Well it’s the last night of the year and the blog deserves a final post. I’ve really had it on a starvation diet in recent months and one of my resolutions is to get back into more of a writing routine in 07.
To finish things off I thought I’d explain the images on the banner. I’ve had a few people ask me what that’s all about and up until now I’ve been deliberately cryptic about it. However I’ve added a new symbol and altered a couple of others in the past few days and now is probably as good a time as any to explain them.
Working from left to right.
A potshard made by the ‘grooved ware’ people of Western Europe thousands of years ago. My ancestors and maybe yours. Very sophisticated trade routes and quite amazing Neolithic structures in the British Isles. Look at Maes Howe and Skara Brae. There have been distinctive grooved ware symbols found in pre-dynastic Egyptian sites. It questions our long held belief that Western civilisation as we know it was born between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and drifted West. I think it was a lot more complicated than that, and that substantial parts of what we consider Western culture, particularly in the form of belief systems, came from the West and moved East. I use the image because history is a living thing and the curtain of time rather flimsy. I feel a powerful link to my ancestors and like to look at the mesh of history four dimensionally.
A golden bee from the tomb of Childeric I, one of the great Merovingian kings of ancient France. A powerful symbol in esoteric circles throughout time and one which evokes powerful magical forces. There were 300 bees found when Childeric's tomb was discovered. Only 2 remain, the others having been stolen and melted down for their gold along with his other treasures, in the 1830s. Before then however Napoleon adopted the bee as his imperial symbol rather that the Bourbon fleur de lis. He had Childeric’s bees sewn onto his imperial cloak at his coronation. I chose this bee because I am fascinated with the esoteric streams in history and also because it reminds me of the loss of great works of human creativity though stupidity and greed.
The red feather or quill I use as a symbol of creativity, particularly in writing. Many years ago I had poetry and short stories published but the realities of writing business documents for a living finally drowned those pursuits. In recent times blogging has allowed me to dip into the power of creative writing again. I have a passion for literature and hope to self-publish a volume in 2007 with a little help from a friend who has an imprint just right for that purpose (more of that in a later post). I have started collecting red feather pins - they were used as charitable foundation membership pins in the 50s in the USA and are still associated with similar activities. These pins I think I’ll give to fellow creative writers in our little self-publishing salon.
The guitar headstock relates to my love of music that I’ve written about often enough. I play guitar and collect the things as beautiful instruments but also works of art. A goal would be to play in a band again, but that requires a commitment to rehearse that I’d find hard to meet given my other activities. However I’m well aware that this is a key creative trigger for me which I must continue to explore and celebrate. My involvement with the rebirth of VASE valve guitar amps is a wonderful opportunity to be part of the music scene again.
The artist’s palette is an acknowledgement of my love of the visual arts, particularly painting. I painted in oils regularly for many years, but climbing the corporate ladder put paid to much of the reflective time I needed for this pursuit. Again, another goal is to set up the easel again and start preparing for another exhibition.
The iPod recognises the interactive technology that has been central to my working life for 25 years. I was one of the pioneers of computer education in Australia and designed games for the first generation of 8 bit machines in the 80s. Since then I’ve worked in many multimedia and eLearning environments as a producer through to CEO. My current practice still focuses on the commercialisation of interactive technologies. The iPod also dips the lid to Apple. I’ve used Apple since 1981 and have found it to be the ideal technology companion to my creative interests.
The final symbol is the latest to join the banner but paradoxically the oldest I have. I call this the multiman and I designed it in 1991 as apart of commercial management training CD-ROM project. It originally was meant to reflect a manager being made whole through the assimilation of the six major aspects of management – decision-making, communication, leadership etc. In recent times however my multiman has taken on a new guise. As part of my doctoral studies I have immersed myself in reflective practice and recast this symbol to reflect the major components that through balance and alchemical reaction make me a whole hermetic practitioner:
Vermilion for Chaos
Azure for Law
Violet for spiritual beliefs
Rust for ancestral blood
Viridian for the harmony of humanity and nature
Gold for Sol Invicta – life and light
The true destiny of the great artist is a destiny of toil. There comes a point in his life when toil begins to dominate and guide his fate. Doubts and misfortunes may long torment him. Circumstances may bear him down. He may lose years in obscure preparation. But the will to art, once ensconced in its proper hearth, can never be extinguished.
Gaston Bachelard
That's cool, Paul. Thanks for sharing not only the background of the symbols, but their significance to you.
Posted by: Chris Bailey | March 17, 2007 at 11:51 PM