Image for the Month of Sagittarius

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.

Image for the Month of Scorpio

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.

Image for the Month of Libra

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.

Image for the Month of Virgo

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.

Picture to the Month of Leo

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.

Picture to the month of Cancer

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.

Picture to the month of Gemini

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 aeons 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.

Picture to the month of Taurus

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.

Picture to the Month of Aries

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.

Picture to the Month of Pisces

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.

Picture to the month of Aquarius

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.

Picture to the month of Capricorn

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'.

Picture to the month of Sagittarius

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.

Picture to the month of Scorpio

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.

Picture to the month of Libra

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.

Picture to the month of Virgo

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.

Picture to the month of Leo

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.

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.

Picture to the month of Cancer

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.

Picture to the month of Gemini

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.

Picture to the month of Taurus

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.

Picture to the month of Aries

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.

Picture to the month of Pisces

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.

Picture to the month of Aquarius

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.

Picture to the month of Capricorn

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.

Picture to the month of Sagittarius

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.

Picture to the month of Scorpio

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.

Picture to the month of Libra

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.

Picture to the month of Virgo

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.

Picture to the month of Leo

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 Jewel in 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.

Picture to the month of Cancer

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.

Picture to the month of Cancer

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.

Picture to the month of Taurus

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.

Picture to the month of Aries

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 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 emerges 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.

Picture to the month of Pisces

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.

Picture to the month of Aquarius

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.