Breathing Spirals Logo Process

article | 300 words — creative process of logo creation

Earth Regenerators — Logo Creation Process and Invitation to Play

I was invited to play with symbol ideas for the nascent organism called Earth Regenerators (started by Joe Brewer, author of The Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth). This article offers some of my creative process and invites you to play with designs for Earth Regenerators or any other logo-type of purpose.

The Design Idea

Pamela Woodland, the free-agent who invited me to participate in this collective creative process, did so after seeing this mandala I during a few of the zoom “campfire” gatherings.

A Replicatable Design

Pam encouraged me to think of a design that could be replicated in various contexts. Thus, I veered away from sleek vector graphic ideas, and toward something that might be draw-able by almost anyone, be printed, carved in wood, or even traced in sand. As I played with ideas, I paid attention to the physical experience of drawing and how the movement of my hand and the pencil was part of a living experience of the design. 

Meditatively playing with various line designs led me to this simple yet meaningful double spiral "e-r" design, which can be replicated and adapted in many contexts. Try drawing it yourself, and feel free to use it for Earth Regenerative functions! Here are some versions to convey the idea. (If you are able and inspired to make a vector graphic version of this, please let me know.)

But It's Not a Logo

Pam was careful not to use the word "logo." The initial group of people exploring the idea of a representative symbol had an aversion to the capitalism-invoking concept of a "logo." This made me wonder about the ideas of Logos, Eros, Animus, Anima. The idea of the anima mundi came to mind. Anima mundi means "world soul," the vital force or principle that is said to permeate the world. So I am applying this term "anima" (for short) to mean a living, animated design that represents the vital force or soul of this organism (not-an-organization). 

Ideally, an anima for Earth Regenerators would not only represent it visually, but would elicit a real-time regenerative experience in the drawing of it. As I was playing with the design, I realized that, for me, drawing spirals is a regenerative act.

How do you feel when you draw spirals? How does it feel starting from the center and spiraling outward, versus starting from the outside spiraling toward the center? 

If you try drawing this e-r design, you might find it easiest to start in the center of the spiral on the left, spiraling outward counter-clockwise. Then draw the straight line in the center just like you would for a lower case R. Then spiral back inward clockwise to form the spiral on the right. For me drawing this anima has a rhythm like the ebb and flow of breath, the turning of the seasons. With the breath metaphor, the center line is like that open "mindfulness" space between the in-breath and the out-breath.

Here is some of my play with this design.

Invitation to Play!

I extend Pamela's invitation to you, to play with designs that represent the spirit of Earth Regenerators (or whatever it is you want a symbol/anima/logo for). If you don't know where to begin, just start by drawing my design over and over. Notice how it feels in your body as you repeatedly draw it; get into a meditative space of drawing spirals. Let it be a playful experience that leads to some of your own variations or completely different ideas. Here is some of my play in the sand (you can see one of my variations in the sand), plus some images of jewelry I found online:

About the image in the bottom right — maybe when we meet in person someday, we will see each other's secret "e-r" rings and do a fist bump for planet earth! ;)

Symbolism

The first bracelet above is an ancient Celtic arm band. In looking for other ancient double-spiral images, I came across this image with the text: "The ancient symbol of the double spiral appears to be closely related to the sun's path throughout the year, and to incorporate the subtle complexities  . . . of earth's orbit."

If the above pictured double spiral represents the path of the sun, we could say that the vertical line in the center of my "e-r" anima design represents the earth. I see that vertical element not as a line, but as the side view of a circle (like the wrapping band of the ring or bracelet looks directly above) that wraps around the earth. The anima design thus metaphorically represents holding the whole of earth in its embrace. That embrace is from both sunlight and water (as a double meaning of the spiral image). 

A Parallel Process?

It was super fun to see such a similar design appear as the leading slide in one of Joe’s early updates of his full-life-immersion earth regeneration project in Barichara, Columbia. Here, someone in his community was putting the finishing touches on this beautiful pair of rock spirals (no small task!) Spirals might be “getting old” but they are indeed ancient, and carry that power of deep ancestral experience of the sacred.

Share Your Ideas

If you are an Earth Regenerators, share your ideas in the Culture Centre at their (free-membership) online forum.

❤ 2022 | Maja Apolonia Rodé

---

You may also enjoy . . .

Tags

1MBC-067