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| Korean Folk Art: Tiger and Magpie |
"The living self has one purpose only, to come into is own fullness of being, as a tree comes into full blossom, or a bird into spring beauty, or a tiger into luster." D.H. Lawrence.
"Animal totems, like the tiger, come from the Other Side to protect us while we are away from Home." Sylvia Browne
When I was born, I received many stuffed animals. One was an orange and black tiger. It was given to me by my aunt who was attending University of Missouri (Mizzou). Her school's mascot was a tiger. According to UM history, the tiger honors a group of men (and women?) from the U.S. Civil War. A local militia called themselves the Missouri Tigers and protected the city of Columbia, Missouri against pro-confederate forces. My stuffed tiger never appear to be terrible, angry, or ready to pounce. Instead my tiger had a friendly smile, her tail curled up, and she was in what my son called the meatloaf position ready to take a snooze.
In choosing a deity to study, SOF - T.A. recommended that I reflect if there were any animal patterns in my lifetime. Throughout my life there has been tigers, bees, and blue birds often appearing. T.A. next suggestion was to look for a deity with these animals. When I did the search, Xi Wangmu, Grandmother of the West appeared. Reading further, many of her symbols have appeared in my life.
Xi Wangmu is considered one of the oldest Goddess in China. She lives in the Kunlun mountains in a garden. She is known for her peaches that she grows. One of the animals Xi Wangmu has been associated with is a tiger in ancient text. She is shown as both a mother tigress with her cubs and a tigress with sharp claws and teeth. The tiger becomes a metaphor of who she is. Xi Wangmu is a Goddess holding balance and able to: create or destroy, promote disease or healing, foster life or death.
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| The Jungle by Helena Perez Garcia |
Emily Dickinson (1863)
A Dying Tiger — moaned for Drink —
I hunted all the Sand —
I caught the Dripping of a Rock
And bore it in my Hand —
His Mighty Balls — in death were thick —
But searching — I could see
A Vision on the Retina
Of Water — and of me —
‘Twas not my blame — who sped too slow —
‘Twas not his blame — who died
While I was reaching him —
But ’twas — the fact that He was dead —
To be associated with a tiger is a good thing. I see tigers as tough, brave, and courageous, but in a balanced way. Yes, they can throw their weight around (500 lbs.), but they do it with grace and necessity. They don't stockpile for the apocalypse. They take what they need. Tigers appear to live from a place of abundance rather than scarcity. To me, they approach life much differently than humans who are always needing more things.
I also see tigers as having patience by waiting for the best meal or the best catch. They stalk out their meal by moving around and getting a better perspective. They seem to do this same behavior when looking for the best shady place to take a snooze. I don't see tigers having an inner critic or having self doubt or self judgment. If things don't work out they pick themselves up and try again or move on to the next place.
Artual (Art + Ritual: a phrase coined by Whitney Freya)
I've made changes to Marquez's pattern. 1) I painted the tiger onto a piece of natural linen. (A piece of fabric saved for a rainy day.) 2) I like orange tigers. Thus, I used an bright orange acrylic paint from the craft area in Target.
It took me about an hour to paint the tiger and another hour to dry before I got out my iron.
I expect that your tiger will look different from mine. You are a different artist than me. I also encourage you as your stitching to not think: "When am I going to get this thing done!!!!" Rather let the stitches be a meditation on how you can be more tiger-like in your approach to life.
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Hi all - I really like your comments, but have had a change of heart regarding anonymous comments. My CCWWW beliefs are that you need to stand behind what you say and what you do. Peace out.