Sat 8/20/22: bumping this up as well because I like it.
A digital drawing from 2013, using Photoshop and a Wacom tablet. I signed with my old graffiti name, SHERM.
Tag: checkerboard
bookmark_borderThe Inner Temple
I end up revisiting old graphic artworks because they still hold meaning for me. As a matter of fact, they become more relevant over time.
We’re all constantly creating or recreating our own reality, our own microcosms. Everyone’s living in their own universe, a world that they created.
Shermgrafik > Save the Savages > Metaphysical Vibes > Crystal Healer LA are my worlds.
The more I look at this, the more I realize that this is my Inner Temple. My inner world where all the things I love reside and collide to create something new. And do I love using bright colors in my design work. I love seeing those same colors on window splashes and handpainted lettering.
Don’t live life by some cheesy, stale quote. I get that quotes are really popular on the internet right now. I get a lot of followers who post nothing but quotes. Learn to exercise your brain – create your own quotes that are unique to you.
bookmark_borderThe Masonic Influence
I just realized that I have a lot of original content that I created for myself to use for social media stuff and really just for the sake of creating and experimenting; for example this one was my old Facebook cover photo from 2013. I always like things to match to the point where I become obsessive over it, like my cover photo and my avatar. What can I say, it’s one of the few things I CAN control.
I used an old drawing that I scanned (the woman with a rose and a skull); I then played around with colors and gradients in Photoshop. For some reason I was drawn to using bright colors, triangular shapes and checkerboards at the time – not really knowing the significance of each. I then created a black square shape, duplicated it and layed it out, grouped them together, flattened them and used the Perspective tool to create the floor. The white part is just one big shape.
I hope to type up a decent tutorial soon on how I create my graphics, so my blog posts can be more useful and have some kind of value to you, the reader.
Here is a good reference of the meaning of the checkerboard in Freemasonry
What is the star of the macrocosm?
In Western occultism and esoteric philosophy, the “star of the macrocosm” is the six-pointed star (hexagram or Seal of Solomon), formed by two interlocked triangles. It symbolizes the vast universe and the absolute, while the five-pointed star (pentagram) represents the microcosm (the human being). [1, 2, 3]
Symbolism and History
- The Macrocosm vs. Microcosm: Esoteric traditions (noted by figures like Paracelsus, Heinrich Khunrath, and Éliphas Lévi) use the hexagram to represent the great cosmic system () and the pentagram to represent humanity ().
- Literary Reference: In Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s play Faust, the main character gazes upon the Sign of the Macrocosm to feel a surge of divine connection to nature and the universe.
- Geometric Design: Often depicted with planetary symbols or the sign of Mercury at its center, surrounded by the interlocking triangles that signify the unity of opposites (heaven and earth, spirit and matter). [3, 4]
Would you like to know more about how the hexagram compares to the pentagram in ritual magic, or are you looking for its appearance in a specific work like Faust?
AI responses may include mistakes.