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This article originally appeared on my personal blog, Clinsights, here. Editor’s Note: In two days, this post will be locked and is available only to paid members because we don’t want this duplicate content on the open web in a way that might draw traffic away from the original post. You can always read the entire post here. We are sharing this essay in The BoldBrush Letter because, though it applies primarily to writers, the underlying idea applies to all artists. Please enjoy. Save Money on a Squarespace Site for your ArtARTFUL SQUARESPACE by FASO Loves Christopher Remmer’s paintings! See More of Christopher Remmer’s art by clicking here. Wouldn’t You Love to work with a Squarespace website hosting company that actually promotes their artists?As you can see, at Artful Squarespace (by FASO), we actually do, and, Click the button below to start working If you already have a Squarespace site, you can move it to Artful Squarespace with no changes, you’ll likely save money and you can see your art promoted in our newsletters just like Christopher Remmers. If you want a new Squarespace site optimized for art, we can help you with that too! Get Started With Artful Squarespace Embrace the DragonThe image of the knight slaying the dragon in order to save the “damsel in distress” is the image of the false hero of modernity. The Dragon represents your Jungian Shadow-self, birthed from your repressed trauma, pushed down deep into its lair, in your core, where it seeks relief by grasping and collecting ‘treasures’ of ‘gold’ and ‘precious jewels.’ It jealously guards these treasures, locked away, deep inside of you. The Damsel is your Muse, imprisoned by the Dragon who himself is imprisoned within the dark cave to which, through the force of your will and denial, you have banished him. You think, or, rather, your Ego thinks, that you can "slay" the Dragon by venturing "bravely" into that deep dark cave with the sword of knowledge to do "inner work." But you have it all backwards. You still think that you're the good guy, but, in reality, your egoistic self is the tyrant. In your quest to control all, you have imprisoned your strongest allies, the Muse and the Shadow Dragon. Whenever you feel the Call of Truth, through Wonder, and you come near to it, your "hero" the Ego, stops you from following the call with what Stephen Pressfield calls the Resistance – fear. “Resistance is the most toxic force on the planet. It is the root of more unhappiness than poverty, disease, and erectile dysfunction.” – Stephen Pressfield, The War of Art The false ego-hero (the Tyrant) doesn't want you to reconcile with the Dragon and the Damsel – the Shadow and the Muse. He wants you to continue to think he’s the hero, so he floods you with fear. But the true hero isn't the ‘knight’ of your ego. The true hero is the Christ-like consciousness that fills you when you abandon the controlling ego and instead embrace truth, love and peace — when you feel wonder. Wonder — a word related to ‘wound’ — cracks open the hard shell we’ve built around our heart. Wonder wounds us to let the light back in. You must take off your ego’s armor, walk into the dark cave of your subconscious, and face the Dragon, not with the sword of your Ego, but with the unconditional love of the Christ consciousness that wonder enables. Face the Dragon, not with weapons, but with faith. Embrace the Dragon with compassion, and allow his fire to burn your ego away and cleanse your soul. He will burn away that shell around your hardened heart and then the Dragon will fill you with his majestic power and release the hoarded treasure to The Muse who will in-spire you and present the hoarded creative treasures, incredible ideas, and insights, to you, with love, one by one, where they will flow out, through you, as Art. “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. This reflection explores themes addressed in my forthcoming book, The Sovereign Artist. Join the Sovereign Artist Waitlist Posts Referenced in this ArticleIgnoring Your Daemon Unleashes a Demon Everything written in this post (and all my posts) is written 100% by me, Clintavo, a flesh and blood human seeking to grow my soul and come home my truest self; for that is the essence of creativity. I do not use AI to assist me with writing — that would deny me the very growth of my world through writing that I seek FASO Loves Stephanie Campos’ charcoal paintings! See More of Stephanie Campos’ art by clicking here. Wouldn’t You Love to work with a website hosting company that actually promotes their artists?As you can see, at FASO, we actually do, and, Click the button below to start working Get Started with FASO for Free You're currently a free subscriber to BoldBrush. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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