Visual alchemy

Leslie rented a movie called “The Illuminated Chakras” last night. I expected it to be corny, but I actually found myself effected by the visuals. However, I think this is only because of the sensitivity to my subtle body I’ve cultivated through meditation. I can’t imagine just handing that tape to anyone and have the images stimulate inner movement. That they would notice anyway.

Since watching that video it’s made me think more about the possibility of art as alchemy or art as magick, however you want to think of it. Chakras, Taoist organs/shen spirits, sephiroth … any of the more popular systems of correspondences that contemplatives are meditating on … people are building up rich inner visual cues that unconsciously access emotional/mental states, subtle body alchemy, etc. I wonder what the possibilities are in creating visual art, animated movies let’s say, that stimulate some degree of alchemy in initiates just by watching them.

On a more personal angle, the other night I did some parts work on myself in Photoshop. I accessed the felt-sense of a few parts and asked to be guided to draw them. Then, as I held these parts in a space of acceptance and love, they (as usual) transformed and I drew them again. I did this all on separate layers so afterward I played with slowly moving the transformed versions on top of the original, more stuck versions of the parts, lowering the opacity of the stuck version until it disappeared, stuff like that. Different things elicited really interesting responses in me, it was cool.