04.2023

The second chakra of the system is “Svadhistana”. It is the sacral chakra, located between the tail bone and the naval center. Its element is water. This chakra is our emotional identity. The sacral chakra embodies the importance of play and pleasure. It is our right to feel, to believe in our needs, and change according to those needs. I’ll say right now that I identified heavily with this chakra. I also struggled deeply with it. I felt so connected to its message that I needed the visual creation of it to be exactly what I imagined. I had high expectations and I wasn’t meeting them for quite some time. I was frustrated! 

Element: Water

Color: Yellow 

My title: “Fluid”

During the time I was creating this piece I was experiencing major pelvic pain.This pain was in my lower back and stinging at my ilium crest. They say that trauma stays in the body if not processed and moved through and out. I speculate that I may have had sciatica flaring from the unprocessed emotions I was working through. I spent a lot of time reflecting and reapproaching the creative process. Also, I was painting in my bed, which definitely was not helping. 

The moon cycle was an easy choice to incorporate. The cycles of the moon connect so much to water, womanhood, and the ever changing emotional states of humans. We ebb and flow like water, like the changing moon cycles. I initially wanted to find a way to make the moon an interactive aspect of the piece. I wanted to make it an invitation of playfulness and a reminder that healing does take action. Healing is an intentional state, it requires work, even if we are at rest. Since all of my paintings are made of paper collage I scrapped the idea to protect the delicate integrity. 

The octopus was the first symbol that came to my mind. I went through a period of art-making where the octopus was my muse. I painted a series from acrylic and wood named “Unorthodox”. The octopus’s unique characteristics make it a fitting subject. They have the ability to fit into almost any space or shape. They are fluid and flexible. Octopus can remove their own limbs as a distraction to escape predators. Some species have the ability to change color and camouflage. They embody the ideas of the sacral chakra. I found satisfaction when I created an octopus whos arm stretched beyond the tarot frame, pushing boundaries and welcoming change. 

I found success and ease with this work after snorkeling in the ocean. My body was completely immersed in its will and power. I was inspired by all the life that is beneath the waves. I was inspired by ecosystems of the most wild animals I have ever seen. To balance the composition and give the octopus a right to exist, I hand cut sea fans. The octopus clutches a six petal lotus. The background of the piece is a waterfall of dripping gold. I think my intense pain in my sacrum subsided after this piece was complete. 

Listen to my Svadhisthana playlist here