Murals

by Jo Murphy

Osho was one of the best known spiritual teachers of the Twentieth Century. He was a part of the Seventies movement--the one that attracted Western youth to India to experience meditation and transformation. When I asked my therapist (in whom I have great trust) what writer she would recommend I read, the only one she mentioned was Osho! However, her recommendation was Seeds of Wisdom. I love this book and read it everyday with great benefit.

The more relevant book for mural artists is Creativity : Unleashing the Forces Within (Osho, Insights for a New Way of Living). This book speaks directly to the artist within each and every one of us. It is a simply written book that can be read very quickly. It may draw you back to read it again and again. The reason I keep returning regularly is to check where I am up to with regard to changing my way of perceiving reality, and to refocus my energies upon a path leading toward transformation and enlightenment.

I particularly recommend the book to Art Therapists who design environmental art for the purposes of healing. Osho encourages us to centre ourselves through meditation and by dropping conflict. The energy thus stimulated will naturally overflow into our work, and into our relationships with others, the environment and God (the God of your own understanding).

I will briefly outline the ideas contained in the book. If you would like to know more about Osho's philosophy of life - the website is a good place to begin. There is even a library to which you can enroll. I intend to do this over the Christmas holidays when I have the time to really explore.

Osho begins his argument by describing creativity as the "greatest rebellion." This is because of societal conditioning, the repressive force of society. It blocks the flow of creativity and expression and thus makes us sick. The sickness described is disease = dis – ease, the kind of unwell feeling that comes about when one is not at ease within oneself.

"Once pathology disappears, everybody becomes a creator. Let it be understood as deeply as possible; only ill people are destructive. The people who are healthy are creative. Creativity is a fragrance of real health. When a person is really healthy and whole, creativity comes naturally to him, the urge to create arises."

As an introduction, Osho talks of the three C's.

* Consciousness …this has to do with being,
* Compassion …has to do with feeling,
* and Creativity …has to do with action

The artist who can develop these three qualities simultaneously becomes three dimensional and has a quality of depth. This makes both the artwork and the life of the artist inspiring.

"Let’s all do that then!" you may say. "Why not?"
"Ahhhh!" Osho goes on to talk about the Five Obstacles.
(I hear you thinking, "I knew there would be a catch.")
There is a catch, and the short version of it is that we have all been conditioned to avoid the state of being “in” creativity.

So what are these obstacles to creative living and can we overcome them? They are

* Self-Consciousness
* Perfectionism
* Intellect
* Belief
* The Fame Game

"Yes, of course." Many artists as they read those tags would recognise them instantaneously. These obstacles are the scourge of the inner critic, and the societal critic, and every other kind of professional critic that works upon us. They are the voices that continuously tell us we will never be 'good enough,' and that we need to 'measure up' to those around us. Or even better, exceed all expectation and become a wise guru and unreachable sage.

"Goodness," mulls the reader – "what to do? I know that I have these voices always working at me from the negative – but I never seem to be able to combat them." Osho has a reply to this; he offers Four Keys that will help us unlock the door to our potential creative selves.

* Become a Child Again
* Be Ready To Learn
* Find Nirvana in the Ordinary
* Be A Dreamer

I am so relieved to learn that it is all right to be a dreamer. Luckily, I always was a bit of a kid, you know. So, I have been reading and re-reading the book with quite a cheerful reaction.


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