Let us create a world... One that bridges the earthly physical and realms of spirit. A world filled with light, color, gesture, and form wherein the story of what it means to be human can unfold. The human being stands between the earth and the heavens. Of earthly substance, we are governed by laws of the physical world. How we work within those laws, honoring their rhythms and life processes (– or not), will influence the quality of health within the world we create. Above this world, we reach for the stars; stars of truth, beauty and goodness. Stars of love. Stars of wisdom. We reach up to the ideal from where creation springs and evolutionary potential lies. Created in God's image... all things are possible if we but dare to open to imagination, inspiration, and intuition - and if we join with others and commit the will to hard work.
 
This world we create will need to be ensouled with our intention, and we will pay attention to it - for detail is nuanced with meaning - and observation is a doorway through which we deepen our understanding. In order to do this we must observe the outer God-filled world – for our created world is a reflection, mirroring that larger one through our own artistic lens. Beauty lies in striving towards this truth. It is like a song of praise. With honesty, it takes courage. The creator accepts responsibility and also admits to being somewhat audacious. One has intimations of what it means to be God-like: empowered to create – to choose what is essential and what is not. There are many worlds within worlds, so the potential is immense.
 
Within our work we have a specific purpose... it will be a vessel for the living picture of story to unfold. The story is ensouled with the power of the spoken word... a small intimation of the power of the logos. In the process of choosing this story we must welcome inner quiet. Focus the listening heart. We have many questions… is not the heart on a quest? What is my quest in this time and place? What is the quest of the children in this time and place? Take time to ask the question and sit with it... the answers will come. If we listen, the story will seek us out, knocking at the threshold of creative imagination... it becomes alive with the light of inspiration. When a story shines with this light, we live into its creation in a spiritual way. Our soul forces unite with it. The images within it hold metaphors for our own life challenges and for the questions of our times.
 
The macrocosm is known through the microcosm. We study the story characters to discover how each stands for a unique aspect of the universal human psyche present within all of us. We study action and consequence as it unfolds within the story and find insight into the karmic workings of humanity. We look for the thresholds of transformation and identify that although courage is needed to overcome fear, there are unseen forces that strengthen and assist us in mysterious ways. We are not alone. The strings of our destiny are woven together and pulled by forces that move through us and beyond us.
 
Our experience of the universal, which is a uniting element of shared recognition, lies in the archetype of what we seek to engender. The archetype (the original model from which all things of the same kind are based) lifts us up to the fore mentioned state of pure potential. When we seek to embrace the archetype within an image, form, or gesture that we create, we are seeking to find that which brings an experience of unifying resonance to all. We step beyond the personal in this process. For instance, if we are seeking to find the archetype of the “mother”, we are seeking not to create an image of our own mother, but to find the qualities and gesture of “mother-ness” identified in the universal qualities of what being a mother is. The mother holds the power of protection that brings the seed of life to gestation, and gives birth to that which incarnates for the future. This may happen physically or spiritually. It is not defined by heritage, gender, or age… When we explore archetype - we can also explore the many ways it is rooted in diverse expression.
 
Let us return to the creation. Who are we creating this world for? It is for those who have eyes to see into the realm of what is possible for the future. It is really for the children… all children – young and young at heart. For those delighting in the dance of each day. For those who still know how to play. For those who need to be healed through a remembrance of such joys. For those learning them for the first time. We are engendering a living experience for them... for their future. We seek to teach them.. or help them to remember - that each of us is empowered to create. Each day we create the world around us, even in very small ways, the empowerment is ours. The decisive element lies within us. It is what it means to be human.
 
Janene Ping