Projects
Spirit Depiction Art
4. More Ideas on "Real" vs. Imagined, also Positive vs. Negative
Since visionary artists usually do not or cannot say exactly from whence their images come, it can be difficult to draw the line between invention and location. A notable exception might be when you are recognizing in an otherworldy image a place that you have yourself visited; this is an exciting experience in itself and arguably a primary purpose of all art. All imagined places would of course be populated by at least one individual, the imaginer, but only those that are spiritually real would open up into entire wise and loving worlds.
Swedenborg noted that there are many hells that are generously populated, and sadly so, but these are so full of pathologically deceptive individuals, events, and vistas that they are ultimately not nearly so interesting or educational to catalogue as the maturely stabilized heaven realms in which beings and creations are supported to eternally flourish and honestly evolve. If you find yourself inspired to manifest images for realms of dubious attractiveness to you, I would not discourage the process but only suggest that a purpose be adhered to which falls withing a simple matrix of intents such as the following:
I thought this chart was a neat presentation for what should be our goals whenever we are working on a creative depiction, whether our medium be words, tones, pigments, deeds, or some other. I believe that a healthy artist is one who continually evaluates what they would want for their own soul even as they acknowledge that real places are sourcing their images. The creative process is giving us traction on a self-empowered journey toward or away from the actual environments in which our spirits must be dwelling.
A healthy artist would take seriously the depiction of a place that any sane, self-caring being would do not wish to enter. The artist of forbidding realms, like any astronaut, deep-sea, or volcanic explorer, ought to suit up appropriately (with rituals of protection such as prayers), and strive for the purposes of forever leaving or avoiding danger places, thereby after some vulnerable retrievals of soul or knowledge, ending the exposures of good beings to egregious risks. What joy can there be to live upon a psychic edge, forever vigilant to perils - at best you're a committed bodhisatva, at worst you're doomed and macho. And since the former would be obvious, if you have any doubts then you would be leaning toward the latter.
Unfortunately not all artists function with these concerns in mind, not by a long shot, and many will stay in or even profit from bad places to the points of truly tragic ends. This artistic ego can be a real threat to one's spiritual path, and our ever-accomodating human society has perfected real payoffs for not letting go of horrific images, such as cult fame, cash, and fear weilding prowess. The artist's mental, emotional, and physical bodies suffer greatly every time, in spite of a negative ego's denials (or one could say because of, since the goal of the satiated ego negative was nothing less than self-annihilation). I was myself developing a modern horror writer's style as a teenager, a course which I saw to abandon forever when I felt the real horror growing in me. Perhaps I could have striven to be a Stephen King, who is wealthy, popular, and rawly powerful beyond most people's measure, but I would not do so for the world because more soul-health than that was my valuing.
Not everyone will agree with me, but I believe that art is ultimately not just for depiction but for manifestation, and what you draw you will draw closer. So if your images are negative, they ought be courted cautiously for the compassionate purpose of a grasping to thrust away as soon as possible, with the expectations for a new and more positive iconography held proudly and self-assertively forward. And if your images do evolve to be wholly happy and uplifting, well so much the better; I find provoking art to be highly over-rated, a place where stuck egos lodge.
