Painting of the Week: "To Calm a Storm with a Single Breath"

     I struggled to choose a painting to highlight today. Many times, at least for me, it’s tough to find the words to say about something. More so, it’s tough to find the desire to say anything at all. I just didn't feel like "talking" about it. I believe strongly in using your words consciously, and that when you’re unsure of the message or the result you desire, silence is best. Sometimes it’s a good idea to just marinate for a while. Life can pull us in many directions and deliver a cacophony of experiences to sift through all at once, and adding to that noise usually heeds headaches rather than clarity.

Breath is a bridge to the peaceful inner-self that lives eternally within us.

     So today, I chose a painting about being quiet; “To Calm a Storm with a Single Breath".  It’s about those times of tumult and a reminder to return to the breath when the universe tosses us into a storm of uncertainty. The painting is small (16x20”) and pulls peaceful shades of blue against darker, foreboding hues. Texture reveals the tiniest bits of gold; flecks of hope piercing the veil of night.

     No matter what rages on outside of us, our breath allows us the ability to stay steady and true to ourselves through it all. Each inhale and exhale empower us. Breath is a bridge to the peaceful inner-self that lives eternally within us. That infinite light glows in silence like the ever-present eye of the storm, waiting to welcome us back to center.

     Connecting to the breath can happen in different ways. It can be as simple as sitting and counting a cycle of inhales and exhales. We can find it in a yoga practice, on a long run, or even in the midst of lovemaking. The truth, is that our breath is always there for us. You don’t need to work hard or struggle to find this constant in the chaos.  All you need to do is take a moment and notice what you were doing all along, through every up and down, without even trying. Just breathe.

Within. Without.

“Within. Without” is probably my favorite painting. It is named for the Hermetic principle of Correspondence, “As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul…” It is a reminder that the world we perceive is one that we create, for it is a projection and a reflection of our inner selves. It’s easy to get swept up in the chaos of the everyday and forget that we are empowered with the ability to transform and shape our realities. We wield this power best when we allow ourselves time each day to take a breath and move beyond the constant, reactive chatter of our thinking minds. Meditation doesn’t mean that the noise stops. It merely allows us a little bit of breathing room to step back and consciously reclaim and redirect our energy so that our world within can bring the world outside into alignment once again.