Day 2 of 59 Days: “Delight”
Day 2 of 59 Days: “Delight”
April 21, 2019
Beth Blair
“Delight” acrylic on paper, two 18×24, painted 10/24/2018
This painting evokes many possibilities. It was inspired by the I-Ching gua #16, Yu – Delight. The commentary states, “When one’s harvest is great and one can still remain humble, there is sure to be an outburst of delight.” (The Complete I Ching, Alfred Huang) Since it is Easter Sunday, I could write about the resurrection as the outburst of delight. Or, I could muse about the Goddess of Spring, Ostara, who also heralds a message of delight in the multitude of springtime. What drew me to this painting was the many possibilities. It reminded me of a chapter of the Tao Te Ching that starts, “The Tao begot one, one begot two, two begot three, and three begot ten thousand things. Ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang. They achieve harmony by combining these forces.”
“Delight” is two paintings created by a pull-off of the original painting. It is a mirror image of the first. The first image that I see, when I look at it, are wings or ribs. What possibilities come from the metaphor of spreading your wings or breathing life into some idea? If I flip it over, I see a soaring eagle with the wings spread. Each piece viewed separately illustrates movement of some sort. Connecting back to Easter and Ostara, each is a celebration of life, renewal and possibilities. The Tao states that from One, ten thousand things are possible through the combining forces of yin and yang. Springtime elicits possibilities through sprouting, flowering, mating and so on. The Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ is a reminder of what is possible. It reminds those that celebrate it, that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the belief in the unseen (Hebrews 11:1). Alexander Pope speaks of hope in his poem, “An Essay on Man,” “Hope springs eternal in the human breast: man never is, but always blest.”
The wings or ribs in this painting originate from the area of the heart…the place where hope springs, possibility resides, and humility is cultivated. From this place ten thousand things can emerge from the harmony of combining forces. What are the possibilities that bring you delight? What are the things you hope for? What do you want to bring life to or resurrect? My hope for you (and for myself) is that your harvest will be great! That you believe in things unseen! That your heart will humbly expand and give rise or flight to what is truly possible. Blessings and peace!
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