Our Ceaseless Slumber

Only what we experience within ourselves unlocks for us the beauties of the outer world ~ Rudolf Steiner

Canyon de Chelly, by Edgar Payne. This image and following images are in the public domain

***********

Whisperia is a weekly email newsletter that helps readers attune to the Self, to spirit and to the divine. It’s free! To receive this weekly encouragement, hit the Subscribe button!

Some time ago, I had to compose a self-description for my pet portrait website. In it, I shared that the relationships and connections between nature, music, poetry, color, emotion and memory intrigue me. Capturing particular feelings contained within remembered sounds, songs, images and memories is challenging and inspiring. When writing or painting, I focus on rendering the emotions and sentiments hidden behind and within images. In this little autobiography, I also noted that I draw upon a statement made by the artist, Edgar Alwin Payne. He said:

The [artist] needs... to sense attributes which are beyond vision.

Edgar Alwin Payne (1883 - 1947) was an American landscape painter and muralist largely known for his paintings of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He was one of those artists who learned by doing, not so much by studying the works or methods of others. He left his home in Missouri when only 14 years old, traveling and working throughout the Ozark region, in Texas and in Chicago. While in Chicago, he studied - ever so briefly - at the Chicago Art Institute. I say, “ever so briefly,” because he spent a mere two weeks there. He spent the rest of his life traveling and painting throughout the West, and the Southwest United States as well as in Europe.

Desert Skies, Edgar Payne

Here was a man immersed in the physical world, in nature. He spent a great deal of his time in the elements: in mountains, valleys and canyons; under hot sun as well as storm clouds; aside the ocean, rivers, and lakes, while creating his plein air paintings. We can imagine, for instance, what it would be like for Edgar Payne, while creating a particular painting, such as Desert Skies. (Above) It’s likely that he experienced a relentless Arizona summer sun beating down, causing his exposed skin to become hot to the touch, while arid winds lifted and blew dust across vast, open expanses of land, all necessitating that he squint into the distance in order to take in the spectacular landscape. Further imagine his relief, when a massive cliff obligingly blocked a portion of the sun’s scorching rays, creating a respite of shade from which he could continue to survey and paint the scene before him. Certainly, the physical sensations would have been acute. This would be helpful to any artist trying to capture a vista and the mood of a particular place.

What could Edgar Payne, a man absorbed in the painting of the physical world, mean when he wrote of, “... attributes which are beyond vision?”

Clearly, he was referring to a kind of perception and understanding that are beyond the capabilities of our physical senses.

Sierra Peaks, Edgar Payne

Ancient teachings from various traditions and cultures refer to the inner senses or to senses that are not physical. This idea is not new. Just as we have five physical senses with which to hear, see, taste, smell and feel the physical reality around us, we have inner senses with which to perceive other non-physical realities and realms. Tragically, such ideas have been largely forgotten or purposefully thrown away, along with the knowledge and appreciation of the soul. However, our collective global amnesia doesn’t negate that we have inner senses whose abilities lie within the realm of our souls.

Nowadays, people tend to think of the physical brain, located within the skull, as the “place” where perception and thinking occur. As far as the physical world and physical sensations are concerned, this may be true. However, other realities (some may call them dimensions) are perceived with other finer and differently attuned faculties.

High Sierra Lake, by Edgar Payne

There is consciousness as well as non-physical attributes in all that exists. These consciousnesses and attributes can only be perceived by going beyond physical hearing, physical vision, physical taste, physical smell and physical touch or feeling. Our capacity to access these inner senses lies within.

We live in a world wherein many don’t recognize that each of us has a “within.” We live in a world wherein many have “lost” their souls simply because they’ve believed the lie that they are solely physical creatures. We live in world in which many believe that consciousness only develops after physical creatures reach a certain point in physical evolutionary development, rather than understanding that consciousness comes first. Without consciousness, there is no materiality. It precedes physical existence.

Riders in Monument Valley, Edgar Payne

However, we can’t appreciate that which we maintain does not exist. We don’t set out to do something when we don’t believe it can be done. Moreover, we cannot learn to do something until we esteem it. Meanwhile, the inner senses slumber ceaselessly within us. They can be awakened when we acknowledge them. They can be utilized by journeying within. The choice is always ours.

And, you? Do you utilize your inner senses? If so, how do you access them?

Until next time,

K. M. Anderson

PhD, Metaphysics

PhD, Spiritual Counseling

Whisperia