The Cosmic Egg
did ancient cultures understand the universe at a cellular level?
Here in the mountains spring has sprung. Our garden went from monochrome to technicolor overnight. What a difference a little color can do for your mood.
It’s like spring handed out a bunch of rose-colored glasses. Don’t mind the news, the trees are blooming, the birds are chirping… It’s all going to be ok.
I love the saturated pastel color story this season brings. But my favorite part about the dogwood’s blooming is the signal that it’s time for Easter & all its cheesy traditions. But set the chocolate bunnies & marshmallow chicks aside, I only have eyes for the boiled eggs!
Decorating eggs is such a delightful creative brief. This colorful ritual started as a practical response to a Lent-driven egg overload. You see, eggs are supposed to be off the menu during Lent (the 40 days of fasting before Easter). Well, chickens keep on laying, so folks would hard-boil them for preservation. Piles of boiled eggs became a symbol of the season. At some point, a wise woman somewhere thought, “let’s decorate these beauties”. What perfect little canvases for a series of tondos.
And so the egg became synonymous with Easter & Spring.
The perfect icon for rebirth.
But the egg goes back much further as a powerful human symbol.
the cosmic egg
Different cultures all over the globe have surprisingly similar myths about a cosmic egg. Often with a figure that splits the egg open and the top of the shell becomes the heavens while the bottom becomes the earth.
The Cosmic Egg (or Orphic Egg) represents the origin of the entire universe and the state of primordial unity before the world was divided into separate elements.
Greece, India, China, Egypt, Finland… all have stories where the egg is found floating in a vast, infinite ocean of chaos. Then it must break open to release the 2 halves of the world. Light & dark, masculine & feminine, wet & dry, yin & yang.
eggs are the yin of proteins
As I stretched this morning, a little sprite appeared in my vision. A seemingly harmless kaleidoscopic sparkle hovering just left of center. Tiny & adorable, it quickly grew. And with it the nausea and heavy gravitational pressure.
Migraines are a sign of imbalance. The fiery Yang overshadows the cool damp Yin. The answer is rest, hydration, and lots of protein. And one of the best protein sources to build back your Yin? Eggs 🥚
the split
One of these cosmic egg origin stories is from the west African Dogon tribe.
The creator god Amma is envisioned as a cosmic egg containing the “seeds” of all elements and directions. The creation of the world involved twins breaking out of the egg to establish order.
Most of the cosmic egg myths involve a single androgynous figure, but the Dogon had twins.
Why twins? My mind started spinning. How many other myths involve twins? Turns out there are tons worldwide. It’s crazy how cultures across the globe all have the same imagery to explain the universe. In fact there are so many universal mythological patterns that Joseph Campbell wrote a whole book about it.
Did ancient cultures imagine twins because of mitosis?
Did they understand birth at a cellular level?
Were we once more connected to our source, our true origins, to feel and understand that all life comes from a simple split from one into 2?
creativity is a serpent
The most popular cosmic egg is the Orphic Egg ascribed to the mythical poet Orpheus. Most depictions of this egg show it with a tightly coiled serpent around it. The snake would squeeze the egg (the cosmos) so tightly it would break, releasing the world.
What a thought.
Without creativity, there is no world, no universe, no life.
I’ll be spending this holiday weekend circling my own creative serpent. Taking all my natural dyes & shibori resist techniques to decorate eggs.
Wherever you are and however you celebrate, put on those rose-colored glasses and enjoy the inspiration sprouting up everywhere outside.
If these musings add value to your week,
consider supporting GALAXITA
workshops near you
Being creative in community is the best. Come join us at the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy Farm in a couple weeks to explore the Cosmic World of Shibori.
workshops in North Carolina
The April 18th workshop is nearly full, so we’ve Added a 2nd class on Sunday the 19th:
🌸 Shibori Fun! April 18 | 11-3
🌸 Shibori Fun! April 19 | 1-5
Returning students get $20 OFF
Conservancy members get $10 OFF
workshops in California
Plans are underway for some colorful summer workshops: Wool Painting, EcoPrinting with preserved botanicals, Shibori with natural dyes, & more!
If finances feel stressful right now, I have scholarships available for anyone who needs one. Creativity is Wellness 💛
👉 Interested in hosting a workshop at your home or business? Reach out
Visit my website for up-to-date workshop details
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Protect the delicate | Discover the unseen | Value the overlooked