SACRED GEOMETRY, PART 2

“Breath of the Compassionate” by Kathleen Gray

Studying sacred geometry and applying it to my art began in 2009 with the discovery of Michael Schneider’s book “A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe”. Michael’s understanding of the mathematical archetypes of nature, art and science have unleashed an appreciation for numbers that I struggled with previously. It has also allowed me to look at nature and see the continuity with numbers. In his book, Schneider takes the reader on a voyage from one to ten explaining, demonstrating and illustrating the magic of these numbers in art, life and science.

I thought it would be powerful to leave the sacred geometry visible and include it as part of the composition. At first I used a sacred geometry element, such as the spiral, the pentagram, overlaid on imagery. On a visit to Morocco in 2016 I was so impressed by the beauty of their culture. It was in the timing of call to prayers, in the doorways within doorways, the fasting from dusk to dawn during Ramadan, and of course the beautiful tiles based on sacred geometry. The infusion of the mystery of life I saw everywhere in Morocco, an aspect I like to pursue in my art work.

This led to exploring The Dama de Elche in various positions with the backbone of sacred geometry and finally the “Breath of the Compassionate” painting.

In Michael Schneider’s book, “A Beginner’s Guide To Constructing The Universe” he explains the breath of the compassionate symbolism as the contraction and expansion of infinite goodness. I integrated the breath of the compassionate pattern within an ocean beach scene, accented by cairns (my long time preferred symbol for the ancient).

The pattern for the sacred geometry in "The Breath of the Compassionate” is two overlaid squares at a 45 degree angle. The negative space in the pattern ends up looking like a pointed cross on its side. The square is symbolic of four, representing earth and stability. The double overlapping Islamic square pattern adds two fours together, adding up to the number ‘8’, which is directly related to the octave in music. The compassionate is the highest pronounceable name of the 100 names of God in Islamic tradition. Through this compassion, all life is created, maintained, dissolved and renewed.

The interaction of the sacred geometry for the painting “Breath of the Compassionate” with the ocean and beach is analogous to the sensation of the inhaling and exhaling, rising with the swell of the ocean.