Relationship power-games

Relationship power-games — Introspective art for self-improvement

(Estimated Reading Time: 2 min, 39 sec)

Relationship power-games can make life awful. How to come out of it?

To come out, we must understand the dynamic, but most people don’t even perceive they are playing a power game. How to realize we are playing a dangerous game? Looking at introspective paintings can help with this and with other difficult situations. They can be useful tools for self-improvement.

Many ancient paintings had a deeper, secret meaning.

Even world-famous paintings, such as Da Vinci’s Last Supper, are full of symbolism. But we lose the keys to understanding those symbols.

Since I like Renaissance paintings and their symbolism, I often paint what I call introspective paintings, where the word introspective means only that there is a more profound meaning, something that we can use for self-improvement.

Self-improvement means trying to achieve a higher self-consciousness and understand more and more what we are doing.

The following introspective paintings will show relationship power-games.

People play these games unaware and very often mistake them for true love.

An image (an introspective painting) which represents a game is easier to remember than a reasoning, and can alert us, coming to mind, in dangerous circumstances.

Driven by Unawareness

This acrylic painting shows a man (on the right) who dances carelessly, enticed by the smell of a mate. He behaves as a butterfly that, attracted by a resplendent flower, overlooks the spider’s web. He doesn’t follow his instinct, but his desire.

Furthermore, he is so taken up with his hunting adventure that, when he gets caught and realizes the spider’s presence, he gets amazed by it. He is then so irresponsible that he goes on dancing, even if it entangles him in the spider’s web. This way, he gets entangled more and more.

The Plotting Woman (figure below)

She puts into her cobweb all fascination she has and waits. Even if her plots are subtle, the instincts that drive her are brutal. She feels confident because she doesn’t weave to get pleasure, but to follow her intent, and this intent will cause her prey to come to her. The more seductive the game, the more wicked is the trap. And the trap touches certain chords…

A Game Among Forces (figure on top)

The veil has fallen. It’s time to come out of the shadows. The power game starts. Cards are now on the table and the fight begins! Most times, love lasts only until they get coupled. Then, in the married couple, this all becomes a problem of balance. When the man is caught, the game becomes hard. It is a game among forces. It drains energy and, with energy, possibilities for self-improvement.

Emotions that attract us, and to which we react, travel along the threads of the telepathic cobweb. This cobweb acts as a trap, but connects us all.

Which animal will a hunter catch when he has set the trap?

• Which animal will follow the smelling track of the hunter?
• Is there an animal which will follow its instinct and avoid the danger?

To ignore our instinct to follow our desires means ignoring reality. This can put us in danger (as the acrylic triptych shows). Every so often, we act like children. Trying to catch the moon, we lean too much out of the balcony. We give up happiness and self-improvement because we believe we have a right to them. We feel victims of every situation.

In difficult circumstances, we look for happiness. We yield to enticements and promises; we struggle and try to bind others to us, and it amazes us when everything, eventually, slips from our hands.

If we get upset when looking at these introspective paintings, it means we would rather not look at ourselves in the mirror. Self-improvement is a hard task; only if we notice the threads, we can master the cobweb.

See also: Many play power-games

Aurora Mazzoldi