Epicene: Through the Divine Feminine
Poetry is an excellent prompt for AI Image generation
Week four in Divine Femininity worked with two poems, both lengthy and deep collaborations with ChatGPT. I spent significant time helping the agent understand the expectations of a good collaborator and what style of writing to use (my own). In the end, the second, and final (for this project) poem, was almost exclusively written by me. However, I would not have gotten there without the collaboration.
The key word, “epicene,” ended up being the most important word and concept I didn’t know existed. ChatGPT served it up after endless rounds of collaborative brainstorming words that rhymed with seen that also had an element of duality, or a denial of duality, non-dual. From Oxford English Dictionary, Epicene: “having characteristics of both sexes or no characteristics of either sex; of indeterminate sex.”
For each of the two poems, I ran two sets of images. One set had only the poem as prompt with minimal additions for color and style via filters (my own special combination). The other set used a heavier hand in directing the imagery (as in the image above from Epicene). While all four sets primarily auto-generated female-looking front-view faces, to create semblance of androgyny I had to intervene. The AI is trained with our biases. The poetry itself created a few less sex-specific images, and all four sets produced abstract images without request.
What did I learn?
Poetry as prompt is generally superior, or more interesting, to poetry+Shel as prompt, at least for now. Both are superior to how Firefly and other AI image generation tools teach people to write prompts (think movie script scene writing with added ornate flowery-ness). Here is an example offered: "A whimsical fairy village hidden in a lush forest, with tiny, glowing mushroom houses, soft blue and purple lighting, and fairies with translucent wings fluttering around." Oh my!
Starseed
Time, no time—
root, wave, form.
Seen, unseen,
a breath—
she grows,
starseed,
be free.
Om Namo Narayani.
Images above included extra prompts/filters
Starseed. Time, no time—this is the essence of something ancient, cosmic, and deeply connected. The poem speaks to a state beyond linear existence, where time is fluid and cycles of creation grow endlessly. The phrase "root, wave, form" encapsulates the journey of energy becoming matter; creation is not static. It moves between what is visible and invisible, tangible and ethereal, held together by the breath of life.
This breath, a whisper of existence, animates the unseen into being. The poem holds space for sacred acknowledgment of the divine feminine, hinted at with "she grows," a nod to creation’s nurturing force. This growth is organic, mysterious, and alive, rooted in a freedom that calls to something beyond the confines of human expectation, unrestricted by past definitions or limitations. Sadly, the image results remained conventionally flawless and youthful, with exception of unusual textures created through careful filter selection.
Images below used the Starseed poem only + color palette and filters
The mantra "Om Namo Narayani" connects the cosmic expanse to the sacred feminine energy that pervades everything. It invites us to embrace the fluidity of form and formlessness, revering both seen and unseen.
Ultimately, it’s an exploration of cosmic freedom, growth, and a great power that comes from sensing our roots in the infinite. We are all connected to and a vital part of this vast cosmic web —free to transform and to expand.
Epicene
Wave unseen,
particle spark—
epicene
breathes,
Om Namo Narayani
Image above used the Epicene poem + additional prompts/filters
Wave unseen, particle spark. Welcome to the quantum realm, where existence is and is not. Perpetual movement, a vibration, holds both mystery and promise. The unseen wave, intangible and fluid, when observed sparks the tangibility of particles. Together, they speak to interlaced cosmic energies, never confined to simple binaries.
Epicene—a word heavy with meaning, as described earlier transcends gender, represents a divine unity that goes beyond traditional distinctions of male and female, masculine and feminine. Here, it breathes, in a living, dynamic harmony. It’ a reclamation of balance, a moment where the sacred feminine rises to meet and embrace the masculine, not to erase but to welcome into wholeness. This breath is the essence of existence honoring the interconnectedness of all energies.
Om Namo Narayani, grounds the ethereal and wraps us in the presence of Narayani—a/the divine feminine force –nurturing, protective, and all-encompassing.
Images below used the Epicene poem only + color palette and filters
Calling to Narayani asserts that healing comes through rebalancing, enabling divine energies to coexist in a way that transcends old hierarchies. We cannot achieve a state of harmonic union without passing through the realm of the divine feminine, silenced for millennia and ascending with grace.
In this brief passage, the universe is a space where distinctions dissolve. It reflects a world where the feminine rises, not to dominate but to restore cosmic alignment.
Images above used the Starseed poem only + color palette and filters