A Spider Hangs on a Thread of the Ancient Goddess Myth

16 Sunday Aug 2015

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Arachne, archetypes, Ariadne, blogging 101, Crete, Goddesses, Labyrinth

Weaving her web on my patio today

She was hanging in space – in a web of her own creation. I was intrigued by the zigzag pattern that she created. Most people take one look and think “Creepy!” But I always think of Arachne (or Ariadne), one of the great goddesses of Ancient Crete. I have a hard time just going for the broom immediately so I let her hang around a bit before I almost fell into her web, then sent her running to another part of the garden.

There are a number of myths about Arachne, the Weaver Goddess. She was mistress of the Labyrinth in Minoan Crete who led Theseus to the center and safely out again with her golden thread. But before gaining goddess status, as a mere mortal she refused to give Athena, goddess of wisdom and craft, credit for her weaving expertise and challenged her to a weaving contest. Athena became enraged at her more beautiful cloth and it’s depiction of Zeus and his amorous conquests and turned Arachne into a spider.

Arachne and Athena by Antonio Tempesta

Illustration for Dante’s Purgatorio of the Divine Comedy

As an archetype, she helps us find our soul at the center of ourselves, via the Labyrinth. In biology, spiders are classified as “arachnids” after the Greek Goddess. So although a little creepy to allow her free reign, I find it more unsettling to squash this symbol of the ancient goddess.

The Sacred Rock – Uluru (Ayer’s Rock), Australia

13 Thursday Aug 2015

Posted by glenrogers in Uncategorized

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Australia, Ayers Rock, blogging 101, Cave paintings in Australia, monotype prints, rock art, The Heritage Trust, Uluru

On my second trip to Australia in 2008, I made a pilgrimage to Uluru in the Northern Territory, (better known as Ayer’s Rock, named after the European who ‘discovered’ it). Ofcourse this land has been held sacred by the Anangu, the Aboriginal people for thousands of years. This huge red rock rising out of the desert has a mythical, mysterious quality.

After settling into my hotel, I took a shuttle bus to view Uluru at sunset – the perfect photo op. The next morning, I set out with the intent to have a more intimate experience with the sacred rock. The Aborigines request that visitors not climb it yet the Australian Parks Department who leases the site from the Aboriginal people, allow it. I was in the minority who chose to respect the sacredness of the site and walk around the base of the rock, a distance of 10.6 km.

(click on images below to enlarge)

: Red Rocks at Uluru

As I walked, I did a meditation and communed with mother nature, and the spirit of the ancestors. Around every corner were undulating rocks, sensuous and feminine, in colors that ranged from rose to bright red to purple. I was delighted to find several small caves along the periphery with drawings of spirals and other creation myth symbols. (My heading on this blog is from one of the caves.) What a gift to have the opportunity to walk this sacred land, following in the footsteps of the ancestral beings and feeling the connection to Spirit!

The Heritage Trust is an organization whose goal is to protect ancient sites and artefacts around the world. They just mentioned in their latest blog the plight of many rock art sites in Australia that aren’t being protected, Erasing Australia: A Journey to Destruction. Read more here….

This is a few prints from a series of monotypes, Notes from Uluru, 30″ x 22″, I created upon returning to my studio. They reflect the vivid colors of the earth and the symbols hidden away in the caves -my own vision and experience.

(click on images below to enlarge)

: Notes from Uluru VI

: Notes from Uluru V

: Notes from Uluru IV

‘Notes from Monte Alban’ – Inspiration from Mexico’s Zapotec Pyramid

06 Thursday Aug 2015

Posted by glenrogers in Uncategorized

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blogging 101, Mexico pyramids, Monte Alban, Oaxaca Art Vacation, petroglyphs in Mexico, Zapotec culture

Monte Alban, Zapotec pyramid, Oaxaca, Mexico

Although I was originally drawn to neolithic sacred places in Old Europe for their feminine energy, I now find myself living in Mexico – a rich landscape of pyramids and archeological sites. The ancient cultures, including the Zapotecas, Aztecs, Mixtas and Mayans, seemed to have been male-dominated societies, yet Madre Tierra (Mother Earth) was also revered in various forms such as Coatlicue, as well as the four elements in nature: Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. Visiting these sites, I focus on the glyphs carved and painted on the pyramid walls wondering how they will find their way into my work. I find a place away from the crowd to commune with the spirits, do a silent meditation or yoga.

Glyps from Monte Alban:

Outside of Oaxaca lies Monte Albán, an ancient Zapotec site with an impressive complex of pyramids and an expansive view of the countryside. Here I felt a sense of spirit, a sense of place. I was entranced by the multitude of stone monuments inscribed with figures and symbols, a hidden language whose forms intrigued me. Back in the studio, I found myself mixing and matching the vertical stacks of glyphs, circles, dots and wavy lines, and then pairing them with more feminine symbols such as the vesica piscis and the spiral. Perhaps it was my little cosmic joke to balance the yin to the yang, and thus provide a completeness and wholeness to these ancient images.

Glyphs from Monte Alban resulted in a series of Monotype prints, one of a kind images created by painting with ink on acrylic plate, then running it through an etching press to transfer it to paper. Many layers of ink, rolled on with a brayer, brush or fingers build up a rich surface. The prints in the gallery below are all 30″ x 22″

: Notes from Monte Alban I

: Notes fr Monte Alban V,

: Notes from Monte Alban II

: Ancient Secrets II

: Spirit of Place

: Written in Stone

I offer a Oaxaca Art Vacation to artists (advanced to beginners) where we visit the pyramids, local artesans, do a hand-made paper workshop in Etla, and a 5 day monotype printmaking workshop. Visit my website for more information: www.glenrogersart.com

Introduction to the Artist and Her Blog

03 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by glenrogers in Uncategorized

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Tags

blogging 101, contemporary artist, inspiration, pilgrimage, sacred sites

The motivation for this blog is to share my journey to sacred sites around the world. I write from the perspective of an artist – not as a scientist or an archeologist. I take pilgrimages to these incredible sites as a way to connect with spirit of place, to walk in the footsteps of the ancestors, to see the symbols carved in stone and painted on cave walls first-hand. I stand in awe and bask in the mystery of what once was and what is left behind.

As a visual artist, I take my inspiration from these journeys. I’m a painter, printmaker, sculptor – an expat living in Mazatlan, Mexico. Originally from Mississippi, I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Mexico. I’ve always got lots of work going on in the studio, currently I am working on paintings inspired by the ‘vesica piscis’, a form in sacred geometry that is prominent in my work. It is a feminine shape formed by 2 interlocking circles – the womb, the divine mother. (watch for a future blog on this symbol) Also in the works is a bronze sculpture for the City of Mazatlan, ‘Aleteo’, with imagery of flora and fauna from the area. (More about this soon!) My prints are currently inspired by the Nazca Lines in Peru (see one of my earlier posts.)

In addition to my own artwork, I also teach printmaking workshops to locals and international artists in my studio in Mazatlan as well as take artists on ‘Art Vacations’ to other great cities like Oaxaca and Guanajuato. I’m planning the next one for Peru and should be great!

Art and Sacred Sites: Connecting with Spirit of Place, a book of my journeys and artwork

Art and Sacred Sites: Connecting with Spirit of Place, book of my journeys and artwork

In May 2014, I published a book, Art and Sacred Sites: Connecting with Spirit of Place, about my journeys and inspirations. (Available through my website: www.glenrogersart.com) I was motivated to produce the book when I realized there was a pattern to my travels over the last twenty years – I would visit a sacred site, then return to the studio to create a body of work. I have sought out sites around the world that held meaning and fascination for me from the Temple of Knossos in Crete to Uluru in Australia.

Although I have kept a journal for many years, writing the text for the book was a challenge – but one I came to enjoy. Now that it is in print, I realize I enjoyed the writing and feel the need to continue to share my experiences through this blog. I would love to connect with other artists, adventurers or armchair travelers who share my fascination with the ancients – with those who have come before us.