The creative act is a courageous, ancient gesture, a dynamic prayerful exploration of the dark mystery that is human existence. When I finally identified this face of creativity as sacred practice, I built a small altar in my studio and my work took on a depth of meaning it never had. Prayer and art suddenly meshed and became refined. It wasn't done in pursuit of holiness as I'd been taught in the child's corner of my life. Prayer became synonomous with art as an authentic expression of my entire complex Self.
I walk the wooded path behind my home and create little
towers at this curve and then the next. I think what my heart
is leaning into, the real purpose of creating these stacks of
stones, is to remind me of my true journey, my real walk in
this world, which has little to do with tangles of modern
communication, wormholes of busy, and our culture's call to
do more and more... So each day I build another cairn to
remind myself of a truer path, allowing my eyes to swing from
side to side, looking for signs.
~ Carrie Newcomer in A PERMEABLE LIFE: POEMS & ESSAYS