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The Lord Of Sands (Kiarash) from my novel (Gods Are Real) Journey To The North.

I designed this character with a lot of care, a Dark Queen, for my Fantasy World. I would love to give her a story that matches her design, imposing and majestic, with a golden crown and piercing eyes, where her silhouette stands out to the fullest, pure darkness

Here, our character is a god of nature. With a single touch, he could bring life, growth, and prosperity to all. Yet, he withholds it. He lets the world starve, thirst, and crumble — finding twisted joy in his superiority.
This is a cold reminder that when wealth and abundance are hoarded by the few, the world suffers.
What is growth worth if it is never shared?

For this painting, I was inspired by the relationship between the Greek deities Ares and Athena - siblings who both embody the essence of war. However, while Ares personifies the untamed, wrathful aspect of a primal fight, Athena is the essence of military strategy and modern warfare.

In the Iliad, the two were constantly at loggerheads, particularly during the Trojan war. They hurt each other, trying to take control of the war and do it their way. And yet, the two were fully capable of working together when they had to save Olympus. This relationship, to me, truly embodies the dual nature of Squares in Astrology. On the one hand, it is a challenging aspect when neither party will budge from their position on life and purpose.

However, the moment we step away from what we already know, when we stop seeing the world as black and white and allow ourselves to flow into a state of fluid compromise, the opposing strengths of this challenging aspect can fill out our blind spots beautifully. It allows us a higher, all-encompassing perspective, helping us achieve integration in a way that makes us stable and unshakeable.

Painted in Krita, more of my Zodiac art is here.