Blog 9

I was happy to find that Hughes finally stated some aspects neurological diseases and how brain deterioration can induce creativity in the music and art. I like how he further elaborated his findings with devotional art in most religions, which is produced for a purpose. I was surprised to find that most famous artist like Van Gogh, Picasso, Bacon hold a meanings behind their art which we never associated. Their purpose was to serve as religious service, yet we never put that association with them. Though, when I read this, I began to see a connection. I further liked how Hughes elaborated this with not only Christianity but also the other religious practices out there. I loved how he connected it with creativity that people with neurological problems can hold a dramatically altering stated of consciousness to create something for the purpose that we don’t think of it as. I realized that these things are embedded in our system. For example the mystic poets, the devotional artists, the famous composers and yet we don’t know what mental stated they when they produced their work. Like Hildegard’s visions and how they were similar to the Hindu Prana and people believed he had visions yet now we find that his migraines contributed to his alter state of consciousness.
I also saw the shamanistic connections Hughes makes with the icons and mandalas. I was surprised to read that “the seed of enlightenment within each person is nourished by the process of visualizing and contemplating a mandala, ” and how Hindu tantric art is stylized to emphasize otherworldliness by using shamanist principles of fasting, prayers. (154) I wasreally shocked… so I googled mandala pictures and info and did see how Hughes made the connection with the cosmic energy and the cosmic principles.
http://www.world-mysteries.com/newgw/sci_blueprint3.htm
I also like chapter 12 a lot since it talked about the drug induced creativity but since this was something I was familiar with already it didn’t hold my interest that much. I did like how the magic mushrooms and the fly agaric did appear in the chapter and since we talked about them last class.