This painting emerged after finding a dead baby bear on the side of the road in Fall 2009. My 10 and 12 year-old daughters named its lifeless body, Hope, before his burial ceremony. Little did I know at the time, the name would be the perfect title for a painting that taught me such a valuable spiritual lesson about eternal life!
The antique red tapestry gilded in gold leaf represents the history of man on this planet. Each leaf represents a human lifetime and the beliefs it held that create its unique shape. The red color symbolizes blood and death. All things that exist on this earth will die and wither on the vine. To invest in anything that dies is a poor investment. The body is a vessel that contains the Holy Light within that animates it. This Light is who you truly are and is eternal. The Light is the same in all forms and therefore cannot be divided no matter what your judgments may be of the physical form surrounding it. Ego/Fear speaks of fragmentation and identifies the self with the physical body. This is a mistaken perception of who you truly are and keeps you from seeing through the eyes of Love. Instead, the choice to see through eyes that will eventually decompose with death of the flesh will be your guide.
The cub’s gaze is a call to remember the unifying Light within all creation. I cannot know this Light within me without extending it to you, and you cannot know it within yourself if you do not extend it to me. Peace begins or ends with every thought you place upon the Holy altar of your mind within.
Music: Song of the Heart by Brian Crain
Hope Original - AVAILABLE
Please call 828.749.4000