Spirit Craft Art Medicine

What is Contemporary Medicine?

Medicine is derived from the Latin ars medicina, meaning the art of healing. Contemporary medicine treats, diagnoses and prevents illnesses, diseases, and injuries through medication, surgery, and other forms of therapy.

What is Traditional (aka Indigenous or Folk) Medicine?

Traditional Medicine (aka complimentary and alternative medicine) comprises knowledge about plant, animal and mineral-based medicines, spiritual therapies, and manual techniques that has been developed over many generations. Indigenous Medicine is usually transmitted orally through a communities, families, and individuals. Many indigenous communities have specific roles for healers such as shamans, medicine persons, witch doctors, sorcerers, magicians, witches, psychics, yogis, kahunas, seers and midwifes. According to Native American beliefs, Medicine is an inner power that is found in both Nature and all individuals. Annie Spencer defines Native American Medicine as "a state of being in harmony and balance with ourselves, the world and with Spirit.”

What is Energy Medicine?

Energy Medicine is a holistic medicine based on body, mind, and spirit. Energy Medicine is based on the belief that imbalances in the body's energy field result in dis-ease and that by re-balancing the body's energy field can restore health. Therapies include touch, movement, spiritual healing, and meditation. An energy system's flow, balance, and harmony can be non-invasively restored and maintained by tapping, massaging, pinching, twisting, or connecting specific energy points; by tracing or swirling the hand over the skin along specific energy pathways; through specific exercises or postures; by focusing the mind to move specific energies; and by surrounding an area with healing energies. Some common forms of Energy Medicine include Magnet Therapy, Light Therapy, Cymatic (Sound) Therapy, Acpuncture and Acupressure, Reiki, Indian Ayurvedic Medicine, Homeopathy, Therapeutic Touch, Distant Healing, watsu, polarity therapy, massage, zero balancing, reflexology, qigong, t'ai chi chuan, yoga, distance healing, laying on of hands, ceremony, ritual, and other shamanic practices.

What is Earth Medicine?

Earth Medicine is a spiritual method for healing Mother Earth and her environment by establishing a connection from one's self to Spirit. Healing Mother Earth includes reducing pollution and toxins in the water, air, and on the land. Participating in Earth-based religions is a good way to practice Earth Medicine. Earth-based religions honor all aspects of Nature and believe that Nature is a source of universal consciousness and energy. In reverse, Earth Medicine is also the healing of humans by Mother Earth as they walk, lay, and pray on her surface.

What is Art Medicine?

Art Therapy is used in the mental health profession in two ways:

1. The creative process itself enhances the mental and emotional well-being of individuals.

2. The product of art therapy can be used as a diagnostic of an individual’s subconscious.

Art therapy uses art materials, such as paints, markers, crayons, clay, and sand tray to create. The act of self-expression helps with problem resolution, interpersonal skill development, behavior management, and stress reduction. It builds self-esteem, self-awareness, and insight.

I have coined the term Art Medicine as art therapy that can be used in Energy and Earth Medicine practices. Art Medicine can accomplish the same goals as Art Therapy however it is not meant to be restricted to a client-therapist setting. It can be used in ritual, ceremony, peer counseling, energy healing, earth-based religions, and shamanic practices.

Art Medicine heals or maintains a healthy state in the following ways:

1. The process of creation is healing.

2. The process focuses intentions for manifesting and affirming.

3. The product can be used to heal others through gifting.

4. The process can be used as a powerful tool in for ceremony and ritual.

5. Using natural materials, the process is a way to honor Mother Earth.

Two beautiful concepts of Art Medicine in use are:

Navajo Sandpaintings These sandpaintings are created by a Singer or Medicine Man for healing or blessing ceremonies. Sandpaintings are created on the floor of the hogan. When complete, the patient sits on the sandpainting where s/he is chanted over. The sandpainting is a portal for spirits to come and absorb the illness to take it away. The sandpaintings are begun, finished, and destroyed within a 12 hour period.

Tibetan Buddhist Sandpaintings These are mandalas that the lamas create with colored sand over a period of days or weeks. They are then destroyed to heal and bless the environment and all living beings.

What is Shaman Art?

Shaman art is art created by shamans for art used for shamanic practices. Shamans use art for various reasons such as:

1. To create a supra-normal atmosphere for spiritual healing rituals.

2. As sensory triggering mechanisms to expand consciousness and/or induce shamanic trance states.

3. To access the higher self and to reprogram the powerful instincts of the lower self.

4. To create representations of Spirits.

5. To create symbolism as a means of interacting with the Spirit World.

Arts originated by shamans include: drumming, music, dance, acrobatics, costuming, masks, theater, architecture, sculpture & carving, petroglyphs, painting, sand-painting, body-painting, tattooing, piercing, scarification, talisman creation, writing & literature, plant cultivation, astronomy, metallurgy, and crafts. Performance arts include: juggling, sleight of hand, illusionism, puppetry, ventriloquism, clowning, fire-eating and fire-walking, sword-swallowing, and animal training.

To see some artwork by shamans, check the links section.