Partnering with the Earth: the Sacred Art of Chrisalis

by Ron Sering

The Goddess-inspired art that Chrisalis creates is a culmination of two separate but parallel paths: her exploration of the spiritual, and her journey as an artist. Inspired by both ancient mythologies and contemporary interpretations of earth centered cultures, Chrisalis's wearable art and unique shrines incorporate designs from a pantheon of historical Goddess images.

The colors, shapes, and the earthy materials are strongly grounded in the earth-centered spirituality of the Goddess. Her work brings forth images of the earth and the sacred feminine, and crosses all cultural and religious boundaries.

Journey to the Goddess

Born in the Midwest, Chrisalis discovered arts and crafts early in life. "As a young girl I was sometimes lonely living in the country and my mother would sit me down at the kitchen table, give me craft materials and tell me to 'make something.' So I learned early on to find creativity and self-expression through art."

Chrisalis's explorations of the spiritual began as a teen, with the study of yoga and meditation, moving in adulthood to Buddhist meditation practices, and finally, her involvement in Women's Spirituality began with participating in women's circles and learning about earth-centered spirituality.

Chrisalis pursued her passion for art first as a functional potter, creating and selling her work nationally. During this time, Chrisalis also earned a Bachelor's of Fine Arts and a Master's in Education. However, it was in her informal study of the work of cultural historian Marija Gimbutas, and on a journey to South America, that she discovered the reservoir of spiritual energy residing in the earth and in the images of the Goddess throughout the world. "In the Andes of South America," Chrisalis says, "the veneration of Pachamama, the Earth Mother, continues to this day. In the witch's markets of Peru and Bolivia, brujas provide offerings to Pachamama for health and prosperity."

In a parallel discovery during her studies, Chrisalis learned of the sacred nature of clay. "I discovered that the history of ceramics includes a tradition in which people worshipped the Earth, considered clay sacred, and viewed the vessel as the body of the goddess."
"I was shocked. My art history books had omitted this information in favor of a dry, rational approach. Goddess statues are simply labeled female figures. Clay is referred to as cheap and abundant, and the focus is on the technical and decorative aspects of ceramics, and not their spiritual significance, or their connection to the earth."

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Mailing Address: PO Box 87, Howard Colorado 81233

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Read the article The Sacred Herstory of Clay published in the spring 2004 issue of Pan Gaia Magazine.

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