The Sun My Heart
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Listen to this Story
The heart in my body is not only my heart.
The sun in the sky is also my heart.
If my own heart failed, I would die instantly.
If the sun stopped shining, the flow of life would stop and I would also die.
The sun is our heart outside our bodies.
It gives all life on Earth the light and warmth necessary for existence.
Plants live thanks to the sun.
Thanks to the plants we and other animals can live.
All of us – people, animals, plants and minerals –
get nourishment from the sun directly and indirectly.
Seeing this, we easily transcend the duality of self and non-self
and see that the environment is us.
– Thich Nhat Hanh
“Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!”
Art of Suns
The sun has been a frequently recurring theme in my artwork. It's a subject I return to again and again. My fascination with the sun started very early, watching the shadow of an eclipse. In the fifth grade my teacher had my desk positioned facing directly at the window. I would sit there and stare at the sun as much as possible. Squinting my eyes, the sun rays would curl and my lashes would turn into rainbows. It amazed me. Ever since, I have thought of different ways to symbolize the energy and beauty of our wonderful sun, and have contemplated other stars in the universe.
A Small Selection of My Sun Artworks
One year I did a series of mosaics, Sol Flor, comparing how stars/suns are like flowers, bright bursts of color radiating outwards from a life giving center.
They were all made of recycled materials. The base forms were cast concrete diverted from the landfill.
“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun.”
– Pablo Picasso
Capturing the Sun
Wherever I go, I take pictures of the sun. It looks a little different every day and everywhere you go. The sun you see in winter close to the Arctic circle is very different than how it appears at the Tropic of Cancer. The quality of light and intensity is not the same.
The Sun in La Manzanilla, Mexico
Orb of Light
Even in today's world, so disconnected from nature, people still take the time to stop and contemplate the everyday miracle of the sunset. On my arrival to my recent visit in Mexico, a mama whale and her baby were breeching out of the water during the sunset. What a beautiful thing to witness! They too, seemed to be celebrating the end of the day and the beauty of the moment.
“If the Sun and Moon should ever doubt, they'd immediately go out.”
– William Blake
The Sun in Karpathos, Greece
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
– Buddha
