"Kirtimukha: Guardian of the Temple"

"Kirtimukha: Guardian of the Temple" by Marlene Seven Bremner

 oil on canvas

2024

20"x16"

"Through subduing the rational mind and allowing the irrational forces of the depths to emerge through the surrealist technique of automatism, I meet the unexpected and marvelous figures who long to tell their story. I didn’t set out to paint Kirtimukha. Rather, this figure revealed itself spontaneously, and synchronicity led me to understand who it was. 
The story of Kirtimukha is found in the Hindu legends of the Skanda Purana. The great Titan King Jalandhara usurped the powers of the gods and established himself as the tyrannical ruler of a new order. With great hubris he sent the demon Rāhu (responsible for eclipses) to challenge Shiva, the Supreme Lord of the Universe for his bride-to-be, the beautiful Pārvatī, Lady of the Universe and embodiment of Shakti. 
Shiva countered the demand by projecting from his Third Eye an eruption of wrathful power in the form of a lion-headed demon, emaciated, ravenous, and undeniably formidable. Its bulging eyes aflame and its gaping mouth roaring like thunder, the demon’s mane unfurled across space. Rāhu took sanctuary in Shiva’s embrace, depriving the demon of its promised meal. Filled with excruciating hunger, he consumed himself blindly until only his face remained.
The destructive aspect of the Supreme Lord gazed upon the demon as his beloved child, and named him Kirtimukha, “the Face of Glory.” Thus, Kirtimukha is a projected manifestation of Shiva’s wrath, and has become an apotropaic symbol to ward off the evil forces.
My intention is that this painting may serve as a talisman to protect the sacred generative powers of the creative process, as well as for protection from the dangers encountered during the dark passages of life. Through meditation upon this figure, we can align with the Absolute reality and the presence of pure awareness, awakening the Shakti-Kundalini energy within and encouraging unitive knowledge and inner transformation."
 - Marlene Seven Bremner

Marlene Seven Bremner is a self-taught oil painter, working in a surrealist and allegorical style. Her work explores esoteric themes arising from her study and practice of Hermeticism, alchemy, magic, astrology, and mythology. She is the author of Hermetic Philosophy and Creative Alchemy: The Emerald Tablet, the Corpus Hermeticum, and the Journey Through the Seven Spheres (Inner Traditions, 2022), and The Hermetic Marriage of Art and Alchemy: Imagination, Creativity, and the Great Work (Inner Traditions, 2023).