Om Mani Padme Hum.
This is the Jewel in the Lotus mantra. It’s a reminder, to me, of letting go, of allowing the world to be as it is about me. Letting go is one of the hardest parts of being Human for me.
I want to hold onto the precious experiences just like I want to hold onto jewels and money and fabric and herbs. Even though I feel them tugging me in the wrong direction or weighing me down, I want to hold on.
Even the mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, is a sound I find myself grasping. I want to repeat it over and over again as if that will somehow make each moment better.
But, it doesn’t. Letting go does.
Each time I let go is a gift. The feeling is peaceful. I am lighter.
Yet, I still try to hang on, even to that.
Don’t meditate. Let go. That’s the Jewel in the Lotus.
- Materials: Hand-dyed cotton, cotton-polyester thread.
- Series: NA
- Size: 12 inches x 12 inches (31 cm x 31 cm)
- Completed: 2023
- Current location: Private Collection
My Thoughts on the Work
Meditation began it’s life in the Starts Project in January 2022 as Jewel in the Lotus. As I looked at it through late February and early March, I found myself meditating on the imagery and what it means to me. I found myself contemplating the Jewel in the Lotus mantra again. That mantra is perhaps the one that arises for me most often. Is that a suggestion I, possibly, need to work a bit on letting go of stuff? Or maybe focus a little better? Surely there cannot be that much room for improvement?
There is, rest assured, and I’m working on it. Even in my Studio.
I decided this piece would be perfect for the ultra fine thread I’ve been working with of late. Sewing with that stuff is a meditation. I have to really stay focused, sewing at a slower and more methodical speed than usual. When I let my mind wander, I inevitably break the thread.
Every step of the way with Meditation has turned out to be a meditation of sorts. That’s part of what I find so magical about Art. It reflects the truths of life so long as you let it.
