Iconology - The Uncarved Block

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The Image has 3 parts, two of which are Kachinas, the center panel has a Chinese Map of the US a drawing of a TV set with a black square on the screen, an image of the world with light emanating from the globe, a diagram of Clare Graves system of values and a photographic panorama of Ship Rock New Mexico.

Center Panel

Image - Drawing of TV with plant and Black Square on a screen. The black square is the Uncarved Block.

One of the basic principles of Taoism is P’U, the Uncarved Block. The essence of the Uncarved Block is that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed. Everything and everyone that exists in this world can serve a useful purpose in its original, natural state. I find that this principle especially applies to people. Those who spend their whole lives trying to be someone they’re not just to fit in, those proving and seeking approval, those striving for things and situations that are not their truth, end up trashing their lives. From the state of the Uncarved Block comes the ability to enjoy the simple and the quiet, the natural and the plain. Along with that comes living spontaneously and having life work.

Basic Taoism is simply a particular way of appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens in everyday life. From the Taoist point of view, the natural result of this harmonious way of living is happiness.

Which brings us to Winnie-the-Pooh, the very epitome of the Uncarved Block. Pooh was the source of this piece. Or Bears. (The Kachina on the right is a bear.) The first thing we need to do is recognize and trust our own Inner Nature, and not lose sight of it. Inside the Bouncy Tigger is the Rescuer who knows the Way, and in each of us is something Special, that we need to keep and at the same time is very ordinary:


“Tigger is all right really,” said Piglet lazily.
“Of course he is,” said Christopher Robin.
“Everybody is really,” said Pooh. “That’s what I think,” said Pooh.
“But I don’t suppose I’m right,” he said.
“Of course you are,” said Christopher Robin.
This text is taken from ‘The Tao of Pooh’ by Benjamin Hoff, published by Mandarin Paperbacks.



Image - The World is placed within the cartoon convention of a thought/speech bubble.

Image - Chart the Emergence of Worldviews
Adopted from the Graves Value System and the Psychological Map created by the National Values Center (very complicated)

Image – Photographic Panorama of “Shiprock” New Mexico


Known today most commonly by the name Shiprock, the 1700-foot eroded volcanic plume is sacred to the Navahos as Tse Bi dahi, or the Rock with Wings. This name comes from an ancient folk myth that tells how the rock was once a great bird that transported the ancestral people of the Navahos to their lands in what is now northwestern New Mexico. The Navaho ancestors had crossed a narrow sea far to the northwest (the Berring Strait?) and were fleeing from a warlike tribe. Tribal shamans prayed to the great spirit for help. Suddenly the ground rose from beneath their feet to become an enormous bird. For an entire day and night the bird flew south, finally settling at sundown where Shiprock now stands. Geologists tell us the rock was formed 12 million years ago during the Pliocene period. The legend of the rock seems more likely to be a metaphor hinting of the site's magical power to lift the human soul above the problems of daily existence into an awareness of the Great Spirit.

2 Side Panels



The Hopi
The Hopi live in a reservation inside of the Navaho reservation. The Hopi believe they are the descendants of the Anasazi (Navaho meaning “ancient enemy”) or Hisatsinom (Hopi). Anthropologists say the Hisatsinom (ee-SAH-tse-nom) came to the Four Corners area around the year Zero, and vanished by 1250 AD. Nobody knows what happened to them; no other traces found, destination unknown. Since the Navajo did not arrive in this area until about 1350 AD, their word "Anasazi" shows a previous relationship between the two peoples, and is a clue that should not be discarded.

Hopi Kachinas
Kachinas are spirits or invisible life forces that act as messengers between the Hopi people and the gods. As their name denotes (ka, respect, and china, spirit), they are respected spirits; spirits of the dead; spirits of mineral, plant, bird, animal, and human entities, of clouds, other planets, stars that have not yet appeared in our sky; spirits of all the invisible forces of life. In this case (The Uncarved Block) the image is of a bear and a buffalo.
“In its conception the Hopis have created a form for the everlasting formlessness; a living symbol unique in the world for that universal and multifold spirit which embodies all living matter; which speaks to us, as only the spirit can speak, through the intuitive perception of our own faith in the one enduring mystery of life.” - From Book of the Hopi by Frank Waters, 1963

The Kachina in Hopi Culture
There are more then 250 kachinas that are revered, but not worshiped by the Hopi people. The men of the community wear traditional kachina masks when representing the kachinas during ceremonies and rituals. When wearing the masks the men are considered to be the actual spirit. This is a very sacred part of the Hopi religion.

An important part of the kachinas role within the community is to teach appropriate behavior. Men wearing kachina masks are the ones who punish children for inappropriate acts. To the children, the men are actually kachinas. In this way not only are they taught appropriate behavior, but also the consequences of unacceptable behavior. After the children reach a certain age, the men will reveal their true identities. This is the child’s first step towards initiation into the society.

Note: A Balinese dancer representing, for example a “good” spirit, must himself demonstrate that spirit. From childhood to maturity the Balinese dancer must demonstrate the ability to become one with the spirit so that when he dances the image is totally convincing. The integration of ritual, dance and everyday life is a complete experience in Bali. To be a manifestation of a spiritual force seems to be a powerful primal idea the world over.

Connect: “Word Becomes Experience in Bali.



Image - Kachina Dolls


The Hopi men carve small dolls from cottonwood root. These dolls are not only toys for the children but are also used to teach the identities of the kachinas and the meaning behind their attire. The dolls are given to young boys and girls, and also the women of the community during the sacred ceremonies. When received, they are treated with great respect.

The Bear Image

Of the Paleolithic traditions the bear cult is almost certainly the oldest, dating as it does, from Neanderthal Man’s veneration of the cave bear. The earliest evidence anywhere on earth of the veneration of a divine being is in the Alpine bear skull sanctuaries of Neanderthal Man.

The Buffalo Image

Buffalo were the source of food, clothing and shelter for the Plains Indian. They represented life itself.
My images of the Kachinas are intended as embodying the three states, the doll, the man who represents the spirit and the spirit itself. This three-fold role is typical to those found in Pre-Columbian pottery where the urn that burns sacred incense represents a priest who is representing a god. The urn is representation of a representation.