By Baraka Berger
When I became pregnant with my first and only child in 1988, at 40, I knew I was having a daughter, and I knew that I wanted to begin painting the Goddess.
My primary medium is, and was, at the time, monotype, detailed with pen and ink and colored pencils, and they were rather abstract…sort of, let go, let God…So I wasn’t certain just HOW, and in what form, ‘she’ might appear. One day, after pulling a small round print, I saw a tiny face peering out of the landscape.
There she was! I called her ‘Sleeping Goddess’. But could I bring her forth in future prints, keeping some spontaneous and natural form, while holding the intention?
Needless to say, I had found my way to express the Sacred Feminine.
I called them my ‘Emerging Goddesses Series’. They were somewhat amorphous, with the goddesses breaking out from the backgrounds (see "Emerging Goddesses & Archetypes" below). I thought of them as visual mantras, expressing qualities to meditate on, and to help us remember our Divine Inheritance, which is so necessary in a world where women have been so devalued by patriarchy.
In time, my goddesses came more into form...some were women of myth or history, some nature spirits, some Angels. Their names came through, along with their images.
Three years ago, Kathleen McGowan asked me to collaborate on an Oracle Deck of Celtic Women. This has been my primary focus since.
I LOVE doing this work. I love doing the research for these images, and I love how my work has stretched and grown. I’m ever grateful to have found my heart and soul’s work.
My hope is, that by bringing the Sacred Feminine in through my artwork, I can contribute to the healing of the deep wounds that have been inflicted on both women and men, by the patriarchy. This healing is essential, if we are to restore balance in our world through a partnership culture of equality.
Emerging Goddesses & Archetypes
‘Everywhere I see Goddesses emerging - coming into fullness.
The metamorphosis as we search for ourselves and our purpose
With clarity of intention and persistence through struggle.
Our times are challenging us in new ways.
Coming out of the chrysalis, the energy of the Goddess is
rebirth. We witness ourselves, as our purpose is revealed.'
These pieces are an affirmation of our process and our hope!
About Baraka Berger
Baraka Robin Berger is a painter/printmaker living in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Graduating from Boston University’s School of Fine Arts in 1970, her work has been a journey from the traditional to the mystical. Baraka believes that beauty is essential to our well-being. The intention behind her artwork is to bring beauty into life as a healing force. She taught ‘Sourcing Inner Creativity Through The Art of Monotype’ for over a decade, to both artists and lay people, incorporating meditation and creative visualization into the creative process. She has practiced of Sufi Meditation since 1984. She is currently working on an Oracle Deck with best-selling author, Kathleen McGowan. Her Emerging Goddesses, Mystical Landscapes and Personal Energy Portraits have been collected by healing professionals around the world, and shown in galleries throughout the country.
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