Lil McGill, Lazurite Vision (Lapis Lazuli Series)
My Lapis Lazuli story begins with Matt, an old poet friend of mine from school in New York, with whom I have reconnected this year, exchanging life stories and current artistic projects. I used to call him the Moon Poet because those years ago I was astonished when I heard him read his spare poems about the cycles of the moon. The evening winter sky back then was a gradient scale of blues and the moon and Venus were so bright against the cerulean and the deep black branches of the bare trees. Shades of blue hold such mystery – the depths of the sea and sky, and the spirit world.
Then, through Matt, I became acquainted with his wife Lenora, who sent me her poetry collection called Lapis Lazuli,which documented her healing journey down into the depths of breast cancer. These days pink is the color associated with this widespread illness, but it feels to me that Lenora was right on when she delved into the deep blue power of this healing stone.
Lapis Lazuli is a rock made up of several minerals, among them lazurite, calcite, sodalite, and pyrite. It is created by a process called contact metamorphism which is caused by the heat of magma intruding into cooler native rock. Lapis has many healing properties particularly for the throat and third eye chakras. It was also used by the ancient Egyptians, and was thought to bring protection in the afterlife. It was also the original pigment used in the artist’s color, ultramarine, which means “beyond the sea.” The combination of the deep blue and specks of gold caused it to be associated with a starry night sky.
The esoteric and cosmic meanings and uses of lapis are many and I was inspired to explore this in a series of paintings to see what I could come up with for a cover for Lenora’s book. This Lapis Lazuli series is a contact metamorphosis of its own, the kind created by artistic collaboration and how the various properties of our lives meet up in unexpected combinations to inspire growth and understanding. Lapis is also the stone of truth and friendship, and I am thankful to my friends for passing it my way.
Lil McGill, Lazuli
