Gemini represents the threshold between the inner and outer worlds. We understand the world of objects as three-dimensional, and movement is considered as the fourth dimension. We experience a picture or a photo as two-dimensional, even if we travel with the sight into the worlds of the image. Depending on the rendering, we may see perspectives that appear spatial, or we may even see sensory illusions. In either case, we experience the world perceived through our senses as something external.
However, we often find that we are immersed in something, especially in moving images such as movies, games, or virtual reality. We do not feel that we have left the external, physical world and are in the internal world of imagination. Reflection or contemplation allows us to see the structures of the subtle and leads us to deeper realms. Intense, prolonged contemplation finally brings us to the experience of the dimension that lies beyond the constructs of our mind.
From a photo of the facade of the Bavarian State Chancellery, Munich, I have extracted a detail and used it to create the archway of two pillars, connected by a crossbeam. The pillars carry the Sun and the Moon, symbols of the world of light and the reflection of light. The mountain between the pillars directs the view up to the vault of heaven in the background. The zodiac, with its figures that appear to us alternately, is like another doorway to the world of cosmic symbolism. The stars of the cosmos are reflected on the white snow of Mount Shasta, just as the cosmic world is reflected within each of us.
At the bottom of the image, our view passes through the columns and the outer courtyard of the temple. Then we look through a square portal into the interior covered with a triangular roof. Square and triangle are symbols of the manifested and non-manifested worlds. The symbol of Mercury above the entrance represents our discrimination. The inside of the temple shows a checkerboard pattern. To our mind, the squares are each black or white. But the distinctions of the mind dissolve as we approach infinity, the background beyond all understanding.
The Images of Synthesis for the month of Gemini illustrate the related symbolism. You find there all previous Gemini paintings with detailed explanations in four languages (en/de/es/fr). You can also download print-versions for free. Find here the Images of Synthesis with short extracts from the wisdom teachings. Or subscribe to the Lunar Messenger newsletter giving thoughts from the wisdom teachings to inspire putting them into practice.
27 February 2023, pencils and photo work