My second zine, Pain Is The Doorway, And Ecstasy The Flame, is out now and available on my Big Cartel (link in bio). A strange and beautiful process and step towards something larger. It drifts between fires and ocean floods, sacred hearts and profane hearts.
Pain is the doorway, and ecstasy the flame
Photo @nynewe
Mysticism has always felt intriguing to me: confusing, strange, magical, and attracting. I first encountered Teresa of Ávila through Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculpture The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Like many others, I was struck by her expression, suspended in a space between divine rapture and something unmistakably sensual.
When I later read about her life, I discovered a woman who lived whirl of physical pain, inner turmoil, and altered states of consciousness, yet transformed these experiences into visions of spiritual intimacy. Pain seemed to become a facilitator, something that could open a passage beyond the limits of the body.
More recently I was drawn to the writings of Mechthild of Magdeburg. Her language is intensely emotional and often openly erotic. It raises a curious thought: perhaps chastity was not the repression of desire, but another form of it, where longing was redirected toward mystical vision rather than the physical world.
In the texts of these mystics, pain and ecstasy are rarely opposites. Instead, they exist side by side, intertwined. Whether understood as divine encounter, a psychological mechanism of survival, or altered consciousness, their experiences reveal a transparent border where suffering can ignite something luminous. #badtothebonemagazine #diyordie #michaelaknizova
Still enchanted by Katarina Gryvul, a wonderful musician, composer, and a truly lovely person. 🖤
I was fascinated by her hair from the very first time I saw her at Rewire festival, and as you can see, that fascination remains visible in the photographs. I also loved what she told me about her grandmother and the symbolism of long hair: that as it grows, it gathers memories. I find that very beautiful.
More posts will follow in the next few days. 🖤
With @katarinagryvul
Pain is the doorway, and ecstasy the flame
Photo @nynewe
Mysticism has always felt intriguing to me: confusing, strange, magical, and attracting. I first encountered Teresa of Ávila through Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculpture The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Like many others, I was struck by her expression, suspended in a space between divine rapture and something unmistakably sensual.
When I later read about her life, I discovered a woman who lived whirl of physical pain, inner turmoil, and altered states of consciousness, yet transformed these experiences into visions of spiritual intimacy. Pain seemed to become a facilitator, something that could open a passage beyond the limits of the body.
More recently I was drawn to the writings of Mechthild of Magdeburg. Her language is intensely emotional and often openly erotic. It raises a curious thought: perhaps chastity was not the repression of desire, but another form of it, where longing was redirected toward mystical vision rather than the physical world.
In the texts of these mystics, pain and ecstasy are rarely opposites. Instead, they exist side by side, intertwined. Whether understood as divine encounter, a psychological mechanism of survival, or altered consciousness, their experiences reveal a transparent border where suffering can ignite something luminous. #badtothebonemagazine #diyordie #michaelaknizova
Pain is the doorway, and ecstasy the flame
Photo @nynewe
Mysticism has always felt intriguing to me: confusing, strange, magical, and attracting. I first encountered Teresa of Ávila through Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculpture The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Like many others, I was struck by her expression, suspended in a space between divine rapture and something unmistakably sensual.
When I later read about her life, I discovered a woman who lived whirl of physical pain, inner turmoil, and altered states of consciousness, yet transformed these experiences into visions of spiritual intimacy. Pain seemed to become a facilitator, something that could open a passage beyond the limits of the body.
More recently I was drawn to the writings of Mechthild of Magdeburg. Her language is intensely emotional and often openly erotic. It raises a curious thought: perhaps chastity was not the repression of desire, but another form of it, where longing was redirected toward mystical vision rather than the physical world.
In the texts of these mystics, pain and ecstasy are rarely opposites. Instead, they exist side by side, intertwined. Whether understood as divine encounter, a psychological mechanism of survival, or altered consciousness, their experiences reveal a transparent border where suffering can ignite something luminous. #badtothebonemagazine #diyordie #michaelaknizova
Pain is the doorway, and ecstasy the flame
Photo @nynewe
Mysticism has always felt intriguing to me: confusing, strange, magical, and attracting. I first encountered Teresa of Ávila through Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculpture The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Like many others, I was struck by her expression, suspended in a space between divine rapture and something unmistakably sensual.
When I later read about her life, I discovered a woman who lived whirl of physical pain, inner turmoil, and altered states of consciousness, yet transformed these experiences into visions of spiritual intimacy. Pain seemed to become a facilitator, something that could open a passage beyond the limits of the body.
More recently I was drawn to the writings of Mechthild of Magdeburg. Her language is intensely emotional and often openly erotic. It raises a curious thought: perhaps chastity was not the repression of desire, but another form of it, where longing was redirected toward mystical vision rather than the physical world.
In the texts of these mystics, pain and ecstasy are rarely opposites. Instead, they exist side by side, intertwined. Whether understood as divine encounter, a psychological mechanism of survival, or altered consciousness, their experiences reveal a transparent border where suffering can ignite something luminous. #badtothebonemagazine #diyordie #michaelaknizova
Lately, I’ve been enjoying working with fountain pen inks on my prints. The self-portrait where I’m crying might be around ten years old. I’ve also bleached them with water and sunlight.
Pain is the doorway, and ecstasy the flame
Photo @nynewe
Mysticism has always felt intriguing to me: confusing, strange, magical, and attracting. I first encountered Teresa of Ávila through Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculpture The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Like many others, I was struck by her expression, suspended in a space between divine rapture and something unmistakably sensual.
When I later read about her life, I discovered a woman who lived whirl of physical pain, inner turmoil, and altered states of consciousness, yet transformed these experiences into visions of spiritual intimacy. Pain seemed to become a facilitator, something that could open a passage beyond the limits of the body.
More recently I was drawn to the writings of Mechthild of Magdeburg. Her language is intensely emotional and often openly erotic. It raises a curious thought: perhaps chastity was not the repression of desire, but another form of it, where longing was redirected toward mystical vision rather than the physical world.
In the texts of these mystics, pain and ecstasy are rarely opposites. Instead, they exist side by side, intertwined. Whether understood as divine encounter, a psychological mechanism of survival, or altered consciousness, their experiences reveal a transparent border where suffering can ignite something luminous. #badtothebonemagazine #diyordie #michaelaknizova
