Roberto the Wizard

So here is my latest painting, of me in Wizard costume at a medieval banquet. I like posting this because it implies that I am wise and all knowing, and possibly magical as well. So it could be about my ego. Or not. It could be about the innate wisdom we all share, the inner archetype of the Hermit, the spiritual essence that is always alone, yet is All/One. Why as a culture do we revere wizards and fantasy tales of magical beings? Are we all just escapists or is there something deeper that we get occasional glimpses of? Zen masters tell us that we are inherently enlightened and that all that needs to be done is wake up to the fact.
As a child I wanted to be seen as wise and couldn’t wait to grow up and have long bushy white eyebrows. Just like the King of the Golden River in the wonderful story by John Ruskin. I wanted to be Gluck as well, the young boy who discovered the true Golden River.
As an adult I am beginning to realize that the mythic dimension of our life is perhaps more important than the picture that society paints for us. We become “grown downs” not grown ups. We seem to get smaller with each passing year until we are shrivelled and small and matter not at all……Is this your fate? Ask the inner Wizard, not the one in the mirror.