Journal of Sacred Work

Caregivers have superpowers! Radical Loving Care illuminates the divine truth that caregiving is not just a job. It is Sacred Work.

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Former President & CEO of multiple hospital systems and founding president & CEO of 20-hospital OhioHealth, best selling author, film artist, ordained minister, composer, published poet, syndicated T.V. host, trial attorney, federal prosecutor and Municipal Court Judge. Erie is internationally known as the founder of the Radical Loving Care(R)movement. He also heads Erie Chapman Foundation, Dane Dakota Productions, LLC, and Chapman Health International, Inc.

Recent Posts

About

Former President & CEO of multiple hospital systems and founding president & CEO of 20-hospital OhioHealth, best selling author, film artist, ordained minister, composer, published poet, syndicated T.V. host, trial attorney, federal prosecutor and Municipal Court Judge. Erie is internationally known as the founder of the Radical Loving Care(R)movement. He also heads Erie Chapman Foundation, Dane Dakota Productions, LLC, and Chapman Health International, Inc.

Day 218 – Artists as Healers

Yoyo_ma
   I was sitting in a hotel lobby in the Boston area recently when an embodiment of healing energy walked in. Although my companions didn’t know who he was, they immediately sensed the same light and power emanating from this figure that millions have experienced.
   Yo-Yo Ma is a healer who happens to be a musician. He is currently the most famous cellist in the world. If you’ve every seen as well as heard him perform, you will know what I mean about his healing energy.
   You don’t have to know anything about classical music to appreciate Ma’s gifts. He exudes such passion and joy with his playing that you simply feel better as you watch and listen.
   One of the healing gifts least appreciated by the traditional medical world is the power of the arts. Stories of the impact of music and art therapy in hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and shelters for abused women and children abound. Yet the tendency is to tell these stories as anecdotes – as if they’re simply quaint occurrences. 
   Artistic expression, both by performers and listeners, involves the movement of energy. Illness represents toxic energy. The arts can dilute some of this poison by the way they introduce Love’s energy into the patient’s presence. The arrival of beauty counteracts the ugliness of illness.
   The arts are also healing for caregivers. Great caregivers always appreciate the power of the arts because they know what the arts do for them.
   How do you engage the arts in your life?…

Artistic expression, both by performers and listeners, involves the
movement of energy. Illness represents toxic energy. The arts can
dilute some of this poison by the way they introduce Love’s energy into the patient’s presence. The arrival of beauty counteracts the ugliness of illness.

-Erie Chapman

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5 responses to “Day 218 – Artists as Healers”

  1. Karen York Avatar
    Karen York

    Engaging the arts for me is a practice of seeing art in everything. I don’t have to go to a museum to worship the masters or attend a concert to hear music. Even artists, when producing their best work, are attempting to recreate some area of existence that has always been and will always be. I am grateful that they painstakingly develop their gifts and work their craft to help all of us express that creative being within us. While I enjoy both of those activities, they are too few and far between. Art is the world around us. Music floats in the wind and hums through the leaves – sometimes acapella, sometimes accompanied by the roar of a nearby engine. Art is in the maginficence of skyscrapers and the majestic web of a garden spider. Stop and stare for one minute (time it if you have to) at the design on a butterfly wing, or into the face of your pet cat. Be silent and listen to the sounds of the outdoors, nature mixed with machine and you will recognize the movements of Beethoven and Ma, and you will see Renoir and Picasso. Most of all, you will see god, and you will find yourself in the reflection.

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  2. ~liz Wessel Avatar
    ~liz Wessel

    What a beautiful reflection, Karen!
    In my personal experience, drawing mandalas (Sanskrit word for sacred circle) has been especially helpful in mourning loss and in expressing my grief. It has given me a way to bleed off sadness and to convey Love through symbolism and imagery. The actual process supports healing.
    Each summer I am fortunate to take an art class, to be in the presence of an amazing artist, Sister Madeleva (Sister of St. Joseph of Orange)and I learn from her wisdom. She teaches that art is a lot like life. Sometimes you don’t get what you want; sometimes the colors run together and turn into a mucky brown. Rather than throw away what you have started, work with the mistakes and see what else it may become. In the end you may discover you have created something quite beautiful. When I am in Sister’s class I experience a lightness of heart as I forget my worries and play as a child might with finger paints. It is a good feeling.
    She also shares this quote with students, “An artist isn’t a special kind of person; each person is a special kind of artist.” ~Meister Eckhart

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  3. Karen York Avatar
    Karen York

    As a post-script, I would encourage everyone to rent the movie “August Rush” if you haven’t already seen it. It is a beautiful story of a prodigy searching for expression of his gifts and for love.

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  4. Yvonne Ginez-Gonzales Avatar
    Yvonne Ginez-Gonzales

    Karen….I did see the movie and it touched my heart. It is a movie that not only utilizes your sense of vision but your sense of hearing. It is delightful. I too would encourage at least one viewing of it. Thank you for reminding me of this movie, quite appropriate for todays posting.

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  5. Victoria Facey Avatar
    Victoria Facey

    I simply love Yo Yo Ma; his music is so expressive and calming to me. I was glad to see this article, as I also see artistic expression as a form of healing.
    When we slow down to absorb the arts, music and even story telling, we are opening ourselves up to expressions of love.

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