Powerful images shape the way you see the world
Sometimes images grip you and become a part of you. In time, layers of meaning start piling on them, changing you - and the image itself.
I believe that if you pay careful attention to the images that seem to speak to you, it is possible to understand yourself better.
With this understanding, you can organize yourself more truthfully and become more conscious of your decisions.
If done properly, your life will transform, getting closer and closer to resembling your true potential.
The Collage
With this in mind, below is a collage of 31 images and an explanation about what each of the images mean to me.
Here is the collage that I made by ordering black and white photos and gluing them onto thick cardboard. You may recognize some famous paintings and figures of popular culture. But, please scroll forward, so you'll see each image in its own right.
The collage.
The Images
The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo. The inexplicable, divine touch that moves us - the various forms of life - is the beginning of all.
Second work of art by Michelangelo, the Pietà statue. There is a feminine and masculine side in each one of us. Within the feminine side, there's the great mother, the birthplace of being. As we go through life, the mother's duty is to sacrifice her son, the hero within us, to the world. In every moment our love has to encourage us to prod the inner child forward, even though the mother in us can see that the end result is dreadful and inevitable - death.
God Judging Adam by William Blake. We have been flung into the world. No matter how much grace was given to us, and how much the divine mother loved us, something went terribly wrong. We will never atone for this wrongdoing if we long for our paradise lost.
The Hercules (or Atlas) by William Brodie in Portmeirion, Wales. Even with the aforementioned wrongdoing, we are are not lost. We have been gifted with immense strength - strength that is capable of supporting the whole of existence. This is the force that balances the horror of being banished from God.
Gustave Dore's depiction of archangel Michael driving Satan and his minions from the heavens, from the book Paradise Lost by John Milton. Despite our strength, we need help. On our side, we have the angels, beings of light who may lend their hand if we are true to ourselves. Truth, faith, humility, and beauty are everywhere, and a keen eye may notice it and let it blossom. At the same time, the Light Bringer is the spirit in us that chose to stand where he could say "I will not". We are his heirs, too.
Friedrich Nietzsche. This tension of darkness and light has weaved a web of intrigue for many a man. Nietzsche was one of the sharp-eyed - and worded - individuals, who were able to dance with the deep questions of what it is to be human. What was good yesterday is evil tomorrow and vice versa. Everything we deem worthy and noble has its flip side, a bloody and secret history. To live - not just exist - in today's world means to wrestle with God. I can not think of many who have done it as well as Nietzsche - not a Christian, but definitely a man of great faith.
Heath Ledger's Joker from the movie Dark Knight. In wrestling with God, we suffer. Very deeply. It is possible that the spirit that chose to oppose Him takes a hold of us. This hold can strangle everything that is worthwhile, making us dread being itself. Then, the logical step is to seek the dark flames of destruction and despair. Because if you stop wrestling, you might as well set the world aflame.
The Christ Pantocrator at St. Catherine's monastery in Sinai. In old stories, the divine son may lose his eye in the fight against the evil principle. The strength that was bestowed to us is the source of many a sorrow, but without we are as weak as a child. Union the opposites in man is the result of the struggle with - and for - God. The unified man is the one who may transcend the nihilism of the Lost One, be it Satan or Joker. But it is the hardest thing that there can be, harder than can be imagined.
A mountain climber at Chomolungma, also known as Sagarmatha and Mount Everest. The world is our stage, and it beckons us to go beyond the ordinary. With some fortune, we may connect to this energy and challenge ourselves so we grow, inspire and transform. The world is full of mountains and we're supposed to climb them - because they are there.
A man in front of a tank during the Tiananmen Square protests in China. If only the mountains we are to climb would be those made by Mother Nature. Alas, the mountains that teem with the deadliest of snakes are us, the sons of the Fallen One. It is only through strength, conviction and steadfast madness that we can face each other when the stakes are the highest.
Gabriel Angelos, the Chapter Master of the Bloodravens from the Warhammer 40 000 series. We possess tools and techniques ranging from spiritual to mechanical. With them, it might be possible to put ourselves together in such a way, that we are unwavering in our will to serve the highest good. The road is filled with sacrifice and destruction. However, if done correctly, there shall be no joy in the annihilation of the wicked, for destruction out of love is always the gloomiest of tasks, no matter how necessary.
A Russian soldier before the battle of Kursk in World War II. Despite our greatest efforts, we remain human. Easily harmed, easily disposed of, easily forgotten. Here we stand, each to their own, each as alone as the other. There's a desert in each one of us, where no maps or help can reach us, where we are called to become ourselves. The fight is on.
Tetsuo from the movie Akira. Getting lost in the desert is a death sentence. The paths to our individual destruction are many, and sometimes we might be calling forth such energies that everyone around us fall too. With the power to wipe out cities in a single blow, or cast lifelong curses with a single phrase, we are tempted to grasp this power and take what is ours. In the moment it feels so good to do so...
Joseph Stalin writing. It is hard to recognize who has walked this path into darkness. A man writing his desk and smoking his pipe is a friendly sight. "This creature softened my heart of stone. She died and with her died my last warm feelings for humanity", is what Stalin wrote of his wife. Sometimes I wonder, is there an amount of vigilance that is sufficient to shine light where these spirits do their evil work in us.
The Cathedral of Light at a Nazi rally. With enough light, order, and balance of elements we can surely win this perilous fight - right? The same machine of death that moved the pen of Stalin is alive here. Could it be possible that here a man should've said: "I will not"?
The Baphomet by H.R. Giger. If so, what are the chances of the naysayer withstanding the pressure of the group - and of his own mind? We are never exempt from the voice that calls us to be individuals, nor of the voice that speaks with the mouth of the herd. Violence and social harmony both have their price, and as they increase, they meet at the opposites again. This is the fuel of the machine.
Guernica by Pablo Picasso. The triumph of order and contrast is spoiled as soon as the machine starts moving. The horror of war is disjointed, mutilated and chaotic. Who has the psychological and spiritual wherewithal to look at their dearest creations and be prepared to admit that there was a hidden energy driving towards this end? ..and sometimes, even this isn't enough.
An untitled painting by Zdzisław Beksiński. It is possible, that if we are enamored by the darkest of ends, we'll be feeding monsters like this. It has been done before, and we can do it again. The only difference is that now we have had good practice.
The Exterminatus of the planet Typhon Primaris in the videogame Dawn of War 3: Retribution. Ultimately, we might drive ourselves into total destruction. However, a paradox emerges here. Unless we have the courage to get rid of corrupt planets in our internal solar system, we will act out whatever we think we're hiding. It might be the most serious problem to face: go through the horror within or create it outside.
A Buddhist monk protesting by burning himself to death. If not destroying the world, why not yourself? When faced with something that shrieks like a thousand harpies against your soul, what are you to do? What is anyone to do? It is impossible to say whether this photograph shows the most insane or the most reasonable thing to do in the face of the evil we humans can create.
Kaski (The burn-clearing) by Eero Järnefelt. What a miserable existence has characterized so much of human existence! What is the right course of action if you are downtrodden and have nothing to do but to sell your being for unpleasant lords? Sometimes it is submission, and sometimes it is revolt. There are no easy answers here.
Jim Wendler, an author, athlete, and coach, lifting weights. As a man, one should be strong. As a man, one should define strength for himself and live on the path that makes him stronger. This way he can fight against those forces that want the worst for him and assist those who want the best for him. A strong man realizes that his path of strength - when allied with honesty and love - is the path that is best for everyone.
Doctor Jordan Peterson and students. With strength comes the responsibility of building bridges. Connections are what matter, both in your own mind and in your environment. With careful craftsmanship, the bridges will be walked by people with genuine smiles.
The band Iron Maiden performing in a concert. By bringing individuals together, unbelievable excitement and fun can emerge. Playfulness is a sign of a strong person. Action, doing, going out there. That is what you are supposed to do if you have anything positive to give. ...and if not, that's okay too.
Ismo Alanko and A.W. Yrjänä. It is possible to have nothing to give, nothing to lose. But it is not possible to have nothing. There will always be the spirit that asks "what is true, where can I find it?" This question is to be asked every day, the cup is to be filled and emptied every day. When all is lost, it is time to seek.
Another untitled painting by Zdzisław Beksiński. The search for truth has to be creative because truth is created, not found. In this creation there lies a great risk. A risk of falling in love with what you created, rather than the dance of creation itself. This is the path of decay, where the two lovers grieve themselves to death as they see each other ground to dust by time. The core of the matter, the true bride, is the act of creation - never lose sight of that.
Salvador Dali jumping. If you always know what you are doing, you are not following the path of strength and creation. Seek intuition, develop your nose for the right kind of smells and trust your gut. Dreams, visions, and hunches are there to guide you - if you've done the groundwork of honesty and listening to your conscience.
The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli. As the creation between you and the world progresses, beauty will emerge. Whether you find it in art, relationships or heavy industry, it doesn't matter. The abstract principles start coming to life, breathing through your hands, with your heart beating in unison with theirs.
Madonna by Edvard Munch. Abstraction is not real. It's transcendental and eternal. While we participate in this eternal principle, we are also of flesh and blood. The demanding task of separating the otherworldly ideas and archetypes from the individuals we face - be it us or our fellow humans - follows us until we are finished. True beauty is to be found in the piece of art that is your individual life. The spirits from above are the map, your life is the real territory.
An American soldier and his beloved meeting after he's come back from the war. The union with your opposite is the apex, the purpose, and the goal. After facing all that is horrible you may find relief in your lover's arms, a place to call home.
Samurai Jack in the final scene of the last, 5th season of the series. Ultimately, should you succeed in the union of opposites, defeating the evil within and finding your love, a final test remains. Your love has thus far been directed at something else than being itself. As you enter the union of opposites, this object of your love disappears. You lose that which you were yearning for, wrestling for, dancing with.
When - and if - this happens, will you be able to bear the sorrow?
Will you be able to say "Sure, let's go again!" to the demon who threatens you with your life returning as it has been, forever and ever again?
Will you be able to say
"Yes"
to the mystery of being
and start all over again?
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That is what these images mean to me. Thanks for reading.
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