THE ESSENCE OF ROUND

Another full moon has passed, a spectacular solar eclipse looms, and I am noticing a pattern of circles popping up in my photos. Because I live too far south to witness this coming cosmic event, I decided to share my personal circular activity here on this blog. May we all celebrate the energy of circle, the essence of round. Dark and light, intense and subtle, large and small, this energy is about all of us. It IS all of us. 

                                                

The full moon, the sun, planet Earth and all the planets in the cosmos, all are circles. Even our eyes with which we view them are circles. In exploring the concept of circle, I find it represents unity, wholeness and life cycles. Without beginning or end, it represents inclusivity and its affiliate number is one. We can imagine that when we sit within a circle, we are all equal, one and the same. Being inside the circle, we also feel the safety and protection from anything outside that zone. When someone says they're in or out of their 'comfort zone' I picture that as a circle. 

"Dark Moon Angel"
recycled from a gift of Sees Chocolates

  Here are some huipiles from the 365 4 2015 series, in which I made one small huipil every day in the year 2015.  Looking back at them now from a different viewpoint, I wonder what led me to create so many circular forms. 

"Teach Tolerance"
The circular motion of joining hands says inclusivity. It's going to take
all of us working together to bring balance to our Mother planet.

"Letter to the U.S."
It's Not a Crime to be Black. Living while black, driving
while black, walking while black, it's all is part of the system
that spawned yesterdays tragic events in Charlottesville.  

"Spot On"
Occasionally a day goes just right, you come up with a
solution that works, and the term for that sums it up in these circles.

"Shiva the Destroyer"
Crushing the demon of ignorance, Shiva's dance recalls
the cycles of birth, death and rebirth. All is circular. 

"Connect the Dots"
This one is like "follow the money" when we're trying to
understand how the world works. It's not in "mysterious ways." 

"Que Milagro!"
We all wish for miracles, and maybe they do happen, but
I'm not convinced. What do you think?

To continue further, the following examples show up in my huipils, as

faces, bottle cap textiles and neck openings. 

"Thirst /Sed" (detail)  bottle caps and wire, 2014
We're all longing for something to quench our thirst or hunger.
What is it you thirst for and how do you go about finding it?

Chicomecoatl, Corn Mother, corn husks, iron,
mazorcas.

Ceremonia de Té, tea packets and bags, 2016

Circles and round things show up in my photographs of places and things:

Hats on a wall at Sergio Castro's Museo create a wall of circles.

Page from a book about Bolom Chon, by
Taller Leñateros, describes the spots on a jaguar.

Circles and stars or butterflies adorn the front door of
the church in Chamula, Chiapas.

Cans of spray paint on the sidewalk during Festival de
Arte Urbano,with Muros en Blanco.

Life Cycle of Corn shrine, por Maria Godoy,
Milpa: Pueblos de Maíz, Museo de los Artes Populares 

“Life is a full circle, widening until it joins the circle motions of the infinite.”  ― Anaïs Nin