Today we are entering into Gemini, the agile mental sign of the airy triangle of the zodiac. It is related to pulsation, the fundamental principle in creation of expansion and contraction. When I was thinking of visualising the symbolism of Gemini, I saw a huge white swan with outspread wings before my mind’s eye. Hamsa is the Sanskrit word for swan, and it is the symbol of the centripetal and centrifugal movement of our respiration (see the Lunar Messenger on Pulsation). At the centre of its heart you see an open flower which is white inside, the pulsating centre. The ballerina sitting on the beach symbolises the moment of contraction, the one flying high symbolises the climax of expansion. I merged photos of several waves to visualise the pulsating movement of ebb and flow (behind the swan). I used very light colours at the border of reproducibility to give expression to the delicacy of pulsation.

I took the inspiration for this painting from a fascinating seminar of Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar held on Mount Rigi 14 years ago. It later appeared as a book: “Saraswathi – The Word“. It also gave me the inspiration for the Gemini painting I did last year:

“A swan moves in pure waters that are equal to the pure ether. Swan is Hamsa in Sanskrit. Hamsa is the centripetal and centrifugal functioning of pulsation, the double principle of pulsation. The door of pulsation is the heart. The Hamsas (Swans) are the movements in us as pulsation and also as thoughts. The Swans of pulsation have the characteristics of musical notes. They form the bases of musical singing by the beings. The music details into varieties of Ragas (compositions) as per the time of the day and the season. These Swans can muse the mind and the ego onto Pure Consciousness and Existence. This is ‘the path of music’ for the return of the beings to Samadhi. Such is the work of the Swans of pulsation.”

10 February 2013, A 5, pencils, crayons and photo work

Over the last years I have repeatedly blogged about the 8th of May, celebrated as the White Lotus Day in remembrance of Helena P. Blavastky (8 May 1891), the great light bearer. As a little commemoration, also in this year, I give here a few extracts on H.P.B., as she was called, and on the meaning of the White Lotus.

HPB – The White Lotus, from: K. Parvathi Kumar: “The Golden Stairs“:
“Madam Helena Petrovna Blavatsky is as tender as a freshly unfolded white lotus. The tenderness of her being cannot be expressed in any language. In her case incompatibles have become compatibles. She is as fiery as she is tender. Her being is essentially and naturally tender and extremely motherly. But at work she is an embodiment of fiery Will. She was the chosen darling of the Hierarchy to inaugurate an era of enlightenment. She did her job ruthlessly, dedicating her life to the noble work of the Hierarchy. She has broken many distorted and crystallized concepts of TRUTH. She synthesized the universal wisdom; she presented afresh Cosmogenesis and Anthropogenesis, which are the world scriptures for posterity. She explained dexterously the story of man on earth. Through the key of Manvantara cycles and races she reintroduced the most ancient wisdom relating to globe chains, the seven rays and their universal application. She skilfully utilised the keys of astrology, etymology and cycles of time to unlock wisdom from the most ancient manuscripts of cave temples that exist in the Himalayas. She was as much in the subtle as she was on the physical and was therefore able to grasp the truth in its variety of dimensions. She was a fully inspired lady who inspired many through looks, through speeches and through mere presence. She was even seen as a reincarnation of Buddha in places like Sri Lanka.
She is regarded as the white lotus that unfolds afresh the beauty and fragrance of new age wisdom. She is respected as Upasika, the one who is in connection with the ruling light of the planet, which is said to be mysteriously posited in the subterranean regions of Gobi desert of Mongolia.
Inspired by her teachings ever since, thousands of groups sprang up in all the four corners of the globe, trying to find the way afresh with the help of knowledge that she unfolded for the forward march of the present humanity. Any praise or appreciation of her work would be inadequate. This teaching is offered at the lotus feet of Madam Blavatsky, who continues to be an inspiration in the heart of numerous beings all over the planet. The Madam stood by the Golden Stairs and her life is a demonstration of the Golden Stairs.
The image on the cover page is an effort to present the most beautiful and fragrant energy of the Madam with the white lotus and her countenance of effulgence. May her looks fix the aspirant forever to the path of truth!”

From the cover of the book “The Golden Stairs” (c)

An extract from the book “A Short History of The Theosophical Society“, by Josephine Ransom (Adyar 1938) about the relation between H.P.B. and her partner H.S. Olcott, after her departure:
“The President (Olcott) admitted that on this tour he missed H. P. B. He remembered how they had been together and had shared their first Indian experiences, and dreamed “dreams the revival of Eastern learning and religion.” They had borne so much together, and had faced and overcome so many trials. Though in his Old Diary Leaves the President says those things of H. P. B. which he hoped would prevent any tendency to set her up as infallible, yet he cherished for her a great friendship. He often disagreed with her, and she with him. Those who knew them both intimately have left on record their admiration for his patient and uncomplaining endurance of her worst and most volcanic outbursts. He knew how much she had done for him, and that he and others had learnt everything from her to begin with. Because she unlocked doors to great knowledge he often called her ” Latchkey ” in the earlier years.”

Text pieces on the symbolism of the White Lotus from “The Lotus Fire“, by George Arundale:
“As you concentrate on this Lotus symbol, growing from the soil of experience, ascending to its flower, imagine yourself as a great White Lotus with petal-powers extending in all directions. Already the seed is in you, the bud is slowly opening, and you are beginning the Flower, the dream that God has wrought….
We are told that the myriad-petalled white Lotus is perhaps the supreme manifestation of perfected Life. It is the Form of all forms, the Fire of all flames, the Infinite Theme containing within itself all themes of all universes and worlds. Hence its overt relation to some of Those who ‘know the Lotus.’…”

H.P.B., together with the Master KH, M and CSG., painted on 26 March 2010

For quite some time the e-card module on the good-will site was closed – I had to do it because spammer abused it for some dirty mailings. Though my son had programmed some security measures, they weren’t enough. Now he included a captcha field, where you have to enter some letters before mailing. I”ll see if it is sealed now.

I changed most of the e-card pictures. You now find new photos from my collection and some of friends of mine. And I have added a number of pictures of my “Images of Synthesis” series. Below I left the paintings of Roerich and Rassouli as well as pictures of Buddhas and of Mount Kailash. So if you like, send a postcard to a friend. And if you find something not functioning, let me know. I have been checking the code on the different language pages, but I’m not sure I found all bugs… Enjoy.

Today the Sun and Mars enter into Taurus, so there is a change of the quality of time. December 12, while reading Spiritual Astrology, the chapter on Taurus, I was attracted by the lines:

“Beauty is the divine aspect of form. This aspect is governed by the sign Taurus in persons who live for art and who try to discover the sacred mission of art in tnis universe. Here lies the hidden significance of locating the ascendant of Lord Krishna in Taurus. Blue is the colour of this sign just as red is the colour of Aries. This truth is concealed in the fact that the colour of the incarnation of the lord as Krishna is blue.”

The impulse for the picture of this month was there but it didn’t show up clearly. There was the inner feeling saying,  just go ahead, and I had a vague idea of a cupola of stars, but nothing more.

So I started searching images with stars and constellations and cosmological motives, but I was not “hit” by a motive. Then I slowly started seeing the picture evolve: I took a photo of a Krishna statue here in my room, chose for the background an image of an extract of the Isenheim Altarpiece, by Matthias Grünewald, which I had in my room during my student years: the Light of creation emerging from God the Father, and angels dancing in the downpour. I extracted the Krishna statue from the photo and put it in front of the emerging light. I put as another background an extract from the stage set for The Magic Flute of Mozart by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, together with the dome of stars and integrated a part of an image of a peacock, Krishna’s bird. Then I started working on the colours.

Back in the computer, I realised that the central figure, Krishna with his magic flute, was too stale. During the next meditation, the idea came to add another layer of the statue in front of the one already in the picture and to choose a low transparency. I added a lot of dark blue and so the image emerged in violet. Wow, I thought, that is the right colour for Krishna with a “magic flute”. After some finishing work, adjusting colours to add brilliancy, the picture was ready. Here is the print version.

I love very much the book Music of the Soul by Master EK (Ekkirala Krishnamacharya), where he describes what is visualised in the painting. There he writes:
“When Krishna played his flute, he expanded into the vicinity in the form of his music: One consciousness thrilled through all the living beings. It started from the flute of Krishna and reached the ocean through the pool of consciousness of the humanity. Krishna began to come out of his body in the form of his exhalation as music. He began to expand into the pervasion of his presence. After a few minutes, music seemed to flow through the flute by itself and come out of the seven holes of the flute until it touched the heart of the humanity and soaked it in bliss. All seemed to be a wave of soul consciousness. No one existed except the one soul in all. The minds of all melted away and it was an ocean of existence.”

Taurus: The Magic Flute of Krishna

An Argentinian friend sent me the link to the video clip for the peace mantra “Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu” recorded by Tina Turner, Regula Curti & Dechen Shak Dagsey on the album ‘Children Beyond’ – in Switzerland. See more on the Tina Turner blog.

The mantra means:
“May well-being, peace, wholeness and tranquility, hapiness and prosperity be achieved by all”. Sing it for peace of all sensitive beings, for calmness and harmony.

The Sanskrit text:

Om Om Om
Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu
Sarvesham Shantir Bhavatu
Sarvesham Poornam Bhavatu
Sarvesham Mangalam Bhavatu
Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

And there is another website of this project of inter-religious dialogue: Beyondsinging.com – a journey to the heart of spirituality. “BEYOND is a dialogue of religions, driven by a world-embracing language: music. Four women from different traditions united in their commitment for religious tolerance, invite you to accompany them on this journey.” See also the video linked there: “The Beyond Universe: Create your own mandala“.

Scene from the video – children singing the mantram

Cover of the CD: Children Beyond – With Children United in Prayer

Yesterday I got a beautiful time-lapse video about the opening of a rose. And here is a short extract from the book “The Teachings of Sanat Kumara” by Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar about a test with a rose a Master of Wisdom used to do with aspirants:

“To see how much harmlessness one carries, a Master of Wisdom used to play a trick. He gave a rose to the one who came to him and conversed with the person who held the rose in the hand. If the rose crippled with the touch of the person, he did not prefer to give wisdom to such a person. If the rose remained intact for long hours and continued to be fresh, he allowed them to get into the occult training. Observe the plants around you, the animals around you and the humans around you. If they blossom at your side, you are in a good way of harmlessness. If they shrink with your presence, observe that there is a lot to be desired in terms of harmlessness.”

Here are three other beautiful time-lapse videos.

A Rose for you:

Last weekend I was in Northern Germany for the annual CVV Sharing meeting. It was the 4th meeting, but for me it was the first. We were 36 WTT members – from Scandinavia, Germany, and me from Switzerland, meeting at a spiritual seminar centre on the countryside. It was a thrilling and very fulfilling experience in group integration. The meditative work opened a space to subtle spheres, and the meeting was an exchange in the spirit of synthesis. There was a team of organisers, but the group was the guide of the meetings. And though we all were different personalities, you could feel the profound and unifying potential of the group. There was a beautiful spiritual presence, which expressed through the group. And I enjoyed that for the first time I could present the new format of my paintings to a little public.

Morning light at the entrance of the seminar centre MaRah

Arrival / the entrance – cold and stormy wheather

The seminar hall and the inner yard

The candle and flowers in the centre of the hall

Early morning group meditation

Sharing – group experience

Master CVV – the inspirator of the meetings in the spirit of synthesis

In a little side-room I arranged a presentation of my images

Early morning light over a frozen pond

Though it was the beginning of spring, the temperature was – 8 ° C.

The group

For this month I did two paintings. The first one was done already in November, for the Guru Poojas, but I decided to publish it only for the beginning of the new solar year with spring equinox.

Lifting-up the Earth to the Kings of Beauty

11 November 2012, A 5, pencils, crayons and photo work

This painting arose inwardly after a meditation, while I was thinking about the Guru Pooja, an annual celebration in India in honour of the great Masters of Wisdom in the month of Capricorn.
Capricorn is the dawn of the year, where in the Northern hemisphere the days start to get longer again and the movement of the spirit is rising up from matter.
In the greater cycles the earth is on the way to rise from the dense physical planes to subtler realms, and the energies of the New Age are helping to “lift up the earth to the Kings of Beauty”, as it says in the 5th stanza of the Great Invocation.
For the picture I took a photo of an eagle, symbol of the rising spirit. I transformed it to this etheric blue eagle rising above the earth. Its wings are integrated into the lower part of the symbol of the Holiest of the Holy, the circle with the square and the cross. On the upper part I integrated the picture of Lord Maitreya, the head of Spiritual Hierarchy. The top of the square is at the Ajna centre of Lord Maitreya, the bottom at the heart centre of the eagle. The left and right wings touch the left and right points of the square.
In the background I placed a photo of a gorgeous sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea which I took this summer in Spain at Tossa de Mar after morning meditation, seen from the meditation room of the house of a friend. I enlarged the sun – the colours were so splendid. I placed several layers of the centre of the sun into the centre of the symbol, the greater sun forming thus the body of Lord Maitreya and the smaller sun his heart centre, from where he pours out his energy of Love all over the planet – depicted in the rose colours all over the blue of the planet.
You see three circles of the sun – at the very centre, of the size of the physical sun, as seen from our planet; then the larger sun filling the square of the symbol, representing the heart of the sun; and finally, the ring at the circumference and beyond the circle, symbolising the spiritual sun.

The picture illustrates the lift-up, about which K. Parvathi Kumar spoke at a seminar on Scorpio in 2005. The directions are points in the outside as well as in our inner:

“In Raja Yoga, the grand Masters sitting in the North-East pull us up. That is the lift-up. ‘May He lift up the Earth!’ They lift up the Earth from North-East. North-East is the junction point between Absolute God and God as Light. It is that point where darkness is transformed into light. In the Raja Yoga practice, you visualise the Masters at the North-East, at the top of your forehead, and seek their help, so that you are pulled up to that state of awareness. In Hatha Yoga practice, the help of these grand Teachers is sought for a push up. They can push you up or they can pull you up.”

30 November 2012, A 5, pencils, crayons and photo work

This image grew inside with the impulse of illustrating the enormous pressure of today’s society and its influence in the transformation process. There was immediately the visualisation of a volcano, symbol of throwing out matter from the inside through a fiery process of high pressure. And a diamond, as nature’s most brilliant result of a transformation process through pressure. It is meant as an allegoric illustration and not a presentation of a scientific process.
For the glowing magma chamber I first took pictures at my former place of work during the last days of my stay, but they were too static and not well suited to illustrate everyday pressure.
I then thought of the underground corridors and shopping passages at the central station of Berne. I went there, stood in the stream of people and took pictures. Some people looked at me a bit irritated. A shot with a running businessman and a traveller phoning and rushing by with his suitcase were the ideal pics. I fused them together, mounted a collage constructed by three volcanos and in the gorge of the volcano a fire-flow of the shape of a flying serpent or an angel and topped it by two diamonds, one enlarged in different layers. Since the diamond structure looked too mineral in its composition, I added in the background a picture of a rose flower of an echinopsis cactus.
Working on the picture with coloured pencils I created the glow of the “magma chamber”, the lava flows and the diamond on the top. Then, back to the computer, I intensified the colours to their right luminosity.
The idea illustrated in the picture is well described in the following extract from “Esoteric Psychology I” by Alice A. Bailey:
“The mineral kingdom marks the point of unique condensation. This is produced under the action of fire and by the pressure of the “divine idea.” Esoterically speaking, we have, in the mineral world, the divine Plan hidden in the geometry of a crystal, and God’s radiant beauty stored in the colour of a precious stone. The goal of the universal concept is seen when the jewel rays forth its beauty. If you could study the hidden processes which go on under the influence of fire, you would enter into the secret of initiation. When the day comes when the history of the mineral kingdom can be grasped by the illumined seer, he will then see the long road that the diamond has travelled, and – by analogy – the long road that all sons of God traverse, governed by the same laws and unfolding the same consciousness.”

10 days ago I found 11 pictures of my “Early Paintings” which weren’t published hitherto – and this blogpost is the first time they are shown in public after 32 years. They were among a collection of slides done from the original paintings in the early 1980ie. I found them because I’m preparing all my images and poems for a new website just dedicated to them. I took photographs of the slides and thus reconstructed the original pictures.

Though the quality isn’t superb (I didn’t want to buy a slide scanner just for these slides) I was very happy that I could rescue them this way and bring them back to manifestation. I give them here with the titles they now have in the order for the new website; partly there were titles and dates written on the border of the slides. I wrote explanatory comments and added quotations from Vol. III of the Secret Doctrine, by H. P. Blavatsky.

I wouldn’t have dared to show the pictures to a larger public 30 year ago, but now it seems to be the right time. This presentation is just a preview – the right place will be the website which will be launched in a few months.

Photographing the slides in the hazy light of morning fog

Sons of Light 7 – Fiery Metamorphosis
24 October 1981, A 4, liquid glazing paint on paper

At this time I was discovering the existence of the Cosmic Christ in relation to the individuality of Jesus Christ. This painting expresses the release of energy which happened through the transformation Jesus Christ underwent through the crucifixion manifesting most sublime energies onto the physical. The cross, symbol of his initiation, is in connection with the fiery world, and through his body there is an inpour of light. The elements are in a state of turmoil and the forms, the imprisoned souls, are waiting for their release.

“From the beginning of Humanity the Cross, or Man, with his arms stretched out horizontally, typifying his kosmic origin, was connected with his psychic nature and with the struggles which lead to Initiation.” Secret Doctrine III

Sons of Light 6 – Apparition
24 October 1981, a 4, liquid glazing paint and white covering colour on paper

In this painting I tried to express an inner vision or feeling of the existence of sublime beings which at times give us their presence. This was the only painting where I used white covering colour. The luminosity wasn’t satisfactory and I saw that representing details of shades of white weren’t as I felt they should be expressed on paper. Nearly 32 years later, when restoring the painting from a slide, I enjoyed the subtlety of the colour nuances which are vaguely expressed on the print-out.
This painting is kindred with the picture “Manifestation”.

Divine Mother 6
28 October 1981, A 4, liquid glazing paint on paper

This picture shows the return of the souls into the arms of the Great Mother.

Sons of Light 7 – Triumph
08 November 1981, A 4, liquid glazing paint on paper

This painting shows the final victory of Jesus Christ over the death of the physical body creating a tremendous release of light.

“The words “My God, my Sun, thou hast poured thy radiance upon me,” were the final words that concluded the thanksgiving prayer of the Initiate, “the Son and the glorified Elect of the Sun.” They were pronounced after the terrible trials of Initiation, and were still fresh in the memory of some of the “Fathers” when the Gospel of Matthew was edited into the Greek language.” Secret Doctrine III

Divine Mother 7 – The Family
12 December 1981, A 4, liquid glazing paint on paper

The painting shows Jesus together with Mary and Joseph, as the representants of the Holy Family in fiery flames

Spiritual Hierarchy 7 – Towers of Light
31 December 1981, A 4, liquid glazing paint on paper

This picture is a symbolic representation of the Spiritual Hierarchy as towers of light for humanity.

“White is the absence of all colours, and therefore no colour; black is simply the absence of light, and therefore the negative aspect of white. The seven prismatic colours are direct emanations from the Seven Hierarchies of Being, each of which has a direct bearing upon and relation to one of the human principles, since each of these Hierarchies is, in fact, the creator and source of the corresponding human principle. Each prismatic colour is called in Occultism the “Father of Sound” which corresponds to it; Sound being the Word, or the Logos, of its Father-Thought.” Secret Doctrine III

Transition
16 January 1982, A 4, liquid glazing paint on paper

I was fascinated by the etheric structure of the pyramid and the double pyramid manifesting in space. For me it was like a portal into another dimension, and at the same time a basic brick of the manifestation of the cosmos. In India the double pyramid is considered as a form of the Lingam of Lord Shiva, and, when visualised around oneself, as a structure of protection.

“The Infinite Unity, or Ain-Suph, is ever placed outside human thought and appreciation; and in Sepher Jetzirah we see the Spirit of God – the Logos, not the Deity itself – One is the Spirit of the Living God . . Who liveth forever. Voice, Spirit, [of the spirit], and Word: this is the Holy Spirit, [ Mishna, i. 9.] Three-in-one and Four and the Quaternary. From this Cube emanates the whole Kosmos. Says the Secret Doctrine: «It is called to life. The mystic Cube in which rests the Creative Idea, the manifesting Mantra [or articulate speech – Vâch] and the holy Pûrusha [both radiations of prima material] exist in the Eternity in the Divine Substance in their latent state» – during Pralaya.” Secret Doctrine III

Emanation
18 January 1982, A 4, liquid glazing paint on paper

This painting tries to illustrate how from the Eternal One, which opens like an eye from the beyond, the creation manifest. The down-pouring flames emanate the forms, the quaterary, the pyramid. At the time of painting I hadn’t yet studied the Secret Doctrine, but much later found the parallels.

“It is in the quaternary that the first solid figure is found, the universal symbol of immortality, the Pyramid, ‘whose first syllable means fire.’ “ Secret Doctrine III

Divine Eye 4
July 1982, A 4, liquid glazing paint and fast glue on paper

This painting visualises the Divine Eye as a portal to enter into the subtle spheres and the path which leads into the light. It is surrounded by three eyes representing the three aspects of the Divine – Will, Love and Light. The sperm-like forms in the periphery of the circle represent the souls which have taken through the portal and now are in the Light.

“The Pineal Gland is that which the Eastern Occultist calls Devâksha, the “Divine Eye.” To this day, it is the chief organ of spirituality in the human brain, the seat of genius, the magical Sesame uttered by the purified will of the Mystic, which opens all the avenues of truth for him who knows how to use it.” Secret Doctrine III

Worlds of Light 13 – Flames of Light
July 1982, A 4, liquid glazing paint and fast glue on paper

The image visualises the divine spark, the divine ego, surrounded by the flames from the One Flame.

“The essence of the Divine Ego is ‘pure flame,’ an entity to which nothing can be added and from which nothing can be taken: it cannot, therefore, be diminished, even by countless numbers of lower minds, detached from it like flames from a flame.” Secret Doctrine III

Sons of Light 9 – Self-Giving
10 December 1982, A 4, liquid glazing paint on paper

The painting shows the self-giving of the lower to the higher self, of the personality to the Divine.

“The ‘harvest of life’ consists of the finest spiritual thoughts, of the memory or the noblest and most unselfish deeds of the personality, and the constant presence during its bliss after death of all those it loved with divine, spiritual devotion. Remember the teaching: The Human Soul, lower Manas, is the only and direct mediator between the personality and the Divine Ego.” Secret Doctrine III

I today received the PDF of the Astrological Diary of WTT-Global (English version) for the solar year Aries 2013 – Pisces 2014, which just has been completed. If you are working with the subtle rhythms of nature which reflect in the movements of the planets it is a good aid for your spiritual discipline. Working with the key of time  is a major instrument for exploring inner dimension and there is a booklet on “Time”. In the course of the years Sri Kumar has given a lot of information about this kind of inner work – which has virtually nothing to do with what you might have heard about astrology. It is a method of alignment to the planetary energies in a meditative work of focussing and visualisation. I’m regularly working with it for over 12 years; it creates an awareness of subtle inner pulsating movements and the ever changing qualities of time. There exists also a German version of the calendar.

May you profit from the calendar for your spiritual discipline.