By Susan G Parcheta
April 27, 2012
A far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being." Carl Jung
Visual artist Elaine Clayton kindles our hearts, as she engages our imagination, sparks our intuition and illumines our dreams in her book Illuminara Intuitive Journal with Cards.
“Imagination is the playscape of our intuitive self,” says Clayton; it’s through our imagination that we find meaning in our experiences, as well as creative solutions to life’s problems.
Illuminara features a journaling section and a set of 40 cards of her art pieces – paintings and sketches that work in tandem. The art serves as a tool to bring forth the heart of our intuition and dreams via this visual medium. It’s an interactive technique, as we can then journal our experience with the cards, jogging our personal memories – the insights from which assist us in discovering answers to life’s situations and challenges.
“The idea is to pick one,” Clayton explains, “and allow the flow to wash through you and write down all the feelings and memories that float to you from inside. Then when you pick a card like ‘lemons’--you know what you felt and what your associations are.”
While I’ve enjoyed the book and cards since its publication last year, I decided to draw a card specifically for writing this reflection. In interacting with the Cloud Card, I realized that the image brought up a number of things -- both about me, and about Clayton’s work.
