Reaping

by Michael R Hayter · Bristol, GB

Recently I have been drawn to the idea and image of the flower as a metaphor for the human experience. Rooted in the darkness of the soil, flowers grow towards and seek the light. Likewise, human beings, at their best, naturally strive towards the light of understanding and greater consciousness, though we too are rooted in the darkness of the unconscious. This striving fulfills the need for growth, yet all living things are born to die, and so there is a balance between the natural processes of birth, growth, death and decay. It is the natural order of things. Thus, suffused with light, the image of the reaper as a darker form in the landscape, represents the vulnerability of all life to the reaper's blade - the constant presence of death in life, yet life still strives and continues to grow.