It's mid October and All Hallow's Eve is upon us, and to host this year's celebration of that date we have a seductive sorceress of bewitching beauty known as Sage. What you are witnessing above is the evocation of all four elements of nature--earth, air, fire and water. Sage would be the perfect camping companion, would she not? But levity aside, the epic imagery depicted in Sage's portrait couldn't exemplify what is in her soul any truer, at least based upon our brief but memorable email encounter--and these words below:

 

Ever since I found out about Les Toil and his fabulous Toil Girls I was obsessed with becoming one. And finally it happened!! So when I got the thumb's up that Les would turn me into pin-up art, that's when I had to really think beyond just the excitement of becoming a Toil Girl. I had to come up with a concept - and I wanted something that means something to me. It got kind of tricky because there are a lot of ways I self-identify. There is the inner me that a few special people know and there is the outer side of me which contains the way I present myself in the world. And then there is the whole pin-up connotation thing... Decisions, decisions! There was kind of a tug-o-war between inner me and outer me. Then, the right question came. What permeates ALL of me?

The answer: My spirituality. I identify as pagan, a witch, specifically. The belief system resonates with me more than any other as it is inclusive and involves a balance of masculine and feminine energy among other things such as personal accountability. I knew I wanted the basic elements as part of my concept, hence the fire and water magically spiraling against a spacious night sky. I stand on a rock, a mountain top that represents the earth. The air blows gently lifting my diaphanous skirt. One of my favorite animals is the snake which was also my first tattoo. Also, there is a large snake spiraled around my body. Snakes represent the power of both masculine and feminine energy as well as transformation, undulation, healing, sexuality, wisdom, and much more depending on different cultures. For example, in India, Vitana, the mother of snakes, is the symbol of water and the underworld and the Goddess Shiva always wears snakes on her body as jewelry, which represents sexuality. American Indians also see the snake as a representation of fertility and healing. Then there is the repeating symbol of the spiral... Carl Jung, the famous psychiatrist, said that the spiral is an archetypal symbol that represents cosmic force. In ancient Britain, the spiral seems to have been associated with the feminine as the doorway to life. It has been associated with the cycles of time, the seasons, the cycle of birth, growth, death, and then rebirth.

I wear a purple and black corset that I'd fallen in love with and a subtle collar/choker as representations of sexuality and surrender. Even the colors I wear have significance as purple represents nobility and spirituality and black represents protection and grounding. For several years now, I've had purple/pink/blue color in my hair which is a personal statement of freedom and creativity. I am delighted that Les got little details like hair color and my tattoos just right.

I am honored to be in the spotlight for October as it is my FAVORITE month. And, it contains my favorite holiday: Halloween (also known in pagan circles as Samhain). It is this time of year when the veils between worlds are thinnest, when intuition and higher knowing are sharper and most clear. It is also a time dedicated to honoring the spirits of those who have gone before us. It is a time of powerful magic.

So, in that spirit, I thank you again Les for choosing to work your artistic magic for me and for all those other luscious Toil Girls out there. You make the world a much more beautiful place. Blessed be!

 

I have never been more thankful to post someone's sentiments as I am tonight posting Sage's awe-inspiring words of wisdom. Through her words she has blessed me and my art gallery with a powerful gift of inspiration and enlightenment. And believe me, it's not every day that I'm blessed by a Pagan. :)

Happy Halloween to you Sage--and to everyone.