It Is Settled, Then.

When asked to describe who I am, I say that I see through the eyes of a poet. It’s a pretty neat way to experience the world. But I have believed this gift to be a trifle -- suitable only for art appreciation, thoughtful cards, and picture-taking. I dither with my pastels because I suspect it’s just another time-consuming hobby of no more contribution than Sudoku puzzles, and far more costly. Yet my spirit longs for profound expression and the satisfaction of successful sharing—the fulfillment of ‘being’ the Poet. 

This week in the mountains confirmed to my rational mind that I do have a valid and unique point of view that could be worthy of presentation. I confirmed that I need a mode of expression that will suit my favorite tools—my eyes and hands, and I still get to write. Writing about your work has become an essential for the modern artist (post Yr 2000) as art moves from the galleries to the internet. I have accepted that the work I was made to do must be done, even if it must be done on unpaid time. I am extraordinarily blessed, however, to have a paying job that neatly accommodates my needs as a budding artist. I must rush now to make the most of it.

Into The Lap of God

On one pivotal day in the mountains I found my path on a fabulous scenic drive up, up, up into the mountainous quilt of color and onto the ridge tops. For as much as six hours (on this fifth day of such beauty) my mind was flooded with stunning scenery. I became emotionally ecstatic. Every nook and cranny of my mind felt ablaze with awe at the perfect symphony of nature. I discovered I was grinning and that I was using facial muscles that I don’t normally use to smile. This smile was a different shape! My refreshed mind was literally expressing itself through my body, immediately.

In that moment it became clear to me that our mind is a creative organ that is shaped by the input it receives and that in turn shapes our lens on life.  It determines the way we respond to life, and thus the way life responds to us. I’ve ‘known’ this for a long time, of course, but this day I knew it for a physical fact. And that fact made another thought clear: Artists are essential to society. They capture and share moments that remind us that light, harmony, and grace is in constant flux around us. Essential art brings us hope, rest, reflection, refreshment, and inspiration. This day’s experience also demonstrated that beauty (or any activity that generates a moment of inspiration) can have a cumulative effect.

Prisoner of the Mind

As for many people, my window on the world is dominated by news media and life-like TV crime intrigue. I have noticed recently that it has become more difficult to see the world as other than crime-ridden and blighted with the crash of our exuberant consumerism. I try to look ahead at how to best prepare for my own future, but can see no realistic vision where my spirit is not ground to dust in poverty and dispirited labor as my earning power declines with age. I turn away and decide to enjoy while I can and hope I die before my financial and health world collapses. Good time for a vacation.

 Before I left, I heard a voice speak quite clearly to me:

“When your mind is filled with your own knowledge, you will become trapped by what you know. When you make a space for Spirit, you make a space for new and creative information to flow into your vision. The path ahead will enjoy many more opportunities for fortuitous branching because you will be looking beyond your own limitations. Spirit does work, when you invite it to.”

I accepted this. My dalliance with agnosticism had left me stark, calculating, and trapped by the limitations of ‘hard’ facts and probability.