GCSP03 Celtic Harmony

This Yin-Yang drawing typifies what is so brilliant about Courtney Davis’ work—to portray cross-cultural icons through unmistakably Celtic interlaced designs. The results are always unexpected and complex, and what the viewer realizes, the longer she meditates upon the piece, is that the layers of meaning go as deep as the consciousness cares to dive. The contrasting spot of the Yin (dark) half—is it our Moon, or Earth? And the spot of the Yang half—the vast Void from which manifestation arises and falls? The duality here is duplicated by the blackness surrounding Yin’s spot, and the white ring around Yang’s. We also see downward-pointing “female” triangles within circles above, and their upward-pointing “male” counterparts below—hinting subtly at the polarities involved in the different realms of being. Finally, we find the simple paisley/teardrop shape (smaller and less formal versions of those comprising the Yin/Yang symbol of the Tao) in the four corners of the piece, each, surprisingly, with an open eye—are they the two pairs of Eyes belonging to the Female/Male aspects of deity which are the two conceived aspects of the same One Thing? Are they the eyes of the four traditional Saints of the Gospels so often found, in one form or another, usually occupying the corners in traditional Celtic religious art? Are they the open eyes of enlightenment? The viewer can choose among these ideas and more or accept them all.