Thursday May 6th: Abide in my love
May 6, 2021
Poem: Woman of Virtue
May 6, 2021

Visio Divina for women: Thursday, May 6

This week we are excited to present the Encaustic art Alicia Nathai -Achong a parishioner of St Benedicts RC of La Romaine.

For the past twenty years Alicia worked in the banking sector, but in July 2020 she traded in that career for her artist’s brush. She said that she was always a crafty child and her parents always engaged them in arts and craft and she also confessed to trying her hand at almost everything crafty; from floral arrangements to cake decorating to cooking but never seeing herself as an artist in any way. But then came the Covid 19 lockdown of 2020 and Alicia was caught up having to work from home to take care of her two sons, one in form 5 and the other in standard four whilst dealing with her own personal health challenges and so in the midst of all that. She did an act of faith and said good bye to the corporate world and hello to becoming a fulltime artist.

Alicia’s journey as an Encaustic artist started when her older son was in standard four and she began helping him with his art projects, she herself started dabbling. While researching one night, she came across Encaustic art and became intrigued. “So I reached out to a Beekeeper from Trincity to get some beeswax, just to practice and that was it! I became hooked”. Encaustic art is an ancient form of art which was practiced by the Egyptians many thousands of years ago. Encaustic art uses bees wax, tree sap and dried pigments to create paint. Alicia then applies the paint to the panel and then uses a blow torch to create her pieces

When asked how she relates this to her faith she said, “ When I did the first piece I knew it was something that I was meant to do.” With the full support of her family, Alicia was able to transform her garage to an art gallery and displays her work. The works of Alicia Nathai – Achong’s work can be found on display at ANA Art Gallery at 8 Hillcrest Drive, Battoo Lands, Marabella.

The piece for today’s Visio’s Divina is called the Kiss of Sunset.

Kiss of a sunset by Alicia Nathai -Achong

Join us now as we as we journey through a Visio Divina experience with this piece. . If you are not familiar with Visio Divina, you may know, Lectio Divina which is a method of praying with scripture, started by the late great Fr. Michel De Verteuil. Visio Divina (Latin for “divine seeing”) is a method for praying with images.

Through Visio Divina we invite you to see beyond first and second impressions, and even beyond your initial ideas, judgments, or understandings. Our hope is to create a connection to the divine through art in Trinidad and Tobago..

So here is how we are going to do it.

1. Set aside 20 minutes in the day for the guided prayer experience

2. As you begin to prayer take a few minutes to open your heart and mind to God.

3. When you are ready, slowly look and notice the image, taking your time to let feelings and thoughts come to you as you take in forms, figures, colors, lines, textures, and shapes. What does it look like, or remind you of? What are your initial thoughts? What feelings are evoked?

4. Now, return to the image with an open heart and mind again. You may now experience new thoughts, meanings, and feelings. Start, exploring new meanings and feeling that come to you associated with the image. Be aware of any assumptions or expectations that you bring to the image. Regardless of your response to the image — delight, disgust, indifference, and confusion — contemplate prayerfully the reason for your response and what these responses might mean for and about you.

5. As you go deeper in this prayer, open yourself to what the image might reveal to you. What does the Spirit want to say, evoke, make known, or express to you in quiet meditation? What are your feelings, thoughts, desires, and meanings evoked by the image and how they are directly connected to your life?

6. Now, take the time to respond to God. Jot down in a journal the insights you want to remember, actions you are invited to take, wisdom you hope to embody, or any feelings or thoughts you wish to express. Bring your prayer to a close by resting in God’s grace and love.

Please email us as at forwomen@catholictt.org on the impact this activity may have had on your day, and be sure to share the artist’s image on your social media feeds.

Source info: https://www.patheos.com/resources/additional-resources/2009/07/praying-with-art-visio-divina