GOD-centric Interior Spiritual Disciplines:
To live in a good and fair God of love
Art
"Painting is an art, and the art in its whole is not a vain objects creation which get lost in the void, but a power which has a goal and must serve to the evolution and to the refinement of the human soul, to the moving of the Triangle. It is the language which speaks to the soul, in its proper form, of things which are the daily bread of the soul and which it can receive only under this form.” ~ Wassily Kandinsky (Theosophist), On the Spiritual in Art
Photographic images and a real life appreciation of the beauty to be found in nature do lift my soul almost daily; however, in all honesty, I rarely view visual art as a means of lifting my soul to God. But I wrote the rules so I guess I should play by them. The following apophatic paintings do speak to me and touch upon an iconless conveying of the God I seek. On a practical note, my publishing this book in color would have quadrupled its price leaving only my devoted mother willing to dig so deeply into the coffers to purchase it. I apologize for the poor quality of the images and hope that those of you with internet access will find color versions online.
1. The Monk by the Sea by Caspar David Friedrich
This image speaks of the solitude I sometimes feel
in my search and longing for the vastness of God
2. Sun Setting Over a Lake by J.M.W. Turner
God's warmth, mystery, and light
3. Chaos: Creation of the World by Ivan Aivazovsky
My relationship with God is stormy and has known much
darkness yet I still see light and touch calm amid the chaos
4. Study for The Cross and the World by Thomas Cole
Hope
5. Sunset in the Yosemite Valley by Albert Bierstadt
A brighter day of understanding God lies just around the bend
6. Moonlit Shipwreck at Sea by Thomas Moran
More storms and hope
7. The Hymn by Mikalojus Ciurlionis
Praise!
SIMONIDY Reverie (The Dream of the Monk)
| Thinking a Thought Whole |
| My Catholic Imagination |
| My Catholic Questions |
| The Nicene Creed |
| Religious Traditions |
| Philosophy of Religion |
| Social Sciences & Religion |
| Stages of Faith |
| The Lazarus Life |
| No Golden Fleece |
| Judaism |
| Eastern Orthodoxy |
| Protestantism |
| Islam |
| Hinduism |
| Buddhism |
| Taoism |
| Baha'i |
| Unitarian (& Quaker) Universalism |
| Liberal Christianity |
| New Age, New Thought, New Anything |
| Perennial Philosophy |
| Arguments for God’s Existence |
| Qualities of God |
| Wagers: Aurelius vs. Pascal |
| Faith & Reason |
| The Problem of Evil |
| Process Theology & Theistic Existentialism |
| Non-God Statement |
| GOD-centric Statement |
| Are you really GOD-centric? |
| Intra-Religious Conversation |
| Conversation with the Non GOD-centric |
| Rules of Inter-Religious Conversation |
| Inter-Religious Conversation |
| The Eternal Question of God |
| The Eternal Question of Humanity |
| The Eternal Question of Life |
| Ending with a Bang, Not a Whimper |
| Closing Thoughts |
| The GOD-centric Process in 10 Easy Steps |
| Preface |
| Ch. 1 Music & Arts |
| Ch. 2 Praying the Hours |
| Ch. 3 Contemplative Prayer |
| Ch. 4 Prayers & Poetry |
| Ch. 5 Lectio Divina |
| Ch. 6 Reading for Study |
| Music |
| Arts |
| Prayers of Adoration |
| Prayers of Petition |
| Prayers of Intercession |
| Prayers of Thanksgiving |
| Preface |
| Introduction |
| Ch. 1 Simplicity |
| Ch. 2 Service |
| Ch. 3 Stewardship |
| Ch. 4 Celebration |
| Epilogue |
| From GOD-centric to GOOD-centric |
| From Panendeist to De Facto Atheist |
| A Note to Non-GOD-centric Christian Believers |
| GOOD-centric Statement: Upon This Rock I Stand |
| Freedom from Complexity |
| Absence of Luxury, Pretentiousness, Ornament |
| GOOD-centric Guiding Principles: Simplicity |
| Education |
| Economics |
| GOOD-centric Guiding Principles: Service |
| Fairness in Education |
| Goodness in Education |
| Love in Education |
| Fairness in Economics |
| Goodness in Economics |
| Love in Economics |
| Environment |
| Animal Welfare |
| GOOD-centric Guiding Principles Stewardship |
| Fairness for the Environment |
| Goodness for the Environment |
| Love for the Environment |
| Fairness for Animals |
| Goodness for Animals |
| Love for Animals |
| GOD-centric to GOOD-centric |
| GOD-centric vs. GOOD-centric |
| GOD-centric & GOOD-centric |
| Devotional |
| UnDevotional |
| January |
| February |
| March |
| April |
| May |
| June |
| July |
| August |
| September |
| October |
| November |
| December |
| UnJanuary |
| UnFebruary |
| UnMarch |
| UnApril |
| UnMay |
| UnJune |
| UnJuly |
| UnAugust |
| UnSeptember |
| UnOctober |
| UnNovember |
| UnDecember |