Isis
@Growing Heart Sanctuary
Pawling, New York
Height: 11' 11"
Build Days: 7
Sculpture #3
Isis emerged from the forest at Growing Heart Sanctuary in the late Spring of 2018. I met Jani Moon, through my friend Carol. She is co-owner and co-founder of Growing Heart Sanctuary. Jani encountered Minerva at CoSM and commissioned me to create Isis. She was built specifically for a private small festival, focused on honoring the Divine Feminine, called No Goddess Left Behind. This was the first goddess sculpture built who would be honored in sacred ceremony.
In Egypt, Isis was worshipped as the protector of women and the bringer of magic. AKA: Queen of the Universe and the embodiment of cosmic order. She had control over stars and planets and their influence over astrology. She was also in charge of fate. An initiate, after getting a favor from her, could change destiny and get salvation.
It took seven days for Isis to emerge with four people assisting. Two days after she was complete, the No goddess Left Behind Festival began, and 100 women arrived on property for three days of celebrating the Divine Feminine.
On the second day, Isis was honored in ceremony. With drums beating and voices harmonizing, each person placed a flower in the train of her dress. In that moment, a profound feeling of deJa’Vu came over me. I knew I had been there before, perhaps in a past life, in ceremony, in nature, honoring the goddess. It was a truth revealed and honored.
She is built from oak, iron wood, sweet birch, wisteria, poplar, honeysuckle, privet, and antlers. There are in fact, multiple deer antlers on her head and on her bodice. Isis stands naked in the woods. Her labia is constructed of a petrified mushroom known as a tree conk. She has small gemstones embedded at each chakra point.
The completion of this sculpture awakened in me the importance of creating through a balance of intention and allowing. We honor the divine feminine not just in concept, but in actual practice. It gave me the vision to see more sculptures across the globe, being built and honored by many hands.