Hello My Fellow Art Lovers- 
"Love is absolutely vital for a human life.
For love alone can awaken what is divine within you.
In love, you grow and come home to yourself.”
- John O'Donohue
I know what you are thinking! Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Let's talk about romantic love .
Oh la la- nope sorry! The story I'd like to share with you today is about motherly love.
In 1966 my mother visited St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. One of her most memorable experiences from the visit was seeing the sculpture by Michelangelo, the Pieta.
Pieta means “piety” in Italian. This sculpture, created in 1499, depicts Mother Mary holding the body of Jesus after he has been crucified. My mother remembers the sculpture as being serenely beautiful. Mary’s gentle face expressed the deep sadness of grief.
Michelangelo stated that he wanted the sculpture to show “the heart’s image.”
In May of 1972 a mentally ill man entered the Basilica. With a geologist’s hammer he attacked the Pieta shouting, “I am Jesus Christ. I have risen from the dead!” He broke off Mary’s left arm, the tip of her nose and part of her eye. An American sculptor named Bob Cassilly grabbed the disturbed man by the beard and wrestled him to the ground.
Unfortunately, several of the chunks of marble were stolen by onlookers in the chaos that ensued. Nevertheless, artisans were able to restore the Pieta. She now sits in the Basilica behind bulletproof glass.
A friend of mine recently lost her mother to gun violence. Late one night an intruder, who was only thirteen years old, broke into their house and shot her. This terrible crime is the most horrific tragedy I have ever witnessed. It reminds me of the vandalism of the Pieta. The sacred mother was attacked. Innocence was lost. We try to repair the damage but there are permanent scars.
The injustice of my friend’s mother’s death has made me feel many moments of despair, yet I find hope in the eternal symbol of motherhood and my own belief in the nature of the spirit. I believe that the body can be broken but nothing can touch the spirit within.
The spirit of all mothers lives in the arms that hold and the hands that do the work of love. It is embodied in symbols of motherhood like the Pieta. It lives on with the birth of every new mother. It is alive in everyone who does an act of love.
When I created my vision board for this year I filled it with images of springtime and motherhood. Creating the collage helped me to solidify my intention to live out the spirit of motherhood rather than focusing on negative things.
My friend, dream meditation guide Jennifer Foley, and I are designing an amazing Dream/Vision Board Workshop February 27th. Jennifer always creates a wonderful nurturing atmosphere in her workshops where we go deep into our visions. If you are craving spiritual community and want to clarify your hopes for the future with symbolism this workshop is for you.
Find out more at: https://www.
