Yes, it’s another thing I made up.

As a word and image obsessive, I find metaphors enormously helpful {and fun!} in giving life to abstract concepts, which let’s face it, are in abundance in places I regularly inhabit, such as the world of metaphysics, art and, um, my brain.

infinite bowl collage

So, the infinite bowl, which is a visual representation of infinity {I’m aware that that’s basically an oxymoron} is a way for me to remember that

a} all things are present at once, in the realm of infinite potential {which is here all the time, only we can’t see it with our eyes, usually}

b} nothing is ever what I think it is

c} that there is always a bigger picture, a larger context, that I can’t see

infinitebowl1

Which MEANS, that

a} I could choose anything at any time ~ any response, any belief, any thought, any direction

b} I can take comfort in the fact that there is more to any given situation than I could possibly be aware of

c} I don’t have to be perfect, do everything right, or keep anyone else happy; it’s not my business

infinitebowl3
In my head the bowl is very simple, handmade, lovingly and unevenly crafted, with an imperfect glaze and a little stand on the base. Because it’s imaginary, the form of the bowl is nebulous, because if it really held everything in the entire universe then how would you explain everything outside the bowl?!
Within the bowl, all things arise from the primordial soup, and all things disappear back into it. I am still playing with the concept, and of course it is simply what works for me as I navigate my way in a world that looks nothing like the one I used to inhabit {although of course it does look the same, if you’re using your eyes}. But Truth is something that always applies, and I have yet to enounter anything that doesn’t fit in my bowl.
The Infinite Bowl by Tara Leaver

The Infinite Bowl
gouache and oil stick on wood panel
 20 x 20 x 2cm

In the most basic sense, the bowl is a reminder that everything is energy, and energy cannot die, only change form. There is so much freedom {and therefore relief} in that and how I can apply it in every day life. We have always been taught that things are fixed, that they are what they are and cannot be changed. The Infinite Bowl reminds me that that is never true. So I made a little painting of it to hang in my home, as a reminder that I’m never a victim, never truly stuck or limited, and always free to transform what’s in front of me.