Arts, Society & Creative Energy - Reflecting on ripples in the stream

1^st. Peace Chaplaincy; Interfaith Mission and Eco Spirituality Chaplaincy celebrated 40 years of service in 2022. The Ministry benefits co-operative communities, encouraging an increase in thoughtful, mindful and compassionate attitudes. In the diverse society in which we all live, understanding of justice, citizenship and democracy is offered. We work with the spirit whatever the faith. We foster interfaith dialogue between people of different religious traditions and multifaith affinity. We focus on the beliefs and philosophies of Pagan, Heathen, Druid, 1st. Nations (US), African Animist, Celtic and Saxon Christian and Spiritualist paths. The Chaplaincy offers expertise in spiritual ecology and wider well being programmes, alongside traditional ministry, worship and mysticism. We have found ourselves more in demand than ever, as people report feeling anxious about the social and political turmoil, fighting and war around the world and lack of action on climate change, nature loss, human and animal suffering.

At First Peace Chaplaincy we promote the use of creative energy for positive good. 

This may be in the arts, society or in spiritual or mystical matters. 

It is a cross cutting theme throughout our work strands but often sits within our wellbeing programme or our Community's of Interest Learning Group projects.

William Nicholson designed and cut the first printing block for his alphabet of people in society and titled it: “A Was An Artist”.

Creative energy is a fundamental tool to the artist, craftsman, innovator, practitioner of magic or in meditation or prayer. We explore our own perceptions of energy and its relationship in creative processes within our mind, becoming aware of intuitive feelings, empathy and emotions. 

Sensitive seekers attune to the spiritual, magical and psychic energy stream. 

Physical energy is of interest to science and can be more easily measured and quantified. 

To which stream are people responding, when they find peace watching a swan on calm rippling water?

Below: a golden swan in the folk art collection at Compton Verney.

 Art can be one way in which we can see what these energy presences have in common. 

A sculptor can contrast smooth, soft, warm wood with hard, cold steel to convey two distinct impressions. 

Above: A golden Victorian sculptural rendering of Kamadhenu, at the National Trust's Biddulph Grange. Kamadhenu is associated with the sun and the moon, she is the Hindu divine bovine-goddess and mother of all cows.

Some people feel communion with spiritual and spirit energies or elemental powers; they sense spiritual vibrations and claim that these vibrations can imprint a place crating a detectable "atmosphere".

Celtic Christianity sees spirit in all things. 

Animism also see spirit in all things but sees each as having specific nature, emanating distinct energy. 

Those who practice sympathetic magic, state that energy connects to a universal web flowing between empathetic entities.  

Below: a traditionally crafted bread harvest sheaf, conveys the energy of the harvest field. Crompton Verney folk art collection.

The ideas of Russian artist, Wassily Kandinsky, have been of interest to us for over forty years. We have worked with the ideas outlined in his work: Concerning the Spiritual in Art. In this work, the artist states: "The deeper the blue becomes, the more strongly it calls man towards the infinite, awakening in him a desire for the pure and, finally, for the supernatural... The brighter it becomes, the more it loses its sound, until it turns into silent stillness.” He talks of:  “...the spiritual turning-point”; “...vibration of the human soul" and ”the beauty of pure colour and pure shape. The epoch of great spirituality."

In his earlier writing, Point & Line to Plane, Kandinsky talks of the interaction of nature, the arts and the human. He explores the ideas that geometrical, physical, aesthetic and spiritual concepts coexist naturally, talking about external and internal worlds; he found it: “impossible to incorporate completely the inner of one realm into the outer of another”.

Energy can flow, radiate, create patterns or it can be directed or compressed, as in the embroidered slow snail and its intense spiralling shell below:

The development of sustainable ceramics techniques, taking place in the USA, have been keenly followed by our Communities of Interest Learning Groups. The ceramics industry has historically been notoriously unsustainable.

Our own expertise in British heritage rustic ceramics and Victorian and Edwardian rural art ceramics, complements the new knowledge in the field of sustainable ceramics. Many sustainable models are offered by the examples of the small, local production processes, from locally dug clay to the experiments of rural artist potters, in adding sustainable organic materials to the glazing process. These were the fore runners of the studio potters.

Above: two large studio pots.

Josiah Wedgwood is an inspirational figure for our Communities of Interest Learning Groups. Our expertise extends to most aspects of ceramic history, including Wedgewood. Wedgewood  was the master of combining the arts with culture and social concerns. He introduced division of labour into his Etruria factory, initially to prevent cross contamination of creamware and black basalt ware. However, his management of labour, along with his development of the Staffordshire canal system and his scientific developments in areas such as pyrometer rings, contributed greatly to progress during the industrial revolution. Wedgewood combined in his ceramics classical culture and the epitome of craft skills; leading to demand for his Staffordshire made products from the crowned heads of Europe. His greatest social achievement was, surely, his campaigning work to oppose the slave trade and his founding of the antislavery medal. His involvement in the learned societies of his day, made him a significant player in the age of reason. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and a founder of the Lunar Society.

Spiritual dynamics: energies may be perceived as part of one universal divinity or many, the energy flow or life force is called various things depending on tradition: God, the Holy Spirit, chi, reiki, ond the breath of Odin. The Ond life force flows through the runes, it can flows into us through Stodhur and pour forth from us through Galdr. The old wisdom states: where intention goes, energy flows. Practitioners or worshipers may feel that creative, dynamic energy can be channelled through prayer or used for healing or magic.

Theologians may associate the holy spirit and angels with the pure energy of white light. Angels have a significant and complex role in Christian theology, being vital instruments in God’s divine plan; they struggle perpetually between good and evil in spiritual warfare or cosmic battles with humans and celestial beings. 

In England, 170 churches have intricately carved angels within the wooden roofs. A good example is St. Wendreda's church in Cambridgeshire, where the oak roof has 118 carved angels made by artist craftsmen in the 1520s. John Betjeman said that it was worth cycling 40 miles in a headwind to see the angels of St. Wendreda's.

Ethiopian Christianity venerated archangels and angels from a very early date. The church at Gondar is famed for its angel-covered roof. Angels in Ethiopia are very important and divided into complex categories. They dominate Ethiopian Christian art and are often represented as winged heads or even simply as eyes, as they worked at night to hew churches from solid rock.

 

Above: A beautiful fully feathered angel on a poppy head pew. Our volunteers have been recording poppy-head pews, stained glass and stone carving for over forty years and we have built up a significant photographic database. 

Light in religious art and iconography can represent spiritual energy. Pagan Helenistic and Roman art depicted Helios, the sun-god and even Roman emperors crowned with rays of light. Early Christian art, avoided such pagan images until eventually, the form was engaged for portraits of Christian emperors. Later, in the 4th century, Christ was depicted with a halo, this was extended to the saints. The depiction of the holy spirit reached it's high when shown as shafts of light, by Bernini in his Extasis De Santa Teresa De Jesus.

Below, The Ogle Chantry, Hexham Abbey, showing holy energy as light.

Design can energise our communities: our Communities of Interest Learning Groups discuss how housing and community spatial design influence well-being, social contact, accessibility, health and safety. Good design helps society to creatively deal with challenges and transcend utility. Groups examined traditional hand tools. A smooth wooden tool handle may fit comfortably into the hand. A good craftsman or designer can foster an emotional connections with hand tools and between the product made with the tool and its end user. The groups consider how human behaviour can be influenced by design and in turn, design can reflect social values and priorities; for example: should we have brighter street lighting or should we consider the impact of street lighting on bat roosts? Should design consider equity.

Above: we were complimented by the Royal Society of Arts, for the sustainable design and planning project that we carried out with children in our Small Circles Learning Group. Children constructed models and considered and balanced the needs of local communities and the environment when creating the village plan. 

Design can be sustainable, eco-friendly and reflect increased social concerns for nature loss, sustainability and climate emergency. It can do this with individuality, whilst expressing cultural traditions and values.

Below: children and young people taking part in arts activities that develop and energise self expression, concentration, the taking of decisions and in this case collaboration.

"Art makes a significant contribution to our society through human innovation, imagination and thought": Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman

At First Peace Chaplaincy, we create time, space, materials and opportunities for creative expression. This improves wellbeing, has been shown to lower stress and stimulates memory. Art activities in groups strengthens social connectivity. Imaginative energy fosters new concepts and creativity. It can combine the will power or strength for us to carry out physical activities with power that feeds life itself.

Below: young people busy with design work, at SEND Nottingham, on our Juno Project programme.