Ruins of the Temple of the Universe
Hanging Sculpture by Visual Artist Grey Cross
The Story of the Temple of the Universe
The ancient sect of the Temple of the Universe revered the goddess only known as “She”. They believed that “She” who made the universe held power of everything and one day would return to end the universe She created, just as quickly as She had created it.
Her countenance was neither beautiful nor ugly, but a face with piercing eyes that mirrored the heavens. Her craggy features were the face of everyone who had ever been or ever would be and she was often portrayed as part of the universe around her, blending into it, giving it life and being part of that life simultaneously.
The Temple was set so that the great golden face at its center faced exactly north to south. Directions were very important to the Temple sect. Each of the corners of the inner and outer Temple reflects the desire to face in every direction possible. The inner temple corners were meditation chambers where one could go to be as close to She as possible without immersing themselves in the sacred pool surrounding the golden face.
Immersion was only allowed once a year at the solstice when the four high priests, representing north, south, east and west would enter the pool from each direction and pray for that the universe be spared another year.
The outer Temple corners were mausoleums containing the skulls only of each high priest who had served the Temple, laying them to rest with She.
The complete Temple complex is covered in runes.
The sacred Temple entrances face east and west of the golden face and were raised so that one entering the Temple could look down upon She and offer prayers before descending. Only the priests were allowed to descend to the inner Temple but all others could worship at the summit of each entrance.
The Temple grounds represented the sacred geometry of the universe. The great copper pyramid to the south represented inner wisdom The great orbs to the north stood for the eyes of the goddess and far sightedness while the sand drawings beneath them represented what we think are two super novae. The four obelisks to the East and West represented the elements while to each corner of each obelisk were the representations of 16 different unknown constellations. Each corner of the Temple complex represents two different concepts. Each stands for the basic elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, but they also represent unknown stars in other parts of the universe.
The runes are uninterpreted but it assumed that the Obelisk runes represent the names of each constellation near it. The rest are open to interpretation.
The ancient sect of the Temple of the Universe revered the goddess only known as “She”. They believed that “She” who made the universe held power of everything and one day would return to end the universe She created, just as quickly as She had created it.
Her countenance was neither beautiful nor ugly, but a face with piercing eyes that mirrored the heavens. Her craggy features were the face of everyone who had ever been or ever would be and she was often portrayed as part of the universe around her, blending into it, giving it life and being part of that life simultaneously.
The Temple was set so that the great golden face at its center faced exactly north to south. Directions were very important to the Temple sect. Each of the corners of the inner and outer Temple reflects the desire to face in every direction possible. The inner temple corners were meditation chambers where one could go to be as close to She as possible without immersing themselves in the sacred pool surrounding the golden face.
Immersion was only allowed once a year at the solstice when the four high priests, representing north, south, east and west would enter the pool from each direction and pray for that the universe be spared another year.
The outer Temple corners were mausoleums containing the skulls only of each high priest who had served the Temple, laying them to rest with She.
The complete Temple complex is covered in runes.
The sacred Temple entrances face east and west of the golden face and were raised so that one entering the Temple could look down upon She and offer prayers before descending. Only the priests were allowed to descend to the inner Temple but all others could worship at the summit of each entrance.
The Temple grounds represented the sacred geometry of the universe. The great copper pyramid to the south represented inner wisdom The great orbs to the north stood for the eyes of the goddess and far sightedness while the sand drawings beneath them represented what we think are two super novae. The four obelisks to the East and West represented the elements while to each corner of each obelisk were the representations of 16 different unknown constellations. Each corner of the Temple complex represents two different concepts. Each stands for the basic elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, but they also represent unknown stars in other parts of the universe.
The runes are uninterpreted but it assumed that the Obelisk runes represent the names of each constellation near it. The rest are open to interpretation.
Materials Used
This temple, obelisks, pyramid and golden face were constructed of clay. The face was created to match the original face created in a previous piece. The water channels were made of layered metallic wax. The temple grounds are made with layers of crystalized sand with cube crystals at each corner. The orbs are made of glass. The sigil on the golden face is made of beaten copper. The paint was metallic acrylics and raised line paint. It is the most complicated piece I’ve created because the clay had to be laid thinly over custom cut floral Styrofoam in order to create the cracking that makes it look like an authentic ruin, but the whole structure had to be reinforced so that it wouldn’t come off the canvas at a later date. The whole superstructure is also supported from behind by support beams and stays so that the canvas doesn’t sag in the middle. The frame itself is supported by 8 corner brackets. The sand had to be done in small sections, laid out, allowed to dry and then overlaid by more sand to create the various patterns.
History of the Piece
The concept of the piece derived from an earlier painting called “She Who Made the Universe”. The golden face is a nearly exact replica of the original face even including the wart on one cheek. An experimental piece was also done just prior to this larger piece representing small Mayan temples set in the jungle and was used to understand scale and how higher clay forms adhered to canvas. There will eventually be a third piece in this series called “She Who Ends the Universe”. My fascination with sacred geometry and ancient symbols can be seen throughout the piece.
