creative spiritual inquiry? let’s talk about it and practice: jan. 6, 1-4pm, PT zoom
What does that mean?
art as a spiritual practice?
contemplative art?
art as perception?
conscious creative soul’s work?
soulcraft?
creative practices that empower living consciously with life’s realities?
living creatively with life’s uncertainties?
group or individual practice? What would those look like?
Questions:
What do we each need to support and stimulate our own unique spiritual creative practice?
What makes an art practice sacred or spiritual: personally, culturally, and historically?
How do we embody spirit-craft?
How can this be sustainable (“drink as you pour”)
How can any of these practices be co-nourishing?
Are we able or interested in creating such experiences for others? For our communities, friends or family?
Why do this:
to look within and remember what is sacred, and give it expression
to look without and uncover what is sacred, and give it expression
to BE the art: embody it, allow ourselves to embody CREATIVENESS
inquire and grapple with, through creative acts, with parts of life that cause us pain or despair or fear
to create or re-discover a personal spiritual creative practice
touch and interrelate with the natural world through creative acts
participate in rituals and processes that sacralize our personal studio/artmaking place
be inspired by the sacred creative practices of other cultures and traditions, and create our own practices
experience moments of transcendence and spiritual connection through creative acts, together and on our own
acknowledge and grapple with what is difficult or grieves us, through creative practice
experience art-ing as meditation, as prayer, as connection with spirit …
DESCRIPTION OF a possible study group:
Group gathers monthly (every other week?) to study and participate in creative spiritual inquiry…inspired by global sacred creative traditions.
Prompts or experiences might be guided by instructor, guests, or group members. Perhaps different members bring experiences to the group?
The group participates in various creative practices together, and also shares and studies their non-group spirit-based creative activities.
Group members are supported as they transform or refine their own personal artmaking spaces to be safe and sacred containers for creative investigations of spirit.
(note: group experiences are not meant to replace or imitate existing or historic religious ceremonies and practices. The idea is to offer experiences as spiritual practice, utilizing creative actions, allowing the interrelationship of art and spirit.)
What about workshops, community events, interactive online events…?
Why does this matter?
The arts have always been a natural sacred language for humans. This is ancient technology, that many of us have lost touch with. Throughout time the arts have functioned as living, somatic prayer, as our creative sacred process for connecting with, investigating and celebrating the divine. A quick review of just a few sacred human art practices covers virtually all ways we create: ritual and ecstatic dance, sacred music, architecture such as mosques, temples and churches, poetry, sacred geometry, calligraphy, chanting, mask-making and dancing, costumes, ancient cave paintings, mandalas and tanka painting, drumming and labyrinth walking, art in conversation with earth/nature, and sculpture and artmaking that honors what is sacred to us. and. These acts of aliveness and connection have been human’s way to touch what is divine within ourselves, and understand the divine outside of our bodies. Humans can deepen their connection to what is sacred, and potentiate their own artmaking* practices by creating from the spirit, and by sacralizing their individual creative process, thus becoming conscious of creativity as a spiritual practice.
* the terms ART and ARTMAKING refer to all visual, sculptural, installed, written, audio and performative arts
Please email Margaret at m.lindsey.art@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the discussion on Jan. 6