Sacred Lotus

acrylic /
Sacred Lotus © 2022 Aida Toure

Description: “Woman is not of this world, she’s the soul that channels cosmic grace to the material world. She’s a sacred portal to the Divine.” ~Aïda Touré

“Woman is a ray of God. She is not that earthly beloved: she is creative, not created.”
~Rumi

This 28″x22″ painting captures the spirituality imprinted in women as the embodiment of the subtlest cosmic energies which are sublimated through her. As such, women are the sacred corridor through which mankind journeys to attain the Divine. Working on this painting was an extremely lively experience where every phase of the piece was clear & revelatory.
~ Sacred Lotus ~

Behind the veil of the seen,
there you are,
majestic and transcendent
like the eventide
that wears your scent~
O light of the Light,
beyond this embracing obscurity,
how beautiful you are!
For your sake,
sages stay up all night
to not miss the secret Music
of your quarks;
they wait, looking in
a thousand directions,
longing to get a glimpse
of your lotus gaze~

© 2022 Aida Toure

Mount Qaf’s Breeze

Exalted, oil & acrylic /
“Mount Qaf’s Breeze” 36″x24″ oil & acrylic on canvas © 2022 Aïda Touré

“When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him.” ~38:72 Qur’an

Description: “Mount Qaf’s Breeze” is a 36″x24″ oil & acrylic on canvas painting that celebrates the Holy Spirit that we get to consciously experience through our breath by the Divine One’s Mercy. This energy innately pervades every fiber of our being, through meditation, we become aware of its blissful & loving presence which brings deep calm to the soul, the body and the mind. “Mount Qaf’s Breeze” evokes the journey back to our Most Sublime Source while alive.”

~ Mount Qaf’s Breeze ~

Now that you lifted the veil
I feel your presence
wherever I turn…
within, without;
it does not matter!
My pulse scatters
at the sound of wind chimes
you triggered in my fingertips,
all my atoms dance,
as my palms expand
and lo! I become a galaxy
whose stars burst out in laughter
in the bliss of your presence~
Through every breath now
occurs a night of power,
how gloriously your descent
unfolds in our spiritual centers!
O Simurgh, by your holy kindness,
lead us to the Divine One’s Pleasure~

© 2022 Aïda Touré

Beauty and Majesty

acrylic, Exalted /
Beauty and Majesty © 2021 Aida Toure

“All glory belongs to the One Who has created pairs out of what grow from the earth, out of their soul and out of that which they do not know.” ~Qur’an 36:36
“And We created you in pairs” ~Qur’an 78:08

Description: “Beauty and Majesty” is a 22″x28″ acrylic painting. It’s a celebration of the Yin and Yang principles that are inherent to all life. These principles are present in the union of woman and man. When harmony is present between them, they reflect the complementarity we need to experience in order to better know our own soul. This state of wholeness is reached when awoke to the higher purpose of Love which is to draw closer to the Divine and to elevate until we shed our form in return to the Source.

~ Beauty & Majesty ~

She is the yin of his yang,
and the yang of his yin,
simultaneously.
They form a whole
in which the feminine
& masculine principles merge
for the reality of divine Unity
to be contemplated.
Together their individual identity
dissipate, no longer defining
who is who,
they are one another’s mirror.
She no longer is she,
he no longer is he:
they are “We” in
beauty and majesty.

© 2021 Aïda Touré

Beaute et Majeste

Elle est le Yin de son Yang,
et le Yang de son Yin
simultanement.
Ils forment un tout
en lequel les principes masculins
et feminins se fondent pour
contempler la realite du principe
d’unicite divine~
Ensemble leurs identites
individuelles se dissolvent,
ne sachant plus qui est qui,
ils sont un miroir
l’un pour l’autre~
Elle n’est plus “elle”, il n’est plus “il”
Ils sont sont “nous” en
beaute et majeste.

© 2021 Aïda Touré

Cryptographical Being

acrylic, Exalted /
Cryptographical Being © 2020 Aida Toure
“We will show them Our signs in the universe and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this is the truth.” 41: 53 ~Qur’an
“He who knows oneself knows one’s Lord.” ~Rasulullah (saw)
“So seek the meaning of everything within yourself.” ~Ibn Arabi (ra)

Description: This 24″x18″ mixed media painting just flowed, I discovered it as it evolved. “Cryptographical Being” depicts the reality that we embody sacred codes that constitute our spiritual and physical being. Our DNA is a vehicle for these primordial secret codes that are transmitted since our divine origin for us to “read” them and transcribe them externally to benefit our collective evolutive journey. These codes are the roots of the ancient glorious civilizations our African ancestors founded. One of the purposes of embodiment is to awaken to these innate codes & messages that the Divine insufflated in our very being to enrich the world with Knowledge, Wisdom & Harmony. The process of these codes’ physical unfolding starts from our conception. We fully awaken to them through the cultivation of Love as energy, observance of prayer & meditation & uncovering of our innate spiritual system. If we connected deep to our Source & deciphered these codes, the global exploitative system would be replaced with a more harmonious one based on Peace, Justice, Wisdom & Love. This higher system would uphold the sacredness of these codes of universality and abundance for mankind.

~ Cryptographical Being ~
Signs instilled pre-cosmically,
celestial identity
glowing in dark matter
coded energy,
you are a light
bringing love & wisdom
to our delight, al hamdulillah,
secret upon secret
conveyed through the DNA
and then the breath
say la ilaha illa Allah,
meditate like an unborn child,
uncover your inner gems,
know yourself through
your own original knowledge,
it’s through you that
the spheres descend,
every center embraces them,
you bear the keys
to your Light-Being~
© 2021 Aida Toure

Merveille

acrylic, Exalted /
Merveille © 2020 Aida Toure

“Die before you die” ~Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

“Merveille” is part of the series “Exalted”. This painting depicts the embrace of pure peace, warmth and abundance that submerses the soul… We can become aware of it through ego dissolution, love and meditation.

~ Merveille (Marvel) ~

Oscillating in and out of myself,
I end up awakening
to your shimmering presence~
Jewels just drop off of you,
wo! I lose the sense of definition
between your hands and mine~
Merveille! Merveille! Merveille!
I wonder why I ever thought
you were so far whereas
you’re closer to me than “I”…

© 2020 Aïda Touré

The Rubies of Sensitivity

Exalted, Mixed Media /
The Rubies of Sensitivity 24×18 mixed media on canvas © 2020 Aïda Touré

“The Rubies of Sensitivity” is part of my new series of paintings “E x a l t é” (E x a l t e d) that was inspired by my journey through the deepest form of Surrender I ever experienced. The series visually relates the Love that carried me through it.  Each painting was prompted by the immersion in the awareness that there only is Unity~

This painting “The Rubies of Sensitivity” celebrates the power of Sensitivity which is an opening to the Divine as it allows humble ones to feel vast dimensions of reality and to bring back various gems from it. Sensitivity is to be embraced as it is a corridor to the spiritual realms our souls know.

~ The Rubies of Sensitivity ~

O you, sensitive soul,
freer than oceans,
you wear the ultimate crown~
You embodied to adorn the world
with the Rubies of Sensitivity.
Veils lift and beauties appear!
Behind your gaze hide sages;
through you, they return.
Let us marvel at these comings
and goings between love and invisibility,
the poetry of your features;
your pilgrim eyes, how artful!
Everything is calligraphy on your face.
Without respite, your eyelashes trace
the Sun’s secret alphabet.
You are a universe mirroring itself,
our reminder to soften,
you are the tears we’re scared to shed,
you are the spheres’ Music we can’t hear yet!

© 2020 Aïda Touré

Omnipresence

acrylic, Exalted /
Omnipresence 24″x18″ © 2020 Aida Toure

“Wherever you turn, you are always in the presence of God.” ~2:115 Qur’an

Description: “Omnipresence” is part of the series “E x a l t e d”. This painting is about the solace that can surge during difficulties when we remember that the Divine Presence surrounds us, unconditionally~

~ Omnipresence ~

With every breath,
fashion me as you will!
Your command is Music:
“Come to me!” you whisper
and I fall from my curves,
laying there between the spheres
as light deploys its circular wings,
the sun and the moon appear
simultaneously to bear witness
that Unity is all there is~
We all are taken care of
in ways we cannot fathom.
Soul full of bliss,
I revolve around you…

© 2020 Aïda Touré

Kawthar: Princess of Mali

Luminous Dark Matter /

“Women are not created weaker but more generous than men. They are created more beautiful and less fierce, as beauty hates to hurt and harm others. That is why they seem weak to people, but in reality they are not. Angels are the strongest of created beings, and women are closer to the angelic nature than men, as they are readier than men to carry angelic light. It is the good manners and ethics of spirituality which they carry which makes them less forceful than men.” ~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

Description: “Kawthar: Princess of Mali” is a 22″x28″ oil and acrylic painting that I worked on for several months. “Kawthar” is the 8th painting of the “Luminous Dark Matter” series. The Arabic word Kawthar means “Abundance”. The painting’s theme celebrates the Songhai empire of Mali whose level of spiritual realization is a constant source of inspiration for me. “Kawthar: Princess of Mali” simply evokes the embodiment of the high spiritual culture that can manifest on Earth when mankind aligns with its innate divine consciousness. The poem below inspired the painting.

~Kawthar: Princess of Mali~

O Fountain of Immanence,
a gem from the Throne itself,
laid on the two hemispheres
of the Seen and the Unseen,
mystery dancing upon the Waters
of Wisdom from ancient Arabia to Mali,
you are the decoded undulation
the first light laid in Fatima’s hands
before he took his last breath.
O Kawthar, the Sun’s calligraphy
tells of you still, you catalyze
the signs Idris engraved
upon the Heart of Kemet~
From infinity to manifestation,
you are the most guarded secret
enveloped in nighttime’s veil.
O you Kawthar, the very locus
of the Knowledge usurpers coveted,
you ascend through prostration
in service to the Divine Beloved~

© 2016 Aïda Touré

Al Latif: The Most Subtle

oil & acrylic /

Description: 8″x10″ oil & acrylic on canvas~ One of the 99 Names of the Divine One, “Al Latif: The Most Subtle” celebrates an attribute that inherently pervades the soul. This attribute finds expression through awareness of our most sublime states so it takes inner polishing for it to be fully expressed outwardly. Subtlety is the very quality that is found in all spiritually awakened beings. Contemplation on this attribute brings healing, solace and lightness of being to self and to those who come across the recipient of this grace. Working on this painting, its visuals conveyed from the start the soothing energies contained in Subtlety so the creative process was particularly beautiful.

~ The Most Subtle ~

O effusive Light
that fashions our becoming,
we read your vertical signs
with the sun and the moon in chorus,
we praise You in infinite ways!
O You who are not exhausted
by Your Attributes
as You pervade
the black holes
of the Heart that
relentlessly contemplates
on you; expanding, giving,
throbbing with anticipation
of being in the gentleness
of Your Presence anew!

© 2015 Aïda Touré

Al Wadud: The Secret of Secrets

oil & acrylic /

“He is the All-forgiving, the Most Loving One.” ~85:14 Qur’an
“And I am with the ones whose heart is broken for My sake.” ~Hadith Qudsi

Description: 10″x8″ oil & acrylic on canvas. I wanted to work anew on paintings that depicted the most beautiful Names of the Beloved as central themes of the pieces. Al Wadud means “The Most Affectionate” or “The Most Loving”, He is the very source of all nurturance and healing we may experience through the gift of Love. There is sacred purpose to suffering as it diminishes the ego~  Only then can divine closeness be felt with greater sensitivity as the heart is broken; this brokenness creates an opening through which the Light enters and thus it becomes the essential reality of such a humble heart~ Below is the poem that captured this painting.

~ Al Wadud: The Secret of Secrets ~

Bismillah,
my tenderness crawls
on the ground to form
a carpet of jewels for
Your first light to walk upon;
this contact to his feet
lights up the galaxies’
sacred Recitation~
Every letter leaps, curves
and then points to You;
Lo! My pen just broke
to the Sound of their dance!
Can materiality disclose
the Secret of Secrets
without first being broken?
Oh I dangle from myself,
as this question scurries
by my seven spheres!
“In a natural move
of collapse into Your Grace,
all atoms bow to You”
the cosmic pulse says,
“our letting go of self
to become immersed in You
is the soul’s intimate Way.”
Ya Wadud, O Beloved,
I whirl in joy,
lost in the infinity
of Your All Pervasive Love~

© 2015 Aïda Touré