SALON 24: Like seeing the ocean and clouds from a hijacked airplane...
If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again.
"Every genuine artistic intuition goes beyond what the senses perceive and reaching beneath reality's surface, strives to interpret its hidden mystery. The intuition itself springs from the depths of the human soul, where the desire to give meaning to one's own life is joined by the fleeting vision of beauty and of the mysterious unity of things. All artists experience the unbridgeable gap which lies between the work of their hands, however successful it may be, and the dazzling perfection of the beauty glimpsed in the ardour of the creative moment: what they manage to express in their painting, their sculpting, their creating is no more than a glimmer of the splendour which flared for a moment before the eyes of their spirit." - Pope John Paul II, Letter to Artists
Salon Guests: Our Creativity Salon, A Bear Named Hope, began in March 2006 with the goal of bringing creative people together to dialogue on any aspect of creativity, to help expand networks and bring attention to artists and writers of interest to us.
I am very proud to say, two years later, we have now held 23 salons with guest hosts and hostesses from a range of genres and disciplines and we are going strong! (I am also encouraged to see that more and more blogs have cropped up which use the blog forum as a place to dialogue, beyond the original ego-based use of "the blog". I think we have been pioneers in this!)
Our 24th Salon is hosted by artist and scientist Dr. Brett Weber (and his wonderful canine companion Sophie, alias Underdog). At this point I can't remember how I found Brett Weber on the Internet, but there he was and I was compelled to follow up and find out more! I hope you find his work and thoughts as provocative as do I, and that we can begin another of our amazing dialogues -- this time on the healing art of creativity, one of my personal favorite subjects.
The narrative for this Salon consists of excerpts from Brett Weber's thoughts on "the healing art of creativity" (I love the way he moved those words around!). You are invited to browse his thoughts and then add your own responses, questions, stories in the Comments section. Dr. Weber will be on hand over the next two weeks (February 8 - 22) to dialogue with you at the Salon. There are also links to his website and a cause near and dear to his heart.
Thank you for visiting! --Green Phoenix Productions
From Dr. Brett Weber...
John Paul II's beautiful words speak to a universal human experience we share in when we create. I do not mention the word "Healing" in my artist statement, but the notion that art and creativity can be used in the healing process is not a new idea. Certainly, there are many examples where a passion for creativity has helped people face and persevere against tremendous personal obstacles--especially in the arts and sciences.
Control and Release
Since my own diagnosis with Progressive-Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the freedom to express myself creatively through art has been physically beneficial and psychologically therapeutic. How so? First, creating artwork (or simply acting creatively) may not be a cure for Progressive-Relapsing MS, but it is an example of both a physical and mental process which helps me to maximize my own natural coping skills--while alleviating some of the negative emotional stress caused by the progression of my disease, stress which I believe increases symptoms and disability caused by my form of MS.
Whether a person suffers from a chronic illness like MS or not, we each do our best to overcome unhealthy stress and we each adapt to change and adversity. Our sense of self-worth is closely associated with our apparent ability to control change within our lives. When negative changes take place and are beyond our control (such is the case with MS), our need for control escalates...
The entire process of creating and then naming my paintings provides me with a very satisfying physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual release. What's more, because I approach my artwork with no expectations of good or bad, right or wrong, correct or incorrect, much as a young child first approaches art, I experience very little of the stress and anxiety that is often associated with the creative process...
Whether a person suffers from a chronic illness like MS or not, we each do our best to overcome unhealthy stress and we each adapt to change and adversity. Our sense of self-worth is closely associated with our apparent ability to control change within our lives. When negative changes take place and are beyond our control (such is the case with MS), our need for control escalates...
The entire process of creating and then naming my paintings provides me with a very satisfying physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual release. What's more, because I approach my artwork with no expectations of good or bad, right or wrong, correct or incorrect, much as a young child first approaches art, I experience very little of the stress and anxiety that is often associated with the creative process...
Talking in Our Sleep
You may have noticed that I only work on square canvases. This is because while I am painting I do not consider the final orientation of the work. I paint freely and often turn and spin the canvas in different directions and then again when I am interpreting the final abstraction. Only after I have given the painting (and digital art) a name do they receive their final correct orientation.
I call the process "Wakeful Dreaming" because much like the early Freudian and Jungian psychologists who first attempted to understand their patients' dreams using various techniques, I attempt to understand my paintings (and digital art) by giving them each a specific name which usually comes to me upon reading a famous (or not so famous) quotation, or idea. In this way the process of freely creating abstract imagery that I reflect on and finally name embodies an ongoing conversation that I have with myself...
You may have noticed that I only work on square canvases. This is because while I am painting I do not consider the final orientation of the work. I paint freely and often turn and spin the canvas in different directions and then again when I am interpreting the final abstraction. Only after I have given the painting (and digital art) a name do they receive their final correct orientation.
I call the process "Wakeful Dreaming" because much like the early Freudian and Jungian psychologists who first attempted to understand their patients' dreams using various techniques, I attempt to understand my paintings (and digital art) by giving them each a specific name which usually comes to me upon reading a famous (or not so famous) quotation, or idea. In this way the process of freely creating abstract imagery that I reflect on and finally name embodies an ongoing conversation that I have with myself...
Listening...
My artwork is about bringing unity to myself. It is about listening to instead of shouting at reality. It is also about triggering my mind's unconscious thought processes toward healing--by paying attention to and making sense of the normally silent, repressed and often time distant elements within myself. Because I am also trained as a neuroscientist and believe that the mind plays a role in healing the body, I am approaching my art as an experiment. It begs the question do we have more control over our health than we appreciate? And if so, how might a person harness that control? Perhaps, by letting go of control entirely--the paradox of combating chronic stress and depression?
My artwork is about bringing unity to myself. It is about listening to instead of shouting at reality. It is also about triggering my mind's unconscious thought processes toward healing--by paying attention to and making sense of the normally silent, repressed and often time distant elements within myself. Because I am also trained as a neuroscientist and believe that the mind plays a role in healing the body, I am approaching my art as an experiment. It begs the question do we have more control over our health than we appreciate? And if so, how might a person harness that control? Perhaps, by letting go of control entirely--the paradox of combating chronic stress and depression?
Escaping to an Answer...
I understand the painting "Escape" [see tryptich above, info below*] as a conversation I continue to have with the unconscious part of myself through wakeful dreams--it is about finding an escape from the disease MS. Much like seeing the ocean and clouds from a hijacked airplane, "Escape" addresses the questions that I believe most people with MS ask themselves "How can I escape?" "Why is my body attacking itself?" "Does some part of me know the answer?" and "Can I regain control?" I named this painting "Escape" after a quotation by Albert Einstein (1879-1955), the renowned physicist and man of the 20th Century.
I understand the painting "Escape" [see tryptich above, info below*] as a conversation I continue to have with the unconscious part of myself through wakeful dreams--it is about finding an escape from the disease MS. Much like seeing the ocean and clouds from a hijacked airplane, "Escape" addresses the questions that I believe most people with MS ask themselves "How can I escape?" "Why is my body attacking itself?" "Does some part of me know the answer?" and "Can I regain control?" I named this painting "Escape" after a quotation by Albert Einstein (1879-1955), the renowned physicist and man of the 20th Century.
"One of the strongest motives
that lead men to art and science
is escape from everyday life
with its painful crudity
and hopeless dreariness,
from the fetters
of one's own ever shifting desires."
-Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
A Way to the Dream...
Art can be stimulating to both eye and mind, and can provide us with an opportunity to heal ourselves and others...
...Unfortunately, many people with MS lose their ability to do the very fine hand-eye coordination required in representational art and may stop doing art in frustration, but abstract art does not place as high a barrier to disabled people with limited hand-eye motor control and provides the same therapeutic benefits...
...Although MS has affected my hands to some degree, I choose to do abstract art not because of my reduced dexterity, but because abstraction is the only style of art that can be executed without planned intent, and therefore a way for me to dream...
Dr. Brett Weber (c) 2008
Art can be stimulating to both eye and mind, and can provide us with an opportunity to heal ourselves and others...
...Unfortunately, many people with MS lose their ability to do the very fine hand-eye coordination required in representational art and may stop doing art in frustration, but abstract art does not place as high a barrier to disabled people with limited hand-eye motor control and provides the same therapeutic benefits...
...Although MS has affected my hands to some degree, I choose to do abstract art not because of my reduced dexterity, but because abstraction is the only style of art that can be executed without planned intent, and therefore a way for me to dream...
Dr. Brett Weber (c) 2008
Escape
We can escape the commonplace
only by manipulating it,controlling it,
thrusting it into our dreams,
or surrendering it
*(Information on "Escape":
Oil & Acrylic on Canvas 3.75' x 11.25' end to end;
subtitles: "Dreams", "Report", "Disease")
ABOUT OUR HOST:
A Moravian College alumnus, Dr. Weber received his B.S. in Biology and his B.A. in Art in 1991. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Temple University in 1997, and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) the week before completing his doctorate.Since then, he has devoted his life toward understanding MS through science and art. Dr. Weber leads members of his "Broken Art" class to better wellness at the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network (http://www.goodshepherdrehab.org/ or http://www.goodshepherdrehab.org/interactive/index.asp) in Allentown, Pennsylvania. "Members of our class, regardless of their experience, are considered to be artists here, not simply a group of people with MS." By inspiring bold and creative artwork, http://www.brokenartgallery.com/ aims to inspire equivalent bold and creative scientific research in seeking a possible CURE for multiple sclerosis (MS) and every disease and disability on the face of the planet. Email: Art@BrokenArtGallery.com
A Moravian College alumnus, Dr. Weber received his B.S. in Biology and his B.A. in Art in 1991. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Temple University in 1997, and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) the week before completing his doctorate.Since then, he has devoted his life toward understanding MS through science and art. Dr. Weber leads members of his "Broken Art" class to better wellness at the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network (http://www.goodshepherdrehab.org/ or http://www.goodshepherdrehab.org/interactive/index.asp) in Allentown, Pennsylvania. "Members of our class, regardless of their experience, are considered to be artists here, not simply a group of people with MS." By inspiring bold and creative artwork, http://www.brokenartgallery.com/ aims to inspire equivalent bold and creative scientific research in seeking a possible CURE for multiple sclerosis (MS) and every disease and disability on the face of the planet. Email: Art@BrokenArtGallery.com
Dr. Weber has displayed artwork in galleries located in: SOHO, Manhattan, NYC, NY; Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown & Bethlehem, PA; Denver, CO, USA & Hania, Crete, Greece.
If you would like to purchase prints or make a donation...
Dr. Weber does sell prints on his website. When I asked -- if anyone wishes to contribute to his work as a result of this salon -- he said that contributions would be welcome to the regular weekly "art done for wellness group", the above-mentioned "Broken Art Creativity Class" at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Allentown, PA.
DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND LOVE WHAT YOU DO!
Michelle Miller Allen
PS If you would like to view Pope John Paul II's entire Letter to Artists, here is the link. We will focus an upcoming salon on this letter:
OUR SALON LINKS MESSAGE BOARD:
http://www.brokenartgallery.com/Handout_ONE_&_Show_Information.pdf
posted by Spiritbear @ 1:50 PM
43 comments
43 Comments:
I am inspired by the artwork of Brett Weber. Here in my home office, I have a beautifully framed set of Escape (Report, Dreams, Disease)that has a calming effect even as it expresses all the emotions a person has when faced with chronic conditions.
Thank you, Brett for sharing your soul with us through your beautiful artwork.
Yvonne Bleakly
Oh this is gonna be an interesting salon and I've gotta mark my calendar to visit here, often. I truly belive that Dr Weber is on the right track when he says that he ">>>believes that the mind plays a role in healing the body..." It was something that the nuns stressed throughout my nursing education back in the early 1970's. It is something that very few Medical Doctors believe is possible but something I "just know" to be true. I've expereinced it and I've seen it in others. An advantage of being a home care nurse for years is that I have seen how people function outside the sterile environments of institutions. It's amazing the things I have seen and how people have coped. Out of the wisdom of my oldest son when he was about 8 years old, "when you challenge the mind, you won't become stagnant". Funny part was, he was referring to a sudden obsession I had about putting together puzzles.
I know for me, in order to find my balance again, thru life stresses, I do seek out my creative side. It helps in coming to terms with sudden change.
Brett Weber raises some interesting questions about the mind/body connection, and especially the concept of control. From where I sit, the paradox is that we have far more control over our own health/healing, and creating every other aspect of our lives, than we are aware of, and yet we also know that having control is only an illusion. That paradox seems to be the perfect ground for the wakeful dream exploration that Dr. Weber speaks of in regard to his art. Food for thought!
Yvonne, debbie and monique, welcome to the salon! You each touch on the very fascinating point of seeming contradiction...depiction of responses to the diagnosis as an art form that brings a calming effect...creativity as a healing tool (when one is at a time least likely to feel creative...and yet you can and it does help!)...and the illusion of control.
I don't think there is any other way than through creativity, through forms of art/writing/music that we can so well simultaneously explore-and-express these ambiguities.
From what I have seen of Brett's work, through his website and the articles by/about his work, and his actual artwork, he evokes such a joyful, hopeful response in me. Out of loss, so much is gained.
SB
Thanks Yvonne & Debbie!
Wow, you two are quick. I've never hosted a blog before. So, I decided to check here this morning to learn how to post a message, and to see what the Blog actually looks like... I only had time to read about halfway down the page yesterday. But wow, Michelle who runs this website has done a very nice job putting everything together.
I must say, I am surprised to see that you have already commented on the article. I think I sent my e-mail invitation out at about 4 p.m. yesterday. So you two wasted no time. ;o)
And, I think I know both of you?
Yvonne was the very first person to purchase my artwork many years ago. Thank you very much, Yvonne! Sophia & I actually don't sell our paintings, but we do sell framed prints to help raise money and awareness about multiple sclerosis.
You can see the prints we offer on our website. We are both Audrey Hepburn fans.
Extra credit to the person who can correctly name the painting I borrowed the bearded guy with the Phillies cap from... Of course, he doesn't have the Phillies cap in the original painting! Ha, ha...
Debbie, if I'm not mistaken, is a friend from Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Allentown Pennsylvania.
People might be interested in reading this article about our class. Sorry, I know... professors can't help but give tons of extra reading assignments!
Our class just began it's first six-week "Broken Art Creativity" wrap-session this year. We have two visiting professional artists right now who are helping us teach the class about sketching and basic watercolor.
We are also planning to have an art show at Good Shepherd later this spring for their 100th year Anniversary celebration. The show will include "masks" the class made of their own faces.
Here are two news clip you might find interesting. The first one still has the video clip of our class:
We were inspired by the
website!
Okay, I really don't usually type this much, but Sophia & I recently bought Dragon NaturallySpeaking software and it makes writing very easy. It even does smiley faces! :o)
All I have to do is speak and the computer changes what I say into text. I bought the most basic version and it's excellent. If anyone is interested, here is the software I purchased.
Anyhow, don't feel as though you have to type a book like I have... ha, ha... I'll try to keep my posts less wordy and more focused.
This should be an enjoyable two weeks! Hope you will check back often. Thanks for visiting us!!!
Cheers,
Brett and Sophia
Greetings, Brett 7 Sophie!
You can be as wordy as you want or not, it's totally informal here.
I think you were trying to post some links but they didn't come through. I have trouble w/ that too, in the Comments section here. If you want me to go back and put them in the main narrative, at the bottom where the link is to the Pope's letter, I can do that. Just send them to me by email and I'll get them up! And, as we go along, if anyone else has links they want posted relative to what they are saying, send me an email at stirlingshadow@yahoo.co.uk with the link and I'll post it there. That can sort of be our link message board for this salon.
Cheers, everyone! It's a beautiful day in Scotland! No rain which is VERY strange!
SpiritBear
Oops! :o) Okay, I will do that Michelle. Thanks! Check back later...
Ok, I've posted some of the links Brett was trying to post. Some of them refer back to his website so I didn't repeat them but just do visit his website, there is a lot to see there! And there are other posts he and I are sorting out and as soon as we have them corrected, I'll post them too.
I think our debbie is not the Debbie that Brett thinks she might be...this debbie is one of our "regulars" at the salon and it's great to see you here again, debbie!
Carry on!
SpiritBear
typo: I mean there are other LINKS we are sorting out and I'll post them...
:)
Oh, I apologize. My friend Debbie is also a nurse. I'm glad everyone, so far, has enjoyed reading the article.
Yes Monique, I believe that when people are given a difficult diagnosis they either awaken to the idea that they have some control over their sickness or not. People who are very ill will usually have a keener appreciation for how sensitive their bodies are... and that they can make their disease situation a little better or a little worse. Sometimes even much better or much worse!
Believing that you have some degree of CONTROL is important for survival in any situation. Even when we throw-up our hands and give the entire problem over to God! We must still believe that God will act through us, and will deliver to us some measure of control over our adversary.
Has anyone read the book Shackleton by Roland Huntford? Sir Ernest Shackleton made an attempt for the South Pole in the early 1900's. It was a glorious failure, but one of the greatest survival stories ever told. Remember, when everything seems lost, you must believe that it isn’t! Simple, right ??? ;o)
Talk again later.
I can attest to the things being said here...my late husband used good medicine during his final year. He made me feel he succeeded even when the cancer finally took him...the way he stayed positive and so loving and patient through everything. And he had specific instructions to us on how he did and did not want to deal with it, mainly through only positive thinking and words. Some word were not allowed in the house. We worked with a fantastic Medicine Man who taught us much about this and who really worked miracles with Rick, turning his attitude completely around in one (long, overnight) ceremony of healing.
Ok, all the links are up now at the link message board on the "front page" of this salon, down at the bottom under the link to the Pope's letter.
Cheers and Happy Sunday everyone!
SpiritBear
Brett,
Michelle is right. I'm the Debbie who visits here on a fairly regular basis. Yes, I'm a nurse but I'm also know as being the nurse with the "strange ideas". I still think it's my basic education that has instilled in my strong belief in alternative therapies inconjunction with traditional medicines works best.
I was reading one of those fiction novels over the weekend and something in it really sticks with me, when I think about all of this. It's reference was to how some of the best abstract art comes from the expression of pain and how it provides healing, if just for a moment. When I think of creativity and how some of the best songs have been so heartful, how some of the most meaningful words have been written, and the list goes on, the creator does seem to be expressing feelings of some sort.
Ok, now I'm off to look at some of the links, posted here.
Hi Debbie,
Point taken. Life is pain! There is no escaping that... and you make an interesting observation. Why do human beings so often attach “pain and suffering” to “good art?” We have all heard the cliché that all good artists must suffer for their artwork! Why is this true? Or, taken to be true?
Children often create beautiful abstract art. How many of those children have ever truly experienced lasting pain? I don’t believe many of them have, although it’s a philosopher’s question, obviously. What seems painful at age 3… perhaps a bully breaking your favorite toy… or being forced to eat broccoli, etc.… is hopefully more trivial by age 33, and yet children can still create beautiful abstract art. So, is pain necessary to good art?
Vincent van Gogh is the obvious example. Has anyone read the book "A lust for life" by Irving Stone? It's my favorite novel. Vincent faced an illness no one understood during his lifetime, and few cared about. Vincent failed at virtually everything he attempted to do in life. And, yet he is Vincent van Gogh today. Van Gogh practically means “artist!” :o)
It’s a wonderful story.
Another historic guy Mencius said "A great man is he who does not lose his child's heart." Although we may feel that it's the “pain” we identify with in a piece of artwork, it may actually be the artist’s ability to convey his pain in an honest and perhaps childlike way. Picasso said "all children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
I believe that “pain” causes us to let go of being a children… and causes us to let go of being an artists! Maybe that’s why we look for suffering in our artists? To see how we “artists” respond to pain!
Pain may cause some people to become cynical about life, less trusting, angry or bitter. These are the responses to “pain” that poison “beautiful art,” though the art may still be world acclaimed by some. It’s not what I call “Broken Art.” ;o)
Truly, we are all born artists. Some just forget how!
I gave this article to our class last week. You might enjoy it. Not an abstract artist, but a painter who, like, Vincent Van Gogh, I admire. For Pierre-Auguste Renoir, art had to be beautiful! http://www.brokenartgallery.com/PopeofPainting.pdf
Oh, what is “Broken Art?” Go to this link for that: http://www.brokenartgallery.com/Painting%201-1024IV.htm
Also, a choice poem for thought! ;o)
Talk again later.
The Child’s Appeal
I am the Child.
All the world waits for my coming.
All the earth watches with interest to see what I shall become.
Civilization hangs in the balance,
for what I am, the world of tomorrow will be.
I am the Child.
I have come into your world, about which I know nothing.
Why I came I know not;
How I came I know not.
I am curious; I am interested.
I am the Child.
You hold in your hand my destiny.
You determine, largely, whether I shall succeed or fail.
Give me, I pray you, those things that make for happiness.
Train me, I beg you, that I may be a blessing to the world.
- Mamie Gene Cole
Hi Debbie,
Point taken. Life is pain! There is no escaping that... and you make an interesting observation. Why do human beings so often attach “pain and suffering” to “good art?” We have all heard the cliché that all good artists must suffer for their artwork! Why is this true? Or, taken to be true?
Children often create beautiful abstract art. How many of those children have ever truly experienced lasting pain? I don’t believe many of them have, although it’s a philosopher’s question, obviously. What seems painful at age 3… perhaps a bully breaking your favorite toy… or being forced to eat broccoli, etc.… is hopefully more trivial by age 33, and yet children can still create beautiful abstract art. So, is pain necessary to good art?
Vincent van Gogh is the obvious example. Has anyone read the book "A lust for life" by Irving Stone? It's my favorite novel. Vincent faced an illness no one understood during his lifetime, and few cared about. Vincent failed at virtually everything he attempted to do in life. And, yet he is Vincent van Gogh today. Van Gogh practically means “artist!” :o)
It’s a wonderful story.
Another historic guy Mencius said "A great man is he who does not lose his child's heart." Although we may feel that it's the “pain” we identify with in a piece of artwork, it may actually be the artist’s ability to convey his pain in an honest and perhaps childlike way. Picasso said "all children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
I believe that “pain” causes us to let go of being children… and causes us to let go of being artists! Maybe that’s why we look for suffering in our artists? To see how we “artists” respond to pain!
Pain may cause some people to become cynical about life, less trusting, angry or bitter. These are the responses to “pain” that poison “beautiful art,” though the art may still be world acclaimed by some. It’s not what I call “Broken Art.” ;o)
Truly, we are all born artists. Some just forget how!
I gave this article to our class last week. You might enjoy it. Not an abstract artist, but a painter who, like, Vincent Van Gogh, I admire. For Pierre-Auguste Renoir, art had to be beautiful! http://www.brokenartgallery.com/PopeofPainting.pdf
Oh, what is “Broken Art?” Go to this link for that: http://www.brokenartgallery.com/Painting%201-1024IV.htm
Also, a choice poem for thought!
Talk again later.
The Child’s Appeal
I am the Child.
All the world waits for my coming.
All the earth watches with interest to see what I shall become.
Civilization hangs in the balance,
for what I am, the world of tomorrow will be.
I am the Child.
I have come into your world, about which I know nothing.
Why I came I know not;
How I came I know not.
I am curious; I am interested.
I am the Child.
You hold in your hand my destiny.
You determine, largely, whether I shall succeed or fail.
Give me, I pray you, those things that make for happiness.
Train me, I beg you, that I may be a blessing to the world.
- Mamie Gene Cole
Pope John’s sentiments are well founded, but with bias from a distorted Christian perspective. The pursuit of beauty in the arts is much like truth in science, and goodness in philosophy and religion; three hooks from different directions towards higher spiritual ground. These highest ideals are far beyond the ideas we have about them. Art is only one of countless ways to express what we call creation and creativity. We collect and rearrange things; we do not create anything. We have been given free will to develop responsibility. It would be disastrous given our cosmic ignorance and spiritual immaturity to have unlimited imagination to create without restriction.
Art is to make some sense of unity in arranging parts composed from our experience. It is growth towards unity of the Whole, not parts, that feeds the soul and moves towards spiritual health. Webster defines “whole” as health. Art is not a healing force, rather it opens to the Whole, the health of God creation which finds partial expression in the habits of our lives. Health is not about art or ideas, it is about experiencing ideals, unity, the sovereignty of God as creator; about approaching the unknown. Embedded in presents of individual being is the Whole. The act and art of individual experience is our path of knowing towards health.
Brett, you have said correctly, “It is about listening to instead of shouting at reality.” Listening is necessary for all physical, mental and spiritual growth. I have found there is no escape; shouting is simply to avoid. We are conditioned to fear, our animal heritage. We eventually have to begin to embrace what our life is. Healing is working through our fear to find the love of creation and to begin to emulate the higher ideals, as best we can understand. Escaping from can only lead to acceptance, or further separation, which means we shout louder. This is not easy stuff. That is clear from the stories on your site.
If you have not read “Dear Theo”, letters by Van Gogh to his brother Theo, I urge you to do so. This man struggled to “hear”, to see reality, the truth of the beauty and the goodness of life. The stories written about the man serve him no justice. He was every bit the scientist as artist in his approach to understanding. It was all about faith in the beauty and goodness of life and struggling to give that expression, as you yourself give demonstration.
Thanks for your response, Brad. Pope John Paul II is my hero because he was able to face such a devastating disease with grace while maintaining a deep compassion for his flock. He never quit! Love carried him… And, although I think we are both in agreement with the Spirit of his letter… I do not particularly favor your word choice -- “distorted.” I prefer the word “focused!” :o) HA, HA… Of course, we Christians believe that the devil is our spiritual adversary and intentionally “distorts” what we attempt to stay “focused” on… our faith.
Have you read Leibniz? He is one of my favorite philosophers! You might enjoy reading this selection on the Stanford website: http://tinyurl.com/ywtl26
I will look for your book suggestion. Thanks for the tip! Truly, life is complex, but simplicity of heart is always the best direction. Vincent and Theo were often that ideal! ;o)
Talk again later,
Brett & Sophia
Brett, that tiny URL link doesn't work for me, can you try again or tell us the name of that website and I'll try to get another link for it?
Or if it does work for someone else, let me know that...definitely want to check out the Leibniz link. I find a FEW links via Google that are from Stanford so which was it that you specifically wanted us to see?
I, too, was impressed that so much of the Pope's letter spoke to me through, despite or beyond his particular spiritual/religious focus (or as Brad might say distorted lens :))...and plan to spend more time w/ that letter in our next salon.
Sometimes I think we are all looking through our own various telescopes of different brands, strengths, eras...some with cracks, some brand new...from different points on the planet...but all pointed at the same bright and distant star.
Cheers, everyone,
SpiritBear
SpiritBear,
If you "cut paste" the link into the address box above, it will work. If it doesn't for some reason, let me know. If I POST THE ORIGINAL LINK here, I think you will only be able to see about half the link, unfortunately.
Just a footnote about my own spirituality. I only posted the Stanford link to explore the idea of "God" a little deeper and to wrestle with the question -- how a "good" God could have created "evil?" ...because surely he must have!
Another good read for anyone interested would be the Book of Job in the Bible. Here's a fun, if not slightly irreverent, parody of the story. ;o)
http://tinyurl.com/yjyhqg
I am Catholic, no big surprise there... but, the word Catholic means "universal," and therefore, I see everyone on Earth as being Catholic regardless of their beliefs. That's not to say that I AM not a spiritually open-minded person.
Jesus said that we would know his followers by their works.
And, that's "good enough" for me. ;o)
More later,
Brett & Sophia
Hi Brett, No, I already had tried copying it and pasting it into Google and it didn't work. It should though, I do tiny URLs all the time...sigh, computers make me nutters sometimes!!! I know the link would be too long, what's the name of the website, like, in Google, a catch phrase that will take us to it?
I give room to all beliefs on this salon as long as they are not anti-life, anti-loving belief systmes. I was raised Catholic myself...
I love the book of Job, especially the play "J.B." by Archibald MacLeish...
More later!
No trouble going to designated link. Reading the Leibniz article was a philosophical push and shove down the path of western logic. One side is science and the other side religion with an effort to find the non-negotiable, but seemingly reasonable, mathematical centerline. I never much liked walking on paths; they limit the mind and experiential possibilities. Paths cause a separation through continuous and unbroken landscape leaving deep footprints across the nature of life experience. Paths are safe; fear keeps us on the path, even to dead end. To wander through the continuum and unknown vicissitudes of life is always a personal and difficult experience, but allows discoveries otherwise not dreamed. It is those discoveries that ignite the imagination bringing into view great vistas, accessible by faith alone. Ideas often keep us from seeing what is around us and we become detoured into areas we do not belong, caught into thinking about where we would rather be.
Any given logic systems of human mind is but a small tributary of greater mind function from an enormous sea of infinite possibilities of divine prefect thought. This is my observation, for the moment.
Okay, Google:
"Leibniz on the Problem of Evil"
and then:
"YouTube The Goon Bible Project - Book of Job"
...for the funny clip. ;o) They both should appear as your first choice.
Kibitz more later,
b & s
Ok, I'll check both Brad's comments and the links later today and get back in here...I don't know why my Google won't take me to that tiny URL link, how frustrating! Arrggghhh! Anyway, thanks for the tips on how to get there anyway, Brett, and I will follow your lead!
Now I'm off to see the local wizard (of litter, flood defense and the intricate paths of governmental departments) but will come back to these higher thoughts before day's end.
Have a good Saturday, all!
SpiritBear
Brad here is the brunt of his argument.
Some critics say that:
1) If God were all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good, then this world would be the best possible world.
2) But surely this world is not the best possible world.
3) Thus, God is not all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good.
A critics example:
“Surely this world is not the best possible world since we can easily conceive of possible worlds that are better. Take some token instance of suffering: the tragic bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building. Surely a world without that event would be better than the actual world. And there is no reason why God couldn't have created the world without that event. Thus, this is not the best possible world.”
Leibniz's response to this sort of criticism comes in two stages.
First, Leibniz says that while we can think of certain token features of the world that might be better than they are taken individually, we don't know whether or not it is possible to create a better world without those features, since we are never sure of what the connections between the token events and other events in the world might be. If we could improve the token event without otherwise changing the world, we may well have a better world. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing if changing the token would leave the world otherwise unchanged, or might instead make things, on balance, worse.
Second, examples such as these are deceptive because they presume that God utilizes standards of world goodness that he does not use. For example, it might presume that a world is only good if each part taken in isolation is good (Leibniz argues against this). Or, it might presume that a world is good only if earthly humans enjoy happiness.
Leibniz argued repeatedly that it was surely too parochial to think that the standard by which the goodness of worlds is to be judged is earthly human happiness. A more reasonable standard, says Leibniz, would be the happiness of all sentient beings. But once we admit this, it may turn out that the amount of unhappiness in the created realm is quite small since for all we know, the sentient beings on the earth might represent a very small percentage of the sentient beings God has created. Here he includes not only preternatural beings such as angels, but the possibility of extra-terrestrial rational beings as well.
I think he’s super a cool guy, especially given that Leibniz wrote about this stuff in the 17th Century. :o)
Yes my friends, these are the kinds of thoughts that an extremely sick artist/scientist ponders regularly. Does God know what he’s doing by giving me this terrible illness? And, does my suffering have some greater divine purpose in His plan ???
...AS WOULD ALL THE WORLD'S SUFFERING!!!
What Jesus Christ tried to demonstrate to us by carrying His cross and sacrificing His life. It all comes down to Faith my friend.
Remember, the divine wind... inspiration! That is the running theme through all my posts, never ever quit on God!!! Shakespeare said to be, or not to be? Always be...
Audrey Hepburn,
Leonardo da Vinci,
Raphael Sanzio,
Sir Ernest Shackleton,
Vincent van Gogh,
Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
Mencius,
Gottfried Leibniz,
Jesus Christ
& all of His Saints
…they were people who lived and used the gifts God gave them for the greater good... until they could give no more! Even in death, they have not stopped being. They are the divine wind! And, part of my own inspiration...
God bless them. ;o)
We will visit
you again later
on this week.
Cheers,
Brett & Sophia
"One of the strongest motives
that lead men to art and science
is escape from everyday life
with its painful crudity
and hopeless dreariness,
from the fetters
of one's own ever shifting desires."
-Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
The discussion here between Brad and Brett (& Soph') is one of the places I go to escape from every day life in the way that Einstein said. But not only to escape...to help me to do more than just shrug at the incessent questions in myself on these issues of good and evil, health and illness.
These discussions and my time spent writing and checking out what minds who have their "eye on the sky" are pondering...
counteract the time spent literally (and litterally) on the ground, for me.
For some reason I have been called to this spot on the planet at this time in my life to deal with the issues of litter and the causes behind it...
I keep it to myself, at present, that I perceive those causes to be spiritual at the root. I see so much depression and lack of sense of purpose in the youth here who are doing this...who are spending their young years drunk and on drugs and thus in violence...I see futility in the ways the adults try to address the problem. They don't come anywhere near the root.
If just one of those youth could find their way into a dialogue with either of you good people...there would be hope, I think. I don't mean that they would necessarily agree with either of you but if they just simply were to care enough, be courious enough, open enough to sit and listen and speak with you...it would be such a sign of hopefulness to me.
Every day I walk Shaka in the beauty here but the path is strewn with all the things that, in me, evoke Einstein's terms, "painful crudity", "hopeless dreariness" and my own fetters of shifting desires.
I'm not sure where all this is going, where I am going with it...but just wanted to thank you for engaging in the dialogue. Many of us are listening & pondering.
SpiritBear
Hey SpiritBear,
That sounds interesting--what you do! With litter? I think you are correct too... a lack of spirit in our world has caused a tremendous loneliness and depression in many people... especially in young people who are too often angry and violent, and who will usually have a few other material strikes against them in life. There are, unfortunately, far too many troubled youths and adults in the world with no clear "positive" direction... No moral compass... No self worth! No, rules to live by... Oh, it sounds romantic, but it's truly a very selfish, lonely, arrogant lifestyle... to be without God. To believe He's not there...
I agree with you too, SpiritBear, EVERYTHING "good and bad" MUST happen for a reason. We're just too "dumb" to know why. That's Leibniz! :o)
Oh, I was reading a good friend's weekly blog a few days ago, and thought you guys might enjoy him too? Mark is truly amazing!!!!!!! Hope my link works! http://tinyurl.com/ytp8j9
Godspeed
cyberspace
travelers,
Brett & Soph'
"Oh, it sounds romantic, but it's truly a very selfish, lonely, arrogant lifestyle... to be without God. To believe He's not there..."
But I do know many people who do not believe in "God", and others who believe in a Creator but would not perceive or call that Creator a "he" or a "she"...and they are not selfish or lonely or arrogant. Some of these non-believers or believers of a different way are more compassionate, kind, good-hearted, and life-loving and loved by others...than I will ever be able to be.
And there are others who are not sure if they believe in a Creator or God or not. But I don't think an ability to have faith is necessarily from arrogance.
I've been thinking some about the concept of good and bad things happening for a reason. Although I stopped believing in coincidence a while back and am more comfortable, for myself, seeing synchronicities (but have no investment in whether others see them too - MANY things I see as synchronistic, those I love just laugh and roll their eyes. That is Ok. They may be right, I may be wrong, in the end it's just what helps you live your life...)
Anyway...if I perceive some kind of mysterious Order to it all...I think the element that needs to be there, at least for my own comfort levels, is compassion. I know some people personally who have faith and believe that all is for a reason, but they leave compassion out of their equation. They are not able to feel sorrow or grief for anyone's situation because they say it's all for the good.
I even met one young woman who was so absorbed in her idea of an afterlife that she wished she and her two beautiful small children would die soon so they could go to that better place.
And I met a born-again adult child once who could not grieve their parent's death because they were happy he went "to God". That child could not even understand others' sorrow at losing him.
These are extremes but situations where, for whatever reason, the person cut off from human feelings. It is one thing to perceive an order but when you intellectualize it to the extreme that you cannot feel or even just respect the reality of another's pain...then what good can you be to others?
I think to be able to have faith that there is a meaning to existence, in midst your cries of pain, is to be a complete human.
Anyway...those are my thoughts, for what they are worth. I guess we just repeat outloud our personal beliefs to help remind ourselves what it is that helps us put one foot in front of the other...or pen to paper...brush to canvas...hand to hand...
Thank all of you again for all of your thoughts...I will check out Mark's website too...
On a side note (or not!) I know a couple of friends who are reading the blog this week, but are going through too much personal trauma right now to feel able to engage in this dialogue. I send them a big hug and thank them for stopping by nevertheless, and hope things resolve for them soon.
Take care, all,
SpiritBear
EDITED TYPO:
"And there are others who are not sure if they believe in a Creator or God or not. But I don't think an INability to have faith is necessarily from arrogance."
I meant INability, not ability.
Sorry!
:)
SB
Well, faith is a struggle for everyone... I have friends of many different faiths, etc., but what I said in true.
Also, a true love story my family and I enjoyed watching last night. We ALL struggle with our faith, Jewish, Christin, Islamic, etc.... but regardless of what we may call ourselves, only a Godless "arrogant" person ever acts with such evil. Consider the movie. And, consider God's blessing on us all for having an opportunity to learn something from these two people: http://tinyurl.com/2lpgqy
My family & I are having dinner with this woman and her family on Thursday night. Tatiana is giving us a free concert at our Cathedral. Very exciting! Some of you might enjoy her music:
http://www.idobelieve.com
I believe in good. And, I believe in evil. And, I believe that there are times when I cannot tell them apart. And, so I pray.
Talk again later,
God willing... ;o)
Another of my friend Mark's articles you might enjoy. Of course, you are probably not disabled... but the message is universal: http://tinyurl.com/2yol47
God bless.
Oops! Sorry folks, BEATRICE is me... ...or I mean us, BRETT & SOPH'. I forgot to type in our correct names. :o)
Who is BEATRICE? Long story... I was telling my friends about a dream I had last week. My e-mail name over Lent is Beatrice Portinari... after Dante's muse. Never mind...
SUFFICE IT TO SAY, Beatrice is to DANTE as Audry is to BRETT. Audry Hepburn is my muse!!! :o)
Maybe Audrey wants me to share this with you? A link to my dream if anyone is interested: http://tinyurl.com/2qll6f
Also, forgive me if this sounds prideful... or as though I'm boasting, but Mark wrote this really nice article about me for New Year. It might help put a different spin on "Brett & Soph'?"
Clearly, we're nuts! :oP
http://tinyurl.com/22xovw
Seriously,
sorry about
the confusion.
Brett & Soph'
Hey Brett or a rose-by-any-name...I love those Audrey collages you sent out this week. Really stunners!
I wish someone would explain to me why I cannot use your tinyURLS but Brad was able to? Is anyone else having this problem? I cut and paste them into Google and get an error page. Very frustrating. I'll fiddle with it another way...
I will have to Google this, also, but I am not familiar w/ Audrey's illness, what it was...will check that out so I can have the full picture.
Off to walk the dawg, or the dawg walks me.
SpiritBear
Ahah! I used an old trick I'd learned and forgotten! If I copy the URL and send it to myself by email (this puts the line under it so it's blue), THEN I can access it.
Silly moi, I'd forgotten that trick!
Ok, will go check out your URLs, Brett...um...AFTER I walk the dawg of course!!!
SB
Audrey Hepburn died of abdominal cancer, but that's not the reason I think so highly of her. You can read more about her here, if interested:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Hepburn
http://www.audreyhepburn.com/
A quote from the article by Mark E. Smith about Brett which you can read at
http://wheelchairjunkie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/crazy-like-brett-in-the-new-year/
"Despite the countless lessons that Brett’s zeal teaches many of us, what strikes me most of all is that his life prove among my own foremost beliefs: Life doesn’t always work out the way we want, but if we have faith, it does workout exactly the way that it’s supposed to – that is, presenting us with opportunities to learn, grow, and empower, making a difference in the lives of many others along the way. . . .Let’s not dwell on what we’ve lost or don’t have, or concern ourselves with what unwanted life changes may come our ways next. Rather, let’s draw upon our strengths and passions, and allow them to lead us toward making a difference in our our own communities and in the lives of those around us. Let us know that although we may not be able to control what happens to our bodies, with dedication, fortitude, and perseverance, we can control the impact that we make in the world – an impact that offers understanding, hope, and empowerment to others."
Brett, I love your Audrey dream! That one is at:
http://www.wheelchairjunkie.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=020807
And there you can see the collages I was referring to.
These things make me smile today!
SpiritBear
Oh, PS, of course, Brett already provided those links as tinyURLs but, anyway, there you have multiple ways to get to see these links.
:)
SB
Brett&Soph', I would like to interject a thought into your saying, “I have friends of many different faiths, etc.”.
There is only Faith, and many friends with different beliefs. Faith is like a muscle, maybe a religious muscle of the soul, the more you use it the stronger it gets. Much like a physical muscle it does not work by itself, only in association with other muscles, but without individual effort it becomes flabby and is not much good for anything. The muscle of Faith is used towards achieving the potential of spiritual perfection, expressed as differently as we are in our physical bodies.
The religious problem being that we are told by any given church what faith is and how we should use it to support their beliefs, rather than to use it to support our own transforming and transcendent experiences.
In this regard I would say evil is an individual separation of self, yes arrogance, from the Divine Father of origin, the Father that sustains all life without interfering with the ways of his creation. God is not personal until we choose to Faith acknowledge that it is so; regardless of the kinds of thoughts and ideas that we believe at any given moment in our lives. Strong muscles bring the body into to its own unique alignment.
Brad, I really relate to that analogy and I've never heard it expressed before anywhere. But I have experienced it and now you have given my experience a name! I went for a couple of decades not exercising that muscle and then I began again. In my own way. I think for me I have fixated more on the concept of Hope than Faith but, actually, they may not be that different from each other. Maybe I don't talk about Faith much because usually if you do, the listener puts their own definiition on it, thinking they know what you mean but they don't necessarily.
Thank you for that bit of language clarity!
SpiritBear
Hi Brad,
That's an interesting analogy. My friend Karen Wenzel who is the Director of the Rocky Mountain MS Center just sent me this beautiful article she wrote for their quarterly magazine. I figured you (and others) might enjoy reading the article. It's focus is primarily "creativity," but faith, creativity and companionship all go hand in hand.
Cut/Paste this link into your address box:
http://tinyurl.com/2tz3ro
And then click on: Winter 2008 (PDF) "Creativity, Healing & MS"
Her article will download to your desktop.
Or, if that doesn't work... Google "Rocky Mountain MS Center" and search "InforMS" on their website.
Karen's article is very good, and brings a good many thoughts into focus for the reader. Our painting "DREAMS" is on the front cover. :o)
Talk more later,
Brett & Soph'
Also, more dreams,
if you're interested:
http://tinyurl.com/2cleyl
We do have fun! ;o)
God bless,
Brett & the Bad Dog
SpiritBear,
Hope is important. :o) All kidding aside, "Hope" was the name of a great Dane Helper Dog I originally "matched with" many years ago... through a service that trains "Helper Dogs" for disabled people. As fate would have it... "Hope" didn't pass as my service dog... Many months later she would pass for someone else. Anyhow, the point being... perhaps it is God's way of telling me that I will one day lose "Hope" again. :o/
Boy, I "Hope" not though! ;o)
You can read my entire "Helper Dog" story here, if anyone is interested. It is the story of the "Helper Dog" who did pass the test... and who made me a stronger person. Her name is wisdom... my "Sophia!" :o)
Two quick links:
http://tinyurl.com/22dk9p
http://tinyurl.com/3xs8n9
I told you.
Professors
assign a lot
of reading! :o)
Also, just a quick plug…
http://www.saragroves.com
I’m listening to her now. Sara Groves is another fantastic singer. Some of you might check her out on YouTube too.
We artist types have to stick together ya know! :oP
God bless.
Talk more later!
Brett & Sophia
"Learning the value of silence is learning to listen to, instead of screaming at, reality: opening your mind enough to find what the end of someone else's sentence sounds like, or listening to a dog until you discover what is needed instead of imposing yourself in the name of training."
- Thomas Dobush, Monks of New Skete (October 9, 1941 - November 7, 1973), Gleanings, the Journal of New Skete, Winter 1973.
THANK YOU BRETT AND SOPH'! I just read both those links and the above, for those who haven't read the links yet, is from one of them. I loved reading these and the pictures of Soph' and Chris, it's all so great! A Dog's Tale is a fantastic story...we just don't think of ALL the ways a dog can change our lives. For me, Shaka was what saved me through my husband's dying process, death and widowhood. Shaka was by our sides that whole year, he was essential. When we traveled back and forth from NM home to Dallas for all the chemo and brain surgeries, etc. we had Shaka w/ us in the motel and his favorite perch was on the bed with Rick. He understood what was going on, he tried to heal Rick with his tongue a few times. He made us laugh on the days when nothing else could make us laugh.
Anyway, dogs help with those who need them as does Brett and also for those with less visible ailments like grief and depression. Dogs are our furry angels, I do believe. I can't imagine life without dogs, either in my personal life or on the planet period. To me it's "Ok, here you go, here's your life on Planet Earth. It will be amazing and it will be damned hard sometimes (to put it mildly) but, oh, by the way, here's a dog to help you through it all."
Thanks for sharing all that, Brett. It seems to me that you and Soph' are both embassadors for many fronts.
SpiritBear
(Shaka sends kisses to Soph'!)
Oh, that's a terrific story too, SpiritBear. THANKS FOR SHARING! Yup, I thought you'd enjoy our story. Yes, dogs are wonderful! :o)
The monks of New Skete were the dog training books Chris & I used when I was at about "wit's end" with my puppy "Sophia" as our story explained.
Honestly, I have found that the only thing two dog trainers can ever seem to agree on is that the third one is doing it wrong! :o) Ha, ha... Even so, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE MONKS training program, and they are not even Roman Catholic monks. :oP
Again, Ha, Ha...
Here are the New Skete websites, if anyone is interested in checking them out ??? Oh, the Nuns make incredible cheesecakes and they ship to order. I highly RECOMMEND them too! :o)
http://www.dogsbestfriend.com
http://www.newsketemonks.com
http://www.newskete.com
This too, there is a Monk's of New Skete TV Show on Animal Planet that you may like to checkout, called "Divine Canine.
http://tinyurl.com/2jufrf
Lastly, and then I MUST GO FOR NOW. Every year I send out a rather elaborate Christmas card to my family, friends and "art associates." This card describes a particularly interesting year! YOU MIGHT ENJOY IT? My two cousins and I made a "pilgrimage," I suppose you'd have to call it, to see the monks in 2005, and we all had a very GOOD visit! ;o)
http://tinyurl.com/2zxcgn
Also, here is Christmas 2007, if you enjoyed that one. It will download to your desktop:
http://tinyurl.com/2eqk27
Okay, more later. Yes SpiritBear, I am the man of many hats. :o)
God bless you,
Brett & Soph'
Hello again...I got caught up in 3-D life for a few days...but I did check out the monks' websites, Brett, I have known about them for a while. Phenomenal work they do!
And so now we draw this salon to a close. It has been so interesting, educational, thought-provoking. We have been truly honored and blessed to have Brett with us.
Since went "over time" (having too much fun!) I am going to go ahead and open a new salon this evening. That one will be up for a couple weeks and then we are in for a treat later in March, a new interview format with an artist and much to discuss!
If anyone wants to comment further here and give a shout to Brett & Soph', they can always still do so in the comments section of this Salon 24, even once Salon 25 is up and running.
Thank you again, Brett, and see you on the web!
Blessings & gratitude,
SpiritBear
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