By Deborah Koff-Chapin
One of the joys of my creative life is to share my Touch Drawings online for the solstice and equinox, and at other moments that I feel call forth an image. Because I have an enormous archive to choose from, it is a somewhat intuitive process to choose an image that feels aligned with the time. As this equinox approached, I began to peruse some recent drawings. My focus was not the change of seasons but the balance between the light and the dark. I try not be ‘northern hemisphere-centric’!
This image just popped out at me.
I noticed the bright shining beings on the bottom, and their ‘ghostlike’ form on top of the page. They seemed to carry the sense of balance I was looking for. Then it was time to find the words to go with it.
I meditated upon this image in my inner vision. What felt strongest was the sense of shining in the people woven through the light and dark areas. I played with the words "shine" and "time" until they settled into a rhythm that felt right. Once complete, I realized it had become a statement about timelessness rather than time.
Shine Through All Time.
The same presence radiates within the light and the dark. It is there no matter the season, no matter the changes in our world. With the overwhelm of challenges we are collectively moving through, this message to shine through it all has resonated in my being. I hope to take this message I send out to heart in my own life.
Shine Through All Time.
These days, an endless stream of images pass before our eyes. We are stimulated with so many alluring sights, but when do we slow down to take in a single image? Spend a few minutes gazing at this drawing. Let your eyes take a journey. Notice the textures, the shapes, the symbols – without trying to think of meaning. Rest into the image. Just be with it. Notice the ways your body responds. Notice the ways you align internally as you continue to gaze. Then close your eyes. Notice its after-effects within you. This might be visual or a felt sense. Allow your own words to arise in response.
The Vernal Equinox was Monday, March 20, but the emerging energies of spring are still unfolding. What images or insights come to mind as you reflect upon this Touch Drawing? We would love to hear from you in the comments below.