Pastor Ingrid Brown invited me to come and speak to the congregation at Weird Church in Cumberland, BC. on the topic of Art and Spirituality, two of my favourite subjects! After the talk I offered the folks gathered there an opportunity to learn how to 'Draw Like a Viking'. Paper and pencils were distributed throughout the church, providing an opportunity to learn some of the various weaving techniques that are characteristic of the Norse artists through the period known as the Viking era, 750-1100.
Image above: 'Sappho: Touch the Sky #1', Oil & Gold Leaf on Wood Panel, 12" x 12"
The word spirituality comes from the Latin word spiritus which means breath, courage, strength; that which gives life. By this definition spirit, and therefore spirituality, universally exists within everything, across culture and history. Spirituality is both the core, and the intersection point, of all aspects of our humanity.
Spirituality is relational: the energy of connection between self, others, the world, and the transcendent. Increasingly, the concept of healing is focused on the integration of all aspects of the self; a more holistic view of health and well-being.
The root of the word healing is haelen, which means to make, or become, whole. Fragmented states can be integrated to achieve integrity, unity, harmony and balance.
I believe art making is inherently a spiritual act. To create is to cause something to exist through concrete expression of the imagination. As both an artist and a counsellor, this is a subject that deeply fascinates me.
I remember showing my father some of my art once, and he asked me, “Should I be worried about you?” At the time, I had intuitively gravitated to art creation to explore and process deeply personal themes of grief and loss. I believe it was my capacity to create art at that time that soothed my grief, and ultimately ensured that he didn’t have to worry about me.
Image left: 'As Above, So Below',
Oil & Gold Leaf on Wood Panel, H 6' X W 3'
Throughout history, art creation has been seen as an intrinsically spiritual act, one which has the power to connect and heal. The creation of art can bring self-understanding, generate meaning and purpose in life. The process of creating something, whether an artwork, a poem, a garden or a meal, provides an opportunity to externalize an inner experience into a tangible experience for self-reflection, makes inner experiences metaphorically accessible, and can produce something that people resonate with, generating connection, a fundamental force of healing and community.
Emotional distress experienced in an absence of meaning becomes suffering. Suffering is experienced not only in the individual, but also in communities and societies. Spirituality provides a process by which we can seek and express meaning, enabling us to experience connection to the moment, to ourselves, to others, to nature, and to the sacred.
Developing our creativity and spirituality provides concrete tasks to facilitate this process; guiding us to heighten our sensitivity, develop our empathy, and recognize our vulnerability and dependency on each another. An important part of living is being invested in the lives of others.
Humans often think with visual imagery, and language can be a reductive and limiting form of communication. Art making allows us to communicate directly with our emotional selves, even beyond our conscious limits. By incorporating the kinesthetic, sensory, imaginal, and symbolic into our experiences we gain access to our greater internal resources. We exceed the limits of “Western” compartmentalization which have separated the deepest desires of our souls into fragments. Healing is achieved through a process of self-exploration and self-expression which connects us to the beauty and mystery of our lives.
Artistic creation works simultaneously on many levels opening up possibilities for transformation:
Image above: 'The Three Norns: Skuld, Verdande & Urd' Triptych.
Oil & Gold Leaf on Wood Panel, 3 X H 42" X W 18"
Kinesthetic – movement and action
Sensory – taking in our experience of the world
Emotional – how we feel
Cognitive – what we think
Symbolic – what we intuit and imagine
Are you disconnected from or unaware of your heart, senses, creativity, spontaneity, and sense of wonder?
Artistic creation is strikingly like the process of self-realization; the quieting process of self-immersion, becoming fully present and losing track of time, letting go of the sense of separation (that paradoxically generates self-awareness), taking deliberate action, and increasing our attention while evoking a sense of wonder and awe; the creation of art is an active meditation.
Many artists consider God as the source of artistic inspiration, even if they do not use the word God. The soul expresses itself through a state of flow. When people describe themselves as a vessel or conduit, they recognize that they are the channel, not the source, of this energy. In the imaginative states of wisdom, intellect and intuition, together with our senses, we can experience faith, bringing clarity and connection to the numinous; a moment of having seen beyond ourselves, a profound sense of both knowing and unknowing, and relinquishing the control of the rational mind.
Creativity can be the vehicle for us to connect with our spirituality. The reverse is also true, that connection with our spirituality can activate and enhance our creativity; there is deep reciprocity in this combination. Nurturing my creativity and spirituality is an act of caring; for myself, for others, for the world we inhabit together, and for expressing my wonder at the miracle of our lives.
When was the last time you gave yourself the healing gift of expressing your spirited creativity?
This image is a commission for a mariner that I am currently working on. The Midgaard Serpent surrounds and contains the ocean, biting his tail like the Ouroboros, a symbol of infinity and wholeness. The ship rises through the waves into the night sky where the Pleiades constellation on the dawning horizon reassures the adventurers that the seas are favourable.
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