The role of art in the modern era is hotly debated. 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 offers spiritual solace and wisdom.
      In ancient times, art depicted 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 channelled by the Church into educating the illiterate about the marvellous stories of creation and the biblical message for humanity.
      Later, as kings and emperors usurped the Church’s grip on power, art represented the mighty and powerful, to encourage patriotism. Perhaps the most famous painting encapsulating this image is one of Napoleon Bonaparte, sword aloft, on horseback victoriously riding into the future.
      With the advent of the camera, and the immediacy of the front-page news photo, art was free to find new pathways and it became more personal and expressive. Yet the ancient link, the representation of the sacred, remains the golden thread weaving 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.
      In Art and Spiritual Transformation, author Finley Eversole examines this sometimes obscure golden thread as he explores the seven stages of death and rebirth through art.
      He believes transformational art offers a journey that takes the “darkened soul” or perhaps sleeping soul to the awakening light of spiritual illumination.
      Eversole’s 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.
      Many readers of New Dawn will attest that the spiritual journey, whether we are aware of it or not, is the authentic path each of us walks in life. Most acknowledge this, but we tend to separate this inner journey from the day-to-day demands of life.
      Most artists attest that when a desire arises to create, be it painting, writing, or any other art form, they enter a desert to wrest with unseen energies and suddenly seem to receive a creative spark. For many this comes after many hours of labour; for others it seems to float into the mind as if from another dimension.
      Even more surprising is that when we try to lose ourselves, or find solace in our art or creativity, we instead enter into a soul journey which reveals more about ourselves than any comment we may attempt to make about the world.
      Finley Eversole’s book offers an insightful study of art that reveals the influences of ancient Egypt, India, China and alchemy. Perhaps most importantly, he draws on philosophy, myth and literature to explain the seven stages of spiritual death and rebirth via art.
      This includes the journey of self-loss, the infamous “dark night of the soul” journey into the underworld, the conflict within, and the final stage of full reintegration of consciousness on a higher plane of being. The result is ecstasy, transfiguration, illumination and liberation.
      Just as the shaman painters who created the ancient cave masterpieces intuitively foresaw the great herds of deer or buffalo long before they entered the valley where the tribe lived, so artists of today psychically receive images and information from the great collective and express them in their work.
      Eversole points to several examples of this in contemporary artists whose work unconsciously channels images and patterns from the deep collective subconscious. One such artist is Robert Smithson (1938–1973) who explored spirals in his work. 
      Artworks with the spiral pattern indicate the eternal and ancient labyrinth that leads us out of the maze of confusion into the spiritual work of reaching the higher self. Eversole points to the fact that as Smithson created these works in the 1970s there was a huge push from the collective to explore the spiritual journey more consciously.
      Eversole offers many examples of contemporary artists expressing the needs, desires, unconscious or otherwise, of the great collective’s inner ache for meaning. He believes that artists, aware of this or not, automatically tap into this body of desire and express it in ways that speak to us all. In short, says Eversole, artists are the contemporary shamans of old, and the walls of the caves have become trendy little galleries serving low-fat lattes.
      As an artist myself, I am indebted to this wonderful, personal and touching book by Finley Eversole. It made me return to studying my own work from a new perspective.
      Looking back through my portfolio, I discovered that nine months or so before the 9/11 conflagration I was painting and creating pieces on the tumbling tower from the Tarot deck. The Tower is one of the Major Arcana, and symbolises the destruction of old edifices and the need to destroy what no longer works in our lives.
      You do not have to be an artist to enjoy and receive the rich offerings of Art and Spiritual Transformation. 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 various artists. Each page is divided with a large margin in which quotes and insights from such notables as H.P. Blavatsky, Li Po and Alice Bailey, are recorded to support the information explored.
      Finley Eversole, Ph.D. brings his wide and eclectic wisdom to this book. He has lectured widely on the arts, philosophy, metaphysics and creativity. He has collaborated with Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts, W.H. Auden and Alfred H. Barr Jr on various works.
      I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone wishing to explore the creative and unconscious side to the journey of spiritual awakening. It is a delightfully written book with lots of personal touches, but perhaps most importantly it asks us to delve deep into our psyche and explore the rhythms, patterns and unconscious urges that truly govern our lives.
      With our collective eyes fixed intently on the shifting patterns and prophesies of 2012, it is finally time for each of us to study the inner artist and gain a deeper and more personal insight into the bigger picture.