2003-05-25-Art of Living, Art Appreciation

Session

Opening

Prayer: (Matthew) Let us place ourselves in the presence of Jesus, the Christ.

Master, we come before you today with expectation of ‘your will be done.’ And with that we expect and anticipate that the best is yet to come in terms of anticipation of satisfaction of our soul’s desires for peace, unity and tranquility. In the meantime, there are roads to travel, mountains to climb, and vistas to behold. In that, during the travel, we know that we are in your Grace, and we place ourselves under your protection as we seek to do the Father’s will, wherever that leads us. In the meantime it is mystery and adventure, yet we are secure in knowing that we are provided for, and Eternity is Now.

With all that seems mystery and riddle, we place ourselves in You with true knowledge of who we are with You and through You, before Our Father, and before the Holy Trinity, and in eternal’s bright light, now and forever. Amen.

TOMAS: Good afternoon, loyal flock. This is Tomas. I am your teacher, companion and friend, associated today with my sister and co-worker, Anatolia, as well as other celestials who come to observe your life and how you illuminate the darkness.

Matthew: Welcome.

TOMAS: Thank you, friend.

Lesson

Today I think I would like to subside from the rigors of study and develop a sense or appreciation for the Artist in you all -- the quality of Art that renders beauty accessible and the Art of Living that enables you to see and feel and know an exalted state of being which is certainly the preferred method of conveyance to the struggle of existence as is known in the material world, without Grace.

Let’s focus on Art itself - the manifestation of Artistry - and how indeed each of you are, in your own right, a presenter of that perfection which is uniquely yours and which each of you understand to be your gift, your talent.

The common definition for Art is understood as paintings or perhaps music or dance, sculpture, even athletics. But Art is the product of persistence. Art is the product of effort. The culmination of your efforts is such that it would be easy for anyone to disregard its perfection because it is so simply presented. But this is what the Artist knows. This is what Art appreciation is. It looks easy and yet a great deal of struggle has gone in to mask the mastery of the process that culminates in Art, just as you can see that in Art, as you know Art, students must practice their instruments or make efforts in learning techniques of dimension, must build their muscles and develop blisters that toughen the toes in order to become an exquisite ballet dancer.

But the audience does not see those efforts. They do not feel the aching muscles. They do not feel the despair of coming up short of your own expectations and standards for yourself. All they see is the finished product. And those of you who are inclined to keep your blood, sweat and tears private, and only show that which is sterling and finished, are often overlooked as someone who has worked for their goal or are seen as someone for whom it comes ‘naturally’ and thus no kudos are forthcoming. There are certainly those who are gifted musicians or artists, but even they have to practice their Art.

There are those who feel they have no talent whatsoever but merely go about their lives doing good, and in their Goodness are unaware of the Art their lives reveal. This is the Art of Living that Rodan speaks of, that Personal style that lifts one up from the rudimentary and mundane to the spheres of music and poetry in motion - the state of Grace that gives your personality fragrance. And even this apparently readily accessible quality of character presentation is often seen as simply a personality that has in it a ‘natural’ propensity to shine, but the truth is, Everyone is an Artist. Everyone is a ‘chip off the old block’ -- a Creator in and of themselves -- as “I AM the Son of I AM”.

There is nothing as personally satisfying as mastering the methods of development that engage you as an Artist. The moments invested in making Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, morontial reality, or a dimension of reality that transcends the base and common, that is in its own way outstanding and unique, just as each of you are, in your own way, outstanding and unique, and you are ‘Works of Art’ in the eye of the Beholder, of the Divine Creator.

Reflect on the effort that our Father has invested in you each as each of you have been molded like clay, formed as a sculpture, colored as a sunset or a painting, strengthened and made more perfect by the infinite patience and devotion of the Artist in God’s hand and in His formation of a perfect Universe. You are part of that Creation, and as you become Creators and Artists, you also contribute to the Art of Living. For in mastering your talent , your gift, you master yourself in the process such that when you present your product it appears to be easy, it appears to be ‘natural.’ And in a transcendental view it well may regarded as easy because it is sublime. But it had to be formulated. It has to be ‘brought into being’ just as you have to be brought into being by and through your efforts and your patience and your devotion to your own self mastery.

Some of you are able to present yourselves as a ‘piece of work.’ A piece of work that has been forged, molded, created – indeed worthy. A piece of work that reveals the Artistry of the Creator Itself. The Art of Living that you portray that would appear to be easy is now easy because of the effort of Mastery involved.

I urge you to continue your path of cooperation with the Creator who will open your mind to those creative ventures which will create Art in you and in your work: in your ability to relate to other, in your ability to navigate the spheres, in your ability to encounter and discern and to be effective as you Pass By. This is part of the Art of Living – that which makes Life Beautiful, True and Good.

All of you are Artists of one kind or another. That you ‘cannot draw a straight line’ means that you need a ruler! Everyone has a perspective and a unique approach that only needs to be drawn out and encouraged for it also to become Art and to give Joy. And this gives Joy to the Doer - the Creator - the Artist - as well as those who receive the benefit of the effort involved in Creating, that which is of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. For you have then the satisfaction of being part of the process of creating perfection and this gives infinite joy and satisfaction to the soul.

So now we enter into the season, for you, of Summertime. The confinement of Winter is past. Spring is in full glory and the seasons now extend before you as a blank piece of paper, an empty canvas, a sheet of music without notes. Make upon it what you will and derive Supreme satisfaction from the experience of creating Something from what would seem to be Nothing. Just as our Universal Parents are creating Something from what seemed to be Nothing. By this you are experiencing yet another aspect of Divinity and you understand better a little something of God-likeness.

Charming people, industrious players, enchanted companions, I am delighted to be with you this afternoon and humbled in your presence that you continue to find value in our work together. I relinquish the floor to my associate.

Matthew: Thank you.

Anatolia: This is a fine day since I, Anatolia, am happy to be with you, as always. But it is also a fine day for recognizing all that you have to be appreciative of. It is not for me to tell you what you should appreciate, but only for me to invite you to consider what is it that you appreciate -- in your own individual, inimitable and irreplaceable and unique ways of being, by nature and by characteristic, your own being -- you have the ability and capacity to appreciate. It is much like that of a flower to appreciate that place in time and weather and compatibility that it has, and shares, with the remainder of Nature wherein it finds itself.

It is not unlike any plant or being that, regardless of its placement -- on a seashore, on a stony ledge, or at the desert bottom -- that it has place, meaning and value. What is it and where is it that you find appreciation for your being? Where is it and when is it that you will feel that you are complete enough to be the total being that you are? I ask this rhetorically but it is obviously in the asking that the answer can be found. For there is no time and no place or position in life that you will have that is any greater or any better or any fuller than you have at the present time. Certainly there is going to be a time when you will feel – and will perhaps be - more complete in your analysis, in your evaluation and in your total being, more fully alive and aware of all of the dimensions of reality.

In the meantime, I wish to assure you that your vehicle (your faculty or your capacity to appreciate those higher levels of Truth and Being), for as far-reaching and vast as may be your faculty to appreciate, can be no greater than it is right now, for your capacity is as a motor on a boat bound for the sunset. That motor can only go so fast, yet it has the full capacity to get you to where you are going. A motor capacitated for the vehicle on which it is bound can only perform the task and the function for which it was made and placed on that particular vehicle.

So, for example, a little tug boat, if you will: a lightweight, light-duty, fishing tugboat that you can see with an outboard motor, placed on the back, going at its capacity, roughly 30 mph or so on an open water bay, somewhere on either coast, is heading toward the horizon at full throttle yet safely going in the direction for which it is intended. It would be inappropriate and unnatural for that particular vehicle to have a jet engine – a rocket per se – that would Force it to its destination by hook or crook – at the jeopardy of the vehicle itself, for such a vehicle could not withstand, could not undergo that intensity of pressure. It would break up. It would not accomplish its purpose. It would be a devastation to nature and all that it was encountering.

If you find my analogy too far reaching to be of value, I only encourage you to be of sound mind and body to appreciate that which you have been given freely, gladly and without restraint. For as my predecessor teacher has well stated – in Art you express that which is wishing to be expressed. A statue in one form or another expresses that form which the Artist had intended, as your Creation has been placed within you and around you to be expressed and to be manipulated, if you will, that is adjusted and lived within as a gold fish would live in water.

So without stretching the analogy too far beyond recognition, I encourage you to be of full spirit within yourself, to know that all that has been given you is with the full expectation of utilization in the here and the now and the why of what you have been given. So as in any particular artwork, its purpose is to convey a message, to bring forth the purpose and to fulfill that for which the Artist had intended. Be of good nature and mindful purpose that yours is an accomplishment waiting to be fulfilled. Whether that accomplishment be as vast as saving a Nation from ruination or bringing today’s mail to a homebound individual, whatever it may be, it is to be accomplished with full heart and mind and intact spirit for what is the accomplishment at hand.

I simply wish for you to know that if there appears to be complexity and confusion along your path that is unnecessary and particularly burdensome, lighten your load by letting yourself be in your path each moment as you are able to be free and fully conscious of being the Light of Creation in your world at this time. I wish you the Lightness of your being both now and always in the Spirit of the Oneness of the Christ, who is and will always be One with Our Father, both now and always.

Be of good cheer and know that your tasks before you can be lightened by your lifting them up as you carry them forward. It is with ease and mindfulness of being that I place before you your own desire for fulfillment and purpose. Peace be with you and know that wherever you are, there goes the Light of God. Peace be with you now and always.

Dialogue

TOMAS: Amen. And thank you, Teacher. Are there questions this afternoon?

Myra: I don’t really have a question, Tomas, but a comment on how the final product often looks easy and no one sees what’s behind it. And I think that is a conflict in my job at times, so it was nice to hear. Thanks.

TOMAS: I am sure you are aware of all the work involved, inasmuch as you as a creator/ a teacher are involved in the molding of the minds and manners of your many students. You would certainly be aware of all the effort it takes to create Living Works of Art. The Joy in living is to be seen in the progress that is being made; not always in the culmination of effort, but in the individual day-to-day steps taken to attain the ultimate goal. This is how you and your student or your work, and the relationship therein is able to set aside the work of the day and enjoy an attitude of having done a good day’s work. And this is the satisfaction of living, even in the effort involved, and still anticipating in the future the ultimate product.

In fact, many of you will never see the ultimate product that you are helping to create - the Ultimate Work of Art that you are investing in today. This, in no way, diminishes the importance of the work you do. It elevates your value as well, that you are willing to work without reward, that you are willing to invest yourselves in faith of the future without seeing the end results, without that ultimate satisfaction of actually seeing the end result and appreciating its Artfulness.

This is another reason it is said that it is the Work that is important. Without the Work there is no Art, no final product, no perfection, no appreciation, and no satisfaction of having been a part of the Creation of this Art and this Art of Living.

What is required to appreciate the facet of Work/ the importance the effort, is Humility. It is not possible to enjoy the fruits of your labors without investing the labor therein. If you expect to go from one accomplishment to the next without investing yourself in each creation, you are living in a fool’s paradise or living on the laurels of yesterday’s accomplishments. The work is never done, never finished, in this on-going enterprise of perfection attainment for the self and the spheres. And, therefore, the Satisfaction of Living is in the Effort as the Art of Living is in Living that which has been Artfully and Effortfully learned, as you are Artfully and Effortfully learning your way through this life and into the next, ever advancing in the adventure, the exploration, the unveiling, and the infinite expansion of unlimited Creation.

When you feel empty or unfulfilled in any situation, this is an indication of work that needs done/ needs doing. And rather than feel hollow or less-than or sorrowful about such a situation, you should rejoice in the understanding that there is work to be done. There is an opportunity at hand for you to help evolve the Art of Living and the Artistry of Being in the circumstance you find yourself. In a spiritual sense, you may go from one relatively perfect situation to another, but in the pursuing you will find yourself in many material environments which are short of such sunlight, situations that fall short of such fullness as you know possible. Here is your opportunity to Get Creative and to allow the Creator to work with you, to enable you to successfully complete the task at hand so that you can enjoy the satisfaction of bringing to life that inert, fallow, dull space that lacks reality, that yearns to be filled with the light of Truth. This is the blessing and the curse of the Creative Personality/ the fodder for the Joy of Living.

Closing

I fear my monotone has once again lulled you into a subconscious state of receptivity, but one that precludes the essential interchange of discourse for which these sessions are known. Thus, I shall remove myself from your midst and, in company with Anatolia, return to our realm on high and leave you to your Creative Devices such that your Artistry may flow forth and delight the eyes of your fellows.

In anticipation of a Creative week – mindful of the beauty surrounding you and the beauty that you are becoming – we leave you in good cheer, in good faith and in good company. Farewell.

Group: Thank you, Teachers.