Geometric Art – TIME & SPACE CONSULTING

Published March 9, 2025 by ifc

…moving on

Namaste, Followers

Thank you for following my blog, The Teacher’s Journal, for so many years. There are other follower’s at yogini.wordpress which was where I began blogging.

Much has changed. For me, rearranging my writing life, whether for work or pleasure, is a priority these days.

So, after research, time & procrastination I’ve set up a Substack publication which I hope to grow whichever way the wind blows. Meanwhile, it’ll re-inspire me to write to you more. It feels like a platform that supports writers and connects us…safely. And, I need more connection.

So, if you’ve enjoyed my posts and want to read more find me now on Substack

I’ve titled my publication The World is My Ashram. It feels like a fitting title for nearly all my interests that have a spiritual component. Please subscribe. It’s free. You’ll get an email when I post. And, I’m allowing comments. If you are a bot…you will be blocked.

Over time I’ll be cherry-picking various posts from The Teacher’s Journal and exporting them over to Substack.

That’s the pLaN 🙂

namaste.

Ancient Wisdom AstroCartography Astrology Feng Shui Geometric Art Holistic Health Meditation Time Management Yoga Yoga Therapy

So Many Circles!

Published November 26, 2023 by ifc

So Many Circles!

Geometric drawing has taken me on quite a cultural journey. Today, I understand why geometry is sacred.

Initially I became interested in what is known as Islamic geometry. Examples of it’s artistry are found around the world and on this website. In holy and humble places, the patterns are everywhere once you *see* them. Straight lines dominate but movement, fluidity, and spiraling is evident, especially with the addition of the biomorphs.

Ready to jump into a new genre, I found Lucie Rose, a teacher in Paris. When I saw her course in May, 2023 on the South Rose Window of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris I signed up. Whereas Islamic geometry is mostly straight lines, gothic geometry requires a multitude of circles, hardly a square to be found.

I was there in July, 2015 with my grandkids and the pictures from that day are a treasure. I watched with shock and gratitude that I had been there before the fire. Having an emotional connection to a project steps up the preparation.

Architectural achievements that display man’s faith, trust, and reliance on a higher power fuel my personal beliefs.

So, I cleaned up the entire art room and reorganized it to tackle this ONE project, rather than the many I usually have going at the same time. It took nearly the entire summer to complete the drawing and transfer it to the Khadi watercolor paper, which was a very risky choice. The first layer of color came from my coffee cup.

Rose Windows are saturated with symbolism, combining earthly and heavenly qualities, the tracery and the glass. Customarily they are placed opposite a cross at the altar. The feminine stands in balance with the masculine.

To complete my project I began to consider it a tool for meditation, like drawing a mandala. Fighting with the inner perfectionist became crystal clear! Letting go, in every way, became a joy.

It’s still a work-in-progress. I’ve been adding some silvery shine which doesn’t really show well for a blog post.

As Fall approached I got distracted and began a second Rose Window. More circles. Still on the risky paper. But loving the new colors, and now I can use all the gold & copper colors I have! We’ll see how it goes.

In December I’ll be re-directing my creative energy towards drawing the Tree-of-Life for the Winter Solstice. Want to join me for our Solstice Sadhana? LMK.

Ancient Wisdom Geometric Art Meditation My photos Watercolors

Rose Windows Sacred Geometry

Published July 26, 2021 by ifc

Dual Level Patterns – twice the fun?

My love affair with geometric drawing continues with this recent rendition of a jaali screen with ‘tabla’ (drum) design found in Akbar’s Tomb, Northern India.

Drawing out dual-level patterns is another level of complexity that can be frustrating and satisfying at the same time. Over time it’s easy to train the eye to see different levels or layers and inscribing that on a 2 dimensional piece of paper using just a compass and straight edge. Measurements not allowed. I completed the pencil drawing early May. And then, as usual, it sat there, unpainted and ignored for months. Each time I saw it in my unpainted stack I waited for inspiration to come. I’ve looked at thousands of pictures of patterns and their coloring, or lack of. So many possibilities! Choosing colors is the best and most confusing part….there’s a beauty in every color when used creatively.

Then, after a stressful week of turmoil, grief, and exhaustion, I needed to play with my watercolors. Just watching the water carry the pigment around is meditative and soothing. No ‘trying’ to “paint a picture”. Recognizing my turbulent mental state, I decided to limit my palette to only three colors. Structure helps. However, at the very end of this process/painting I did add those antique gold lines for just a little bling. Otherwise, it’s all about: Ultramarine Blue, Yellow-Deep, and Burnt Sienna mixed in varying proportions. A lovely neutral palatte that eliminates all that unnecessary picking and choosing of what to dip the brush in….just mix…add water….paint…..repeat… and there are no freehand or biomorphic swirls here either, just lines. Follow the lines. A Mindless, Magical, and mesmerizing meditation to paint.

It is all about the process and breathing thru it. Yoga & Art… Within each layer are mistakes, judgements, opinions on how it’s coming. My attachment to ‘outcome’ rears it’s ugly head at times. And, then I remember. The whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts. The difficulty lies in when to put the brush down? When is enough? There is a line between too little and too much. Looking for that middle ground where balance and harmony co-exist. That’s art.

namaste, everyone. stay safe.

Dharma Geometric Art StudioIFC Watercolors

jaali

Published March 29, 2021 by ifc

I Got Tired and Bored Looking At That Ox

Drawing lines is (sometimes) easier than writing words. So I’m posting these pictures to show you what I’ve been doing This video tells the whole story in 30 seconds.

The artist is Richard Henry and I’ve been taking courses at his school since the pandemic locked me down. There’s something very soothing and fulfilling to drawing lines, straight & curvy. Using a straight edge and striving for perfection can be easily witnessed. And, letting go brings joy. The whole of the process can be, and frequently is a meditation.

This particular geometric pattern falls into the category of 8-fold. It’s a common pattern seen and pictured here in an archway at .Humayan’s Tomb, Delhi, India .

Often, it is used as a pattern for a jaali screen. Here we use shades/blinds/curtains to adjust the amount of sunlight that enters a space. In other places……jaali screens.

This is as far as I’ve gotten. Soon, it’ll be transfered to watercolor paper and then the fun really starts!

It’s a full moon……. See the Light.

ps. see that shaded out shape. It’s called a tabla.

Om shanti,

Geometric Art Watercolors Yoga

8-fold jaali

Published July 10, 2020 by ifc

Geometry & Art – the beginning

Back to the drawing board….. that’s a phrase that comes to mind whenever I have to start something…again…from scratch… That’s what it feels like these days..like I have to re-create my *life-plan* again. Who knew a global pandemic would upend life and country in such a way? Surely not I, even with the decades and hours of study and practice of ancient wisdom traditions. Oh well. One breath at a time is a good way to live these days, as long as it’s a long one.

I’ve been taking online courses on geometric art. Some teachers are well versed in Sacred Geometry and they weave the ‘teachings’ of that ancient science as they teach us how to draw patterns.with only a compass and a ruler. It is a fascinating combination of spirituality and science.

Sacred Geometry caught my attention when I was learning feng shui & vaastu shastra. With half the solar system in earth signs at my birth, my connection to all things ‘earthy’ is embedded in my DNA. Geometry is sacred because it enables us to turn time and space into matter. It’s interesting because there is no Sacred biology, or Sacred trigonometry, or Sacred chemistry. Physics is believed to be the bridge between matter and energy, but we don’t call it Sacred. Yet Sacred Geometry has been understood as such for thousands of years, probably more because if it’s sacred it’s origins are likely beyond our understanding.

I stumbled into this current artistic obsession while looking for instructions on how to draw the Sri Yantra. I found a course on Udemy and in no time I was hooked! Because of the pandemic many of today’s masters of this art have put their classes on Zoom. The first class I attended in March had 300 students from around the globe all eager to learn the ways of the compass and straight edge. Many are well versed in Sacred Geometry and can articulate the metaphysical symbolism inherent in the basics shapes/forms of the patterns. After the geometric pattern is completed biomorphic motifs are added. In this way masculine & feminine elements are combined to produce a finished pattern with harmony, balance, and satisfaction. It is fascinating process to engage in and it’s become part of my meditation practice. Start with a dot. Draw a line. Draw a circle. Keep going. Om Shanti.

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biomorphic watercolor

Serenity & Yoga

Published April 23, 2019 by ifc

Serenity & Yoga

“Meet this world with neither grasping nor fear. Trust the unfolding of life and you will attain true serenity.”

~Bhagavad Gita

Another way to think about Yoga is as a neurological cleansing where the effects of past actions are released, not on the basis of meaning, but neurologically dissolved from the inside by the pure bliss consciousness inherent within us. We do this in meditation and yoga nidra. This is not a matter of belief or analysis. It is a mechanical process. It will work for anyone who does the practices, skeptics & atheists alike.

Gurudev Amrit Desai, founder of Kripalu Yoga & Amrit Yoga Institute, says, “Every time you withdraw from your reactions and move beyond your pre-programmed past there is the possibility for the resurrection of that part of you that lies beyond the ego.”

Western psychology likes to analyze, diagnose, and ‘fix’…ie psychoanalysis. Most of the time they stay on the level of the mind and rarely do anything other than talk. This is very helpful but not necessarily healing. IMHO Western psychology is like analyzing the waves coming up on the surface of the ocean. Whereas Yoga Nidra & Meditation especially, are like cleaning the ocean from the bottom up, at levels where analysis is not possible. Amrit explains obstructions as energy, and thinking is energy. Yoga deals with the root issues by going beyond the ‘energy’ to pure bliss consciousness. Meaning is a less fundamental form of neurological energy and it’s found near the surface of the mind. Meaning is the tail on the dog of thought energy. Using the tail to wag the dog is not very effective.

Of course, you don’t need to know any of this to experience the benefits……. Yoga Nidra at The Sanctuary – April 28, 1-4pm

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Bhagavad Gita rumi

Color Therapy

Published April 22, 2019 by ifc

Color Therapy

Blogging Geometric Art Meditation

Published December 12, 2018 by ifc

Sri Yantra

Last year I stumbled upon an online course teaching the basics of Islamic Geometry as an art form. With joy I dug into the box that held my old drafting tools from college. I found my compass, triangles, and even some old architectural drawings from my classes.

I’ve been fascinated with the Sri Yantra for years. During some of our yoga workshops we spent some time coloring it in, being mindful and present and watching our thoughts/feelings/sensations during the practice. Everyone enjoyed it. It is a good way to practice dharana and dhyana, concentration and absorption.

The Sri Yantra, is considered the Mother of all Yantras, and there are many of them. Together they, and many other geometric forms and patterns make up the library of sacred geometry, a science that has fascinated me since my teens. As I attempted to recreate this ancient pattern I was reminded of the rich symbolism that permeates all the Vedic sciences, including geometry & mathematics. As I painted it. layer by layer, I once again recognized impatience., my yearning for perfection, and my struggle with ‘is it enough?’.

Sri Yantra is composed of 9 interlocking triangles, four point up representing the masculine principle and 5 point down representing the feminine. Everything begins at the Bindu point The circle represents cosmic rhythms. The 8 and 16 lotus petals represent on-going creation and expansion. The four gates representing the directions within a square representing earth, manifestation, and stability.

The Sri Yantra is sacred geometry, meaning that meditation upon it leads to expanded consciousness, enlightenment, or, as some report, extremely good fortune.

All that said, it has been amazingly pleasant to paint the Sri Yantra and I’m on my 4th one. My patience is growing and I feel serene at completion. Spiritual practice and meditation can come in many forms.

Geometric Art Meditation Yoga

Sacred Geometry Sri Yantra Vedic Science

Published June 18, 2018 by ifc

Yoga Therapy & Creativity…first thoughts

Many years ago I had the pleasure of working at the NJ Center for the Healing Arts. A wonderful group of various therapists, psycho-, massage-, art-, and other practitioners of the alternative/complementary arts/sciences all worked under one roof. The founder had a vision for how to treat mental illness in today’s society. She was a beacon of light to many and I applaud her for her accomplishments and the ripple effect of healing & inspiration she provided to the whole community, clients, and the world-at-large. I was honored to offer astrological & feng shui consultations along with some hatha & dancing yoga classes during my early years studying yoga therapy. It was a rich time.

While there, it was clear that much of the physical space was dedicated to art….The walls were filled with paintings painted by past & present clients. Every now and then new ones would appear. I loved peeking into the art room to see them in action. It never occurred to me that art or painting or drawing could be therapeutic, or healing, or anything other than a means to an end, a picture upon which lots of opinions/judgements might be heaped. “I like it” I hate it” etc. Of course, I proved myself naive, again, it happens a lot.

Anyway, today it’s nearly two decades later and I’m excited to be working around art again. It’s in a different context, of course, but after such a long time learning & practicing integrative yoga therapy I’m comfortable teaching whever the winds blow me.

Anything can be therapized these days and that’s maybe a good thing? It acknowledges that we all need healing. All of us. Everybody. This is something I know to be true.

And, the kind of healing that occurs when we fully engage in a process that eliminates words can be felt thru and thru. It has to do with how the hemisphere’s of the brain are organized. Healing, though, is not a right-side/left-side experience, but rather what happens naturally when balance is acheived. This is what yoga/meditation teaches us. That amazing blissful state that occurs after one does some focused hatha practice, is the same calm, blissful state that occurs when we’re in the zone of: artistic expression, dance practice,, or musical harmonies & rhythms.

That zone, that particular kind of present moment is a very seductive state of being, and once you’ve experienced it your entire being becomes engaged with trying to have the experience again. The challenge & difficulty is to get there naturally, chemically & substance free. But, I digress. Neptune is one of the astrological significators for spiritual practice, yoga, imagination, fantasy and more. For more keywords of Neptune go here.

On July, I’ll be facilitating a weekend of workshops on yoga & creativity at The Sanctuary. For the *intensive* on Saturday we’ll be at a local art gallery. I’m excited to see what happens! Namaste.

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neptune

The Obsession Continues…..

Published June 7, 2018 by ifc

The Obsession Continues…..

….and I’m still experiencing the joy of learning with every new pattern that I put together. I’ve moved on now to what’s called stitching and weaving. This pattern I focused on stitching. I don’t have the energy right now to explain in words what that means artistically . . Suffice it to say that I fell in love with the technique and choose to continue. Here’s my latest, painted to celebrate grandson(s) and birthday’s.

I’m gonna start an absolute beginners yoga therapy class in June for 6-8 weeks, yoga….for the rest of us.

I sent an email newsletter to my list today. Are you on it? Do you want to be? There’s a widget for easy signup onsite.

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Category: <span>Geometric Art</span>