Twin Hearts

This piece represents the interconnected hearts of two highly connected people. They could be actual twins. Soulmates of any kind. Of course, lovers. Or, deeply bonded partners.

The design is in the shape of the infinity symbol, a figure eight, which represents the concept of both limitlessness or eternity. The piece can be hung vertically or on its side, horizontally, to accentuate this symbolism. The hearts are joined together forever but separate still.

Though not identical, the hearts are very similar, and they share common ties and common threads. The hearts support one another from all directions. Up and down and side by side. They vibrate in their intensity. Yet they are so solidly simple in their connectedness.

The love between twin-hearted people never ends.

This is my imaginary view of what’s happening on a cellular level as we begin and move through the process of forgiveness towards another. To me it happens in stages and layers. A little bit at a time. Each stage builds upon the prior stage. And sometimes we think we have forgiven but then we realize we haven’t and we have to loop back and work on it some more. Like scaffolding. Other times, we’re pretty decided about what we will forgive about the trespass against us. “I’ll forgive this but I can’t forgive that. Not yet at least. And maybe never.” And, “I know I will definitely forgive you at some point but I can’t right now. I’m working out on it though.” Or, “I’ve forgiven you for a lot already but there are still wounds and there is still so much damage and I am still making my way through the path of forgiveness.” With it all there’s always a little bit of yellow light pushing through. (When I say “we” I mean “me.”)

This imagery is an imagined cellular landscape of my cervix, its opening, and surroundings – the site of near constant entry points for probes, examinations, and exploratory surgery -- while awaiting the results of uterine cancer testing. To relieve stress I imagined my cervix bathed in rings of healing yellow light, golden medicinal salve, and cleansing water all encircled by borders of scar tissue and tough, multiple membranes. I imagined it as a portal to the void, with no beginning and no ending, but just an empty cancer-free space.

This art is about the joy and pain of navigating my menstruation for the last forty years. It is also about honoring the end of my "flow" in its various iterations. Though our menstrual periods are an immensely integral, sacred part of our lives -- eliciting a monthly myriad of private emotions, thoughts, and actions -- politics, commercialism, advertising, religious attitudes, and the medical community have all weighed in heavily dictating what is proper, normal, and acceptable about our “monthly cycles.” While these public forces have gained momentum in our culture-at-large, "Flow" recognizes all the women who privately and courageously assimilate with their own bodies month after month, year after year, and seeks to uplift those who struggle with any multitude of uterine battles.