After the birth of my son in 2009, I realized that I’d reached a point in my life where I could envision projects lasting 20 – 30 years into the future. I also acquired a beautiful property in Bourgogne France, surrounded by many sacred sites. 

          Having  lectured on The Gnostic Worldview and written a novel on the Gnostic tradition (The Hidden Passion), I felt that the time had come for an artist to step forward and depict The Apocryphon of John (a seminal Gnostic text) for the very first time. And so, the idea for The Apocryphon Chapel was born.

          I have planned out 15 large-scale paintings for the chapel's interior, while also designing the overall space. As the former director of The Vienna Academy of Visionary Art and its vibrant Cultural Space, I had a direct experience of the amazing kinds of sacred activities that can emerge, if only we leave the space open to those who are gifted in healing, music, dance and movement.

          So, the Apocryphon Chapel will embrace all spiritual traditions, and explore a variety of healing modalities, while offering Visionary art on its walls.

A possible version of the facade, based on the floor plan below.

ICONOLOGICAL PROGRAMME OF THE FLOOR PLAN

The floor plan, which has three main sections. One enters on the left and exits on the right.

          The Genesis Passage has five paintings depicting the Creation. This begins with a series of emanations from the Divine One (The Upper Aeons) to The Fall of Sophia, as she engenders the demiurge Yaltabaoth, who generates the lower worlds (The Lower Aeons). This leads to The Fall of Humanity in the Garden of Eden. At the end of the Genesis passage, visible through the series of doorways, is the Altar to Sophia with a painting dedicated to her.

          The Inner Sanctum has a triptych before a baptismal pool, which depicts (left) Adam and Eve attaining salvation by eating from the Tree of Gnosis, (central panel) the five main sacraments of Gnosticism called The Five Seals, and (right) The Redemption of Sophia (who symbolizes the awakened soul) by Christ.

          The Apocalypse Passage has five paintings and the Altar to Christ who, in a painting dedicated to him, gazes through the series of doorways to the exit. The five paintings depict the dissolution of the cosmos, including The Apocalypse of the Archons and The afterlife passage of the soul through the Aeons, until All are re-united with the Divine One through the Marriage of Christ and Sophia in The Bridal Chamber.

ON THE DRAWING BOARD

Above: A view of my drawing board where I am developing the main figures, inspired by ‘the Classical Ideal.’
Top (l to r): The Divine Eye, The Mother-Father, one of the Four Lights.
Bottom (l to r): Sophia, Adam at the Tree of Gnosis, the Androgynous Anthropos, Christ

THE COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST PAINTING

GENESIS OF THE UPPER AEONS

• The Genesis of the Upper Aeons begins with The Divine Eye surrounded by glowing sacred geometry.

• From The Divine Eye, a ray of luminous vision descends and mixes with tears to form The Watery Light of the Aeons.

• The first figures to appear in The Watery Light are The Father and The Mother (called the Divine Parent) who turn and embrace, creating The Christ through a kiss.

• The Christ is surrounded by The Four Lights, named Armozel, Oriel, Daveithai and Eleleth, who gaze at him while holding the heavenly keys and blowing trumpets.

• Christ continues to pour The Watery Light, which creates The Twelve Aeons of the Mind (allegorized by female figures) which form a circle around The Androgynous Anthropos, a perfect male-female prototype of Humanity

• The Twelve Aeons of the Mind are:

• At the top of the circle is Truth

• Descending on the right from Truth are: Grace, Idea, Understanding, Love and Perfection

• Descending on the left from Truth are: Form, Afterthought (or Forethought in some versions), Memory, Perception and Peace.

• At the bottom of the circle is the large figure of Wisdom (Sophia)

• Although Wisdom is one of the Twelve Aeons of the Mind, she is also the female counterpart of Christ (both are enhaloed by almond-shaped mandorlas).

• In the background, the Heavenly Vault descends to the Halls of Wisdom, with many diagrams on the harmonic measure of space.

PROGRESS ON THE FIRST PAINTING

I started this painting in Vienna, where my studio had a high ceiling. Then the Pandemic hit, and I unexpectedly found myself back in Burgundy.

By sheer good luck, the painting fit between the door (left) and the gabled ceiling at the top. Sometimes I paint standing on a scaffold (above), sometimes while sitting (right) but most of the time, to reach the top, I just turn the painting upside down...

The composition is based on a 1:2 rectangle, the diapason or octave in music.

Now that I've completed the architectural background, I'm starting to render the figures, working from the top down...

The sacred geometry above and the architecture below express many of the ideas I developed in my book Sacred Codes.

I see each block in the column as a mirrored cube, in which a spark of light from the Divine Mind develops into an idea. 

The outer columns in the foreground measure space Ad Quadratum (left - from the square) and Ad Triangulum (right - from the triangle). 

The next set of columns develop the principles of Platonic-Pythagorean Divine Harmony from the tetraktys - the proportions 1:2:3:4 which become 6:8:9:12 when translated into architecture and music.

The number 12 is used throughout the painting.

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