Creativity, Tarot, The City of Words and Gilgamesh

Eight years ago when I began to seriously study Tarot, I saw creativity as being naturally and directly connected for many reasons, and has increasingly been affirmed to me as being a perfect fit, especially as an artist.


 Primarily it's necessary to have a creative, intuitive perception for both pursuits. Consciousness and the unconscious are also involved with execution of both these creative arts and skill. This instinct and ability is certainly not exclusive to certain individuals, as we all possess this instinct and creative ability, but they must be nurtured and practiced in order for it to increase.

 C.G. Jung stated  'the collective unconsciousness is the "soul of the world" and it is in that 'soul' that our shared symbolism of the archetypes dwell. An archetype is a universal human behaviour or pattern. Tarot and art help me to tap into the universe's unlimited creative energy through archetype.

Tarot has long held the human imagination for ages and shows no sign of disappearing. Art and creativity do the same. Both reflect story telling, and a self-knowledge of the soul. Tarot imagery is fundamental and exact in describing the multi-coloured working of the inner psyche that spring from the imagination spontaneously, in a poetic language that tells the story of the archetypal life journey. This language of story is found on many levels and in countless creative outpourings over the millennia.

The use of the Mythic Tarot deck has allowed me to study the images of the Greek Gods so beloved by the Renaissance artists and writers that formed art and literature, the cultural underpinning of the whole western world.

 Currently I am reading a fascinating book given to me by a good friend, by Alberto Manguel, entitled The City of Words. His book suggest that perhaps through "the stories we tell, these hold secret keys to the human heart. "
He encourages us to look at the artists and other visionaries who can help us change our hearts for the better and build a better world through myth and story.

Like in the story of the ancient epic poem Gilgimesh, we can learn to live life and to love well.

Gilgamesh Morns Enkidu

Alyona Azernaya

 From - The Cycle of the Life

Your entire human experience is predicated on your viewpoint.
Your viewpoint is predicated on your
inner belief system and that is predicated on
how much you believe in fear
and how much you believe in love.

 
 - Emmanuel

Art by Alyona Azernaya

Finding artists online is one of my very favourite things, and I've come upon several over the past eight years since beginning this blog. But I must say, I haven't found one artist that spoke so strongly to my soul until today, when I learned about Alyona Azernaya. This is I think the third Russian artist I've found online, and I admit I'm fast becoming a great admirer.

I happen to subscribe to a Jungian site on Facebook and one of the members had posted one of Alyona Azernaya's paintings along with the above quote.
Her palette is sumptuous, subtle, and muted, simultaneously with a brilliance of colour that delights all the senses.
 I expect the reason I so love her work, is because I have a strong identification and affinity with mythology, symbolism, the Divine Feminine, all of which is reflected in my own subject matter. Her imagery struck me as being so familiar on both a conscious and an unconscious level.


Alyonan Azernaya is Russian and her subject matter explores mythological, symbolic subject matter, and dream like imagery. She inspires me!