Sunday, February 6, 2011

The Celestial Bride



The "Unarius" group in Southern California has produced some of America's finest, and most psychedelically rich, visionary texts of the twentieth century. The "Conclave of Light Beings" (Unarius Press, El Cajon, California, 1973) recounts many channeling sessions between Ruth "Uriel" Norman, the leader of the group, and various partners who ask questions and offer their own visions. The heavenly realms are filled with fabulous architecture, ethereal light effects, grand theatrical gatherings, glorious costumes, and plenty of artistic and musical references. Ruth, her partners, and other Unarius members all have had many incarnations throughout history, often as famous artists or musicians.

The most spectacular set-piece in "Conclave" is the wedding between "Ioshanna," an incarnation of Ruth, and "Michiel," or Leonardo da Vinci. This heaven-shaking event is described in a breathless stream of description, leading up to the appearance of the Celestial Bride. Here are some excerpts from the passage of the Bride:

"Then she appeared! From out the distant golden corridor, through the central arch, slowly moved forward the lovely young female form. She was gowned in an exquisite, sheer, diaphanous chiffon of the finest shimmering gossamer! The robe billowed out and seemed to float about her for several blocks behind, as she slowly moved....up the center of this great cathedral thoroughfare. The translucent material of her gown, which was of the whitest of white, radiated the crystaline energies of which all things are formed in these colorful dimensions. The lovely golden hair cascaded in graceful waves far over her shoulders, from the top of her lovely head to below her tiny waist. It seemed to glisten as though made of the finest of webs of the material in the chiffon. The strands of hair seemed to be of a fine, spun glass crystal. Her eyes were luminous and of deepest blue...Her face was very transparent - as alabaster and most ethereal...
It is she! It is now realized by all, that the lovely Being who is in the center of focus, is the (present) Unarius Channel Ioshanna!" (Conclave, pgs. 130-131)

The model for this is the same lady who posed for me in the big blue dress as the Earth Goddess. She really did look like the Celestial Bride, complete with shining gold hair and lovely blue eyes.

I am tempted to bring some of these visions to modern viewers via the crystalline energies of Photoshop!
This early vision of the Bride is mere ink and watercolor on illustration board, 7" x 12", May 1988.

1 comment:

Tristan Alexander said...

Well, I am not a fan of this cult, but the picture made me thing "Holy Mother of God!" LOL, clasic Catholic symbology, well done by you, but still....