Intuitive painting as spiritual practice

I stumbled upon Shelley Klammer’s website. (click HERE to see it for yourself).  Where she talks about several intuitive art practices.  I have enjoyed playing around with them. 

The idea of doing any intuitive practice is, of course, to improve your own intuitive skills.  Intuition can aid in healing old wounds and in giving clues about living our current life too.  We all have intuitive insights now and again but the purpose of this practice is to encourage more of them.  The more you begin to trust your own intuition, the more often it will occur, and you will learn to value it.  So, to participate in this practice, you must first commit yourself to listening to the edge of your conscious mind.  If you want to, you can identify an open-ended question that you would like to hold while doing this painting.  Questions such as “what do I need to know about _________?”  “What do I need more of in my life?”  “How can I be more powerful and effective?”  It is not necessary to form a question… only if that appeals to you.

Then gather some simple art supplies – can be as simple as a box of Crayola crayons and a piece of paper. Or you might use any art materials you have on hand;  paint, markers, pens, colored pencils…. then, quiet yourself.  When you feel grounded, you invite your intuitive mind to inform your painting.  You promise to “listen for each next step”.  When you have quieted your mind, and invited your intuition, you slowly open your eyes and wait to “know” which mark making tool and what color to use.  You can do the painting with your eyes open or closed, with your dominant or non-dominant hand.  You begin to make marks on the page until you are “finished” with that color.  Wait to see what your intuition tells you to do next.  Which color, what kind of shape, where on the page.  Remember that you are not making a painting, you are training yourself to follow your intuition.  When you notice yourself making judgments (I like this, I don’t like that, there’s no reason for this, etc.) just quiet yourself and say “I deeply love all parts of myself”.  And wait again, until your intuition tells you what to do next.  Keep doing this until your intuition tells you that you are finished.  Stop and breathe.

Behold what you have created.  All creative endeavors are sacred.  You have put something into the world that wasn’t there before.  Then Kammer suggests the following ways to “process” what you have painted;

1)     How does the painting make you feel?  How did you feel when your were painting it?

2)    Find your least favorite part and ask yourself what disturbs you about that part.

3)    Find your favorite part and ask yourself how does it please you?

4)    Contemplate your current life situation and see what this painting “tells” you about that situation.  Or, does it shed any light on the question you held as you painted?

5)    Add a title, or a clarifying word – or leaf through a magazine and find a phrase to cut out and add to the page.

Hold it all lightly.  It is a practice of playing with your intuition.  Like all spiritual practices, it is best if you do it more or less regularly – once a week? month? season?  Happy art-making!

Songs in My Head

A funny thing happened this morning when I first woke up.  My typical thing is to assess what kind of night I had.  How long did I sleep/lay awake?  How many times did I get up to go to the bathroom?  And then a list of what wasn’t quite right – the room was too hot/too cold, Outside noises intruded etc.etc.  And at the same time this morning, I was aware that a song was going through my head and the line that kept repeating was “ere I forget all the joy that is mine today!”  YES!!  What a message from my subconscious.  It is all too easy for me to focus on what is wrong or might be wrong, or was wrong… and to forget “all the joy that is mine today”!! 

Aren’t our minds a store of lovely tricks! 

My mind offers up, unbidden, that particular line from that particular song.  I think maybe my mind does that often but I don’t notice it – or stop to see if there is a MESSAGE in that line.  I am often aware that songs are playing almost beneath my consciousness in my head.  And I do love this particular song.  I’m not aware of having heard it recently.  So, how did my mind come up with this cogent message?  Who knows?  But I’m willing to listen!  I’m willing to grasp at most any beautiful straw! 

I often remind people of the phrase “Joy is also a spiritual practice”.  I (and others I know) often feel like a spiritual practice has to be a bit of a “duty”.  Sit on that cushion, Write in that journal.  And those are important things to do.  But it is also our “difficult duty” (as John Ruskin once said) to find delight.  “The difficult duty of delight”.  I want to remember that it is my duty to be delighted.  Not only to be delighted, but to look for delight.  Not to ignore the tears and fears – but also not to ignore the joy!  And I mean to definitely pay attention to the songs that run through my head – the underscore of my day.  What does the music that randomly comes to mind mean?  In fact, I no longer think that such music is random.   I think it is our deepest soul trying to deliver a message in a gentle musical way!  Happy singing

"Today". – By Randy Sparks

Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine,I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine.A million tomorrows shall all pass away, 'ere I forget all the joy that is mine, today.I'll be a dandy and I'll be a rover, you'll know who I am by the songs that I sing.I'll feast at your table, I'll sleep in your clover, who cares what tomorrow shall bring?Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine,I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine.A million tomorrows shall all pass away, 'ere I forget all the joy that is mine, today.I can't be contented with yesterday's glory, I can't live on promises winter to spring.Today is my moment, and now is my story, I'll laugh and I'll cry and I'll sing.Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine,I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine.A million tomorrows shall all pass away, 'ere I forget all the joy that is mine, today.’

Say AMEN - another look at prayer

I recently stumbled upon this early interview that Krista Tippett did with a theologian named Roberta Bondi (whom I had not known).  You can listen to the 30 minute podcast by clicking HERE.  I found the interview about prayer to be very thought-provoking.

Bondi starts by saying “No matter what your reason for starting to pray, it’s a good one.”  She goes on to talk about how there is no one “right” way to pray and that one does not need a noble or serious reason to pray. Just the desire to do it, even though not knowing why or to whom.  JUST SHOW UP she says.

I have long had an on and off relationship with prayer – the word and the practice.  I remember when I was a chaplain at Children’s Hospital.  In the chapel we had a simple notebook. labelled “prayer requests”.  People often noted in this book, the names of people that they wanted prayers for.  I will never forget the one entry   that was unsigned and said. “I don’t know what prayer is.  I only know that I need one.”   That touched me very much. 

Bondi suggests that prayer is a very ordinary activity that deals with very ordinary things.  She says that while doing things like reading a book or doing a crossword puzzle are not in and of themselves “prayer”, that they could be done prayerfully.  She suggests setting a timer for 5 minutes (or 10 or however many or few you want).  Sit down in a comfortable chair or rocker – ask God (or whatever term you use for mystery/divinity/etc.) to be with you as you read or do a crossword puzzle, watch the birds or just sit still.  When the timer goes off, say “thank you” to whomever you have asked to be with you.  Be patient she says.  It may take 10 years of sitting like this to feel like you have connected with mystery/god/the universe.  God has lots of time!  She also says that we don’t or shouldn’t become different people when we pray.  We simply bring our whole real self and our attention and intention to the act of prayer. 

I could do that!

Here is a poem I wrote recently while sitting alone in the church sanctuary one afternoon;

A QUIET AMEN

I sit in the silent sanctuary

unlit candles as holy as ever,

choir stoles hung on their hooks,

the piano closed up.

Late afternoon sun shines

through colored glass.

No hallelujahs.

What makes a place sacred?

sound AND silence,

the intention of all who enter.

Amen