CRUCIFIXION /
/ AWAKENING
Overcoming the lower nature is a recurring theme of many spiritual texts. In Christianity, this culminates in the crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus’ death gives us a demonstration of awakening - realization of divine consciousness through suffering and the purification of the ego. In my own spiritual journey, it has been important to understand the crucifixion on a deeper level. This has included learning about the overlaps between Jesus’ story and eastern or esoteric teachings, which explicitly identify the somatic aspect of spiritual development. My observation of a 16th century musical instrument in the Dean’s collection presented a serendipitous opportunity to explore this theme artistically. The epinette des vosges is a stringed instrument which features a carved design showing the crucifixion
The entirety of the artwork I created is, to some extent, based on the design of the epinette, and shows Jesus, the angel, the sun and moon, and the skull. Within the drawing is a simplified version of the epinette, played by a young boy. This creates something of a mise en abyme (image within an image)
The symbols of the sun and moon, the skull at the base of the cross, and the angel above, complete the simple design on the epinette. These symbols give us an opportunity to read the esoteric meaning of the crucifixion in this object. I delineated this idea using the image of the creation of music to make clear how a focus on purity and on the higher self is essential for a connection with the absolute. The skull is something of a recurring theme in depictions of the crucifixion. Although absent in many well-known paintings, it is particularly common in orthodox liturgical art, where it is often a clearly defined skull and crossbones. In esoteric Christianity, it symbolizes the death of the ego and the collapse of the mind, which must precede awakening. It is our base energy. But it can be directed upwards, and nurtured towards a higher goal, where we meet the holy spirit and the presence of Christ inside of us. Here is a good place to explain the snake imagery on the piece of art I created. Though often (mis)understood as an inherently negative symbol, something purely evil, this is true neither in historic Christianity, nor in other traditions such as Hinduism. In medieval illuminated manuscripts, for example, the snake is often used as a symbol of Christ Himself - this is often attributed to its ability to acheive a ‘rebirth’ through the shedding of skin.
The Kundalini Awakening, a religious experience taught in the Hindu tradition, has been used by mystic and gnostic Christians to make explicit the symbolic meaning of the crucifixion. In this tradition, the ‘energy’ at a person’s root takes the form of a coiled snake. By a process through which this energy is cultivated, it moves upwards, around the spine, and through each of the chakras (energy centres in the body), towards a spiritual liberation. It is clear how the imagery of the crucifixion corresponds to this process, and this is the reason for the coiled snake at the ‘root’ of my illustration. The boy playing the epinette creates music, which represents his spiritual development – the notes rise higher and snakes become uncoiled. Above him is the crucifixion, and the reception by the spirit (an angel). The sun and moon either side of him represent the resolution of dualities through Christ.
These online resources help explain the process in a lot more detail. and played a huge part in my understanding of these ideas.
The Bronze Serpent, The Kundalini & The Cross (One Ancient Truth)
John St Julien
Kundalini Energy & Sacred Secretion IN FULL | SUPER CONSCIOUSNESS, THE BIOCHEMISTRY of Inner Alchemy
Kelly Marie Kerr