I recently visited an artist friend, George H Lewis, at his studio and was blown away by his artistic range. On one wall he had floor to ceiling mixed media paintings of archetypes showcasing the duality of the unconscious and conscious, patterns of mankind, and how he perceives truth. Hanging on the adjacent wall were mystical paintings from his East meets West series highlighting the Silk Route. Lewis aims to capture the truth about human beings and their patterns of behavior and patterns of thought. He expresses how we are more similar than we are different through these archetypes, and his goal is to trigger and awaken each viewer through his artistic message of respect and empathy for all human beings. Lewis feels that “we live in an era where conflict and fear seem to be ever-present around us, and conspire to keep us divided. In many respects, the current global culture has evolved to dismantle the inclusivity and trust inherent to community”. His work and projects “strive to create the safe, collaborative space these complex times necessitate to rebuild our interconnectivity as a global peoples”. Lewis and I bonded over our shared belief that if we change ourselves, we can change the world, it all starts inside of us individually, collectively we impact community and the conscious collective.
I was equally impressed with Lewis’s mastery in painting the four elements: air, earth, wind and water. I was drawn to one particular image (featured image) of a woman standing naked in the sea. This image triggered deep emotions within me as I identified with the healing aspects water brings and also the freedom and comfort she portrays. She is standing effortlessly, leaning back into the ocean fully trusting, heart open. She exudes the feeling of safety as she tilts her heart to the sky, she is naked and natural, exposed to the elements, calm and serene, she is connected with something bigger than herself. She has let go and let God, she lives with an open heart full of love. Brilliant. Lewis also shows his brilliance in the innovation of his work, this image is actually a photograph that he painted over. Lewis carefully and thoughtfully had the model pose, he choreographed her with intention, to ultimately create an emotional connection with the viewer. He is both photographer and painter. After he completed the photograph of this woman, he then painted the beautiful ocean around her, creating movement while symbolizing the healing effects that water brings. This mixed media piece is lacquered in a finish that bubbles to mimic those naturally occurring in water – need I say more?
Artists have the ability to tap into our collective conscious, which is then mirrored through their art. They spotlight world issues and promote the healing of division. The psychological benefits of creative expression, through the arts, are transformational. Using art as a therapeutic technique, in collaborations with a psychologist or on your own, helps gain insight through analysis of expression and also through the creative art making process itself. As an Astrology Apprentice I am learning about reading individuals charts to identify blocks, while simultaneously helping guide people towards their creative purpose and highest expression. I am so passionate about psychology, astrology and the arts, therefore I love the term that sums them all up: Artology
Carl Jung is a famous psychologist who is well known for his psychological process of integrating opposites, including the unconscious and conscious while staying focused on the core – the individual or “individuation”. He created one of the best psychological concepts known as the archetype, these symbols are often used in literary analysis, psychological theory, art and astrology to portray inherited unconscious ideas, patterns of thoughts and patterns of behavior. Astrology is based on the belief that we all enter this world as unique individuals, Carl Jung’s concept of “individuism” validates this, we arrive with our astrological stamp complete with strengths, weaknesses, destiny and our highest expression. As unique individuals we are here for the purpose of sharing our uniqueness with the world, not to follow others but to give what we have to share. Through the process of connecting and empowering our individual self we begin to integrate (heal) our emotional experiences to create wholeness.
Artology takes us deeper inside of ourselves and helps us integrate emotional patterning, it helps us evolve and it encourages us to express our creative side. Through this process we create greater awareness of different cultures that leads to acceptance. We can transcend the division, the duality, through art. Utilizing tools such as astrology, psychology, and archetypes we better understand our greater purpose for this lifetime.
If you are interested in learning more about Archetype’s please visit the largest resource / library / reference center in the world! The amazing non-profit, ARAS, is located in the NYC Jung Institute and has thousands of well organize archetypes. One of my favorite places to visit 
