Atmabandhu “Soulmate” Sanskrit in Devanagari calligraphy, paper mounted on board with gold wash, by Stewart J. Thomas. This piece was just accepted to the juried exhibition “Calligraphies in Conversation” curated by the Ziya Art Center and will be exhibited this fall at the San Francisco Public Library in California.Read More
This is a new addition to my long-running series of “Lost Manuscript” pages. Watercolor, gouache and actual desiccated leaves compile this mixed media work by Stewart J. Thomas.Read More
उपेक्षा upeksaa; Sanskrit for “Equanimity” the state of maintaining mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation. Calligraphy by Stewart J. Thomas.Read More
Rumi’s poem:
ز اول که حدیث عاشقی بشنودم
جان و دل و دیده در رهش فرسودم
گفتم که مگر عاشق و معشوق دواند
خود هر دو یکی بود من احول بودم
Coleman Barks translation:
The minute I heard my first love story,
I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was.
Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere.
They’re in each other all along.
My translation:
When I first heard [the] story of love
I wore out soul and heart and sight on its path.
I said: are lover and beloved two?
[The] self two were one; I was seeing doubleRead More
Satyagraha सत्याग्रह or “truth force” or “holding fast to the truth” is the name Mahatma Gandhi gave to his strategy of non-violence. While I am no expert on how to carry out social change, it has been my life experience that it is exceedingly difficult to break the spiral of violence. Gandhi emphasized that non-violence is not a safe strategy; indeed, its practitioners can be in great danger. Nor is it a guaranteed strategy: enormous creativity, solidarity, perseverance and discipline are required. But it may be the only hope for ending the cycle of violence begetting more violence.Read More
Alchemy of Love کيمياگری عشق Persian/Farsi in modified Arabic Kufic script.Read More
Sthira Sukha स्थिर सूख the two qualities Patanjali explains in the Yoga Sutras that need to be present when doing any yoga: steadiness and ease. Sanskrit calligraphic rondel in Devanagari script by Stewart J. Thomas.Read More
Shen 神 — Calligraphy of Chinese character for spirit, consciousness, awareness; also meaning deity; the meeting place of heaven and earth.Read More
