Get in the flow….❤️ Get use to different!!
No money was made in the making of this video using the song One Day by Matisyahu. I do not own the rights.
Happy 1 year anniversary to Hope + Elim! This weekend was so overwhelming in a very good way! It has been so amazing to witness what God is doing through the people in this incredible historic church. 62 years earlier on the same weekend in November Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached on this very same stage about a beloved community. He believed in a non-violent loving community where every walk of life regardless of skin color would take care of each other like a family. There is only one race and it’s the Human race. I’m absolutely in awe of the speakers this weekend that offered their whole hearts and expressed many Spirit influenced words to live by. The worship band and the congregation….Wow 🙌🏼 I have never felt or experienced anything like what I did on Saturday night and the two services on Sunday! The energy level was off the charts!!! It was hard to sleep Sunday night and I got up early Monday just reflecting on the many blessings. The congregation did not hold back, hands were high up in the air, some people fell to their knees, the Holy Spirit was so thick up in there it started some hearts on fire🔥 🔥🔥!
The King Center click the link to read about the vision for a beloved community. There is also the 6 steps of non-violence that is a great guideline to help bring about the change.
I was inspired to start with a deep emerald Green base to represent the darkness and the unknown. I begin by painting a cross in yellow to represent the creation of light, then the heavens and the ocean. Then the sun started rising shining into the water where the fish start to form. The fish represent human kind and the boat with the cross represents Jesus. Not all the fish are heading towards the boat but they are still swimming with the ones heading towards Jesus. We are called to love everyone and help each other along the way.
I did a lot of research on fish before this painting to find out more. I learned that the fish is the earliest ancient symbol used for Christianity. It was a secret code when they faced persecution in the Roman Empire to recognize other Christians. People would draw half the fish in the sand and if the other person finished the other half of the fish they knew they were believers and in good company. I went down a rabbit hole stumbling upon this picture of the fish with mathematical figures below it.
Immediately when I saw that I was reminded of the painting I did in 2019 for Lutheran Church of Hope woman’s brunch where first I learned about Vesica piscis, the vessel of the fish. Math is not my gift so exploring all this is challenging to say the least. But it’s amazing how complex this world is it’s truly awesome!
In 2019 I was inspired to find out more after watching a documentary about the mystery of birth where I saw the geometric symbol. The almond shape that two circles create is called a mandorla in Italian. Many early artists used a mandorla around Christ to represent the divine coming through to this world. God is with us always and forever. We are designed to be with one another and pass the peace.
The mandorla has been used to represent Christ. Let me just break the word down…man-dor-la…as if it’s a door for human to transit from the material world through to the spiritual realm. It’s said to be a symbol of life and of the materialization of the spirit. Early Christians used the shape as a secret symbol to represent their belief that Jesus was the coming together of heaven and earth. In medieval Christian art it framed the figures of saints, the Virgin Mary, and Christ, usually to suggest the light that surrounds the whole body is a gateway to heaven. Vesica piscis is recognized in one way or another throughout all cultures from East to West.
In Hinduism the symbol represents the vulva, femininity and birth.
In Sanskrit, they call it Yoni which translates to “Holy Passage”.
In Christian art, as we see in the introductory image of this article, we often find Jesus and other saints painted into a Vesica Piscis as though emerging from the womb of the Cosmic Mother.
The ancients used nature, including the dimension of human anatomy, as inspiration for their sacred geometry.
The vesica piscis symbol was also used to represent the vulva of Goddesses in Celtic and Norse cultures as well, as we see in the Goddess’ Garden at Glastonbury.
The four examples below are only a small sample, but the symbolic meaning given for the vesica piscis are:
- The union of heaven and earth in the body of Christ (Christian)
- The root element of the Flower of Life (Judaism)
- The womb of the ‘Cosmic Mother,’ Goddess Maat (Egypt)
- Merging of God and Goddess (Celts/Norse)
Once you get to the root of each culture, they mean the same – balance and creation. The oldest discovery of this symbol dates back 6000 years ago.
Vesica Piscis: Mother Earth and the creative force click to read more about the Sacred geometry.
Vesica piscis is the birth place for trigonometry and sacred geometry. It’s used in architecture, art, churches, spirituality, religious symbols, business logos, landscaping, sculptures, monuments, mathematical equations, crop circles, governments, Freemasons and in the Bible.
So I dug deeper when I saw the number 153 under the fish. I found it in the Bible, in John 21:11
“Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.”
John 21:1-14 NIV
The Apostles have no fish until Jesus appears. The “153 Fish” represent all revealed wisdom. And, Jesus is shown to be its source. That is why Jesus could command Peter to bring him some.
If you add 1+2+3+4…etc to 17 it adds up to 153. 17 is a triangular number said to represent the 10 commandments and the 7 days of creation. I’m still learning about the significance of all the symbols and numbers that are connected to the Bible. This artwork is titled “153” because it’s represents an all inclusive beloved community, birth/creation and everything points back to Jesus who is the living water.
153 has been interpreted that they caught one of every species of fish or thought to represent the 153 nations at the time. Both representing being all inclusive. So Jesus coming back for the 3rd time after his resurrection to help Simon catch 153 fish seems to represent the consistent truth that Jesus came to gather every nation, tribe and tongue.
I just finished the book study with several ladies from church on The Chosen! It’s absolutely blowing my mind!!! It was amazing to study with others and hear their insights. “153” is heavily influenced by the series and has opened my window of understanding who Jesus and his disciples were. Please download the app that’s free and watch it today!! I’ve watched the first season twice and plan to watch it again with my husband. Thank you God for the creators and actors and also all the ladies who were in the 1st season book study🙏🏼all of this has strengthened my faith and is making my journey even richer! Thank you Jesus!
Love your neighbor and be kind to everyone. Thanks be to God!