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Most
of the world’s religions practice some form of it. Christians call it
centering prayer,” or the “Jesus prayer;” Jewish mystics have many forms
of it through the Kabala; Buddhists call it “sitting meditation,” “mindfulness;”
and Muslims are called to prayerful meditation five times a day. But for
many of us, no matter how spiritual or intent we are to participate in
this age-old discipline, one constant seems to stand in the way—the
inability to purposefully stop our busy lives and just be with
our own self. If
you are one of these people, you’re not alone. Most of us rush through
the day trying to multi-task. The inability to simply “settle down” hinders
us from becoming aware of our own breath and our own body—two important
components of meditation. However,
there is an alternative. It’s through painting. Whether you consider yourself
an artist or have never touched a paintbrush, anyone can do it. Below
are the 10 relations between art and meditation that can be practiced
through painting. 2)
Shake loose of your “worrying monkey mind” and focus on what you want
to paint. In meditation, taking a minute to be in our body and focus
on our breathing is necessary. It is good to affirm our intention
and be clear about what we are going to do. 3)
Give up control. Painting outdoors is a good way to achieve this through
its quieting and nurturing atmosphere. You can settle down and work freely,
while acknowledging your inability to control the sun casting its shadows
on your paper or the bee landing on the flower you are painting. In
meditation, hindrances are acknowledged as a passing cloud and then we
move forward. 4)
Try not to judge. Don’t worry about how the painting is coming along.
For example, painting in watercolors is completely unpredictable as colors
run into each other. Letting go is sometimes the key to your best work.
As in meditation, rather than trying to control our busy minds, we
acknowledge it and let it go, take a step back and return to our focus—our
breath! 5)
Be the painting. In noticing the colors, shapes, textures and the light
and dark of a tree, you may feel a part of the tree. In meditation,
paying attention to the object of our focus, our breath, or symbol, we
merge with it. By painting or meditating on it, we know it in a
new way. 6)
Accept your mistakes. Become surprised by them. Keep the brush moving.
In meditation, there is no judgment; we just continue to breathe,
letting thoughts and feelings, however surprising they may be, move up
and through. 7)
There is no one way to paint. Creativity is thinking out of the box. There
are many tricks to creating effects when painting, like scraping weeds
out of the paint with a palette knife. There are many ways to
meditate: walking meditation,
Sufi dancing, use of a manta or symbol—everyone can find the method
that allows them to center, to renew. 8)
Acknowledge repetition. Kneading bread, stitching, weaving and painting
are all repetitive activities that drop us into a timeless zone. In
meditation, we lose track of time, brain waves change, and we emerge renewed
with a shift in perspective. A little detachment from the ever-present
concerns of our daily life has been created. 9)
Step back and look at the big picture. Sometimes when looking at what
you’re painting from a distance, you will see something different; something
new. You may be seeing a part of your essence, what you really
brought to the painting. In meditation we may connect with ourselves
in ways previously unknown to us, connect with the object of our meditation,
connect with the larger whole. We are changed. 10)
Enjoy this time you spend with yourself; it is uniquely satisfying and
fun to spend time in the creative process. You come away refreshed and
renewed. You have been with another part of yourself—a part that
is more accepting and free. In meditation, we also return renewed and
refreshed and develop confidence in our ability to change by practicing
regularly. Each painting or meditation session means taking account
of how we are and creatively using what we have to slowly move
to a more aware and positive space. We experience ourselves and
our world in a more compassionate and connected way. As the mythologist
Joseph Campbell said, “Your sacred space is where you can find yourself
again and again.” (Susan
Florence Author/Artist www.susanflorence.com; Patty Van Dyke
Artist/Art Therapist www.pattyvandyke) |
