Progression

When researching questions about how to truly heal from the past, I stumbled upon an Indian philosopher who referenced the conservation law of energy (energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only transferred or transformed from one form to another) which, he added, applies to emotional energy as well. If one does not directly tap into the energies occupied by negative emotions, eventually it is impossible to move forward. Tibetan philosophy uses the metaphor of compost to illustrate this. We naturally produce “waste” as we go through our lives, and if mismanaged will rot, attract rodents and spread disease. But if processed correctly, it becomes the very source of nutrition for the next yield of crops, causing them to thrive more than they every could have without the compost. But what does this mean in practical terms? How do we properly manage our trauma to make us grow? Perhaps Viktor Frankl was onto something when he used the technique of assigning meaning to past traumas to transform them from burden to badge of honor.

Progression is a visual metaphor representing past emotional trauma being reinterpreted and reframed so that it may be transformed from a burden to the very source of strength that we can hold onto.

Cyanotype print on knitting. 10’ x 7’