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5.0 out of 5 stars
Spiritual Transformation, August 21, 2010
This review is from: Art and Spiritual Transformation: The Seven Stages of Death and Rebirth (Paperback)
In times of anxiety such as these it is heartening to read such a positive book.
The author passionately believes, and writes convincingly, that despite the problems facing us we are in fact on the verge of an unprecedented transcendence.
The birth pangs are agonizing. The greater the change the greater the upheaval, from the abandonment of an idea to the death of a civilization.
The seven stage cycle of death, dismemberment and spiritual rebirth has been recounted thousands of times before and can be found all over the world in ancient myths of initiation. Jesus' death on the cross and subsequent resurrection is only the most famous example of it.
The book, though, is not simply another re-telling of an ancient myth. Eversole insists it has enormous significance today and that intimations of what is to come can already be found in the art of our time.
Focusing on well-known 20th century artists Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Robert Smithson and others, he takes us on an inward journey of the soul that is revealing, disturbing and tremendously empowering.
Artists, he maintains, are often prophets, acting intuitively, frequently unconscious of the forces working through them, sensing ahead of anyone else, the shifts taking place around them, making them invaluable barometers of social, psychological and spiritual change.
`Within our lifetime', he says, `American art has given us images, like precognition in dreams, of a radical transformation of man and of civilization - a transformation that is just beginning to reach us at conscious levels...`art, by its very nature is a transformative process, an act of re-creation. It carries within itself the seeds of cultural change'.
Death, dismemberment, descent into the underworld, the `Dark night of the Soul', searching for a new direction, the gradual ascent and final rebirth on a more spiritual level of being, these are the stages under discussion.
Each one is symbolized by a particular artist, Pollock and de Kooning for death and dismemberment, Tony Smith and Rothko for the time in hell, and so on.
In the final part, The Creative Promise of the Coming Age, Eversole provides not only a brilliant analysis of Existentialism - one of the best I have ever read - but also marshals all his evidence to prove that despite all the negativities of our age there is now an unstoppable process of spiritualization at work leading to immense changes in thought, psychology, politics and spirituality.
The entire work, detailing every step on the journey, is a profound and extensive meditation on the spiritual life. As a guide to that life it is worth reading many times over.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Art and Spiritual Transformation" is a particular treat, July 9, 2010
This review is from: Art and Spiritual Transformation: The Seven Stages of Death and Rebirth (Paperback)
"Art and Spiritual Transformation" is a particular treat for anyone with an interest in both spirituality and art. This large book is filled with numerous pictures and colour plates that accompany a provocative text on how one can move beyond the visual content of an art form and connect with its embedded spiritual energy, tap into the deeper consciousness inherent in an artwork and thus awaken dormant powers in the depths of the viewer's soul.
The book is dedicated "To all who seek light" and draws on philosophy, myth, symbolism, literature, and metaphysics to explain the seven stages of spiritual death and rebirth of the soul possible through art: Dismemberment, Death-Containment-Waiting, Descent into the Underworld, Wandering the Labyrinth and Searching for the Way, the Dance of Life, Finding the Way: Return and Reintegration, and finally Ecstasy and Transfiguration. These stages are illustrated by the work of eleven individual artists including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Alex Grey and Ernest Fuchs, among others, to reveal the liberating forces that contribute to the transformation and evolution of human consciousness.
Author Finley Eversole, Ph.D. is a long time student of the Ageless Wisdom and his extensive credentials include collaborations with Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts, W.H. Auden, and Alfred H. Barr Jr. The book draws on quotes from Alice Bailey, Djwhal Khul, Mme. Blavatsky, and Annie Besant as well as extensive and insightful quotations from a wide-ranging variety of noted luminaries. The first quote offered, by Will L.Garver, reads: "Never was there a more powerful and universal teacher than art; and great is the influence we exert in the world through its mysterious language, the meaning of which, while often incomprehensible to the intellect, seldom fails to reach the soul."
The book includes a particularly interesting discussion by Mr. Eversole on "Art and the Evolution of Consciousness". He states: "Like music, lines, shapes, and images are dynamic energy equations creating corresponding changes in human consciousness." He goes on to say that all forms are energy equations, "each of which sets up corresponding energy vibrations in consciousness, reproducing itself in the subtle matter of the mental plane and the even more subtle matter of the soul, for it is the soul that interprets to the mind what it sees. Every shape, movement of a line, hue, and shade of color, positioning of an element in a work of art, choice of medium, or use of texture produces its own unique effects in consciousness and evokes its own specific responses. Like calls to like, stimulates like, gives birth to like. How we interpret what we see depends on the content of our own life experiences and the associations we make based on these experiences. In this way the forms in which consciousness invests itself act as stimuli, shaping and driving the evolution of consciousness by means of new and ever-changing patterns of experiences."
If topics of art and spirituality are of interest to the reader, this book offers some stimulating, thoughtful and insightful comments on which to ponder.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
What is the role of art in the modern era, December 16, 2011
This review is from: Art and Spiritual Transformation: The Seven Stages of Death and Rebirth (Paperback)
For many contemporary artists, creation is simply a tool of self expression, for others it is a political or socio-economic statement, and for a few it continues to offer spiritual solace and wisdom. Historically art was used to depict the unknowable mysteries of life, such as the primordial shamanic cave paintings seen in France and other parts of Europe. The same spiritual energy, or zeitgeist, was later used as a tool by the church to educate the illiterate about the marvelous stories of creation and the biblical message for humanity. As the church's grip on power was usurped by the power of kings, art was used to represent the mighty and powerful, and thus encourage patriotism. However with the advent of the camera, and the immediacy of the front page news photo, art was free to find new pathways and thus became more personal and expressive. Yet the ancient link, the representation of the sacred remains the golden thread that weaves through the spiritual body of art. This element can often be a surprise to those who do not understand the inner spiritual journey or the archetypal journey of the artist. Author Finley Eversole explores the, at times, obscure golden thread as he explores the seven stages of death and rebirth through art in this in-depth exploration. He believes that transformational art offers a journey that takes the "darkened soul" or perhaps sleeping soul, to the awakening light of spiritual illumination through art. The book begins with an overview of the history of art, and then moves rapidly to well known 20th century artists such as Jackson Pollack, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko, as well as modern visionary artists such as Alex Grey and Ernst Fuchs. You don't have to be an artist to enjoy and receive the rich offerings of this amazing book but I believe you will see art and your own creative expressions with different eyes once you have studied it. It is indeed a book to be studied, delved into and intuitively opened to certain pages when the time is right. This book is definitely a "must have" for any aspiring artist, both of fine arts and prose as it reveals in very clear terms, the link between image, archetype and reality. It is a large book, beautifully illustrated with many plates and images from the various artists he explores. Each page is divided with a large margin in which little quotes and insights from such notables as H.P. Blavatsky, Li Po and Mary Bailey, are recorded to support the information explored. It is a delightfully written book with lots of personal touches, but perhaps more importantly it asks us to delve deep into our psyche and explore the rhythms, patterns and unconscious urges that truly govern our lives. Artists take this collective pattern and make art from those soul vibrations. There are collective longings that need to be explored and currently only artists do this. If we each explore and then become our own shaman journey-man, perhaps we will understand the recurring patterns that express a desire for change or transformation more easily. With our collective eyes fixed intently on the shifting patterns and prophesies of 2012, perhaps it is finally time for each of us to study the inner artist and gain a deeper and more personal insight into this collective urge.
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