Honey Locust Pods
Last fall I discovered a Honey Locust tree
in our neighborhood filled to capacity with spiraling seed pods.
Perhaps the unusually wet year had prompted this young tree to
produce an over abundance of seeds...and form each of those seeds
into spectacular spirals. Whatever the reason, it was cause enough
to celebrate this fecundity with a series of paintings and drawings.
The seeds spoke to me in many ways about the variety of powers
which flow within our universe. Taking part in a seminar on the
Powers of the Universe by Brian Swimme during the winter months
was instrumental in this reflection...I made the paintings part
of my “homework.”
The theme of Centration brought to mind an
icon of the spiral dance which radiates from the seeds and all
the connections I began to see between them and other creatures.
The honey bees gather the nectar in the spring blossoms, dance
their own spiral dance, and create honey. The deer feast on the
rich nutrients in the seeds and then, of course, help to spread
the seeds far and wide. The vortices in wind and water reflect
the spiral dance in their patterns of movement. Some research
on the molecular structure of glucose, a primary building block
in life, revealed the same shape as a single honeycomb cell...why
am I surprised? It goes on and on with patterns that repeat themselves
with infinite variety.
Other paintings in this series speak of Emergence
( in multiple ways), Homeostasis, Interrelatedness, and Radiance.
The seeds sit on the windowsill in my studio and continue to entice
me with new insights. They’re simply a delight to listen
to.
—Pat Malcolm
June 2005
e-mail
Pat Malcolm
www.PatMalcolm.com
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