WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE
OF HEAVENLINESS
+ God is an artist
and the universe is his work of art.
-- Thomas Aquinas
+ The Way of the
Arts might be your primary road into spiritual learning and practice. For many
artistic learners, spiritual experience is best conveyed and experienced
through creative expression. Words and intellectual concepts often fail to
capture, for example, an epiphany of the transcendent, the marvelous geometric
designs of existence, the mysterious shapes and colors of creation, the
beautiful galaxies of the universe. But in the poetry of Rumi, the music of
Mahler, the dance of Fonteyn, or the paintings of Michelangelo, something of
the grandeur and profundity of these experiences might be expressed. Our
natural affinity for aesthetics inspires us to expand and deepen our own sense
of the sacred.
+ With this post we begin exploring the essential
practice of Heavenliness
through the lens of the Mandala Process created by Edward Bastian. We will move through the 12 styles in
alphabetical order.
We begin with the style of the Artist. We are called to appreciate the artistry of
creation. We are called to be creative
artists and to appreciate those who develop the gift in ways which move us, inspire
us and transform us. Don’t let anyone
tell you that you are not an artist. We
are made in the likeness of God and God is an artist. I urge you to find the time to develop this
gift in one way or another. I would love
it if you would share your artistic accomplishments and intentions in a future
post. Send an email with the subject
“Heavenliness” or “Guest Post” or “Art” to John@abundancetrek.com.
+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual
Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.
+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213. They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation.
+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:
+ Spirituality & Practice
emphasizes the practices of Beauty, Creativity, Imagination & Wonder: The
Practice of Beauty | The 12s
Gallery on Beauty | The
12s Gallery on Creativity | The
Practice of Imagination | The
12s Gallery on Imagination | The
Practice of Wonder | The 12s
Gallery on Wonder
+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213. They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation.
+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:
+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice. And, I have work to do on my Heavenlinesspage. Maybe you can help. Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment