Art Letters from Mione

Art Letters

June 19, 2023

Everything in the universe is within you.
-Rumi

I recently read - experienced rather - the succinct and very dense book - The Untethered Soul. I sat down with my journal to try to summarize, to whittle down it’s overwhelmingly universal perspective, but I found myself without the words.

So I painted it. What this perspective looks like to me. What I want to remember, and remind myself of consistently and constantly.

That I - my being, my essence, my self, my spirit, my soul, my source - am so much more than anything around me that occurs. More than the feelings, more than the thoughts, more than all the senses, more than all the things that pass before me at any given moment.

I am the consciousness, the awareness.

When thoughts overwhelm me - I am not these thoughts; I am the one observing these thoughts.

When emotions flood me - I am not these emotions; I am the one aware of these emotions.

When senses of the outside world overpower - I am not these senses, I am the one noticing these senses.

I am the one who sees. From back in here somewhere, I look out, and I am aware of the events, thoughts and emotions that pass before me.

At each stage of your life you have seen different thoughts, emotions, and objects pass before you. But you have always been the conscious receiver of all that was. You are in your center of consciousness. You are behind everything, just watching. From that seat, you are aware that there are thoughts, emotions and a world coming in through your senses. But now you are aware that you’re aware.

Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul

I’m finding this is giving a much needed layer of distance, a moment of separation from the things that feel all too fixed, real, solid. A moment to remember, I am the one forming my reality. I am the one who can regain her seat within, securely centered in awareness and consciousness.

And in that consciousness, in that ever-accessible seat, I am not only part of the universe, the universe is part of me.
In that space within, I am always whole, clear, calm, true;
without judgement, without shame, without fear.
In that space within, I am pure love, pure light, pure expanding energy.

In that space within, the universe resides.

I began playing in the backyard one sunny Saturday, twisting our egg-shaped kaleidoscope, discovering multitudes of colors, shapes, configurations. I suddenly had a strong urge to capture what I saw, to freeze it in time.

I got out my phone, trying to take a picture through the small 1/4” wide view window. Disappointed to see my camera couldn’t focus in on the kaleidoscopic image.

So I tried some more. Eventually, focus.

And then I couldn’t stop playing.

Each small movement, twist, angle, something entirely new revealed.

Turning to look at the opposite end of the kaleidoscope, it struck me seeing the shapes contained within - how a limited and defined collection of colors and shapes, could create a seemingly unlimited combination of images, experiences, moments.

Perhaps our limited perspective of ourselves, our lives, compared to our actual infinite connection, role, energy in the Universe.

After hundreds of photos captured of kaleidoscopic moments, I narrowed it down to the one I wanted to experience over and over.

I noticed, to no surprise, I wanted to stay as true to the source image as possible, taking care to precisely replicate the shapes, colors, placements. The rigidity of this approach however, began pulling away from the original joy of experiencing the kaleidoscopic moments, of connecting to the universe at large and the universe within.

In frustration I put away the painting. I didn’t touch it for another 6 months.

Until the day it came to me that it was time to let go of exactness, to make space for allowing, for celebrating the irregularity of their shapes, of the painting, and let playfulness take its rightful place yet again.

After all the shapes and colors were completed, I brushed - in what felt like a huge leap of faith - large swaths of thinned white paint across the painting to incorporate the effect the bright sunlight had on the original kaleidoscopic images.

It was a challenging moment to watch the vibrant paints shift from their richly pigmented state. It was then I re-centered, reminding myself of my intention - that remembering how to access my seat of consciousness, my awareness, is not something that sits at the surface. That I have to move beyond the veil, and go deeper within. To push through the more attention-grabbing layers of thoughts, feelings and senses, to access something more subtle, more true, more still and calm. The space within.

When it came time to select a frame - I couldn’t convince myself to make the ‘smart’ choice, something that works for every space, something that blends in.

The universe, our space in it, it’s space in us - pure neon yellow.

THE SPACE WITHIN WHERE
THE UNIVERSE RESIDES
30 x 40 Acrylic on Canvas, Framed in Neon Yellow Acrylic
montarthouse.com

SHOP THIS WORK

Thank you for personally connecting with me through this work. I honor the place within you where the entire Universe resides.

SHOP PAINTINGS

WATCH THE TEDx TALK

SUBSCRIBE TO ART LETTERS