-21

I wanted in some way to encapsulate this universal truth in my creative contemplation of the verse and so chose to use a mandala stencil as my starting point in the center of the page.

Mandalas, in their purest form, are a symbol of the Universe in it’s ideal form. I used a stencil to create a predominantly blue-green mandala to represent the world. This forms the central element of my creative response to the text. In Asia creating a mandala is said to signify the transformation of the universe from one of suffering to one of joy. For me, the creation of this piece of contemplative art was a prayer for the transformation of oppressive and abusive religious systems.

The flower motifs echo the mandala structure. They follow the notion of transformation through rebirth/resurrection, representing hope and new growth. I decided to use bright pink hues on the outer edges of the blue-green mandala, as this newly transformed world bursts into flower.

In the bottom right hand corner the flowers provide sustaining nectar to a hummingbird. A free and universally loved bird that many cultures associate with bringing joy, happiness, healing and general good fortune.

Please visit Joy and a Thankful Heart to read my thoughts, reflections and musings on this passage.

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