Heaven & Hell - A Shaman's map for the human landscape!
A Guide to the Structure of your inner Being
The painting “Heaven and Hell” is an attempt to provide a map for our journey on earth as the human race and as individuals. This painting is based on different belief systems and tries to come up with a synopsis of these, translated to our modern times.
It shows the evolutionary paths of consciousness from the animal world to the sense of an ego up to a buddha-like state of mind. You can see two figures in the painting which are mirrored around the Ego. These two figures are the same Being shown in different evolutionary steps or mindstates. The Being embraces the full spectrum of its reality which goes from animalistic instinct up to the highest form of human consciousness.
Detail 1
In the left corner of the painting you can find a little model of the arrangement of the different qualities and how there are connected within the universal manifestation. On the physical plane we have 5 “Orbs” representing the main evolutionary steps of consciousness. They are encircled by Spirit or immaterial energies from which consciousness “emerges” into the material realm. This is represented by the first orb and can be seen as the materialization of spirit. In the second orb consciousness gets aware of its surrounding (The Senses). The third orb represents the Ego and Logic, consciousness gets aware of itself (and gets high on it!). The fourth represents the harmony of the preceded two. The “6th Sense” awakes and takes control over the ego. Inner and outer worlds of the individual come to peace. The fifth orb is the unison of the enlightened being with the substance it came from. Death eternal.
Detail 2
The five orbs are connected by 8 words which are qualities of the universe which are refined for each evolutionary step of consciousness. (The Tree of Life from the Kabbalah was a big reference here – check it out if you are interested!) Instinct and Desire form the “Senses Orb”, Instinct turns to Intellect, Desire to Emotion and bring forth the Ego. The Human Empire is born! The horizontal heart frequence running through the ego represents the illusion time and the certainties of birth and death. It illustrates the never ending cirle of birth and death if one doesnt take the VERTICAL axis of the game.
Detail 3
There are four enemies of consciousness’ path back to its source: 1.Fear 2.Clarity 3.Power 4.Old Age.
Detail 4
EXIT TO ENTER…….no we don’t want that! It’s a sad fact that our civilization is mainly based on the never ending hunt for material things. Greed is the most dangerous of all sins.
Detail 5
Above the third orb, the Ego, is the Abyss. An imaginary line which has to be crossed on the path beyond the sole reign of the Ego. Above this line Transpersonality starts to take form. Because we are constantly held down by the evil machinery I symbolised that line as a “POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS”. It turns into “THE LINE TO CROSS” as you can see.
Detail 6
A closeup of the four(3) enemies. Intellect turns to Discipline and becomes Stability. It is the thoughtless integration of knowledge and intuition.
Detail 7
Emotion turns to Mercy and becomes Wisdom. The 3 bubbles at the right are states of the mind which tremendously help staying focused on the path: being 1. Wide Awake 2. Silent Within 3. In deep Respect.
Detail 8
The upper figure represents a human being at play with his surrounding. The 7 holy virtues guide his action, the past and the future expand to the present of the presence of all that is. He is still using his Ego as a tool but it is not his master anymore. Feeling, Trust and Intuition are the driving forces behind his actions. Transpersonality and then, the "Buddha-Nature", are reached.
Detail 9
Superhuman or just another beginning?
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I will be very happy to discuss this piece with you in the comments section.
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very good.
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Thanks.
Love it!
really thought provoking. According to yogic lore there are four bodies which embodies a life 1. physical body 2. mental body 3. emotional body 4. conscious body/observer/etharic body. From all the four one is an observer which is source of creation itself and the rest are gathered in this life time.
Here your illustration is very much in lie with these thoughts and thank you so much for sharing :)
The journey through this art is wonderful. I wanted more and more of your thoughts, stories even. In the end is the beginning. I have been so blessed to have had masters who let me learn from them throughout my life, much of which feels represented here.
At particularly difficult crossings voices would come and I would say,"Ah..." the universe provides. In 1974 I found myself at a talk given by the famous magician, David Copperfield on meditation and life. He talked about seeking out other much older magicians throughout world and ran into an elderly man, a back stage manager for a renowned European magician who had recently died. He said to David, "In magic as in life it is good to remember to...
make the difficult, habit
the habit, easy
and the easy, beautiful"
Wonderful talent, what a gift you share. M.
Thanks so much....just found your reply 🙂