AMINATA~DISAMU 24″x30″ oil & acrylic on canvas

Aminata~Disamu (c) 2009 Aida Toure

“I was made to love three things from your world: women, perfume, and the comfort of my eye is in prayer.” ~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

“Paradise lies at the feet of Mothers.” ~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

“Whoever knows oneself knows one’s Lord” ~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

Description: in a dimension that is ruled by ego consciousness, the attributes that gather, unites and thus mold us to embrace love are suppressed. The suppression of these spiritual attributes so naturally embodied by women, has been applied to all institutions governed by falsehood. The feminine principle which has always been revered by all prophets (as) and sages of all ages has been repressed for subtlety, mercy, gentleness, sensitivity represent true power for they propel, revolutionize, heal and restore balance and truth through Love. To encourage the cultivation of these sublime qualities, I wanted to work on a series of paintings about the feminine principle in its original manifestation on Earth.

Thus, “Aminata~Disamu” is the second painting in this specific series that started with “Kemet Incandescence”. On this painting, the subject is holding a harp which symbolizes life. Her luxurious, glowing appearance represents the spiritual essence inherent to all. With the effects of conditioning, we erroneously give more importance to the resources deemed “valuable” by alien materialistic forces while disregarding the fact that the soul is for all nations a natural resource in its purest highest form, simply because the soul funnels the attributes of The Divine, its innate purpose is to bear the qualities of Light and to manifest them to the material dimension as Cosmic Law suggests through the Sun’s relentless activity, a macrocosm of our own inner life. Let us remember that the prophets (as) were persecuted for honoring the Cosmic Order of life over the man-made corrupt systems that govern the world. This systemic tendency to covet, persecute and eliminate those who manifest their unconditional surrender to their Source,  discourages many from fully being themselves, yet light comes from The Divine One and it persists despite our not-being aware of its perpetual embrace of us. This divine phenomenon is channeled through these spiritual attributes woman embodies, she is the veil between mankind and The Divine.

(c) 2010 Aïda Touré

ATOMS’ KABA 24″x30″ oil & acrylic on canvas

Atoms KaBa (c) 2009 Aida Toure

“And We have created above you seven paths, and We are never unmindful of creation”. ~23:17 Qur’an

“And remember when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lot I am creating a mortal out of potter’s clay of black mud altered. So, when I have made him and have breathed into him of My spirit . . .” ~Qur’an 15:28-29

“And wherever you turn there is the Presence of Hu, for Hu is all pervading, All Knowing.” 2:115  ~Qura’n

“My heavens and My earth do not contain Me, but the heart of My believing servant contains Me.” ~Hadith Qudsi

“The whole earth is a place of worship” ~prophet Muhammad (saw).

Description: I worked on the painting “Atoms’ KaBa” by intervals for months, it was indeed a journey whose dimensionlessness lingers with me still. I first wrote the poem of the same title and the painting came out of it, slowly. “Atoms’ KaBa” evokes the process of evolution that leads toward the sacredness of all that is, in a context of pure Light, being the very quintessence of everything seen and unseen. “Atoms’ KaBa” is an invitation to turn inward, to embrace the pilgrimage we all are subjected to through the breath as it flows from and back to The Divine. We are signs of Tawhid, the Unity that governs existence, the Reality that mystics have expressed for eons and which is starting to be acknowledged by quantum physics as the “unified field”. Every atom is a sacred space, whose forces emanate from the Divine Consciousness itself; this places great responsibility on us to awaken to our connectedness with the Cosmos and thus to transcend the conditioning imposed to us by external sources. In such station of consciousness, there no longer is such a thing as separation, no projection of anything being “outside” of ourselves. In this, lies the importance to live in reverence, gentleness and love so we can inwardly retrace the Way to the ultimate Treasure within.

Atoms’ KaBa

We gather within you
wave after wave to pull you
and your seven spheres
toward the frequency of Tawhid.
To know oneself is to know Us
beyond the spatial realm,
man is the temple of the Opening
we continuously erect
through the breath,
the sign of Love itself!
The state of being is sacred,
love around infinite Love,
you curl around the Pulse
within or without
it does not matter
for the lover only sees one!
You are a fullness of empty space
praising The Divine.
Know that the KaBa by excellence
dwells in each of your atoms
so revolve my love and
retrace your immanent Source.

(c) 2009 Aida Toure.

KEMET INCANDESCENCE 24″x30″ oil & acrylic on canvas

Kemet Incandescence (c) 2009 Aïda Touré

Description: I painted “Kemet Incandescence”

Ancestral Devotion

for the album cover of “Ancestral Devotion”, the new CD by Jazz musician Lonnie Plaxico. The piece was inspired from Africa’s ancient art that captures the spirituality of African culture, its reverence for the feminine principle and the sacredness of music. In experimenting with this different yet ancient genre of  two dimensional African art, I experienced such proximity to the very foundation of all civilizations; that I plan to explore it more. Through this painting, I wanted to honor the sacred feminine as well as the origin of the spiritual tradition of Light now known as “Sufism”.

~ Kemet Incandescence ~

Inner lamps all lit,
a billion ecstasies
are now speaking of Hu;
each, gracefully interweaving
in the Universe’s womb;
whispers of light are induced
in the pure child’s mind
through the rays of Shams,
royalty bestowed by the Divine.
You see, nobility never exiles,
although ever coveted by the fallen ones,
it dances in and out of these truths
the African genius has laid like gems
in the depths of humanity’s collective self,
yes we are these muses
who bore Kemet Incandescence,
through our Harps, Flutes and hands,
revealing the Music of the spheres
the pineal gland is immersed in:
Bismillah ir Rahmanir Rahim…

copyright 2009 Aïda Touré.

ILLUMINATION AT THE DOOR 24″x30″ oil & acrylic on canvas

Illumination at the Door (c) 2008 Aïda Touré

(c) 2008 Aida Toure

Illumination at the Door (24″ x 30″ oil on canvas)

“…And Hu is with you wheresoever ye may be…”
~ 57:4 Quran

Description: the visual landscape of this painting came from this poem I composed about the culture of egolessness, love and contemplation which magnifies the quality of our life, of our overall human experience. “Illumination at the Door” suggests enlightenment and the discovery of our inner being that always expands as it is an octave of the Reality the soul floats in… Striving for peace, concentration, humility, contentment and heart generosity causes our inner doors to open and when they do, nothing the world of illusion imposes even matters, because it immensely pales in comparison to our authentic Reality, this exquisite Reality that allows us to stand and exist in the fullness of the grace bestowed upon us by The Creator solely.

~ Illumination at the Door ~

The subject tonight is love,
come out of your ego

and watch it dance around itself
until complete dissolution.

Let The Beloved be,
there is no use for “I”, “you”

nor “we” anymore,
Illumination is at the door;

can you hear its Knocking?
Who will get up and answer?

Whose heart is pure enough
to endure this Ringing inside?

The Sun has risen at midnight!
There will be no sleeping tonight,

there will be no unfulfilled
longing tonight!

Only this continuous beating,
only this Sound that brought

galaxies at prophet Muhammad’s (as) feet;
Jibreel (as) stood at the Limit,

Miraj upon Miraj,
no pen will write beyond that…

copyright 2008 Aïda Touré.

ON THE EDGE OF UNION 24″x30″ oil & acrylic on canvas

On the Edge of Union (c) 2009 Aïda Touré

“And of everything We have created pairs”
~ 51:49 Quran

Description: “On the Edge of Union” came out of a poem of the same title. This painting evokes the intertwining of opposite poles, which sustained by Love, leads to blissful flowing with The Divine. On the painting, the opposite poles are expressed through the feminine and masculine principles: the left side of the piece symbolizes the feminine principle nurturing its sacred activities, the right side symbolizes the masculine principle’s conscious protection of the feminine’s sacred work that serves to sublimate life. The pull to such fusion manifests on all levels of existence, within the individual, without, in Nature and the Cosmos… Our potential for Harmony with the purest Reality lies in understanding the purpose of our polar opposites, without the repression of any of them for each has a specific role that enhances and gathers the other which eventually leads to Wholeness, to alignment with our Essence. Throughout history, the enlightened selfless souls who conveyed the divine Message to mankind existed “on the edge of Union”, they encouraged us to cultivate our innate full potential. Once mankind learns anew to transcend materialism and to revere and balance out the activities of their opposite poles, the world will reflect more harmony, compassion, unity and peace inshAllah.

~ On the Edge of Union ~

The Universe totters in the palm
of Love in circle and laughter,

rocking between worlds
the saint’s heart mirrors

as he burns with the desire
to walk off the Earth to step

into the Invisible, soul naked
and wild he exists on the edge

of Union, mingling with Ruh (as)
and its friends in chorus:

“We are in Love for the sake of
The One whose Majesty beautifies us!

We can’t take any more of this, someone,
anybody, please borrow our mouths…”

copyright 2008 Aïda Touré.