Does God Make Artistic Choices? from the media In the Service of Love
A man asks if God makes artistic choices, like an artist creating from love but still shaping a form. Rupert agrees that creation is an outpouring of love for the sake of beauty, yet on the relative level, forms require choices. He shares that, as an artist in his studio, he sought to create a form in which truth, love or reality could shine – first with clay, now with words. Artists are often dissatisfied because it’s impossible to give the formless a form.
- Duration: 6 minutes and 25 seconds
- Recorded on: Oct 13, 2024
- Event: Seven-Day Retreat at Garrison Institute – 6 to 13 October 2024
A man asks about forgiveness within non-duality, wondering if it is redundant or a legitimate concession, since forgiving implies separation. Rupert explains that at the ultimate level, there is no individual self to blame or forgive, as all actions are impersonal. However, at a more relative level, forgiveness is a concession to the separate self, as we recognise that everyone does their best and makes mistakes. Love the being, but act appropriately when behaviour violates love.
A man asks if God makes artistic choices, like an artist creating from love but still shaping a form. Rupert agrees that creation is an outpouring of love for the sake of beauty, yet on the relative level, forms require choices. He shares that, as an artist in his studio, he sought to create a form in which truth, love or reality could shine – first with clay, now with words. Artists are often dissatisfied because it’s impossible to give the formless a form.
A woman speaks of the challenge in editing, feeling it blocks the flow of expression. Rupert explains that editing is the stringent part, more difficult than the creative process itself. He likens it to a sculptor’s chisel, carving away stone to reveal the form within. Editing is the process by which you make the love you wish to express more visible, refining and clarifying the original overflow of creativity.
A woman asks about the meaning of the word ‘intervention’ and how Rupert uses it in the context of art. Rupert says that he uses the word in relation to love or beauty. He explains that everyday life is like a necklace, where the beads represent thoughts, feelings and sensations, but the golden thread of being remains hidden unless we focus on it. He describes intervention as moments when the flow of experience is interrupted, revealing the deeper reality – the thread of being, or love, shining through.
A woman, a trained classical musician, shares how she stopped reading music for several years to explore improvisation but recently felt drawn to play Bach. She wonders if playing another’s composition is a lesser form of creativity. Rupert reassures her that it is not, explaining that true music flows directly from the heart of God. When the musician plays such music, they disappear, and the form becomes a channel for love and understanding. The form is merely the carrier; the true art is in the message.
A woman asks about causality and stewardship in the relative world from a non-dual perspective. She notes that intentionality seems to have an effect, but there is also a sense of a greater force orchestrating events. Rupert uses the metaphor of a conductor and musicians to explain that while the conductor directs, each musician must still play their part. He explains that in life, we can either serve separation or oneness, using our thoughts, feelings and actions in the service of love.
A woman asks about the creative process and recalls Rupert’s earlier remark about thoughts during meditation. Rupert says that thoughts arise from a deep existential longing, a fire that drives them. As this longing subsides, thoughts begin to quieten, and another kind of longing – the overflowing of love – emerges. Love, the very nature of our being, expresses itself in the desire to create, whether through having a child, making a home, cooking, writing or making art.
A woman asks where insight comes from and how something new, like a poem, arises from the allness into form. Rupert explains that pure intelligence is like light before being refracted into colours, unformulated and without objective knowledge. The mind gives this pure intelligence form, creating knowledge, just as feelings give form to love. Some knowledge reflects the nature of pure intelligence more accurately, just as some feelings express love more clearly.
A man asks about the search, deep listening and the sinking into being – stepping off the line of time and standing in eternity. Rupert explains that searching is the prelude to deep listening, a path we follow until it leads us to the Pathless Path. While searching happens on the horizontal line of time, deep listening is a plunge into the vertical dimension of being. It is like sinking into the ocean, where we step off the line of time and stand in eternity.
A man asks about forgiveness within non-duality, wondering if it is redundant or a legitimate concession, since forgiving implies separation. Rupert explains that at the ultimate level, there is no individual self to blame or forgive, as all actions are impersonal. However, at a more relative level, forgiveness is a concession to the separate self, as we recognise that everyone does their best and makes mistakes. Love the being, but act appropriately when behaviour violates love.
A man asks if God makes artistic choices, like an artist creating from love but still shaping a form. Rupert agrees that creation is an outpouring of love for the sake of beauty, yet on the relative level, forms require choices. He shares that, as an artist in his studio, he sought to create a form in which truth, love or reality could shine – first with clay, now with words. Artists are often dissatisfied because it’s impossible to give the formless a form.
A woman speaks of the challenge in editing, feeling it blocks the flow of expression. Rupert explains that editing is the stringent part, more difficult than the creative process itself. He likens it to a sculptor’s chisel, carving away stone to reveal the form within. Editing is the process by which you make the love you wish to express more visible, refining and clarifying the original overflow of creativity.
A woman asks about the meaning of the word ‘intervention’ and how Rupert uses it in the context of art. Rupert says that he uses the word in relation to love or beauty. He explains that everyday life is like a necklace, where the beads represent thoughts, feelings and sensations, but the golden thread of being remains hidden unless we focus on it. He describes intervention as moments when the flow of experience is interrupted, revealing the deeper reality – the thread of being, or love, shining through.
A woman, a trained classical musician, shares how she stopped reading music for several years to explore improvisation but recently felt drawn to play Bach. She wonders if playing another’s composition is a lesser form of creativity. Rupert reassures her that it is not, explaining that true music flows directly from the heart of God. When the musician plays such music, they disappear, and the form becomes a channel for love and understanding. The form is merely the carrier; the true art is in the message.
A woman asks about causality and stewardship in the relative world from a non-dual perspective. She notes that intentionality seems to have an effect, but there is also a sense of a greater force orchestrating events. Rupert uses the metaphor of a conductor and musicians to explain that while the conductor directs, each musician must still play their part. He explains that in life, we can either serve separation or oneness, using our thoughts, feelings and actions in the service of love.
A woman asks about the creative process and recalls Rupert’s earlier remark about thoughts during meditation. Rupert says that thoughts arise from a deep existential longing, a fire that drives them. As this longing subsides, thoughts begin to quieten, and another kind of longing – the overflowing of love – emerges. Love, the very nature of our being, expresses itself in the desire to create, whether through having a child, making a home, cooking, writing or making art.
A woman asks where insight comes from and how something new, like a poem, arises from the allness into form. Rupert explains that pure intelligence is like light before being refracted into colours, unformulated and without objective knowledge. The mind gives this pure intelligence form, creating knowledge, just as feelings give form to love. Some knowledge reflects the nature of pure intelligence more accurately, just as some feelings express love more clearly.
A man asks about the search, deep listening and the sinking into being – stepping off the line of time and standing in eternity. Rupert explains that searching is the prelude to deep listening, a path we follow until it leads us to the Pathless Path. While searching happens on the horizontal line of time, deep listening is a plunge into the vertical dimension of being. It is like sinking into the ocean, where we step off the line of time and stand in eternity.