Did you see the movie Arrival? Below the theme of aliens and sci-fi, where Heptapods communicate with strange and mesmerizing circular glyphs that resemble coffee stains, is an important truth about language.
(You might wonder how this is even remotely related to clothes, but bear with me…)
According to Greg Braden, a pioneer in bridging science, spirituality and human potential, Arrival is among the hugely popular movies (like The Matrix and Avatar) where we are reminded of a pivotal part of our reality.
The words we use to communicate are more than simply words.
What Arrival tells us is that the language we use in our everyday life determines the way we think. Even what we think about.
The English language (as well as most modern languages) is based on ideas of separation. You vs me. Good vs bad. Winners vs losers. It’s a language that results in conflict and war.
A language based on connection on the other hand (like that of the Hopi) creates a very different experience and thinking, which leads to unity, community and cooperation.
Change the language and it changes the way we think and thus how we see and relate to the world.
Geometric shapes are also a language. Since designing visual patterns has been one of my jobs as a textile designer, I’ve had a close relationship with geometry. As I began my journey of searching for a deeper meaning with clothes, I became fascinated with the different shapes. They led me onto a path of experimentation with visual patterns made from basic geometric shapes, as well as discovering how they affect us.
The language of geometry is found in all known cultures. Sacred Geometry has been used for millennia as an introduction to the metaphysical, where the different basic shapes were seen as a reflection of reality and a manifestation of different states of mind.
Shapes are behind everything, from the structure of a minute molecule to endless galaxies and cosmic movements, and the seasons of nature.
You might say that the basic shapes tell the story of a divine plan behind creation. They follow each other in a given order as they tell the story of human development through various stages. And, just as Arrival tells us about languages, shapes also give rise to thoughts, perspectives and realities of a specific kind.
We already know this language. Even if we are not so consciously aware of it that we can translate it into our native language, we still get it.
A shape speaks to us on unconscious levels and we are affected by its message.
This is the first blog post in a series about different shapes. The circle, that is central in the movie Arrival, has a very specific role in our human development and will be honored a post on its own. Stay tuned to join me in an exploration of the language of shapes and how it can be spoken through fabrics for clothes!
And let me tell you something else… The clothes we use to express ourselves are more than simply clothes!
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