There are certain songs that don’t just rise from the throat—they echo from the soul. I don’t remember the first time I sang. I only know that I always did. It was instinctive, like breathing or dreaming. I was barely more than a toddler when my mother—wild, radiant, and Irish to her bones—taught me the ancient songs of her homeland. Lullabies and laments, folk tales and fairies, saints and sinners—they became my lullaby, my language, my lineage. The songs carried names I couldn’t yet pronounce, stories I didn’t fully understand, but they rooted themselves in me like ivy, curling through every part of my being.

Even now, I can still hear her voice, strong and silvery, rising like mist over a green hill. Music was never simply entertainment in our household—it was the connective tissue of memory, ancestry, and imagination. I sang for the same reason I later learned people pray: to feel less alone. To send something out into the ether and hope the universe sings back.

As I grew, my voice wandered, exploring other landscapes—jazz clubs, smoky blues, glittering musical theatre, even the grand, aching heights of operatic arias. Each genre offered a new lens through which to glimpse the world, and in turn, myself. But no matter how far I strayed, I always returned to the music that felt like home—Celtic melodies, with their lonesome drones and lilting cadences. They carried something primal, something older than time. Music, for me, has always been a kind of remembering.

It wasn’t until I met Neil, my creative soulmate, that the puzzle began to complete itself. We didn’t just write music—we conjured it. Crafted it from myths and moorlands, legends and longing. The first time we created together, it was like opening a secret door inside myself. Since then, we’ve written hundreds of songs, and each one has held a piece of something larger than us—a kind of unseen thread we follow with faith and instinct. Our debut album, Siren’s Song, which later won ‘Best Celtic Album’ at the Lakemusic Awards, felt like a rite of passage. Not because of accolades, but because it captured my spirit—especially the track My Spirit, which became a mirror to my own awakening.

That word—awakening—has taken on many forms over the years. For some, it’s a moment of lightning. For me, it was a slow unfurling, a peeling back of layers built by heartbreak, grief, and the long, quiet ache of not quite knowing where I belonged. I had lived life at full volume for many years—on stages, in studios, in cities that never stopped buzzing. And then, one day, I stepped away. Or perhaps, I stepped toward something else entirely.

I moved onto the water.

Trading concrete for the gentle lapping of waves, I found something I hadn’t even known I was missing: stillness. It is impossible to live surrounded by water and not be changed by it. It seeps into your bones, your breath, your way of being. The rhythms of the river slowed me, soothed me, and eventually reshaped me. The music I make now is quieter, deeper—though no less powerful. It listens as much as it sings. I often say I am a “water gypsy,” and I suppose that’s true. My life now is one of movement and peace, solitude and story.

From this floating sanctuary, I’ve delved into the sacredness of sound in ways I never could before. Music has become my ritual, my offering, my bridge between the seen and unseen. There are moments, mid-composition, when time dissolves. I’ll look up and hours will have passed, and yet I’ve returned with something that feels... ancient. Not written, but retrieved.

Myth, legend, and folklore are constant companions. I’ve always been drawn to the women of story: the selkies, the sibyls, the fae. The high-born lady who flees into the forest to join the Romany camp. The girl who dances barefoot under moonlight. The healer who sings spells into the wind. These are not just archetypes—they are fragments of myself I’ve stitched together through song. I see the world as layered. There is always more beneath the surface if we are willing to listen.

And I listen a lot. I listen to the voices of ancestors in lullabies. I listen to the wind as it whistles through reeds and rigging. I listen to the silence between chords. I’ve learned that silence isn’t absence—it’s invitation. In silence, songs are born.

Of course, like many, I have known loss. I have wept with a guitar in my lap. I have sung through grief when no words would come. But music, in its infinite generosity, has always offered me a path through. And somehow, in my own process of healing, I have, I hope, helped others do the same. I don’t think this is accidental. I think that’s what music is for.

Working with Neil has only deepened this truth. There’s a synergy in our partnership that’s hard to describe—one that’s equal parts alchemy and trust. Together we’ve composed soundtracks for films, written for others, created audio landscapes from pop to cinematic to spiritual. But our real work, I believe, is invisible. It lies in the frequency beneath the note, the energy behind the breath. We don’t just want people to hear—we want them to feel.

Lately, I’ve been channelling this intention into guided meditations and artist support work. For years, I suffered from debilitating stage fright. Now, I help others turn nerves into power, fear into presence. Because it’s all the same root—energy needing somewhere to go. Whether it’s through singing, speaking, or simply being, my mission remains the same: to help people remember who they are, through music.

I’m often asked what my genre is, and I struggle to answer. My music lives at the crossroads—between folk and fantasy, ballad and boldness, reverie and rebellion. It is Celtic, yes. Ethereal, often. But mostly, it’s a conversation between my soul and the world around me.

These days, I feel less like I’m making music and more like I’m receiving it. As if I am just the vessel through which melody flows. And perhaps that is the most spiritual part of all—that surrender. That knowing that what we create is never just ours, but something offered. A torch in the dark. A song on the wind. A memory waiting to be born.

Caitlin x

I have a passion for all things creative, channelling creative energy in order to manifest thought provoking abstract artwork.  I consider myself an international artist having exhibited my work all over Europe in cities including Amsterdam, Zurich, Berlin, Paris, London and Monaco.

In the past, I was represented by a New York art gallery and have also had my work showcased in Miami.  Currently I am represented across the USA by an arts organisation. 

My passion for art began at an early age and has continued throughout my adult life, it is all I want to do.

The aptitude for creative vision has never left me and is continuously evolving and my personal Spiritual journey has been the momentum and driving force behind my artwork.   However, things changed when my life was in turmoil back in the summer of 2018.  That was a turning point for me, not only personally but also for my art.  At that time, I stated out load “there has to be a better way”.   And lo and behold my prayers were answered when a Spiritual text called “A Course in Miracles” came into my life and changed things forever. 

A Course in Miracles (also referred to as ACIM) is a 1976 book by Helen Schuman. The underlying premise is that the greatest "miracle" is the act of simply gaining a full "awareness of love's presence" in a person's life. Schuman said that the book had been dictated to her, word for word, via a process of "inner dictation" from Jesus Christ.  However, this text is not based on the conventional christian teachings.   I had grown up very powerfully indoctrinated into catholicism so when ACIM mentioned God I was immediately triggered.  I had never really associated God and Jesus with Spiritualism, or the New Age movement and I certainly never considered myself religious and still do not to this day. 

However, after studying the book ACIM (that I believe Spirit sent me) almost daily since 2018, I understand it has nothing to do with the teachings in the bible or anything religious, even though it is said to be the voice of Jesus himself and, yes does mention God.  My relationship with Jesus and God previous to studying ACIM and during my catholic upbringing was a not a good one. 

They talked of sin and punishment, and I never resonated and still do not, with that thought process or the teachings in the Christian bible.  ACIM has taught me the truth and that truth is that we are all eternal beings, no sin, no punishment and love is who we are.  By definition there can be no sin or punishment in love.   

Recently I have worked on a series of paintings based on this Spiritual text. Having already completed three paintings named ACIM 1, 2 and 3 that were on exhibition in London in July 2024, I know that this series will be a lifelong project as will my study of ACIM.  In these works, I have manifested the vibrations that the text radiates that is said to change the way the Western indoctrinated mind functions in an ego-based dualistic playground. 

I have a fascination with the mind.  One of my other most recent works named “Confliction” is inspired by the decision processes that are undertaken in the mind which create an internal mental battle between peace and suffering. This painting was also inspired by the book “A Course in Miracles”.  The painting conveys the belief that in the indoctrinated mind the influences of fear can be overpowering if they are allowed to take control and are given strength by one's belief in them.

Fears, however, are merely thoughts and are not real. The minds natural state is one of peace and this can be achieved when negative thoughts are evicted from the thinking process, hence leaving only peace. I believe happiness is one's natural state.

When I look at a painting that I have finished, I have no idea how I did it and I wouldn’t be able to repaint it, I have no idea where it came from. I have the sense that it has come from something apart from me.
- Gino Parisi

Whilst predominantly using acrylic, I am not limited to this medium and often will use a combination of acrylic, pastel and chalk in many of my paintings.  However, it has not always been this way; at the start of my artistic journey my preferred medium was charcoal and hence this can still be found in many of my works today.  

With no preconception of what will flow onto the canvas, I allow my connection with the creative Source or Sprit, to inspire and lead my work.  I enter into a different state of being and allow my creative and intuitive mind to expand beyond our idea of reality to a place where creative energy flows through me and onto the canvas.   I believe that this process is a form of channelling Spirit, not with words but with painting and the messages in my art are unique to each viewer.

My paintings are atmospheric and full of colour.  I wish my art to draw a viewer into to an engaging and enchanted place where the mind is allowed to be imaginative and inspirational.  It is in this peaceful place the viewer can step into, enabling them to explore the energetic and spiritual vibrations emitting from what they are viewing.  They are encouraged to be imaginative and creative by what they see.

When viewing my work, the observer not only uses their sight in the process but also their feelings are engaged and drawn in by the energy that is radiating from the artwork.  In my series of works inspired by ACIM, I have collaged pages of the book onto the paintings.  The book itself is said be of a high vibration and hence the pages emit this.   This energy remains with the observer long after viewing the artwork, benefiting their experience and allowing them to take continued inspiration from it.   I believe that this is all the work of Spirit, I am merely the conduit. 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt things deeply. Music was my first language of healing, before I had words for pain or wonder - I had melodies. As a young girl, I’d write poems in the quiet and play songs on the piano - soothing my soul with melody, even when I didn’t believe I could ever do more with it.  I’d sing only when I was alone at my piano, or my voice would find safety in the company of trees, wind, and sky.

I loved the stage and performed often, but my tendency to compare myself and a fear of being fully seen kept me small.  My knees would shake at piano recitals. I was the shy one - the good girl.  I’d smile and play with precision, always the excellent student.  But beneath it all, a tender, powerful voice stayed quiet. My standards were sky-high, and they convinced me I was never quite good enough.

It took decades to undo that silence.

I didn’t release my first album until after the age of 40. I didn’t perform with a full band until my 50s. And I didn’t begin recording music videos until I was 60 - fulfilling a dream I’d quietly carried since MTV first aired in the 1980s. Now, at 61, I am creating the most aligned, purpose-filled work of my life.

But the journey here wasn’t linear.  It wasn’t loud. It was a spiral of self-remembrance - through motherhood, marriage, healing, hiding, and finally, rising.

Music has always been my medicine. But it wasn’t until I began integrating the spiritual and energetic tools I’d been studying - Human Design, Gene Keys, sound alchemy, shamanic practices, and connecting with the sacred rhythms of nature - that my art became something more than expression.   It became a transmission.

I hold a master’s degree in Educational Theater from NYU. That training gave me a strong foundation in storytelling, multimedia, and the art of creating transformative experiences. I understand the power of story, ritual, and embodied experience to teach and to heal.

But this desire to create meaning runs even deeper - it’s rooted in my upbringing, with parents who instilled a longing to make the world more peaceful, and in my 30 years of Buddhist practice.  

Growing up in Washington, DC, I was surrounded by music as a force for social change - attending rallies and concerts in the 70s and 80s that shaped my belief in the power of art to heal and awaken.

In the 1990s, a poem by Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda stirred something in me - urging me to realize my dreams not just for myself, but for the healing of the world.  Around that same time, I met my first music mentor, Billy Davis, whose encouragement helped me see that my voice had a place beyond my living room.  My writing - whether a song or a soul activation - isn’t meant to just entertain.  It’s meant to remember. To reawaken what was once buried.

When I sit down to write, I often begin with an emotion.  Something I’m working through.   A feeling in the body.  A riff.  A phrase that won’t let me go.  I write in circles, spirals, whispers -  letting the song unfold in its own time. I find shapes on the piano and experiment with chords and sound.  I play by ear.  By connecting to my soul.  By tapping into the energy of the collective.

I write for the woman who’s been hiding. For the girl who was told to be smaller. For the part of myself that still wonders, “Is it too late?”

It’s never too late.

My latest body of work is called Soul Alive- an album and collection of healing experiences designed to help people come back to life, back to themselves, back to the truth.  Each song is a seed of transformation. From “Remembrance” to “Butterfly,” from “Goodbye” to “Mary Magdalene,” and into the sacred grounding of  “Beautiful Earth”  - each carries a frequency of empowerment, surrender, devotion, and rebirth.

I choose words very consciously.  Words are magic.  They create our reality, and I’m very aware of that as I write.  I tap into my truth and craft first and foremost in a frequency that resonates and is healing to me.   Then I review how it feels with the listener in mind.   Sometimes lyrics can be very sparse or mantra like.   Other times the songs are more like sacred storytelling.   They are intended to activate - to move energy.  To awaken clarity. To open the heart.

One of the most profound extensions of my current work is my project I Am a Queen - a song born from my own healing and now being turned into a music video in partnership with charities that support girls rescued from extreme abuse.   When I wrote the song, I was reclaiming something in myself. But now it’s becoming a global mirror  - a message of worth, dignity, and the safety of being seen.

This is the kind of art I want to make. Not just beautiful, but useful. Not just personal, but universal. Art that invites you into your own voice, your own rhythm, your own knowing.

In a world that feels noisy and overwhelming, I bring sound with intention.

When everything moves too fast, I offer space for something slower, more meaningful.

And in times of burnout, I return to beauty - not as a luxury, but as a way to soothe and remember.

I write to wake something up.

I sing to feel connected.

And I don’t believe healing has to be hard, but I do believe it has to be honest.

My process is deeply intuitive and emotionally driven.  I write in devotion to truth. I sing in devotion to love. And I show up again and again to the creative altar, trusting that what moves through me will find who it’s meant for.

So here I am - an artist in her 60s, still blooming. A mother of three grown children. I’m committed to living with courage, using my voice, and having no regrets - to making the most of my life for the sake of my children and future generations.  A woman who once feared being seen, now helping others find the courage to shine.

My story isn’t one of overnight success. It’s one of sacred timing, radical trust, and creative resurrection.

And my hope is that in hearing it, something in you stirs too. A dream long dormant. A gift waiting to rise. A truth ready to be sung.

Because you are a queen. And it’s safe to be seen.

Resonance is an ongoing experimental collaborative project which uses AI and emerging technology to imagine a new religion based on animistic cultures, Gaia hypothesis and transpersonal & ecopsychology, with the goal of using Art and technology to re-enchant humans with their natural environment in order to catalyse change in a time of climate crisis.

Resonance premiered at G5A Foundation as part of the Eyemyth Presents series, Mumbai, India on the 21st December 2024, featuring an interactive art exhibition, artist talk, AV ritual performance, music ensemble and aerial dance.

India-based British New Media Artist and curator/director Caroline Stedman Mishra conceived the project during the 2024 Eyemyth/Unbox Labs Artist residency in Goa. “Resonance began as a date – Winter Solstice. We were given the opportunity to put on a series of shows at the fantastic G5A Foundation in Mumbai and one coincided with the 21^st December – an important date in the Pagan calendar.”

“I had already been working on a series of thought experiments around using AI for good. The first project and one which is still in development was Catius B, where I aimed to ask the question ‘is AI inherently good or bad, and if AI is the culmination of human knowledge and creativity, can we find out the age old-lord of the flies question; are humans inherently good or bad? I did this by creating a superintelligent race of alien cats named ‘the Felinids.’ I didn’t prompt the AI to make them either good or bad, just super-intelligent. As it turned out, the cats were really, really good. They were entirely wholesome in every area of their culture, spirituality, approach to their natural environment etc. They were basically what we strive to be as humans in a utopian world.”

“This led me to explore further how we can learn from AI and ultimately gain insights into ourselves and our potential. I am a tech optimist and I believe technology has the power to save the planet so I wanted to demonstrate how technology need not separate and distance us from the natural world, as so many years of capitalism and patriarchal religion has done, but tech can actually enable us to connect with our environment and thus protect and nurture it.”

“So I used AI to create a new, nature-based religion, training the model on NASA scientist James Lovelock’s Gaia hypothesis, dozens of academic papers on nature-based religions, from my own Celtic Paganism through to Native American Indian beliefs as well as thesis on transpersonal and eco psychology. Resonance was born and using the AI model I created all the mythology, music, hymns, artwork, fables and ritual practices around the imaginary deities born out of Resonance. The art was combined with nature-based photography works by Parizad D and illustrations by Optikbloom.”

“The work culminated in a show which featured an interactive exhibition of artworks, all linked by QR codes to sections on the website displaying guided meditations, short films and music videos or more information allowing the audience to deep dive into the world of Resonance. The show began with a performance-ritual where a high priest(ess) character was played by two non-binary performers Osheen and Musiq, symbolising light and shadow. They took us through a ritual whereby the audience wrote things down that they wanted to close a cycle on and expel from their lives. The ‘ritual resonators’ then spoke about the Dark Mother deity- the fertile darkness from which all of creation springs from, and the importance of embracing the shadow to find the light. The ceremony concluded with packets of seeds and a poem written for the occasion ‘The Turning Year’ by renowned poet Priya Malik. The audience were told to go home and plant with the seeds their intentions for the coming year and what they want to welcome into their lives.”

“The show culminated with an aerial dance performance and live electronic music from PIR and Anuj Deo, live percussion from Anand Bhagat and live throat singing and beatboxing from MC Eucalips with live visuals from myself featuring animations of works from all contributing artists in a fitting celebration to bring in the new lunar year.”

“We also built an infrasound generator based on a design by Sarah Angliss – a machine which produces sound below the human range of hearing which is reported to enhance emotional and religious experiences, to deepen the experience of the show.”

“We hope to continue the Resonance project and bring it to Arts Festivals, Spiritual gatherings, Art Galleries and unconventional spaces on auspicious dates and collaborating with more artists, musicians and performers who are inspired by nature in their work. The accompanying and ever-growing collection of audio-visual works are available all year round for audiences to explore via our website below. My hope is that by reconnecting people with nature and inspiring awe and wonder around the natural world using science and technology, we can build a better future of all inhabitants of the beautiful planet we call home.”

My name is Lady Luna Star, and I am a psychic artist devoted to creating spiritually guided works of art that serve as portals of healing, insight, and transformation. Each piece I create is more than a visual—it is a message, a mirror, a thread between the seen and unseen. My work blends traditional painting, digital art, and automatic drawing to give form to energies, emotions, and visions from beyond the veil.

But my path here was anything but smooth.

For years, I struggled to bring my art into the world. I failed university—twice. Not because I lacked talent or desire, but because I never quite fit into the mold of conventional systems. My creativity didn’t thrive in rigid structures. It wanted to flow, not conform. Then came my time as a Twitch streamer. I poured everything into that chapter, building a community, showing up day after day, pushing through exhaustion. I applied for Twitch Partner status seven times—seven times I was denied. Each “no” chipped away at me.

The hardest part wasn’t the rejection. It was the slow, painful unraveling of something I had built with my whole heart. I lost countless community members along the way. Burnout consumed me. I couldn’t keep pushing. My spirit was screaming for space, for stillness, for a different kind of life.

So I let it all go.

I left the platform. I left the country. I started from scratch in a place where nobody knew me, with no safety net but my own intuition. It was terrifying—and it was the most honest decision I’ve ever made. In that silence, I remembered who I was before the noise. I reconnected with the spiritual gifts I had kept tucked away. And I began to paint—not just for beauty, but for truth.

Now, my art is created through ritual, reverence, and deep listening. I begin each piece in sacred stillness. I meditate. I connect with Spirit—guides, ancestors, or energetic currents. Sometimes I tune into a client’s frequency and allow messages to flow. Other times, I let universal themes guide me. The hand moves before the mind understands. That’s especially true in my automatic drawings, where shapes and symbols emerge from pure intuition.

In my traditional and digital paintings, I often start with a single color vibration or spiritual theme. My tools vary—brushes, fingertips, even unconventional objects—but each stroke is intentional. Each piece is an offering. My studio is my sanctuary: I cleanse it energetically before working, surround myself with crystals, incense, and soft music, and treat the creative process as a form of channeling.

I don’t just make art. I bring through visions.

Why? Because this is how I survive. This is how I serve. Spirit and art saved me when I was at my lowest, and now I offer that light to others. We live in a world where many feel unseen, disconnected, or spiritually lost. My creations are beacons for those wandering in the dark. They are mirrors for the soul, encoded with messages of remembrance and resilience.

When someone tells me, “This piece feels like it was made just for me,” or “Your painting helped me through grief,” I know I’m doing what I was born to do. Those moments of recognition—soul to soul—are why I keep going, even when the road is uncertain.

I offer original paintings, prints, and deeply personal commission work. For my commissioned pieces, I channel images based on the client's energy, often revealing spirit guides, emotional landscapes, or symbols for their current spiritual journey. These artworks become sacred tools—kept on altars, used in rituals, or held close as reminders of the unseen support around them.

I also create video content to bring my art to life. My mystical slideshows feature my work paired with music and soft text overlays—gentle transmissions meant to soothe and awaken. The style is dreamy, intentional, and deeply personal, ending with a final slide that reaffirms the painting’s message or theme.

The visual language of Lady Luna Star is mystical yet minimal. I use clean fonts to let the artwork speak, and I gravitate toward rich purples and indigos—the hues of intuition, mystery, and the divine feminine. My online home is a space where visitors can explore my gallery, learn about my process, and commission their own soulful artwork.

I’m not here because it was easy. I’m here because I refused to give up.

Through heartbreak, burnout, and the collapse of everything I thought I was building—I chose to begin again. And in that beginning, I found my truth. I found Spirit. I found art as a form of healing, and a lifeline to others who need to remember that beauty and guidance still exist, even in the darkest times.

If my art calls to you, there is a reason. Spirit has a way of guiding us where we are meant to be. Whether you are seeking insight, comfort, or simply beauty that speaks to your soul, you are welcome here. This is more than art. It is a conversation between realms, and I am honoured to be the vessel.

I’ve always loved writing. During my early school days I developed a love for English literature because of a kindly teacher and every lesson was an adventure I looked forward to.

I wrote a few lyrics for friends when I was an Art student, mostly because I was able to manufacture the most absurd phrases on the spot. This lured me into thinking that maybe I might become a songwriter one day, and after the late John Peel read out some of my lyrics on the radio one evening my confidence soared. However, as a troubled teenager with other mindless agendas, I relegated writing to the something to do later in life drawer.

A few years ago, I duly completed an adult education course at City Lit entitled Towards a Novel. This taught me some important rudiments, including writing without extraneous text and, especially, not to attempt completing a novel in a week! The five hundred words a day writing technique of the great Graham Greene resonated with me (although his words would have been far better crafted than my own). A novel, I learned, is written in the same way a marathon is run, at a regimented and disciplined pace. Even at this stage there was a distinct voice in my mind telling me that I should write. What, however, was unclear.

Deciding to practise what I’d learned, I duly wrote my first novel, a crime thriller. And I learned another lesson, not to get too excited once you’ve finished a manuscript and someone takes notice. A certain company requested the full manuscript and, a few months later, a glossy, impressively bound publishing contract flopped through my letterbox. My delight was soon quashed by someone in the know who pointed out that this company were basically self-publishers offering spurious deals with hidden and costly add-ons.

Having at least proved to myself that I had the discipline to write a book, I self-published the novel independently. Yet the nagging voice was still present, telling me there was something more important I should write. I tried ignoring this but it kept coming back again like a boomerang. In an epiphany one day, I decided to focus my writing on my brother’s story in an attempt to fathom his troubles.

I’d been generally sceptical of my brother’s claims that the cottage we moved into as children was the source of his troubles, and that something had tormented him ever since. This was despite the undeniable truths of his claims: paranormal events were witnessed by others and the eminent priest Dom Robert Petitpierre also documented some of them. By immersing myself in Jason’s perspective and listening to him when he was lucid, I opened my mind to the possibility of this dark influence on his life.

Writing fiction had been far easier than writing something as challenging and raw as my brother’s life struggles. My thoughts on how to approach writing something so emotive and personal changed many times. Once I almost decided to collaborate with someone else, rather than face the buried emotions alone.

Writing is like making a good sauce. Essentially you firstly need good ingredients, ones you’re familiar with that add a definite punch. Then you begin the experiment…

Our troubled childhood years provided a plethora of emotional prompts and motivation to write the book, providing I could manage the emotional rollercoaster throwing me in every direction. Amidst the backdrop of our parents’ volatile and failing marriage and the downfall of my highly sensitive younger brother, these emotions breathed too many ingredients into the writing cauldron. I didn’t expect them to bubble and spit back at me quite as vehemently.

Having too many ingredients, as it turned out, had thrown a definite curveball into the mix of telling this story. As well as an enlightening exploration of how paranormal influences affect highly sensitive people like my brother, I’d wanted the book to be an important contribution towards understanding human consciousness.

Perhaps I was naïve in underestimating the emotional impact of writing a personal memoir. Then there’s also the research to consider, assembling facts accurately as well as transcribing stories from other people personally involved: this perspective is crucial if we want to write something that reads truthfully and has enough emotional impact to leave an indelible message.

The grief that emerged was visceral and hard-hitting, facing the fact that I’d basically failed my brother at the beginning of his troubles. It wasn’t until I was in my twenties, sitting on the edge of his soiled bed, that I did that all-important thing…

I connected with him.

I wanted to help unravel the mayhem his life had spiraled into and he also needed a voice. The question was whether I was up to the challenge. Thankfully, once I’d fully understood the true extent of my brother’s addiction and resultant mental health issues, I was able to fully immerse myself in his story from his perspective.

True, some of the things he professed still seemed too far-fetched and I wasn’t enlightened enough to understand the effects that paranormal encounters, perceived or otherwise, can have on someone like my brother. This became a journey for us both. Just because something didn’t seem possible for me, didn’t mean it wasn’t real for him. And he needed that acknowledgement and empathy, to tame his fear and torment and curb the escape route he had chosen because of a lack of connection.

My brother has thankfully survived, just, and enabled me to tell his story. He’s Not Mad He’s My Brother had several previous titles, each one swayed by my varying approaches and emotions. In the end, the book is his voice, hoping to encourage our understanding of mental ill-health.

Gratifyingly, it won the Local Legend national Spiritual Writing Competition in 2024.

I never saw myself as an author. Why would I? I struggled at school and only got my English GCSE at night school later. My grammar and spelling leave a lot to be desired, yet here I am, published.

The change happened when my Mum died. She’d told me she was writing a book about her life experiences, and that turned on a switch in my brain that started me writing too. Now I write in my journal, at least, every single day. I also started writing about my own life experience – although that manuscript will not see the light of day – and really got the writing bug. I came across a website that had an active blog so I started writing blogs about being an expat bar owner in Spain; I had pages published in two collaborative books, ‘365 Life Shifts’ and ‘Why Did I Move to Spain?’

Then, as my spiritual journey and business grew, I started writing about the places, buildings and spirits that I had the privilege to experience during space clearing, the removal of negative energies and entities from properties. This is the other world I live in!

Living in a different realm was normal for me as a child and I was much happier spending time with my spirit friends than I was with living people. In fact, people terrified me to the point I would hide if the doorbell rang and often shake as I walked across the classroom at school. Back then, I truly believed everyone could see the spirit world that I could and it wasn’t until I was around twenty years-old that I found out this wasn’t the case.

Around that time, I was working as an estate agent in London and I was unknowingly space clearing every property I entered. If I saw, heard or felt a spirit, I would send it to the light. It sounds simple because for me it was. And I was able to sell properties that had been stuck on the market for ages, just by going into them.

A few years later, I met someone who would change everything. My family had moved to a new home and whilst I knew we didn’t have any earthbound spirits, the feeling of the house was uncomfortable. My new friend casually said, “You want to try space clearing.” I had never heard of it before. So I followed her very basic instructions, going from room to room, clapping and waving incense, and as I did so all these images started to appear in my mind of the things that had happened in the house. This was exciting.

Since then I have spaced cleared every property we have ever lived in, as well as clearing for friends who have come across problems. Yet I never imagined it would turn into a business and give me the material for my first published book.

Spirituality became my main focus in 2020, when I found myself unable to work because of lockdown and had time on my hands. I threw myself into studying with Kyle Gray and became a certificated Angel Guide, reading oracle cards. While training, I did hundreds of free readings online to help people navigate the strange world we found ourselves in and pretty soon people were offering to pay me!

This was the answer I was looking for. I needed to earn money, I wanted to keep doing this work and here was the solution. So I created a website and added space clearing to it, thinking it would be a small part of my business because the properties would need to be nearby and the clients would have to be spiritually minded.

I was wrong! I had cleared a holiday home for a friend about ten years earlier and she then contacted me with an interesting question. She had tenants renting her grandparents’ home and they would not give her access for essential maintenance work. She was desperate to keep the house in good order and wondered if I could space clear it from just a basic floor plan and the address.

I had no idea if I could work remotely like that but I was willing to give it a try, trusting my intuition. As I started redrawing the plans, information and pictures started to land in my head telling me about family parties, the tenants’ heartache, even descriptions and the names of my friend’s grandparents.

Okay, now I knew that I could work remotely, but would the results be the same? They most definitely were: within twenty-four hours the tenants had allowed the builders in and the maintenance work was scheduled. I was as delighted as my friend and now knew that my angels and guides didn’t need me to be physically present in a location for them to work through me.

I now work with a number of business people on a regular basis to keep the energy of their properties positive, as well as with a number of estate agents who use my services to help them sell properties faster. They also get the bonus of knowing that the energies of the properties have been enhanced for the new owners to be healthy, happy and abundant.

So this was what I really needed to write about, sharing many exciting and eye-opening stories of space clearing and encouraging readers to make the energies of their own homes more positive. Echoes Within Walls was published by Local Legend in 2025.

I often think of my life not as a straight path, but as a spiral. Each loop brings me back to something I thought I had already healed, understood, or moved beyond—but this time, I meet it from a deeper place. My journey as a spiritual artist has been much the same: a weaving of breath, voice, body, and story, unfolding slowly over time. It is not a polished process. It is tender, cyclical, and often deeply humbling.

I was raised largely as an atheist. Both of my parents had rejected the religions they were brought up in, but developed interests in meditation, Buddhism, astrology, and, later on, shamanic practices. I was fascinated by history — especially the period of the Renaissance, Reformation, and witch hunts — from an early age. But this also brought with it a fear of spirituality, which I associated with the organised religions that had caused so much suffering and oppression over the centuries.

My own earliest spiritual memories are visceral rather than religious. I grew up moving between cultures and languages, caught in the liminal space between worlds. I was a sensitive child, easily overwhelmed by noise and tension, and prone to vivid dreams and nightmares. I didn’t always have the language then (or now) to explain what I felt, but I often sensed things that weren’t being spoken. Singing was my safe place — the only way I could express my feelings with ease.

There are moments in life when the body whispers what the mind refuses to hear — until it becomes so loud that we can no longer ignore it. Many of us begin exploring healing or spirituality out of moments of crisis.

For me, the breakdown came early. I was 19 and had just spent three months with a constant fever, following a year of experiencing a series of mysterious illnesses. When I finally found out what was wrong — ‘chronic’ Lyme disease — I felt like my life was over before it had even begun. In the months and years of relative silence that followed, I began to listen: to my breath, my dreams, my body, and eventually, the creative impulses that had long been waiting for space.

In my twenties, I trained as a yoga teacher and began to reconnect with my physical self after years of disconnection. Around that time, I also began to explore dreamwork — writing down every dream, studying their symbols, and watching patterns emerge. I believe this opened a door into my subconscious that would become foundational to my path as both a healing practitioner and an artist. I later ran a yoga studio in Brighton for five years and found a lot of joy and fulfilment in creating a beautiful community centred around the love of this practice.

But despite all of this, it wasn’t until I found Transformational Breath® in 2018 that everything began to click into place. My first session blew my mind on so many levels. My dear friend and mentor, Michèle Barocchi, was visiting to help us lead a yoga teacher training. She was completing her case studies for her breathwork certification at the time and asked me if I wanted to breathe.

I found myself reliving a traumatic surgery I had gone through six years earlier during a family trip to Namibia. Lacking other options, they had given me Ketanest (essentially ketamine) due to my low blood pressure while performing open surgery. I woke up hallucinating to my own screams and had been battling night terrors, recurring bladder infections, and general dissociation ever since.

That first breath session brought me right back into the operating theatre. My body went ice-cold, and I found myself shivering and crying in Michèle’s arms. It was one of those moments that completely changed the course of my life. I came to with a strange feeling of presence and a connection to my physical body that I don’t remember having before that day — not even as a child.

A year later, I began my path as a breathwork facilitator. During this time, I felt like I retrieved parts of myself I hadn’t even realised were missing. I often say that breathwork gave me back my voice — not just metaphorically, but literally. Shortly after that first deep immersion, songs began to come through. At first, I wrote them only for myself. I had no intention of recording anything, let alone releasing an album. But the songs kept coming through, and I kept following them. And in 2021, in the wake of lockdowns, I recorded my first four singles with my multi-talented producer, Sebastian Brice, in Frome, UK.

My creative process is deeply interwoven with my healing. I write in cycles that mirror my own emotional states. Breathwork opens the channel, music gives the emotion form, and visual art helps me integrate it all. My illustrations — often accompanying my songs or poems — begin as hand-drawn sketches and then evolve through digital layering, in itself a slow and meditative process.

Over the last six years, this multidimensional practice has become a map of sorts — tracking my path through inner child healing, ancestral reconnection, motherhood, and grief. In 2022, I gave birth to my daughter. In 2023, I lost my mother — the two events separated by a single day, exactly one year apart. That period was an initiation in every sense. Birth and death are both spiritual passages, and experiencing them so close together cracked me wide open (once again).

There were moments I didn’t know how to keep creating, and perhaps this is why it has been such a long, winding road. I was — and, if I'm honest, still am — exhausted, grieving, and responsible for a tiny human. But the songs kept coming. Two years ago, I began recording vocals in my father’s walk-in wardrobe in Tavira, Portugal, while Seb laid down the instrumentation in his studio in the UK. It wasn’t the most glamorous setting, but it was real and practical. That space — lovingly dubbed the “Wardrobe Studios” — became my own little portal. Through it, I recorded the vocals for my first full-length album, Ways of the Dreamer.

This album features nine of the songs I’ve written since 2019. It is a sonic journal of my inner world, interwoven with cello by Garwyn Linnell, guest vocals by fellow singer-songwriters Lucy Wylde and Maria Payne Vlahogiannis, and the voice of my father, Maged Younes. Each track carries a piece of my journey, an echo of my breath, a fragment of my dreams. The process was slow — spread out over two years to fit around motherhood, retreats, and daily life. It feels surreal that it's now out in the world.

What guides me now is not ambition, but alignment. I create not to perform, but to process. No longer to impress, but to connect. I have learned that the most powerful art doesn’t shout; it resonates. It carries the frequency of authenticity. And in a world that often rewards performance over presence, staying true to this path can feel slightly on edge.

Looking ahead, I hope to continue weaving these threads — breath, music, movement, and imagery — into spaces that support others in their healing. I co-facilitate retreats, offer breathwork sessions, and share my music through live performance and recordings. I envision creating immersive experiences where people can breathe, move, and listen their way back to themselves.

But more than anything, I believe I will keep walking this spiral path — returning, remembering, reweaving. For me, the spiritual journey isn’t about transcendence. It’s about coming home. To the body. To the breath. To the — at times — broken and beautiful truth of being human.

From a young age I was very interested in spirituality. The first thing that started my spiritual journey, was collecting crystals as I was captured by their beautiful colours, shapes and patterns they had. At the time I didn't know the meanings or healing properties of crystals, but I knew that they helped me feel calm and at ease. 

After a while I started to research and read lots of books about crystals. I was trying to absorb as much information as possible to learn about them, and what each one is beneficial for. I loved how each crystal could help on emotional, mental, spiritual and even physical levels. 

For me I was looking for crystals to help calm an anxious mind, and help with stress and pain on the physical plane too. I then started to learn to meditate whilst using crystals to help make me relax, and take me out of a stressful state for a while. 

Meditation helped slow my over-active thoughts, whilst the crystals made my whole aura fill with peace and tranqulity. I have kept a routine of meditating 4 times a week, to help keep me aligned and focused.

Past lives have always been a passion of mine. I just love learning about how our pasts can influence our lives now and in the future too. I have read lots of books and articles on this subject, and I feel such a connection to this spiritual area in particular.

I started to look into ways I could access or see my past lives, and began learning about the Akashic Records, which are an energetic library in the ethers, which holds all our past and future lives. 

I learnt how to access my own Akashic Records, to experience what happened in my past lives. What I learnt was that some of the anxiety and pain I was experiencing in this life, came from traumatic events that happened in my past lives. Our souls hold onto thoughts, feelings and emotions from past lives and experiences you had, whether good or bad.

Learning about the soul and holistic healing, pushed me into wanting to learn how to do readings such as oracle cards, past life tarot & astrology. I began writing on these topics so that others could learn a bit about these subjects, so they could explore and dive into various healing modalties.

I began writing as a hobby but felt like I wanted to either do a spiritual blog or write a book, but at the time never had the confidence. I wrote a few poems then wrote more a few months later, but just left them in a notebook and never gave them another thought. 

One day I decided to go back to my notebook and write more and wrote about how others can start writing poems too. After a few weeks I decided to create a book which featured my poems, how people can write their own poems, do art therapy & much more.

After writing my book, I looked into how to help the mindset and boost mental health. I began looking at how affirmations can help change thought patterns. I began writing positive affirmations for myself at first, then wrote some for friends, family and others too. I thought what if I began writing affirmations that rhymed, like in poetical form.

I began researching how rhyming sticks in our minds better and easier. Just think of a nursery rhyme, you often remember it as it rhymes. I found that rhyming helps with neurodiverse minds too. So I began writing some rhyming affirmations, which turned into more and more. I wrote them to help emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically, so they can help on each level of our being. I created another book which had rhyming affirmations in.

I then wanted to look into how mindfulness can help men and their mental health. Men's mental health is such an important topic, that I wanted to look into how mindfulness activities like meditation & writing poetry can help men, express feelings through various avenues. So I began writing some mindful exercises in my notebook that could help men. I didn't intend to create another book but I did. 

Afterwards, I began writing a few awareness poems for charities, to shine a light on important topics such as : Suicide, CPR, Homelessness, Animal Cruelty & much more. More poems turned into more and more, and again I am creating a book full of awareness poetry.

Words are very healing and I want to show others how to put their own thoughts and feelings into writing, to create a powerful and healing piece of work.  Writing has helped my anxiety, along with spiritual therapies. In the future I want to write more poetry, create more affirmation products, begin doing more spiritual readings & keep learning as much as I can.

The story of any artist is, at its heart, the story of a soul in search of truth and meaning. For John Osborne Hughes, this search has guided his entire professional and creative life—through the bright lights of the stage, the quiet moments of reflection and contemplation, and the emergence of a unique artistic path, rooted in modern psychology and ancient wisdom.

Today, John is known on both sides of the Atlantic as the creator of The Spiritual Psychology of Acting, a methodology that weaves modern acting technique with philosophy, meditation, and the journey of self-enquiry. But his path did not begin with method—it began with big questions: Who am I? Why are we here? Who are these people?!

John’s first four years were spent in Gibraltar, and then moving between England and Wales and back again. “I learned to adapt my character to fit in and survive”, he says, “and discovered a natural talent for acting along the way”. From school he was accepted on the Hampshire County Specialist Speech and Drama course, where he was awarded the special commendation for best actor.

In 1988 he moved from Portsmouth to South London and began training at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. From there he went on to train as a stage director in association with the Moscow institute of Theatre Arts, where he was fortunate to learn the system of Stanislavski (the grandfather of modern acting) first hand.

After graduation he directed acclaimed stage productions, including Ecstasy by Mike Leigh at the Arts Theatre, West End, and his own original play Beyond Ecstasy, which gained critical acclaim for its existential themes, sparky script and visionary scope, enjoying sell out runs in London and at the Edinburgh festival.

Despite the success, John felt a quiet discontent—a realisation that the work, though technically strong, lacked something essential.

“I had just been initiated into a mantra meditation practice and everything started to open up”, he says, “I understood that the higher or deeper purposes of theatre and cinematic art are to raise the level of consciousness, open the heart and, as Shakespeare so beautifully put it, to hold a mirror up to nature”.

“But how can an actor, writer or director contribute to this process”, he wondered, “if they haven’t first opened their own hearts, raised their own level of consciousness or truly observed the processes of human nature in themselves?”

The answer is, of course - they can’t!

John’s search for true knowledge and meaning led him into decades of study—philosophy, mythology, psychology, the history of art and, most importantly, the perennial wisdom tradition of Advaita Vedanta, non-duality and the twice daily practice of meditation.

Slowly, he began integrating these insights with his experience of acting, and a new system and body of profound knowledge began to take shape in the form of: The Spiritual Psychology of Acting.

Not just an acting method, this approach invites the artist to journey inward—to explore the nature of mind, character and emotion in themselves, and to closely examine their own ideas of their own identity and their relationship to their own sub-conscious drives and purposes.

“The actor’s work is the art of becoming another character,” John reflects. “To truly inhabit a role is not to escape oneself, but to understand the aspects of the self, more fully—and, in doing so, to reflect something universal back to the audience.”

John’s devotion to the inner journey naturally extends into his creative works. As founder of Awakened State Productions, he continues to explore stories that touch the liminal space between worlds—between the visible and the invisible, the down to earth and the mythic.

His recent multi award-winning first short film, The Space Between, explores love, loss and the laws of karma through the lens of the near death experience, while Beyond Ecstasy, now in development as a feature film, follows a DJ’s psychedelic journey through the late 90s underground rave scene—a contemporary myth that asks timeless questions about the true meaning of love  - a parable about the need for us all to rescue the soul from the ego and rediscover to our true nature.

An accomplished musician, John is the drummer / songwriter for a new, as yet unnamed, melodic, indie punk band. He has also DJ’s internationally since the late 90s as Solar Loon, playing what he calls ‘transcendental house’, a vibey mix of cosmic disco, funky techno and soulful, psychedelic house music.

John’s journey feels deeply aligned with the mission of the Spiritual Arts Foundation: to honour the artist as a vessel of spirit, and to bring light to the sacred power of creativity in all its forms.

His work, like that of many members of the SAF community, stands at the threshold between disciplines. It is as much about healing as it is about storytelling. As much about awakening as it is about acting.

“We live in a time when the artist is being called to reclaim their role as visionary,” says John. “We are being asked to remember that art is not a luxury—it is a necessity for the soul of humanity.” He says, “the level of consciousness of every work of art is a reflection of the level of consciousness of the artist. By training artists to connect with their own true self they become connected to the source of all wisdom, all creativity, all love and all bliss”

For those walking a similar path—those who sense that art can be more than product, more than performance—John offers this:

“When you find the courage to align your art with your true, deeper self and offer it as a gift, with love and devotion, something extraordinary happens. You begin to manifest the mystery that lives at the heart of all true creation in the form of art. And that, I believe, is what the world needs right now.”

Starting this September, we’re excited to announce that John is presenting his ground-breaking KNOW YOURSELF, BE YOUR SELF self-development programme for newcomers.

The weekly online course provides training in spiritually based, practical psychology, exploring the three main dharmas of human life and is open to all. Check out the website below to book his free live online intro to The Spiritual Psychology of Acting. When you sign up you also receive his excellent free mini video course, AWAKEN THE ACTOR WITHIN!

Article by By Layla El-Khatib for The Spiritual Arts Foundation.

Ruth White, affectionately known as Cookie, has lived a life rich in creativity, spirituality, and personal transformation. Her journey began in the fashion world, where she trained at the London College of Fashion from the age of fifteen. By seventeen, she was already working as a designer and pattern cutter, making a name for herself in the fashion industry. Despite her success in this field, her life soon took a different path as she began to explore the world of the psychic, spiritual, and metaphysical.

Her interest in the mystical arts began when she was just nineteen years old, when she first discovered palmistry. Ruth vividly recalls sitting on a beach, surrounded by young people eagerly waiting for her to read their palms. This marked the beginning of her lifelong journey into the world of astrology, psychic abilities, and spiritual exploration. Soon after, Ruth taught herself astrology with the help of Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs and Parker’s Astrology, diving deeper into the intricacies of the zodiac and the influence of the stars.

Ruth’s growing curiosity led her to become involved in the Harrow Astrological and Psychic Society, a local group that quickly became a central part of her life. As the program arranger for the group, she became closely connected with various branches of psychic and spiritual subjects, learning from many different teachers and mentors. These early experiences marked the beginning of a lifelong passion for all things metaphysical.

Alongside her exploration of spirituality, Ruth began participating in psychic fairs. Traveling locally and sometimes farther afield with her husband, Geoff, she would provide readings for a variety of people. Although she enjoyed offering her insights, Ruth found that the work could be draining, and eventually, after several years, she decided to take a step back from the fairs. She later pursued formal training at the College of Psychic Studies in Queensberry Place, South Kensington, where she spent a couple of years honing her psychic abilities. This period of study was concurrent with her career as a couturiere, where she designed exquisite ball gowns for special occasions, often creating them in her home workshop.

In her later years, Ruth discovered a new creative outlet: painting. Though she had always dabbled in illustration, creating sketches for fashion advertisements and designing dresses for her clients, it was only in the past fifteen years that she began to take painting seriously. Her artistic journey took off when she joined the Harrow Art Society, where she eventually became the administrator and exhibition organizer. It was here that Ruth began to channel her spirituality directly into her art, believing that her higher self guided her in her creative endeavours.

Ruth’s paintings reflect her deep spiritual beliefs. She often experiences moments of inspiration in the middle of the night, when ideas come to her in a rush, sometimes dictated by an inner voice that she has learned to trust. While Ruth initially argued with this voice, over time, she realized it was always right, and she now embraces the guidance it provides. This intuitive approach to creativity has led Ruth to create works that are deeply connected to her spiritual journey. Many of her paintings are inspired by animals, a theme she developed after a life-changing trip to Swaziland, South Africa, in 2013. During a memorable art safari, Ruth had the opportunity to observe and paint wildlife in its natural habitat. Giraffes, lions, rhinos, and birds all found their way onto her canvas, and these experiences now fill the walls of her home.

As a designer, Ruth also incorporates her spirituality into her work. When creating dresses for special occasions, she describes the process as “psychic dressmaking.” She listens to the energy of her clients, forming an image of them in their dress before she even begins to sketch. This unique approach, which blends psychic insight with design, is a reflection of Ruth’s deep belief in the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit.

Ruth’s psychic abilities have led her to a variety of unusual and intriguing experiences. She was once invited by Lady Elizabeth Anson, the Queen’s cousin and a well-known party planner, to read the palms of her office staff. This led to an invitation to a highly exclusive event – the wedding of John Paul Getty III and Gisela Zacher in 1974. The event, held at Getty’s picturesque home in Wormsley, Buckinghamshire, was attended by many celebrities, and Ruth had the opportunity to read the palms of the Getty family, though the rainy weather prevented her from reading many of the other guests.

Over the years, Ruth has continued to explore her spiritual and artistic interests. She began designing her own range of astrological birthday cards in 2017, incorporating her watercolors and Sharpie pen drawings into unique, personalized designs. Ruth’s artistic process is deeply influenced by her spirituality. She paints in her small conservatory, often listening to music that sets the mood for her work and lighting incense to help focus her energy. This ritualistic approach to art-making allows her to connect with her higher self and create pieces that are aligned with her intuition and spiritual beliefs.

When faced with important decisions, Ruth often turns to the tarot for guidance. She has found the tarot to be an invaluable tool, one that provides clarity and direction when needed most. Her connection to the mystical world extends beyond the tarot and into the realm of dreams. Ruth has experienced predictive dreams throughout her life, some of which were featured in a book titled The Hidden Power of Dreams by Dr. Robin Royston, where her name was changed to Rachel. These dreams have only strengthened her belief in the interconnectedness of all things and the power of intuition.

Ruth’s son, Clifford White, has followed in her footsteps, becoming a musician and composer deeply involved in New Age spirituality and metaphysical subjects. They often have long discussions about astrology, spirituality, and the mysteries of the universe.

Today, Ruth White is focused on sharing her artistic work with a wider audience. She is in the process of setting up an online shop where she will offer prints of her animal paintings and other artwork.

The original grace is not defined by the golden ratio, or aesthetic curves available in nature. It is the grace in perception, in religion-related imagination, in the human subconscious trapped in modern society, separated from the source; causing the commonly assumed religious images to be often rigid and inflexible. That original grace is the dance of the soul. Wisdom and divinity lie within and beyond the graphic expression of religious symbols.

Religions together with their symbolic images, for Tâm Thị Minh Lê, are within prayers, and outside pages of prayer books, in her colourful strokes, like sharply moving lines of prayers cutting into the air. It is the levitation; dreams wrapped in prayers. They are thrown out at high speed of imagination, of sound, of light, of faith in miracles, clinging to the vast consciousness of the humane faith’s picture. Like letters on remained sandstone slabs of ancient civilizations, drifting on sandy shores. Each letter, each human’s head, each mind, shows us the World in each of our living cells, and each part of us in the World.

The nature of Buddhism in Tâm’s paintings lies in wild and primitive pieces of colours, harmoniously sinking into the magical primary surface of the Earth, evoking budding primeval forests, in the arising time of Shakyamuni Buddha, when His mother, the first monks and philosophers walked on empty sand slopes without a single person in sight; and also contrasting at the same time, with a bit of refinement and modernity in the polar pair of colours, evoking the concept of masculinity – femininity of the modern time.

The colour pieces are as sweet as primordial femininity, pure blue as the sky, not to mention the rational arrangement of shades from heavy to light, from thin to dense, from soaringly high to blazing deep. The random shapes of letter blocks create the optical illusion of the eyes, purposefully located in meaningful positions, suggesting an arrangement, an impact of the Creator’s hand from above, beyond the boundaries of all ordinary perspectives, in the repetitive realm of the Samsara.

The mystic nature that humanity has already forgotten is shown even more clearly in the next painting – the Cross on the black background. According to the author’s narrative, it is a symbol of God’s miracle for underdeveloped lands, specifically the colonies. Carrying within her a hidden part of Vietnam as her homeland, which was once a French colony in the North, and an American-occupied land in the South – her association with God are not just bright images of the Cross where luxury or comfort is common, but the brightest light, the greatest happiness and salvation of poor children and people in the colonies. In places considered the edges of the world, with the common voice marginalized in the whole picture of contemporary art, the Cross image appears, messianic and at the same time implicitly contradictory on the hidden memories’ foundation of history: people in the name of enlightenment and civilization, holding Crosses in their hands, carried out repressions, wars and exploitation.

That black background can only be lit up, repelled, by a Cross in the most awakened imagination, reaching closest to the primordial idol of God. It is a Cross without the elaborated and sophisticated carvings commonly seen in formal ceremonies; it is a rustic Cross with countless brilliant colours of vibrant tropical countries. It is the Cross that witnessed the joy, tears, laughter, and even blood of souls and bodies, old and young, falling in the darkness, their hands reaching out to God. Souls flew up, bright flames of falling bombs and whizzing bullets – Tâm witnessed, endured, remained silence, prayed, and even fiercely fought and healed all of them. The Witness and Saviour – Jesus – within her is One, incarnates, embodies, patiently and courageously radiates the Light of the Kingdom of Heaven, to places beyond the civilized social norms, but the vivid presence of that background brings a deep and chilling epic quality.

Contrary to the popular imagination of a Saviour’s image in a human form, with a bright and radiant face; the Light in Tâm Thị Minh Lê’s paintings evokes God as an image of a male brimming with primitiveness, with one of the highest expressions of power lying in the naked display of the body including the genitalia – something that is not inherently considered sacred in common culture.

But let’s ask ourselves: how many people are honest enough to truly appreciate all the human body parts as if they were God’s creation, let them be, express them, and be naturally confident about them? If it is not an expression of love, faith, gratitude and courage for God, then what is it? Isn’t it a form of expression of strength? How many people can realize the spiritual power and divinity in mating and reproductive activities, which are the peak of inner healing, of merged universal force in the form of energy integration, of oneness, of complete self-acceptance, confidence, love and understanding, and the following process to apply it to the other? The genitalia in this case is merely a mean of union with the Divine, and the Divine expression, being brought closer to us, in an earthly image.

The Saviour most likely took an appearance like ours, so that He could become closer to us, understand us, and save our intrinsically mortal and heavy bodies.

To conclude, I would like to quote the name of one of my favourite book entitled “All the rivers flow”. We are always in a dynamic state of the flow of time, constantly moving forward to new directions and distant lands, but we forget that when reaching the sea, in order not to be dissolved, we need to remember the Source. It is not a place filled with bright urban lights with vanity, fancy elaborate beauty – it is the energy mass of a giant rough primitive biological body, in Love and Truth sparklingly illuminated by the ultimate Light of God.

As a long-time spiritual researcher and practitioner, Tâm Thị Minh Lê with her colourful imagination and dreamy perspective with the breath of Oriental meditation brings us to religious images outside the norms, unlimited in space and time, thereby she expands the outlook on the spiritual world, contributing a path to find the sacredness – primality in the origin. These connections are the forgotten values that bring unexpected happiness in a contemporary society that praises progressiveness and fragility.