Flame of Love

"Blood Vessels of Oidy – Twin Flame"

2026, ø 180 cm, yarn, beads, fabric

This work was created as a practice in integrating the experience of entering marital union. It is dedicated to my husband. It forms part of the Oidy project, in which I explore ocular elements as symbols of consciousness and cognition, delving into insights regarding the nature of life and its metaphysical dimensions.

At the centre of the work are two blood vessels of identical size — red, soft, furry, and lustrous. Each possesses a head and four limbs terminating in four fingers. They may be arranged in any configuration—together or separately.

In its initial presentation, they were positioned on a white elliptical fabric, representing the sclera—the white of the eye—which symbolises the relational field and creates a protective circle. Within the symbolism of the Oidy, blood vessels represent the element of fire, due to their red colour and reactive character.

The composition is deliberately reminiscent of a bloodshot eye, as might be observed in states of fatigue, for example after a sleepless night. The vessels are entwined like lovers, united in the fire of love, a force potent enough to give rise to new life. This fire may also destroy, consume, and torment, for love, in all its grandeur, opens the door to the most profound suffering. Love demands courage and presence as much as responsibility and gentleness.

I aimed to achieve an aesthetic on the threshold between beauty and repulsion, juxtaposing the softness of yarn and the sheen of beads with the visceral redness associated with ocular elements.

I am fascinated by the term “Twin Flame” as a designation for the most intense partnership bond, though I do not subscribe to the post–New Age theory of a single soul divided into two bodies.

Entering into a relationship with my husband, as a mature woman, after Saturn’s first return, with a fully developed frontal lobe, the baggage of my past, and experience in relational dynamics, I understood that it was the qualities of fire I most desired and required. I felt ready to embrace it.

Fire is an active, mobile element, a Yang energy. It produces material and sensorial values, initiates, accelerates, stimulates, and transforms processes. Compared with other elements, it arises quickly and endures briefly.

Fire is regarded as a primal element because it represents the immediate activity of divine energy, transformation, and consciousness, symbolising the spirit acting within the material world. It is not merely an external flame, but also kundalini—the life energy dormant within the human being.

Fire is a symbol of life.

It has been hypothesised that atmospheric discharges were instrumental in the origin of life on our planet. Stanley Miller and Harold Urey conducted a seminal experiment in 1953, simulating early Earth conditions (water and a mixture of gases) and exposing them to electric sparks that mimicked lightning. The result was the formation of amino acids — the fundamental building blocks of proteins.

A romantic relationship is an energetic entity — two individuals give rise to something greater than their sum, a whole possessing new and distinct qualities. C.G. Jung described a relationship as a “third space.”

In esoteric and occult thought, the concept of an “egregor” denotes a collective energetic entity generated from the thoughts and emotions of multiple individuals. In this sense, a romantic relationship possesses its own energy, nourished by the partners’ intention, attention, and emotions.

I understand the life-long nature of a marriage in terms of the life of the relationship, rather than the biological lifespan of the human body.

Through creating this sculpture, I sought to create a protective amulet for the fire of our love, to last at least as long as our human lives, and perhaps beyond. The histories of great loves inspire generations, feeding the world with positive energy. They provide essential testimony that love exists, continues to occur, and may be healthy and fulfilling.

When engaging in a process-oriented practice with intention, I observe how the universe enters into dialogue with me. Over three months of work, my convictions regarding marriage, romantic relationships, and love were processed. Through the synchronicity of events, dreams, and encounters, various aspects of myself and of my marriage came to my awareness—both the beautiful and the difficult, the light and the shadow.

Intentional practice does not function by bypassing real work in favour of “magic.” Intention becomes an anchor for attention, a guide, and a key, but nothing occurs spontaneously.

It is emphasised by the technique I employed — combining fabric, crochet, wrapping, and beadwork — was time-consuming and monotonous. Physically, I contended with strain in my wrists and spine; mentally, it became increasingly challenging to sustain focused attention. Thoughts of “enough already” arose, not from a sense of completion, but from fatigue.

As an antidote, the Georgian word “dzvirpaso”, meaning “dearest” or literally “of the highest price,” would emerge—reminding me that time and attention are the currency of relationships. This reflection enabled me to persist daily, investing more until harmony was achieved.

Synchronicity led me to complete the work on Valentine’s Day. Though this is a commercial holiday, having grown up within this cultural framework, the date resonates with me, and I belong to those who enjoy celebrating it.

While I completed the physical work, its nature allows for further exploration through photography, film, and animation. The elements are soft, flexible, and mobile — inviting tactile interaction, enveloping, and the creation of varied scenarios, which I intend to pursue. This condition embodies my philosophy of relational dynamics: for the fire to burn, openness and ongoing transformation are necessary, alongside closeness

and attentiveness.

In my understanding,

the term “Twin Flame” implies shared responsibility and equal commitment to protecting the flame — a passionately partnered relationship.

The “Twin Flame” concept was formulated in the 1970s and 1980s, primarily propagated by Elizabeth Clare Prophet—an American spiritual leader and founder of the Church Universal and Triumphant. Prophet emphasises divine identity, karmic purification, spiritual discipline, and a shared mission. In this framework, the relationship’s purpose is not romantic partnership, but joint enactment of the divine plan and global spiritual transformation. She does not claim that a Twin Flame constitutes a single soul split across two bodies, but employs the notion of a "Monad" to describe a single bundle of divine light from which Twin Flame souls originate.

The idea of two halves derives from Plato’s “Symposium”, which recounts a myth told by Aristophanes, a fifth-century BCE comic playwright. Originally, humans were spherical beings, possessing double bodies, four arms and legs, and two faces. They were strong and proud. Zeus, as punishment for their hubris, split them in two, and since then each half longs for its other.

Plato did not assert the existence of a predestined individual partner; rather, the myth elucidates the nature of love as striving for unity and wholeness, while cautioning against idealisation of relationships.

The interpretation of Twin Flame as a single soul in two bodies is a popular simplification arising in online culture after 2010. This period also produced narratives of relational stages: meeting, euphoria, crisis, pursuit/separation, transformation, and reunion. These theories lack a single originator and do not derive from established philosophical or spiritual traditions; they are more accurately understood as internet folklore than revealed truth. Such beliefs can be harmful, imbuing dysfunctional, co-dependent, anxious-avoidant, or even traumatic and abusive relationships with a veneer of spiritual significance.

Bibliography:

Aristophanes. In: Plato. Symposium. Trans. W. Witwicki. Warsaw: PWN.

Jung, C.G. (2012). Marriage as a Psychological Relationship. In: The Development of Personality. Trans. R. Reszke. Warsaw: KR.

Miller, S.L. (1953). A Production of Amino Acids Under Possible Primitive Earth Conditions. Science, 117(3046), 528–529.

Urey, H.C. (1952). On the Early Chemical History of the Earth and the Origin of Life. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 38(4), 351–363.

Prophet, E.C. (1999). Soul Mates and Twin Flames: The Spiritual Dimension of Love and Relationships. Corwin Springs: Summit University Press.