Underground/ Sekhmet

“Be strong, you are strong, you are probably stronger than you think. You’re so strong that if you don’t control your power, you can become dangerous.”

Sekhmet is an Egyptian goddess who defended Ra against mortals who tried to kill him.  She is the daughter of Ra. She totally lsot it and killed every mortal she could find.  The only way Ra could control his daughter and calm her down was to give her red beer.  Why red?  Because Sekhmet was so enraged that she thought it was blood.  Ra gave her so much that she became drunk and passed out.  Upon waking her temper was calmed down.

In order to calm her down, Ra distracted her with red beer—which Sekhmet confused for blood…in guzzling it all, she ended up getting drunk and passing right out. Once she woke up, her temper was cooled.

But, she was not all bad.  She also is one of the powerful sun family that can either destroy or heal.  She is both lion and kitten. Her name means Powerful, terrible, violence, yet she carries the fruit that sustains us.  To me, she offers destructive anger or anger that is transformed into healing.  

She is said to be the mother of all the pharaohs and ruled harshly if she had too.  She was the lion who destroyed or the kitten that healed knowing full well her feminine power could do both.  She both caused diseases and healed them.  To keep Sekhmet happy, the Egyptians would have a huge festival, where pomegranate juice was served, to prevent her from becoming angry.

She had no gray areas;  she was mad as a hatter or calm as a kitten and we all know that we can have darkness in our hearts, sometimes, but must learn to control that, fiercely.  By healing ourselves, we can use the gift of anger for our best and better self.  Like me, and most of us, we are neither easily subservient or victims.  Somewhere is the balance for anger that spurs us to stand up for things and the anger that is destructive.  We chose.  No one can make us feel anything we do not chose to feel.

And so becomes a painting that surprised me in its swift showing. I see my anger as something underground and thus, that transformed into the portrait I have done.  Since Sekhmet symbolizes feminine power, I chose to have her carrying the apple of Eve that comes from the Tree of Life, with Adam's rib etal, as she rises from her own underground (darkness) with peace offerings and healing.

I began by using gesso over a painting I did not like. It gave wonderful texture.

I, then, spilled brown ink on to the surface and used a straw to move the ink to get shapes.

It soaked in lovely and I moved it around until I got the shapes for her.

I used a lighter ink, to begin to give the face shape.  I used a brush with some water to pick up some of the applied ink and used it.

I used flesh colored acrylic to build layers towards completing her.  

 I am certainly working on my underground.  Do you?




©Carol Desjarlais 3.13.20