The Gallery: Conceptual 3
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Beth E Peterson
Text and Artwork:
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Beware of Cliffs I: Promised Land Ink 18" x 24" This particular page holds a series of work drawing directly from my own experiences as a victim and then survivor of a close relationship with an ultra-authority. Although I broke free of this man's control more than 15 years ago, this is the first time I have ever expressed any of that experience, other than the break away, in visual form. The first thing you'll see when you look into the eye of an ultra-authority is their promised land...all the good and wonderful things which will or can be, if only you will follow them. The sight is so mesmerizing, you may hardly be aware that the face surrounding the eye is not as lovely as the picture they paint with their words. You may hardly see the prison bars as they move to surround you. 
Beware of Cliffs II: Loss Ink 18" x 24" One of the hardest things in the world to face is the realization that an ultra-authority literally drains your own life and selfhood away from you. They pour "you" out, leaving nothing but an empty shell, which they will then mold into the semblance of their own ideology, desires, and/or themselves. If you would like to understand more about how this can happen...this nightmare of loss... then you have come to the right place. To learn more about the dynamics of these kinds of abusive types of relationships and groups, I invite you to go to my other site, www.beth-peterson.com. There you can find information about extreme manipulation. For even more in-depth information about extreme manipulation and ultra-authority, read the book, People Who Play God. 
Beware of Cliffs III: Break-Away Ink 18" x 24" When I disaffiliated from my ultra-authority, I went through a short period of freefall. It was as if the rug of my entire life had just been ripped out from under me, leaving nothing below it but empty space. One of the ways I began pulling myself together was envisioning the legend of the phoenix....Oh, the ultra-authority who caught me may have burned my life into nothing more than a pile of ash, but I would be a phoenix and rise again...better, stronger, firmer in myself than ever before. My life would once again be symphonic...harmonious and full. I would not allow him the final victory of remaining broken and defeated, drained of who I once was. Now I would become who I chose -- without interference or manipulation -- to be. 
Beware of Cliffs IV: The Guardians Ink 18" x 24" Healing is not as easy as simply setting one's feet on the first step on the road of self-determined selfhood, however. I found that there were scars, mainly in my ability to interact with other people comfortably. I had two very large guardians who were constantly vigilant, constantly ready to destroy anything or anyone that looked in the least threatening to my independence of mind and self. Those two guardians were Mistrust and Betrayal. As I walked within my inner gardens of self, they stood outside, watching all who came near the gates with baleful eyes. Since that time, I have learned that I can trust myself, and that I did not betray my own self. What I did was in accordance to the best I knew at the time. And now, *wry grin* I know even better how to protect myself than ever I could have, otherwise.
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