My personal motivation in creating this work, however, was to heal from a decade of both physical and emotional trauma. Subconsciously, I arrived at the mandala form with the hexagram -- the Star of David -- as its organizing shape. I believe my choice of the hexagram was no accident. In many traditions, this star, composed of two overlapping triangles, represents the reconciliation of opposites -- male/female, fire/water, and so on. Their combination symbolizes unity and harmony.
In the Jewish tradition, the six points of the Star of David are also said to stand for God's rule over the universe in all six directions: north, south, east, west, up and down. Working with these forms by painting with light -- the literal definition of the term "photography" -- helped bring me back from the darkness into the light.
Carl Jung, one of the fathers of modern psychology, believed mandalas are a pathway to the essential Self and used them in his own personal transformation. In a small way, as both mandala artist and psychotherapist, I carry on Jung's tradition. I hope these images will further the process of harnessing the power of the mandala to heal.
Making these images feels, to me, like I am in wordless conversation with natural elements far more profound than anything I could create myself. The experience of photographing and of editing is reminiscent of meditation.
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