"Unless you become like little children...": my wall in graniti (sicily)

I hope you're having a great summer!

Mine has started fabulously as I spent two months in Italy, the motherland of the arts, including one month and a half in Sicily for the urban art festival Graniti Murales.

During this artistic residency, I painted my second outdoor mural entitled "Unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven," after a quote from the Gospel of St. Matthew in the Bible.

In Jungian psychoanalysis, the concept of the "divine child" is a powerful archetype that represents the potential for growth, renewal, and transformation within the individual. Carl Jung identified this archetype as a symbol of the true self in its purest, most uncorrupted form.

The divine child symbolizes innocence and purity. This innocence is not naïveté, but a profound wisdom and potentiality that has not yet been realized. It represents latent possibilities and the process of individuation, where a person grows into their true self. The divine child is seen as a harbinger of new beginnings and creativity, embodying the potential for a new, integrated personality. It signifies a new start or the birth of a new phase in an individual’s psychological and spiritual life. The divine child also embodies the unity of opposites, combining both light and dark, masculine and feminine aspects. It is a symbol of wholeness and the integration of different facets of the self.

The archetype of the divine child acts as a guide towards self-realization and individuation, helping us connect with our deepest, truest selves. Encountering this archetype can be profoundly healing. It often surfaces in dreams during times of personal crisis or transformation, providing a sense of hope and renewal. It encourages us to reconnect with our innate creativity and potential, fostering a deeper understanding and integration of our unconscious mind.

The divine child archetype appears in various mythologies and religious stories worldwide, including the Christ Child in Christianity, Horus in Egyptian mythology, and the infant Krishna in Hinduism. These figures always symbolize hope, salvation, and the promise of a new beginning.

The divine child is closely related to the concept of the "inner child" in psychotherapy, which represents the childlike aspects of the unconscious mind that are often ignored or repressed in adulthood. It plays a crucial role in the journey of individuation, guiding us toward self-realization, healing, and transformation.

For me, it marks the beginning of a major symbolic and allegorical turn in my work, as my artistic journey is the reflection of my own individuation process.

I hope you follow me on that path !