Mariang Makiling sa Hardin ng Paghilom

(Maria Makiling in the Garden of Healing)
Size: 30″ x 30″
Year: 2025
Medium: Mixed Media (dried flowers and sacred plants assemblage)

In Hayat Moroporo’s mixed media painting, Maria Makiling emerges as the timeless guardian spirit at the heart of Mt. Makiling, in Laguna, Philippines. Her presence is a sanctuary of healing, love, and reciprocity with the Earth. Drawn from legend, she blesses the humble and the kindhearted, From her palms, she offers enchanted ginger to the poor, each root transforming into gold as gratitude for their faith in goodness, a sacred reminder that true abundance flows from generosity and compassion.

Sacred plant medicines, sage, sweet pine, tobacco, and sweetgrass, surround her like a living prayer, cleansing energies and bridging the realms of the material and the divine. These sacred botanicals root the artwork in ancient rituals of healing and connection, echoing the wisdom of those who tend the Earth with reverence.

Delicate tendrils of the endangered jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) and radiant petals of the rare waling-waling orchid (Vanda sanderiana), the Queen of Philippine Flowers, entwine her figure, their turquoise and amethyst tones glowing through the forest light. Endemic to the Philippines, they bloom as symbols of resilience, prosperity, rare beauty, and the interdependence of all living beings.

Whispers of white lace drape softly across her form, representing purity of heart and an enduring love for humanity. This tenderness mirrors the stories told through generations, even in pre-colonial times. The spirit of Maria Makiling lingers on, guiding lost travelers home, her gentle hand offering comfort to those seeking wholeness, and of the continuous rebirth of healing traditions that honor nature’s plant medicine.

This painting is a prayer painted in color and breath. It is a vow to honor our sacred duty as stewards of the living world, to heal through reverence, and to keep alive the promise of Maria Makiling: that every act of kindness ripples through the earth like light finding its way through leaves of every enchanted forest.