Aquarius - Vena the Gandharva

16 November 2024, coloured pencils and photo work

The Indian Puranas describe musical intelligences which are called Gandharvas. They are supra-cosmic beings who are not bound to creation. They exist as musical movements in space and assist the work of creation. The music of the Gandharvas brings about the union of the souls with the Supersoul and bestows the bliss of liberation.

There is a royal Gandharva called Vena. He is poetically described as the essence of the Aquarian passage between apparent non-existence to apparent existence. Vena moves with ease between these two states like a spiritual and fiery river. This flow energy can also be described as a bridge going up to the highest and coming down from the highest. In us, the flow of the river Vena is located between the seventh and sixth chakras, i.e. the Sahasrara and Ajna.

The most important function of Vena is the neutralisation of binding karma. For this purpose, Master CVV gives the mystical mantra ‘Electric Hint’. It enters us like an electrical manifestation and then wipes off the images of the subconscious mind. For this purpose, the Master also gave the meditation 31 in the ‘Occult Meditations’:

“Vena, the Gandharva, is wiping off the pictures of the subconscious mind on the walls of my nature with the hieroglyphs of sound from his seven stringed lyre.” When we work with the sound key CVV, we can visualise how the energy of that Gandharva enters us from above our Sahasrara and fills all seven centres with the working of light and sound. This brings about purification and good changes within in us.

To illustrate the music of Vena, I used the picture of an angel playing music in a fragment of an altarpiece by Gherardo Starnina, painted between 1400 and 1410 A.D. A female angelic figure plays a harp, and the vibrations of the music travel in circles through space. Visualisations of the supra-cosmic plane are always only poetic approximations.

Capricorn - Dawn of Creation

17 October 2024, coloured pencils and photo work

The birth of a universe is like a small wave on the surface of the Absolute. By its nature, the wave is but the sea in a different state. It is the beginning of a new creation, with the Absolute acting as the Creator. “The will to create” allows the first wave to emerge. This wave represents the beginning of a new cycle, the dawn of a new creation.

Capricorn stands for the beginning of new things - for the morning awakening, the dawn of the solar year and also for the dawn of larger systems. Creation also has its dawn, which can be compared to the emergence of a wave. The beginning is like the point or source from which various circles emerge.

From the deep blue of the night, all colours slowly emerge with the light of the sun. The sunlight dispels the night’s darkness. The colour orange precedes the dawn’s light of the sun, only after comes the light of the sun. The radiant orange is revered by all those who seek wisdom. It stands for the awakening of consciousness.

In the centre of the picture you can see a wave and behind, the sun rising out of the ocean. Circular rings spread out from the one wave, just as all subsequent effects arise from the first cause.

For the design of the picture I used elements of earlier pictures and a photo of a wave taken early one morning in Visakhapatnam on the Bay of Bengal.

Sagittarius - Hayagriva, The Lord of Cosmic Consciousness

17 September 2024, coloured pencils and photo work

In Indian temples one finds depictions of beings with human bodies and the head of an animal. They embody various sublime aspects of wisdom that can only be revealed when there is a deeper understanding.

The horse-headed god Hayagriva, an avatar of Vishnu, is a symbol of cosmic wisdom. It is said that Hayagriva returned the divine wisdom of the Vedas to the creator Brahma when the latter lost them due to arrogance. Humility is needed to attain and maintain wisdom.

The symbol of the horse’s head contains the hints to meditate on our head as the head of a white horse and to chant sacred sound formulas. HA is the sound of the Ajna centre, YA is the sound of the head centre - HAYA. By meditating on the light in the head and connecting the brow centre with the head centre with a radiant white glow, this meditation can expand our consciousness and reveal to us all science and wisdom from within. It is considered particularly auspicious to worship Hayagriva in this way each Thursday and in the month of Sagittarius.

To construct the image, I used a photo of a stone relief depicting a meditating Hayagriva in a Japanese temple. Over this I placed two images of the centre of our galaxy, the Galactic Centre which is in Sagittarius. With the help of the photo of the head of a Hayagriva statue in Rajahmundry, South India, I created the Hayagriva figure in the milky white colour associated with Hayagriva.

The upper part of the picture shows a detail of a zodiacal representation with Sagittarius above Hayagriva's crown.

Scorpio – The Indweller of the Cave of Consciousness

16 August 2024, coloured pencils and photo work

When we turn our senses and our mind deeply inwards through regular contemplation, we gain access to the divine Will and experience a state of blissful be-ness. We can imagine how the fiery spark of the I AM consciousness spreads from the inner centre in all directions.

In the wisdom teachings it is said that the Lord of Will is Mars, the Kumara. He is also called ‘Guha’, the indweller of the inner cave of consciousness. His colour is of molten gold or that of pure liquid honey. The cave is the vertebral column in our body.

To symbolise the inner spark of divine Will, I used the 2008 photo of an oil lamp in the darkness of the shrine in a small cave, which is located inside the larger Borra cave system in Andhra Pradesh, India. I included a night light image of an earthen Buddha statue, taken in 2009 at the home of friends in Germany.

On the ground and to the left next to the smiling Buddha is a scorpion, which poses no danger when in the presence of divine peace. The foliage surrounding the statue can be seen in the background, merging into the numerous points of night light of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The space image was generated with the help of WorldWind.earth, which uses NASA images. The lights in turn merge into the starry sky, where the constellation of Scorpio can be seen on the right.

From the innermost light of the divine spark, 7 rays rise up and indicate the connection between microcosm and macrocosm.

Libra - Fishing the Souls

2 July 2024, coloured pencils and photo work

Libra symbolizes the state in which life in the outer world has unfolded to the maximum. The soul incarnated in the body is in danger of losing itself in the affairs of everyday life and drowning in them if it does not consciously turn to the light. The Teachers and Masters of Wisdom are always ready to "fish" the seeking souls, i.e. they help seekers to free themselves from entanglements and direct seekers towards the path of Light.

When we strive for love and not for power, people gather around us. By sharing knowledge and wisdom, we guide them on the path. In doing so, we also grow ourselves and our lives become unlimited. The stars such as the Great Bear, Pleiades and Sirius are reflected on Earth as the Hierarchy of Masters, and the teachers of the Hierarchy are our guides.

In the centre of the picture is a boat with a pair of fishermen casting nets. Human figures can be seen in the reflections in the water. They symbolize the people who are looking for guidance on the path to the light. The light reflections of the sun form a path up to the stars of the zodiac and beyond to infinity.

I used photos of several scenes from India for the design of the boat with the fishers and the waves of the light path. To illustrate the people lost in matter, I embedded elements from a group photo into the waves. The golden yellow stands for the light of the buddhic plane; the multi-coloured reflections in the water symbolize the thoughts and emotions of the lower planes of the material world.

The arch with the figures of the zodiac was designed using a photo of the old astrological clock from the medieval “Zytglogge” tower in Berne’s Old Town. Next to the Libra symbol, the path of light leads up into the expanses of the subtle worlds.

Virgo - The Splendour of the Soul

13 June 2024, coloured pencils and photo work

Virgo stands for the purity and sublimity of virginal nature. The soul can shine through pure matter and let the splendour of its light radiate. It is through the soul that the light of universal consciousness, also known as the World Mother, makes its appearance.

In Eastern wisdom, the light of the soul is also called Buddhi and the soul itself is called Atma, the I AM. The light of Virgo is described as the pure, milky-white light from which the brilliance of the rainbow colours emerges. The interpenetration of creation with universal consciousness is symbolised by the Sri Yantra. It is a symbol of sacred geometry which contains 45 triangles.

In Western astrological symbolism in earlier centuries, Virgo and its supernatural nature were often represented by an angel. Late summer is characterised by Virgo’s golden light, a time when the fruits of nature are harvested.

To illustrate this symbolism, I merged the photo of a fruit-bearing apple tree, where the glow of the white sunlight iridesced into multicoloured rays, with a photo of glowing apples. I superimposed the edited image of a Sri Yantra.

For the angel of the Virgo symbol, I reworked the etching by Jacob de Gheyn II (c. 1565 -1629) on the constellation of Virgo from Hugo Grotius' book 'Syntagma Arateorum' from 1600. The female angel figure now carries in her right hand a lily, symbolising purity, and in her left hand a staff of Hermes/Mercury, symbolising Mercury, the ruler of the sign of Virgo.

Leo - Group Consciousness, Influx of Energy

9 May 2024, pencils and photo work

When many people come together in a joint spiritual alignment, a field builds up as a vessel into which high energies can flow and manifest in this way. Even though individuals may not realise it, this raises the consciousness of all, and there is also a strong impulse into the larger collective consciousness. Such an influx of energy is much greater than is possible for individuals. This field of consciousness is not limited to a time of meditation, but is also expressed in being together and, even more profoundly, in greater co-operation.

In ancient times in the East, sages and their disciples would come together for long periods of meditation, ritual and sharing of wisdom teachings. In modern times, people meet for group livings with a spiritual orientation. They are often brought together by a teacher, but also through the power of collective group action.

In the centre of the picture you can see the influx of energy in both a vertical and horizontal direction, represented by the reflection of sunlight in camera shots. The ray of light begins at the cosmic level and anchors in the physical level. The upper background shows the petals of a lotus flower, a symbol of the unfoldment of consciousness. The power of group inspiration is depicted in the lower half.

For the design of the lower half, I combined elements from three photos of different group livings. In the foreground you can see the scene of a discussion group at the 100th May Call celebration in Switzerland in 2009. For the background, I used a photo of a group life in northern Germany in 2015.

Cancer - The Force Field of Rebirths

10 April 2024, pencils and photo work

When the soul leaves the physical body at death, it continues to exist but only experiences through the causal body. In the time between leaving the physical and the next incarnation, the soul makes movements that are described as travelling through the lunar and solar spheres.

After a time, the soul seeks reincarnation again in order to satisfy unfulfilled desires. As if in a vortex, it moves down to the physical plane to re-enter a womb. With a liberated soul, there is no downward pull, but it can descend again for the benefit of humanity.

To illustrate the movement of souls through the etheric spheres between death and rebirth, I edited the photo of a fossilised ammonite shell. The subdividing chamber partitions (septa) indicate the many force fields through which the souls move. In the background, I placed a picture of the moon and above it a depiction of the earth.

The septa taper in a spiral towards a point, the symbolic point of earthly incarnation. At the centre of the circular and spiral structures is a star, the I AM as the centre of our existence. I inserted an illustration of the mother's womb behind it, which forms a light or birth canal downwards: The soul or solar angel on its way to put on physical garments.

However, the star is also solar in nature. The stars in the upper part of the picture indicate the souls that move liberated outside the force field of rebirths in higher planes of existence.

Gemini - Descent and Ascent of the Divine Spark

7 March 2024, pencils and photo work

According to the Wisdom Teachings, we are sparks of the divine. This is our inner nature. We are also known as solar angels. Like a ray of sunlight coming from the source of light, we have descended into earthly matter. As souls, we have gone through eons of development on earth. We have entered a body again and again, forgetting that we are a spark of divine light. On the spiritual path, we are now beginning to turn once again to the source of light. We are developing more subtle bodies through which we are able to rise up out of dense matter. And the light of the inner sun begins to shine through us more and more.

To depict the sphere of the sun, the divine origin, in the upper part of the picture, I used a photo of a sunrise in which a ray of sunlight emerges as a reflection. I worked the ray into a line of light that leads from the white-yellow disc of the sun at the top to the point of light in the heart of the embryo at the bottom of the picture.

The beige-coloured sphere below the solar disc is designed with a NASA photo of Mercury. Occultly, "Mercury and the Sun are one". For the luminous sphere below, I edited a photo of Venus. It symbolises the level of buddhic energy, the light of the soul.

For the background of the lower half of the picture, I used a photo of mountain ranges taken during a flight over the Alps. They symbolise the different levels of the earthly world. The snowy mountains in the upper part have merged with the sphere of Venus. This indicates the sphere of Manas, the mind, which merges upwards into the light of the buddhic sphere and downwards into the dense and darker material planes.

A field of light opens up into these darker spheres, in which an embryo shape is visible at the bottom. A delicately transparent human silhouette rises up from it, designed with an image of the human nervous system. The coloured spheres of light on the vertical ray from the embryo to the sun represent phases of human development.

Taurus - Vaisakh Full Moon Meditation

13 February 2024, pencils and photo work

At the Taurus Full Moon, the Moon is in the opposite sign of Scorpio in the lunar constellation Visakha. The Taurus Full Moon is therefore also called the Vaisakh or Wesak Full Moon. Since time immemorial, it has been celebrated in the Himalayas as the Vaisakh festival, and since Gautama Buddha as the festival of his enlightenment.

Every year in Aries, Sanat Kumara, the Planetary Logos, receives the Plan for the year as an impulse from higher circles. At the Vaisakh Full Moon, he passes it on via Gautama Buddha to the enlightened beings on the planet, whom we generally refer to as the Masters of Wisdom.

After intuitively receiving the annual Plan, the sages gradually send it to their disciples, who in turn transmit it to the advanced thinkers and leaders of humanity. Especially at the time of the Taurus Full Moon, we should align with it to receive a fresh dose of will energy for the work of goodwill.

The picture depicts a meditator whom I have designed with elements of an old Buddha statue. The head is imbued with the orange and golden yellow colours, from the photo of a sunrise, which extend beyond the shape of his body. They symbolise the Buddhic Plane of the Light of the Soul. Towards the top, they change to shades of blue and open up to a dark blue sphere, the Super-Soul or the Atmic Plane.

The round sphere surrounding the head in the background indicates the Vaisakh Full Moon, through which the energies are received. The meditator is focused on the Ajna centre above the eyebrows. He contemplates the energy movements in his body, represented by the fiery centre line, the Antahkarana. Energies rise up through the throat to the head, and energies are received through the head centres and transmitted downwards and into the environment.

Aries - The Impulse of the Divine Will

18 December 2023, pencils and photo work

The fire sign Aries is associated with the energies of Will. The Aries glyph symbolises the strength and power of Aries just like the ram it represents. Aries is the impulse or birthplace of true ideas that unfold into activity. In Vedic wisdom, Rudra is the lord of Will and Fire. It is the Will that leads creation from seeming nothingness to manifestation. Rudra is usually referred to as Shiva and on the supra-cosmic level as Agni, the deva of fire. Shiva means the auspicious one who bestows bliss.

Rudra is peaceful, blissful and embodies calmness. People with a calm, balanced attitude can express power in a much stronger way than the seemingly powerful. The Will both builds as well as destroys. With the power of will and the appropriate fire, the Lord can remove obstacles such as pride and egoism of the personality and thus bring out the hidden light of the soul.

The colour of Rudra is pure red, which represents Divine Will. The will of Rudra can be invoked by meditating on the red colour of the sky during the morning hours. However, only advanced students can work with red; all others are advised to contemplate the softer colour variations of orange or pink.

The image is an expression of the energies of will with the hues of fire. From beyond the upper edge of the picture and from higher circles, the impulse precipitates down and appears in the form of the Aries glyph. From there, a fiery stream flows downwards.

The head in the centre of the picture was created using a photo of a Shiva statue. The statue shows an inward-facing expression with a peaceful, blissful smile. I surrounded the head with blazing fire, through which a leaping ram is rushing forth. The image of the ram comes from a fresco in the Palazzo Schifanoia in Ferrara, Italy, created by Francesco del Cossa between 1468 and 1470. It has been digitally restored and integrated into the flaming tones of the painting.

Pisces – Chintamani, the Philosopher’s Stone of Heavenly Origin

23 November 2023, pencils and photo work

In various paintings by Nicholas Roerich, Chintamani is depicted as the treasure of the world. He also painted Chintamani as an extraterrestrial jewel which, according to Tibetan and Mongolian legends, is brought to the humans on the back of a white horse, Erdeni Mori, to enlighten the consciousness of humanity in times of darkness.

According to the wisdom teachings, Chintamani, the Philosopher's Stone, is a beautiful self-radiating jewel that is kept in Shambala, the ashram of Sanat Kumara, and is sometimes given to the Hierarchy.

There is also a dormant centre of Chintamani in every human being. We can visualise it as the jewel on the crown of our head in the centre of the thousand-petalled lotus. From there, this energy is sometimes brought to the forehead. It is a state of being that gives us bliss and enables us to realise the purpose of our life. The jewel of Chintamani reminds us of this goal.

To visualise the centre of Chintamani on the head, I used photos of a Buddha statue, a crystal and a gemstone as well as flower elements. The sparks of light connect with the stars and indicate the cosmic nature of Chintamani's origin.

In the background of the picture is an opening spiral, the beginning of which is not recognizable. It symbolizes the evolution of consciousness. From the center between the eyebrows, lines form a vessel that opens up into space. They indicate the opening of the personality to the soul and the merging with the Supersoul. The sign of Pisces stands for oceanic union with the cosmic consciousness.

Aquarius – Agastya drinking the Waters of the Ocean

13 November 2023, pencils and photo work

Eastern scriptures describe how the sage Agastya drank the waters of the oceans in order to save humanity. There were demons hiding under the oceans. At night they came out and ate the humans. The devas felt helpless and asked Agastya to help them. So Agastya absorbed the waters of the ocean for six hours. This enabled the devas to kill the dark forces. The Master then released the waters and the ocean was filled with water once again.

This story is an allegory about the ascending path of the waters. When the Sun moves again northwards after the winter solstice, the warmer rays cause the water to rise up from the oceans. The drinking of the oceans is associated with the evaporation of water, which occurs through the activity of Aquarius.

In the Age of Aquarius, humanity, which has sunk deep into matter, is lifted up again to spirit. Agastya, the cosmic Master Jupiter, releases the energies of Aquarius and thus, contributes to the upliftment of the earth. Symbolically, Agastya drinks up the oceans to help overcome the demons of the lower regions. Agastya always comes to help the earth in great crises.

For the design of the picture I worked with an old Indian drawing of Agastya's feat and with photos of the Iguazú Falls in Argentina/Brazil.

Capricorn - Overcoming the Saturnian Limitations

16 October 2023, pencils and photo work

When we live in a body, we experience limitations. The limitations are described as the effects of a ring. The limitations are a protection, like the eggshell that surrounds the chick. When the chick has fully developed, the shell gets broken.

The rings are the effect of the cosmic principle of Saturn located in the planet Saturn. Saturn's rings symbolise our personal limitations and problems, the limits of our understanding. The wisdom of the principle of Saturn teaches us to accept the limitations and work with them. Thus, Saturn slowly leads us to liberation from limitations. The mind is free by nature.

For the background of the painting I used a photo of a sunrise because Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, symbolises the time of sunrise and the rise from matter. A NASA photo of Saturn is integrated into the colours of the sunrise. Inserted into the rings is the figure of a meditator, designed with an Indian statue of a meditator. Lower body and torso are confined by the rings of Saturn. The right arm, symbolising right action, extends beyond one ring.

The opening of the head centre leads beyond the sphere of Saturn into the vastness of space. It is composed with images of the flowers saxifrage and begonia with a luminous 'jewel in the lotus'.

Sagittarius - Alignment from Individual to Universal Consciousness

15 September 2023, pencils and photo work

In Spiritual Astrology, Sagittarius is considered the most exalted Sun sign, very favourable for spiritual practices. In the body, Sagittarius is located in the higher Muladhara centre (root chakra) at the lower end of the spine. This centre is the entrance to the path of light called the Sushumna. We can imagine that we enter the light in the Muladhara and quickly move up to the Sahasrara, the head centre. Then we can contemplate on the radiant light in the spine and the head.

Especially during the first 7 days after the entry of the Sun into Sagittarius, the Sushumna column opens wide and the light is flowing upwards like an arrow to the Sahasrara. This is called "the path to Narayana", the universal consciousness. Lord Krishna epitomises this universal consciousness. He says in the Bhagavad Gita, "Among the twelve months of the zodiac, I am Sagittarius."

The image visualises the ascent of light from individual consciousness in the body (planetary consciousness) to the soul (solar consciousness) and spirit (cosmic consciousness). These layers are represented by the red-brownish earthly sphere below, from which rises the silhouette of the body with the centres of light. Above this the sphere of the sun, the soul, arches in fiery colours. The blue sphere indicates the magic of the cosmic dimension; it is represented by Krishna playing the flute, surrounded by the signs of the zodiac, with Sagittarius at the top, and the depth of the black starry sky.

The design of the image visualises the realisation that in reality we internally, are the planetary, solar and cosmic consciousness. The image arrangement illustrates the invisible path of ascension through the planes.

Scorpio - Fusion of Individual, Groupal and Planetary Kundalini

10 August 2023, pencils and photo work

A few weeks before his transition November 2022, Master KPK (Dr K. Parvathi Kumar) gave a prayer called "Master CVV Sharing". It refers to Master CVV's mission to connect the spiritual groups and share the creation and building of an energy grid around the Earth, thus helping to uplift humanity and the Earth into the realms of Light.

The prayer is intended to remind us to consciously connect the individual Kundalini with the group Kundalini and with the Kundalini of all spiritual groups that are oriented towards the Hierarchy. From there the spiritual Kundalini may merge with the Kundalini of Humanity and the Earth Kundalini, and further with the Kundalini of the Hierarchy, and up to Shambala. All global groups may remain connected and the energies be shared with all groups to uplift the Earth to the Kings of Beauty.

The image visualises the linking and merging of the individual Kundalini with the Kundalini of the global groups. For this I used elements from various earlier paintings. The image is centred on the central axis as the planetary Kundalini and indicates the spiritual upward movement leading beyond our planet.

At the bottom, you see individual persons forming a group, the rainbow snippets symbolizing the different Kundalinis. Out of the group rises a greater form with a longer Kundalini symbolizing the humanity. It is looking up to the huge lighted form symbolizing the Hierarchy and Shambala with a white spot at the top surrounded by an aura of light. The white central axis over the planet might be seen as the Kundalini of the Earth aligned with the higher centres.

Libra - Rainbow Bridge between Shambala and Shasta

10 July 2023, pencils and photo work

Shambala is the soul centre of the Earth and is said to be as old as the planet. There are many legends and references to Shambala and its king in different Eastern scriptures. The scriptures affirm that Shambala is in the second ethers hidden in the Gobi Desert within the geographical territory of the present day's Mongolian nation. It is hidden and inaccessible to humans. Only advanced initiates gain access to Shambala as per the call from Shambala.

The Lord of Shambala is called by many names, among others The Lord of the World, The Ancient of Days, Sanat Kumara or Shasta. Kumara means Son of God. Shasta means a synthesis of the three energies of will, knowledge and action. The Mount Shasta on the West Coast of the USA is named after Sanat Kumara. Sanat Kumara is the ruler of the beings on the planet and also the teacher and the awakener.

The lord works from Shambala in the East and from Shasta in the West, to synthesize East and West at all levels. Sanat Kumara abundantly manifests the Aquarian energies through Mount Shasta which in turn awakens the entire state of California for pioneering global evolution in the field of electronics, communications and information technology.

The effort of Shambala and Shasta is expected to manifest the golden age by the year 2424. We might imagine the rainbow bridge between Shambala and Shasta, to realize the energies of Aquarius and thereby transform the self. The painting visualises this with the help of an image of the earth produced by the geospacial Nasa WorldWind app showing a North Polar perspective of the northern hemisphere. A rainbow and a straight line connecting Shambala and Shasta give the vision of the bridge.

Virgo - The World Mother and the Seven Seers

7 June 2023, pencils and photo work

Virgo helps us to develop virgin energies within us. Virginity is a state of purity in thought, word and deed, through which we can attain connection with profound wisdom. On every plane we are guided by teachers as we undertake to transform ourselves to become more refined beings.

Because of the subtlety or density of matter, there are seven planes of existence. Thus, Seven Seers or Rishis have appeared in creation. They are related to the Seven Rays and exist within us as the seven centres. The Seven Seers work on all seven planes for the Mother of the World.

We are highly recommended to acknowledge the presence of the Seven Seers in our being on a daily basis. We can visualize the Seven Seers from the head centre to the base centre and also feel their existence on the planet. This will gradually establish a connection with these most exalted beings of the planet.

For the dome of stars of the background, I used the stage design for The Magic Flute, Hall of Stars in the Palace of the Queen of the Night, by Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1847-49). I designed the World Mother with photos of a statue of Mary and a depiction of Mary.

The illustration of the Seven Seers builds on a photo by Dslcards / Wikimedia of the Apostles frieze in the Baltaha Monastery, Portugal, and a column statue of an apostle from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A Himalayan scene shimmers in the background and the constellation of the Great Bear, the cosmic equivalent of the Seven Rishis, can be seen in the upper right.

Leo – The Mystery of the Dog-Star

3 May 2023, pencils and photo work

The constellation of the Dog Star is called Sarameya Mandala in Sanskrit. The main star of the Dog Star constellation is Sirius. Sirius is the most brilliant star in the night sky. In Vedic symbolism, Sirius is personified as Lord Dattatreya. Dattatreya is the Master principle in creation; he is the Cosmic Teacher. Dattatreya is always depicted surrounded by four dogs. The dog represents vigilance, a great ability to listen and loyalty. The dogs are the guru, the teacher. Those who are attentive enough can hear the Master's voice speaking from within.

If we engage with Lord Dattatreya, we will find that what is said is very mysterious and mystical. It is beyond our understanding. But when we connect with this sublime figure, known by the seers of ancient times, magical, mysterious transformations take place within us.

The Vedic seers perceived that the highest energies of love and compassion come into our system from Sirius and can only be received by the heart centre. These energies from Sirius come to us through the south. The Dog Star moves around the South Pole. It is the southern star. Sirius is located in Scorpio; it enters our system through the Central Sun of Leo, Regulus.

I designed Lord Dattatreya with a photograph of a statue standing on the South Pole of the Earth. Four dogs surround him. The representation of the globe was generated with the help of an image from WorldWind.earth, which uses NASA images. For the design of the Dog Star, I used an etching by Hugo de Groot, a Dutch humanist (1583-1645). At the top right you can see the Leo glyph, on the left the constellation of Leo. The earth is surrounded by 12 stars, indicating the 12 Adityas, the cosmic correspondences of the signs of the zodiac. At the centre of the image and of the globe, the Dog Star also radiates at the heart of Lord Dattatreya.

The Mother Principle, Dattatreya and the Descent in 10 Steps into Creation

Painting from 20 November 2011, reworked on 30 April 2023, pencils, crayons and photo work

According to the Wisdom teachings, the Cosmic Person is the supreme God principle self-existing without mother and father. From there the Mother principle comes down and conceives the creation in her womb as her child. She comes down in 10 steps through 4 planes up to the gross material plane. The Mother is represented as a young lady, the planes are represented as spheres, and the10 points of the Pythagorean decade symbolise the complete creation.

In the picture, the centre of the decade lies at the womb of the lady, the top of the triangle at her heart centre. She is standing in a lotus, the principle of unfoldment. In her inner she carries a form of Dattatreya, the Cosmic Lord of Yoga. He is an embodiment of the Trinity, the synthesis of the First, Second and Third Logos. The decad is the ancient most symbol of Dattatreya. Since ancient most times he is evoked by the seers through this symbol.

There is a visualisation exercise where you imagine the Divine – be it Christ, Dattatreya or whosoever –standing over the solar plexus and the meditator becoming one with him. The delicate figure of the Mother is standing in the area of tension between the seminal emergence and the tremendous power of the manifesting energies. She carries in her heart this tension between the delicacy and the power of the presence of Dattatreya.

Cancer - The Descent of the Soul into Matter

2 April 2023, pencils and photo work

Cancer is said to be the gateway for the birth of souls, of humanity; this means, the descent of the soul into the form and matter where the matter completely holds a grip over the soul or spirit. The spirit finds its release from matter in the opposite sign of Cancer, that of Capricorn. These annual cycles of birth, or spiritual death, and death, or spiritual birth, through Cancer and Capricorn are imitations of the drama of evolution. The growth of the foetus in the womb buries us, the Soul, in the grave of the physical plane.

The space around the embryo is like a globe to us with ourselves as our geometrical centre surrounded and impregnated by the twelve signs of the zodiac. After the birth of the personality, we follow the path of our life with ourselves being the centre of our experience. Through our spiritual evolution, we conduct the symbolic journeys of the soul growing in awareness through experience. Thus, we slowly overcome the influences of death and rebirth.

In the centre of the painting we see a foetus designed on the basis of a drawing of William Hunter (1718-1783). It is surrounded by the zodiacal signs from an Italian church, photo of a friend. The upper dome is created with a transformed view of the Himalayas from WorldWind.earth using NASA images, and with a transformed extract from a NASA photo of a galaxy. The lower part shows the reflection of car headlights on a street seen through fog. It illustrates the arrival of the soul on earth and the beginning of its path.

Gemini - The Two Pillars of the Temple

27 February 2023, pencils and photo work

Gemini represents the threshold between the inner and outer worlds. We understand the world of objects as three-dimensional, and movement is considered as the fourth dimension. We experience a picture or a photo as two-dimensional, even if we travel with the sight into the worlds of the image. Depending on the rendering, we may see perspectives that appear spatial, or we may even see sensory illusions. In either case, we experience the world perceived through our senses as something external.

However, we often find that we are immersed in something, especially in moving images such as movies, games, or virtual reality. We do not feel that we have left the external, physical world and are in the internal world of imagination. Reflection or contemplation allows us to see the structures of the subtle and leads us to deeper realms. Intense, prolonged contemplation finally brings us to the experience of the dimension that lies beyond the constructs of our mind.

From a photo of the facade of the Bavarian State Chancellery, Munich, I have extracted a detail and used it to create the archway of two pillars, connected by a crossbeam. The pillars carry the Sun and the Moon, symbols of the world of light and the reflection of light. The mountain between the pillars directs the view up to the vault of heaven in the background. The zodiac, with its figures that appear to us alternately, is like another doorway to the world of cosmic symbolism. The stars of the cosmos are reflected on the white snow of Mount Shasta, just as the cosmic world is reflected within each of us.

At the bottom of the image, our view passes through the columns and the outer courtyard of the temple. Then we look through a square portal into the interior covered with a triangular roof. Square and triangle are symbols of the manifested and non-manifested worlds. The symbol of Mercury above the entrance represents our discrimination. The inside of the temple shows a checkerboard pattern. To our mind, the squares are each black or white. But the distinctions of the mind dissolve as we approach infinity, the background beyond all understanding.

Taurus: The Three Phases of the Word

3 February 2023, pencils and photo work

Through the Sun in Taurus, energy streams down to the Earth, causing germination and growth of life. The Sun is therefore called the fertilising bull, representing the spirit or divine aspect of will. The Moon in Taurus is called the Cow and represents that which is impregnated, the matter. Through this impregnation, the earth provides us with nourishment.

The union of spirit and matter is the expression of the divine Word. Before the Word was uttered forth, it was with God. Before we speak, the Word is in us. The Sun in Taurus represents the Word in its inner meaning or concept. The Moon in Taurus represents the expressed language, impregnated. Language is feminine by nature and the content of language is masculine. Their union is wisdom as creation. This is symbolised by Mercury as the calf; he activates the expression of the subtle in the gross. The bull, the cow and the calf thus epitomize these three phases of the expression of the Word.

For the representation of these subtle realities, I edited three photos of journeys to India of a bull, a cow and a calf. In the background I subtly hinted at the spheres of Sun, Moon and expression in creation.

Aries - The Inner Path to Shambhala

19 December 2022, pencils and photo work

Shambala is the highest centre of enlightenment on earth. It is the seat of Sanat Kumara, the Lord of the Planet, and he presides over the evolution of planetary beings. Shambala is also called the thousand-petalled lotus of the earth and it has its counterpart in us as our thousand-petalled lotus, the Sahasrara or crown centre.

The inner path to Shambala is to visualise Shambala and connect with the lotus in the Sahasrara in our daily prayers. In doing so, we align ourselves with the super-self within us and link to the sound OM. Remembering Shambala daily strengthens our will to do good; our knowledge unfolds and our actions become more effective. Our will begins to change in a positive way. We become a citizen of the world in the true sense of the word.

For the design of the painting, I placed two flight photos of the Alps and the Himalayas in the background. I designed the silhouette of the meditator based on a picture of Master MN. For the design of the inner path to Shambala, I reworked elements that I had already used in earlier pictures.

Pisces - Saraswathi and the Flow of Energies

3 December 2022, pencils and photo work

Pisces is a sign of synthesis that unites opposites. The two fishes of the symbol Pisces are swimming in opposite directions but forming a complementary unity. The two fishes can be thought of as spirit and matter. Spirit and matter are apparent opposites that together give rise to universal consciousness. This consciousness is the underlying current that balances the opposing forces and allows creation to exist.

The flow of consciousness is called 'the Word'. In the East, it is worshipped as the Mother of the World in the form of Saraswathi, Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom. Saraswathi directs the movement of all things, which we can meditate as a circular flow of energies in the wheel of creation. It is a flow of light and sound through all seven planes of creation. Symbolically, this is represented by the seven-stringed musical instrument Vina, on which Saraswathi eternally plays her music, keeping the process of creation in harmony.

For the design of the picture I used elements of the NASA photo of a star nebula in the background. I integrated the photo of a rainbow over streams of the Iguazu waterfalls, seen from the Brazilian side. The colours of the rainbow symbolize the seven planes of creation. Above, I inserted a Saraswathi depiction by Raja Ravi Varma from 1894. Saraswathi is playing on a Vina, as a peacock with its multiple colours watches nearby.

Aquarius - The Manu and the Spirals of Time

1 November 2022, pencils and photo work

The principle of the cosmic mind is called Manu in the wisdom teachings. He is the archetype of man, "The Man in the Heavens". The Manu decides the nature of our development, our bodies and where we are born. He gives the law of human evolution and its spiral movement through the cycles of time. This law is called the Law of Manu. The stages of evolution are called Manvantaras.

According to the Eastern teachings, there are 14 Manvantaras. These are great cycles of time, over each of which a Manu rules. The ruler of the present Manvantara cycle is the Manu Vaivasvata.

On the planet, the Manu acts as the planetary mind; but he also lives as a person on Earth. The Manu shapes the new models of the bodies that suit the Aquarian Age. The new energies emanate from the stars of the constellation Aquarius. The symbol of Aquarius as a man with a vessel has its origin in the Vaivasvata Manu of the Indian scriptures.

For depicting the Manu I used a photo of a statue from the 7th century of a pensive Bodhisattva Maitreya from the National Museum of Korea. I designed the background on the basis of a NASA photo of a galaxy. I fused it with elements of a photo of a plant with spiral leaf patterns I had taken in a botanical garden in Berne in 2010.

Capricorn - Blessing and Protection

7 October 2022, pencils and photo work

The winter solstice marks the beginning of the apparent northward movement of the sun from the Tropic of Capricorn. This movement in the subjective realms, leads us from dense matter to the subtler planes and to worlds of spiritual light. The time of Capricorn, beginning with winter solstice, marks the dawn of the year and it is particularly suitable for spiritual work. The earth is also slowly raised up by the influx of sublime energies.

A Sanskrit name for Capricorn is Makara, represented as a hand with five fingers. It symbolises the number of Capricorn, five, and also the five senses that have to be mastered. The raised hand is a symbol of blessing and protection, and this is called Abhaya Mudra in Sanskrit. Through this hand posture, wisdom is transmitted from teacher to student in silence. We can contemplate on this, receive the wisdom and thus ascend.

In the centre of the picture you see a white hand raised above the globe. Behind it there is the shining sun. Energy comes in through the palm of the hand and flows down to the earth as a blessing and protection. The upper part of the earth is permeated with light, the lower part is still dense.

The painting was created with the help of image extracts from the virtual globe "NASA World Wind", from the hand of a Buddha statue and from a waterfall.

Sagittarius – Preparing the Dawn

2 September 2022, pencils and photo work

In Spiritual Astrology, Sagittarius is considered the messenger of the dawn, and it rules the two hours before sunrise. This time corresponds to the dawn of the day, the first phase after the new moon, the month before the solstice of Capricorn and the preparation of the World Mother for the awakening of a new creation from out of the background of space.

At dawn, a surge of energy rushes through the atmosphere, reviving the bodies of living beings, and the Lords of the Seven Rays prepare the souls on the subconscious levels for the awakening of the Light. Thus, this time before dawn contains highest spiritual potency and is therefore most suitable for spiritual activities.

In the background of the picture there is the photo of a beginning dawn during a flight over India. Overlaying this, there is the photo of large stone statues taken in the car park of the Vietnamese Buddhist monastery Tu Vien Kim Son in Watsonville, California. In the foreground you see Quan Yin as a symbol of the Mother of the World. She holds a staff and an egg-shaped sphere in her hands. She is seated on a lion, suggesting the sign of Leo, ruled by the sun. The Buddha resting in the background evokes representations of Vishnu, resting on the serpent of time in the ocean of space.

The star at the top alludes to the cosmic source of light. Below are the seven stars of the Great Bear, symbol of the seven cosmic rays. The seven different coloured spheres of light in the lower part of the picture indicate the terrestrial reflection of the rays that bring a fresh impulse to life. And the Moon, like the Mother, is a reflector of light.

Scorpio – The Central Vertical Vibration

6 August 2022, pencils and photo work

The wisdom teachings speak of a single pillar around which all is moving. This pillar exists externally as the axis of rotation of the visible space globe around the celestial pole. It exists as the axis of North Pole and South Pole, around which the earth rotates. It has its correspondence in us as our central vertical column, around which all our activity happens.

Inside the central column, we can experience the unchangeable part of our existence around which the mutable life plays. The central vertical vibration enables us to experience the pure consciousness and the different states of existence. Within the column, there is the Light of awareness, which awakens us in the morning. And it is the same Light, which enables the Sun to shine. Reaching that Light is the aim of yoga.

I used extracts of two NASA photos of the Sun for creating the seven globes connected by a central channel of light. They show the central axis and the vibration of the energy. They also indicate the seven centres within the human body and the seven planes of existence. Contemplating on the column of light may reveal further subtle dimensions.

On seeing the image, a friend asked how its topic is linked with Scorpio. When working to bring down the image, I tried different ways to illustrate the descent of spirit into matter but without success. I then realised that the path of descent and ascent is the same, and I fused them in the central vertical column. At the bottom you see a dark semicircle around the two suns at the base indicating the sphere of dense matter.

At the very bottom, there is a little deviation of the central column. It corresponds to the coccyx or to Mula, the constellation between Scorpio and Sagittarius, the bottom point of descent and ascent. Without the question of my friend, this would not have been revealed.

Libra - At the Deep

5 July 2022, pencils and photo work

Libra represents the process of subjectivity coming out into objectivity. Libra is the consciousness that separates the inner from the outer, creating the illusion of the material. When we are disconnected from the light, we feel lost; this is the symbolic fall of the soul into matter.

Libra is the fulcrum principle causing the rotation of the wheel of creation. It is the force radiating from centre to circumference, bringing diversity from out of unity. It is also the blending force bringing diversity back to the unity at the centre.

I created the image by merging seven photos taken from a hotel in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, around sunset time and at night. The sphere around the setting sun indicates the centre and circumference of the wheel. The sphere together with the line of the horizon, accentuated by the Rio-Niterói bridge, and the lower horizontal line, formed by high-rises, also hint at the symbol of Libra. I had placed the symbol of Libra at the centre; it is now fused with the colours.

In the lower part of the painting, I designed an urban gorge in a vertical direction by mirroring the flow of traffic lights and high-rises. The traffic is seemingly crossing a river created by reflections of streetlights and high-rises in the water of the bay. The light of the traffic flowing through the gorge reminds one of a cataclysmic chasm in the earth.

You might also see the human frame, which I first had in mind when starting to work on the painting, with the Sun as Libra lifted up to Aries in the head, the outstretched arms, the spine of traffic lights and the navel centre, Libra, at the lower crossroad.

Virgo - Meditation on the World Mother

8 June 2022, pencils and photo work

The work of Virgo is that of protection, nurturing and inner maturing so that the soul can shine forth. Virgo represents the World Mother, the universal divine consciousness that expresses itself through the seven colours, seven sounds and seven planes of creation. This Mother of the World is the subtle light behind the material forms. By meditating on the Mother, her light and splendour can radiate through us, and we begin to merge with Her.

The image shows a representation of Goddess Lakshmi pouring out abundance with her right hand and blessing with her left. Instead of lotuses, the Eastern symbol of unfoldment, Lakshmi now holds roses in her other two hands. Her seat was also designed with a rose instead of a lotus.

I placed the divine Mother in a cornfield. The grain is an expression of the principle of abundance and multiplication: Through growth and ripening, numerous grains emerge from one grain and give us nourishment. I created the light of the background with several photos of sunrises. It shines through the figure of the Mother and merges with her.

Leo – The Jewel in the Lotus

8 Mai 2022, pencils and photo work

When pondering on which new image might develop, I contemplated on the inner vertical alignment from the heart to the head centre and its planetary correspondence: As there is an individual head centre, the Sahasrara, there is also a Sahasrara of the Earth called Shambala.

The innermost point of the head centre is called the Jewelin the Lotus. And there is a corresponding jewel at the innermost point of the planetary head centre called Chintamani. Both gems are referred to with the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM.

The image of two wheels forming the number 8 showed up in contemplation. I formed each wheel with the help of the symbol used on the cover of the book “The Teachings of Sanat Kumara” by Dr K. Parvathi Kumar. The graphic contains eight sections. I placed a miniature form of the symbol into the centre of each wheel as the jewel in the lotus. For visualising Sanat Kumara, the lord of Shambala, I reworked the photo of an old Bodhisattva bust, probably of Lord Maitreya, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I arranged the centre of the upper wheel as the Sahasrara of Sanat Kumara; the lower wheel leads downward from his Ajna centre, a star forming the contact point. In the centre of the lower wheel there is an image of the earth showing the Eastern hemisphere. I finally worked on the colours of the structure to give expression to the circulation of the energies.

Cancer - The Cardinal Cross

6 April 2022, pencils and photo work

Each day, we experience the apparent movement of the Sun rising in the East, coming to the midheaven at noon and then setting in the West. At midnight, the Sun reaches the bottom point. These four points constitute the cardinal cross of the day. On the horizontal plane, they form the four directions of East, South, West, and North. They only exist in relation to a being standing on Earth.

The year has the same four cardinal points namely the two solstices and the two equinoxes. They form the cardinal cross with the cardinal signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. The full moon and the new moon, together with the two crescent moons, are the four cardinal points of the month. The four cardinal points signify the secrets of birth, life, and death and the smaller and larger cycles of time.

To depict this profound wisdom, I constructed the four cardinal points of the day by arranging pictures of the Sun taken in India and in Switzerland: sunrise, noon and sunset, and a daylight photo digitally transformed into a “midnight sun”. The background is designed with the help of a pre-sunrise picture taken on a flight over India.

The subtle shades of the sky needed special attention to modulate the colours. Rendering them for print on aquarelle paper, then drawing on paper, and scanning the image always changes the colours a lot, until the final version is ready for digital publishing and photo print. In each form of appearance the colours change, this being part of the creative process.

Gemini - The Guiding Star

9 March 2022, pencils and photo work

The Masters of the Spiritual Hierarchy are working at spreading the wisdom required to help in the evolution of the beings on the planet. Just as Lord Maitreya and the other great Masters exist, there is also a physical embodiment of the feminine energy in the Himalayas. This grand Master in a female form is called Shaila Putri, the Daughter of the Mountain. She appears as a young woman of eighteen years dressed in garments of tiger skin and holding a trident. She is the Mother of the World for our Planet and the power that assists the Hierarchy, especially in times of crises. She is the guiding star also called “the Exquisite Jewel, the Star of the Sea”. You find her described in the books "The World Teacher" and "Man Sacrifice" written by Master EK.

To illustrate this reality, I worked on images of Shaila Putri and the leading Masters of Hierarchy. To indicate the relation to the Himalayas, I arranged the pictures on a background created with the help of the photo of a crystal.

Taurus – The Paths of Ascent and Descent

7 February 2022, pencils and photo work

In the process of creation, the One Existence manifests as two. Spirit precipitates down as matter and matter ascends up as spirit. The first aspect is called the path of descent or involution; the second aspect is the path of ascent or evolution. On the path of descent, God comes down as this creation. The spiritual energies descend into matter, and the universal consciousness becomes the individual consciousness. On the path of ascent, we rise again by our spiritual practices and finally merge into God, just as the lesser light merges into the greater light.

The whole cycle of descent and ascent is called the ‘path of the waters’. For this flow of energy, the seers have conceived the sound formula as Narayana. ‘Na’ is the sound of ascent and ‘Ra’ is the sound of descent. The path of waters is ‘Ayana’ and it is immortal. To gain the freedom of the flow of energy, the seers keep singing OM Namo Narayanaya and they keep dancing in joy.

The picture visualises the path of ascent from the mundane to the super-mundane spheres by depicting a person on a path in three different degrees of density. The path leads further up into the blue sky towards the sun, the source of light. On the other side of the cycle, the movement goes via the Moon, the principle of reflection, down into the dense matter. The illustration of the cycle was designed with the help of extracts from a NASA photo of a galaxy.

Aries - The Three Great Fires and the Serpent of Eternity

8 January 2022, pencils and photo work

In the scriptures, creation is described as an expression of the first, second and third logos, or three fires coming from one source. We can consider these three fires as will, love and wisdom and intelligent activity. They are the cosmic or electric fire, the solar fire and the fire by friction, the invisible fire in matter.

These three fires are associated with the three fire signs of the zodiac, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Aries represents the electric fire; Leo represents the transforming fire, and Sagittarius is the fire by friction. Even though we describe them as three qualities, the three fires are only one fire called "Agni".

From this source, the stardust comes forth as a ray of fire known as the great serpent Ananta, the cosmic Kundalini or the serpent of eternity. The stardust forms into stars or solar systems. This process is symbolically represented in the picture.

From the unity in the centre emerge the three points symbolizing the three logoi or the three fires. The fire pervades the space in which the serpent of eternity becomes visible. It is surrounded by the stardust from which suns and galaxies are formed. For the design of the stardust, I transformed a NASA/Hubble photo of a ring galaxy. The serpent of eternity and the fire at the background were generated with elements from different images.

Pisces - The Blessing of Lord Maitreya

6 December 2021, pencils and photo work

The Earth has a Hierarchy of Teachers popularly known as the White Brotherhood. The head of the Hierarchy is called the World Teacher. The World Teacher in the present cycle is known as Lord Maitreya. The word “Maitreya” comes from the Sanskrit root “Mitra”, meaning friend. Maitreya is a sage of great brilliance; his teachings are of synthesis, unity of existence, and love and wisdom.

Though little known, the Indian Puranas contain information about him. The Vishnu Purana is a question-answer session between Parasara, the teacher and the student, Maitreya. Maitreya received the wisdom under a ficus (fig) tree at the eastern entrance to a cave which is said to be at Sravasti, in a region north of Mount Kailash. It is today called Shigatse by the Tibetans. It is believed that the ficus tree is still there even today and that he continues to bless the entire planet and humanity during the morning and evening hours.

To visualise this scene, I used a photo of a ficus tree at the Sun temple of Konark, India. I created the figure of Maitreya by fusing an extract from the painting “Transfiguration” by Fra Angelico and a picture of the head of Maitreya. The background was designed with elements of photos of the Himalayas and the Alps and of a sunrise taken during a flight over India.

Aquarius - Cooperation in Goodwill and Light

12 November 2021, pencils and photo work

Group energy is of great help for our spiritual progress. In a group meditation there develops a flow of energy. We are recharged and we can more easily experience a higher consciousness and a greater presence of spirit.

The energies always flow from the higher to the lower. The sun rays are streaming from the Sun to the Earth. The higher energies work through us when we feel the needs of others and respond to them. These energies strengthen the group consciousness, and they help manifest acts of goodwill in the world. Group work brings the inner light to the outside and intensifies the connection to the higher circles.

To illustrate this cooperation, I arranged in the lower part of the picture a group gathered around a table by joining pictures of two different groups. For visualising the influx of higher energies, I used a photo of a dahlia, elements of a picture of the earth, created with the software WorldWind.earth, as well as a picture of a star in the upper part of the picture. I designed the downpour of light with photos of a glass crystal held in front of a lamp. The light of the star shines through the earth globe and is reflected in the hearts of the group members.

Capricorn - Peak of Search and Dragon of Wisdom

8 October 2021, pencils and photo work

Capricorn, tenth sign of the zodiac, is called "the mountain". It is the mountain of initiation, a symbol of the spiritual quest of the personality to unite with the light of the soul. After climbing to the peak and absorbing the “light supernal”, the initiate returns to assist those who are captive in matter. Capricorn represents the dawn of the year. The golden rays of the morning sun, the winter solstice sun, pour forth a spiritual light and activity that help the souls free themselves from matter and rise up again.

The energy of Capricorn supports the development of the golden etheric body and also the diamond causal body. In mythology they are represented as golden and diamond dragons. Since ancient times, high beings have lived on earth called Nagas in spiritual wisdom. They are sacred serpents or dragons holding the light of wisdom. Like serpents, they live in hidden caves in the mountain regions. The Nagas can be regarded as embodiments of the Kundalini energy. They are the ascending serpents and are radiant and divine by nature. The descending serpents are represented as black and are poisonous by nature. The Nagas do a lot of good for humanity. Some of them are also said to be able to fly.

For the illustration of the Dragon of Wisdom, I photographed a dragon statue in a Tai Chi centre in Hamburg. The mountain in the background was designed with a photograph of Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Andes, which a pilot friend, flying over, had photographed. The essence of wisdom streaming down from the sun enters and illuminates the dragon. In his hand he holds a golden glowing orb, symbol of the gift of wisdom for humanity.

Sagittarius - The Three Suns

2 September 2021, pencils and photo work

From a spiritual point of view, the sun of our solar system is a threefold principle. The visible sun is only the focal point for the action of a greater sun called the central sun or the soul of the sun. And the cosmic sun is the spirit aspect of the solar principle. This cosmic or spiritual sun is invisible and incomprehensible to us. The central sun, around which our sun moves, corresponds to the human soul. The physical body of the sun corresponds to our physical body. Everything is threefold in its manifestation.

The physical sun has its correspondence in our heart centre. The soul of the sun has its seat in the Ajna centre on the middle of the forehead, and the cosmic sun is located in the head centre, the Sahasrara. In the Gayatri mantram, the three planes of the sun are called Surya, Savitru and Bhargo Deva. The cosmic plane of the sun is Bhargo Deva. Savitru, the central sun, receives the light of the soul from the cosmic sun and gives it to Surya. Through Surya, the visible sun, the earth receives its light and we receive the light in our hearts. Thus, we have the cosmic, solar and planetary systems embedded in us.

For the human silhouette in the centre of the image, I edited a photo of the writer. I designed the background with a photo of a sunrise and elements of a NASA photo of a star nebula. The sun in the heart was created with photos of the sun. The electric blue light of the sun in the Ajna centre leads beyond the shape of the body. The radiant centre at the top of the image suggests the formless, invisible cosmic sun.

The luminous central line merges into the light as individual consciousness gradually unites with universal consciousness. The semicircles in the lower part of the picture symbolize the different density levels from space to earth.

Scorpio - Guarding the Threshold to the Underworld

6 August 2021, pencils and photo work

On his symbolic journey through the zodiac, the Sun in Scorpio reaches the darkness of the underworlds. Scorpio stands for loss of consciousness and death experiences. These experiences often seem frightening because they reflect encounters with the dark aspects of our personality not yet purified. Scorpio enables us to enter into the silence for inner transformation and ascension to the light.

Scorpio represents the threshold to the infernal worlds. At this threshold a Master watches over the planet and its beings, ensuring that no one falls into the nether worlds. The Master is symbolised by the three-headed watchdog called Sarama in the East and Cerberus (Kerberos) in Greek mythology. Sarama stands for the dog star Sirius, the watchdog of our system. Master Jupiter is this watchdog.

To illustrate this symbolism, I transformed a Wikimedia photo by Matthiasberlin showing a group of statues from the archaeological museum of Heraklion, Greece. It depicts the three-headed Cerberus at the threshold of the underworld, surrounded by Hades/Pluto, the regent of the underworld, and his wife Persephone. She represents the part of the immortal soul that goes through the experiences of birth and death.

Libra - The Wheel of Creation

25 June 2021, pencils and photo work

In the wisdom teachings, creation is described as a wheel without beginning and end, which appears cyclically. Each new cycle has its own freshness, but the basic structures remain largely the same. When the impulse for a creation comes, the wheel begins its movement and radiates time and space. The point at the beginning of creation radiates and expands becoming a globe. With the movement of time, rays of light come forth. Objectivity emerges from subjectivity. The forms gradually take on denser matter; the cosmos and its stars are born and form the visible creation.

The underlying essence of everything is called Narayana in the East, the indwelling God Vasudeva and the all-pervading God Vishnu. Libra symbolises the principle of the fulcrum that causes the wheel to turn.

For the visualisation of the Wheel of Creation, I used a photograph of the Sombrero Galaxy taken with the Hubble Space Telescope (NASA/ESA). I worked on the image of a statue of Vishnu as Vishvarupa, the embodiment of the cosmic person. It stands on the serpent Ananta, the endlessness. Its many heads symbolise the variety of phenomena. The planes of creation emerging from the centre of existence are indicated by the rainbow circle.

Virgo - Ydun giving the Apples of Immortality

26 May 2021, pencils and photo work

Creation comes forth from light, which, in the Vedas, is called Aditi or the Mother of the World. We are part of this original light and are, by our very nature, immortal beings of light. However, having forgotten our true identity and having assumed a false identity, we have become mortal. Whenever violation of the natural law threatens to lead humanity to self-destruction, immortal divine beings descend to earth to once again give the law and help humanity recognise its original identity. The immortals pave a way through which mortals can once again find access to the subtle realms. When the etheric body is built from out of golden light, we can experience immortality once again.

In Norse mythology, Ydun is the goddess of immortality. She guards the golden apples that confer eternal youth and thus immortality.

The figure of Ydun in the centre of the painting was created using a photo of a statue of Ydun by the Danish sculptor Herman Wilhelm Bissen (1798 - 1868). Ydun descends from the golden light to grant access to immortality with her apples. The sphere of the upper part of the picture shows the subtle world, the lower part of the picture indicates the dense physical world - both created with images from the virtual globe "NASA World Wind". The light structures at the bottom were designed with autumn-coloured leaves foliage of the ivy called Virginia creeper.

Leo - The Man-Lion. Opening the Heart Centre

23 April 2021, pencils and photo work

Leo is related to our heart centre. The heart is the home of the soul. By turning inward, we enter the cave of the heart, lion's den. The heart centre when opened transforms us into the man-lion.

In the Eastern Puranas, the opening of the heart centre is symbolically veiled in the story of Narasimha, the Lord with the head of a lion and the form of a man. The story tells of a father and his son. The son knows that the Lord is within as well as without, even within a pillar. The father doubts this, and he breaks open the pillar. Out of the pillar Narasimha manifests to help his disciple Prahlada and to kill the tyrannical father. Killing the father by ripping open the chest represents the transformation of man through the opening of the heart centre and overcoming the limitation of the lower self.

The image was designed with a photo of a lion's head and a photo of a statue in the temple of Simhachalam, India. It depicts Narasimha opening the chest of Hiranyakashipu. The stone structures on the right and left indicate the opened column. It is a symbol of the column of consciousness, our vertebral column, from which the centres emerge like flowers.

Cancer - The Golden Bowl and the Silver Bowl

26 March 2021, pencils and photo work

Cancer is ruled by the Moon, which reflects the light of the Sun. Cancer is a water sign; it symbolises the impermanence of our mind, which, like moonlight reflected in water, is constantly moving. The original light of the soul, on the other hand, is stable and constant like sunlight. Through the mind, the three higher principles within us are reflected in our three lower aspects, the personality. In the wisdom teachings, the Sun is considered the Father, while the Moon represents the Mother. Through her, the souls originating from the energies of the Father are drawn in, nourished and born through the lunar principle. The sunlight is golden, the moonlight is silver.

The half of the year from Capricorn to Cancer is symbolically represented as a golden bowl; in Eastern wisdom it is called the divine arch or the arch of light. With the solstice at the beginning of Cancer, the descent of the souls into the bodies takes place as an annual drama. The half of the year from Cancer to Capricorn is therefore called the silver bowl or the royal arch.

In the centre of the picture, you see the figure of the divine Mother, created with the help of a statue of Quan Yin. She is surrounded by the Moon and a field of stars shining in the darkness. In the lily pond below lies a silver bowl. Inside it shines a white and silver triangle with three water lilies blooming at its corners. Above the Mother's head is a golden bowl in which a golden triangle shines. At its corners there are three golden shining stars.

The bowls were designed with the help of a photo of a late antique Roman silver bowl, taken in 2007 during a visit to the museum of Augusta Raurica near Basel.

Gemini - Working out the Reversed Wheel

23 February 2021, pencils and photo work

When seeing the 1838 “Map or Physical Tableau and Astronomy Chart” of the French cartographer Charles V. Monin in my collection of zodiac illustrations, I noticed that most of the representations depict the zodiac in an anti-clockwise direction, while in this map the signs were arranged in a clockwise manner. So, I selected Monin’s chart to depict the “reversing of the wheel”, which is worked out by an advanced disciple on the path of spiritual ascent and liberation.

I transformed the design of the chart and arranged it over a photo of a sunrise. In the centre of the zodiacal wheel, I constructed the triangles of the four elements, placing the air sign Gemini at the top. Air is considered the subtlest of the four elements, followed by fire, water and earth. In spirituality, there is a fifth element, space, being the foundation of the other four. In the chart, it is represented by the surrounding space.

At the bottom of the image, I inserted elements of a painting by the 18th-century English artist Joseph Wright of Derby. You see a group of people around an armillary sphere, an astronomical device for displaying the movement of celestial bodies. It is a symbol of the relationship between the microcosm and macrocosm, and of studying the cosmic interrelations.

Taurus – Apollo and the Seven Centres above the Neck

24 January 2021, pencils and photo work

Beauty expresses itself through many and various forms – a work of art, a beautiful flower. Beauty shines through the form. On the subtle planes the limitations of the material form fall away and beauty shines more radiantly. Beauty in the form is governed by Venus, ruler of Taurus. In our body, Taurus rules the lower part of the head and the neck. There are seven etheric centres above the neck related on the solar level with the seven stars of the Pleiades. They are also called the seven mothers who nourish the disciple after his spiritual birth with glandular secretions in this region in the body.

In the centre of the image, you see Apollo, the solar God, holding his seven-stringed lyre, symbol of the seven planes of creation. He is surrounded by flowers expressing divine beauty. From below, a serpent is lifting up its head. Apollo is raising the currents of the Kundalini energy to flow upwards and reach the Ajna centre. There, you see the shining star of the awakened centre.

Above the neck, there are seven stars linked to the seven stars of Pleiades. On the left side, in the vastness of the night-blue sky, you see a golden globe surrounded by a sphere of light and flowers. I created it with the help of a photo of Venus, from Nasa. For the figure of Apollo and for the flower meadow I worked on photos of friends.

Aries – The Midheaven Sun Alignment

28 December 2020, pencils and photo work

In Aries the Sun is exalted. Aries represents the midheaven and the midday where the Sun gives the brightest light. Aries is considered the head of the sun signs and also Aries represents the actual head of man. The highest solar centre in man is the Sahasrara, the head centre. When we stand vertically on the Earth, our head aligns with the midheaven. When the Sun is at the midheaven at noon, we can line up with the Sun. In this way we can align with the light in our head and connect with the greater centre of the Sun. This helps to rise from personality to soul consciousness and connect with divine consciousness.

The picture shows a group of people gathering at spring equinox and aligning and connecting to the higher energies. The circles around the Sun indicate the three planes of the Sun, the physical plane, the soul plane and the spiritual plane.

The colour of Aries is red. The shades of red along the central axis outline the figure of the solar angel through whom the energy pours down. The arced horizon line was designed with a photo of the Bernese Alps as an expression of the inner striving upward. At the top right you can see the Aries constellation and Mars, the ruler of the sign, and its glyph is at the top left.

Pisces – The Rod of Initiation

30 November 2020, pencils and photo work

For some weeks, I was pondering on the image for Pisces but the direction remained hidden. Going through my photo collections, I was attracted by pictures from an early morning walk along the beach in Visakhapatnam, India. The waves and the wet sand were mirroring golden rays. The meeting of sky, earth and water spoke of the cycles of time and of the endings and beginnings characteristic of Pisces.

While searching I joined a Zoom lecture of Sri Kumar and I was thrilled to hear him explain in detail the meaning of the rod of initiation and how to meditate upon it. The very word initiation means entering into oneself. That rod of initiation is in us; it is normally dormant but it can be awakened. It is a pole of light upon which there is a sphere of light, like a golden club - the rod of power or the weapon Lord Vishnu is holding in his hand. It is a symbolic representation of the inner side of our cerebro-spinal column and our head. I started drawing and contemplating.

I fused the picture of a golden club with a photo of a Bronze sculpture of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion (from the Metropolitan Museum). I arranged them in the centre of the image. Avalokiteshvara holds the rod of initiation. On his eyes and forehead, you see a lighted triangle with a central point, symbol of the basic trinity and the oneness. The meditative calmness of Avalokiteshvara, the eternal observer of everything, is in maximum contrast to the ever-changing movement of the waves of time and life. He remains blessing and protecting the beings through his looks.

Aquarius - The Spiral Hieroglyphs of Ages

28 October 2020, pencils and photo work

The constellation Aquarius is called 'The Man in the Heavens'. The Masters of Wisdom recognised him as the archetype of man and called him Manu. The Heavenly Man has descended into the forms of the many human beings. As Manu, he leads mankind to perfection in accordance with the spiral movement of evolution. Master EK describes this development as spirally moving hieroglyphs.

In Aquarius it is recommended to meditate upon the glittering body of the Heavenly Man and how the stars of the constellation emanate forth the light of spiritual realization. Within us, the light pours down through all centres from the point of Aquarius at the top of the forehead.

The picture shows the light streaming down from the head of the Heavenly Man. A spiral comes forth from his heart. The background of the picture shows the hieroglyphs of a piece of the Tabula Smaragdina (Emerald Tablet). In this text Hermes Trismegistos taught the relationship between man and the Heavenly Man with the words "As above, so below".

The predominant colour of the painting is between deep blue and violet. It is described as the colour of Aquarius. The actual colour appears as colourless to the human eye, since the human eye cannot recognise this colour. At the upper left corner, you see the stars of the constellation Aquarius and on the right side the Aquarius glyph.

Capricorn – The Blood of the Saviour

21 September 2020, pencils and photo work

Since ancient-most times, rituals for the birth of the Saviour have been performed on the winter solstice. The Sun is seen as the Saviour who brings life and consciousness to all living beings. The red rays of the morning sun look like the blood of the Sun and are regarded as 'the Blood of the Saviour'. The seers say that when this light falls on our body, it is a very good opportunity to heal diseases of the blood and to purify our consciousness, especially in the month of Capricorn.

From the winter solstice onwards, the sun begins his apparent journey northwards. This time is very suitable for exercises to align to the subtle planes and to elevate us to the supramundane.

To visualize the transparency of subtle matter, I took pictures of a rock crystal in front of a candle flame. I arranged it as a pyramid-shaped mountain top. The pyramid indicates the four cardinal points of the cardinal cross. For the background I worked with the photo of a sunrise Christmas 2017 on the flight from Delhi to Bangalore. For the figure of the meditator on the mountain top I used the bronze figure of a Kashmiri in meditation, by Malvina Hoffman, Museum Chicago (Wikimedia). The rising sun is also in the heart centre of the meditator.

Sagittarius – Before Dawn. Fiery Aspiration

24 August 2020, pencils and photo work

The time of Sagittarius in the course of the year corresponds to the time before dawn in the course of the day. The two hours before sunrise are very favourable for meditation and bring fourth the best results with ardent worship. We can easily receive the cooperation of the Devas, who pour out subtle energies on the beings of the earth.

For the background of the image I warped a photo of predawn seen from an airplane and worked on the colours. The bottom indicates the sphere of the earth, the dense matter. From out of it rises a rose in pinkish colours into the vastness of the blue firmament; it is a symbol for the blossoming of fiery aspiration.

The flower is surrounded by the signs of the zodiac with Sagittarius at the top. The varying colours of the signs indicate the subtle work of the devas of dawn. They dance around the flower and seem to plunge into the flaming sphere announcing the rising sun.

Scorpio - The Journey of the Disciple

23 July 2020, pencils and photo work

The vital energy resting at the Muladhara, the base centre is called kundalini or serpent power. It is symbolically represented as a serpent wrapped three and a half times around the base centre. The coils of the serpent represent the physical, the astral and the lower half of the mental plane of our existence.

On the path of ascension, the journey of the disciple, the serpent crawling on the ground rises and becomes a winged serpent, an eagle. The path of Kundalini goes from the base (Muladhara) to the head centre (Sahasrara). When the kundalini releases itself from the bond of dense matter, the energy rises through the spine. The inner side of the spine can be visualized as a radiant line of force - an electric blue colour. This is the essential energy of our Self as awareness and light.

The painting shows the ascent of consciousness from imprisonment in matter to liberation into the vastness of spirit. The base centre at the bottom of the picture was designed with the help of the photo of a petunia. The coils of the serpent are indicated by coloured layers, for which I used a Nasa photo of the Cassini probe from the north pole of Saturn. From the base centre rises a pillar of light, out of which a bluish shining eagle emerges in the upper part. On the left side you see the constellation Scorpio and on the right side Scorpio’s glyph.

Libra – The Exaltation of Venus

25 June 2020, pencils and photo work

Libra symbolises the fall of man into the cycle of birth and death. Through the development of sex consciousness, we have lost the awareness of our original state of immortality. This is represented as a fall from the Sahasrara, the head centre, to the Muladhara, the base centre. By directing the consciousness towards the higher centres, the lower centres are slowly neutralised and the polarity of sex is transcended. This is called the reversal of the wheel. The path from Libra to Aries in the reversed direction completes the journey. The opposition between Mars and Venus, between the male and the female, is transformed into a marriage; they unite and find their harmony. It is the marriage of the lamb, Aries, with the bride, Libra.

The image shows the stylised wheel of the zodiac with the central axis of Aries at the top and Libra at the bottom. In the central axis you see the figure of Venus, the symbol of the soul linking the opposite poles. Venus helps us to rise from the mundane identity to the awareness of being the soul. The figure is wearing a veil, the veil of nature. She is surrounded by colours of light blue and rose, colours related to Venus. For this, I used a painting of Venus from an unknown painter of the British School.

Libra represents the experience of dense matter and the death of consciousness. I illustrated this density through rock faces on the left and right side. The figure embedded in the rock at the bottom left symbolises the past, the one on the right stands for the future. Venus in the centre is the experience of the presence.

At the top on the left side you see the constellation of Libra and on the right side you find Venus designed with a NASA photo from the space probe Magellan.

Virgo - Blessing of the Mother

21 May 2020, pencils and photo work

For the divine light to express itself through us, a pure virginal mind is the prerequisite. Virgo is sign and time, when the germ of the soul matures - the probationary period on the spiritual path. After proper preparation through inner purification, the divine light can shine through us. Thus, the divine can descend into us to bless and uplift through the eyes and the voice.

It is said that the Father blesses through the Mother and thus gives birth to the Son of God in man. This is the Immaculate Conception and birth. The seven colours of the rainbow represent the unfolding grace of the Divine. The one white ray manifests through the seven colours of the rainbow.

On the left side of the picture you can see the profile of a statue of the World Mother, created with the help of the photo of a Durga statue in the Blue Mountains of South India. The germs of the maturing souls in the sphere of the earth were created with the help of the photo of a flower at the San Francisco airport. This sphere is limited by the rainbow against the vastness of blue space. Its seven colours stand for the seven planes of existence, whose seventh plane is the radiant light of the universe, which we perceive as darkness. In this darkness we can see the glyph and the stars of the constellation Virgo.

Leo - Group Consciousness. Common Purpose

18 April 2020, pencils and photo work

Leo stands for the birth of the soul into group consciousness. As soon as the soul in us awakens, we begin to live in the higher consciousness or group consciousness. There is no more need for us to limits and separations like, this is 'my group, your group, his group'. It is only one group of all beings of the universe. It is one entity called by many names in many groups. The purpose of Hierarchy is to release the humanity from its concretized bondages and perceived limitations so that they can cooperate with the greater purpose, the Plan for the evolution of our planet.

The picture visualizes the joint orientation of the group towards the higher purpose. For the depiction of the large group below, a photo of a group life at Mount Shasta, USA, was duplicated and mirrored. Above, there are pictures from online group meetings fused together as an expression of the physical and etheric interconnectedness. A staircase leads the view to the globe in the background and there to Shamballa. The detail of the globe is created with the help of a picture from WorldWind.earth using NASA images.

Shamballa is the etheric residence of Sanat Kumara in the Gobi Desert, where the purpose of God for our planet is known. He is the regent of the planet, indicated by the crown at the top of the globe. On the left you see the constellation Leo and on the right the glyph of the sign. The central axis was formed with the help of a photo of a galaxy. It reminds us that our system is part of a larger system and is aligned with it.

Cancer - Descent into Matter

12 March 2020, pencils and photo work

From summer solstice in Cancer on, the southward movement of the Sun begins. For six months the day decreases and the night increases. Matter grows stronger, the light, the spirit, becomes more hidden. Therefore, this is considered the time of darkness. During this time, we should give particular care not to lose ourselves in the outer world, but to keep the connection with the inner light. When we forget this, we deviate easily from our path.

In the picture you can see two red circles. In the upper circle there is a sunset; the sun is moving down into the sphere of the earth. In the lower circle and even below there is a railroad track, which symbolizes the path into matter. Like hypnotically attracting the gaze, it leads away from the central axis. At the beginning of the path, two people look into the tunnel; their gaze could also be directed upwards towards the light. One of them has a mobile in his hand - the symbol of the present time.

In the upper right corner you can see the symbol of Cancer and on the left are the stars of the constellation. Below them a water surface is indicated - Cancer is a water sign. The bluish bow indicates the ring of the horizon.

For the upper part of the picture two photos were used, which were taken during an evening take-off from Iguazu Airport, Brazil. The scene in the lower part of the picture is designed with two photos of an automatic train that runs through a tunnel at Zurich Airport to the terminal.

Gemini - Gateway between Unity and Separation

11 February 2020, pencils and photo work

The symbol of Gemini is like a gate. It marks the threshold between unity and multiplicity and then the separation from unity. In the opposite direction, Gemini leads back to unity.

In this picture, the view leads the observer through an archway over a bridge-like path, designed with a photo of the top end of a moving stairway in the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany. The people move as if without any action on their part.

For the background I used the photo of a newspaper page ("Der Bund", 31 January 2020) with an article about the UK's withdrawal from the EU on the eve of the Brexit. I turned the colours into the negative and fused this photo with the mirrored form of the picture. The headline "Wie der Brexit” (Like the Brexit) and its reflection appear like signs of a bifurcation. In the background on the right there is the mirrored slogan "Get Brexit done"; on the left, only faintly visible, there are two dogs tied together with the flags of Great Britain and the EU, all in turquoise as predominant colour, the colour associated with Gemini and the throat centre.

At the top of the picture you can see a flame surrounded by reddish colours and inside, in a delicate glow, Maitreya, the head of the Spiritual Hierarchy. The Masters of Wisdom intensively work for the unity of humanity and especially for the European unity. People, however, often choose the ideology of the island consciousness of separation.

Taurus - Transmitting the Impulse of Consciousness

13 December 2019, pencils and photo work

As per the Eastern Scriptures, Sanat Kumara is the Lord of our planet and he lives in Shamballa. Shamballa is a place in the etheric plane around the Gobi Desert. Each year in Aries, the Plan or the seed for the year is received by Sanat Kumara and his team from higher circles. It is like a tremendous impulse of consciousness, a stream of energy fertilising the planet. This impulse is stepped down in Shamballa, and at Taurus full moon, it is passed on to the ashram of Hierarchy in the ethers of the Himalayan range. At Gemini full moon it is further distributed to the disciples working on the physical plane. They form the link with humanity and endeavour to manifest the Plan during the remaining nine months of the year.

The picture illustrates the transmission of this grand impulse. At the top you see Sanat Kumara and his team of Dhyan Chohans – Siddhas or perfect beings. The semicircle is open towards the top, like a receptacle for the reception of the sublime energies depicted in electric blue. The other segments of circles indicate the spheres of Spiritual Hierarchy and of humanity.

Below there is the Himalayan range with Mount Everest, composed of several photos. In the central axis, you see a group, created with a photo of statues of a blessing Buddha. There are seven larger flames representing the seven major groups of Masters.

At the bottom, you see a group of disciples, created from a segment of a May Call group photo. The disciples receive the flames in their heart centres. The many dots of light in the background are created with a nightlight picture of our planet (by NASA), indicating the global network of Light.

Detail image of Taurus: Sanat Kumara

13 December 2019, pencils and photo work

As per the Eastern Scriptures, Sanat Kumara is the Lord of our planet and he lives in Shamballa. Shamballa is a place in the etheric plane around the Gobi Desert. Each year in Aries, the Plan or the seed for the year is received by Sanat Kumara and his team from higher circles. It is like a tremendous impulse of consciousness, a stream of energy fertilising the planet. This impulse is stepped down in Shamballa, and at Taurus full moon, it is passed on to the ashram of Hierarchy in the ethers of the Himalayan range. At Gemini full moon it is further distributed to the disciples working on the physical plane. They form the link with humanity and endeavour to manifest the Plan during the remaining nine months of the year.

Detail image of Taurus: Shamballa

13 December 2019, pencils and photo work

As per the Eastern Scriptures, Sanat Kumara is the Lord of our planet and he lives in Shamballa. Shamballa is a place in the etheric plane around the Gobi Desert. Each year in Aries, the Plan or the seed for the year is received by Sanat Kumara and his team from higher circles. It is like a tremendous impulse of consciousness, a stream of energy fertilising the planet. This impulse is stepped down in Shamballa, and at Taurus full moon, it is passed on to the ashram of Hierarchy in the ethers of the Himalayan range. At Gemini full moon it is further distributed to the disciples working on the physical plane. They form the link with humanity and endeavour to manifest the Plan during the remaining nine months of the year.

Aries - Sun cuts the Equator of Mother Earth

1 December 2019, pencils and photo work

On his seeming journey from south to north, the Sun cuts the equator at spring equinox. It is the beginning of Aries and the Sun is directly overhead at the equator. The equator is an imaginary circle around the earth. South of the equator is the tropic of Capricorn and north of the equator is the tropic of Cancer; at both of these points the Sun seemingly changes direction. In Spiritual Astrology, cutting the circle is seen as the beginning of a new cycle.

The image visualises the Sun cutting the equator from an inner perspective. Inwardly, the equator corresponds to the navel centre. The picture shows Mother Earth sitting inside the globe and the Sun at her navel cuts the plane of the equator. Above and below are the two tropics. At her heart there is the shape of India and the Himalayas as her breast jewel. The North Pole is at the top of her head.

For the Mother Earth I used a statue of Quan Yin. The globe lies in a huge lotus, signifying the principle of unfoldment. The detail of the globe is created with the help of a picture from WorldWind.earth using NASA images. The reddish colour is from the overlay of a photo of a sunrise over India at a Christmas morning. The red Capricornian sunrays are seen as the blood of the Sun, the saviour.

In the upper left corner, you see Mars, the ruler of Aries, and in the right corner there is the constellation Aries.

Pisces – Spiralic Ascent

31 October 2019, pencils and photo work

Time moves cyclically. Every day is a time cycle, also every week and every year. As long as we remain in our old thought patterns and always do the same thing, we move in circles. As we evolve, we progress from circle to spiral – progressing spirally and ascending the path of evolution. When we learn to be useful to ourselves and to the environment, each turn of the spiral takes us to a higher plane of consciousness, until, freed from the limitations of matter, we finally move into higher circles. In the zodiac, the transition from Pisces to Aries offers the possibility of ascension; symbolically, it is called the resurrection from death.

The lower part of the picture shows the pair of fish swimming in different directions. The background of the painting is formed by the images of a spiral galaxy and a blue spiral, from the centre of which several spirals rise. Above there is the head of Phanes, a god of Greek mythology, whose name means "the appearing, the shining one". He is regarded as the first-born of creation and as a light bearer. The figures of the zodiac surrounding him are based on a Phanes bas-relief (Wikimedia: Sailko).

Above on the right you can see the glyph of the fishes and above it the constellation of the zodiac sign.

Aquarius – The Magic of Creation

10 October 2019, pencils and photo work

Before something appears, it is potentially present. Aquarius stands for the manifestation out of a potential state. Aquarius is the point of transformation where the invisible becomes the visible and the visible becomes the invisible. The symbol of Aquarius shows waves in space; the vibrations pour forth from the pot of Aquarius as the waters of life. The constellation Aquarius is called the Heavenly Man. During the month Aquarius he showers down a stream of spiritual light from his water jar. The Masters of Wisdom called this cosmic man the Manu, the prototype of man. He guides mankind through the cycles of time. In the present Age of Aquarius, spiritual evolution is accelerated to an unimaginable degree. Rishi Agastya, called Master Jupiter in the Theosophical circles, is the ruler of Aquarius.

For the figure of the celestial man I reworked a statue of Agastya from Java (Wikimedia: Photo Dharma) and merged the face with a picture of Master Morya. In his hands he holds the glyph of Aquarius with waves swinging like lightning. The zodiacal arch with the figure of Aquarius was created from a photo of the astrological clock of the ‘Zytglogge Tower’ in Bern. In the upper left corner, you can see the contours of the Aquarius constellation. The star in the hub of the wheel indicates the point of origin of the creational cycle; the play of colours of two Gothic window rosettes with twelve spokes stands for the variety and rhythm of cosmic unfoldment.

When I looked at the picture for several days, I realized that the figure with the Aquarius glyph looks like a magician. Aquarius is also the month of magic - to manifest something out of the apparent nothing. In Sanskrit, the month of Aquarius is called Magha, which means magic. The wheel of creation with its many colours is Maya in essence, an illusion that hides the truth of existence.

Capricorn - The Mount of Initiation

5 September 2019, pencils and photo work

In the solar year, Capricorn symbolizes the time of the sunrise and of the awakening. The winter solstice at the beginning of Capricorn stands for the birth of the sun god and it is the actual Christmas. When entering Capricorn, the sun comes into the fifth house, counted from Virgo, the house of the progeny; therefore, it is described as the Son of the Virgin. Capricorn is also called the mount of initiation. The brilliant five-pointed star is a symbol of the light of the super-soul, which lifts us out of matter. The red sky in the morning stands for the flame of the higher mind.

The mystic animal of Capricorn with the head of a goat and the body of a fish or a crocodile is, in Eastern symbolism, the vehicle of Varuna - the Lord of the hidden etheric potencies of space.

The picture shows the figure of the goat-fish in the ethers of space, created with the help of a drawing by Zacharias Bornmann (1596). I designed the lower part of the picture with photos of the Swiss Mount Jungfrau ("Virgin") and of a sunrise over India as well as with a pentagram - symbol of the enlightened mental. In the top left you can see the glyph of Capricorn and in the top right the outline of the constellation of the sign.

Sagittarius – The Axis of Rotation

12 August 2019, pencils and photo work

For our daily meditation it is recommended to visualize the correspondences between parts of the body, of the planet and of the cosmos. We can see ourselves as sitting in the middle of the earth and having the North Pole in our head and the South Pole towards the lower end of our vertebral column. We can further visualise the constellations of the Great Bear (Big Dipper) in the head and the Pole Star as the pivotal point at the top. At the base centre, there is the dog guarding the infernal gates; it is Sirius, the Dog Star which is called Cerberus in Greek mythology or Sarama in the East.

From this point, related to Sagittarius, the kundalini ascends. The ascent can be visualised as an arrow shooting up through the central axis of the spine. Occult Meditation 48 says, “Matter, mind, Master. Matter is the South Pole. Master is the North Pole. Mind is the equator.” The movement from matter to spirit, to the stage of the Master, is the path of evolution.

The picture shows the arrow on the bow as the central axis from the base centre, the South Pole to the head centre, the North Pole, and further pointing to the Pole Star. The seven stars of the Great Bear are called the Seven Judges or Seers in the East. They are related to Sagittarius, whose constellation you can see in the upper right corner. The globe is formed with the help of a picture of the earth and a crystal ball. In the dark part below the equator, symbolising matter, you see the constellation of the Great Dog with Sirius positioned at the base centre.

Scorpio – Ascent of the Winged Serpent

8 July 2019, pencils and photo work

Scorpio represents the fall of spirit into matter and the reversal of the process through the ascent of consciousness from out of the bondage of matter. The movement of energy is described as a serpent creeping on the ground or rising as a brilliant light inside the spinal column. Beyond the brow centre the energy bifurcates into two arcs like a winged serpent and further ascends like an eagle. The flying serpents are described as carrying a radiant jewel which is the jewel in the lotus of the head centre, Mani Padme.

In the centre of the image you see the central axis of Sushumna surrounded by the descending and ascending serpentine energies. In the upper part, they form two resplendent wings around the head of the serpent with the jewel of light. An eagle, symbol of an initiate, is soaring up from out of a jewel in the background symbolising the Ajna centre. And above, a group of three eagles is flying in the vastness of space. To the right, you see the constellation of Scorpio.

The wheel of the zodiac in the background, designed with a photo of a friend, indicates the movement of ascent and descent.

Libra - The Jewel of the Seventh Lotus

17 June 2019, pencils and photo work

In Spiritual Astrology, the solar year is called the Day of the Gods. In Aries, we have noon and in Libra midnight; in Capricorn there is dawn and in Cancer dusk. When the spiritualist has completed his journey of tracing the path from Libra to Aries, the lower pole is absorbed into the higher pole. Man is reunited with his higher pole, the God centre. He later enters into the soul of the Sun and finally attains the centre of the spiritual Sun. He then sits in the lotus above the head centre, the jewel of the seventh lotus.

In the upper part of the picture you see the cross of the year with the vertical line of Aries and Libra and the horizontal line of Capricorn and Cancer, designed with the help of an old astronomical illustration of the movement of the Sun around the Earth. It is dovetailed into the arch of a colonnade symbolizing the stages of unfolding consciousness.

The figure of the meditator was formed by the fusion of two Buddha statues. Above his head is depicted the jewel in the lotus which creates the pathway to the zodiacal wheel and to the sun. In the upper right corner, you can see the constellation Libra.

Virgo – The World Mother, Planetary Chains and Root Races

09 May 2019, pencils and photo work

From the background of space, there are periodic emanations of creation. They are seen as the radiations of the World Mother coming down through seven planes and in seven colours. Therefore, the Mother is symbolically depicted with a rainbow around her head. The Secret Doctrine speaks of sequences of time periods with a periodicity of seven like the biblical seven days of creation. There are units of seven planetary incarnations called a planetary chain and seven great cycles of humanity called the root races.

To illustrate the World Mother, I transformed a picture of Mary into the blue colour of the background. She is surrounded by a rainbow and seven globes of the planetary chain of our Earth. The globe at the bottom symbolises the physical manifestation of the fourth globe.

Radiant orbs around the Earth indicate the different stages of matter. The chain of seven smaller orbs above the Earth stands for the descent and ascent through the seven root races; the chain carries the glyph of Virgo. At the upper right corner, you can see the outline of the constellation.

Leo - The Pulsating Heart of the Lion

12 April 2019, pencils and photo work

Leo is the royal sign of the zodiac. Gold is its metal and the splendour of the golden sunshine represents the lion's force of creation. The symbol of Leo symbolizes the cave of the heart. The principle of the heart is the principle of pulsation; it is linked to the soundless sound called Anahata, the Sanskrit name for the heart centre. In the cave of the heart, the initiates tune into the pulsation as the music of the soul. The radiant golden face of the lion with golden rays emanating from his heart is a meditation on the qualities of this sign.

The central star of the constellation Leo is called Regulus and it is also called the heart of the lion. Through Regulus the transmission of Sirius' spiritual energies into our system takes place.

I used a photo of a statue in Rajahmundry, India, to design the figure of the lion. I placed a radiant sun and the glyph of the sign at the heart of the lion. Coloured concentric circles indicate the pulsation. Above the head you see the constellation Leo; Regulus is directly above the head of the lion.

Cancer – Moonlight seals the Sun

13 March 2019, pencils and photo work

Spiritual Astrology regards Cancer as the time of dusk and as the moment where the soul enters into the body and thus, gets sealed in matter. Our mind corresponds to moonlight. It can reflect the soul, the Sun. Moon is the ruler of Cancer and Neptune is exalted in this sign. Like Earth is receiving the rays of Neptune via the Moon, our mind (Moon) is receiving the music of the soul through deep meditation (Neptune).

The image is inspired by the occult meditation no. 16 of Master CVV (see: Ekkirala Krishnamacharya, Spiritual Psychology; and: K. Parvathi Kumar, Occult Meditations): “Moon is silver. I AM the lake. Lake is moonlight, I AM healed. I AM silver. In me the moonbeam awakes. I AM moonlight. In me the Sun is sealed.”

The painting shows the Moon reflecting on the surface of the lake of mind, illustrated by the glyph of Cancer. And down below the Sun is sealed, spreading its light through matter. Behind the Moon you can see the bluish sphere of Neptune, and on its left you find the constellation of Cancer.

Gemini - Through the Throat Centre

23 February 2019, pencils and photo work

Gemini is related to the throat centre which is governed by the element akasha, the content of space; it is represented by the light of the blue or white sky. Gemini stands for duality in creation. In Eastern wisdom, it is symbolised by a male and a female and not by twins. The throat centre is governed by Mercury, the ruler of Gemini. The right use of speech enables us to rise above duality and reach the unity of consciousness.

To visualise the throat centre, I reworked the colours of a water lily. One of its petals forms the pathway leading through the portal of the glyph of Gemini, symbol of the vocal cords. The duality of male and female is depicted by the faces of Hermes/Mercury and of Aphrodite/Venus looking at each other. Over the head of Mercury there is a picture of the planet Mercury.

Taurus - Downpour of Divine Will

1 February 2019, pencils and photo work

Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus is the Eye of the Bull, which exists in us as the third eye. This star is called Rohini in the East. It transmits the energies of divine Will. This transmission causes transformation of mental matter so that a reception of light from higher circles becomes possible. If we align to these energies, our will gets impregnated by the divine Will. The divine Will is represented by Lord Shiva who sits in the form of a lingam. His vehicle of expression is the great bull Nandi, an epitome of Taurus.

For the image I multiplied a photo of a lingam to create the different coloured layers of the lingam. I placed the glyph of Taurus at its centre. In the background there is a picture of the constellation of Taurus with Aldebaran at the centre of the glyph. Behind the glyph, I placed – now invisible – a picture of the eye of God from an old fountain in the city of Berne, and a photo of a sunset. A stream of light pours forth from the centre of the Eye of the Bull.

Aries – Spring-up of Awareness

19 January 2019, pencils and photo work

The solar year commences from 0 degrees in Aries bringing the seeds of a new cycle. From out of the background of eternity, a new aspect of awareness comes forth. It descends as the annual impulse from higher circles to our planet to contribute to the evolution of the planet and the planetary beings. The impulse is symbolised by the glyph of the sign, the head of a ram. It represents the power to remove obstacles and to re-adjust the form into better and more advanced states.

I visualised this impulse by fusing two photos of a sunrise taken from an airplane. The glyph of Aries pushes forth from the bottom of the image. I depicted the annual cycle with a circle and the sunrise in its centre. The constellation of Aries is seen behind the sun.

Pisces – The Spiritual Waters of the Sky

16 December 2018, pencils and photo work

Pisces symbolizes the eternal flow of energies. It is a cyclical movement in which the energies come down into the objective manifestation of creation; they develop and finally dissolve again to give way for new manifestations. This is called the movement of the waters of life. We can visualize it as a circular flow of water. It is also regarded as the wheel of creation, the descent and ascent of manifestation. This subtlest form of water is called spiritual waters or electric fire.

During some weeks of November and December 2018 I was in a rehabilitation centre in the Bernese Alps to recover from a cerebral bleeding. From my room there, I was looking over the Lake Thun to the Mount Niesen. The air was full of vibrant vital energy. The mount with its prominent pyramidal shape seemed to be an epitome of matter rising towards the spirit and spirit descending towards dense manifestation. The meeting of spirit/space and matter culminates in the nightly light on the top of the mountain. The lake and the lights of the town of Spiez at its foot receive the vastness of space and reflect the cosmic fire.

At the top of the image I put the arc of a nightly rainbow as a portal towards space. I increased the light spot on the mountain top and surrounded it by a sphere of light penetrating matter. I duplicated the reflections of the city lights to form an embrace. Then I covered the whole picture with a photo of a downpour of water from an old fountain.

Aquarius – The Flow of Spiritual Light

4 October 2018, pencils and photo work

The symbol of Aquarius is a man who carries a water jug. From the opening of the jug, water continuously flows out without new water flowing in. We only see the water existing as a potential at the moment when it manifests itself. These are the waters of life that bring forth new unfoldment every moment.

The figure of the Aquarius in the picture was created with the help of photos of a fountain in Valencia, Spain, and the head of a statue of the Sun God in the Capitoline Museums, Rome. Water and stars emerge from the jug and glide into the waters of space.

Various NASA and ESA star images were used for the background. The constellation of Aquarius in the upper left corner resembles a lightning bolt or an electric fire: The energy of the Aquarius flashes like a lightning. On the right, Uranus, the regent of Aquarius, appears in the waters of the space in which countless suns move.

Capricorn - Meditation in the Higher Heart Centre

9 September 2018, pencils and photo work

Capricorn is the dawn of the year. For spiritual purposes, Capricorn relates to the higher heart centre, where there is the eight-petalled lotus. The heart chakra of twelve petals is ruled by Cancer and it governs the activities of respiration and circulation. The higher heart centre is the seat of the Lord. The spiritual student is recommended to meditate the Lord as a beautiful form of deep electric blue colour and to invoke the sound ‘Narayana’. It is not a name but a vibration that can help us reach the centre of existence, where we merge with the light.

For the background of the image I used the photo of a sunrise taken around winter equinox in Brazil. I transformed the photo of a wooden Buddha statue and integrated a picture of Ishwara, the Master principle. The light of the Sun is penetrating through the shape. The heart centre was created with a picture of a blue diamond. Inside, there is the deep blue form of the Lord as the inner essence of the outer meditator. White rays radiate into the surrounding space.

Sagittarius - The Path of Return through the Sushumna

9 August 2018, pencils and photo work

The symbol of Sagittarius is the bow and the arrow. In spiritual astrology, Sagittarius is located at the base centre in the human body. The arrow is seen as the vertebral column, where you find the column of light called sushumna. When the higher consciousness awakens, the power of kundalini moves upwards through the sushumna in a spiral manner. The science of yoga describes the sushumna as the central balancing energy line surrounded by ida and pingala, the energies of materialisation and spiritualisation.

The bow to shoot the arrow of consciousness upwards to the head centre is the sacred word OM. With every OM we can visualise the upward path of kundalini through the sushumna to the head and beyond. OM exists as the triple aspect of spirit, soul and matter, represented as ida, pingala and sushumna.

I depicted the arrow of consciousness as being surrounded by two energy lines and going through the etheric centres. The centres are formed out of the whirlpool of the etheric plane, for which I used a picture of the solar plasma. The bow is symbolised by the blueish horizon. In the sky you see Jupiter, the lord of Sagittarius, and the Great Bear. This constellation is linked to Sagittarius as the birthplace of the seven judges which bring down through Sagittarius the seven states of consciousness in man.

Scorpio – The Seven Kingdoms of Nature

21 July 2018, pencils and photo work

From the subtlest to the grossest state, there are seven planes of existence. These planes are related to the seven kingdoms of nature. Three kingdoms are below the human kingdom and three kingdoms are above the human kingdom. Below us are the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms; above us are the kingdoms of the planetary, solar and the cosmic devas. These devas express through our planet, through the solar system and through the cosmic system.

In this image, these seven kingdoms are illustrated by symbolic representatives. The amethyst at the bottom represents the mineral kingdom. The violet crystal is surrounded by a sphere of green leaves and a pink lotus grows from out of its centre, both representing the plant kingdom. The leaves are surrounded by a blueish sphere. I generated it with photos of Venus and of a school of fish to illustrate the transition to the animal kingdom. This kingdom is represented by a group of coatis on a brownish sphere, for which I used colours of a photo of Mars. The group of people looking towards the Sun symbolizes the humanity aspiring for higher evolution.

The three higher kingdoms are indicated by the sphere of the Earth, by the Sun surrounded by planets and by the stars in the background. A ray of light coming from the Sun illumines the path of the different kingdoms towards higher evolution.

Libra – The Fulcrum Principle of the Universe

12 June 2018, pencils and photo work

Creation is compared to a wheel. The movement is greatest at the periphery; the point of stability is at the centre. The formation of the globe of space happens through a process of radiation: objectivity comes out of subjectivity. Dissolution is through a process of contraction: the creation merges again into subjectivity. The centrifugal and centripetal forces are kept in balance by the Libra principle.

In the human body, Libra is located at the navel. Its higher counterpart, Aries, is found in the head. Libra represents the equilibrium between the outgoing horizontal movement towards objectivity and the inward vertical movement towards subjectivity. When the fulcrum is stable, there is an ascent of consciousness to higher planes.

At the centre of the image you see a human silhouette with the nervous system representing the lines of force permeating the body. There is a centre of light around the navel and a higher centre of light at the head - the human brain representing the head centre. It is linked by the central vertical column of consciousness. The Libra principle at the navel is also the centre of the horizontal movement through space illustrated by expanding waves, and spheres of transparent globes representing the planes of creation.

Virgo - Spiritual Light and Spiritual Food of Mankind

18 May 2018, pencils and photo work

Virgo represents the “womb of time” wherein the spiritual seeker is slowly matured through profound crises. He needs to grow into the light of knowledge and learn to use his free will in a responsible way. When nature considers him mature she leaves him to himself for further evolution to higher consciousness. Our earth is also in a slow process of ripening in the womb of the Mother Nature.

Virgo stands for the virgin nature of the Divine Mother. She is depicted with an ear of corn in one hand and a light in the other. They symbolise the spiritual food for the souls and the spiritual light which lightens the way.

For the illustration of the Virgin I reworked a photo (by Sailko, Wikimedia) of a statue of Hera, the Greek queen of the gods. In her womb I placed a human silhouette on the globe surrounded by a field of light. The goddess is walking on a forest path. In her right hand she carries two ears of corn and in her left hand she carries a flame lighting the way. The ears are pointing to the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, the mothers of the seven aspects of form life. In esoteric astrology, this constellation is deeply linked to Virgo.

Leo - The Gateway of the Sun Centre

17 April 2018, pencils and photo work

In meditation, the awareness is raised from the heart to the head, linking the personality to the soul and finally the soul to the super-soul. The head centre is the point of the highest illumination. A yogi meditates on the correspondences to higher centres: in relation to the planet, the head centre corresponds to Shamballa; in relation to the sun it corresponds to the cosmic sun. The other dimensions of the sun are the heart of the sun and the physical sun. With the planet, the corresponding other dimensions are the Spiritual Hierarchy and the humanity.

For this image, I used the picture of the head of a Buddha statue as the head of a yogi. I placed the symbol of sun at the Ajna centre, which is governed by the sun. I visualised the meditative ascent with a stair leading to a gateway of light (using elements of a photo by Till Krech, Wikimedia) in the form of a lingam symbolising Shamballa. I fused two images of the planet, depicting the Himalayas and beyond, Shamballa. They are shining through the head of the yogi. The crown of hair of the yogi is like a receptacle for the downpour of light. I created the flow with a picture of the physical sun (photo: Nasa), visualising the heart of the sun and the cosmic sun with other photos of the sun.

To represent THAT which cannot be portrayed – the inexpressible Oneness expressing into trinity and multiplicity – I positioned the three heads of a statue of Lord Dattatreya at the place of the spiritual sun, at the top, and surrounded them with an array of multi-coloured rays on a starry background.

Cancer - The Reflections of the Divine Mother

13 March 2018, pencils and photo work

The primordial light permeating creation is called the Mother of the World. The seers realized different stages of reflection of this light into the various states of creation. The reflection is called with different names at different planes but all are understood as expressions of the moon principle. The satellite of our Earth is just one dimension of this principle. Neptune is seen as a higher dimension, and on a supra-cosmic plane the principle is called Soma in the Eastern scriptures. The reflective principle functions in us as the mind, mirroring the light of the soul. The sixteen phases of the ascending and of the descending moon phases are called the sixteen syllabled name of the Divine Mother. They correspond to gradations of light and of consciousness.

For the illustration of the Divine Mother I reworked a Chinese painting of Quan Yin. The halo around her head is formed by merging an image of the Sun and of Neptune. She holds Neptune in her hands, lying in the crescent. From there, water, the vital energy, pours down to Earth. For the downpour I used a photo of the Staubbach Fall in the Bernese Alps. The bottom is created from a view over the lake of Geneva seen from an airplane. In the background of the Mother there is a dark blue moon representing the background of the cosmic moon principle. It is surrounded by the bright and the dark halves of the moon phases, where the lower sphere forms another crescent. Above the upper half you see a sphere of stars indicating the vast dimension of the Divine Mother.

Gemini - The First Pair on the Threshold of the Temple

12 February 2018, pencils and photo work

The point of the birth of objectivity from subjectivity is visualised as the gate of the temple linking the inner space with the outer space. It is symbolised by the glyph of Gemini ?? or the Greek letter ‘Pi’, ?. Pi is the path from the circumference to the centre or the origin; it is called the path from visibility to invisibility. Pi stands for wisdom; the upper line of the symbol projects two vertical lines meaning that the duality emerges from the unity. Gemini is worshipped as the birth of the first Androgyne, the male-female God, the divine pair of Shiva and Shakti.

The centre of the image shows the gate of the temple formed by a duplication of the Greek letter Pi. The gate is standing on the periphery of the circle whose centre is the sun. The sun is located in the middle of the upper line of the symbol. The circle reflects again in the lower part of the image representing objectivity. On the surface of the water the light reflects like a path of light leading to the gate. In the inner of the gate there is a lingam of light, a symbol of the divine. From out of it comes forth the first pair.

Taurus - Impregnation by the Divine Will

20 December 2017, pencils and photo work

The astrological sign of Taurus, a semi-circle above a circle, symbolises the moon through which the energies are received from higher circles and passed on to the earth. Taurus is called ‘Vrishabha’ in Sanskrit meaning the downpour of light. The star Aldebaran, which is called ‘Rohini’ in Vedic wisdom, is understood as the eye of the bull through which the energies are transmitted. When the sun passes through the constellation Rohini (between 11 and 24 degrees of Taurus), he is called the impregnating bull which impregnates the life on earth. It is also a spiritual impregnation which can give us a fresh dose of energy for acts of good will.

To illustrate this symbolism, I merged the image of the head of an Indian cow with the image of the crescent moon. I edited a photo of Aldebaran and placed it at the top as the sun from which a fiery drop comes down into the bowl formed by the horns of the cow. The earth indicated with a flower meadow shows the fullness of the freshly impregnated life.

Aries – Planet Blossom

23 November 2017, pencils and photo work

The visible planets are the physical bodies of great conscious entities expressing themselves through these forms. Just as we have incarnated into our bodies to grow and to make experiences, these sublime beings also live in their planetary globes to undergo their evolution on a cosmic scale. All the stars in the sky are at various stages of evolution. There are planetary entities higher than our planet, and there are suns higher than our sun. Like a flower that grows and unfolds to bring forth seeds for future flowers, our planet also unfolds like a beautiful flower, preparing future stages of evolutionary growth.

I visualised the earth inside the petals of a huge flower. For this, I worked on a photo of a Brahma Kamala flower (Saussurea obvallata, transformed from a Wikimedia photo by Sujay25), making it glow like a lantern. I created the starry background with the help of the beautiful Stellarium software. The stars are like fireflies blinking in the darkness of a magical garden.

Pisces - Flower of Time Cycles

19 November 2017, pencils and photo work

There is a cyclical movement of time in creation. It is like the growth of a seed to a tree bringing forth new seeds. The wisdom teachings explain that there is no end to existence. When a physical form is dissolved, it does not end but continues to exist on subtler planes. With seven cosmic pulsations the creation descends and ascends again. From innermost realms, it comes down to objectivity; and after a while, the direction is changed and there is again an ascent via subtle and causal states to the absolute state. Our earth is part of a chain of seven globes. There are earths in preparation in three preceding states, we are on this present earth in the fourth state, and there are earths in recession in three succeeding states.

I illustrated this great pulsation with the circle of the serpent eating its tail, a symbol of the eternal movement of time. I created three semi-transparent globes on the descending arc and three globes on the ascending arc with a crescent of the present earth at the centre. I transformed a photo of the gears of an old pocket watch (Wikimedia, Sachin Sandhu) and placed it in a desert-like surrounding symbolising the slow movement of time. From its centre grows a Brahma Kamala flower (transformed from a Wikimedia photo by Schwiki), a mundane replica of a celestial flower growing at high altitudes in the Himalayas, symbolising the sublime unfoldment of nature.

Pisces - Flower of Time Cycles

19 November 2017, pencils and photo work

There is a cyclical movement of time in creation. It is like the growth of a seed to a tree bringing forth new seeds. The wisdom teachings explain that there is no end to existence. When a physical form is dissolved, it does not end but continues to exist on subtler planes. With seven cosmic pulsations the creation descends and ascends again. From innermost realms, it comes down to objectivity; and after a while, the direction is changed and there is again an ascent via subtle and causal states to the absolute state. Our earth is part of a chain of seven globes. There are earths in preparation in three preceding states, we are on this present earth in the fourth state, and there are earths in recession in three succeeding states.

I illustrated this great pulsation with the circle of the serpent eating its tail, a symbol of the eternal movement of time. I created three semi-transparent globes on the descending arc and three globes on the ascending arc with a crescent of the present earth at the centre. I transformed a photo of the gears of an old pocket watch (Wikimedia, Sachin Sandhu) and placed it in a desert-like surrounding symbolising the slow movement of time. From its centre grows a Brahma Kamala flower (transformed from a Wikimedia photo by Schwiki), a mundane replica of a celestial flower growing at high altitudes in the Himalayas, symbolising the sublime unfoldment of nature.

Aquarius - The Lord of the Eye

17 october 2017, pencils and photo work

According to the Eastern wisdom teachings, the whole creation is brought forth through an impulse coming from the background of existence. It is described as a light emerging from the “Eye of Shiva”. At the end of one creation, all is again absorbed into this eye of Shiva, the lord of divine will until the next creation is brought forth.

The passage of emergence and mergence is called the point of Aquarius. In the human body, it corresponds to the higher third eye at the top of the forehead. When this “Eye of Shiva” is opened in us, it is like a lightning expressing the divine will through the whole system. This eye can create and destroy; therefore, the knowledge about it cannot be given to the present humanity which is selfishly oriented.

To visualise the first impulse I fused images of ripples on a water surface, of a galaxy and of sunrises. I transformed a photo of a statue of Shiva (Wikimedia: Kachnar City, author Shivam S.) holding a trident with a drum and a mala, symbols of the vibration of sound and of the ether. The serpent around his neck represents the kundalini energy lifted up to the creative planes. From out of his third eye, the impulse of electric fire penetrates all planes of existence.

Capricorn - The Column of Consciousness

11 September 2017, pencils and photo work

In the inner of the vertebral column there is the essential flow of awareness and light. It is like a lighted axis called Sushumna. We can enter into it and experience ourselves as a column of consciousness going from the top of the head to the base centre. This column is the central axis of our existence. The seven energy centres and the related planes of consciousness emerge from it. In our meditation, we can visualise that we move up and down in this column and ascend through it to the higher planes.

A photo of the shaft of a water turbine served as the central axis surrounded by a spiral. I eliminated the rungs of the mount and created the conical shape of the central column of bluish white light. The Sushumna column is surrounded by a yellow and a golden-yellow line representing the subtle energy lines of Ida and Pingala nadis. And the spiral indicates the spiralic movement of the ascending energy of Kundalini.

Lotuses in different colours show the energy centres along the central axis. They are surrounded by oval forms symbolising the various planes of existence and awareness. The half circle at the very top surrounded by radiant light indicates the entrance from where the unlimited consciousness descends into the vertical column as an individual spark of light - the I AM. You see it as the star-like jewel in the lotus of the head centre.

The Cosmic Person

24 August 2017, pencils and photo work

According to the wisdom teachings the basic pattern of the human being comes from the structure of the Cosmic Person called Purusha in the East. We as an inner person are in essence the same as the Cosmic Person. When we look within it creates the contact with the Person within and thereby opens the doors to meet the Cosmic Person outside. The Inner Person is called the Higher Self or the Soul. Its outer shade is the lower self or the personality. The outer Cosmic Person is called the Super-Soul. When we contemplate on the Person within we start realising our identity with the Cosmic Person.

For the image “Sagittarius – Sagittarian Contemplation” I had created a silhouette of the Cosmic Person with a NASA photo of a star field in the Sagittarius constellation. I now took it as a stand-alone image and reworked it a bit as per the shape, the stars and the colours.

Sagittarius – Sagittarian Contemplations

15 August 2017, pencils and photo work

We are a microcosm containing all the intelligences that constitute the cosmic person. When contemplating on this relation we realise that we are essentially the same as the cosmic being and we slowly regain the original perfection.

Our body is anchored in matter at the Muladhara, the base centre. Esoterically, the higher Muladhara is linked to Sagittarius. It is presided by Ganesha, the cosmic Jupiterian principle. When worshipped, Ganesha enables experiencing the brilliant light inside the spinal column and a speedy upward movement from Muladhara to Sahasrara. The ascent of consciousness is symbolized by the eagle.

I created a silhouette of the cosmic person with a NASA photo of a star field in the Sagittarius constellation. Since Sagittarius represents the time of pre-dawn, I fused a photo of a dawn with the stars. At the feet of the golden yellow Ganesha statue there is a lotus as a symbol of the Muladhara. The central axis of the cerebrospinal column of light is formed with a water jet. The soaring eagle is located at the Ajna centre of the cosmic person and a radiant blue star forms the top of the Sahasrara.

Scorpio - Fall of the Spirit and Birth into the Egg of Space

25 July 2017, pencils and photo work

The activity of Scorpio is characterized as the spirit coming down into matter in the form of a converging spiral. From the higher planes, the consciousness falls into the dense material states and gets imprisoned in the space like in an egg. This fall is compared to an inverted cone with a coiled serpent hidden within. Likewise, when the human soul descends into the womb of the mother, it loses the spirit-consciousness. It takes eons of time until the soul overcomes the limitations of matter again and reaches its source, the union with the spirit.

For illustrating the descent of the spirit from cosmic planes, I created a serpent-like spiral surrounded by star-dust. The shape of the inverted cone is formed with a picture of a mollusc shell. On both sides, it is surrounded by a downpour of star-dust.

In the lower part of the image I placed three eggs: a small egg at the womb of Eva, the first woman according to the Bible; a bigger second egg at the lower half of Eva’s body as a symbol of overcoming the lower self; the third egg is surrounding Eva and merging with the spiral - a symbol of the individual soul which, on the path of ascent, opens up to the super-soul. The original statue of Eva realised by Jacob Ungerer in 1910 is at the city-hall of Hamburg.

The bottom line is dark. From out of it raises a reddish city skyline made with a photo of house facades in Buenos Aires. The mega-cities are places where many human souls are living under the pressure of modern material life.

Libra – Nyasa Vidya, Adjusting to the Planes

19 June 2017, pencils and photo work

The Eastern sages have developed a science of superimposition called Nyasa Vidya, where they imagine themselves permeating the whole earth or the cosmos. They meditate the North Pole in their head centre, the South Pole in their base centre, the equator in their solar plexus and the Himalayas in their heart. They inwardly study the currents of magnetism that flow around the earth and use them to purify the centres along their spine and to free the thoughts from personal influences.

Likewise, correspondences can also be established between the parts of the body and the planets, the sun signs or the planes of consciousness. When our orientation to a larger system is complete, the energies of our system are rearranged in accordance with the larger system. Disorder is brought back to order; thereby, one radiates and remains magnetic.

To depict these dimensions, I placed the silhouette of a human body over an image of the globe. I created the radiance of the inner centres by using photos of aquamarine gemstones and of a lotus. You see the lines of the magnetic field as the human and the planetary aura. The central axis of the spine is prolonged via the axis of the earth to a galactic axis. For visualising the seven planes of consciousness, I transformed and multiplied extracts from a NASA photo of the Sombrero galaxy.

Virgo - The World Mother and the Four States of the Word

17 May 2017, pencils and photo work

The World Mother is the most sublime aspect of creation. She is the unlimited light of consciousness that emerges from the background of existence as the pure virgin nature. Virgo represents this aspect of the Logos as Mother. From there, the creation emerges in four states. They are called the stages of utterance of the Creator. The objectivity is the fourth state; three states of emanation of the Word are hidden in the subjectivity. The objective state is like the vocal sentence of our speech. Prior to that, there is the mental sentence coming from an idea, and prior to that the idea emerges from consciousness.

To depict the World Mother I transformed the photo of a statue of the Mother standing at the Godavari River in Rajahmundry, India. The four states of the Word are illustrated by different circles. At the heart centre and in the background you see the Sri Yantra, a symbol of the Mother, which contains the wisdom of the goddess.

The “landscape” where the Mother is standing is created with a lotus flower. For the background colours I used the photo of a sunrise in the Nilagiris. The stars of the Pleiades constellation, the seven Mothers, are generated with the help of the Stellarium software.

Leo – Hercules Conquering the Inner Lion

20 April 2017, pencils and photo work

The story of Hercules is the symbolic journey of inner transformation and initiation. Hercules represents the aspirant becoming a disciple and realising himself as a soul. Later on, he further ascends to realise the Universal Soul. The Labours of Hercules are a journey through the zodiac and the fifth labour corresponds to Leo.

Hercules is asked to kill the Nemean lion. The lion represents our lower nature, the personality. Killing the lion means, overcoming our ego and realising our identity as a soul. The cave of the lion is the heart. We go inside and listen to the sound of respiration which is compared to the roar of the lion. By observing the pulsation we slowly get to the subtle pulsation; this is called "entering the cave within the cave". In a deep meditative state, when the respiration ceases, we meet the Higher Self. Only the original thought "I AM" exists; no other thought remains. When there is no more identification with the personality, the "lion is killed". However, the Teacher tells Hercules that the lion needs to be overcome again and again; otherwise it will return.

For Hercules fighting in the cave with the lion, I worked on a photo (Wikimedia: Sailko) of a Renaissance brooch. In the background there is the transformed initiate who has realised himself as a part of the Universal Soul. For this, I used a photo (Wikimedia: Wouter Engler) of a bronze statue of Hercules of the 2nd century CE excavated in Pompeii (Vatican Museums). The golden colour of the statue symbolises the etheric body of the initiate, where the divine light reflects from above.

Cancer - Artemis, Layers of Reflection

18 March 2017, pencils and photo work

The visible Moon is just the physical body containing the Moon principle. Moon is the Lord of Cancer and it is related to our mind. Like the Moon reflects the light of the Sun, our mind reflects the solar light of the internal Sun principle, the soul. Moon also reflects the light of the higher Moon called Soma in the Eastern scriptures. Soma, the divine musician, presides over the cosmic mind; his rays are received by the Moon via Neptune. Moon stands for the female principle, the mother. It stimulates the fertilisation and the birth and growth of the fauna and flora on earth. Cats attract the magnetism of the Moon; therefore the Egyptians considered them as sacred. Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt and of the Moon, can be understood as a symbol of the mind and quick thoughts.

To depict these spiritual dimensions, I worked on the image of a bust of Diana/Artemis with a contemplative countenance. The face is surrounded on one side by a cat and on the other by orchids dotted with starry reflections. On the top you see moon light from beyond reflecting on the bluish globe of Neptune and coming down to the sphere of the Moon. The Moon again fuses with the head of Artemis.

Gemini – Ardhanari, the Male-Female God

18 February 2017, pencils and photo work

When creation comes forth from the background of absolute existence, it manifests as existence with awareness. It is also called Father-Mother, the interplay of the male-female God. We don’t say it is male and female because it is an inseparable unity. It is the Ardhanari of the Indians, the Hebrew Adonai or the Greek Hermaphroditus. Ardhanari is usually depicted with the right side being the male Shiva and the left side being his consort Shakti, his energy.

In astrology, the male-female God is called the soli-lunar principle, the light and its reflection. It is associated with Gemini, where the unity is bifurcated into two. In our body, the left eye is associated with the Mother, the lunar principle and the Ida Nadi (subtle nerve); the right eye is associated with the Father, the solar principle and the Pingala Nadi; whereas the Son is the Sushumna and the Ajna centre or the third eye.

For the face of Ardhanari, I fused photos of a Durga statue and of the central face of a Dattatreya statue, symbolizing Vishnu. At the right eye, I created the aureole of the radiant sun, at the left side the crescent moon surrounded by a field of dark blue. I transformed an image of Aldebaran, the “Eye of the Bull”, to be the third eye; and Regulus, the blue-white star of the constellation of Leo, is placed at the centre of the crown.

Taurus - Krishna's Flute, Microcosmic and Macrocosmic Centres

29 January 2017, pencils and photo work

Eastern wisdom knows seven sensitive points, the seven chakras, along the vertebral column and in the head. They are compared to Lord Krishna’s flute with which he is enchanting the fellow-beings. The seven centres are again contained in the region between the throat centre and a point just above the Ajna-centre called the birthplace of Indra. There are seven other centres above the neck, the area governed by Taurus. On the solar-cosmic level, these centres are related to the seven stars of the constellation of Pleiades. The secretions of the glands in that region of the body are called the spiritual foods with which Pleiades feeds the disciple. According to ‘Spiritual Astrology’, the Pleiades are described as the wives of the seven great seers forming the constellation of the Great Bear. They establish a link between the seven stars of the Great Bear and the seven centres above the neck of the disciple.

To visualise these relations I created a subtle form of the head as two oval fields of light. I placed Krishna’s flute as the vertebral column in diagonal, which I created by fusing and transforming pictures of a bamboo and a brass flute and by adding seven white points. I created the macrocosmic centres of the Pleiades and of the Great Bear connected with rays of light to the head, where you can see the microcosmic counterparts. The seven centres above the neck are symbolised by seven stars linked with rainbow colours to the head.

With the help of a photo of a lingam I created the symbolic representation of the different layers of consciousness and placed them below the flute and above a peacock feather, symbol of Lord Krishna, which forms the background.

Aries - Permeation

12 December 2016, pencils and photo work

The ancient Vedic seers described profound wisdom with the help of symbols. They saw the manifestation of a new creation as coming out of a Golden Egg and permeating the different dimensions of space. They visualised the beginning of a new cycle with the story of how the head of the proud Daksha was cut and replaced by the head of a ram, the symbol of Aries, the power of stepping forth and penetrating. They further took the horse as a symbol for the life force and they saw Aries as the head of the horse. The sunrays, the transmitter of life force, are called horses and the seven rays are seen as seven horses drawing the chariot of the sun. The sunrays are understood as permeating space, being at the same time present in the Sun, on Earth and in between.

The image slowly developed while meditating on these symbols and qualities for several days. I took the ram head from the photo of a fountain in the old city of Berne. I placed it into a circle of twelve suns and created a sphere with the seven spectral colours on a starry background of space. In the middle of the circle I placed an egg-shaped form out of which light permeates – a symbol for the Primordial Deep, Aditi, the Mother, which gives birth to the devas, beginning with the Sun-god.

At the lower part of the image I created a fiery sphere around the Sun and I placed seven white horseheads and I added to their heads flames in the colours of the seven rays. I created the horseheads with the help of a Wikipedia photo by “Aleph” showing the Brandenburg Gate Quadriga in Berlin at night.

Pisces - The Great Fish and the Seed of the Universe

14 November 2016, pencils and photo work

Pisces represents the dissolution of an old state followed by a gap and the beginning of a new cycle. The stories of smaller and bigger deluges correspond to the monthly cycles of new moon and full moon or the ending and beginning of the solar year. The Wisdom Teachings explain that the Earth, the solar system and also the universe go through such cycles. There are periodical dissolutions called Pralayas. The seeds of the previous creation are preserved through the “flood” in a vehicle symbolised by a ship, and the Lord in the form of a Great Fish takes the seeds to the new creation.

I visualised the cycle by a circle with a central point, symbol of the Sun. At the same time the central point is also like a Sun from where a stream comes forth. The water of the flood is partly submerging the circle. To this transition point the Great Fish has drawn the boat with the Manus, the seeds of the new creation. The depiction of the Manus was created based on an old Mahabharata illustration of Ramanarayanadatta Astri.

Aquarius - The Aquarian Pot and the Eternal Dancer

8 October 2016, pencils and photo work

The Wisdom Teachings describe the process of manifestation as a tunnel, where on one side there is the creation and on the other side there is a seeming vacuum, the potential space. This is illustrated by the symbol of the Aquarian pot. It has two openings: from one side you see a continuous downpour of water, but on the other side there is no water coming in. It seems that it is coming from out of nowhere and that some magic is giving birth to the creation.

The waves of the ocean of space are coming from that source in rhythmic, dancing-like movements. The Lord of this vibrating principle in creation is Shiva as the eternal dancer called Nataraja. If he concludes his dance, the creation comes to an end.

For the image, I took the photo of a statue of the dancing Shiva in my study room and created an Aquarian pot with streams of water pouring down. The pot is glowing in violet and blue - the colours of Aquarius. The surrounding arc of flames stands for the sphere into which the manifestation is happening. Shiva is dancing in the flow of waters which unfolds into the spectral colours. He is surrounded by serpent-like forms on a starry background symbolising the vibrations of space. The rhythmic pulsation of space is represented by his little drum on the left side. The globe in the lower background is representing the earth receiving the Aquarian energies.

Capricorn - The Mount, the Star, the White Robe and the Gate of Death

8 September 2016, pencils and photo work

Capricorn is represented as a mountain top, the point where spirit and matter meet. At this most subtle and translucent state, the individuality becomes so pure and transparent that the light from above shines through. The personality ascends to the higher self, and the soul prepares to receive the energies of the super-soul. When the super-soul descends into a form, the Christ consciousness is born in a pure vessel. In the New Testament this pure body of light is called the “radiant white robe”. After the personality is conquered, the soul is glorified on the Mount of Transfiguration. It is also the Mount Sinai, where Moses experienced the “I AM THAT I AM” in the Burning Bush. The pure body of light is symbolised by a radiant five-pointed star. This star is also embodied in the shape of man with his outstretched arms, the two legs, and the head. We can take to this position and visualise with closed eyes how orange or golden light enters into us.

You see this symbolism depicted in this painting. For the orange light I transformed a photo of a cosmic nebula, for the mount a Swiss mountain top. The figure of Christ is created from an Indian image.

Capricorn is also called the gate of death, the release from the bondage of form. Cancer, the opposite sign, is called the gate of earth life, where the souls lose themselves in matter. Cancer is ruled by Moon. I depicted the cycle of incarnations with the moon phases from no moon (new moon) to full moon and back to no moon. The full moon is placed at the centre of a big crescent Moon, symbol of the form-bound consciousness. The pale light orbs at the bottom represent the souls bound in matter.

Sagittarius – Seven Seers and Seven Layers of Consciousness

11 August 2016, pencils and photo work

The Eastern wisdom describes seven working intelligences in creation which exist as seven principles on the cosmic plane. They are called the Seven Seers / Rishis or Seven Judges. They have incarnated as the seven stars of the Great Bear and have externalised as seven rays. This principle also expresses on earth as seven great sages, as seven layers of consciousness and as the seven energy centres of the human body.

Spiritual Astrology explains that Sagittarius is the sign of judgement and that the seven judges are related to this sign. Sagittarius is the sign of aspiration to noble goals where the spiritual student dreams of becoming seer whose plans are one with the cosmic plan.

At the start of this image, I worked on a photo of the Great Bear. Seven rays in the colours corresponding to the related Seven Seers come down to earth. There, the Seven Rishis are depicted as seven flames, which I superimposed on the shape of the Earth. One of the flames is radiating in a human silhouette, where a line in rainbow colours represents the seven centres. The silhouette is standing on a radiant blueish sphere, looking to the Earth. The globe, surrounded by a subtle aura, appears like the pupil of a great seer. The image has a background of blue, the colour of Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius.

Scorpio - Mars the Kumara and the Six-Armed Cross

18 July 2016, pencils and photo work

Scorpio is ruled by Mars. On the mundane planes, the Martian principle is related to blood, fight and conflicts. In the East, the sublime aspect of Mars is visualised as Kumara, the ‘I AM’ consciousness (This is explained in the book ‘Mars. The Kumara’ by Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar). We can visualise the Kumara as light emerging from our centre into six directions – east, west, north, south, above and below. The six-armed cross represents the six dimensions. He is described as an eternal youth of sixteen years. He holds a spear, as a powerful celestial weapon. We can identify with it as the energy inside our cerebrospinal column piercing through the lower nature.

The Kumara constitutes the axis of Taurus-Scorpio around which the zodiac is formed. Taurus is ruled by Venus and Scorpio by Mars. The masculine energy of Mars in association with Scorpio kills the evil and gives birth to the serpent of wisdom. The feminine qualities of Venus soften the masculine quality of power and bring about beauty.

To depict this symbolism I transformed the image of a statue of the Kumara holding the spear. I constructed the radiant six-armed cross emanating from the centre. I put it at the centre of a ring galaxy (photo by NASA). Behind the Kumara I placed a red rose forming the reddish aura as a symbol of the beauty aspect of Venus. The stem of the rose is fused with the vertical axis. I transformed its leaves into a serpent-like form on which the Kumara is standing.

Libra – Passing through the Sun Centre

14 June 2016, pencils and photo work

Libra teaches to turn from the outer to the inner, from the circumference of life to the centre. It is symbolised by a circle with a central point representing the Sun centre. By contemplating on the central point of the heart centre we can enter into the subtle spheres and ascend to the higher planes. The fiery spark of I AM is the solar angel, which we are in our essence. It is a ray from the Sun. On the upward journey we are returning to our source. Man is a potential solar system. The Sun we see is a gateway to the Central Sun and this in turn is an expression of the Spiritual Sun. Like the Sun, man is a micro-image of the Cosmic Person. This symbolism is a profound meditation.

Pondering on the symbolism of Libra I tried to visualise the centres of the different circles. Each being has an individual central point and thus has a unique circumference. However, as they are all expressions of the One Existence, this is described as “centre everywhere, circumference nowhere”.

On the central axis of the image I placed a human silhouette with the energy centres and a radiant heart centre. There is a larger fiery silhouette in the background symbolising the solar being. I surrounded them with circles of different sizes representing the different spheres and their limitations. Vertical lines of various lengths illustrate the stages of ascent through the different planes.

I transformed an image of Krishna to represent the Cosmic Person. The human and the solar being are looking towards the Cosmic Person, their origin. The Cosmic Person is surrounded by an aura of a starry field.

Virgo – The Rainbow Aura of the World Mother

14 May 2016, pencils and photo work

Virgo is the month of the World Mother, the universal awareness or the basis of creation. She is called Gayatri in the Vedas, the Light of the World, and worshipped with the famous Gayatri mantra. She is depicted with five visible faces and a sixth invisible one. Of the five faces, the one on the extreme right represents the brilliant solar light and the face on the extreme left the soothing light of the moon. In between there are the three faces of the primary colours in the order of red, golden yellow and blue. The invisible face in the background stands for the absolute light of the background.

The World Mother is depicted with the aura of the rainbow indicating the seven planes of existence or the seven rays of the original Light. Each plane is subdivided again into seven sub-planes creating the kaleidoscopic beauty of creation.

To depict the World Mother, I used an Indian image of the Mother and transformed it by changing the colours and replacing the faces with extracts of women portraits of Western painters mainly from the 19th century. I kept the colour expression of the faces. Then I created a circular rainbow aura around the Mother and added seven rainbow hemispheres on a blue starry background indicating the expansion of universal awareness through all the planes of creation.

Leo – The Path to the Super Soul

15 April 2016, pencils and photo work

The soul is an image of God. It is a replica of the super soul and it expresses itself through the mind, the senses and the body. If we want to come in touch with the divine radiation of the super soul, we have to release our association with the outer form and orient within. This way the inner man is formed and we can relate more to the super soul, the source of our existence.

As a symbol of this orientation upwards I used the photo of a friend standing on a sand dune in Tibet in front of a lake with mountains behind and a vast sky above. To depict the five elements of earth, water, fire, air and space surrounding the personality I created spheres of different colours and the shape of the aspiring individual with his hands lifted up.

Light pours down through three globes – super soul, soul and personality - and is received into the individual. It is anchored in the head, the heart and the base centre. The light detaches the man from the impact of the surrounding spheres. He is oriented upwards to remain in touch with the source of Light.

Cancer – Descent and Growth of the Soul in Matter

06 March 2016, pencils and photo work

Cancer represents the descent of the soul into matter and the relation of mother and child. At birth the soul 'falls' from the spiritual world into matter, imprisoned in the dense sheath of physical incarnation. The mother nourishes the child and gives her affection. Mother Nature protects the child until it awakens to the soul and consciously ascends from matter back to the spirit.

Meditating on the symbolism of Cancer I caught a glimpse of a converging spiral. In the spiral I perceived the different steps of the descent of the soul into matter, and this linked to the mother protecting the growing child. Their interaction reminded me of the glyph of Cancer, ♋.

However, it took some time of searching until I found access to the actual composition of the painting. As a point of departure, I chose a Shalagrama stone, an ammonite, whose spirals are regarded in the East as a symbol of the universal principle or God. I transformed light reflections from butter-lamps in an Indian temple to represent the stages of the descent of the soul, superimposing them on the spiral in different colour shades. For the mother and child I used elements of two Italian Renaissance painters: the mother from a painting of Fra Filippo Lippi (1406-1469) and the child from a painting of Fra Angelico (1395-1455). The spiral ends and also begins in the heart of the child, being near the heart of the mother – Cancer rules over the heart centre. The looks of Mother Nature come out of a veil of light; the face of the child radiates strength and purity. The surrounding greenish blue hints at the higher ruler of Cancer, Neptune.

Gemini – Group Consciousness, Merging and Emerging

08 February 2016, pencils and photo work

Meditation creates an energy field around us. When done in a group it is much more effective. By uttering OM as a group it builds a huge funnel into the sky and brings in sublime energies. It has to be a prolonged intonation with full intent. In silence we can receive the energies descending from above. In this, the individual consciousness might experience group consciousness or even universal consciousness.

To depict this process, I used a photo of a group living which I fused with layers of blue. In the foreground I created a field of various light balls with the help of photos of oil lamps, city lights and flames. It symbolises the process of merging of the individual souls into group consciousness. The individual units ascend through a funnel to a point of light from where radiant white and blue rays emerge. Thus, the group is receiving the downpour of light and is uplifted.

Taurus - The Higher Bridge and the Awakening of the Third Eye

25 December 2015, pencils and photo work

To be able to perceive the energy structures in the subtle spheres you need to develop the inner sense organs and purify your system through right living and spiritual practices. There are several energy centres in the body. In the process of unfoldment, a bridge is built between the pineal and the pituitary linking the related subtle centres. When this bridge of brilliant light is built, the centre of the third eye opens and allows subtle perception. When the consciousness is further raised, a connection to the centre at the top of the head gets established.

The centre of the third eye is related to Taurus; it is called the “eye of the bull” and it governs the power of clairvoyance. In the cosmos, it corresponds to the star Aldebaran.

To visualise these subtle realities I made a “selfie” of the upper part of my head. I superimposed a picture of Aldebaran with the surrounding stars of Taurus and constructed the bridge of light and the third eye with the help of other stars. I depicted the head centre by transforming the picture of a flower changing the shape of the petals to a mountain scenery. Then I worked on the colours and the radiance.

Aries –The Three Great Fires and the Cosmic Kundalini

16 December 2015, pencils and photo work

The three fiery signs of the zodiac – Aries, Leo and Sagittarius – are described as three fires. The cosmic or electric fire is the spirit, the pure energy. It expresses through the solar fire, the energy of the soul, and then through the terrestrial fire by friction or the visible expression of the energy. Before the energy consolidates into the star dust to form stars and solar systems the Eastern scriptures call it the great serpent Ananta, the cosmic Kundalini. It is identified with the constellation of the Dragon and described as moving on the great ocean of milk, the immense ocean of solar globes in various stages of formation.

I visualised the three great fires as three suns using the photo of a sunrise over the Mediterranean. The fiery globes are connected by a downpour of light, where the lower receives from the higher and distributes the light in its turn.

I constructed the serpentine movement of the cosmic Kundalini spiralling through the various planes of creation with the help of elements from a photo of a ring galaxy. The head of the serpent is above and the tail in the lower sphere. It moves around the three fiery centres and creates the matrix for the further consolidation to the visible universe.

Pisces – Alpha in Omega, Omega in Alpha

12 November 2015, pencils and photo work

Pisces is seen as the end of the zodiacal year which leads to the next annual cycle beginning with the vernal equinox. For a disciple on the spiritual path Pisces is the beginning of the cycle, since he moves in the retrograde direction towards the origin. In mundane astrology, Pisces corresponds to the feet, whereas for the disciple it is located above the head. In the body of the yogi, it is related to the pineal gland and the pituitary body which aid to produce light of the Higher Bridge to cosmic realms of consciousness. This light is the expression of the eternal NOW, the fusion of the beginning and the ending of creation.

The picture I received in meditating on Pisces consisted of two globes touching each other with a light in between and a head below. I understood the spheres of the globes as the contact of the past with the future in the light of the presence. The two touching spheres give the glyph of the sign of Pisces. I created it by fusing several photos of the Earth, the star Fomalhaut of the Pisces constellation and a lotus.

For the head I fused a wood-carved and a porcelain head of the Bodhisattva Quan Yin, the female correspondence of Buddha worshipped especially in the Far East. She is the Goddess of Mercy and thus a form of the World Mother related to Pisces. On the crown, symbolising the head centre, she wears a figure of Buddha, the light of the jewel in the Lotus. On her front I integrated the bridge of light between the pineal and the pituitary linking to the cosmic light.

The deep blue light of the background fuses the stars of the firmament with the night lights on earth and the aura of Quan Yin into one whole.

Aquarius – The Aquarian Passage

12 October 2015, pencils and photo work

The Eastern Scriptures describe in poetical form the birth of matter and the passage of its formation from the space as a river flowing through all the planes. The apparent creation comes from seeming nothingness and the bridge between these states is called the Aquarian passage: on one side there is the creation and on the other side there is the seeming vacuum which in reality is everything. The point of the emergence of existence expresses as the deep blue of space. From out of the deep blue all other manifestations happen. Blue is but pure white in its depth. To the spiritual eye all colours exist in blue.

The point of the Aquarian passage in us is the Eye of Shiva, the Divine Will. This eye is on the top of the forehead and is far superior to our third eye. Through this centre energies can flow from supra-cosmic spheres to all the planes of creation. This passage is used to absorb all that exists or to let new energies pour in for a new creation. The Scriptures say, “When Shiva opens his eye, all can be destroyed.”

To visualise the Aquarian passage I placed a dark blue field at the very top followed by a field of brilliant white. Below I shaped the third eye of Shiva and two closed eyes - symbolising the focus within -with the help of the image of a wooden statue of Shiva, which I worked out in golden yellow. From the third eye there is a downpour of white light to Earth. It is received on top of the White Mountain, the Mont Blanc. I took the picture of this highest mountain of the Alps during a flight back from Spain. In the background I fused another photo of the blue sky with an image of a torrent of the Iguazu Falls located between Brazil and Argentina. It is emblematic of the waters of space containing all potentials of creation.

Capricorn – Ascent, Peak and Descent

02 October 2015, pencils and photo work

Capricorn is called the Mount. The experience of the mountain peak symbolises initiation, the summit of long and intense striving. After having reached the top, you have to return to the valley in order to share the essence of your experience and to guide other seekers.

About eight weeks before creating the painting an image of the Sri Yantra and of beings of light descending onto Earth came to my mind. Later, while in Santa Fe, Argentina, I saw an image of Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak of the Andes and also outside the Himalayas. The Aconcagua is the seat of an etheric ashram of the Master of the Violet Flame and Violet is the colour for entering into the subtle worlds. Only two days before I started working on the painting the details arranged in the inner view. It dawned to me to put the Sri Yantra on the top of the mountain, symbol of the Divine Mother and of pure consciousness.

I fused two photos of the Aconcagua, created a violet vibration penetrating the image, transformed a picture of the Sri Yantra, worked on the light reflections of a photo from the skyline of Santa Fe and of a staircase. I transformed the staircase into the colours of red, blue and yellow, representing the three rays of Will, Love and Intelligent Action. These lights are again surrounding the sphere of blue, pink and white light penetrating the Sri Yantra. I combined the stairway with the light reflections as a symbol of the ascending and descending souls. Then I created a central column of light from the top to the bottom representing the Antahkarana, the bridge of light leading to the highest realms.

Sagittarius – The Upward Journey

04 August 2015, pencils and photo work

The archer with bow and arrow is the symbol of Sagittarius. Sagittarius is a fiery sign related to long journeys and, on the spiritual path, to the journey towards higher states of consciousness. The key-note is setting a goal and striving with focused attention. The central channel of the spine, the sushumna, is regarded as the seat of self-consciousness; it is the arrow in us. In Eastern symbolism the sacred sound OM stands for the bow with its string. You set yourself as an arrow on the bow and you string it by withdrawing deep within. With a stable mind you then shoot the arrow upwards. This is the upward journey of the soul.

Meditating on the image of the month, I saw the lighted central column with the energy moving upward through the centres. I depicted the archer by the outline of the golden etheric body with the hands not holding the bow but raised to protect the heart. I placed the symbol of the OM at the front. As a point of departure for the bow I transformed the crescent of the earth from a NASA photo symbolising the ascent beyond material consciousness. The rising flames stand for the fiery aspiration, and from above blessings descend from higher spheres via the head centre.

Scorpio – The Heart of the Turtle

13 July 2015, pencils and photo work

The turtle is a symbol of the individual who turns inward towards subjective life. He withdraws into the cave of the heart and experiences the inflow of the light of the soul. The Vedic seers visualised the convex shell of the turtle as the upper part of the head and as the micro-version of the upper dome of space with the North Pole above the head. They saw the seven stars of the Great Bear in the region of the head centre. Similarly, the lower pole is understood as an inverted dome or a dish, in which the southern star called Sirius or the Dog Star is visualised in the human body near the tip of the spine.

An image developed over some days in meditation: A turtle with a radiant heart appeared; it was the dome of space inside the head with the luminous central axis of the spine going down. I created the structure of the image by transforming the photo of a turtle and by superimposing layers of an image of the Great Bear and of a polar bear. For the central axis I transformed a photo of the Milky Way. At the bottom I placed a dish-like sphere and in its centre I fused a picture of Sirius and of a dog. Then I worked on the colour shades and the transitions. The way the picture developed was again, for me, a surprise.

Libra – From the Periphery to the Centre

13 June 2015, pencils and photo work

The spiritual path is from objectivity to subjectivity and via the subtle planes to the reunion with the divine centre. In the movement through the zodiac, Libra stands for the complete unfoldment of objective life, where you can lose yourself in the “scales of the balance” or return to the centre of rotation, which corresponds to the centre of our existence. Objectivity is horizontal life, subjectivity is vertical life, and both need to form a right angle, a balance in the centre.

When I was inwardly searching for the new image, nothing showed up until there was a window of time to start working on the image. I perceived a horizontal and a vertical line formed by galaxies. I started searching the “Google quarry” for elements to approach the inner image and found many a galaxy and other interesting objects but the inner image did not fit with the outer pieces of the puzzle. I felt dissatisfied.

Next morning in meditation I clearly saw the structure and the needed elements. For the vertical line I took a photo of the milky-way and for the horizontal line, the field of light, a photo of the Sombrero galaxy. I super-imposed elements of star-fields and a star and added the eyes as symbols of the Mother of the Universe. Then I worked out colours and details with the pencils and gave the image a final digital finish. And yes, this was the image which wanted to manifest.

Virgo – Mother Nature Protecting the Solar Child

14 May 2015, pencils and photo work

Occult symbolism is a way of describing subtle truths, which to a common understanding appear as contradictory or nonsense. An intuitive approach helps gain deeper insights.

Virgo stands for the slow unfoldment of the soul on the spiritual path, secretly growing through crises in the womb of material life. The aspirant is compared to a child, whose soul / Sun silently develops a pure, virginal nature under the protection of Mother Nature. Nature again is a reflection of the spirit and thus is compared to the Moon, who is the ruler of Virgo on the subtle planes.

Meditating on the painting for the month of Virgo, I received the image of a chasm at the bottom in which there was the soul and at the top the head of the Divine Mother. The chasm was like penetrating through the seven planes of creation. A few days later the hint came, Isis and Osiris. I googled for a statue of these Egyptian gods and studied about their symbolism. In the plethora of meanings I found that Osiris, the “Lord of Truth”, is compared to the Sun. Isis is described as his wife, his sister and even his mother, and also as the Virgin Earth. I found the image of a grey stone statue with Isis protecting the child Osiris. Her headgear is like a solar disc hiding the true spiritual sun, thus being the “moon” to the higher sun, which is carried by Mother Nature. Osiris wears a headgear like a receptacle receiving the divine flame.

I transformed the statue into golden colour and did some digital restoration. I then created the chasm penetrating through the seven planes and surrounded Isis-Osiris by an aura of radiating energy - the veil unveiled. When the clouds of conceptualisation are left aside, the symbolic presentation provides a view of Mother Nature protecting the Solar Child.

Leo – The Tree of the Universe and the Cosmic Teaching Principle

17 April 2015, pencils and photo work

Leo is related to the heart centre; it is the heart of Spiritual Hierarchy. In the Vedic symbolism Leo is called the dog, meaning the Dog Star, Sirius. Our planetary Hierarchy is a replica of the Great White Brotherhood on Sirius whose Lord is Dattatreya. He is the teaching principle in the universe.

The Eastern Puranas compare the space globes of the universe with the fruits of a banyan tree and the suns with the seeds inside the fruit. Many trees line the roads to the garden of God. This reminds me of the astronomical concept of superclusters of galaxies called Laniakea (Hawaiian ‘immeasurable heaven’) which look like flows or branches of huge trees.

In the background of the painting I put a clustered photo of the known universe and super-imposed on it the structure of a tree. I made a photo of the statue of Dattatreya on my meditation altar, depicted as a being with one body and three heads, symbolizing the divine trinity coming out of unity. He is always depicted with a cow, symbolizing the universe. In his six hands he holds various symbols representing cosmic dimensions. In the branches of the tree you see two galaxies and in the centre a star nebula also called the “eye of God”. I placed a picture of Sirius into its centre.

In the foreground you see the symbol of the cosmic teaching principle, the triangle within a circle and the central point, which is placed at the heart centre of Dattatreya. The circle is surrounded by 12 stars, representing the twelve aspects of the zodiac or of the one original light, Aditi.

Cancer – Narada’s Neptunian Music

26 March 2015, pencils and photo work

Sublime music can raise the consciousness beyond the mental to the level of the soul. This quality is related to Cancer. When music is properly used, it can open the awareness to cosmic planes of consciousness. Such experiences of oceanic consciousness are governed by Neptune. The cosmic teacher working through the power of divine music is called Narada. He is the cosmic musician whose thought, word and deed are musical. He bestows the word of the Lord with the sounds of his musical instrument, the Veena.

Pondering on Neptune, an image came to my mind which I had seen some decades ago, a round stone with a face. I finally found it googling – it was the famous “Mouth of Truth”, a stone face from an ancient Roman fountain probably representing Oceanus. I used it as the starting point, reworked it and merged it with a photo of Neptune. I surrounded it with a huge greenish wave in the vastness of the star-strewn space.

In the foreground you see Narada carrying his celestial Veena, a seven-stringed musical instrument representing the seven planes of creation or the seven tissues of the body. It is said to sing by itself and elevate people to the state of pure experience. I extracted the form of Narada from a vintage print and fused it with the surrounding waters of space.

Gemini – The Messenger of Light

24 February 2015, pencils and photo work

Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the Greek Hermes; he is the Lord of Speech. Gemini is related to the vocal cords and Visuddhi, the throat chakra. Through the vocal cords, the air connects the inner with the outer space. The word is expressed through our breath by the messenger, symbolized by Mercury. In meditation, the throat centre is also the entrance into the element of space called Akasha in the East.

The doorway of Gemini is symbolized by the two pillars of the glyph of Gemini, representing the polarity of seeming opposites or the dual nature of the mind. The colour of the Gemini and the throat chakra is described as a shade of green which produces blue; it has a great healing effect. The crystals of copper sulphate give an idea of this colour.

In this image, you see Mercury standing between two bluish pillars. There is an influx of yellow-green light from above. Mercury wears a hat with two wings, which are depicted partly concrete, partly etheric - symbol of the Messenger of the Gods or the Light; it radiates through his eyes. His face is half light blue, half golden yellow, representing the dual nature of the mind and of the Buddhic plane. His throat centre of bluish-green colour radiates into space.

I created its colour with the help of a photo of crystals of copper sulphate. And Mercury with the help of a plaster bust of Mercury by the French artist François Rude.

Taurus – The Bull and the Lingam

25 January 2015, pencils and photo work

The lingam is a fundamental symbol of creation, of the primary form emerging from the formless state. The expression of the divine Will is like a spark on the background of boundless blue. It has six projections from its centre, the six dimensions, giving the form of a double pyramid, which is also understood as a form of the lingam.

The divine Word comes forth through the vibrations in space which are compared to the roaring of the bull of Shiva. In Taurus, the constellation Rohini known in the West as Aldebaran is considered as the Eye of the Bull or the point of utterance of the divine Word. This eye is located in us in the third eye on the forehead. In the temples consecrated to Shiva the Lord in the form of a lingam should be seen through the horns of the bull situated outside the temple.

In the picture you see the double pyramid and the lingam through the horns of the bull. In the background I placed an image of the constellation of Taurus with Aldebaran in the centre. The star is surrounded by a lotus, the principle of unfoldment. Around the one central point there is a globe with the three original spectral colours unfolding to the central column with the seven colours of the rainbow. They represent the seven planes of creation or the higher antahkarana on our forehead. The fiery red sphere of the lingam on the blue background expresses the potency of the divine Will bringing forth the creation. The central symbols taken together give the form of the divine Eye.

Aries – The Ruler of the Solar Dynasty

14 December 2014, pencils and photo work

The earliest legends of the history of India mention two dynasties, the “race of the Sun” and the “race of the Moon”. The Solar Dynasty of the “Sons of the Sun” was the first ray royal dynasty, to which Lord Rama belonged. Master Morya, who is of fiery nature, belongs to the Solar Dynasty and is its last representative. He is the Master of the sun sign Aries and represents the Fire on our planet.

For this painting I used the photo of a huge solar eruption and one of the crescent earth to symbolize the descent of the Sons of the Sun onto our planet. In the background I created the path of descent and spheres of blue and red indicating the process of reception.

At the bottom I placed a picture of Master Morya and merged two crowns for his headwear, with a solar disc in the background.

Pisces – The Tablet of the Universe

17 November 2014, pencils and photo work

In Eastern wisdom, the content of space is called Akasha. The impressions of the past cycles of life are recorded in the ‘Akashic records’, a kind of subtle photography. In ‘Spiritual Astrology’, Pisces represents this ‘tablet of the universe’ on which an initiate can read the past, present and future of the whole creation. Pisces also preserves the information about the human frame and its relationship with the frame of the cosmic man, which is hidden in the depths of our consciousness.

To illustrate the opening of the sacred content of space with its subtle records, I used an image of the stained glass windows of a Gothic cathedral, which I transformed and duplicated. For the cosmic man I extracted from an Indian painting the face of Ishvara, the Master consciousness of the universe and in our own being. On his forehead, you see the path of light connecting the pineal and pituitary – the representatives of the two fishes of Pisces. And above there is the crown of the head centre.

Below, I placed the “blue marble” of our Earth as the sphere of our life. I super-imposed the image of an embryo, symbolizing that our frame is made in the image and likeness of the cosmic man and that it is in a process of unfoldment.

Pisces is ruled by Neptune, who helps us to merge our lower consciousness (personality) into the higher consciousness or group-consciousness. I used a photo of Neptune to create the background of the image and to give it the mystic note, for Neptune is the soul of our solar Logos and is linked to the cosmic soul of our universe.

Aquarius - Apollo and the Song of Light

16 October 2014, pencils and photo work

On a very subtle plane, colour and sound converge and become one. This plane is related to Aquarius and to a supra-cosmic musical intelligence whom the Vedas call Vena the Gandharva. The Vedas say, he merrily sings the “song of light”. The Greek Apollo is no other than Vena; through his influence the sound- and light principles of the higher planes are expressed in identical scales.

Meditating on these correspondences, an image arose in me of Apollo with a musical instrument super-imposed on his face and light pouring down from above.

For the painting I chose a black and white photo of a head of Apollo and converted it into light yellow. I found the picture of a beautiful classical instrument, the “Viola d’Amore” (Viola of Love). It is used like a violin and has a sweet, warm sound. There are 6 or 7 playing strings on the top and the same number of “sympathetic strings” below – a beautiful symbol of the 6 pairs of signs of the zodiac or of the 7 planes of creation in the manifest and in the subtle spheres. I placed the instrument on the face of Apollo so that the upper part with the pegs and the head is like a stair towards the spheres of light. There is a second viola merging with the face of Apollo and a part of a nearly invisible third one surrounding the head like an aureole.

For the background, I first took a photo of Uranus and merged it with another one of a star cluster from the constellation Aquarius. Though you don’t recognize these elements anymore, they are there in the “background” of this painting. And the light coming from above looks like pouring down from out of the nearly invisible Aquarian pot.

Capricorn - The Sunrise

05 September 2014, pencils and photo work

In spiritual astrology, Capricorn symbolises the time of dawn on the different scales: the daily sunrise, the dawn of the year, or the birth of the creational intelligences, the awakening of the gods.

To illustrate these different planes, I started with a photo of a sunrise seen from an airplane. The partly visible sun symbolises that our visible sun is an expression of the invisible parts. According to the Scriptures, only one quarter is visible, while three quarters remain hidden. The surrounding petals of three layers of a sunflower and the flames above depict the radiance of the subtle planes.

In the centre, you see the depiction of the three basic forces of creational activity, pervasion and destruction - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. I created this three-headed unity by transforming a picture of a brownish copper statue into blue with golden ornaments. The statue was done on the basis of the famous Trimurti, a huge sculpture of the three-headed divinity in the caves of Elephanta Island, Mumbai. The serpent is a symbol of the unfoldment of time and the forces of life (Kundalini).

For the background, I chose a photo of the constellation of Capricorn. In many of my paintings you see a dark blue background with stars. It symbolises the background of the unmanifest space, from out of which all manifestations emerge – you cannot illustrate the unmanifest. The blue of the statues of Gods refers to their origin from the unknowable background.

Sagittarius – Fiery Alignment

08 August 2014, pencils and photo work

Sagittarius is the fiery sign of the archer, symbol of single-minded attention. It teaches us to direct all our forces to one purpose, the goal of our life. On the spiritual path, the bow and arrow stand for the meditative discipline of lifting up the energies to the higher centres and to align one’s own will to the divine Will.

For the visualisation of the divine Will, I chose a representation of the Lord of the Divine Will: I took the face of a statue of Shiva on the banks of the River Ganges in Rishikesh, India. I cleared other symbolisms from it and placed a bow and an arrow over the bust. With the help of photos of the sun and of a lotus I created the Sahasrara, the thousand-petalled lotus over the head, the target of the alignment, the connection to the higher worlds.

For the string and the lower part of the bust I created shapes of bluish flames, expressing the electric tension of the fiery alignment. I emphasized it by intensifying the colours.

Scorpio – The Master of the Violet Flame

09 July 2014, pencils and photo work

The work of Scorpio is the alchemy of profound transformation through rhythmic inner work. Rhythm, ritual and order are related to the 7th ray of violet vibration. The violet light is the most proximate subtle light; it helps us gain the vision, which reveals the subtle existence. The violet flame causes magical transformations, which slowly reorganize the energies of our life. The Master of the 7th Ray, the Count Saint Germain, is the Master related to Scorpio. He supports us to govern ourselves by following a rhythm and order.

For this painting I took some photos of a candle flame and arranged a picture of Count Saint Germain into several layers of flames transformed into violet light. In the background I merged the pictures of a rose window of a cathedral and a blue diamond. Then I started working with the colours.

After scanning the picture and further working on the colours I saw that the print-outs were quite different from the screen images. The colour tones did not give the right hues, and the violet did not render well. So I slept one night over it and then continued working: I divided the picture into two layers, worked on the layers separately. I then erased parts of the one layer and fused the two layers. After a number of print-outs the right luminosity was adjusted.

Libra – The Upper and the Lower Bird and the Magnetism of Life

04 June 2014, pencils and photo work

In one of the Upanishads there is the story of two birds on the tree of life which are eternal inseparable friends. One bird eats the fruit of the tree; the other rejoices the first one eating. The bird below stands for the personality, which is experiencing the world. The bird above is the soul, which is a witness of the actions of the lower self. Both are eternally united. It is a beautiful representation of Libra, which stands for relationship. Another symbol of relationship is the magnet. Its two poles create a field which attracts and magnetizes the iron filings.

In this picture I joined the two symbols: The upper bird in radiant white is hovering above and observing the lower bird. The latter is sitting on the ground, looking backwards. It is also white but a little tinged. In the background you see the two poles of the magnet vertically arranged as two suns spreading their fields of force all around illustrating the poles of the soul and personality. They also represent the trunk of the tree of life with the lines of force as branches and roots.

I drew the lines on a photo of iron filings ordered around a magnet. Spiritual Astrology describes the colour of Libra as crimson-red for the average people living in a cloudy admixture of emotions and love. For a disciple who has developed the etheric lotuses the colour is violet; and when he is established in the thousand petalled lotus the colour is a blend between blue and pure white. You see these colour tones vibrating in the picture.

Virgo – The Mother and the Maturing of the Souls

10 May 2014, pencils and photo work



The earthy sign of Virgo symbolizes the slow growth in the “womb of time” through conflicts and crises to reach the light of the soul. When we have gained a pure mind, it can reflect the divine Light. When the Light gets born in the virgin mind, this is called the “birth in Light”. The light of primordial nature is described as the Mother of the World. She penetrates all the seven planes of existence. These planes are said to be the veils of the Mother, and they are also depicted as a rainbow around her head. It says that her eyes transmit the rays of grace uplifting the souls to their pristine nature.

For this picture I used the image of a little statue of the Virgin with a star-filled veil. Around her head you see the colours of a huge rainbow, the planes of creation. In the background I placed two galaxies from the constellation of Virgo, depicting the cosmic eyes of the Virgin.

In the lower sphere I arranged an extract of a group photo and on each person’s face I placed a layer of a sunrise, illustrating the reflection of the divine Light in the human minds. They are the souls maturing in the matter to experience the birth in the Light.

Leo – The Sun Centre in the Heart

09 April 2014, pencils and photo work



According to spiritual astrology, the heart centre is the seat of the soul and is ruled by Leo. Leo is the expression of the I AM, the sun of our being. The lion is the symbol of the personality which is to be transformed by the soul. The highest point of illumination in us is the head centre, and via this centre a yogi establishes contact with the sun centre of our planet, Shamballa. On a still higher plane there is a relation to the polar star.

The painting took some inner preparation before I began the outer work. To start with, I did a print-out of a colour spectrum wheel with 7 layers per colour shade. I photographed an icosahedron cut in a rock crystal and used the form of this Platonic solid of 20 triangles as an expression of rounded-up matter, or the “diamond body” of the spiritual matter which an initiate carries. For the meditator inside the crystal, I chose a picture of a statue of an Eastern goddess in a blessing posture which I took some years ago in the home of friends. I placed her face into the centre of the triangle pointing upwards and placed the picture of a lion with its head in the middle of the downward triangle. I put the colour wheel into the background with its centre at the heart centre of the meditator, symbolising the spectrum of the one light manifesting in 7 layers of creation. The colour of Leo is gold, and so the lion radiates a hue of golden light.

Behind the colour wheel I included a photo of the Dhaulagiri (meaning “White Mountain”) of the Himalayas as a symbol of intense aspiration towards greatest heights. On the front of the meditator, I placed the symbol of the sun. I shaped the headpiece exceeding the pyramid as an etheric representation of Shamballa which the meditator contacts via the head centre. Atop of it you see a star symbolising the polar star forming a triangle with two other stars.

Cancer – Cosmic Musicians and the Moon Principle

02 March 2014, pencils and photo work



Pure, sublime music is associated with the Divine. The soul naturally responds to high quality music, and we get absorbed into its enchanting vibrations. At the beginning of creation, when space begins to awaken, there is a first group of cosmic devas. The scriptures call them the Gandharvas, the musicians, because they are the intelligences who produce periodicities and durations. They are the blissful devas, the musical waves beyond creation. The musical hierarchy is presided over by Soma, the cosmic lunar principle, which exists on all planes. In astrology, his energy is presented through Neptune; on the planetary plane it is Venus; on the plane of our earth it is the satellite Moon.

In the centre of the picture you see three spheres representing the moon principle, composed from photos of the moon and a Chinese ivory carving. I placed a picture of the constellation of Cancer in the background. The outer, bluish sphere is touching a lower sphere representing the reflective principle or the transmission of the lunar energies to the Earth.

In the upper part of the picture you see three angels with flageolets, taken from the works of the English Pre-Raffaelite painter Edward Burne Jones (1833-1899). I worked them over to represent the Devas of the musical hierarchy. The musical vibrations penetrating the cosmos are visualised by the rays descending from the cosmos.

Gemini – The Son of the Sun and the Great Cycles of Time

09 February 2014, pencils and photo work



The Eastern wisdom describes the unfoldment of the creational activity in tremendous time cycles called Manvantaras. They cover periods far before the creation of our present earth and go into cycles of far distant future times. A Manvantara is ruled by a solar intelligence called Manu and the Manu presiding over the present cycle is called Vaivasvata. Vaivasvata is the son of the Sun; he is the mind of the Sun and is also called the light of the soul. The Sun is called the weaver, Vivasvata; he weaves the globe of light around itself. The very meaning of Vaivasvata Manu is “the weaver of the light of the soul”, of the divine plan on earth.

This painting visualizes Vaivasvata Manu as emerging from the Sun in the background. Behind his head you see the radiance of the solar light and his headpiece has the form of the solar material shown in images of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT). His youthful face reminds of him being the son of the Sun.

The sages describe the creation as emerging from out of a golden egg. You see a golden egg-shape in the background and the Manu surrounded by a wheel of 14 egg-shaped figures each containing the colours of the rainbow, representing the 14 Manvantaras and the 7 planes of each creation. The whole is contained in a huge lotus, the symbol of unfoldment. Vaivasvata is in the midst of the lotus, and inside the Sun you see a higher octave of the lotus out of which the Manvantaras emerge.

Creating this picture was a strange experience. It seemed that it didn't want to come out. And while working on it, I wasn't satisfied with the way it developed and on several occasions wanted to destroy it. In the end, I realised that my concepts of how the picture should look like were blocking its emergence.

Taurus – Receiving the Flow

27 December 2013, pencils and photo work

In the symbolism of Puranic scriptures the flow of life is described as the cosmic waters of space that had to be brought down to earth from the plane of the creator, Brahma. There was no one on earth who could receive the intensity of the fiery flux called Ganga (Ganges) but Shiva, the Lord of Divine Will. So a solar king ardently prayed for a long time until Shiva agreed to receive Ganga.

Shiva, who carries the crescent moon on his head, opened his hair, and when Ganga came down, she was caught in the hair and her impact was reduced before she was allowed to descend from his head to the heart and then to the planes.

The head of Shiva represents Shamballa and the heart of the planet is Spiritual Hierarchy. The human beings live in the planes. Each year in Aries, a new annual impulse is received in Shamballa and in Taurus it is passed on to Hierarchy and in Gemini to humanity.

For this painting I chose a picture of Shiva with a beautiful smile. I transformed it a bit, added the crescent moon onto Shiva’s head and placed a picture of Mount Kailash into the background. Then I created the sphere with the downpour of the energies onto Shiva’s head and from there, changing colours to golden yellow, down to earth. The air is filled with the flow of etheric energies.

It must be like this to stand in the full flow of life.

Aries – The Birth of a Butterfly

26 November 2013, pencils and photo work

Aries opens the astrological year and stands for the birth of spiritual man. It also symbolises the birth-place of an idea, of a spiritual impulse taking to a form.

The butterfly is a symbol of the soul. Just like the caterpillar is totally different from the chrysalis, the butterfly emerging out of it is again a totally different state: its light movements make it difficult to believe that such a being comes forth from the previous states.

In this painting I tried to illustrate the state of transformation we go through on our way to spiritual birth: you see a human head like a cocoon from out of which emerges a being of light with wings like a butterfly. I constructed the head using different layers of a picture of myself fused with a picture of Master CVV. In front of the head you see the merged pictures of an enlarged empty cocoon, a chrysalis with the butterfly still inside, and a butterfly just emerging – pictures of a Plain Tiger from an Indian friend. There is another butterfly in front of the head, like emerging out of it, and other ones are seen flying into the vastness of space.

Pisces – Ascension, the Light of the Higher Bridge

28 October 2013, pencils and photo work

The signs of the zodiac have their correspondences in the body. Pisces is not only associated with the feet but also with the area above the head, with the pineal gland and the pituitary body. When the higher consciousness awakens, a light starts to manifest between these two glands and gives rise to an ascension via this higher bridge of light beyond the limitations of the body. Pisces represents the ascent of man into God; it is therefore also called the sign of completion, of the meeting of the “alpha and omega” of creation.

For this picture I used a picture of Jesus and of the transfiguration of the Christ, from a painting of Fra Angelico (1442). I transformed this painting and fused the face of the Christ with a picture of Maitreya. I arranged two photos of sunrises on the front of the image of Jesus, thus generating the view of the radiant etheric centres. I increased the intensity of the eyes which are observing the observer and created a fusion of the subjective and the objective spheres.

For the upper background, I warped a photo of waves rolling onto a beach, producing the impression of the vastness of the etheric ocean of space associated with Neptune, the ruler of Pisces. And the colour of the sign is that of the pure sky in bright daylight. I further worked on the head centre in the middle of which you see the blessing figure of Christ.

Aquarius – Agastya and Sirius

30 September 2013, pencils and photo work

The Wisdom Teachings speak of Agastya or Master Jupiter as the oldest member of the Spiritual Hierarchy. Since time immemorial, he has been a great sage on the earth and his deeds have been described in the Puranas. In South India, he is also called Agathiyar and worshipped as a Siddha having his abode in the Nilagiris or Blue Mountains. He is closely linked to the energies of Sirius and on the zodiacal level he presides over the sign Aquarius.

The creation of this picture was a paradox for me: I pondered upon it for few weeks. There was the initial impulse for the image of Agastya but I thought it must be something else – and no thoughts came. I felt frustrated but finally followed the original impulse to do the picture with a photo of a statue of Agastya. For the background, I took a photo of the mountain in the Nilagiris which is said to be the location of the ashram of Agastya. Then I integrated a photo of Sirius. Using the computer and pencils, I worked on the colours and details of the expression. When the picture was ready I was thrilled about its radiance.

Capricorn – Varaha and Varuna

4 September 2013, pencils and photo work

For several weeks, I meditated on the symbolism of Capricorn but no complete picture came up. There was just an idea but I thought that the complex symbolism cannot be depicted in an appealing way. However, the impulse for the painting continued. And during the work on the picture it slowly manifested. Its symbolism is not easy to be understood by a Westerner. In short: The earth is lifted up from matter to spirit.

At the bottom you see the head of Varaha, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as the White Boar. The Puranic lore describes how he lifts up the earth from out of the depth into manifestation, and from matter to spirit. Varaha is particularly worshipped in Capricorn.
This month is the dawn of the solar year and also the dawn of the great time cycle of our creation called a Manvantara. The earth is depicted as floating on the surface of the waters of space; it is supported by Varaha and surrounded by a huge etheric lotus flower, the symbol of unfoldment. Behind, there is a great sunrise, and from beyond the sun a dragon rising. On its back you see Varuna, depicted as a five years old boy with four arms. As they move through space the trident in Varunas hands, representing Neptune, is creating lines of force, which are the guiding lines for the Aquarian age. The white dragon, the vehicle of Varuna, is called Makara in the Vedic scriptures, meaning Capricorn.

Sagittarius – Pre-Dawn Meditation

3 August 2013, pencils and photo work

The two hours before dawn are considered to be most propitious for deep contemplation, where the awareness can easily link to the subtle planes. At this time nature prepares the new day and we can receive plenty of vital energy. In the annual cycle, Sagittarius is said to be the "two hours before dawn” and very beneficial for the spiritual aspirants.

For the painting I took a photo of a pre-dawn sky taken from an airplane I fused two photos of wooden and ceramic statues of Buddha. I placed the figure into the centre of the structure of a double pyramid surrounded by a circle. It is the symbol of transformation, a diamond enabling protection of the meditator, of a group, a nation or even the globe. It is also called a temple, from where positive energies spread out and help to reorganise the subtle matter. The diamond stands for the four cardinal points of the day and of the year, the Midheaven (MC; Medium Coeli) and the Nadir (IC, Imum Coeli).
In the centre I placed the lotus of the heart centre surrounded by golden light. The lotus is formed by different layers of radiant light. I took a photo of prismatic reflections on the walls of my home office and constructed the central column from the base centre to the head and beyond. Around and above the head you see an aura of vital energies in different shades of violet penetrating the space.

Scorpio - The Tree of Life and the Androgynous Man

16 July 2013, pencils and photo work

The wisdom teachings refer to the manifested creation as an inverted tree. In the 15th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says: “The whole Creation is an inverted tree. The roots are up above, the branches are down below”. The branches (manifestations) of Nature are downward, towards the gross matter, and the roots (causes) are above, in the subtler planes. The wisdom teachings describe the downward movement into objectivity as female (Nari), and the ascending movement as male (Nara). Both movements together form the cosmic person, Narayana.

As a starting point of the painting I took a picture of snow-capped Tibetan mountains reflecting in a lake, and I digitally warped the mountains into a downward u-form. At the top I placed a tree as the original “idea” of the tree. It is projected downwards into the lake, the inverted tree of creation. I took a photo of the Vitruvian Man of Leonardo da Vinci, took away the extra arms and legs and integrated him into the tree. His head is penetrated by the roots from the upper tree – receiving the ideas from cosmic dimensions. Then, I extracted the Venus from a photo of Botticelli’s famous painting “The Birth of Venus” and fused her, downwards, into the Vitruvian Man, thus creating the male-female Androgyn. I worked on the painting with pencils. I transformed a photo of the roots of a tree and put them, pointing downwards, in several faint layers around the upper tree: The roots are in the blue space at the top, the manifestation of the tree extends below.

The White Island

06 July 2013, pencils and photo work

The Eastern wisdom teachings describe the most sublime plane of our planet as a field of radiant light. It exists in us as the plane of pure existence, the diamond consciousness in the head centre. It is also called Sweta Dipa, the White Island, full of divine brilliance and splendour. Another name for it is Shamballa, a hidden place on the etheric plane of the Gobi Desert.

Sanat Kumara, the Lord of the World and the highest being on earth, lives there, and within his forehead there is the beautiful gem of Chintamani, the philosopher’s stone of heavenly origin. He and his team of sublime beings incessantly assist the evolution of the beings on earth.

I tried to depict the White Island in an ocean of bluish light, rising above the earthly sphere. In the lower part of the picture you perceive the outlines of India seen from space at night, with the lighted centres. Above the island you see the head of the Lord of the World, with the resplendent jewel of Chintamani on his forehead. For this I chose a photo of a Buddha statue from Tibet taken by a friend, and I transformed it a bit. For the jewel I used several layers of a photo of a blue diamond. Sanat Kumara is surrounded by seven flames in rainbow colours, symbolising his team of collaborators. I created them based on photos of prismatic reflections on the walls of my room. The whole scene seems to be floating on a field of dark night blue, representing the background of existence.

Libra - The Ascent of the Soul from the Abyss

20 May 2013, pencils and photo work

In the symbolic journey through the zodiac, Libra represents the illusions into which the soul loses itself when it gets disconnected with the thread of Light.

I visualised it as a ravine and superimposed on it the structure of a labyrinth, depicting the windings of our intellect, our brain. There is a bridge of Light leading over the gap, and in the background there is the light of a huge unfolding flower of consciousness. A pilgrim, symbol of the eternal part of the soul, is standing at the left side and looking down into the abyss. At the left rock face, you see the volumes of a library, representing the great masses of knowledge where you can get lost in concepts. An old man is sitting in front of the wall of books, absorbed in studying. A sage with a rod is observing him. He represents Saturn, the Lord of Time and the inner ruler of Libra. He is the guardian of the threshold who keeps you in a situation until the lesson is learnt. At the bottom you see a snail, symbol of the slowly moving spiral of time. At the centre, a young lady in white, representing the aspiring soul, is looking up to the guiding angel at the right. She is listening to him and is ready to ascend from the narrow abyss towards the Light.

The figures in this picture are taken from photos or transformed from paintings of Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1889) and Louis Janmot (1814-1892).

Virgo: The Sons and Daughters of the Virgin

12 April 2013, pencils and photo work

The book “Spiritual Astrology” is a storehouse of profound concepts of wisdom, which let images come to my mind’s eye. Thus when reading the chapter on Virgo impressions came to me of purity and virginity, of the world saviours as the Sons of the Virgin, of the rainbow of creation, the veil of the Mother of the World.

I wanted to give a new perspective to the often misunderstood concept of the Virgin and to replace the child with a group of great messengers of God and World Saviours.

I used a painting of Fra Angelico for the central figure of the Virgin. I added a helix galaxy structure and a rainbow in the background above her head, forming the Eye of God. The head and the halo of the Virgin at the centre symbolise that the World Mother is the first emanation from the background of creation. She is sitting on a red and golden veil, the sheath covering the pure existence and giving rise to the multitude of expressions in space. Full of loving attention the Mother is looking at the group of messengers of the pure Light, which are inserted into the form of the infant Jesus, who is holding in his left hand the ball of the globe. Wrapped into her blue robe you see smiling people who feel blessed and protected through her presence. Her Light is radiating into all directions.

Leo - The Entrance

17 March 2013, pencils and photo work

In symbolism Leo is connected with the transformation process in the inner cave of the heart. With the help of respiration you enter into the “cave of the lion”, the Heart Centre, where you can encounter the higher self, when the lower self is well adjusted. The cave also symbolises the inner ashram, of which an outer ashram is the externalisation. The image illustrates this entering into the ashram.

The painting shows a circle of 12 stars, symbolising the 12 signs of the zodiac. A woman is climbing a stair, entering through the circle of the “gate of stars”. The point in the centre is represented by a door leading to the Sanctum Sanctorum, and so the entry is a path from the circumference to the centre. At the threshold before the centre there is a white figure representing the Master in the Heart, the Divine Self. Above the centre you see the figure of an angel, the guardian of the ashram and the link to the cosmic spheres. The ashram is represented as a crystal cave. The crystals on the sides symbolise the purified, transparent matter, which can receive the Light. At the bottom on the left, outside the starry circle, there is a group of people waiting for their turn to enter.

Cancer - The Descent of the Solar Angel into the Body

28 February 2013, pencils, crayons and photo work

Cancer is the sign of the return of the soul into a physical body and thus it is related to the process of reincarnation. The Moon is also the symbol of the generative life which gives birth to forms.

In the upper part of the image you see the Moon and behind it the glow of the Sun. Two angelic figures, solar angels, observe the descent of a soul into the embryo in the womb of the mother. You see the embryo head downwards behind the descending soul. Another name for the soul, the I AM, is the Solar Angel. It is the eternal part in man which in the cycle of evolution goes through series of incarnations. The body is also called the Lunar Angel; it serves as a vehicle for the incarnation of the Solar Angel. For the left angel I chose an extract from a painting of Franz Dvorak, and for the one on the right side an extract from a painting of Edward Robert Hughes; a drawing of William Hunter for the embryo in the uterus. For the illustration of the descending solar angel, I took an image of Ilmatar, the virgin spirit of the air, by Robert Wilhelm Ekman.

Gemini: Pulsation – The Song of the Swan

10 February 2013, pencils, crayons and photo work

Pulsation is a fundamental principle in creation, which I wanted to express with this picture. Before my mind’s eye I saw a huge white swan with outspread wings. Hamsa is the Sanskrit word for swan, and it is the symbol of the centripetal and centrifugal movement. At the centre of its heart you see an open flower which is white inside, the pulsating centre. The ballerina sitting on the beach symbolises the moment of contraction, the one flying high symbolises the climax of expansion. I merged photos of several waves to visualise the pulsating movement of ebb and flow (behind the swan). I used very light colours at the border of reproducibility to give expression to the delicacy of pulsation.

Taurus - The Magic Flute of Krishna

21 December 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

For this picture I took the photo of a Krishna statue here in my room, chose for the yellow background an image of an extract of the Isenheim Altarpiece, by Matthias Grünewald, and another for the dome of stars at the top, from the stage set for The Magic Flute of Mozart by Karl Friedrich Schinkel; then I integrated the image of a peacock(bottom left), Krishna’s bird. I put the statue to dark blue; so the image emerged in violet - the right magical colour for Krishna with a “magic flute”.

Aries – The Birth of a Diamond

30 November 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

This image illustrates the enormous pressure of today’s society, which can cause a transformation process. I visualised it with a volcano, symbol of throwing out matter from the inside through a fiery process of high pressure. At its top there is a diamond, as nature’s most brilliant result of a transformation process through pressure.

For the glowing magma chamber, I took pictures at the underground corridors and shopping passages at the central station of Berne and fused them together. Several volcanos and diamonds, together with a rose flower of an echinopsis cactus for the fiery flashes at the top gave the dramatic structure with lava flows and the “magma chamber” of the hectic everyday life.

Lifting-up the Earth to the Kings of Beauty

11 November 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

Our planet is on the way to rise to subtler realms, and the energies of the New Age are helping to “lift up the earth to the Kings of Beauty”, as it says in the 5th stanza of the Great Invocation.

The picture shows an eagle, symbol of the spirit rising above the earth. Its wings are integrated into the lower part of the symbol of the circle with the square and the cross, the Sanctum Sanctorum. On the upper part there is a picture of Lord Maitreya, the head of Spiritual Hierarchy. The top of the square is at the Ajna Centre of Lord Maitreya, the bottom at the Heart Centre of the eagle. The left and right wings touch the left and right points of the square.

In the background I placed three circles as a symbol for the three planes of the sun (body, soul, spirit). The sun in the centre is merging with the Heart Centre of Lord Maitreya.

Pisces - The Alpha and the Omega

28 October 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

Pisces is a sign of sensitivity and fluidity. The two fishes of the sign stand for the soul and the personality. I represented them as an upper and a lower fish carrying a sun in them. The sun at the top is reflecting below, just like the soul is reflecting in the personality. Behind the lower fish you see the skyline of New York, symbolising the life caught in matter. The stairway stands for the ascent and descent of souls. Angels on the right and left are guarding the path. One is giving his blessing; the other is holding a treasure, the fruit of wisdom.

Aquarius – The Twin Gods and the Downpour of Cosmic Energies

25 September 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

The painting shows the downpour of cosmic energies down to our planet. At the top you see winged horses, the Ashwins, the Vedic twin Gods. Below there are the two seers Vasishta (on the right) and Agastya (on the left). They are guiding spiritual Hierarchies on our earth. In the centre of the upper triangle there is the pot of Aquarius from where the waters of life are pouring out incessantly. In the centre of the lower triangle there is a picture of Uranus who receives the energies for our system. And below you see a triangle of mountains surrounding a huge lotus into which the energies are received. You see the Blue Mountains of the Nilagiris in the front, Mount Kailash in the right back, and the “Swiss Himalayas”, the Matterhorn at the left. And if you look closely, you see in the centre of the downpour a Deva figure.

Capricorn - The Dawn and the Light of the Higher Heart Centre

11 August 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

Capricorn is also called The Mount. In the background of this painting bright mountains are shining, symbols of sublime aspiration. In the foreground you see the dark blue silhouette of a meditator diving into the subjective worlds. In its centre is radiating the huge eight-petalled lotus of the higher Heart Centre, the entrance to the inner light. The lotus is surrounded by fiery flames, and its stalk is rising from out of a reddish sun at the bottom. The electric blue lotus of the head centre is linking the inner of the meditator with the cosmic spheres.

Sagittarius – Kalki, The Rider on the White Horse

05 August 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

In the Eastern Puranas Kalki is described as the 10th Avatar who comes to close the Dark Age. We see him riding on a white horse, symbol of the purified energy of life. From above the mountains white eagles are coming down, messengers of the spirit.

Scorpio – The Ascent of the Serpents Through the Pituitary Hint

14 July 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

This picture represents the fall and the ascent of consciousness. I took the photo of a tree (far left) – it became the tree of life. I integrated the serpent falling down like a flash - it got a light-filled head and a body of red colour with a yellow line. It illustrates the consciousness descending into matter to gain experience. In the picture at the bottom you see the souls imprisoned in the lower sphere of the “burning ground”, of suffering. From out of their mass flying serpents ascend, with blue jewels as their heads, the initiates. Above you see a white-blue shimmering eagle, symbol of the spirit, and in the background, stars of the constellation of Scorpio. A lady is observing the magic dance. On her front is shining the light of the “electric hint” her head centres opened through enlightenment.

Libra – Birth of the New Earth

16 June 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

The picture came to me from out of the experiences of the previous months and weeks, culminating in receiving notice of termination of my work contract after 21 years of service. I felt free, after a very turbulent time. I saw the old structures collapsing, and at the same time felt the seed of the new sprouting, though not yet manifest.

At the top you see a skyline - brightly illuminated high-rise buildings on a burning ground which is about to crumble down. In the depth there is the formation of a new globe out of shining etheric flowers manifesting in a field of deep blue. A group of angels are observing the beauty with rapt attention.

There is a tremendous contrast between the subtlety of the new earth and the display of grandeur of the old structures, which are ready to sink into the abyss.

Virgo – Kwan-Yin, the Mother of Grace

12 May 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

Kwan Yin is a female figure of the Buddha of compassion. She came to me mind while I was searching for a picture for Virgo.

I took the photo of a statue of Kwan Yin in the house of a friend. Her look is totally turned inwards. Above her head you see the light of the sun in a huge flower. The light is pouring down on her right and left, I represented it with the picture of a waterfall. Her head is surrounded by spheres of light, from where emerges a circle of moon phases, with the full moon / new moon behind her head. The warm golden yellow symbolises the power of her loving compassion for all beings.

Leo – the Three Planes of the Sun

22 April 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

As already explained, the sun, like the human being, has a triple nature with a body, a soul and a spirit aspect. In the painting I have visualised their unity in a sacral space, which is hinted at by the church window in the background. The light at the centre (top) with the petals expanding into the space stands for the spiritual sun. In the centre of the picture there is the heart of the sun, represented as a huge flower with a pulsating heart at its centre. I visualised the sphere of the physical sun as a lion resting in a lotus and surrounded by an aura of light. It is a symbol of the pulsating life principle, which has its seat in our heart.

The picture with its fiery golden yellow illustrates the power of the love energy, which permeates the various spheres.

Cancer – The Mother and the Birth of the Soul into the Body

09 April 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

In the upper part of the picture you see a semicircular bowl opening to the starry sky. From the stars energies are radiating down to the moon, who, receiving, is lying in the middle of the bowl. The moon is the reflective principle receiving the light from higher spheres. From there The lunar light flows to the Pitris, the builders of the forms, who also create our bodies. At the bottom of the picture lies the mother; the embryo (on the right) floats in the waters of the womb, surrounded by the waters of earth. Above the earth you see the sun. The surrounding circles indicate that he has, like a human being, a body and a soul and is an expression of the spiritual sun. From its centre the soul is coming down to enter into the body of the child.

The Master May Call

24 March 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

Ever since I came to know about Master CVV (1868-1922), I was deeply fascinated. For me his piercing look is full of energy, and he does tremendous work in the subtle planes.

To give an expression to the etheric call of the Master, I worked over two photos I took in 2006 at an installation of huge old loudspeakers on the roof of the Kunsthalle Berne (Art Gallery). This installation was done by Pavel Büchler, a Czech born artist living in UK. I was fascinated by the “silent loudspeakers”, overlooking a noisy square. The artist was searching for something which is “beyond the communication”, something which is beyond sound, beyond form, even beyond manifestation.

I already explained the meaning of the May Call Day with the picture “May Call – Receiving the Energies of Synthesis”.

Gemini – Saraswathi and Mercury

17 March 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

The sign of Gemini is ruled by Mercury, who in the east is represented by Saraswathi, the goddess of wisdom. For Mercury I used the photo of a brass statue from the 19th century. And for Saraswathi I found an illustration of the goddess flying on her vehicle, the swan. It is holding a lotus flower in its mouth, symbol of the messages of the divine Word conveyed to Mercury.

Mercury is holding a rod surrounded by serpents. It is a representation of the vertebral column, with the wings of the Ajna Centre, and the pineal gland, the seat of the higher awareness. In his other hand he holds a purse filled with gold coins, being the God of merchants, and he wears the winged cap of the fast messenger. The keyboard in the background is a symbol expressing that the whole creation is done with the letters of the divine Word. And behind the keyboard you see a NASA photo of the surface of the planet Mercury.

Taurus – The Woman in the Heart of Man

12 February 2012, pencils, crayons and photo work

This painting in a way is a continuation of the Aries painting. I took a silhouette of a man and placed a picture of Lakshmi sitting on a lotus to be in the cave of man's heart. She is showering her grace and thus the energy centres unfold. You also see an unfolding “heart above the head” at the centre of the huge lotus at the top, the connection to the cosmos. The body is interwoven by energy lines.

Aries – The Mother Principle and the Descent in 10 Steps into Creation

20 November 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

According to the Wisdom teachings, the Cosmic Person is the supreme God principle self-existing without mother and father. From there the Mother principle comes down and conceives the creation in her womb as her child. She comes down in 10 steps through 4 planes up to the gross material plane. The Mother is represented as a young lady, the planes are represented as spheres, and the10 points of the Pythagorean decade symbolise the complete creation. Its centre lies at the womb of the lady, the top of the triangle at her heart centre. She is standing in a lotus, the principle of unfoldment. In her inner she carries a form of Lord Vishnu, the Lord of permeation. There is a visualisation exercise where you imagine the Divine – be it Christ, Vishnu or whosoever –standing over the solar plexus and the meditator becoming one with him. The delicate figure of the Mother is standing in the area of tension between the seminal emergence and the tremendous power of the manifesting energies. She carries in her heart this tension between the delicacy and and the power of the presence of Vishnu.

Pisces – The Mother Blessing the Earth Through the Grace of her Looks

22 October 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

In the Eastern wisdom Meenakshi is the Mother who blesses the earth through the grace of her looks. For the Mother I took an illustration of an Indian goddess, but replaced her eyes by bright blue eyes. For me, they symbolise the unfathomable depth of the motherly love. Her light radiates from the centre of her forehead. Beside the earth you see the hands of Meenakshi; they hold and bless the earth, whose aura thus becomes a radiant blossom.

Opening the Sheaths of the Soul towards the Greater Light

11 October 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

For many years till I was in the mid-40ies I had the feeling that my life hasn’t yet come to flourish, and that I was in a bud-like state. I knew that there were veils around the soul, which slowly started to unfold and widen. This was the origin of this painting.

To visualise the closed state, I took a photo of a water lily bud and that of an egg and fused them together. I then added the figure of a woman inspired by a pre-Raphaelite painting. She is holding a dove in her hand which is waiting to fly. The sheaths open in the upward direction allowing the soul in incarnation to unite with its counterpart which is radiating in the light of pure consciousness.

Aquarius – The Mother with the Aquarian Pot

01 October 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

Traditionally Aquarius is presented as a man bearing the pot from which the waters of life pour down. For this image I chose to take a female figure for the water bearer. I came across an image of a Madonna by Botticelli. I added an Aquarian pot instead of Jesus, and created a downpour of light from a sunset. I also integrated golden rays and a NASA picture of the earth. At the end I created an opening on the backside of the pot, as a symbol that the energy is pouring out into manifestation on one side, but on the other side there seems to be nothing coming into it.

Now the Mother is blessing the earth with the Aquarian energies.

Capricorn: Aditi – the Mother of Light and the Birth of the Twelve Lights

11 September 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

In the Vedas Aditi is the original light, the light of the world, from which the 12 basic qualities of light emerge. They are the 12 sons of Aditi, the qualities of the 12 signs of the zodiac. In spiritual astrology the qualifies of the signs are not identical with the constellations, but are the great thought forms that impregnate the space around a globe and shape the energies of the beings into certain specific qualities. I visualised the 12 qualities as 12 radiant energy centres around the Mother holding a child, like in the presentation of Mother Mary with the infant Jesus Christ. I took the inspiration from a picture of the Hungarian painter Franz Dvorak.

Sagittarius: The Tree of Wisdom and the Waters of Life

03 September 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, representing the teacher and the search for wisdom. In the Eastern teachings the cosmic Jupiter is symbolised by Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, the incarnation of divine wisdom. The principle of the Teacher on the cosmic plane is Lord Dattatreya, the higher potency of Lord Maitreya, who is worshipped as the world teacher. Dattatreya is illustrated as a youth with 3 heads. The tree related to Jupiter, wisdom and meditation, is the Ficus Religiosa.

I started with a photo of a statue of Ganesha reading a book of wisdom. Behind him there is the trunk of a Ficus Religiosa. In its crown there are the three heads of Lord Dattatreya. Above you see the eyes of Lord Narayana. Looking into these magical eyes leads you to the inner dimensions. The brilliance of the higher energies is visualised in the white flame between the eyes, hinting at the third eye, the divine opening.

I created with crayons the movements of the ascending and descending etheric flow and the flames surrounding the heads of Dattatreya. I was fascinated by the innocence of the childlike looks that are full of divine peace and radiance.

As for Lord Ganesha, he seems to enjoy sitting there under the Ficus tree and reading the book of eternal wisdom. Everything is a part of the flowing movements and the mystery of Creation.

Expansion and Fulfilment

27 August 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

Laskhmi is worshipped in India as the Mother of Splendour, in golden-yellow colours. She represents wealth, good luck and beauty.

For this image I used a picture of Lakshmi and placed behind her a NASA photo of a sunrise over the earth. Lakshmi is always presented holding lotuses and showering her blessings in the form of gold coins. She is accompanied by elephants. So I placed an Indian and an African elephant on either side. The central sun of our system is Alcyone in the Pleiades, the constellation of the 7 Mothers. Spiritual astrology says that from there energies come down to our system. So I digitally created a downpour of a starry flow over our planet. May spiritual blessings pour down on the onlookers.

Scorpio – The Dark Mother and the Consequences of Blindness

01 August 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

The qualities related to Scorpio are hidden activities, power, as well as the loss of consciousness and death.

I used a photo of the burning oil platform Deepwater Horizon, which has sunk in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, surrounded by fire-fighting vessels in their futile attempt to save the platform from sinking. I arranged a black-and-white drawing of the Kali, representing the dark and fearful aspect of Nature as part of the divine, and integrated it into the image. It thus becomes a symbol of human arrogance exploiting Nature and thinking that they can escape from the consequences. Kali holds a sword in one hand and a stab with a skull surrounded by a serpent in the other – symbols of the vital energy of Kundalini. The serpent can bring death, but can also resuscitate consciousness to ascend to the higher spheres. Between her feet you see the Yantra of Kali, the power which keeps man in the clutches of desires and sex as long as these energies are not directed towards ascent.

The fire of the burning platform becomes one with the fury of the Divine Mother, the halo mingled with the dark clouds of the burning oil look like an apocalyptic beacon of destruction.

Antaryami – The Lord in the Heart

30 July 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

In Indian wisdom the inner consciousness is also called the Master in the Heart, the Indweller, Antaryami, or Ishvara.

For this picture I took an Indian picture of Ishvara and put it into a huge lotus and a sunrise. Then I gave expression to the radiance of the indweller, who is said to be shining with golden light. His expression is full of serene peace and focus on the inner dimensions.

Libra – The Mother with the Tiger in the Jungle of the City

11 July 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

In many of the pictures I use symbols of the east and transpose them into a western setting. For this picture I took the inspiration of Durga, the impermeable mother with the tiger, who is ruling the time of Libra. It is considered to be the time of the descent of the spirit into the life in densest matter. In this phase of life you can easily get lost on your way and forget the purpose of your life.

I visualised this life in densest matter as the life in a metropolis and took a photo of a street canyon in New York. For Durga, I used a painting of an English Pre-Raphaelite painter illustrating nature and transformed its position, colours and expression. I added a sword and a lotus – the sword as a symbol of strength and the lotus as the symbol of unfoldment. I used a picture of a Siberian tiger which is about to jump. I then worked out the etheric movements of city life as the movements of the energy which surrounds the figure of Durga.

Virgo – Purity and Holiness of Virgin Nature

19 June 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

Virgo is the sign of the original nature, which is also called the virgin nature. She is an expression of sublime purity and transparency. She is the guardian of the spirit descended into matter and ripening there in silence and secrecy. So you see her represented as a woman radiating light and purity. She is sitting amidst withering flowers indicating that the heat of the summer is over and that the seeds are ready to fall down and go into the ground. She is holding an ear of corn in one hand and a flame of light in the other, the symbol of the light of consciousness, which is brought down by Mercury, the messenger of the Gods. He is the ruler of the sign of Virgo.

Leo – The Mother with the Lion

11 June 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

In eastern wisdom it says that one of the forms of the Divine Mother is the shape of Saila Putri. She is regarded as a form of Parvathi and is also called the Daughter of the Mountain, the personification of the Himalayas. She is said to exist even today and to live in the form of an 18 years old woman accompanied by a white lion. From time to time she gives her presence to the initiates in the Himalayas through the roar of the lion which accompanies her.

For this picture I didn’t want to use an Indian-looking woman. I searched for a lady with royal posture and I found a figure of Elisabeth of Thuringia, queen of Hungary. It is said that once when she was threatened by her husband, a transformation of bread into roses happened to protect her. I gave her a huge rose as the symbol of the Heart. In the background I fused the pictures of a sunrise above Mount Everest and a panorama of Mount Kanchenjunga. And the white lion lies in his fiery cave, which is the symbol of the Heart Centre.

May Call – Receiving the Energies of Synthesis

21 May 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

In the book Spiritual Astrology Master EK says that Uranus is the ruler of the Aquarian energies and that Master CVV had a spark of the metal Uranium emanating from his Heart lotus. The picture symbolically represents the reception of the energies and how they emanate from the Heart Centre.

You see the downpour of energies from above which are being received by the Master and shining in electric blue and violet. They were transmitted by Halley’s comet. So I placed a picture of the comet on the chest, its light is reflected below the radiant globe at the Heart Centre.

Cancer – The Crab, the Tortoise and the Beetle

Cancer – The Crab, the Tortoise and the Beetle

08 May 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

Master EK explains that when the earth begins to tilt back from the highest point of the summer solstice, the Sun appears to travel sidewise from North to South. Hence Sun is described as a crab while passing through this sign. A branch of symbolism represents it as the beetle which can transform a worm into a butterfly. This marks the transformation of matter into mind, the passage to spirit. The picture illustrates these aspects of the symbolism of the sign.

I took a photo of a crab running on a beach, between water and land, i.e., the physical and emotional plane; another of a turtle swimming in the waters. The turtle is a symbol of the man who has learnt to withdraw from the outer to the inner and to come out again when needed. The swimming turtle is elegantly floating through the waters, for it has mastered the emotional plane. And above you see three ladybird beetles flying. They represent the stage where the soul has liberated itself from the dense matter of the three lower planes and is ascending into the vast worlds of the spirit.

In the centre you see the moon shedding its light on the surface of the water. Moon is the ruler of Cancer, and the reflective light stands for the illusions created when you see only the reflection and not the original. There is a movement of reddish veils around the moon for which I used a picture of a rose, representing the heart governed by Cancer. The rose also stands for the intuitive and mystic nature of the sign. In the left upper corner, you also see the symbol of Neptune, the higher ruler of Cancer, and the glyph of the sign in the right upper corner.

Gemini – Union beyond Duality

16 April 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

According to the ancient Indian tradition, Gemini represents a pair of supplementaries, subjectivity and objectivity. Subjectivity is called the Lord and objectivity is called the power of the Lord in relation to his Lady. Gemini is worshipped as the temple of the Lord, at the entrance of which there are two pillars. The picture shows on three planes, between and above the pillars, Lord Krishna and Radha as a symbol of duality and union.

On the physical plane they are surrounded by an aura of light. On the solar plane you see them in the network of the energies linking the planets. And on the cosmic plane they are one with the far-away stars.

Taurus – Receiving the Milk of Wisdom

11 March 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

At Taurus full moon there is a downpour of energies from cosmic centres down to earth. Spiritual Astrology says that these energies are coming down via a brilliant star near the constellation of the Pleyades, Aldebaran. It is also called the eye of the bull. You see this star at the top of the picture. Buddha is the representative of this energy on earth, so you see him between the two horns of the bull. They represent the “antennas” for the reception of the energies of Divine Will. In Eastern symbolism Shiva is the embodiment of the Will aspect, and he is visualised in form of a Lingam. The bull Nandi is his vehicle, and it is always placed looking at Shiva in form of the Lingam.

At the lower centre of the image there is a black Lingam. A waterfall is flowing over the it. All around the Lingam are the many images of the Masters of Wisdom. In the centre of it you see Lord Maitreya, Master Morya, and Master Kut Humi. They are spreading the light of wisdom. It is said that the Masters milk the cosmic cow and nourish humanity with this milk of wisdom.

Aries – The Fire of Life

04 March 2011, pencils, crayons and photo work

Aries is the most powerful sign, the beginning of a new annual cycle with spring equinox. The vital force is seen everywhere at work in nature. The energies of the sun bring a fresh impulse, and this is symbolised by the horse. There are seven rays of the one light, depicted as seven horses. You see them in the picture as coming out of a giant glyph of Aries which starts from the colours of dawn of the rising sun. Aries also rules the Head Centre, so you see in this picture the lotus of the Head Centre above the horses in radiant colours. Profound silence and highest dynamism at the same time are the contrasting elements of this image.

The Cosmic Man – Dance of the Light

14 November 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

In the background of the picture you see two huge eyes and a mouth. From above, the light of the third eye is pouring in – a representation of the cosmic person with many planes of expression.

In the centre you see a globe, our earth, with the face of the Lord of our Planet, Sanat Kumara. At the same time it is the iris of an eye presenting the circle of our planets. This again is surrounded by the wheel of the zodiac. The starry background is surrounding the scene, as it is always surrounding our earthly existence, whether we are aware of it or not. The picture represents the mysterious dance of the light through the spheres of creation.

Pisces – Fusion. Synthesis of Existence

06 November 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

Spiritual astrology says that Pisces represents the blessing through the look of the eyes of the Mother.

For this picture I used an image of Maria and transformed it into blue. I surrounded it with the ring of eternal existence. The fishes surround her on the ascending and descending arc of the circle / of evolution. On the top of the left side, one fish is gliding through the depth of space, where you see the sign and the constellation of Pisces. At the bottom on the right side, the other fish is diving into the depth of matter, where you see a group of souls incarnated into human bodies on the material plane. You can discover Sri Kumar standing at the left side of the picture, and the author sitting at the bottom right side. The night-blue colours represent the background of existence, the potential space in which all forms manifest.

Aquarius – Eternal Flow of the Sound of Life

30 October 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

Aquarius is the manifestation of the eternal flow of life out of the unknown source. The waters are flowing out of the Aquarian pot, from seeming nothingness on the other side. The sun god Apollo with his seven-stringed lyre illustrates the musical vibrations bringing forth the Creation. Here you see Apollo with his lyre and the Aquarian pot. The pot in his hand becomes the sun from where the musical vibrations spread through space. From out of the pot there is a continuous flow of lotuses, the principle of unfoldment. On one of these lotuses you see CVV, the Aquarian master, floating on the expanse of the waters of space.

Capricorn – Celebrating the Dawn of the Year

17 October 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

In the circle of the year Capricorn stands for the dawn, where the sun starts rising on its northern course. Capricorn represents the illumined mind which is symbolised by the pentagram. The picture illustrates this with the five-petalled flower located on top of Mount Kailash, from where highest illumination pours down on earth. It is received by the Spiritual Hierarchy. In the centre of the picture you see the scene of the Guru Pooja celebration in Simhachalam, India, in honour of the great Masters of Wisdom, celebrated each year in the month of Capricorn. The picture shows Sri Kumar together with a group from the west in deep meditation. At the bottom you see the open air assembly hall from the background, with about 2000 people meditating to receive the energies. The different layers merge into one energetic whole. You also see on the background the glyphs of Capricorn and Saturn, the ruler of this sign.

Sagittarius – Shooting up, Pouring down

9 October 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

Sagittarius is the sign of the archer, symbolising the spiritual aspiration of our soul striving to shoot up and reach the goal. We carry the bow and arrow in us: the spine is the arrow, the arc of the bow is the line of the eyebrows - where you find the Brow Centre, the highest point of personality consciousness. From there you can lift up to the Ajna Centre at the middle of the forehead, the seat of the soul, and from there you can lift up further beyond. It is said that intonating the OM is like drawing back the arrow on the bow to the utmost point to shoot up high.

The picture shows the figure of Master MN, a fiery Master, who worked much in the background. The arrow shoots up to the higher spheres, from where streams of energy pour down to the lower planes bringing light and upliftment.

At the top right corner you find the symbol of Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, and at the left corner the symbol of Mars, the planet of fiery aspiration.

Scorpio – Eagle and Serpent

4 September 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

At the Base Centre in our body there is the coiled energy which anchors us in matter and which is called the Kundalini. It is said to be a serpent wound 3 ½ times around the end of the spinal column. You see this serpent at the bottom of the picture. When the spirit rises again from matter, the serpent starts to ascend through the central column. There are three lines of subtle energies – Ida, the materialising energy; Pingala, the spiritualising energy; and Sushumna, the balanced central energy which lifts consciousness up to higher planes. You find this symbol in the caduceus surrounded by 2 serpents. At the top of the caduceus there is a globe, symbol of the pineal gland, the reception point of the energies from higher circles. The ascent of man to higher states of consciousness is symbolised by the flying serpent or the eagle, who has conquered the serpent. So you see the flying eagle at the top, spreading its energy all over.

On the right side you see the glyph of Scorpio, the 8th sign of the zodiac representing death and transformation; and that of Leo, the 8th sign on the reverse wheel. Next to the sign of Leo there is Sirius, also related to the energies which work from the bottom upwards. They are called the energies of the south, located at the Base Centre.

On the left side you see the glyphs of Mars, Pluto and Mercury, rulers of the sign of Scorpio at different levels.

Lotus of the Soul

14 August 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

The centre of the picture shows the twelve-petalled lotus of the Heart, with four layers of three petals. The unfoldment of these petals brings the unfoldment of the soul. The colours of the petals stand for the three rays coming forth from the dark blue of the centre. Below the lotus you see the four-petalled lotus in red of the Base Centre, the physical foundation of our incarnation. From there the energy of Kundalini rises when life is well ordered and is in balance. Out of the centre of the twelve-petalled lotus shines forth a bright light shooting upwards. It opens into a sphere of light, an inner space, where the subtle pulsating principle resounds. You can listen to the pulsation until you hear the vibration of the holy word, OM. The sphere opens up further to the seven energies of life represented by the seven stars in the upper part, symbolising the relation with the greater Life through the centre at the top of our head.

Libra – Balancing the Higher and the Lower Pole

8 August 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

At the centre of the picture you see the double pyramid, the top directed to heaven, the bottom to earth. It is a sign of protection called Gopura in the East. Above you see an opening to higher spheres from where light descends through the double pyramid and gets anchored to earth.

At the bottom you see a railway station. The rails symbolise the many directions of the trains of life: in Libra you come across junction points and you have to decide about the direction of your life. In the lower part of the downward pyramid you see the symbol of Venus, the ruler of Libra. Venus represents the light of the soul which will enlighten the physical sphere of life. The meeting point of the upper and the lower pyramid fuses with the lower part of the symbol of Libra in the background, the lower line symbolising the material world, and the upper part symbolises the spirit hovering over it in balance. So from out of the centre of the symbol a circle of light appears with a hovering eagle. The wings stand for the well-balanced pairs of opposites which allow living life in a good balance.

The sphere of light in the upper part is surrounded by stars. On the blue background you see the glyphs of Saturn and Uranus, the higher rulers of Libra which bring discipline and transformation into the life of a disciple on the path.

Virgo – The Light in Matter

18 July 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

I used a photo of a rose lily as a symbol of purity and virgin Nature. The figure of the Virgin merges with the lily with the pistil at her womb, a sign of her creative power.

The Virgin holds an ear of corn in her right hand, to nourish the world, and in her left the symbol of Mercury, as a lamp of spiritual light. Mercury is the ruler of Virgo.

Above her head you see seven stars, presenting the seven rays of light, and from the centre the light descends upon her and surrounds her. She is the representative of the Mother of the World, from whom the entire creation manifests through seven planes. So she is surrounded by the seven colours of the rainbow on the blue background, the cosmic consciousness. Behind the Virgin you see the sphere of the earth in red with seven seeds, germinating for future harvests. Around the lily you see a meadow with flowers on a reddish background, signs of the growth of spiritual unfoldment.

Unfoldment – The Heart of Man – the Heart of Space

11 July 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

This picture is inspired by "Occult Meditations" 57 of K. Parvathi Kumar, where it says: “The heart of space is man. The heart of man is space. The heart of space is the centre. The heart of man reflects the circumference.”

At the centre of the picture you see a rose in form of a pentagram. The rose is the symbol of the heart, and at the centre of the Heart Centre there is an opening from where a white flame rises up in form of a Lingam. The rose is surrounded by a circle formed by the rising sun at the top and a flower meadow at the bottom. At the bottom there is the scene of a fire ritual conducted by Sri Kumar. The energy of the fire rises and merges with the centre of the rose.

In the upper background, as the heart of space there is a part of the rosette of the church window of Notre Dame de Paris, which I worked over. So the heart of man and the heart of space merge into one.

Leo – The Mother on the Lion

27 June 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

Leo is ruled by the Sun. Here you see the glyph of the Sun in the upper centre showering streams of light downward. The full moon of Leo is the future festival of Hierarchy, and many masters of wisdom are born in this sign. In the centre you see the three great Masters, Kuthumi, Maitreya and Morya.

The cave of the Heart is said to be the cave of the lion, and the pulsation is called its roar. You see the glyph of Leo as the cave of the Lion. The Mother sitting on the Lion with Ganesha on her arms is a symbolic presentation of the majestic energy of Leo.

Cancer – Mother and Child

24 May 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

Cancer represents the mother and child relation. The sign stands for the birth of the soul into matter, when at summer solstice the sun takes its southern course and the days start getting shorter again in the Northern Hemisphere. There is a movement of ascent and descent in the year, which is depicted here with the descent of the waters on the left side of the picture, representing the lunar energies, and the ascent of the solar energies on the right side.

At the top you see the face of the Mother, taken from a picture by Michelangelo, surrounded by the rays of the sun. At the bottom you see an embryo in the arch of the moon. They are separated by the waters where the glyph of Cancer is floating. Above you see the symbols of Neptune and Uranus, the energies of which are reflected by the ruler of Cancer, the Moon, to Earth.

Gemini - Distribution

15 May 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

This painting shows the reception of light from higher spheres, which is entering onto earth and is being distributed by Christ, the embodiment of Love and Wisdom. The light enters from a flame at the top of the picture through the portal of the glyph of Gemini, where the sacred syllable OM is shining. It further descends like a half-globe and divides into 7 streams distributing over a city. For this I used a photo of the skyline of Berlin seen from the top of the German Bundestag building. The motorway route part was taken from a highway bent east of Berne.

In the upper part you see the symbols of Mercury and of the Earth, which in the Wisdom Teachings are linked to the energy of Gemini.

Transmission – Anchoring

01 Mai 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

In 1910, Master CVV received the energies of synthesis onto our planet. It was a downpour of a tremendous order which was so intense that it takes a very long time for the earth to absorb it, as he said several hundred years.

The energies came to our system via Sirius and the Halley’s comet. You see Sirius at the uppermost part of the painting, and the pyramid of the 4 masters especially dedicated to the transmission of this energy below, in the form of a comet which is being anchored in the ethers, the waters of space of our planet. So you see a line formed by Masters CVV, MN, EK and KPK, the latter grounding the energies on the physical through his work in different parts of the world.

Taurus – Vaisakh Festival

25 April 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

Since times immemorial, the Masters of Wisdom and their disciples assemble during Vaisakh Full Moon at the Vaisakha-Valley near Mount Kailash for meditation and reception of the new impulse of the Divine Plan to be worked out during the coming year. While some gather there on the physical plane, many sublime beings come to the assembly in the subtle planes.

This full moon is also called Buddha full moon, since Buddha is said to have found his enlightenment during a Taurus full moon. But it is also Buddha who remained on earth to assist humanity; he transmits the energies from higher circles at this auspicious full moon time.

The painting shows the glyph of Taurus with Lord Buddha sitting in the middle. In the crescent of the upper part of the glyph you see Aldebaran, a star in the constellation of Taurus, from where the “roar of the divine word” comes pouring down. On the left upper side you see Venus, the exoteric ruler of Taurus. On the right side you see the full moon of Taurus, who also conveys the energies of Vulcain. It is a still hidden planet incorporating the higher aspect of Divine Will, which is symbolically expressed through Gauri the Bull, the vehicle of Lord Shiva.

Below you see a valley with the gathering of a large group of disciples and a representation of THE MASTER in the form of Master KPK in the middle. Around the group, there are sublime beings in the ethers.

Aries

13 April 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

The Wisdom Teachings explain that each year at the beginning of Aries there is a fresh new impulse coming from Higher Circles to be received by the Lord of the Planet, Sanat Kumara, and the sublime beings surrounding him in the second ether of the ashram of Shamballa in the Gobi desert. This energetic impulse is later, at Taurus full moon, handed on to Spiritual Hierarchy and their disciples to be further transmitted and disseminated at Gemini full moon to humanity at large, as a new vital impulse carrying life onwards.

This painting is done on a photo of the head of Master CVV. At the top you see the 12 signs of the zodiac blazing forth from the centre of light. The signs of the cardinal cross are forming the arms of the Swastika, where Cancer at the bottom is symbolising the descent of souls into matter. The nose and the eyebrows are forming the glyph of Aries. Through the nose, there is the down-breath of cosmic energies onto our earth. The part of the mouth is formed by Mount Kailash standing out high above the horizon. It is said to represent the head of Lord Shiva receiving the downpour of the cosmic flow of Ganga, the etheric waters of space.

The flames around Mount Kailash / the mouth represent the ashram of Shamballa.

The Great Ones

26 March 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

I painted the picture with the inspiration of an experience I had during my study time.

One morning when I opened the eyes, there were 3 tall men standing at the end of my bed. I was in a state of shock and couldn’t move. The three tall persons in long robes were just looking at me without saying anything. It was quite a long time, maybe 1 or 2 minutes. It wasn’t an etheric vision, they seemed to be there in physical bodies. After a while they dissolved and I came out of my paralysis. I quickly got up and was very much agitated.

I didn’t find a convincing explanation for this experience, though I read about appearances and the like. In January 2010 I finally asked Sri Kumar about this experience. He told me that during the times of H. P. Blavatsky, the Mahatmas frequently visited her and others in Adyar, and that I had witnessed these visits. They came to me in this life as a blessing. It was a genuine experience.

For the picture I used a black-and-white photo showing Madam Blavatsky and behind her the Masters Kut Humi, Morya and St. Germain. I transformed it and added the flames of their rays.

It doesn’t matter to me whether this picture is said to be authentic or not, and there is no way of proving the authenticity of my experience, but it had a left a deep impact in my life.

Becoming an Apple, for Others to Eat

23 March 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

This painting shows the transformation processes from seed to fruit – but not in the way you know them with a tree: The apple is bigger than the tree.

I started with photos I had taken some time ago of a huge tree in a nearby park, of an apple, and that of an apple flower.

The roots take the vital energy from the ground and the leaves from space. The ground is part of our globe and the vital energy belongs to the vastness of the energetic ocean. The seed in the trunk receives its nourishment from the ground and grows through the stem to expand through the branches. The flower is the most subtle part of the tree. When it has reached its fruition, it brings forth the fruit. The apple, however, is not used by the tree, but by those who take it, sell it, or give it to others to eat. So the apple tree is a symbol of the selfless distribution of its fruits. And when we share the fruits of our doing the circle completes.

Metamorphosis – from personality to the soul / consciousness, to the super-soul / universal consciousness, the Mother of the World

20 March 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

This painting is an expression of a process of metamorphosis I went through.

At the bottom of the painting you see an extract of a painting of John Everett Millais, called Ophelia, which impressed me deeply. A flower is sprouting from there with a young lady as a symbol of transformation. And above you see the Great Mother surrounded by a rainbow of energies, emerging from the waters, with the deep look of infinite space.

So this painting illustrates how from out of old shadows and wounds new impulses of life sprout. The past gets transformed to grow into vaster dimensions of experiences.

Messengers of Synthesis

16 March 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

On March 17, 1984, Master EK passed over to the higher circles. I painted this picture in memory of his passing. Though I didn’t meet him physically, his teachings have inspired me deeply, especially when I was translating some of his books and lectures in the 90ies.

I tried to capture the electric radiance of tremendous vibration, which got stepped down through the Masters CVV, MN and EK, and then further through KPK to uplift people from incrementally lower levels of awareness. You can feel it in a meditative alignment and particularly through the teachings.

Here Master EK is surrounded by the golden yellow light of Buddhi, pure wisdom, forming an auric unity with Master CVV.

Serpent Flower

14 March 2010, pencils, crayons and photo work

The vital energy called Kundalini is anchored in the Base Centre and keeps us linked to the physical. It is also called the serpent which is coiled 3.5 times around the Muladhara chakra. When the gross physical becomes lighter, the serpent starts to ascend and free us from the conditioning of matter. We feel lighter and consciousness expands. The ascent is through different planes of denseness of matter, reflected in different colours.

For the painting I arranged the 12-petaled lotus from a sculpture of a friend which I digitally transformed perspectively. Then I started painting the pathway of the serpent through the different planes of colour. From the 12-layered Heart lotus, it shoots up to the Ajna centre above the eyebrows and from there it merges into the 1000-petalled lotus of Sahasrara (Head Centre).

I formed the eyes closed in meditation like two petals on the stem of a lotus flower. The different planes correspond in colour to the inner planes, though it is difficult to express the vibration of the inner colours using outer colours. So the picture helps the observer to shoot up and expand from dense matter to the Soul and merge into the vastness of Spirit.

Lingam of the Heart Lotus

23 February 2010, pencils and crayons on paper

In January and February of 2010, there were some extreme challenges which shook me to the core. During this time, I experienced the stronghold of the inner chamber of the Heart, where at the centre of the lotus there is the inner man, the thumb-nail sized etheric form of the outer form. It is beyond the outer commotions. From this chamber there is an opening towards above which makes descent of light possible or an ascent to the Higher possible. This I tried to depict in the drawing done with rough strokes.

Music of the Soul – Full Moon

29 December 2009, pencils, crayons and photo work

This is the last one of the 12 first paintings of the new series, which I called Images of Synthesis. I didn’t know that a rupture and a pause of nearly 2 months would come for some personal reason after having done this most thrilling painting.

At the beginning of the 90ies, I translated the book “Music of the Soul” by Master EK into German. This work put me into a state of rapture, and I experienced a touch of the music of Sri Krishna’s flute. I experienced this state again while painting this picture.

I took the picture of a classical painting of Lord Krishna with his peacock (on the left) and playing his flute on the banks of the river Yamuna. I transformed it and started painting, intensifying the colours, creating a vision-like ambiance. May the sound of Krishna’s flute vibrating through the colours transport you to the experience of His presence.

Planetary Healing Meditation

27 December 2009, pencils, crayons and photo work

One of the most serene places I know is the Planetary Healing Centre at the Coast Road near Visakhapatnam, India. Surrounded by a beautiful garden with statues of Lord Maitreya and Lord Buddha, it has a conical structure constructed with the numerical potency of 7 as per the design of Sri Kumar.

I started this painting with a photo from the outside of the building, and another from a group meditation inside with Sri Kumar. I added a photo from NASA of a sunrise over the earth and replaced the sun by the OM. Then I added a picture of the statue of Lord Maitreya at the upper left part and of Lord Buddha at the upper right part, but covered them with blue colour to keep them in the background. On the foreground you see the signs of the planets and the zodiacal signs related to the descent of the energies there. The downpour of the energies comes from the cosmos through the tip of the cone and flows down as streams of blessings over the globe, for planetary healing.

At the bottom right part of the picture you see the globe of agate from South America standing at the centre of the Healing Centre, representing the globe as well as the innermost core of our self. It is surrounded by circles of white stone steps representing expanding circles of consciousness.

Fire Ritual

26 December 2009, pencils, crayons and photo work

Every time I participated in a fire ritual conducted by Sri Kumar I was thrilled by the energies created. Space starts to vibrate, filling itself with sublime radiations going far beyond the actual fire.

For this image I used a photo I took at a fire ritual. I painted the fiery flames expanding throughout the space surrounding the altar with the pictures of the great Masters of Spiritual Hierarchy. In the left corner, there was a little Krishna statue, which you see here, surrounded by flames of blue and gold.

The fire ritual starts with constructing a triangular basis with seven times three sticks which are then lighted. These sticks stand for the seven planes of creation expressing through the three basic qualities of inertia, activity and poise. The fiery energy penetrates through all of them accomplishing the work of Creation.

The Avatar of Synthesis Coming from Sirius to Earth via Uranus

25 December 2009, pencils, crayons and photo work

Like the picture “The Energies of Synthesis”, this painting again shows the descent and the reception of these energies.

At the very top you see Sirius in the centre, the Great Bear on the right and the Pleiades on the left. They form a cosmic triangle of forces related to the energies of the first, second and third rays of Will (Great Bear), Love-Wisdom (Sirius) and Intelligent Activity (Pleiades). Below the stars you see Uranus and the descent of the energy via the comet to earth. On earth you see the “skyline” of the Blue Mountains (Nilagiris) in South India - the seat of the Ashram of Master Jupiter, who is called Agastya in the Eastern scriptures and venerated as the senior member of spiritual Hierarchy and working on earth since time immemorial. Master CVV, whom you see in the lotus posture, is said to be a senior disciple from this ashram.

The Lord of the Violet Flame and Chintamani

24 December 2009, pencils, crayons and photo work

Christmas 2009 was very silent – the rest of the family was in bed with flu; I took care of them and did 4 paintings in 5 days.

At winter solstice that year I took a photo of a beautiful Portea flower lying on the snow in the garden and with rising sun in the background. I took this photo as the initial point for the painting, another one of a crystal cave near the Grimsel hydropower station – the station is deep inside the Alps and on the way there is the cave. Then I added an extract of a painting of the Lord of the Violet Flame, St. Germain.

The Violet Flame is particularly related to the mineral kingdom and the violet ethers. The wisdom teachings say that there are huge subterranean caves with gems in the Himalayas and that the beautiful gem of Chintamani is in Shamballa. Sri Kumar said in a seminar that it is within the forehead of Sanat Kumara and that sometimes it is given to the Hierarchy. It has the power of manifestation. Besides the centre of Chintamani on the planet, there is also a centre of Chintamani in every human being which is generally dormant, but can be experienced when we ascend in awareness, plane after plane.

So you see in the centre of this picture the Chintamani gem in the cave temple with its radiance coming from the heart of St. Germain. Yellow and violet flames are coming down to vitalize the powerful crystals in the cave. So the painting is an invitation for visualisation.

The Energy of Synthesis

20 December 2009, inks, pencils, crayons and photo work

This picture visualises the inpour of the energies of synthesis. You see Master CVV in his typical pose sitting in front of a lotus, a symbol of unfoldment, on the blue globe, representing the earth, surrounded by the downpour of light. The globe is penetrated by electric blue waves.

At the top you see Sirius from where the energy is said to have originated, together with the Great Bear on the right and the Pleiades on the left. According to esoteric astrology, these three form a great triangle of forces and have a profound energetic relation to our solar system. A picture to meditate upon.

The Hidden Flower – Born Nine Months Later. Night

18 December 2009, inks, pencils, crayons and photo work

This picture is done by holding a lamp behind it. It is an extract of “Spring Awakening – Silent Joy – Jubilating” done nine months later. It reminds me of a star that fell on earth, took its roots, and is now growing. May its light grow in the heart of the observer.

Spring Awakening – Silent Joy – Jubilating

18 December 2009, inks, pencils, crayons and photo work

This is one of the paintings which thrilled me most while painting. This picture shows the opening of the 4 higher centres - the Heart, Throat and Ajna centres and the Sahasrara. They all are growing on one stem which sprouts from the sun at the bottom, the Base Centre - the deepest point to which the solar angel, our higher self, is anchored in matter.

I did the painting after I had experienced an intense opening of the Heart. The painting is a reflection of this experience.

The Birth of the Soul / Venus from out of Space / Ether / Jupiter and Time / Matter / Saturn

15 December 2009, inks, pencils, crayons and photo work

I am very much fascinated by the symbols of cosmogenesis, the creation of cosmic existence. How can the apparent something come out of seeming nothingness? The wisdom teachings explain that when creation comes into existence, there is the manifestation of time into space. In space you find the potential manifestation and when this happens the cosmic fire appears. I tried to depict it in this painting.

So for this picture I used a photo of the old astrological clock at the Zytglogge-Turm (Time-Clock-Tower) in Berne, as a symbol of the different time cycles governed by Saturn. Saturn also stands for matter.

At the top I placed a photo of a galaxy, as a symbol of space, and also of the spirit.

In the middle you see the famous Venus of Botticelli standing in a shell. Venus is the symbol of the soul, and the shell represents the female principle.

Consciousness manifests out of spirit and matter inter-penetratingly. So the hair of Venus is drawn into the whirl of the cosmic movement of the stars. And the shell holding her emanates from the centre of the clock, of time.

The naked Venus is also Isis or Mother Nature in her full beauty. Here she does not emerge out of the ocean, but out of fire, the cosmic principle of heat or the flames of the solar principle.

Descent of the Avatar from Sirius to Earth via the Comet - 2

13 December 2009, inks, pencils, crayons and photo work

This is the same image as the “Descent of the Avatar from Sirius to Earth via the Comet 1”. I casually held a lamp behind the picture and saw how it was shining brightly. I took a picture with my camera.

Descent of the Avatar from Sirius to Earth via the Comet - 1

13 December 2009, inks, pencils, crayons and photo work

In this painting, I tried to capture the descent of the energies from Sirius via Halley’s comet into the earth, received by Master CVV. I took a photo of Sirius (at the very top), then of Uranus, then of an eclipse and of the earth. The energy descends in electric blue from the highest point to the lowest, running through all the spheres and shaking the earth. Painting this descent was a very powerful experience. You can also see this picture as an inner process of the energy descending through your entire system, shaking and rearranging it. After such a touch, you are no longer the same. But the assimilation takes long time. As per the Energy of Synthesis, Master CVV said that it would take at least 240 years from his birth to understand a little of his work.

Dance of the Flying Serpents, the Initiates, around the World Teacher

Beginning of December 2009, inks, pencils, crayons and photo work

For this painting I used the picture of Lord Maitreya, the World Teacher, which Master EK gave to the groups. The entire expression of Lord Maitreya in this picture always touches me; the grace of the look is very profound.

In Eastern symbolism, the serpents crawling on the ground represent the beings who are earth-bound, and the ascending white serpents standing on their tails represent the beings who are striving towards the spirit and whose life energy, the Kundalini, is moving upwards. When a man has overcome the bondage of matter and has become an initiate, this energy connects with the Ajna centre and moves beyond the physical frame – the serpent moves into the ethers of space. He is then called a flying serpent.

So, I painted a group of 6 white flying serpents dancing around Lord Maitreya. With the golden crayons, I drew the movements of the etheric dance on the background of blue and white of the ethers of space.

You find this description in more detail in the book “Occult Meditations” by Sri K. Parvathi Kumar. In the comment of Meditation 28 it says among others: “The student is recommended to visualise the upward path of Kundalini from Muladhara and move through the path via the etheric centres of Sushumna, reach the brow centre and then ascend into the expanse of the blue with the wings. He is recommended further to visualise that he is flying in the unlimited blue with the wings, meeting a group of such flying beings who are already flying at different heights and with different shines.”

Kundalini Ascent - Higher Bridge Beginning

Beginning of December 2009, inks, pencils, crayons and photo work

As mentioned in the introduction, I had experienced the opening of the inner chamber. It felt like I was entering into a chapel. At the centre of the chapel, there was something like a flame ascending.

For preparing the picture, I used a photo from inside the cathedral of Gerona in Spain and of a lotus flower. The central window it represents the spinal column with the central path of Sushumna, rising up from the lotus at the base centre. At the top, the inner chapel opens to higher spheres of light, whose glow is shining downwards.

You can dive into the violet and blue and let yourself be carried upwards, entering into the upper realms with some sublime inner sounds similar to organ-music.

Adoration of the Sun, through the 5 Elements

29 November 2009, inks, pencils, crayons and photo on paper

The point of origin of this picture was a photo. In a park I took the picture of a statue of a young lady on a globe, which was positioned on a pillar. There was a tree behind the pillar with the statue. All these elements merged together in the photo - a fantastic concurrence.

For me, the pillar became the spinal column with the energies unfolding. The woman, or the female, sensitive nature inside, became one with the tree, the unfolding nature. And the tree represents the opening of the Sahasrara, the head centre. The sun symbolises the opened heart. From there the energies expand into space.

The wisdom teachings explain that in the process of manifestation, creation comes from the sphere of energy to the sphere of the creative mind (Mahat), and further unfolds into the 5 elements of Nature - ether or space, air, fire, water and earth. Here you see the expansion of this manifestation process coming out of One Source, expressing with a feeling of joy and freedom. It reflected the two nightly inner experiences I had just gone through as mentioned in the introduction.