During the process of painting the work for this exhibit, a number of times, I dreamt all night in dakini writing. The dreams seemed to have no literal meaning, but were an experience of floating amidst the dakini writing. As I would awaken from these dreams, I could bring into waking consciousness only a fragment, a clue from the dream state.
One morning I awoke repeating the word “remembrance.” I immediately wondered if it might suit one of my paintings as a title.
I picked up Ken Wilber's book The Atman Project (which I had never opened previously) and turned to the last few pages. In these pages was a discussion of "remembrance."
“The soul's duty in this life is to remember. The Buddhist smriti and sati-patthana, the Hindu smara, the Sufi zikr, Plato's recollection, Christ's anamnesis: all of these terms are precisely translated as remembrance…”
—Ken Wilber, The Atman Project [new edition], p. 203.
The ladder also has a universal significance. It is an archetype that appears in all mystical traditions throughout time to signify remembrance, the return to one's true nature. The oscillating spiral conveys a sense of realization without a goal. So, it was clear to me which painting matched the title “Remembrance.”