Holy Family, Alex Grey 2006- 07, acrylic on canvas 30 x 40 inches On several public occasions from December through January, I painted the Holy Family as a restatement of the Christian symbol of the triad of love between parents and child. The child is a symbol of hope and potential for the future, and here has an earth in the heart, indicating a vision of emerging global consciousness whose love is for the life web of the whole planet. In the halo surrounding the Child are symbols from the various wisdom traditions, while the Child points heavenward with a finger symbolizing Oneness. The gaze of both Mother and Father is fixed on the Child. The Mother holds the child, as it stands radiantly central. The Father touches his heart and holds a paintbrush which is being licked by a sharp-toothed demon pointing downward, indicating that even in the midst of parental care, difficulties and disasters can also happen.

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