symbolistartist

Recommended Reading:

I've loved Ken Wilber's books on his transpersonal theories the most, Other than that... oh I don't read much anymore but I've liked Conversations With God, books about the nature of creativity, and some Buddhist litterature such as 'Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism' by Chogyam Trungpa, but also The Autobiography by Paramahansa Yogananda and that of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.

Spiritual Path:
Artist, writer; catalyst, example & facilitator

Interests:

 Art, culture, languages are deeply spiritual issues to me; paradoxes, the nature of creativity, humanness, emotions, sensuality and beauty are spiritual themes; interior decorating, beautiful soulful items; cats, photographing, writing, intuitive massage are spiritual things to do; and not least, one-to-one "therapy" with people who are in my life to help us all to grow... Professionally, I have an MA degree in the science of religions (i.e. comparative religion, not theology) as well as an education in the arts, but I am currently on disability (no doubt caused by my high degree of sensitivity). I don't know where I am from nor do I really care... My job is HERE, in this realm, NOW. 

This is me by a smooth rock close to my home in Finland

I have a great affinity with cats, of which I have three. As we all love going for walks together in the forest without leashes,
and so maybe 'Walks With Cats' would be a suitable Native American name for me :-) They teach me ZEN! ;-)

For more pictures of my cats, please visit: www.flickr.com/photos/vivi-mari, the sets are called 'What A Cat's Life', 'Beatrice', 'Robin' and 'Marius'. or watch my video of one of our walks at www.myspace.com/symbolistartist 

Let life hold you in its warm cup....

"Mr and Mrs Yin/Yang", Iceland

"I Stand Strong", Iceland

N.B All material is copyrighted, thank you!

Creating:

First of all I wish to assist humans in becoming better at being human beings and feeling dignified about it, which means that I encourage the wonderful CREATIVITY we are all endowed with but also shadow work through which our shortcomings can be rectified. I wish for people to learn to LOOK so that they can learn to see reality for what it really is. Very few are doing this, since their minds are too preoccupied with theories of 'how things should be' and so on. Looking does not require special psychic abilities, and therefore it is available to all! One could equal it to MINDFULNESS as it is about being present in the HERE and NOW with as few preconceptions as possible.

I hope to publish a book on my life's challenges and issues that I hope will touch many people on a personal level. This autobiography will include my artwork. This has been a project of mine since I was 14 so I've basically been working on it all of my life. I hope it will soon be out and hopefully be appreciated as well as make a difference... I hope this would mark a turning point in my life so that I can lead a lighter and more joyful but also compassionate existence. To the extent that the universe is willing and I am able to perform, I wish to promote forms of healing that are easily accessible to EVERYONE who is need of help and support. I avoid elitist forms of spirituality since we are all in this together! While I love abundance, I am careful as to what money and power does to people's minds. Most of all I wish to promote OPENNESS, HONESTY, TOLERANCE and COMPASSION.

"The River Called Abundance" (abstract digital photograph)

"The Magic of Curves" (abstract digital photograph)

"Growth" (abstract digital photograph)

"Evolution" (abstract digital photograph, all copyrighted)

Besides creating art I love photography, and I think these abstract photos defines some of the things I love in life; beauty and sensuality in the most unexpected places, manmade as well as natural...

"Magic" (digital photograph)

"Glittering" (digital photograph)

"In Ice Heaven" (digital photograph)

Awakening:

As a child I tried to protect myself by freezing my emotional life. I did a good job at it and ruined my health, apparently from the sheer power of my mind... When I was about 19 I understood that I had to reconnect with life and so many years of striving to open up emotionally followed. I realized that I am a powerful being who has to accept a life in very limited physical conditions. I feared love because it would have made me vulnerable, so trying to overcome that was a big task. In 1991 a oujaboard helped me realize that there is in fact a world of spirits. After this my main thing was to understand reincarnation, and then through some primordial myths I got a grip of how to interpret symbols. The understanding of esoteric truths came easily to me, as if I was really only recollecting something I'd known before. That's when the symbolic artwork started coming and more studies in this realm ensued. I did a lot of research in the field of the ontological status of creativity and the basic idea of paradoxes as a means of understanding the nature of reality. After the theoretical phase I became more involved with EMOTIONS, and nowadays consider understanding and working with them a prime theme in my life and work. I believe that we must learn to master our emotional selves in order to advance, but also in order to utilize them correctly as the 'tools' they are.

I noticed early on on my spiritual path that my direction was not to ascend upwards and realize my limitlessness, but to descend into the sphere of limitations and slow energies and realize what it means to be limited. I know that this was for a good reason that I have a certain vision of, however it is yet to be completely revealed when the time is right.

"Why?" , collage 2008. Featuring a picture of myself at age four, taken by my mother.

Note: You may also write to me in Swedish, Finnish or French, thank you dear sister or brother!