Reaching for Heaven
The Child mirrors my childhood hypnagogic state with the magical globe on the back of his left hand. He looks at it in wonder and curiosity: what is this strange and wonderful object? In his right hand he holds the thread of life that will inform his future choices.
The Youth appears on top of the world. He holds a globe aloft - the world in the palm of his hand. Life is full of promise. Free of obligations and worry, he is full of joy, unsullied by disappointment or failure. The thread of life has become a climbing rope which he uses to ascend to the mountaintop.
The Mid-Life man has become full of worry and responsibility. He holds the weight of the world on his shoulders. Much like a Japanese Salary Man he has lost his joy in life in exchange for money and prestige and commitments that weigh him down. The golden rope of youth has now entangeled him and ties him to repsonsibilities.
The Old Age man has freed himself of self-made limitations and now holds a gazing ball at arm's length so he can see himself and his life choices in reflection. The worn and tarnished rope that had so limited him in mid-life has fallen away, freeing him.
The Angel welcomes the visitor with an outstretched hand and a golden gazing ball which she holds at heart level. She offers the path of choice: what will you do with this one precious life with which you have been blessed?
Symbolism of the Tower
The central Tower represents choice: do we contract our lives inward and bind ourselves with armor plating and chains as represented in the base of the tower, or do we expand upward and outward as does the lotus at the top of the tower? The lotus represents female energy while the top spire represents male energy. Together they represent the yoni and and lingam; the yab-yum; yin and yang; the sacred union of male and female energies.
Artist's Statement
As a child I experienced a hypnagogic dream that dramatically informed my view of the world for the rest of my life. While in a lucid dream sleep state I saw a magical globe on the back of my hand. I stared at it in wonder - what was this world? What did it mean? Who am I and why am I separate from others?
Adults usually transition from the awake state to sleep without notice, but sometimes a child can become trapped in the state between awareness and dreaming. And sometimes these hypnagogic dreams can be intense.
I have tried to make sense of this magical journey called life ever since this event so profoundly changed my childhood view of the world. Reaching for Heaven is my attempt to express my joy and gratitude for the gift of life. I believe we chose this life and that we can either contract our lives inward or expand outward and upward.
Overview of the Symbolism in the Art:
