Angie’s Corner

Angie’s Corner

I’m very happy to share one of my paintings called “Angie’s Corner”; because I vividly remember the moment I captured a beautiful elderly woman sitting in a meditative mode on a bench, catching her daily dosage of sunshine, on a scenic afternoon in Orebro, Sweden. I can still imagine her sitting there every day at the same spot, enjoying the moment, in a peaceful, tranquil surrounding. The name of the painting “Angie’s Corner,” is special to me because Angie symbolizes the name Angel, which represents people who are dear to us, as powerful and helpful angels, who guide and direct us, as our spiritual moms. Being in silence diminishes our inner struggles, which is encouraged by many spiritual guidelines about the power of meditation and inner peace. Eastern philosophy emphasizes achieving nirvana, a state of perfect and ideal bliss; in Kabbalah one can learn in depth about mind over matter, which can be accomplished by quieting the voices of self-doubt that creep up within us.

“Angie” in this painting reminds me of my precious and beloved grandmother Monavar whom I cherished deeply. Her name in Farsi means “the light of the moon.” She had a serene appearance but a powerful presence in my life. Her wisdom and whispering advice still lingers within me. Monavar continues to be an inspiration for me as well as the many who had known her; I recall all the unconditional love and valuable lessons she shared with us. Her insights and spiritual knowledge were beyond her time; she served as a role model on how to radiate the light of the Creator in every moment through sharing and generosity. This painting perhaps reminds the viewer of each of our mothers, grandmothers, mentors, etc. whom we appreciate so much. It is also important to realize that whether we do or don’t have a biological mother that is the best role model, it is liberating to know we can have as many “mothers” in our lives as we can merit.

This idea was introduced to me by one of my favorite writers, Clarissa Pinkolo Estes, Ph.D. In her book called “Women Who Run with the Wolves,” she mentions that every person can have more than one mother, perhaps beyond 20 mothers. These are the women who empower us in our lifetime. This could be a spiritual leader, a writer, a teacher, a good friend, a blogger, a healer, or even a professional therapist.

Dr. Estes in the chapter called “Finding One’s Pack: Belonging as Blessing,” she writes, “Even if you had the most wonderful mother in the world, you may eventually have more than one. As I have often told my daughters, ‘You are born to one mother, but if you are lucky, you will have more than one. And among them all you will find most of what you need.’ Your relationships with todas las madres, the many mothers, will most likely be ongoing ones, for the need for guidance and advisement is never outgrown, nor, from the point of view of women’s deep creative life, should it ever be… Relationships between women, whether the women share the same bloodlines or are psychic soulmates, whether the relationship is between analyst and analysand, between teacher and apprentice, or between kindred spirits, are kinship relationships of the most important kind.” Therefore, this concept applies to someone who empowers us in a transformational way, like Louise Hay, author of “You can Heal Your Life,” or Mother Theresa, who were both mothers to a great multitude.

Finally and most of all, this painting represents a female energy that removes our wounds that were so difficult to heal, and converts them to blessings. A perfect example of a powerful woman who transforms lives is my niece and teacher Monica Berg, author of “Fear is Not an Option,” who represents this immense feeling in me and so many others. There is a beautiful quote from her blog called “I Want My Mom” (dated May 11, 2017), where she speaks about the idea of becoming a mother for others: “You can become the mother yours never was, either with your biological children, through adoption, or through charitable work. Our desire to nurture, our innate desire to care and love is our likeness to the Creator and it is our responsibility to awaken our god-like natures.” You can follow Monica’s inspiring weekly blogs and spiritual teachings at her website https://rethinklife.today.