THE SERPENT POWER, c.1936
Gouache. Design for a painting on silk. Dimensions unknown.
Provenance
Untraced.
Exhibited
Cheltenham, Municipal Art Gallery, 1936, No. 31.
The concept of serpent power lies at the core of Tantra-Yoga. The universe is a manifestation of the play, or transcendental polarization, between Shiva and Shakti, God and Goddess, Being and Becoming, Consciousness and Energy. In the human body, which microcosmically replicates all cosmic principles, the Divine energy expresses itself in two principal forms: the life force (prana) and the serpent power (kundalinî). Tantra-Yoga provides several methods for awakening the power, which lies dormant in the psychically unaware individual, including concentration and breath control.
Although the precise date of this work is unknown, it cannot be later than 1936. As such, it represents an early reference in Colquhoun’s work to the Eastern esoteric tradition.