THE RED BOXER

MYSTICAL WELL OF SANTO CRISTO DE LONGOS by J.A. Austria, colored marker, ink and tempera on paper, completed May 2011. Collection of Mrs. Joji Racelis - Manila. 

“One legend from 18th century Manila became a fitting metaphor for my own call to adventure. According to this story, a dumb-mute Chinese laborer was searching for “something” inside an old well in what was then Barrio Longos and accidentally discovered a small black image of the crucified Christ. The laborer was immediately healed of his disabilities and the church authorities of Binondo [Manila’s Chinatown] decided to have the image of the Santo Cristo enshrined in the chapel of the Hospital of San Gabriel.

At that time the legend resonated not as historical fact but as a fitting metaphor for my inner journey. Yes I descended into the “murky well of the unconscious” through the terrible experience called depression. Yet it was precisely in that murky well that I discovered a new life, a new reason to live…and yes..the Christ-presence within.”