Monthly Archives: September 2015

The Labyrinth – A Walking Meditation

17 Thursday Sep 2015

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This labyrinth no longer exists, and is now a skateboard park.

Labyrinth – Mazatlán, Mexico

I first discovered the Labyrinth as a spiritual tool in my readings on archetypal symbols. Based on a circle, it implies unity and wholeness, and is considered a metaphor for our journey through life. Dating back to the goddess culture of Minoan Crete, the Labyrinth was also used in medieval times as a walking meditation and was often included in the final steps of a sacred journey or pilgrimage. These large-scale symbols were imbedded into the stone floors of monasteries and churches, with the better known being Chartres Cathedral in France, whose Labyrinth continues to receive visits from pilgrims to this day.

My first opportunity to walk a Labyrinth was on a New Year’s Eve at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco – it was a profound experience.  Sometime later, I had the honor of attending a Women’s Quest with 100 women at the same cathedral – a sort of spiritual “slumber party,” an incredible evening of empowerment, with silent meditations, walking the Labyrinth by candlelight and making connections with like-minded women of all ages and backgrounds.

Dr. Lauren Artress, who organized the Women’s Quest, is responsible for bringing the Labyrinth to Grace Cathedral and helped revive this ancient spiritual tool with her book, Walking the Sacred Path. Some of her suggestions for taking this journey include quieting the mind, asking a question, repeating a mantra or prayer and allowing a receptive state. Walking towards the center is an opportunity to let go of things no longer useful. Reaching the heart of the Labyrinth, Dr. Artress suggests taking a moment to offer gratitude, and on the final circuit, asking for what you’d like to bring into your life.

“To walk a sacred path is to discover our inner sacred space: the core of feeling that is waiting to have life breathed back into it through symbols, archetypal forms like the Labyrinth, rituals, stories and myths.”

Labyrinth -Sibley Park, Oakland, CA

I never miss an opportunity to walk this mystical path and commune with the divine, knowing that somehow it will affect my life and my art. Here are some works that have the feel of the labyrinth.

Click on the images to enlarge:

This post is an excerpt from my book, Art & Sacred Sites: Connecting with Spirit of Place. To order, glen@glenrogersart.com.

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Honoring Mother Earth – the ultimate sacred site

10 Thursday Sep 2015

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'Blue Spirit', Glen Rogers, Oil on Canvas, 27" x 27"

‘Blue Spirit’, by Glen Rogers, Oil on Canvas, 27″ x 27″

Earth, our planet, our home, is the ultimate sacred site. Gaia, Mother Earth, was honored by early cultures and is still revered in some circles and indigenous cultures. The many sacred sites that I have visited were created or were embellished with drawings and carvings to give thanks and bring forth her spirit. As we have evolved as humans, we have removed ourselves from the source. Our technologically advanced society has exponentially moved us to a tipping point. We have abused our privileges for the sake of convenience and are now heading down a deadly path. Oh dear, I don’t want to sound preachy – only share my concern for the planet!

Climate change is at the forefront and being tackled on a gran scale. But how can each of us reduce our carbon footprint?  Single use Plastic seems to be one of the biggest problems. I am overwhelmed with images of plastic choking our rivers, oceans and landfills. Tons and tons of plastic, a substance that never goes away, yet we have become so dependent on.

‘A  journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.’

I’ve been perusing various websites and blogs for some answers. Below is some useful info and ways we can slowly take back our planet and hold her sacred once again.

Refuse plastic bags; no single use plastic bottles, utensils, straws, etc.; Recycle; buy unpackaged food; spread the word ; donate.                                 I pledge to do more, will you?

1 Million Women gives a lot of great ideas on how to reduce and recycle, offering your own score card.

I discovered Lauren Singer on a TEDTalk. She lives a Zero Waste life in NYC and has a website with great info:  Trash is for Tossers.

Here’s a site where you can order items online and replace a lot of plastic with bamboo, wood or metal items: Life Without Plastic

Boyan Slat is a young Dutch inventor who created technologies to clean up the great garbage patch  in our oceans. See what they are doing: The Ocean Cleanup.

Check out this website that gives the hard facts and inspires change: Plastic Pollution Coalition

Jeff Bridges worked with  Plastic Pollution Coalition on this powerful video. Watch it and be amazed:

Thanks for listening!!

 

Friday Art Post

04 Friday Sep 2015

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One of my favorite monotype prints from the last couple of years, “The Source II”.  The image feels grounded yet ethereal – feminine but with the addition of the gold leaf, it enters a spiritual realm. The oval shape suggests the womb, the beginning of life, renewal and regeneration. A one-of-a-kind print created in my Mazatlán studio. I did two in the series (similar but different), the other one sold, this one is still available.  Contact me for more information or visit my website: glenrogersart.com

Glen Rogers, "The Source", 30" x 22", monotype w. gold leaf

Glen Rogers, “The Source II”, 30″ x 22″, monotype w. gold leaf

Crop Circles, A Mystery to Behold

02 Wednesday Sep 2015

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Crop Circle

What are these mysterious earthworks with reference to sacred geometry and archetypal symbols – symbols so huge that you can only see the image from the air? I’m not talking about the hoaxes – guys with a board and string that have tried to debunk the whole phenomena. Yes, they exist too, but they are detectable and not as complex as the real deal. Are they messages from above, from another planet, or from below, earth’s energy, tapping into the collective unconscious? Whatever! It’s fascinating!

In 2006, a friend and I went to England specifically to see and experience them. I was worried that perhaps we wouldn’t see any after making this special trip but that was not an issue – I saw 9 while there, and more were popping up overnight. We went to Wiltshire County where the largest concentration was. The Barge Inn in Alton Barnes, was “crop circle central,” and had a large map updated with the latest sightings. But before we even got there, we spotted a formation of large intersecting circles just off the highway. We walked through the site completely awestruck, and at one point I laid down in savasana, a resting yoga pose, to let go and soak up the incredible energy from the vortex.

I flew over the area in a microlight plane to get the full visual impact. My pilot, Tony, recounted several experiences of flying over an area, and 30 minutes later seeing a formation where none had existed before. He also pointed out a field that had been harvested, yet the ghost of the crop circle was still visible from above.

The crops are not cut or destroyed, but are gently laid down and whirled from a central vortex. Some visitors claim to feel energy within the formations and scientists have detected changes in the cellular structure of the crop. They are often sited over ley lines, energetic paths that run underneath the earth’s surface, and close to Neolithic sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury.

Here are some crop circles that I photographed from the plane, plus a close-up of walking through a circle.

Some links to sites with the latest crop circles:

temporarytemples

CropCircleConnector

One of my paintings inspired by the energy vortices.

“Secrets in the Field”, Oil on Canvas, triptych