Gifts From Our Grandmothers, a Sri Yantra

As a follow-up to my last post showing some of my experience with yantra-making, I’m going to show you one that I had an especially beautiful experience with.

A few years ago I was invited to participate in an exhibition here in Portland titled “Gifts From Our Grandmothers”.

When I thought of “grandmothers”, all of the important females in my life came to mind as well as the lineage of women in both my paternal and maternal ancestry.

I chose to work with this theme via a Sri Yantra because I have found this to be an incredibly powerful catalyst and practice. Yantras in general and specifically making the Sri Yantra is a rich practice of empowerment and healing and holds a unique place in my art-making.

If you haven’t seen my last post, I recommend at least taking a cursory look (and upvoting ;-) because the significance of the Sri Yantra is covered there and this post will have more depth for you:
https://steemit.com/art/@natureofbeing/the-mystical-yantra-meditating-with-color-line-and-shape

Working with these geometries allows me to enter effortlessly into the piece, as though I’m diving into a deep, strong current that buoys and carries me.

My intention in making this Sri Yantra was to connect with and honor the women who have been grandmothers to me and as always, I began with drawing out this transcript of creation.

During the drawing process, I began seeing each woman I wanted to acknowledge and got the idea of representing each of my “grandmothers” as a little flower placed on the yantra.

In Tibet and India, it is common to use flowers to bring energy to mandalas and yantras during rituals so this idea made a lot of sense once it occurred to me.

As I rolled out the slabs of clay, impressed the geometry into clay and began to cut, I was able to think about each of these women who have had such a potent influence in my world and how much I loved her. I didn’t have to try, my heart would open naturally in the course of the practice. I was brimming with appreciation each time I worked on this. At times it was a very emotional experience.

My mother has suffered mental illness to one degree or another for most of my life and so over the years I have been adopted by many other “mothers”. I was so starved for mothering that I think I was a magnet for women older than me with whom there was a mutual kinship and these women meant so much to me.

All the way through the methodical practice of making this yantra I experienced a rich process of remembering, of appreciating, of loving these strong, honest, vulnerable, kind and beautiful mothers, grandmothers, teachers, women who have nurtured, taught and supported me in my life. Women who have opened their hearts and lives to me and who saw me for who I was and still loved me. Without them, all of them, each of them I couldn’t have survived, I’ve deeply needed and loved each one!

Finished, grouted and framed! 18" x 18"

The geometry held me and led me through each step and the flowers gave me welcome light hearted creative moments.

As always with yantra making, I emerged refreshed, purified and empowered after my encounter with these ancient and simultaneously very present energies.

Thank you for taking the time to look at and read my post! I always appreciate your thoughtful comments and up-votes, have a good weekend.

(heartfelt thanks to Amritananda and Madeleine Huish for their support and teachings, you have made all the difference for me)