Hagiographies and Yidam Deities

Saints & Their Symbols
 A New Series of Iconographic Paintings by Desireé O’Toole
Goose Creek Studio | July and August 2022

hagiography: a biography of a saint or venerated person that is marked by an often idolizing … or fanciful … account their life and connection to the divine.
 
yidam deity: is a special person, deity, or supernatural being that a spiritual seeker is drawn to … to accompany them in their journey to an awakened nature.

All spiritual seekers need guides along the journey.  So, it is not surprising that the iconography of many the world’s great religions is filled with a rich and varied assortment of saints and deities to inspire and motivate the spiritual seeker. 

For this exhibition, Desireé O’Toole utilizes the stories from a rather obscure 1901 hagiography of Christian holy men and women.  While this text captures the devotional piety of a very particular time and faith tradition, the practice of collecting and preserving such stories is universal in the span human spirituality.  And … we believe … this text, and Desireé’s new series of iconographic paintings, can say something powerful about the need for companionship in any journey of faith. 

Spirituality is most fully realized in community, but the journey is always personal … and marked by very individual needs and experiences. If you look deeper … and explore the accompanying narratives … this is no quaint collection of images.  Desireé’s paintings illuminate the lives of the men and women who suffered when they spoke truth to power. The symbolic images she draws on also speak powerfully to the economic and spiritual liberation of the feminine.  These images, which document the transformation of human consciousness, and the work to liberation of the oppressed, are associated with men and women who had hope in times of great social chaos and change.  These were the superheroes of another age.

Let us look to the example of these who came before us for guidance and strength - each choosing the appropriate yidam that will accompany us our spiritual journeys.

MEB/VPE