To annihilate is to destroy or eradicate, to nihilate is to wrap something in a shell of nothingness- like dropping a raindrop in the ocean. It remains, but its being has become indistinguishable from the whole. The spiritual path is a fragile painful process that requires careful self-examination, and a lot of letting go. "Tender Nihilation” is the offering of self, the willingness to crack open, and to know that radiance and expansion often come from vulnerability. The obstacles themselves are the path to strength. Willingness is the key. 

The form of this piece is based on the round Mandala offering pan, with the stand as the pan and the mosaic elements as the jeweled offerings.

(*nihilation is a term originated by John Paul Sartre in "Being and Nothingness")