Spiritual Service for Sundancers? A Proposal
PLACE OF CELEBRATION AND REALIZATION:
Agree on a place that resonates with artistic effort. The Scarab Club comes to mind, but only if the club donates space for the morning service. An art gallery with morning sunlight and comfortable chairs is also a likely choice. The celebration shall have no permanent room for those who congregate until celebrants and congregants triumph in the battle between art and mammon --- when objects are created that transcend material and currency, leaving an abundance to exchange for an architectural wonder at the still heart of whirling being. The permanent home of celebration is perfect when it offers spaces for creation and respite for artists who sojourn between homes.
SELECTION OF A HOST TO GREET THOSE WHO COME:
Choose a person who comes forward of her own volition to stand before those who congregate. She will stand before those who congregate, guide the service through its celebrations, but those who congregate will lead the service. She who hosts can host as long as congregants comes to celebrate.
THE MUSIC:
Until celebrations have a perfect home of architectural wonder, those who congregate shall make sounds for celebration upon instruments that travel easily. The music may come from any tradition as long as lyrics and sound awaken love and creations of those who have ears and those who chose to hear. Music is welcome as congregants make arrival, between the readings, during guided meditation and deliverance and as all departs. The giver of Music comes forward in a spirit of charity and accepts love offerings as the fruit of her song. When celebrants have a home where the creative impulse is protected, a permanent giver of music may be selected so that the home is known as a well of composition and a center of performance.
THE FOUR READINGS
Ask her to choose three readings from the book of man, the collected, accumulated texts written by humans after the great being moved scribes and mediums to write the Koran, the Bible, A Course in Miracles, the Talmud, the Analects, the Mahabharata, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Book of the Tao, the Bhagavad-Gita. For example, she could choose a sonnet from Shakespeare, a passage from the Artist's Way by Julia Cameron and an arts review from the local paper. She invites an artist she respects to chose a fourth reading from the Book of Received Word, the collection of texts written by humans who channeled the language of those beings we reference as divine and ineffable (too great for names and naming). She guides her chosen artist to read aloud a text that makes creativity valid, potent, and inescapable. For example, the Christian bible tells parables about a man who buries his talents (coins and also skills) under a bush.
GUIDED MEDITATION AND DELIVERANCE:
After the third reading, and before the reading from the Divine writings, celebrants and congregants close their eyes and receive the image of a creation, the image enjoying representations in all the senses of sight, touch, taste, sound and smell. Incense might be burned, but the aroma of a fresh apple pie brought in for spiritual love feast will serve as well. Music can be performed and played on an iPod with speakers, but the rain drizzling from the eaves shall be sufficiently evocative. When all return from the well of creation and eyes are all open, the celebrant invites each in turn to share the inspiration, and share an intention to bring it into being. The celebrant receives these reports as if the object had appeared before her. She hears the complaints of a congregant when the congregant denies resources or talents to realize the inspiration. However, she invites each complaining congregant to be delivered of the limitation. She records the congregant's promise to realize the vision by thought, word and, most of all, free spirited, fully authorized deed.
THE SHARE --- MORE THAN A EUPHEMISM FOR SERMON OR HOMILY
Chosen in advance by the celebrant, an artist unveils or otherwise reveals a work of art of any sort, and describes how he or she imagined the work in advance, yearned for its creation in advance, and then yielded to the divine and human forces that resulted in its physical rendering and realization. The artist shares how his life has been split in two by the creation of that work into before creation and after creation. The artist shares the transformation of his life because he gave his self over to a creative force greater than his own.
THE OFFERING --- MORE VITAL THAN A TITHE OF CURRENCY
Walking blindfolded with the help of the congregants, the giver of music is encouraged to hold out a hand woven basket to each congregant. With gratitude for song the only motivation, each congregant provides a love offering to the giver of music. Each celebration, congregants are invited to bring one fresh work of art that is easily brought and readily carried away. It is noticed and noted by the celebrant, and if the love for the object moves a congregant to exchange money for it, half the sum is held by community towards a place where artists can sleep, eat and create without fear of penury.
If no one is so moved, the celebrant records its likeness with a camera or a video camera. The congregant agrees to bring this item forth when the community meets for a special service of exhibition, when all works are exchanged for money towards the community's home of celebration and peace. The congregant is free to exchange it for money whenever the generosity of a patron is present, but he either agrees to recreate it for the special service of exhibition or contribute five tithes of the sum towards the home where weary artists find succor.
THE LOVE FEAST:
No meeting of artists is complete without the drinking of good wine and the sharing of good cheese and pie. Some of the juice of the grape or nectar of fruit should sparkle but not inebriate. The congregants bring wine to the table as if they were libations or were meant for communion. Even if only one bottle is brought, all share equally of its refreshment, even if a dropper is all that congregants taste. As for food, congregants are welcome to bring fresh food that went uneaten when the call of creativity made satisfaction of dietary needs unnecessary.
BENEDICTION (THE GOOD WORD)
Each congregant arises in turn to speak words of praise towards a second congregant. These words are brief yet effusive. The gift of benediction is to say the best of your good words to a fellow artist.
SPECIAL SERVICES OF EXHIBITION:
Whenever the community finds donated, secure space for displaying work to a public, it makes arrangement with the members to display the work. Members of the community take turns curating the works presented, arranging works within the space and services, welcoming the public drawn to the service and accepting the sums offered for the works. Five tithes of the sums offered are preserved by the community to build the architectural marvel that will encourage reliance upon the sacred creator within.
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