Goddess Bridget and the Swan are connected deeply to Artful healing. Both Bridget and Swans have been associated with art, poetry and music and together share wisdom, guidance and loving support in using art as healing. The supportive and compassionate love they carry are an integral part of both Artful Healing and the Swan Priestess Program.
Healing through the arts has been documented to have the potential to transpire grief, pain, loss, trauma and physical ailments. It is a way to engage in soulful and transformational ceremony for healing, celebration or rights of passage. Artful healing is natural to the shamanic healer and has been practised in our ancient past long throughout our human history.
The Swan, associated with the balance of the Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine nature allows us to connect to our natural state of wholeness to resurrect the artful healer within us all. When imbalanced, the controlling male aspect insists on creating perfections, comparing our work, analyzing, and judging art. Yet the feminine is instinctual, wild and connected to a primal force of authentic creation. Our deepest connection to healing can be found in the natural artistic expression that lies within our subconscious mind expressing itself through artful expression. As the feminine resides within the mysterious realm of the darkness of dreams, magic and endless possibilities, it is here through her that we discover this healing gift.
When our divine masculine and feminine essence are balanced, we experience the loving support needed for artful healing. In this balanced state is where we experience the inclusive, accepting, free flowing, and non-judgmental part of us that allows the freedom of healing to transpire organically. In this loving space, we can deeply honor and revere the experience and the process, not concerning ourselves of the end product without agenda, judgment or expectations.
In healing art, it is not important what our art looks or sounds like, but rather that it comes from this magical place of the freedom of expression from the unconventional subconscious. Here, we can release unexpressed and trapped emotions. As stated earlier, in order to do this, we must always envelop ourselves in a sacred space of unconditional love, kindness, acceptance and allowance of our impulsive expression and authentic nature. When we are held in the loving container we can accept whatever arises through inclusion with a compassionate embrace, knowing that everything that arises through the process belongs and is truly welcome. This is where the inner healing muse can emerge. In safety, she can allow her heart and body’s intuition to be her guide always, knowing that the only ‘right’ way is the way which flows and feels right and good to us. This is the energy of the balanced Sacred feminine and Masculine and also the gift of the Divine Mother.
This loving, safe space connected to the primordial wisdom of the Sacred Feminine is the blessed state of A Swan Priestess. When we allow ourselves into this loving, healing, free, authentic, intuitive state of the Swan Priestess within us, we begin our journey as artistic healers and we can gently hold space for others into healing through their own uniquely sacred expression. It is only when we feel safe enough to surrender the unhealthy need for control that we end up with the true perfection of the creative form of the wise and wild chaos of pure life force energy. Here, we can simply allow ourselves to authentically create which is the essence of artful healing.
We are Naturally Creative Beings
“When art is expressed from the deepest levels of our being, profound healing occurs…. There is a story within us that longs to be told, a poem within us that longs to be spoken, a dance within us that longs to be stepped, an image within us that longs to be seen.”
- Michael Samuels, MD & Mary Rockwood Lane, PhD,
Healing with the Arts
Life is in a continuous cycle of creation. As we are made from the creator, we are naturally creative beings. This creative instinct we have has inspired us to evolve continually as we evolved through life. This is the natural continuation of the universal process that began billions of years ago. Creative transformation is thus a universal part of life and our birthright.
Creativity affects us on all aspects of our lives and we are engaging in it at every moment, even if we are unaware. Every time we consciously flow with our creativity, we are aligning our energy with cosmic becoming. What moves us into that state is a love, a drive, a yearning to create and express our deepest heart. This is our inner muse. This allows us to transform through our life experiences. We never have control over what happens to us in life, but we always have the ability to create meaning, healing, growth and wisdom through the chaotic experiences of life.
Our Inner Healing Muse
Alike the Sacred Feminine, the sacred muse is not something we can control or tame. Allowing ourselves the freedom to participate or experience art in a way which has no rules and has the complete freedom for unabashed expression is a way to access and connect to our subconscious and divine feminine within.
When moving through a difficult time in our lives, using artwork, music, the written word and movement instead of discussion alone allows us to get into our bodies and out of our heads. There is great wisdom here that we can not access through our minds alone. As we experiment, get to know, and play with unknown aspects of ourselves, we access wisdom from our still quiet voice within. This is when the artist and healer becomes one.
Journeying through the 7 Archetypes of the Swan Priestess allows one to become completely ready to
open up fully to the healing muse within and to help guide others in this process. Accessing the alive, free and authentic vulnerability within your heart of the Divine Virgin, being held in the unconditionally loving space of the Divine Mother healing your inner critique, accessing your free-wild and mysterious wisdom of the Wild Woman, and allowing yourself to embody the loving pleasure honouring your deepest hearts desires and deeply present in the moment places of the Sacred Nymphs gifts you a ripe and precious state for connecting as one to your inner muse and allowing yourself to be an natural artist healer.
As an artist-healer, art is not a performance, but rather a ceremonial prayer. This is one way in how we heal as Swan Priestesses through art through singing, dancing, or painting a prayer. In this respect, art becomes a sacred ceremony. Rather than a performance to please others, it transpires into a profoundly powerful and healing prayer to heal ourselves, our communities and our Earth.
When we make art to heal in sacred space, looking inside for what needs to be healed with the help of our ancestors, religious teachers, or spiritual guides in a loving, sacred space, magic and healing happens naturally and effortlessly.
Of course, one should never use artful healing in replacement of a medical doctor or professional mental health specialist. But artful healing can be hugely helpful in assisting in a healing process. For those who are able to do self-healing or want to do this with the guidance of a compassionate coach, priestess, or a loving and trusted friend, I want to gift you with some tips that you can do to practice Healing Art on your own.
A Guide in How to Create Healing Art
Set up a sacred space. Create a sacred altar if you do not already have one. Allow this space to feel good to you and where you have your artistic supplies near you as you need.
Light a candle and say a prayer for your healing. Clear your space with a protection prayer. Say a prayer of intention to connect your artist and healer as one and to be guided by your loving spirit guides through your process. Ask that your space be filled with sacred compassionate loving light and that you may be held in this light. Connect your heart with the earth and the creator of all that is as one. Thank your spirit guides for being here and feel the gratitude for this precious moment and process.
Allow yourself to let go of your inner critic. A wonderful, helpful prayer from Psychic Living by Stacey Wolf is: “I release all negativity that may be buried deep within my soul interfering with me having this transcending experience. For the next hour (or however long you intend on creating), I suspend any disbelief, doubt, and fears that may be limiting my development. With these words, eliminate all energies that are not operating from the highest source of the Loving Creator (or Goddess, God, whatever feels right to you). Amen."
Say a prayer to allow and honour the inner healer and inner artist to be one.
Allow time to flow with your work. Nothing can be wrong. Express your deepest emotions with your work. Let what flows, flow. Witness what arises through this. Follow your inner child and wild spirit within to create freely. Always return to the loving voice of the Divine within you if your thoughts become critical and realign with your sacred heart within to stay in the presence and power of sacred love. Allow your inner sacred feminine sensuality to flow with loving pleasure, following what feels good to you as you create your art. What comes might not be 'beautiful' to our standards, but if it came from the raw place of authentic expression it is healing beyond measure.
When you are finished, you can journal about your process and what came for you as well as the wisdom and healing that appeared. Close the circle of art and healing with a prayer, thanking your spirit guides and closing your sacred space.
Allow yourself to try different art mediums. You may be surprised how much you like something you never tried because you believed you had to be good at it to do it. Now, knowing that art is your sacred right as a spiritual being and knowing its profoundly healing power, you can allow yourself to do and try all forms of artful expression.
Artful ceremony can be part of a spiritual practice that one does daily in the simplest of forms. One does not have to spend hours doing this. Expressing yourself freely through movement, paint, sound or writing can be done as a daily cleansing that one can do for as little as 15 minuets per day.
One can use artful healing in celebrations, women circles, in a healing session one-on-one or coming of age ceremonies to name a few. Let your wild, free and loving creative heart be your guide.
Practising artful healing is a very important part of my daily spiritual practice that has offered me immeasurable healing throughout my life and given me countless wisdom upon my path. It is an honor to guide others through this process which can enrich and heal one's life on a deep level.
With Loving Kindness & in Celebration of your Sacred Healing Muse within. I wish you the blessed opening of connecting to this precious place within you.
With Love & Blessings,
Daniela Elizabeth