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04/07/2005: "PICTURE THIS - making art for eternity"

Before I read Dr. Michael Newton's books, "Journey of Souls" and "Destiny of Souls," "case studies of life between lives," the only conceptual visualization of "heaven" that I had was "pearly gates of Saint Peter," "winged angels with halos," and "bright white light at the end of a dark tunnel." As a fine arts artist over a life time, I hope eternity to be more than a very long time of idleness. I want to continue to be involved in the creative process, to make!



Dr. Newton is a life regression hypnotist that specializes in taping into the spiritual world of his clients. I personally found his findings intriguing and inspirational for the direction and purpose of my present and future art. Even if there is speculation of the validity of the reporting through the hypnotic mode of investigation of the after life, or more accurately the in between lives of client-subjects, a wonderful portrait of the spiritual world is rendered in these publications. If there is just a possibility that the description of the other world does exists, then precious hope lives for an uninterrupted life of creativity for the artistic soul, till kingdom come. Our passions of imagination, intuition, and creative expression would survive and pass along with the departing soul. After death, art lives!

"Greeters," digital

According to what hypnotic subjects see deep in the trance state, there is a remarkable consistency in description of the spiritual world. The following elucidation of what "heaven" might be like is based upon decades of research by Dr. Newton and his specialized techniques of probing in the very deep hypnotic subconscious state.

Upon death there is a departure of the soul from the physical world and human body into bright light, sometimes through a tunnel and amidst layers of delicate "interwoven" strands of light. We are meet by benevolent spiritual guides, possibly what we refer to as "guardian angels." Upon reentry into the spiritual realm we may also be greeted by deceased friends and relatives of former lives before continuing on our journey to debriefing sessions and our "cluster" soul groups of long standing. After that there is a meeting with a "council of elders" and possibly "screening rooms" as prelude for reincarnation to assume another life here on Earth (or elsewhere in an other "interdimensional" space), in order to further progress through the "stages of enlightenment" as an evolving spiritual being.

"Spiritual Guide," digital

So what aesthetic phenomena are described in this spiritual pathway of rejuvenation, reunion and progressive growth in divinity, as described by hynotized subjects speaking in altered voices?

Many report spirits of different color auras, from beginning tints of whites, and advancing through a progression of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Speculation is that these colors are the result of different frequencies of vibrating energy which change with the progressive advancement of consciousness of the souls. Spirits can remain concentrated spheres of light or take on the likeness of those whom they were on Earth.

"Spirit," digital

Through the power of spiritual imagination, Earthly simulations and metaphors, such as rainbows, animals, landscapes (for example meadows of wildflowers), waterfalls, breaking waves, and even marble temples can be created. The five senses abound, including melodic harmony, music, and visual abstractions of colored light. Even a nostalgic kiss between fusing spirits can take place, reminiscing the roles of lovers in some past Earthly lives. By means of the study of such life metaphors using simulations and transformations, karmic lessons that increase spiritual growth may be revealed. According to the researcher, there is much consistency in the reporting of the spiritual world including interactive screening rooms with scenes of future life and books of spent lives in library archives. Classrooms and temples with clusters of souls seem to also be commonplace by those witnessing through the deepened beyond normal hypnotic trance. Such a trance takes several hours to attain using special techniques and manifests different brain waves than those of the familiar hypnotic trance.

"Cluster," digital

Through the advancement of wisdom and ethical growth, souls can eventually specialize, such as teachers, spiritual guides, archivists, gatekeepers, and creators of physical entities. What is most encouraging is souls so inclined can specialize and become artists that continue to develop aesthetically as well as contribute to harmony in our increasingly chaotic physical world. To advance in their specialty of art as their mode of enlightenment, the possibility of reincarnations may be one means to contribute heavenly art as the means to make harmony all pervasive. Dr. Newton does stress the importance of the dream state as one vehicle by which the spiritual world can communicate to the living, such as clues about past lives lived. I will admit my dreams of creating dinosaur pictures in a cave, rendering African black women portraits, then Chinese exquisite watercolors, none which I am inclined to do now as a digital artist, now have special profound meaning to me which strengthen my determination in this lifetime to continue my artistic explorations of this medium embedded in this era of high tech culture.

"Souls," digital

In an ethereal world the figurative, or the physical representation of Earthly objects, may just be human references for the more ubiquitous equilibrium of perfected composition of space, color, rhythm, and balance. In quantum physics the source of everything is postulated to be the vibration of particles of energy, including light. The artistically derived visual abstract may approach what is universal harmony, thereby serving as an elixir for the chaos that torments primitive life here on Earth.

Replies: 7 Comments

on Sunday, April 10th, Brad Michael Moore said

We are what we dream. If our spirit is low, distracted, and burdened by what we can't seem to control - or not, such uneasiness will be reflected in our dreams. When I dream of art - and I'm lucid enough to bring a piece of it back into my waking hours, I record all of it I can and then I reevaluate my present life, and consider those harmonious elements that must have assisted me in my art dream. It is this introspection that revels to me the truer side of my life and I try to hold on to those moments and try building upon them. When my dreams are filled with angst and discordance, I am reminded, upon awakening, that I again have work to do in bringing balance back into my everyday realm. Thanks for the blog - it refreshes my timber.

on Saturday, April 9th, Larry Lovett said

Newton's books touch upon a wonderful concept that is shared by all of the world's religions.
Eternal Life.
If one studies ancient religions,
one is exposed to the idea that the
next life would transpire here on this
world, Earth, where we now find ourselves.
Since we now have evidence that the Universe
is actually gigantic and filled with billions
or even trillions of stars some of which must
have planets, it might be more logical to
expect that we would experience the "next life"
on the "next world", rather than on this one.
All of these ideas and many additional ones
are considered in much greater detail in
"The Urantia Book"
You can find this book in most libraries and
also read it for free at their website,
URANTIA.ORG

on Saturday, April 9th, Hillery said

Morihi Ushiba, founder of Aikido, said, "to harminize with life is to come into accord with that part of God which flows through all things."

Perhaps it is the greater job of the artist to reach into this flow (with brush, ink, paper, and even a computer) to extract a single 2 dimensional moment, to illuminate anew something of the greater universe that indeed touches us all. Great art has never failed to enhance our lives, encourage new inner discoveries, deepen our appreciation of all things, and improve our civility.

"Buddha Nature pervades all natures and embraces all things, as one moon imprints a thousand streams, and all the thousand streams reflect the one moon; one spring nurtures a myriad flowers, and all the myriad flowers are endowed with the wonder of Spring." ~Anonymous (he must have been an artist!)

on Friday, April 8th, David Camp said

PY, Both of Newton's books had an effect on my perception of what is and on my art. I had already begun my vast web art project, intended as an expansion of Dante's work, before reading Newton's books, but since reading Newton I've recognized echoes of past life books in my art (some of the hue shifting pieces), and I've consciously incorporated Newton's progressive soul colors into my project. I also liked the parts of Newton's books where he spoke of "flags," pre-arranged reminders to keep us on track for what we selected for a life. I've experienced many of these. -David http://www.dreamart.us/

on Friday, April 8th, Mike Butler said

Another book, on the theme of reincarnation, that you might enjoy is The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche. I know it blew my mind when I read it in 1993 -- and I still haven't recovered. :) :) It is a big influence on my art.

Here is a blurb:

"Everything that we see around us is seen as it is because we have repeatedly solidified our experience of inner and outer reality in the same way, lifetime after lifetime, and this has led to the mistaken assumption that what we see is objectively real. In fact, as we go further along the spiritual path, we learn how to work directly with our fixed perceptions. All our old concepts of the world or of matter or of even ourselves are purified and dissolved, and an entirely new, what you could call “heavenly” field of vision and perception opens up. As William Blake said:

If the doors of perception were cleansed
Everything would appear . . . as it is, infinite."

on Friday, April 8th, Satoshi Matsuyama said

If we have a talk with God in our dreams or in our mother nature, that is good for us.
Because He loves us as His children with patience.
If we really understand the dreams, it is not just a dreams we have,
it will turn to the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities through not beheld.
And we will be uplifting and keeping on in our way of artistic expressions.
That is our Jacaranda dreams we've surely seen and confirmed at the Willows.
Thanks for your strong messages we should remember in any situations.

on Friday, April 8th, Paul said

An interesting blog,on hypnosis and the reported findings,and as you say consistency of them,wether or not this is where we all end up,it certainley sounds like a good place,although I have heard that there are no artists in heaven,which seems reasonable enough,as art being in its essence a critism of the world,and not needed where everything is perfect and there is no suffering.Probably when artists pass over to the 'pearly gates'theyll get short shrift and be told to get a proper job,and will have to till the feilds for a couple of thousand years to make up for all the laziness they have exhibited in this life by claiming to be 'in the studio'and 'artists'still Michealangelo will probably get in for his superb portrait of God in action,I dont hold out much chance for the rest of us,itll be penance aka the feilds or stoneyard or downstairs with the red guy.