Flowering of the Cosmic Consciousness

Inspiration

I have been doing a great deal of reflecting in the past few weeks and am in a constant state of awe and gratitude for my present way of being. My decision to pursue my dreams of being a full-time artist has also placed me in the unique position of starting my life all over again. I have literally been given (and co-created) an opportunity to re-create myself and my life. I am totally free to fashion and create my life into anything I would like it to be. But this, too, is a position of both awesome freedom and great responsibility.

I sit at the potter’s wheel before a massive piece of clay that is waiting to be formed into whatever image I desire. But what do I wish to create? What is the quality and content of my vision?

I have spent the last few weeks reflecting deeply upon my past, letting go of regrets, forgiving myself for wrongs inflicted upon self and others, examining the present moments, and thinking critically about who and how I want to be in the world. The decisions I make now, and the things I begin to manifest, will become the building blocks of my new future, and this realization fills me with terror and exhilaration. 

But my past and its lessons are also still with me. These experiences have provided me with enough insight to understand that I cannot create a truly new and better future by operating with the same habits and levels of consciousness that have brought me to this moment. In order for lasting positive change to occur, one must not only know better but BE better! Creating lasting change is an inside job. Without inner transformation, there can be no lasting and authentic manifestation. I must now take a leap both artistically and spiritually. It is this realization that has caused me to spend the last few months meditating upon the crown chakra.

There can be no conscious creation without a corresponding change in consciousness. Einstein put it this way, “You cannot successfully solve a problem operating from the same level of consciousness which created it” (paraphrase mine). And so, all things must become new. The 7th or “Crown” chakra serves as the gateway to higher levels of consciousness. It is our connection to the highest divinity and a key component in every act of physical manifestation. Spirit has been leading me to meditate upon the crown chakra so that I can work on opening, widening, and deepening my connection to the higher levels of consciousness needed to become a more connected, centered, intuitive, creative, disciplined, resilient Damon – who is capable of creating and sustaining the life of my dreams. This effort necessitates a leap towards the next level of my enlightenment. The flowering of a cosmic consciousness. 

From this perspective, we see the true meaning of enlightenment has nothing to do with a destination or goal to be achieved, but a process of ever-deepening discovery, or a never-ending expansion of one’s consciousness into that of the divine. This expansion brings with it the capability to receive and perceive higher levels of vibration within one’s consciousness as the crown chakra lotus expands and opens. Hence, we find that enlightenment is not a state of being, but a journey without beginning nor end.

Flowering of the Cosmic Consciousness 18 x 24 Acrylic on canvas

Symbolism

The graphic lotus symbol above the figure depicts the crown chakra and its accompanying Sanskrit character “Om” (pronounced A-u-m). The repetition of the Om is purported to be the frequency and sound of the universe. Uni – one, and verse – song = one song. As the Om is chanted, our song becomes more fully integrated with the universal frequency until all is immersed into the supreme cosmic consciousness.

The color violet is associated with the crown chakra and is thus reflected in various shades throughout the composition. The colors that appear darkest to our eyes also retain the highest frequencies energetically, thus it makes perfect sense that a deep, rich violet would serve as the highest point of the chakra system, while the brighter colors containing the lower vibrational frequencies would comprise the lower chakras.

The figure is seated upon an opening lotus flower, in a deep state of meditation. His hands are formed in the shape of a power mudra as he connects to the source of all power and potentiality. In order to further emphasize the opening or flowering of higher consciousness, I also placed a violet spark on his forehead in the location of the third eye, symbolizing the accompanying expansion of consciousness. The swirling mass around the figure is symbolic of the universal energies of creation and their raw, unformed potential for physical manifestation. “In the beginning…the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1

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