The Shamanic Artist by Cat Hawkins
"It has taken me almost as long to to call myself a shaman (or rather, class what I do as shamanic) as it has to call myself an artist. You never feel that you could possibly be on such a path... surely that kind of thing is for fairytale. Then you realise there is much power and symbolism in the things you see around you, the things that come into your mind and heart, the messages that flow through you and manifest in colour and shape, and they are the only things that excite you and make sense! Following a Shamanic path brings as many doubts and challenges as it does when you follow a path in the arts. Few people take you seriously or understand what you do, quite often you're not even quite sure what it is you do! You can find yourself wishing you were just happy and content in a 'normal' job as it would be much more reliable and straight forward. Art? Spirituality? Shamanism? not exactly the easiest paths to take.
Being a shaman, working shamanically, means being fully present, living your truth and walking your talk. It calls you to find your authentic self. It calls you to help others and to share your gifts. As an artist, I feel the same level of calling. My art has been the one true and centred voice throughout all my years of finding myself. It helped to unravel and sort through the intense mix of emotions and problems I have had. My art is as important to me as my spirituality, my beliefs and my healing. I look back over my life and I see a dark time. Many people who come to shamanism do so after or during a difficult time in their life. For me, it was depression, a hormone disorder, anger and childhood trauma. Over the years of illness and depression, when life felt it was too hard and unbearable, I would draw, paint and create. I had not been able to finish my degree at art college due to the birth of my second child, but decided that art was at least one subject you could do without going to college. Leaving university gave me the freedom to experiment with my art, try new things. I have always loved mandalas, folk art, symbolic and abstract art, and anything to do with colour healing and symbolism. In fact, over the years of self study into witchcraft, paganism, tarot, colour healing and seasonal festivals, I had developed quite a knowledge and passion for symbols and correspondences..."
To read the rest of this article, please click HERE.
"It has taken me almost as long to to call myself a shaman (or rather, class what I do as shamanic) as it has to call myself an artist. You never feel that you could possibly be on such a path... surely that kind of thing is for fairytale. Then you realise there is much power and symbolism in the things you see around you, the things that come into your mind and heart, the messages that flow through you and manifest in colour and shape, and they are the only things that excite you and make sense! Following a Shamanic path brings as many doubts and challenges as it does when you follow a path in the arts. Few people take you seriously or understand what you do, quite often you're not even quite sure what it is you do! You can find yourself wishing you were just happy and content in a 'normal' job as it would be much more reliable and straight forward. Art? Spirituality? Shamanism? not exactly the easiest paths to take.
Being a shaman, working shamanically, means being fully present, living your truth and walking your talk. It calls you to find your authentic self. It calls you to help others and to share your gifts. As an artist, I feel the same level of calling. My art has been the one true and centred voice throughout all my years of finding myself. It helped to unravel and sort through the intense mix of emotions and problems I have had. My art is as important to me as my spirituality, my beliefs and my healing. I look back over my life and I see a dark time. Many people who come to shamanism do so after or during a difficult time in their life. For me, it was depression, a hormone disorder, anger and childhood trauma. Over the years of illness and depression, when life felt it was too hard and unbearable, I would draw, paint and create. I had not been able to finish my degree at art college due to the birth of my second child, but decided that art was at least one subject you could do without going to college. Leaving university gave me the freedom to experiment with my art, try new things. I have always loved mandalas, folk art, symbolic and abstract art, and anything to do with colour healing and symbolism. In fact, over the years of self study into witchcraft, paganism, tarot, colour healing and seasonal festivals, I had developed quite a knowledge and passion for symbols and correspondences..."
To read the rest of this article, please click HERE.
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