The symbolism in this painting was given great thought and attention. I feel it is an important part of this work of art and the content is extremely explicit in expressing the meaning behind it. I being born into a Muslim religion , my parents were acting Muslim and took part in the prayer as what was expected of them. My mother had the Muslim Bible (Quran) memorized from beginning to end, The older I get and am able to study that religion and the actions of the corrupt Muslim leaders I grew away from it and became appalled by the sinister actions they did in the name of the religion in my country. My father was a daily worshiper and kneeled three times a day in the direction of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Where he traveled and made the long and rigorous journey fulfilling his life dream. As he grew older, weaker and wiser he questioned his belief in this religion as he witnessed the destruction of his country by the leaders of Islamic religion. He lost faith in that religion and became lost. He was a loving and caring man both giving and generous and I have no doubt that when his soul left his body it went to join the heavenly father and was welcomed with open arms. As for myself I do not believe or accept the religion which permits a man to marry a mere child of nine years of age (innocence revoked) and marry as many women as he can afford. They believe after taking over a country they can rape and take the women, properties and put to death those whom do not follow them or rebel. Everyday more and more Persians are questioning their belief and losing faith. At the moment I am in the state of confusion how this can be called a religion. I do have belief there is a God who created this truly amazing earth with all of the spectacular sets of species within this world. My belief has shifted to good Versus evil and I have experienced a spiritual battle within myself and have come out of strong will and mind. Our creator is superior and of genius mind and soul. I praise the almighty God and thank him for his blessings upon us as humans. My motivations have developed more intensely over this last year as my heartstrings have been tugged upon and pulled in every direction over the current status in my home country. I am Thoroughly appalled by the treatment of the common people of Iran by the government in power. It is a definite shame for such a rich and beautiful God given country with such an abundant amount of natural resources to experience the devastation and poverty which is going on currently. My goal is to bring forth an awakening to the general public to educate the world to know the truths. Behind most government walls they hide harsh truths of what goes on behind closed doors and Iran is no different but it is all in the name of a religion. This painting tells a story as if a book and offers much symbolic meaning. It makes physical, mental and emotional progress tangible encapsulates so much more the a single physical representation as it captures feeling and relationships within me (the artist) in representational concepts and thoughts. I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. This piece of artwork has taken me over two years to complete due to my desire to express my concerns that are taking place in our world and creation of the Lord Jesus Christ. May an awakening come and may we believe in the greater good and win the battle of good versus evil. I have focused on design, composition, concept, content and color in order to create this meaningful piece . In it's creation I open up my heart in hopes for our future and the future of generations to come. I appreciate this opportunity of which your platform offers to artists to express their feelings and beliefs in their life and how Christianity reflects upon their lives and true emotions.
A fellow artist, of whom i deeply value her friendship and who goes by Libragoldmoon stated "As if Michael Angelo and Nikolas Roerich did a collaboration piece! Super amazing! I love the flowing, cubist elements incorporated with the bold colors that give it subtle flavor of some Meso-American art pieces. Well done!!!!!!"
I choose the title of this painting at the very beginning of the start of this painting, long before I had heard of this competition.

The meaning and symbolism behind the painting "The Spiritual Battle" I first of all would like to apologize for this overload of symbolism but I feel it is of extreme importance for me to express the true reasons behind each of the content in order for you to understand the special meaning behind this image. First and foremost is the image of the man (God in the human format) with his hands extended outward - the open arms symbolizes pleased with the arrival and his gown displays a symbolizes of his protection of his people. Our current world is represented by the earth under the celestial sky which is located behind the head of the female ancient Persian goddess, Anahita. She was the goddess of fertility, water, health and wisdom. She was connected to the ancient Persian warfare as soldiers prayed to her for strength and protection, clarity and knowledge. Unfortunately she sits with one eye open and one eye closed with a blind eye to the current situations deliberately ignoring and refusing to acknowledge or notice. Upon her sleeves she wears hearts which are symbolic of openly showing your emotions such I am doing, rather than keeping them hidden. The scale depicted above her shoulders, such as Lady Justice are symbolic of the scales of justice which are balance, equality, injustice, and harmony. A head on fire = tripping or trolling
Totem pole = monuments created to represent history which have spiritual meaning which depicts mythical creatures that are believed to have spiritual powers to watch over us.
Clouds= clear thinking and emotional purity/ white clouds are symbols of stability and inner consciousness and goals.
Symbols of evil = Raven, the evil eye curse, inverted pentagon, Baphomet.
Muslim woman in hijab = modesty and privacy.
Chains = symbols of slavery and imprisonment as well as a connection of love and brotherhood.
Crown = Symbol of power
Ladder = Symbolizes the connection between heaven and earth.
Broken glass or cracked bottle = symbolic of aggression and signifies you will be attacked. The bottle is also a symbol of a womb which embodies the principals of containing an enclosure.
Pink Lotus = passing through a spiritual path.
Purple Lotus = self awakening and mysticism, strength, and transformation.
White Dove in Flight = symbolizes new beginnings, peace, fidelity, love, luck and prosperity.
Sword = symbolic of knighthood, shivery, power, and protection.
Shield = signifies protection and courage.
Tadpoles = signifies metamorphosis, transformation. a tadpole in the water foretells an important journey in the future.
Raindrops of fire = A punishment from God inflicting great sufferings.
Fire = passion, desire, destruction, rebirth, eternity, hell, resurrection and purification.
A Church on Fire = is a symbol of destruction of innocence and the church represents the innocence.
A Dome = is a cosmic symbol which represents heaven.
A Crumbling Castle = is a warning sign and signifies an absence of someone of the past, distress, sorrow, pain, heartbreak and loss.
Tree with red roots = stands for the tree of life - dig deep into the earth accepting nourishment and with it reaching into the sky represents rebirth.
Blue Heart = symbolizes love, support, happiness, loyalty and peace.
The Cross = the principal, the salvation through Christs sacrifice.
Nun with Folded Arms = signifies resistance, chastity, obedience and in an undesirable situation with her arms crossed she is in defensive mode.
Blue eye = wards off jealous intentions.
Apple = Stands for knowledge, temptation, immortality and the fall of man in sin.
Water = brings life
Black Fish = signifies obscurity, unconsciousness of high self-feelings and motive.
Red Heart with Sword = represents broken heart, lost love or betrayal.
Zoroastrian symbol = eternity
Jewish Star = Star of David martyrism and heroism.
Crescent Moon With Star = an emblem of the religion of Islam.
Wings behind the head = this is a sign of success, freedom and ability to liberate oneself from the shackles of whatever holds or binds them.
Woman with Bib Lips = stands for courage and confidence and means they value friendship and social connections as well as like to be the center of attention.
I used this style of art to depict my feelings in this manner of abstract and as said by Pate` I quote " Life is a work of art, life is abstract. When you look back at your day it is definitely abstract and you may do twenty different things that do not relate to one another and life is art." This painting is my depiction of the scripture Ephesians 6:10 - 20. We must remain strong and firm in the battle of good versus evil and pray to the Lord our God for his guidance and his love and forgiveness in our weakest moments. Praise to the Lord.

I wish to thank and recognize my wife for giving me support while working on this painting and for encouraging me to follow through with it and believing in me. I would also like to thank her for her help in entering this competition and typing in my information. Thank you as well for offering such a platform and a chance to express my feelings.

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Diversified artist of realism and abstract art/ Author of published books/ Screenplay writer commissions welcome contact: 319-651-2861 or artandgiftcenter@gmail.com