In addition to the two stories I shared, the skull has layers of symbolism attached to it when you look at its use through history. The following notes come from a variety of sources on the internets and in books and notes taken over the years.
THE SKULL
The skull has been given strong connotations in many religions and several cultures. In dream interpretation, the skull can represent the desire to probe the secrets of the mind.
It can be a symbol of protection, strength and power. For some people who already experienced danger, it can be a symbol of overcoming death, danger or a tough time. For those people who overcome trials, it can be a symbol for a past life, now changed, never to revert. In history, it has a symbol of victory over the enemy and a warning to the people defeated in battle. A skull can be an obvious declaration of triumph.
THE SUGAR SKULL
The sugar skull is an important integral part of the Dia de los Muertos celebration. Just as the use of real skulls was a symbol of life and death to the ancient tribes during their month-long ceremonies, the sugar skull now represents the celebration of the cycle of life and death. To me, I preferred the look of the sugar skull in that the point here is not to harbor a design that is sad or depressing or dark and evokes bad memories. I wanted something that spoke to new happiness and a new life and good memories. In the tradition of the culture, it is an homage to the little girl who died as I grew up. In that way, it is dedicated to myself. But even as it symbolizes the death of that person I once was, the blooming flowers and bright colors represent that life can begin again and grow back strong and beautiful. I also liked the idea of using the flame colored flowers in the skull’s eyes to symbolize the fire of wisdom that Valalisa was given by Baba Yaga. If you look beside the nose you will see the tear drop shapes… those come from the story of the Skeleton Woman…the tears shed by the fisherman that nourished her soul.
Taking the tales of Skeleton Woman and Valalisa the Brave and pulling in not just the historical significance and symbolism of the skull but also of the more specific “sugar skull”, it’s now easy to see why this was such a rich and perfect basis for my design.
PHI
The symbol in the middle of the skull’s forehead is that of Phi. This is the symbol of the Golden Ratio in mathematics. Those not familiar with the Golden Ratio can Google it for more information but essentially, I like the concept of how it ties math to art in that at least since the Renaissance, many artists and architects have proportioned their works to approximate the golden ratio.
It also represents a few other things:
In physics, it is used to represent electrical potential. This speaks not just to the potential in my muscles to run, lift, and swim but also just to the idea of potential in general. In structural engineering, it is used to represent strength.
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In the spirit of the “flowers” usually associated with the sugar skull, I wanted to incorporate the following two molecules. I designed the piece with more flourish and leaves at the edge but those will be added in the next session around the molecules to pull it all together and the idea was for the finished piece to have the molecules look like flowers around it at first glance.
WATER
One of the molecule chains is that of water. For those who have been in the military or work with the Marines, you may be familiar with the words, “Water Is Life”. I need to focus on drinking more water for my workouts and I wanted this as a reminder. It’s been working, too. I have been remembering to drink it more when it’s right in front of me ALL the time now J
ATP
Adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) is essentially the molecule of energy transfer within cells. ATP transports chemical energy within the cells for metabolism. It is also required for the shortening of actin and myosin filament crossbridges required for muscle contraction. This latter process is one of the main energy requirements of animals and is essential for locomotion. I selected this molecule because it speaks deeply to one of the things I have struggled with over the last few years. Eating. My trainer often gets concerned that I don’t eat enough for the exercise I am doing. He and I have been working on educating my brain on nutrition and why I NEED to eat to stay healthy, get stronger, fuel my body and lose weight. While I know this academically now, I still some days struggle with things douche bag said to me that interfere with my progress. I started this mantra about a year ago, “Food is fuel. You need to eat. Food is fuel. You need to eat” to help. Because ATP symbolizes this in such a simple way yet also speaks to my athletic goals and dreams, I thought it was the perfect symbol to go with.
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