The Hanged Man can be seen as a time when
we ask for transformation, purposefully putting ourselves into a situation
where we must surrender to the circumstances so that we can gain an entirely
new perspective. The Hanged Man has hung himself upside down in an attempt to
break out of old ways of thinking that are no longer useful. Forced to reexamine his reality,
he can choose to be stuck or to begin to see another way of being.
Key words: Capitulation/ Surrender/ Victimization
or the falling away of the ego
Connie
Butler Baffled: The Hanged Man
I
chose the name Baffled for the Hanged Man because the image represents the old
sentence meted out to traitors who were hung upside down publicly. As a child,
growing up during WWII, I watched the movie newsreel of Mussolini and his
mistress being hung upside down and beaten to death by the mob. That ferocity
of collective rage left a deep impression on me of shame and fear, of bafflement. Later I came to understand that we risk
being baffled if we ignore our dark side, our hang ups of power, ego trips and
taking the easy road. We risk collective baffling if we fear the unknown, risk
our hard earned security and cannot wait for guidance from within. I realized
if we baffle our own individuality, we sacrifice our priceless soul’s journey.
But
my baffled woman has an enigmatic smile on her face. Balanced delicately in a
cosmic dance, she is listening carefully to the inner music of her soul. Hidden
behind her is the glyph for the inexorable Pluto, Lord Hades. “Better to master
your dance and not fear death,” whispers Pluto.
My
woodblock image is colored in with ink pens. I thought it would be simple to
do, silly me. I struggled to capture the image and it has still left me -
Baffled.
So,
here is a work in progress, as is my life.
See more of Connie's work on her website conniebutlersculptures.com
No comments:
Post a Comment