Spiritual Art Blog - *Ed P

Heaven to Earth

The core elements are coming together for this piece. We have Soul in the centre and our physical selves as the tree. While the tree is a part of Soul and Soul can easily see that, the tree is so rooted in its world that it is often unaware of its connection with Soul. While the tree may struggle in its world, Soul is happy to look on and learn the lessons which come from its experiences in the physical world. It knows it can learn a lot through its physical life. The lessons are often hard but because of that we learn them well and progress from there.

The importance of being Hu-man beings

Thought for the Week

We humans need to be aware of our potential as creative beings. If we can connect with the Universal Power, God energy or Life-force within us we can become a lot happier and bring more love into our lives and to those around us.

There is a hint to our true make up in the word human. "Hu" is an ancient name for God and "man" is a reference to mind and the physical body of man. So we have a combination of God, mind and body which makes up a human. There is another hint to our nature in the term "human beings". We are beings. Our time should be spent being and being requires us: 
to be,  
to focus on the moment, 
to be here now, 
to be aware of where we are, 
to be conscious of why we are here, 
to consider what is important at this moment,  

By being, we are connecting with our true self, Soul, which only lives in the now.

Humans doing, not humans being
As we grow past the age of about seven, we begin to loose the connection with our inner selves, Soul. Our main focus is on our physical environment and how we can survive here. Our connection with Soul and by association, with God, becomes less and less, until we get to the point where we are just a human surviving in the physical world. We can no longer see our link to Soul, God, the Life-force or Holy Spirit. We are now humans doing, not humans being. 

The trouble with humans doing is that very quickly ‘doing’ becomes or primary focus. How many of us have the need to always be doing something? We move from one task to another. We become agitated if we haven’t got something to do. To fill this need we become workaholics, alcoholics, drug users, or spend our lives rushing around to avoid answering the questions Soul pushes to the surface of our mind, when we take time to rest or be quiet.

These questions come in various words and are often hidden in discomforting thoughts but the core ones are:
Who am i?
Why am I here?
What is this life all about?

The answers to these questions cannot be read in a book or a blog like this. They have to be discovered by ourselves. We have to work at finding the answers, so that the answers we get are our answers. Our questions are answered, in a way that suits our unique personality. They satisfy the uncomfortable need we feel when we spend quiet time alone with ourselves.

There are a few techniques which we can use to help us find the answers. 
Contemplation or meditation, 
Practicing being in the moment or now, 
Saying a non-directed prayer such as the HU song. 

Let’s see how we can bring these into our lives, now. We’ll start with the easiest first.

Non-directed prayer
A non-directed prayer is one in which, we the person praying, gives no directions, requests or intentions regarding the results of our prayers. We are just praying in order to connect with the Life-force, the Holy Spirit, God or whatever you wish to call the universal, divine or higher power which maintains our worlds. The HU song or Aum as sung by Buddhists is a good place to start. The Christian ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ is also fairly good. There is a ‘modern’ version here which may be useful.

The key attitude we should have while using these prayers is to just recognise that we are Soul, a part of life. We are using our prayers to reconnect with the Higher Power, to listen to It and to see It in our lives.

Contemplation
Contemplation or meditation, done on a regular daily basis, can be a major benefit to us in connecting with the Life-force and receiving an understanding of life. This requires us to take up to twenty minutes a day to be quiet and relaxed. Do this by sitting or lying down in a quiet place where we won’t be disturbed. Sit quietly, close our eyes and put our attention on the place just above and between our eyes, known as the spiritual eye. With our visual attention there, we can sing the HU Song or say a non-directed prayer. If we can think of something or someone who we love or who warms our heart, this will help us move to a loving frame of mind.

When we start this initially we may only be able to do it for a few minutes. That’s fine. However long you can do it for, will be fine. If we are coming from a place where we are constantly ‘doing’ our attitude may be that this is a waste of time. It’s normal to have these doubts and agitations but don’t let them stop you from contemplating regularly. Do it for the length of time you can stand each day and you’ll find you will slowly extend the time you are able to remain quiet over a number of weeks. When I started doing a regular daily contemplation, I could only sit quietly for about three minutes before the frustration of not doing something took hold of me and I just had to get up. With regular practice I was able to spend fifteen minutes in contemplation by the end of a year. We just need to develop the habit of doing contemplation and then let it develop.

Being in the moment
Being in the moment comes after we have connected with the Life-force and got some understanding of life through our prayers and contemplations. We get to the point where we are aware that there is a force, power or Spirit running the world we live in. Life is more than what we do or know. We recognise that all the other people, animals and plants are all part of this universe which surrounds us. If we can realise that we are Soul and everyone else around us is Soul too and that we are all heading in the same direction, looking for the same thing, we become compassionate towards ourselves and those around us. 

While we have that thought in our mind, if we can bring a sense of gratitude, appreciation or love for life as we see it Now, then we begin to live in the moment. We begin to be. We are getting closer to being. This state of mind may last only moments when we first catch it but as we practice it, the time we spend in the moment begins to get longer. We begin to live more and more in the Now. 

As we are living in a world of past and future time we do need to involve ourselves in working with time. We learn form the past and plan to do better in the future but if we can spend more time focused on the Now, we’ll be a happier Soul and a better human being.

So try the Hu and being, to become a happier human being.

*Ed Parkinson

National Crafts & Design Fair

News

For those of you who requested tickets to the Craft Fair, I’m sorry, but they never arrived in the post. They should have arrived on Tuesday but didn’t. I’ve spoken to the organisers and they tell me all the complimentary tickets are gone. They’ll have a look around the office, today Monday, to see if there are any spare ones and if they come across any I’ll try and get them to you.

I do have ample supplies of tickets for the Art Fair, presented by Karen Harper in the Nora Dunne gallery, so you will receive those ones in the post.
__________

I'll be exhibiting at the Fair which runs from Wednesday 2nd December until Sunday 6th December. Below is all the basic info:

National Crafts & Design Fair

This annual fair is widely recognised as Ireland's premier commercial craftwork and art showcase. Many of Ireland's most respected craftspeople and artists will be there, showing and selling top quality goods. The range is dazzling, everything from chocolates to high fashion to stunning works of art, and because the goods are handmade by craftspeople they have the added distinction of each one being unique.

Wednesday 2nd December
10am-10pm
(10% courtesy discount available on all purchases this day only)

Thursday 3rd December
10am-10pm

Friday 4th December
10am-10pm

Saturday 5th December
10am-7pm

Sunday 6th December
10am-7pm

Admission
Adults: €10, OAP's: €8
Group discounts offered for 10 or more. Available if booked prior to show. Please contact us on 01-6702186.

Re-Admission Pass
If you have not had enough time to browse through the whole Fair, and would like to return on another day, please visit the Organisers' Office on your way out to claim a free re-admission pass.  

Gift Wrapping
Complimentary gift wrapping on all purchases made at the show.

Car Parking
The RDS provides parking for 1,000 cars, these parking spaces can be accessed via the Anglesea Road Entrance to the RDS.

Public Transport
Bus routes 5, 7, 7A, 8, 18, 27X, 45 pass directly outside the entrance to the fair. 
By DART: The nearest DART station to the RDS is Sandymount.
 

The Art Fair

Another exhibition I’ll be showing at will be the Art Fair at the Nora Dunne Gallery, in Kimmage, Dublin 12.

This is a quality exhibition curated by Karen Harper, the renowned arts and crafts mentor. There will about 60 artists exhibiting over the second weekend in December. If you are looking for good quality, affordable art, this is the place to go.

Thursday 10th December 6 – 9 pm
Friday 11th December 11 – 7pm

Saturday 12th December 11 – 7pm

Sunday 13th December 11 – 6pm

Inspirational Human Being Quotes

“Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features.”
 Viktor Frankl 

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
 Albert Einstein 

“To err is human, to forgive divine.”
 Alexander Pope 

“To err is human, to blame the next guy even more so.”
 Anon.   

“I have discovered that all human evil comes from this, man's being unable to sit still in a room.”
 Blaise Pascal 

“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”
 Henry James 

“The greatest revolution in our generation is that of human beings, who by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”
 Marilyn Ferguson 

“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”
 Mark Twain 

“The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.”
 Meryl Streep 

“The most wonderful of all things in life, I believe, is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty, and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life.”
 Hugh Walpole, Sr. 

“In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”
 Albert Schweitzer

“The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world is to be in reality what we would appear to be; all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves by the practice and experience of them.”
 Socrates 

“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.”
 Stephen R. Covey 
   
“There's nothing funnier than the human animal.”
 Walt Disney 

“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.”
 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

“Living can be a joy. It should give us a sense of wonder and love.”
 Harold Klemp

Heaven to Earth

This picture is coming together at this point. Below is the rough layout I’ve decide to go with. The Soul in the centre is overseeing it’s physical manifestation below in the physical world. It’s physical embodiment struggles constantly to be reunited with itself, Soul. We here in the physical are aware of this through our constant seeking for true love and happiness.

The way we show and let love flow

Thought for the Week


Sharing our love is like turning on a tap. As we share it, the flow increases, it warms our hearts, it brightens our world, it brings happiness, it gives us strength, it makes life joyful and it does similar things to those we give our love to. Is it any wonder we are attracted to those who let love flow through themselves? So how does love work in our lives?

There are several types of love, most of them are good and some not so good. The good love happens where there is no requirement placed on the person receiving the love. The not so good love has strings attached with requirements and conditions that must be fulfilled if we want to keep receiving that love. 

When love flows from a person it makes them attractive. We recognize the element which we long for in our lives. That element is love. We want to be near them. We want to be close to the love that flows from them. We instinctively know that love brings happiness and joy and reconnects us to heaven and our happy selves, Soul.

Confusing Emotions
Unfortunately our emotions can get caught up in this and like weeds in a stream they can clog and strangle the flow. We need to keep our feelings trimmed and not let them take over the whole stream. This arises when we come across someone who we’d like as a lover. The emotions spring up in lots of different areas such as memories, expectations and attachments, often resulting in mental confusion and heart ache. 

There is no easy answer to solving the emotional turmoil that accompanies our entering into a relationship with a partner or lover. If we are involved in a ‘love at first sight’ or are falling in love or similar friendship, there can be a lot of confusing emotions coming to the surface. The ‘love at first sight’ is usually the meeting of an old friend from a previous life. We use the term ‘love at first sight’ to explain the instant recognition and connection we make with this ‘new’ friend.

As we steer our way down the river of life, these emotional times are like rapids in the river. We need to keep our attention on the goal of the calmer water beyond. When we get through the rapids there will be time to enjoy a calmer time with our new fellow sailor on the next part of our journey down the river. 

Blessed animals
Of course, love isn't limited to people. Many animals show their love and affection easily. Dogs are often such loving creatures. They are happy to see us and let their love flow to us, as they jump around us and look to be petted. As we pet them our love flows. These blessed animals have the gift of opening the flow of love in us.

Look at any of the relationships we have with friends or family. If it is someone we enjoy, there will be a flow of love between us. Sometimes this flow is turned on, just while we are with the person or animal. Their affection opens our heart to let love flow out. With others it can continue to flow when we think of them. Their kind words, affections towards us and their love for us are like a magical stream which we can drink from and brighten our lives whenever we think of them. 

We have a natural attraction to our family members who love us. If love doesn't flow from a person to us, there is no real attraction. This can explain why we may not get on with a particular relation. Why some of us don't have what society calls a "normal" relationship with a significant family member.


The way people show their love
Each person is different and the love which flows from them is unique. The love we share with our friends is not the same for any two people. It may be similar in some cases but never exactly the same. It is easier to see this difference in the way people show their love to us. Some people will:
Give us a hug
Give a kiss
Shake our hand
Touch us
Stroke us
Give a glance
Share a smile
Say something with love
Help us to laugh

And that is just on the physical side. If we look at how we are affected on an emotional level, we can have feelings like:
A warmed heart
A blessing to be with them
Fun to be with
Inspired by them
Our attitude changes
Our love flows

We can also find that a person can show their love in the way they:
Challenge us in our thinking
Offer support
Give advice
Are available when we need them
Show us new ideas
Offer new solutions to our problems
Listen to us
Appreciate us

God is love, love is God
When we share love with another, we touch the purest essence of life. Love is really the only reason we are here. To firstly learn to love ourselves, so that we can then appreciate others and love them. Once we see the love in others, we realise, this love connects us. Then we can see it in the world around us and begin to get a glimpse of the source of this love, God. Then the old saying, “God is love, love is God” begins to make sense to us.

Wishing you lots of love in your life.

*Ed Parkinson

National Crafts & Design Fair

News

I’ll be exhibiting at the National Crafts & Design Fair in the first week of December. It’s a great place to get some unique Christmas gifts. I believe I’ll be getting a small amount of tickets to give to clients, so if you’d like one, email me at EdP @ EdP-Art.com and I’ll send some to you. This will work on a, first come fist served, basis.

The Fair runs from Wednesday 2nd December until Sunday 6th December. Below is all the basic info:

National Crafts & Design Fair

This annual fair is widely recognised as Ireland's premier commercial craftwork and art showcase. Many of Ireland's most respected craftspeople and artists will be there, showing and selling top quality goods. The range is dazzling, everything from chocolates to high fashion to stunning works of art, and because the goods are handmade by craftspeople they have the added distinction of each one being unique.

Wednesday 2nd December
10am-10pm
(10% courtesy discount available on all purchases this day only)

Thursday 3rd December
10am-10pm

Friday 4th December
10am-10pm

Saturday 5th December
10am-7pm

Sunday 6th December
10am-7pm

Admission
Adults: €10, OAP's: €8
Group discounts offered for 10 or more. Available if booked prior to show. Please contact us on 01-6702186.

Re-Admission Pass
If you have not had enough time to browse through the whole Fair, and would like to return on another day, please visit the Organisers' Office on your way out to claim a free re-admission pass.  

Gift Wrapping
Complimentary gift wrapping on all purchases made at the show.

Car Parking
The RDS provides parking for 1,000 cars, these parking spaces can be accessed via the Anglesea Road Entrance to the RDS.

Public Transport
Bus routes 5, 7, 7A, 8, 18, 27X, 45 pass directly outside the entrance to the fair. 
By DART: The nearest DART station to the RDS is Sandymount.
 

The Art Fair

Another exhibition I’ll be showing at will be the Art Fair at the Nora Dunne Gallery, in Kimmage, Dublin 12.

This is a quality exhibition curated by Karen Harper, the renowned arts and crafts mentor. There will about 60 artists exhibiting over the second weekend in December. If you are looking for good quality, affordable art, this is the place to go.

Thursday 10th December 6 – 9 pm
Friday 11th December 11 – 7pm

Saturday 12th December 11 – 7pm

Sunday 13th December 11 – 6pm

Inspirational Quotes – Love Flows

“And let it be said that love is like a river that flows deep into the heart of the soul. For in every man and woman true love should be the ultimate goal.”
 Gillis Triplett 

“For true love is inexhaustible; the more you give, the more you have. And if you go to draw at the true fountainhead, the more water you draw, the more abundant is its flow.”
 Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love.”
 Mahatma Gandhi 

“Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.”
 Washington Irving

“Love is the immortal flow of energy that nourishes, extends and preserves. Its eternal goal is life.”
 Smiley Blanton

“If you see good in people, you radiate a harmonious loving energy which uplifts those who are around you. If you can maintain this habit, this energy will turn into a steady flow of love.”
 Annamalai Swami 

“Give love, and love to your life will flow.”
 Madeline Bridges

“So much of love her spirit had,
She found an ever-flowing spring
Of happiness in everything.”
 Ella Wheeler Wilcox 


“We have to take the whole universe as the expression of the one Self. Then only our love flows to all beings and creatures in the world equally.”
 Swami Ramdas

“Love yourself as you would love God. And love others as you would love yourself, because then you are truly loving all as God loves you.”
 Harold Klemp

Heaven to Earth

Heaven to Earth is a picture I’ve just started working on. I’m trying to illustrate the joy of Soul and the struggle of our physical side to reach that joy. This image is a rough exploratory draft.

Finding our way up the Mountain to Heaven

Thought for the Week

There comes a point along the path of our lives where we realise that our happiness depends on us. We make the choices which lead us down the paths of our lives. We realise that if we want to be happy it is up to us to achieve it. If we want to get to heaven, we have to climb the mountain ourselves. How do we get there, is there any guidance or help available?

There are several organisations or religions who offer different routes. These all operate from this physical plane, with little real guidance on how to scale the heights and challenges we meet in our inner worlds, as we climb our Mountain to Heaven. We soon discover that our path is an individual one. Our own experiences and what we learn in life directs us along a particular path. 

A path up the Mountain to Heaven
Some of us are lucky enough to have the help of a guide both here in the physical worlds and in our inner worlds. Most of us have to depend on old teachings left by masters who have long since gone up the mountain, leaving us behind.

Our constant pursuit of happiness is really the desire to reconnect with the true happy part of our selves, Soul. Soul lives in heaven. That is its natural home. If we can realise that Soul is where heaven is, then we have a goal to aim for. We can now see the top of the Mountain to Heaven. With the goal of reconnecting with our selves as Soul, in our sights, we begin to see a path up the Mountain to Heaven. 

Mountain to Heaven, then to God
When I started this picture the title I used was Mountain to God. But the mountain I’m showing here only helps us get beyond our worlds of physical stuff, our emotions, memories, mind, intuition and into our Soul's world, or heaven. This is not God, this is heaven, where Soul resides. 

At that point we have an understanding of our true selves, Soul. We realise that God, the Higher Power, the Divine, is responsible for our existence. We become aware of Its love for us. With the realisation that God loves us there is a natural desire to get to know this Divine Source which showers Its love on us. We then begin a quest to understand this source of love, God.

We are Soul with a human body
When we reach the top of the mountain, we realise we are Soul with a human body. We no longer see ourselves as a human with a Soul. We realise that deep down, in our true self, we are Soul. Soul dwells in heaven. Soul is constantly happy and if we, our human selves, can connect with our Soul selves, we can bring that happiness into our human world. The light of Soul can shine like sunshine into our human world.

To find our own way up the Mountain to Heaven requires us to focus on the goal of becoming aware of ourselves as Soul. Realising that we are Soul helps bring us closer to heaven. We can then establish a link between our physical world and our true selves, Soul. 

See the light of Soul
In our busy world our view of the top of the mountain can get clouded over. We loose sight of the light of Soul and can easily return to the living in a dull grey world with cloudy skies. We need to be able to see the light of Soul on a regular basis in order to find our way up the Mountain to Heaven. 

The easiest way of reconnecting with Soul, that I have found, is singing the ancient sacred word for God, HU. If we sing this on a daily basis during our contemplation or meditation, it helps us reconnect with our true, happy and God like part, Soul. Doing this every day helps us clear the clouds of our busy physical lives so we can see our way to the top of the Mountain to Heaven.

Wishing you well on your journey up the Mountain to Heaven.

*Ed Parkinson

Click on the image below to see a larger view

National Crafts & Design Fair - The Art Fair

News

I’ll be exhibiting at the National Crafts & Design Fair in the first week of December. It’s a great place to get some unique Christmas gifts. I believe I’ll be getting a small amount of tickets to give to clients, so if you’d like one, email me at EdP @ EdP-Art.com and I’ll send some to you. This will work on a, first come fist served, basis.

The Fair runs from Wednesday 2nd December until Sunday 6th December. Below is all the basic info:

National Crafts & Design Fair

This annual fair is widely recognised as Ireland's premier commercial craftwork and art showcase. Many of Ireland's most respected craftspeople and artists will be there, showing and selling top quality goods. The range is dazzling, everything from chocolates to high fashion to stunning works of art, and because the goods are handmade by craftspeople they have the added distinction of each one being unique.

Wednesday 2nd December
10am-10pm
(10% courtesy discount available on all purchases this day only)

Thursday 3rd December
10am-10pm

Friday 4th December
10am-10pm

Saturday 5th December
10am-7pm

Sunday 6th December
10am-7pm

Admission
Adults: €10, OAP's: €8
Group discounts offered for 10 or more. Available if booked prior to show. Please contact us on 01-6702186.

Re-Admission Pass
If you have not had enough time to browse through the whole Fair, and would like to return on another day, please visit the Organisers' Office on your way out to claim a free re-admission pass.  

Gift Wrapping
Complimentary gift wrapping on all purchases made at the show.

Car Parking
The RDS provides parking for 1,000 cars, these parking spaces can be accessed via the Anglesea Road Entrance to the RDS.

Public Transport
Bus routes 5, 7, 7A, 8, 18, 27X, 45 pass directly outside the entrance to the fair. 
By DART: The nearest DART station to the RDS is Sandymount.
 

The Art Fair

Another exhibition I’ll be showing at will be the Art Fair at the Nora Dunne Gallery, in Kimmage, Dublin 12.

This is a quality exhibition curated by Karen Harper, the renowned arts and crafts mentor. There will about 60 artists exhibiting over the second weekend in December. If you are looking for good quality, affordable art, this is the place to go.

Thursday 10th December 6 – 9 pm
Friday 11th December 11 – 7pm

Saturday 12th December 11 – 7pm

Sunday 13th December 11 – 6pm

Inspirational Mountain to Heaven Quotes

"It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe." 
Muhammad Ali

“Surely the day of decision is (a day) appointed: 
The day on which the trumpet shall be blown so you shall come forth in hosts, 
And the heaven shall be opened so that it shall be all openings, 
And the mountains shall be moved off so that they shall remain a mere semblance.”
 The Quran 

“And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.”
The Bible

“For mountain and stream, tree and leaf, root and blossom, every form in nature is echoed in us and originates in the soul whose being is eternity and is hidden from us but none the less gives itself to us for the most part in the power of love and charity.”
 Hermann Hesse 

“When we tire of well-worn ways, we seek for new. This restless craving in the souls of men spurs them to climb, and to seek the mountain view.”
 Ella Wheeler Wilcox 

“Kill the snake of doubt in your soul, crush the worms of fear in your heart and mountains will move out of your way.”
 Kate Seredy 

“Heaven-born, the soul a heavenward course must hold; 
beyond the world she soars; 
the wise man, I affirm, can find no rest in that which perishes, 
nor will he lend his heart to ought that doth time depend”
 Michelangelo 

“Considering that, all hatred driven hence,
The soul recovers radical innocence
And learns at last that it is self-delighting,
Self-appeasing, self-affrighting,
And that its own sweet will is Heaven's will.”
 William Butler Yeats 

“Please, do not visualize that we exist above you such as in heaven. The concepts above and below are products of your mind. The soul does not swing upwards. It exists in the center and orients itself in every direction.”
 Hans Bender 

For me, prayer is an aspiration of the heart, it is a simple glance directed to heaven, it is something great, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus.”
 Therese of Lisieux 

“Be at peace with your own soul, then heaven and earth will be at peace with you.”
 St. Jerome 

“Heaven will be inherited by every man who has heaven in his soul.”
 Henry Ward Beecher 

Mountain to Heaven

The Mountain to Heaven is now finished. Next week I’ll write about my understanding of it. To see a larger version click on the image.

Create a structure for our creations

When we use our imagination we travel within ourselves to explore what is possible and often what is impossible. We see creations in the heavenly worlds, where we as Soul are based. Here we can create anything we wish. We are Soul, a part of God. We have that creative power of God, in the heavens. Is there a way of bringing that creative power into our physical worlds?

It is easy to create in our inner heavens but being able to manifest that creation here in our physical world takes a bit of practice. When asked, what is the purpose of the creative arts? Harold Klemp, the spiritual leader of Eckankar, said, it was for the artist to learn structure. I didn’t understand this until I was chatting with Tunde, of the Lighthouse Family. Here’s a YouTube link to one of their hits, Lifted.

Create a Structure
Tunde explained that as a creative person, which we all are, it is our job to create a structure for whatever we wish to create. It could be a song, a picture, a meal, a business, an event, a job, a project, etc. We create the basic shape in our imagination, our inner worlds, and let the Life Force, Holy Spirit or Higher Power flow into it. Then ideas, happy accidents, fresh thoughts and coincidences come together to fill this structure we have created. 

For example a musician will use composition, a story, musical notes, scales, tones, a variety of instruments to bring the music he hears, in his inner world, out into our world so we can hear it. An artist when creating a picture will use colour, shadow, perspective, shapes, composition, to create the structure for the picture he sees within himself. As these elements are put together, the happy accidents and coincidences occur to help create the final piece. 

What happens here is the musician or artist has the basic outline or structure, then the Holy Spirit fills in the blanks with its inspiration and our efforts. This is where the structure mentioned by Harold Klemp is necessary. This is how a musician brings heavenly music into our worlds so we can hear and enjoy it. It’s how an artist makes the invisible visible. 

The Perfect Meal
The same creative process happens when we set out to create a nice meal. We gather the ingredients; meat, vegetables, seasoning, etc. We now have the basic structure. Next we begin cooking and get creative. We can :
fry, grill, bake, boil, stew. 
add seasoning, 
mix cooking methods like boiling first and baking later, 
create sauces, 
meat can be cooked rare or well done,
serve aperitifs, starters, salads, desserts, etc.

As we go about the work of creating the meal, different things happen. We discover a sauce or extra flavours that blends well with the dish we are creating. We add seasoning. We may think we’ve added too much or too little, but when we are finished cooking, the meal will be perfect for that time. 

The methods we can use are endless but we end up with a meal for our friends and family. It is a unique creation. We’ve used our imagination, created a structure, got some inspiration, some physical food and effort to manifest the meal we imagined within ourselves. If we’ve made mistakes, we’ve learned and can correct them the next time we cook that dish but for now we have the perfect meal.

Become the instrument of Spirit
Just to get a different view on this subject, Rodney Jones, the inspirational musician and guitarist recently wrote the following:
“Knowledge of self is that which shapes expression of Self. Being the Self, is the point where the artist begins to mirror in a full way, the attributes and qualities of the divine. At this point, all that he plays becomes a channel for Divine Spirit to utilize for ITs purposes. 
“He no longer just plays an instrument, he has become the instrument of Spirit.”
(See the end of this post for more about Rodney Jones and his music).

As Rodney says, if we become aware of our selves as Soul (Self), we realise we are part of the Divine. If we can connect regularly with the Divine we become a channel for it. Spirit flows through us. As the flow of Spirit grows, we grow, Spirit grows around us, we become an instrument of Spirit. How do we do this? Do everything with Love. Let Love be the reason we do everything. God is Love, Spirit is Love, Soul’s home is in Spirit, in heaven, in Love. Let Love guide our lives and we’ll create a heaven around us. We “become the instrument of Spirit”.

Our Unique Melody
Let’s take our instruments out. (Let’s become aware of ourselves as Soul). 
Let’s dust It off and get It back in tune. (Let’s reconnect with Soul).
Let’s practice our instrument. (Let’s do a regular spiritual exercise, contemplation or meditation).
Let’s play for ourselves, our friends and our world. (Let’s live life with Love, enjoy it, savour it and discover it.)

Let’s play the unique melody that is our life.

*Ed Parkinson


P.S. - Rodney Jones is a guitarist who’s most recent CD, A THOUSAND SMALL THINGS, has been placed in the first round of GRAMMY© Nominations.

Art Fair 09 at the RDS - Free Tickets

News
The Art Fair 09, in the RDS Dublin, is on the weekend after next. I won’t be exhibiting there but it should be a nice place to see a range of good art and meet a lot of the artists too. I will be exhibiting at the Craft Fair, in December and a few others. I’ll post details closer to those events.

Below is another style ticket which I came across during the week. It’s a much easier option than the Ticketmaser ones from last week’s post. Just click on the image below and print it. That ticket should get you in. Enjoy.

Here’s the blurb and dates on the Art Fair:
Featuring over 100 Galleries & Artists from Ireland and abroad, Art Fair 09 at the RDS is a showcase of new and established artists that will delight all art lovers! 
Dates and opening hours: 
Friday, Nov 13 - 12.00 noon to 9.00pm
Saturday, Nov 14 -11.00am to 7.00pm
Sunday, Nov 15 - 11.00am to 6.00pm 

For more information visit: www.rds.ie/artfair 

Friday, Nov 13 - 12.00 noon to 9.00pm
Saturday, Nov 14 -11.00am to 7.00pm
Sunday, Nov 15 - 11.00am to 6.00pm

Click on the image and then print as many tickets as you need..

Inspirational Quotes on Creative Structure

“The creative imagination is one thing that can lift us into truly becoming godlike beings.”
 Harold Klemp

“Nothing exists until or unless it is observed. An artist is making something exist by observing it. And his hope for other people is that they will also make it exist by observing it. I call it 'creative observation.' Creative viewing.”
 William S. Burroughs

“One supreme fact which I have discovered is that it is not willpower, but fantasy-imagination that creates. Imagination is the creative force. Imagination creates reality.”
 Richard Wagner 

“The movie, by sheer speeding up of the mechanical, carried us from the world of sequence and connections into the world of creative configurations and structure.”
 Marshall McLuhan

“The teacher, like the artist and the philosopher, can perform his work adequately only if he feels himself to be an individual directed by an inner creative impulse, not dominated and fettered by an outside authority.”
 Bertrand Russell 

“Creativity is merely a plus name for regular activity. Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better.”
 John Updike

“Art is the great democrat, calling forth creative genius from every sector of society, disregarding race or religion or wealth or color”
 John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“It is the creative potential itself in human beings that is the image of God”
 Mary Daly

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”
 Albert Einstein

Mountain to Heaven

At this point in the development of this picture, Mountain to Heaven, I’ve now decided on most of the elements and the composition. The final picture will probably look similar to the rough sketch below. I now have to do a high resolution ‘render’ of the 3D landscape I’ve created. Then I’ll add some details, clean up hard edges, add clouds, change lightening, dress the characters, etc. I hope to have the finished piece for you next week.

Let your spark of love spread like fire

Thought for the Week

One of the limiting concepts in our Western culture is that we can only love one person in our lives, usually our spouse or partner. It is true that we should honour and respect our spouse and the promises and commitments we’ve made to them. However we shouldn’t limit our love for just to one person or just to our immediate family. 

It is great if we have love within our family but we can also share our love with others. We have friends, neighbours, colleagues, co-workers, team mates, etc. Among these people we can find a spark of love. Something in a person we enjoy or attracts us to them. Something we really like about them. These are great reasons to share our love. This love can be found in actions such as:
Getting a ball to a team mate so they can score.
Helping a colleague finish a project.
Helping with chores.
Being available to a friend.
Sharing some food or cooking.
Being spontaneous in doing a favour.

Love as a spark
If we think of love as a spark within us and we meet someone we like or love. We now have two sparks sharing their love for each other. When they part they are brighter than before they met. The fire of love glows brighter within them. If they meet someone else the fire is radiated to them, thereby brightening the other person’s spark of love. 

The love we share should be a pure, unconditional love with no requirements placed on the other person. This love doesn’t say things like “I will love you provided you do this”. This love just loves the other person, in the moment, here and now. This love doesn’t require us to proclaim our love for another. We can share it with people we don’t even know. It shows itself in the actions we take, the things we do, such as:
Picking up a dropped item for someone.
Giving a reassuring smile.
Sharing a small gift, like a sweet.
Listening to someone, with sincerity.
Leaving a place better than we found it.

Do what we can
We need to be careful not to burn ourselves out by doing too much. We should do what we can. We can do one thing a day, for love, for a month or so, until it becomes a habit. Then we can expand to doing two or three things for love, some days. These little gifts of love will brighten us and if we take our time we can get brighter bit by bit without burning ourselves out.

This brightness will show itself as a little more happiness in our lives. We will also begin to see that those around us are a little more positive too. The fire of love is beginning to glow in our hearts. 

Let’s give a little love and brighten our world and the worlds of those around us. Let your sparks of love spread like fire. 

*Ed Parkinson

News - Free tickets to Art Fair 09

Art Fair 09 at the RDS 
The Art Fair 09, in the RDS Dublin, is on in two weeks time. I won’t be exhibiting there but it should be a nice place to see a range of good art and meet a lot of the artists too. I will be exhibiting at the Craft Fair, in December and a few others shows too. I’ll post details closer to those events.
As a former exhibitor, the RDS have offered free tickets to me, my friends and family. If you're reading this, your my frined, for now anyway. The problem is you’ll have to go through Ticketmaster to get the tickets. It’s a bit of a pain. As I’ve already gone through the process and got the tickets and they're free anyway, I don’t think they will mind me giving you my ticket. Just click on the image below and print it. They should get you in. Enjoy.

Here’s the blurb and dates:
Featuring over 100 Galleries & Artists from Ireland and abroad, Art Fair 09 at the RDS is a showcase of new and established artists that will delight all art lovers! 
Dates and opening hours: 
Friday, Nov 13 - 12.00 noon to 9.00pm
Saturday, Nov 14 -11.00am to 7.00pm
Sunday, Nov 15 - 11.00am to 6.00pm 

For more information visit: www.rds.ie/artfair 

Choose the ticket for the day you wish to visit. Click on the ticket to enlarge it and then print it.

Friday, Nov 13 - 12.00 noon to 9.00pm


Saturday, Nov 14 -11.00am to 7.00pm



Sunday, Nov 15 - 11.00am to 6.00pm

Inspirational Love Spark & Fire Quotes

“The best we can do, in the highest sense, is to be open to the directions that Divine Spirit gives to us about how to make our daily lives better. And the lesson is very often how to love better with fewer attachments, with fewer ideas about how some event should go.”
 Harold Klemp

“Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell.”
 Joan Crawford 

“Yes, Love indeed is light from heaven; A spark of that immortal fire with angels shared, by Allah given to lift from earth our low desire.”
 Lord Byron

“Doubt that the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love.”
 William Shakespeare

“A spark of kindness starts a fire of love.”
 Anon

“Everyone has Love towards some thing or other, and that Love is a spark of the Divine; everyone has ultimately to base his life on some one Truth; that Truth is God.”
 Sri Sathya Sai Baba 

“What avails love when life is so ephemeral?
What avaiIs a mortal’s love for the immortal?
Love that is snuffed out by death’s passing blast
Love without the pain, the passion that consumes?
A flickering spark I am, aglow for a fleeting glance
Flow vain for a flickering spark to chase an eternal flame!
Grant me the bliss of eternal life, O Lord,
And mine will be the ecstasy of eternal love.
Give me the pleasure of an everlasting pain
An agony that lacerates my soul for ever.”
 Allama Iqbal 

“Love is the only kind of fire which is never covered by insurance.”
 Anon

“Tolerance and celebration of individual differences is the fire that fuels lasting love.”
 Tom Hannah