A Look at Paisleys, Hennas & Line Illusion Drawings and How These Relate to Faith by SimSim K.
` I’ve been going through different talks about art, faith, and life and how each of those
are connected to the other.
Today, let’s explore paisleys, hennas, and line Illusion drawings. Specifically, we’ll explore
how these connect to different aspects of faith.
Paisleys
The paisley pattern came from the regions of Persia and India. The word “paisley’’ originated in Persia where the word “boteh” means flower. The motif is characterized by a teardrop or mango shape” riddled with other internal patterns, like flowers. These motifs were first introduced in Zoroastrianism.
Zoroastrianism is an ancient religion that espouses monotheism, the belief in Heaven and Hell, and messianism (Jacques Duchesne Guillemin, 2020). Zoroastrians have symbols like the cypress tree, where the paisley pattern comes from, is a representation of life and fertility (Cultural Elements, 2020).
However, unlike Christianity, Zoroastrianism has a different founder, whereas Christians and/or Jesus followers generally believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven and that the Bible is the sufficient and inspired word of God.
So, why does this matter? What do paisleys and Zoroastrianism and faith in Jesus have to do with one another? I’m glad you asked!
I believe that like paisleys, our lives are intricate and uniquely designed, but unlike Zoroastrianism, when we follow Jesus, we are following someone who cared so much about us that he as a deity left what was rightfully his to experience life as a full human and then paid for, suffered for, the wrongdoings that we have committed, and those we would and could possibly commit. Still, the miracle does not end there, because Jesus defeated death, three days after being crucified on a tree and buried in a tomb. He shows us humans what love looks like and proves that he is both loving and a powerful God, He came back to life, with body and mind intact. and now invites us to join his family.
Here are some examples of paisleys.
Hennas & Mehndi
Now what about hennas? Hennas are actually plants that are grown in India, Egypt and Morocco, and other hot climates while Mehndi is the practice of painting the body with hennas. The Mehndi paint is created by crushing henna leaves, adding oils, spices and water and then mixing them together. If applied properly the pigment will not wash off, but rather stain the top layer of the skin. (Henna King, 2021).
In a similar way, when we live our lives for Jesus and when we spend time in conversation with God, and learning from his Bible, those practices change our hearts and the words we read stain our hearts in a good way. We become more like Jesus and we can share our lives and kindness with others around us.
Line Illusion Drawings
Lastly, line illusion drawings, which I’m rather fond of, are art techniques that involve
repeating lines. These are used somewhat like busy work, one does not have to think too
hard to complete one of these, therefore it can be a relaxing art form. However, if
continued, the line illusion drawing can be quite complex. “Leda and the Swan” by
Leonardo Da Vinci is an example of this (Stewart, Jessica, 2021).
As well, these are other examples of line illusion drawings,
Like these line illusions, faith in Christ Jesus is about staying connected- the lines in an
illusion connect to one another to create something bigger, and when we are connected to
Jesus, His Word, and other followers of Christ, then our lives are more meaningful.
Some keys I have found to displaying Godly love and meaningful friendships, are to:
Reach out to others, even if you’re nervous about it, and keep reaching out, until someone
reaches you back: Hebrews 10:25 “...not forsaking the assembling together of ourselves as is
the custom with some, but encouraging one another, and so much more as you see the Day
drawing near”.
Let go of perfectionism because “God’s grace is made perfect in our weakness”, as it is
written in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.
Embrace vulnerability: 1 John 4:7-8, which says, “Beloved, let us love one another,for love is
of God and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God. They that love not, do not
know God, for God is love” & Colossians 3:12, which states, “Therefore, as God's chosen
people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience”.
Be authentic: In James 5:16, it says, “ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for
each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and
effective.” & 1 John 3:18 states that we should not just love with our words and speech, but
match those words with actions and truth, or sincerity (1 John 3:18 NIV, Bible).
All these are concepts that relate to sharing love.
Motivated. Thoughtful. Keen. Stylish”, 22 June 2021.
References
Baker, Lindsey.(2017, November 6). “Paisley: The story of a classic bohemian print”. BBC, 2021.Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20151021-paisley-behind-rocks-favourite-fashion on 19 June 2021.
Bing, “Free Paisley Images, (Bing, 2021). Retrieved froom https://wallpapertag.com/wallpaper/full/0/2/1/123833-paisley-background-1920x1280-for-iphone-6.jpg on 21 June 2021.
Cultural Elements. (2015, October 21). “A Brief History of Paisley”. Cultural Elements, 2020.Retrieved from https://blog.culturalelements.com/a-brief-history-of-paisley/ on 19 June 2020.
Duchesne-Guillemin, J. (2020, November 13). Zoroastrianism. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zoroastrianism on 19 June 2021.
(Henna King, n.d) )”History of Henna”. Henna King, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.hennaking.com/history-of-henna/#:~:text=History%20of%20Henna%20The%20art%20of%20Mehndi%20%28Henna%29,they%27ve%20been%20around%20for%20over%20five%20thousand%20years on 19 June 2021.
Shutterstock, “Teal to Orange Paisley” Shutterstock, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/pictures/360000/velka/paisley-pattern-teal-orange.jpg on 21 June 2021
Stewart, Jessica, (2021 August 26) .“Unwinding the Long History of Line Art “Melancholia” by Albrecht Durer (My Modern Met, 2021). Retrieved from https://mymodernmet.com/line-art-history/ on 20 June 2021.
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