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Sacred Origami -by Karen Elaine

April 12, 2016

I have always been attracted to geometry through the art of origami. Folding squares of paper into simple or complex models is on one hand challenging and on the other very soothing and calming for me. The result of folding always gives me joy and I love sharing it with others and I believe origami connects me socially, creatively and spiritually. I never understood that until recently when I started to explore sacred geometry in art and nature. The act of folding a paper square into something beautiful or functional and being aware of each step of the process keeps my mind in the present moment. I always thought of origami as therapy and now I understand why.

I thought of a beautiful box designed by origami master Tomoko Fuse of Japan for this blog post today. Folding the box requires 8 sheets of paper the exact same size. I used Kraft paper because it is heavier than standard origami paper but you can use any type of medium to heavy weight paper and cut them into 6” squares. I love decorating plain origami papers before folding and the Sacred Geometry series are perfect because they are the same size as standard origami paper.

Apply white gesso onto 4 sheets of the black paper over the ACS121 "Metatrons Cube" Sacred Geometry 2 stencil using a stencil brush.

Apply black gesso (or thick bodied black paint) onto 4 sheets of white paper over the ACS120 "Quattro Flower" Sacred Geometry 2 stencil.

Let the papers dry before going to the next step. They may be slightly wrinkled but don’t worry, you will flatten them completely before folding.

I love interference colors because they reflect light and interact with the base color. I used Golden interference colors because they dry without being sticky and that is very important when folding unit boxes.

Apply the interference blue onto the black paper and interference violet onto the white. See how the color pops off the black and is more subtle on the white. Cover the entire surface of each sheet of paper and let dry completely.

After the papers dry and if they are still slightly wrinkled, flatten them under heavy books between sheets of wax paper. This is the part where patience is important because you want the sheets to be perfectly flat before folding. I use a book press but any method is fine just as long as the sheets are bone dry and flat.

You will use four sheets for the box top and four for the bottom. Diagrams for the box are found in books and online. I made a video a few years ago on how to fold it because diagrams aren’t always easy to follow. I would suggest folding the box top first.

Watch the video on how to fold and assemble the box bottom.

The box will be very sturdy after folding and assembling. I have made this box hundreds of times and the process has given much joy and peace while presenting small gifts and storing sacred items.