Master of the waters
Sculpture of Master of the Waters, 2020
The Queen of the Shadow Land
She is the master of the waters
She is the queen of the shadow land
She wears a cape of midnight blue
Like many of us, I have always been drawn to the moon and her realm of the night. And when I’ve had the honor of witnessing her in her glory over the ocean, it‘s been especially powerful, and I hold these moments as some of my most cherished in my life. When I was little, I would stare up at the full moon and want to place her on my tongue like those violet candies that were perfectly round. She is my muse. As my muse, guide, and teacher, she brought me this song, which is a prayer of courage and strength. So that I can see the parts of me that I keep hidden from myself. It was after this painting that I was able to face an old memory that had been buried for decades. It started as a song, then I made a sculpture, and then a painting. She is the archetype of the Queen of Cups and the goddess of the night. She has mastered the emotional realm, and in doing so, she can be with and transform the shadow self. She sits with the expressions of duality, the extremes of emotion from joy to despair with equanimity, without allowing it to drown or consume her. I contemplated the strength it takes to claim peace amidst such storms. As the master of the emotional realm, she can dive deep into the unconscious without fear. What power it is to be a master of the waters and to embody the wisdom of the moon.
And upon her head, she wears the moon
The moon is the guardian of the night, gently casting her light that originates from the sun. She plays and bends the light, turning gold into silver, revealing something completely different. The moon gives us dark nights with her absences, then bright and illuminated nights with her full moon. She dances with the sun, coming closer and then farther away, creating her own cycle. The new moon is a time to plant our seeds and prayers for the things we want. We then see our prayers start to grow as she reappears as a sliver at sunset, then moving across the sky over a couple of weeks into a full moon. In her full brilliance, we see what grew in our lives. Then, the moon starts to shed its light, allowing us to clear what is no longer serving us. We make space for the next cycle. It’s the same rhythm we see with our days, and seasons, and with the women's moon and bleeding cycle. She’s the influence for the tides of our oceans and waters and the cycle in our bodies.
In my hand, a torch made of moonlight
a gift from the sun
to hold as I walk through the shadowland
A torch made of moonlight can access the sensitive parts of us. The moon, the healer, provides what is needed for these delicate parts of us to blossom in her light—like datura blooming at night.
The night is the place where intuition, our inner knowing, the taboo, and our shadow self reside. The moon invites us to journey inward to discover the treasures found within. The language spoken here is art, music, and poetry.
The master of the waters is my guardian and ally. She has opened a channel of creativity within me. Any blockages I have, she comes in and gives me the courage to turn toward the dark, knowing that what I am looking for is there inside.
Master of the Waters
Acrylic on Canvas 2024
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Master of the Waters // Leah Devine Pokrasso
She is the master of the waters
She is the queen of the shadow land
She wears a cape of midnight blue
And upon her head she wears the moon
She roams in my dreams
She roams in my dreams
She is the master of the waters
She is the queen of the shadow land
In my hand a torch made of moonlight
a gift from the sun
to hold as I walk through the shadow land
And as I dive deep into the great blue sea
Give me the courage
to see all that I need to see
She is the master of the waters
She is the queen of the shadow land
She wears a cape of midnight blue
And upon her head she wears the moon
Give me the courage
to swim to deepest of my knowing
the places hiding behind the corners of mind
the places deep inside
Oh hand me a torch of moonlight
to illuminate my mind
So I can invite them into the light
She is the master of the waters
She is the queen of the shadow land
She wears a cape of midnight blue
And upon her head she wears the moon
She roams in my dreams
She roams in my dreams
She is the master of the waters
She is the queen of the shadow land
