March 21, 2022 | Categories: Articles

Investigations into the links between Conscious­ness and Creativity began long before the Western scientific method of inquiry evolved. In cultures around the World, people have for thousands of years explored practices to attain and utilize higher states of awareness. In the view of many, scientific research is just now rediscovering and validating what mystical perception and revela­tion have known all along.

The brain-wave patterns that are associated with being in states of altered Consciousness are sometimes considered an ‘end in itself’ rather than a means to enhance Creativity. In the East, practices such as the Zen Arts are used to arrive at a state in which an infinite state of existence flows in the ‘Here and Now’ without any attachment from individual perception. This ideal state transcends the individual Ego, allowing one to enter a state of ‘Being rather than Doing.’ The ultimate goal for this practice reaches beyond the physical realm to embody a state of conscious Oneness-with-All that engages the present moment ‘just as it is.’

In the West, there are also methods of altered Consciousness to be exam­ined. Indigenous cultures from both North and South America, for example, provide notable examples of using spiritual rituals to receive creative guid­ance for making sacred objects. Both the Huichols of Mexico and the Inuits of the Far North use Visionary Experi­ences as the foundation for creation of artistic works, such as beaded sculp­tures or carved bone. In their view, Art is neither a reflection of personal experience, nor a representation of the external world, but rather a revelation of ‘unseen’ spiritual worlds captured by a personal expression translated into form.

Contemporary scientific research has contributed much to our understanding of the aspects of Con­sciousness that are part of the Mystery, just as they have provided proof of the existence of a subatomic world that cannot be perceived by the naked human eye. What we do know about Consciousness and Creativity through scientific observation is that both of them are intrinsically linked. Whatever Conscious­ness may ultimately turn out to be —whether a property of physical matter, a byproduct of the mind, a spiritual reality, or something else— we would be wise to explore any and all effective methods that could help. There are methods known for thousands of years that enhance our states of Consciousness in order to maximize Creativity and Inspiration.