Book „Multi-Dimensional Sacred Art“
Part I: What is Sacred Art?
I like to use the word “sacred” as it really makes it very clear about which kind of art we are talking. “Sacred” means ”holy” (whole!), and in English it is used as a general expression to point out a deeper spiritual quality of something.
“Life is sacred”; life is holy. Not only when we experience or undergo specific spiritual or religious rituals, but our whole life is holy in all its facets. The spiritual approach to life and its inner attitude that we still find at some of the so-called primitive, native cultures (like: Aboriginals, Inuit, native American Indians, Kogis etc.) are practical examples of how “ life is sacred” can be lived in every moment of our lives. Every human being is seen as sacred (holy); every animal that is being killed for food is sacred; all tools are sacred; nature is sacred etc. (shamanism).
Life is sacred. This means: being deeply rooted in the divine source, which cannot be comprehended with the rational mind, but only through the heart and higher intuition.
It is in this perspective that I would like to present and promote art.
When I say “art”, I am including all the various disciplines of artistic expression, like music, performing-arts, dance, architecture, film, design, poetry and the fine arts.
Sacred Art - expressions in art that hold us in aesthetic arrest, as James Joyce described it; that hold us in wonder and awe. It invites us into a magic and sacred space, where we have entrance into the higher or finer dimensions of consciousness in our inner being. It vividly and energetically (not rationally) reminds us of the fact that everything in life and life as a whole is “holy” - whole.
It means that all in life is interrelated, and that all facets of life form are united into oneness. All is ONE.
Sacred Art will always be some sort of expression of oneness-consciousness. And it is not a one-way mental communication from artist to his audience. It always is an experiential happening in the Here-and-Now, where artist and audience (observer, listener) are becoming aware that they are in communion.
Sacred art, the way I am envisioning it, allows us to align ourselves on a soul level with universal Truth. It is opening the inner realms of greater Life. It doesn’t tell and teach explicitly certain truths. Instead it leaves all doors open to me as the observer/listener to step into the magic space of this artwork. Through the resonance it creates in my being it supports and encourages me to align to my own inner Truth. It allows “communion”, a moment of dwelling conciously in the Oneness of existence. It is creating a resonance with the observer. Through an open resonance it can tune us to an at-one-ment experience (attunement) and in the process we are healing and transforming ourselves.
I consciously use the word “open”, as it is such an important prerequisite for art to become “sacred”.
Transparent magic in art
Transparent magic in art creates the space and atmosphere that inspires us to make our own (moral) decisions through inner reflection, based on the communion with our soul wisdom.
This kind of art in all its different forms of expression has no other purpose than being a reflection of the essence of Existence - Being in tune with the life-force, with Universal Truth, which is far beyond the mental, the emotional and the physical, although it embraces those dimensions too! This is the feminine principle becoming manifest in art.
It’s the mystical experience of “being” attuned, aligned to one’s soul dimension.
This is the path of the mystic
tapping into the TAO
just “being” and allowing things to unfold
allowing the door of the soul to open widely
and BE
the I AM essence
It is the technical skill of the artist being put into the service of his/her highest soul attunement that creates the magical moment for a piece of true art to manifest into the physical realm. The art form becomes then a transparent vehicle for its audience making them be still in awe and wonder, letting them instantly being moved into the subtler dimensions of existence - the space where the soul is at home, so to speak.
There is no story or teaching to tell. The depth and the quality of the colours, the light, the space or the sounds of the art form itself, lift us straight into our own soul dimension, into our own light, lovingly holding the space white open for us to have our own inner (mystical) experience of the beyond.
J.Campbell calls this: “ We are held in aesthetic arrest.”
So, it creates into the physical dimension a doorway (an open space) to higher dimensions of the non-physical plane. This is transcendence. This is what makes us speechless, or feeling uplifted or brings us to tears, because of its impact as a channel for powerful vibrations of love and light, which we (un)consciously know we are made of. Transparent magic in art leaves an open space.
And there is no other teaching in it, then allowing it to work for us in our own inner being, in our own unique way.
This is where art becomes “sacred”, as through direct experience (not through mental teaching) it reminds us of our true Essence, of our natural relationship with the universal laws, and of our true responsibilities from a soul perspective as a human being on this earth in this time.
In my opinion it should be the responsibility of all those who want to be artists to dedicate themselves (to learn) to create art that reminds us through direct experience of the sacredness of life.
In my opinion all art should be sacred art. That’s the responsibility of all artists. This means they have to be mystics. They have to be aligned with their unique soul qualities. And, through self exploration and purification and through education, they are being acquainted with the workings of transparent magic in art.
In other words: transparent art which is sacred art.
This is beyond the specific crafts , skills and disciplines. The technical skills are of course basic prerequisites for every artist. However, the inner attitude, the inner growth and the spiritual maturity of the artist are far more important. And it is not about physical age.
There is a phenomenon that I have to bring up here.
I know of many brilliant artists who didn’t have much or any technical training in their artistic discipline, at least not in this lifetime. How is that possible?
Without going too deep into it at this point, it shows that the training of purely technical skills in art is secondary and in some cases irrelevant. It is far more important to have the necessary spiritual maturity and the right inner discipline to focus into the depth’s of one’s being and enter through the doorway of limitless inspiration. That’s where the real skill (the secret) of the sacred artist is.
It seems possible that even technical skill is transmitted through the doorway of higher inspiration. There are several explanations for this to which I will come back later in this writing.
The power of the sacred artist is to give us as an audience great power and inspiration to do something very small. It doesn’t need to be the stained glasswindow of a church or a great painting. It just needs to be something done with integrity, and the resonance of that integrity will take it into our hearts.
I have seen people in my workshops that had no artistic skill whatsoever and had never in this lifetime expressed themselves artistically, becoming the most sacred artists you can imagine, by for some minutes becoming completely merged with their soul essence (integrity), and expressing this for example through standing there in front of an audience and just lifting an arm. This can hold an audience (when they are open) into a magical space of awe and wonder for minutes.
Think of it, just standing there and lifting an arm. So simple and so difficult. Because it is all about the inner attitude, the concentration, the focussing and the discipline of holding the integrity in the moment – being merged with the moment.
In this way anybody can be (come) a shaman - a sacred artist.
Yes, the two: “shaman” and “sacred artist” belong closely together, as far as I see it.
Our Heritage of Transparent Art
Throughout the ages we have been blessed with a tremendous heritage of sacred art. Painters of the past like Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Turner, van Gogh and many others are giving us up to this day glimpses and revelations of the “beyondness” of life. Their sacred quality shines through, even in sometimes very detailed, photographic images by bringing a dimension of transparency and light into their work, which is not of this world. Authors like Shakespeare, Goethe, Schiller, …did the same in their writings.
And then the great composers we have had; Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi, just to name a few. With their music they have given us an enlightening awareness of music as the universal language of the soul. They have created many works of purely transparent magic in art, in music. And they are an example and inspiration for all artists – not only musicians. This classical music is eternal.
However, the circumstances pressures and demands of our times are very different from those times when the great classical composers created their art. The musical expression of the old classical composers was determined by the musical instruments that were available at that time in Europe. Nowadaysthere are so many new instruments and all the musical instruments of all culture in the world are available to anyone. Also, through the recently growing global consciousness in our information age, in combination with modern technique composers are given vast possibilities today to create a completely new and different dimension of sacred music with transparent magic, which can answer the real (inner) needs of our generation and create a base for the generations to come.
In this perspective I see our great classical music as a blessing, but also as limited to fully nourish our evolving consciousness through music.
We need a new contemporary sacred music.
We have forgotten to be shamans, to be sacred artists, sacred human beings, to rely on our inner source of wisdom. In our western society we have forgotten the power and wisdom of our Soul and the healing power of an authentic life.
“ In- authentic life gets healed through the example of an authentic life”
- Joseph Campbell -
All this knowledge and wisdom has been deliberately removed from almost all the educational systems in modern western culture – all for the sake of the mind, science, materialism, commercialism and ego.
I see it as my task to create as many possible as artistic projects, guiding people to be reminded of their own unique soul qualities and their inner wisdom and creative power.
Learning to use these soul qualities and powers in artistic expression can bring so much healing and upliftment to the world. I am convinced that it will empower the human spirit to find harmony and peace within and without.
Is this not what we all are looking for? It can be done, if each human being is learning to take full responsibility for his/her own inner well being and starts to listen to his/her own soul wisdom, without being manipulated by the outside world.
Healing through sound and light
Healing is the state of coming into balance and harmony with our highest purpose. Our bodies are genetically pre-programmed to be self-healing instruments, if we give them a chance. Certain music heals by assisting the body to come into its natural state of balance and harmony.
When an organ or body part is healthy, it creates a natural resonant frequency in harmony with the rest of the body. When the vibration of a part of a body is out of harmony, we have dis-sease. With dis-ease a different sound pattern or light pattern is established in the effected part of the body. When specific sound or light is projected into the dis-eased area, correct harmonic patterns are restored.
There are many methods of healing with sound. Mantras and chants have been used for thousands of years. Many acoustic instruments are used in a variety of ways to effect change. And the human voice is the most powerful instrument.
When two sound waves meet in space, every individual rate of vibration, the fundamental frequencies and all of the overtones, will be in precise harmonic resonance. It is this phenomenon which, particularly as generated by tones issuing from the human voice, appears to form the physical basis of the sacred musical experience.
There are also many methods of healing with light and colour, most of them still to be discovered and developed.
From an artistic perspective: there is a lot to be explored and discovered in the area of theatre lighting, colour- and light projection (including moving images of light and colour), that will create a powerful harmonizing and healing effect.
Quotes from some well-known artists:
Rodin, about 100 years ago:
“When religion is lost, art is also lost”
Picasso has expressed himself in similar ways and he said: “Behind our current art exists nothing else than big business for art dealers that make themselves important and secretive with the help of unusual word phrasing by some well-known critics (reviewers).
The famous artist Hundertwasser from Vienna is a positive light in the dark era of the arts.
Because of his uncompromising demand for beauty, inspired by nature, he was seen as provocative. This opinion about him has changed now. His artistic creation of the past 30 years has made him a legend, although he is still alive. His demands are now being taken seriously. He agrees with the late Russian painter and mystic, Nicholas Roerich, that beauty is and should be the universal prerequisite of art.
“ In beauty we are united
Through beauty we pray
With beauty we conquer “
Nicholas Roerich
Hundertwasser:
“I am being defamed as ‘beautifier’, but I am wearing this label as a well deserved title of nobility. Because ugliness is killing the soul of the human being.”
“The sacred artist is a person who looks at the aliveness of an idea and gives it shape in such a way that it gives birth to wholeness and perpetuates unity”.
Milenko Matanovic
“Those of us whose profession lies in the field of the arts have a special task and privilege in the emergence of a sacred world. We can become educators and demonstrators of the process of connectedness. If our works can be born within the splendour of a limitless vision, and executed in fine craftsmanship, then they will teach that the prophetic vision and the practical work do not stand apart. People will learn also that inspiration alone is not enough. To become manifest it must be matched with patience, joyful vitality, courage and self-esteem. Above all, others will see that for us the sacred and the mundane belong together. Perhaps, as a result of our works, some will stop dividing the world into two separates camps, one worthy of our glamorous, sacred and hallowed quest while the other is only a stepping stone to the first. And perhaps those who build roads, design cities, plan economic systems etc., will learn to do these with an awareness of the whole. Perhaps then we will create a sacred world similar to one that my visionary students perceived.
Sacred arts transforms what appears to be ordinary into an “extraordinary” new order. The sacred artist can show that to “craft visions” is a human right that lies at the very core of our existence; it is not a special privilege for a few gifted individuals, but rather a gift for all of us “ordinary” people”.
Milenko Matanovic
“If it’s the heart’s destiny to become open through love, it has first to be ready to bleed in the operation.
There is always the tension between the life that you live from within, following your bliss and the life which society wants to put on you.
If you want to follow your own bliss, you have to die to the moral standards that society puts on you. In initiation ceremonies of primitive societies this crisis, this dying is symbolically being performed, helping the young people to learn to live a life that springs from inside - that which electrifies their own heart.
When you follow your own bliss, that which your deep push is out of your own existence, doors will open where you hadn’t thought there would be a door, and there wouldn’t be a door for anybody else.
With the integrity of a life the world moves in and helps.
That’s what starts to happen when you live an authentic life. And at the same time you become an example and inspiration to your environment. Inauthentic life gets healed through the example of an authentic life.
We don’t have initiation ceremonies anymore. Therefore so many adults in their 40’s are still psychologically children, as they can’t accept full responsibility to shape their own lives.
Around the age of 35 years most of us experience a mystical crisis. That is the time you can start to identify yourself with that pure consciousness, rather than with the body. The physical body is from that moment on going to incline. If you can identify with consciousness, you have made a big mystical transit.
The body may die now, but you have identified yourself with that which is eternal. That’s the lightening flash – This is the Christ crucified. If you hold on to the spirit, you can watch the body die. If you have really identified with consciousness, you have identified with that consciousness in every being. And so there is a kind of simultaneous re-incarnation of yourself in all others. It’s a big moment that the mystics do talk about.
One who is illuminated while alive, realizes while living.”
Joseph Campbell