Devotional Art

A catalyst for cellular, systemic and sacred change

Every now and then, I’ll meet and feel a sense of Godliness in a spider or hummingbird, in a moment of silence or in a Bansuri note, in the glimmer of someone’s eye or trickster smirk.

When I encounter sparks of Divine in any form, I try to pause and savor the experience; to be with in witness to It. Sometimes, these meetings are painfully evanescent and other times, they ask me to hold It for a while, and to collaboratively create something tangible.

In gardens lush where blossoms play,
I met a beloved that lifted my sway.

At first gaze she drew me near
her open heart dazed me clear.
a touch so soft like hot pink petals
melting my grief like alchemizing metal.

She let me nuzzle my nose her nape,
these breaths became my sweet escape
her open mouth, a ripe seduction
holy soul-y co-regulation.

Longing fills me to be consumed by her
for this silken dream to wrap me like fur.

But thoughts come in to bother, they say
it isn’t enough for us to just be, together
not when transactions have to be made
and ego games have to be played

So eventually this day pulls me away
I walk further, wishing for her presence to linger
the light dims, dull stings of her death cling,
I fear the dread of this life without a savior.

so I turn back for a little more time
in the tantric place of her embrace,
knowing all too well
the more she spreads her fragrant wealth
the closer she gets to a wilted death.

I plee like a child so yearnfully,
“let me be your Thumbelina
fill me up and cover me all over
I lose my self in you, Divine Lover.
For as long as you’ll let me
through you I am free.”

TO LOVE A ROSE

Devotional Art as Movement for Liberation

Akka Mahadevi is a luminous muse of defiance and revered poet-saint from 12th-century Karnataka, India. Her life and work during the Bhakti movement forged a path of radical thought and spiritual resilience when societal norms rigidly enforced femme modesty. Controversy, criticism and shame didn’t deter her. Akka Mahadevi shattered constraints with unwavering resolve, spiritual rebellion and devotional poetry that makes me want to weep.

Devotional art is so- by its intentionality, sincerity, and dedication…

It’s the deep love and yearning- for the divine, for humanity, for the Earth, for peace or freedom- that infuses art-making with sacred duty and urgent responsibility.

Indigenous artists, Black empowerment artists, climate justice activists all around the world are using their work to reclaim and celebrate cultural heritage and beauty, to challenge colonial narratives, and advocate for justice and liberation. The work of contemporary Indigenous artists like Jeffrey Gibson (Cherokee/Choctaw) blends traditional techniques with modern aesthetics to address themes of identity, resilience, and resistance. Artists like Amiri Baraka and Sonia Sanchez leveraged their work to inspire Black empowerment and celebrate African heritage while confronting systemic racism. Contemporary artists and activists create works that highlight the urgent need for environmental protection, inspiring global movements like Fridays for Future…

When Family is the only Shelter, an oil painting made in Gaza by Malak Mattar

And today, in the bloody face of ongoing genocide in Palestine and Congo, artists are creating works that memorialize the suffering, resilience and resistance of their people. Their art, created devotionally despite crisis and uncertainty, bring the reality of human fortitude to the global gaze. Malak Mattar’s paintings depict the pain and hope of her people through vibrant and emotionally charged painting.

I have the privilege of working with folks who too are devotees - of Mother Earth’s rivers, mycellium, fruits and freedom. I get to be a doula alongside creators in their processes when personal and/or systemic traumas get in the way. Sometimes, folks offer to share their reflections on our interwoven journeys. Feroza for example, speaks about collaborating and listening to her muse in her creation of a music album of healing river songs; Sara story-tells about her becoming more intimate with her heritage and the land while making an Eritrean instrument called the Krar; Molly infuses her painting practice with sacred ritual so as to preserve her purpose, despite extractive industry standards.

In progress Tropical Oyster Mushroom in watercolor by Molly Reeder

When we can bring devotion to our art practice, we carry a resilience to express truths that are often suppressed; truths that must be expressed to heal our collective wounds. Through the sacred act of creating, we can envision and manifest new realities that transform the systems internally and globally that suck out the devotion and divinity from our inherent creativity.

At its core, devotional art is an offering—

A practice of deep commitment and reverence towards a higher purpose or cause. It transcends aesthetic expression, becoming a vessel for spiritual and emotional connection, and a catalyst for cellular and systemic change.

So I ask you, dear reader…

When you make art of any kind- whether it’s a dance, a conversation, adornment on your body, a call to your congressional leader, a meal for your community…

What are you devoting yourself to?

It really can be as small and temporal as a rose; for in a rose is the whole world. It can be as big and vast as collective liberation, for in its bigness are also moments and opportunities for slow, attentive care with each stroke, sentence, and step.

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Thank you 💚