Reception

oil painting by Gerard Stricher

Confession: I've been a bit of a glutton lately.  I have been immersing myself in art; going to museums, exhibitions, looking at sculpture, paintings, master's works, abstracts on and off the web.  I've been to a few of the same exhibitions three times.  First time it's about meeting it, second time around it's breathing with it and third time I do the tourist thing, listening to the audio that gets handed out pre-entry, explaining and describing somebody else's take on it. (don't want to miss anything...)

The more I participate in this type of activity the more I get interested in the experience of receiving (or not) impressions.  Sometimes, I feel a large capacity to drink it in; other days, I have a much smaller capacity, or attention.  So, I spend some time trying to cultivate a softness in my eyes, a more relaxed posture before I go into the exhibit, or trying to figure out through experiment how to receive. I decide ahead of time not to cross my arms, that particular posture possibly is one that seemingly blocks the painting's energy meeting my own.  I find myself breathing from my back. Occasionally, I am in complete stillness for lengthy periods of time, a contentedness in the wash of an impression from a section of the whole I am viewing. The cognitive mind hovers in the background, some other part is engaged in the foreground not that interested in identifying shape, object or critiquing design or brush strokes.

Reception.  Allowing impressions to fall on the senses without comparison or criticism.  It feels like being bathed in shape and color and energy. Cognition, in the background, has various impulses to grab onto a form to identify and compare. Receiving moves through; it doesn't seem to stay or settle down. It has an air-water quality; unfixed, in flow.

The experience of not having room to view art is also very interesting.  There can be an irritation or negativity present; a sense of a wall being up, penetration not possible. Often, there is a sense of being overwhelmed, like the receptors are filled up and can't take anymore impressions in.  It's as if there is no attention possible, or the limited amount available has little flexibility.  I've noticed the energy of others around me impacts the viewing significantly; furtive crowds, people not living in their quiet mind, but expectant mind, can disrupt the delicate energetic relationship between painting and self.

The question comes, can the cognitive mind and the receptive mind be present together, not impeding the other? Is it possible to hold the duality simultaneously?  Is that important?  These are different states, valuable in their own right.  The critical mind/self runs my ordinary life, differentiates and most importantly is discerning.  This other more opaque state, is sensitive, sees and feels what is not obvious, gives room to the small and often invisible and doesn't have filtering as a skill.

I mention this at all on a primarily health-related blog because there is a strong correlation with creativity and spirit to healing.  They are all nourished by the same spring as it were.  Understanding these, my two natures, the role of reception to health is affirming my wholeness and sheds light on the nature of healing and the impact the creative spirit plays toward that end.