5. Artistic Living
5. Artistic Living: Quotes, Questions, Comments
Dear friends,
This document is too full of quotes and questions to be read in a single sitting. You would brutalize your mind by stuffing all this material in at once. But if you give it time, section by section, you give yourself a chance for a wonderful realization that connects cosmic and divine beauty with the expanding experience of your life. This realization is so valuable, that you can afford to be selective about which questions to work on and which quotes to ponder. Members of a study group can be responsible for different sections of the material.
You will observe that these documents are evolving into less a revealed rationale for the chapters in Living in Truth, Beauty, and Goodness and more a basis for new presentations of supreme values in ways that are more accessible to readers and listeners. Nevertheless, LTBG is in a number of ways more complete and specifically relevant to today’s cultural scene than this document or any collection of Urantia Book quotes.
The place of the charm of intellectual art in a philosophy of living
How to approach the topic of artistic living? A successful workshop began with Rodan’s ideas about the art of living, so that everyone would quickly understand the idea and feel comfortable applying it to their lives. Only then did we turn to the more challenging task of forming a concept of artistic living beginning with “the charm of intellectual art” in the context of the end of Paper 2. The workshop is outlined at the conclusion of this document.
Note that the concept of artistic living in Living in Truth, Beauty, and Goodness includes both sensitive receptivity and creative activity, thus embracing both chapters of Part II, Walking in Beauty. Artistic living becomes the mortal response to the actuals and potentials of universe beauty. We turn again to the paragraphs that set forth the most essential lines of the concept.
The great mistake of the Hebrew religion was its failure to associate the goodness of God with the factual truths of science and the appealing beauty of art. As civilization progressed, and since religion continued to pursue the same unwise course of overemphasizing the goodness of God to the relative exclusion of truth and neglect of beauty, there developed an increasing tendency for certain types of men to turn away from the abstract and dissociated concept of isolated goodness. The overstressed and isolated morality of modern religion, which fails to hold the devotion and loyalty of many twentieth-century men, would rehabilitate itself if, in addition to its moral mandates, it would give equal consideration to the truths of science, philosophy, and spiritual experience, and to the beauties of the physical creation, the charm of intellectual art,and the grandeur of genuine character achievement.
The religious challenge of this age is to those farseeing and forward-looking men and women of spiritual insight who will dare to construct a new and appealing philosophy of living out of the enlarged and exquisitely integrated modern concepts of cosmic truth, universe beauty, and divine goodness. (2:7/43)
Questions. The Divine Counselor speaks of the failure of the Hebrew religion to connect with art and “the charm of intellectual art.” (I interpret art in terms of the traditionally recognized fine arts of painting, sculpture, music, literature—poetry has been especially recognized—dance, theater, and architecture, plus others which have been recognized in recent decades such as film and quilting.) The author then goes on to include the arts in the broader category of universe beauty. How do the arts fit in to the category of universe beauty?
And what is the place of the arts in a philosophy of living?
Why the word “charm” rather than beauty? And why is spiritual beauty not included among in this list of seven topics?
The Divine Counselor speaks of “the charm of intellectual art.” What does it mean for art to be intellectual? As opposed to what? Does the following quote suggest an answer, inasmuch as the arts often do not attempt to achieve their high mission, but aim for a more modest goal?
The high mission of any art is, by its illusions, to foreshadow a higher universe reality, to crystallize the emotions of time into the thought of eternity.” (48:7.23/557.7#21)
Question/exercise. Select an example of a work that expresses this high mission and ask: What emotions of time are immediately elicited by the work. What thought of eternity does the work lead up to? And how does the work lead the experiencer from the emotions of time to the thought of eternity?
All truth — material, philosophic, or spiritual — is both beautiful and good. All real beauty — material art or spiritual symmetry — is both true and good. All genuine goodness — whether personal morality, social equity, or divine ministry — is equally true and beautiful.
Question. How can a work of art be true? Good? Note that beauty is represented by just two types of example, whereas truth and goodness are represented by three types of example. Any thoughts about that difference?
When we talk about the arts, there is no avoiding the fact that, yes, there are degrees of talent.
Only a poet can discern poetry in the commonplace prose of routine existence.
44:8.2 (507.7) There are three possible sources of special human ability: At the bottom always there exists the natural or inherent aptitude. Special ability is never an arbitrary gift of the Gods; there is always an ancestral foundation for every outstanding talent. In addition to this natural ability, or rather supplemental thereto, there may be contributed the leadings of the Thought Adjuster in those individuals whose indwelling Adjusters may have had actual and bona fide experiences along such lines on other worlds and in other mortal creatures. In those cases where both the human mind and the indwelling Adjuster are unusually skillful, the spirit artisans may be delegated to act as harmonizers of these talents and otherwise to assist and inspire these mortals to seek for ever-perfecting ideals and to attempt their enhanced portrayal for the edification of the realm.
Every blue man entertained the ambition of becoming so skillful and artisticas to win the affection of some Adamite woman . . . . (80:1.6/890.2)
Question. Not everyone is a poet, especially in the high sense implied in the first quote in this section. But do we not all have an opportunity to develop a capacity for artistic expression to some degree? As you go through this document, please bring to mind your own efforts of self-cultivation in the arts, past, present, and future. What have you gained from these efforts? And what gains may await you just around the corner if you devote some attention and care?
The balance of religion and humor
Religion should be balanced by humor. Profound philosophy should be relieved by rhythmic poetry. The strain of living — the time tension of personality — should be relaxed by the restfulness of worship. (143:7.3/1616.5)
If we can say that there are the fine arts and the fun arts—play, humor, sports, hobbies, gardening (which can be a fine art), and so on . . . .
Question. What difference do you notice in yourself when your life is balanced (as opposed to those other times)? What factors promote balance for you?
When we are tempted to magnify our self-importance, if we stop to contemplate the infinity of the greatness and grandeur of our Makers, our own self-glorification becomes sublimely ridiculous, even verging on the humorous. One of the functions of humor is to help all of us take ourselves less seriously. Humor is the divine antidote for exaltation of ego. . . . The need for the relaxation and diversion of humor is greatest in those orders of ascendant beings who are subjected to sustained stress in their upward struggles. . . . The higher the mortal species, the greater the stress and the greater the capacity for humor as well as the necessity for it. . . . Humor should function as an automatic safety valve to prevent the building up of excessive pressures due to the monotony of sustained and serious self-contemplation in association with the intense struggle for developmental progress and noble achievement. (48:4.15-18/549.2-5)
Question. How could a person cultivate a sense of humor?
The concept of artistic living
Living the truth is an all-encompassing concept. So, you will see, it artistic living (call it the art of living or walking in beauty or find your own expression).
LTBGworks with a three-phase concept of artistic living basics, predicated on Deity patterns. The first phase is observation and study, a priority drawn from the preparation arranged for the Creator Sons.
21:2.1 (235.4) The Paradise Sons of the primary order are the designers, creators, builders, and administrators of their respective domains, the local universes of time and space, the basic creative units of the seven evolutionary superuniverses. A Creator Son is permitted to choose the space site of his future cosmic activity, but before he may begin even the physical organization of his universe, he must spend a long period of observation devoted to the study of the efforts of his older brothers in various creations located in the superuniverse of his projected action. And prior to all this, the Michael Son will have completed his long and unique experience of Paradise observation and Havona training.
The second phase is intelligent design, an idea drawn from the Universal Father. The Paradise Deities are related as thought, word and deed.
God is the initiating thought and the Son is the expressionful word.(6:8.3/79.6).
2:7.5 (42.6) The wise philosopher will always look for the creative designwhich is behind, and pre-existent to, all universe phenomena. The creator thought invariably precedes creative action.
“Design” has some inappropriate connotations, since an architect’s design leaves little creative work to be done by those who express and actualize it, whereas the Father, motivated above all by a Father’s love, delegates everything possible to the Son and Spirit and all other beings. The idea of design is complemented by the ideas of purpose, thought, plan, law, and controller (a concept which does not, etymologically speaking, imply micro-management).
The third phase of artistic living that I highlight in my summary is liberated performance. This is a quality of spontaneity that is not impulsive because of its grounding in the two preceding elements. Here the pattern is the Conjoint Actor, the model for us all in decision-action.
8:1.2 (90.6) The first act of the Infinite Spirit is the inspection and recognition of his divine parents, the Father-Father and the Mother-Son. He, the Spirit, unqualifiedly identifies both of them. He is fully cognizant of their separate personalities and infinite attributes as well as of their combined nature and united function. Next, voluntarily, with transcendent willingness and inspiring spontaneity,the Third Person of Deity, notwithstanding his equality with the First and Second Persons, pledges eternal loyalty to God the Father and acknowledges everlasting dependence upon God the Son.
The Conjoint Actor’s first action brings into existence the billion perfect worlds of Havona. Our greatest creative opportunity is to function as the co-creator of our soul.
7:4.6 (85.7) 3. The Plan of Mercy Ministry. When the attainment plan and the bestowal plan had been formulated and proclaimed, alone and of himself, the Infinite Spirit projected and put in operation the tremendous and universal enterprise of mercy ministry.
Contemplating Deity patterns deepens our appreciation of the privilege of being a personality of free will endowed with the power of creative and co-creative decision-action.
Neither is the universe like the art of the artist, but rather like the striving, dreaming, aspiring, and advancing artistwho seeks to transcend the world of material things in an effort to achieve a spiritual goal(195:7; 2080.8 cp par 1).
Question. What happens to the tendency to extreme idealism (103:4/1133) when we conceive of our efforts in the age of the evolution of the Supreme less as a struggle to produce a masterpiece and more like the striving, dreaming, aspiring, and advancing artist?
56:10.10 (647.1) Beauty sponsors art, music, and the meaningful rhythms of all human experience.
Question. As you grow in the realization of your developing skill in artistic living, what does it feel like to realize that beauty is sponsoring your efforts?
And think of examples of rhythms that are meaningful and rhythms that are not particularly meaningful. How is an example of the first class meaningful?
The challenge of artistic living (as characterized in LTBG, p. 123-24) may be described as ascending to the experience of flow (excellence in spontaneity). The ideals mentioned there are illustrated, above all, in the way that Jesus lived; they are also indicated in some of his teachings, and we see them on a large scale in a planet in light and life. The first five quotes give some examples.
125:6.12 (1384.8) Though Jesus, in his mind, would many times refuse to consent to the well-intentioned but misguided efforts of his parents to dictate the course of his thinking or to establish the plan of his work on earth, still, in every manner consistent with his dedication to the doing of his Paradise Father’s will, he did most gracefully conform to the desires of his earthly father and to the usages of his family in the flesh. Even when he could not consent, he would do everything possible to conform. He was an artist in the matter of adjusting his dedication to duty to his obligations of family loyalty and social service.
127:6.12 (1405.4) [Jesus] is steadily acquiring the art of adjusting his aspirations to the commonplace demands of the human occasion. He has very nearly mastered the techniqueof utilizing the energy of the spiritual drive to turn the mechanism of material achievement. . . . He is becoming experienced in the skillfulwresting of victory from the very jaws of defeat; he is learning how to transform the difficulties of time into the triumphs of eternity.
Question. Jesus’ art of living was developed as he harmonized tensions that are a normal part of human living. What tension in your life is inviting you to develop your artistry? See what you can do today (this week, month . . .), and report your results to your study/growth group.
143:2.4 (1609.5) “By the old way you seek to suppress, obey, and conform to the rules of living; by the new way you are first transformed by the Spirit of Truth and thereby strengthened in your inner soul by the constant spiritual renewing of your mind, and so are you endowed with the power of the certain and joyous performance of the gracious, acceptable, and perfect will of God.
143:2.8 (1610.3) “If, then, my children, you are born of the spirit, you are forever delivered from the self-conscious bondage of a life of self-denial and watchcare over the desires of the flesh, and you are translated into the joyous kingdom of the spirit, whence you spontaneously show forth the fruits of the spirit in your daily lives; and the fruits of the spirit are the essence of the highest type of enjoyable and ennobling self-control, even the heights of terrestrial mortal attainment — true self-mastery.”
Question. What happens if we consider the teachings of Jesus as, among other things, teaching us the secrets of walking in beauty, flow, artistic living?
118:10.15 (1306.4) 3. Man’s universe integration — the increase of human insight plus the increase of human experiential achievement brings him into closer harmony with the unifying presences of Supremacy — Paradise Trinity and Supreme Being. And this is what establishes the sovereignty of the Supreme on the worlds long settled in light and life. Such advanced planets are indeed poems of harmony, pictures of the beauty of achieved goodness attained through the pursuit of cosmic truth.
Question. We normally think of artistic living as an individual achievement. What happens if we see our own artistic living (at whatever level) as a contribution to this dimension of planetary progress?
103:6.2 (1135.4) When man approaches the study and examination of his universe from the outside, he brings into being the various physical sciences; when he approaches the research of himself and the universe from the inside, he gives origin to theology and metaphysics. The later art of philosophy develops in an effort to harmonizethe many discrepancies which are destined at first to appear between the findings and teachings of these two diametrically opposite avenues of approaching the universe of things and beings.
Questions. When we refer to something as an art, we often mean to imply that it is not a science, not an activity that can be done by simply following a recipe, algorithm, or set of rules. How do the feeling tones differ when you think of a philosophy and when you think of an art? As you harmonize science and religion—or see it done, how do you find this to be an art?
The next two quotes juxtapose the art of living and the philosophy of living.
86:6.6 (956.2) At last the mind of primitive man was occupied with thoughts which transcended all of his inherent biologic urges; at last man was about to evolve an art of living based on something more than response to material stimuli.The beginnings of a primitive philosophic life policy were emerging. A supernatural standard of living was about to appear, for, if the spirit ghost in anger visits ill luck and in pleasure good fortune, then must human conduct be regulated accordingly. The concept of right and wrong had at last evolved; and all of this long before the times of any revelation on earth.
89:3.3 (976.5) Self-denial and self-control were two of the greatest social gains from early evolutionary religion. Self-control gave man a new philosophy of life; it taught him the art of augmenting life’s fraction by lowering the denominator of personal demands instead of always attempting to increase the numerator of selfish gratification.
Question: Do these two passages imply that the philosophy of living is the same as the art of living? How do they differ? What does each of these ideas imply? Does each one some how involve or call for the other? How so?
See how the next quote continues this inquiry and expands our concept of art into the realm of goodness (this will be a recurring theme).
16:7.7 (193.6) Man’s choosing between good and evil is influenced, not only by the keenness of his moral nature, but also by such influences as ignorance, immaturity, and delusion. A sense of proportionis also concerned in the exercise of virtue because evil may be perpetrated when the lesser is chosen in the place of the greater as a result of distortion or deception. The art of relative estimationor comparative measurement enters into the practice of the virtues of the moral realm.
16:7.8 (193.7) Man’s moral nature would be impotent without the art of measurement, the discrimination embodied in his ability to scrutinize meanings. Likewise would moral choosing be futile without that cosmic insight which yields the consciousness of spiritual values.
A new category now: the arts of civilization. The gospel we profess to believe highlights the spiritual equality of each person. But civilization matters.
71:4.15 (804.15) And this progress in the arts of civilization leads directly to the realization of the highest human and divine goals of mortal endeavor — the social achievement of the brotherhood of man and the personal status of God-consciousness, which becomes revealed in the supreme desire of every individual to do the will of the Father in heaven.
Question. What happens if we motivate our practice of the arts broadly speaking by orienting ourselves to the above goals?
Behold the full range of the arts of civilization! On 71:4/804 we have this list. “The progressive program of an expanding civilization embraces: preservation of individual liberties, protection of the home, promotion of economic security, prevention of disease, compulsory education, compulsory employment, profitable utilization of leisure, care of the unfortunate, race improvement, promotion of science and art, promotion of philosophy—wisdom, and augmentation of cosmic insight—spirituality.”
In addition, note the original close association of art and science—promoted together in the Planetary Prince’s staff by the planetary council on art and science, which did much to improve the industrial technique of early man and to elevate his concepts of beauty”—in addition to the decorative arts and the home arts (66:5.23-27/748.4-8; 50:4/575); 122:5/1349.3).
The following are also mentioned as arts: practical arts generally (51:6/587), land techniques—maintenance arts (collection, hunting, herding, agriculture [68:5/768), agriculture, manufacture and warfare (74:5/833), building (80:6/894), and printing (93:7/1022.2).
The practical arts might take this line as their motto: True art is the effective manipulation of the material things of life. (195:7.16/2080.1)
Note that the expanded concept of the arts as connected with science (and the concept of beauty as connected with joy) makes it possible to include scientific living within the broad concept of artistic living.
Question. If we expand the concept of material things to include the use of space and time, what happens to our daily work with material things if we conceive of it as art?
127:3.8 (1399.7) Several times a year . . . Jesus continued to read the Sabbath scriptures at the synagogue and many times offered comments on the lesson, but usually he so selected the passages that comment was unnecessary. He was skillful, so arranging the order of the reading of the various passagesthat the one would illuminate the other.
Question/exercise. Arrange a series of quotes from The Urantia Book (or elsewhere) so that you do not need to comment on them.
48:6.30 (554.4) 6. Recorder-Teachers. These seraphim are the recorders of the borderland transactions of the spiritual and the physical, of the relationships of men and angels, of the morontia transactions of the lower universe realms. They also serve as instructors regarding the efficient and effective techniques of fact recording. There is an artistry in the intelligent assembly and co-ordination of related data, and this art is heightened in collaboration with the celestial artisans, and even the ascending mortals become thus affiliated with the recording seraphim.
The art of living in a broad sense is coming into view. The following quotes from Rodan not only make us feel comfortable with the accessible concept of the art of living, but they also present an expanded concept that includes the realm of goodness.
160:1.2 (1772.3) Human life consists in three great drives — urges, desires, and lures. Strong character, commanding personality, is only acquired by converting the natural urge of life into the social art of living, by transforming present desires into those higher longings which are capable of lasting attainment, while the commonplace lure of existence must be transferred from one’s conventional and established ideas to the higher realms of unexplored ideas and undiscovered ideals.
160:1.3 (1772.4) The more complex civilization becomes, the more difficult will become the art of living. The more rapid the changes in social usage, the more complicated will become the task of character development. Every ten generations mankind must learn anew the art of living if progress is to continue. And if man becomes so ingenious that he more rapidly adds to the complexities of society, the art of living will need to be remastered in less time, perhaps every single generation. If the evolution of the art of living fails to keep pace with the technique of existence, humanity will quickly revert to the simple urge of living — the attainment of the satisfaction of present desires. Thus will humanity remain immature; society will fail in growing up to full maturity.
160:1.5 (1773.2) Man may elect to live upon the high plane of intelligent art, even that of celestial joy and spiritual ecstasy. . . . [Suicide:] such human beings have failed to attain the artistic levels of mortal experience. Animals know not the meaning of life; man not only possesses capacity for the recognition of values and the comprehension of meanings, but he also is conscious of the meaning of meanings — he is self-conscious of insight.
160:1.6 (1773.3) When men dare to forsake a life of natural craving for one of adventurous artand uncertain logic, they must expect to suffer the consequent hazards of emotional casualties — conflicts, unhappiness, and uncertainties — at least until the time of their attainment of some degree of intellectual and emotional maturity.
160:1.7 (1773.4) Successful living is nothing more or less than the art of the mastery of dependable techniques for solving common problems. The first step in the solution of any problem is to locate the difficulty, to isolate the problem, and frankly to recognize its nature and gravity. The great mistake is that, when life problems excite our profound fears, we refuse to recognize them. Likewise, when the acknowledgment of our difficulties entails the reduction of our long-cherished conceit, the admission of envy, or the abandonment of deep-seated prejudices, the average person prefers to cling to the old illusions of safety and to the long-cherished false feelings of security. Only a brave person is willing honestly to admit, and fearlessly to face, what a sincere and logical mind discovers.
160:2.3 (1775.4) It is this ability to communicate and share meanings that constitutes human culture and enables man, through social associations, to build civilizations. Knowledge and wisdom become cumulative because of man’s ability to communicate these possessions to succeeding generations. And thereby arise the cultural activities of the race: art, science, religion, and philosophy.
160:2.5 (1775.6) . . . [A]ssociations of friendship and mutual affection are socializing and ennobling because they encourage and facilitate the following essential factors of the higher levels of the art of living: [There follow paragraphs on (1) mutual self-expression and self-understanding; (2) union of souls—the mobilization of wisdom; (3) the enthusiasm for living; and (4) the enhanced defense against all evil.
Question. In all the flow of wonderfulness in these teachings of Rodan, is there an idea that you would like to work with to make it a new habit? Note that some teachings of Rodan contradict what is said elsewhere in The Urantia Book. This is Rodan’s Greek philosophy, less reliable than the philosophy/art of living presented by the revelators.
Next, we have revealed teachings that fit in easily with Rodan’s concept of the art of living.
28:5.14 (312.1) One of the most important lessons to be learned during your mortal career is teamwork. The spheres of perfection are manned by those who have mastered this art of working with other beings. Few are the duties in the universe for the lone servant.
Question: What happens when we view difficulty in teamwork as an exercise in learning an art?
109:5.4 (1199.5) The great problem of life is the adjustment of the ancestral tendencies of living to the demands of the spiritual urges initiated by the divine presence of the Mystery Monitor. While in the universe and superuniverse careers no man can serve two masters, in the life you now live on Urantia every man must perforce serve two masters. He must become adept in the art of a continuous human temporal compromise while he yields spiritual allegiance to but one master . . . .
Harmony is the speech of Havona. (44:1.15/500.6)
Question. How can our speech become more harmonious when it is time for “carefrontation”—respectfully bringing up a problem that needs to be addressed?
A concept of beauty
Values are real. They are not mere individual or cultural preferences.
196:3.10 (2094.9) The human mind does not create real values; human experience does not yield universe insight. Concerning insight, the recognition of moral values and the discernment of spiritual meanings, all that the human mind can do is to discover, recognize, interpret, and choose.
The discernment of supreme beauty is the discovery and integration of reality: The discernment of the divine goodness in the eternal truth, that is ultimate beauty. Even the charm of human art consists in the harmony of its unity. (2:7, 43.1)
Philosophy you somewhat grasp, and divinity you comprehend in worship, social service, and personal spiritual experience, but the pursuit of beauty—cosmology—you all too often limit to the study of man's crude artistic endeavors. Beauty, art, is largely a matter of the unification of contrasts. Variety is essential to the concept of beauty.The supreme beauty, the height of finite art, is the drama of the unification of the vastness of the cosmic extremes of Creator and creature. Man finding God and God finding man--the creature becoming perfect as is the Creator--that is the supernal achievement of the supremely beautiful, the attainment of the apex of cosmic art.
Hence materialism, atheism, is the maximation of ugliness, the climax of the finite antithesis of the beautiful. Highest beauty consists in the panorama of the unification of the variations which have been born of pre-existent harmonious reality.
The attainment of cosmologic levels of thought includes:
1. Curiosity. Hunger for harmony and thirst for beauty. Persistent attempts to discover new levels of harmonious cosmic relationships.
2. Aesthetic appreciation. Love of the beautiful and ever-advancing appreciation of the artistic touch of all creative manifestations on all levels of reality.
3. Ethic sensitivity. Through the realization of truth the appreciation of beauty leads to the sense of the eternal fitness of those things which impinge upon the recognition of divine goodness in Deity relations with all beings; and thus even cosmology leads to the pursuit of divine reality values—to God-consciousness.
Universal beauty embraces the harmonious relations and rhythms of the cosmic creation; this is more distinctly the intellectual appeal and leads towards unified and synchronous comprehension of the material universe.Divine goodness represents the revelation of infinite values to the finite mind, therein to be perceived and elevated to the very threshold of the spiritual level of human comprehension.
Truth is the basis of science and philosophy, presenting the intellectual foundation of religion. Beauty sponsors art, music, and the meaningful rhythms of all human experience.Goodness embraces the sense of ethics, morality, and religion--experiential perfection-hunger.
The existence of beauty implies the presence of appreciative creature mind just as certainly as the fact of progressive evolution indicates the dominance of the Supreme Mind. Beauty is the intellectual recognition of the harmonious time-space synthesis of the far-flung diversification of phenomenal reality, all of which stems from pre-existent and eternal oneness.
Universal beauty is the recognition of the reflection of the Isle of Paradise in the material creation, while eternal truth is the special ministry of the Paradise Sons who not only bestow themselves upon the mortal races but even pour out their Spirit of Truth upon all peoples. Divine goodness is more fully shown forth in the loving ministry of the manifold personalities of the Infinite Spirit.
Physical matter is the time-space shadow of the Paradise energy-shining of the absolute Deities. (56:10)
In a sense, beauty has primacy in human consciousness. There is a reason to position beauty before truth: since our minds begin with things, the beauty of things is what attracts our attention and leads us into the contemplation of the truth of such things (on scientific, philosophic, and spiritual levels).
The Supreme is the beauty of physical harmony, the truth of intellectual meaning, and the goodness of spiritual value. He is the sweetness of true success and the joy of everlasting achievement. (117:1, 1278.5)
Spirituality enhances the ability to discover beauty in things, recognize truth in meanings, and discover goodness in values. (100:2, 1096.1)
The mind’s capacity to recognize beauty
Beauty is first characterized as follows.
The discernment of supreme beauty is the discovery and integration of reality: The discernment of the divine goodness in the eternal truth, that is ultimate beauty. Even the charm of human art consists in the harmony of its unity. (2:7.8; 43.1)
Now let’s look for the correlated capacity of mind that enables us to discover beauty. The three basic functions of cosmic mind, causation, duty, and worship (16:6/192) do not seem to include what we are looking for. If not, where can we find the mind’s basis for recognizing beauty? What do you make of this passage?
The cosmic-mind-endowed, Adjuster-indwelt, personal creature possesses innate recognition-realization of energy reality, mind reality, and spirit reality. The will creature is thus equipped to discern the fact, the law, and the love of God. Aside from these three inalienables of human consciousness, all human experience is really subjective except that intuitive realization of validity attaches to the unificationof these three universe reality responses of cosmic recognition. (16:9.1, 195.7)
Cosmic mind enables creatures to recognize causation, duty, and the spiritual domain of the reality of religious experience. Often we see these reality responses operating in a way that is unified. But when we see them unified, beauty shines through—would you agree? And when unified, these reality responses “produce a strong character consisting in the correlation of a factual science, a moral philosophy, and a genuine religious experience.” (16:6/192). I associate this unification with “the grandeur of genuine character achievement” (2:7/43)—and grandeur is the beauty of goodness—and “the beautiful wholeness of righteousness” (155:1/1726).
Question. Does this conceptual linking makes sense to you? If so, what do you think about the hypothesis that this unification is the basis for our recognition of beauty?
The beautiful pattern for the human development—and the evolution of the Supreme—is the replication in time of the Paradise pattern. It is stated several times in the book. Here is one statement.
116:6.1 (1275.1) In the evolutionary superuniverses energy-matter is dominant except in personality, where spirit through the mediation of mind is struggling for the mastery. The goal of the evolutionary universes is the subjugation of energy-matter by mind, the co-ordination of mind with spirit, and all of this by virtue of the creative and unifying presence of personality. Thus, in relation to personality, do physical systems become subordinate; mind systems, co-ordinate; and spirit systems, directive.
Notes for a workshop on artistic living
TAKE A COUPLE MINUTES TO PICK AN AREA IN WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE PROGRESS DURING THIS WORKSHOP.
YOU DON’T NEED TO REVEAL IT TO ANYONE ELSE.
YOU MAY WISH TO WRITE THIS DOWN, SINCE LANGUAGE HELPS US THINK. WE’LL CALL THIS YOUR ARTISTIC LIVING FRONT-BURNER ISSUE. WE’RE GOING TO ASSIST YOUR EVOLVING MASTERY OF ARTISTIC LIVING BY USING NOT HIGH HEAT BUT GENTLE WARMTH.
Rodan readings
Rodan’s art of living leads from immature, animal-origin reactions to maturity in knowledge, skill, socialization, wisdom, and spirituality.
Write down some areas in which you have knowledge, etc. ON THE LEFT
Now brainstorm a bit and write a bit about how you might creatively apply these strengths to your front-burner issue. ON THE RIGHT.
Now generalize something discretely and efficiently sharable.
Share.
Invitation to share with me personally, too, if you are minded to do so.
BREAK
2:7
Beauty: feeling: joy (spectrum).
Think of one or more experiences of the charm of intellectual art (557).
What emotions of time? What thought of eternity?
Apply creatively to your front-burner artistic living issue?
Participants were invited to select a favorite work of any kind of art that would more or less be amenable to the terms of this idea: “The high mission of any art is, by its illusions, to foreshadow a higher universe reality, to crystallize the emotions of time into the thought of eternity” (48:7.23/557.7#21). Participants then applies their interpretation of the work they had chosen to the same problem that they had selected for the first part of the workshop.
Share with discretion. No pressure. Self-revelation is voluntary.
The arts as one source for artistic living. Study excellent examples. Integrate intelligent design and spontaneous performance.