The Harvester

'The Harvester' - Digital Collage (August 2008)

A ' Personal Portrait' inspired by and for my friend Therese:
Her birth date corresponds to the colour Plum, which appears throughout this image.
In Celtic mysticism her birth date corresponds to the Poplar tree – “it looks very decorative, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, often lonely, artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy and is reliable in any situation”. The background of this composition is composed of a poplar tree grove.
The symbols/writing at the top of the image is the word Karma, written in Sanskrit from left to right, and then reversed on it’s self, from right to left. This symbolises Therese's good deeds, and the hope they are one day reflected back to her.
The Pentacle, enclosed at each end of the Sanskrit writing, is the most popular pagan symbol, which in my opinion reflects her beliefs well. The star’s five points represent the four elements (earth, air, fire & water), with the fifth point symbolising spirit/ether/space, all enclosed within a protective circle, which signifies eternity and the cycles of life & nature.
In the centre, at the top of the image her family name is represented by the Flanagan ancestral crest… a fruit laden tree atop a green hill.
The family crest overlaps a circle which contains half Therese's Eastern Astronomical ruling planet, Venus (left), and half her Western Astronomical ruling planet Mercury (right). Within this circle is my pet name for her, “lil’T” (“little sister Therese”.
On each side of the image, near the top, is her corresponding Celtic birthstone, the Amethyst… The name comes from the Ancient Greek “a-” ("not") and “methustos” ("intoxicated"), a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness.
Below the amethyst stones is her Celtic totem/spirit animal, the salmon. Salmon people have knowledge of the arts and science, as well as good reasoning powers. They are perceptive and clever, keen observers and have a strong connection with the faerie. This faerie connection is also reflected in the several sets of wings below the salmon.
The central circles of fire pay homage to her love of the art of Poi and also connect to her Western zodiac fire sign (below).
In the centre of these circles of fire are two flowers… In a tradition dating back to Roman times, Therese's birth month flower is the Gladiolus… Named for Roman gladiators’ swords, gladioli represent sincerity and strong character.
Between the two Gladiolus flowers, and below, is a statue of Therese's namesake, Saint Thérèse de Lisieux. Generations of Catholics have admired this young saint, called her the "Little Flower", and found in her short life more inspiration for their own lives than in volumes written by theologians. She believed "Love proves itself by deeds”.
At the centre of Saint Thérèse is a camera lens, representing a passion we share for photography.
Below this you can see “lil’T’, flanked by two lionesses. These regal animals and accompanying facial symbols, represent her Western zodiac star sign, Leo… Leo is a positive (extrovert) sign, also considered a fire sign and is ruled by the Sun.
Also the Lion’s green eyes reflect her Irish nationality.
At the base in the middle of the image is a symbol familiar to us both which is full of representational significance. The Ankh was the Egyptian hieroglyphic character that read as and symbolised "life".
Finally her name, and its variants Thérèse, Teresa and others, is used in French and German speaking countries mostly. It is Greek in origin and translates as ‘harvester’. This is represented as white heads of corn at the base of the image.