Grounding Art

Most people want their art practice and their spiritual practice to be exciting, exhilarating, fascinating. They want to be stimulated, they long for an “amazing” experience that is out-of-this-world, something so intense and powerful that it will blow-their-mind away. Craving to lose control in hope that it will be meaningful and that it will water they inner dryness.

Ungrounded Art, Ungrounded Spirituality

While art and some spiritual practices can be very powerful, and they can also be out-of-this-world, they definitely can be very intense and can blow-our-minds away, this is not the real goal of any true art practice or any true spiritual work.

In the popular so-called spiritual scene and art world there seem to be a confusion between intensity and wellness, between that which is supportive and that which sounds interesting, crazy and exciting.

Spiritual practice doesn’t need to be wild, it needs to be pure and help us connect to truth, to our selves, it is meant to ground us, to support our path to wholeness and allow inner harmony. It is the means to simple happiness. It is not a circuses that is there to entertain us, it is not an intellectual hobby, and it is definitely not a replacement of drugs, alcohol and other stimulations.

Expecting our spiritual practice to give us the exciting kick that we may find missing from our lives is simply not the right attitude and it is most likely a result of misunderstanding what spiritual practice really is and what it aims for.

Spirituality is the path to inner truth, it is the tools and means to grow our inner potential to be real and complete. To actualize the real meaning of our lives. It is not to be seen as a tool to develop our personality, it is not another experience to tell our friends about and cherish as a special memory.  It is not a form of entertainment, it is not some recreational amusement or fun way to pass time.

If your board go see a movie or go to the pub, but leave your inner practice pure, real and meaningful, make sure it is leading you to truth, to your source, to your inner core and bare heart. It is to be your base, your ground, your earth, everything you wish your mother would be, an eternal spring of love, support and light.

Intimate dance with the divine

And when we long to apply art as a spiritual tool, let us remember our aims clearly and be honest and sincere, at least with ourselves, making sure we set our expectations and our intentions right and give art and creativity their due respect.

Don’t disgrace them by making your art a drug, let it be your dear friend, a sanctuary not an addiction. Don’t use art as an excuse to be disgusting, or abuse it to set free all your dark, sick and disturbed sides, rather, use it to uplift yourselves, as a precious means to connect to beauty, to harmony, to tranquility and love.

These treasures – art and spirituality, keep them pure, keep them real, a grounding force in the blowing wind, let them be your inner island of sanity; your beautiful and intimate dance with the divine.