Cohabiting with The Divine: Art Therapy

Often, I start out writing about one thing and end up focusing entirely on something else. This process just kind of happens when we allow our conscious or inner child some call him – to have its way.  Like puppets, artists sculpt clay or write words we’ve never thought before, make art we’ve never seen before and experience a divine solace when alone and in the “flow.” It is as addictive to our spirit as being in love. Keeping our focus on our work unclutters our mind and makes peaceful space for what is emerging come day or night.

In the same way the composer is not separate from the music, the poet or writer not separate of his writing, the dancer not separate from the dance, and the painter not separate from the painting, God, the Creator, is not separate from his creation – - us. We are magical creatures especially when we’re letting the divine power come through us not from us. Sometimes we lose our lives not knowing we can do something different. Many of us have talents we don’t even know about. Many of us are afraid to try new things.  Fear keeps us from connecting at the level that lights us up when partnering with the divine. “Only when I knew I belonged to myself completely did I become capable of giving myself to another, of finding joy in desire, pleasure in our love, power in this body no one else owns.” said author, Dorothy Alison. This so defines me. 

Even when we’re sleeping our conscious is busy rewriting our thoughts. C. G. Jung says, “We are so captivated by and entangled in our subjective consciousness that we have forgotten the age-old fact that God speaks chiefly through dreams and visions.” Our spiritual life doesn’t stop when we go to sleep; it flourishes and nourishes itself. Dreamtime is spirit time and a great opportunity for an artist to get direct inspiration from the divine, usually around 3:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. *Dreams give us insight into our life journey, guiding and pointing us in the direction of our inner self and whatever we need to look at, resolve and create. No one is immune to the natural creative force that cohabits with us.

Meister Eckhart says, “It is the nature of a word to reveal what is hidden. The word that is hidden still sparkles in the darkness and whispers in the silence. It entices us to pursue it, to year and sign after it. For it wishes to reveal to us something about God.” Power comes from who you are, not what you have. Creating teaches us to appreciate the spontaneous and to expect the unexpected. Creative expression is an amazing teacher – no more letting the external world define us and our talents. What you choose to do with your talents show whether you are truly powerful or powerless.