The Artist's Way

For these reasons, it is mandatory that any gathering of
artists be in the spirit of a sacred trust. We invoke the Great
Creator when we invoke our own creativity, and that
creative force has the power to alter lives, fulfill destinies,
answer our dreams.
In our human lives, we are often impatient, ill-tempered,
inappropriate. We find it difficult to treat our intimates with
the love we really hold for them. Despite this, they bear with
us because of the larger, higher level of family that they
honor even in our outbursts. This is their commitment.
As artists, we belong to an ancient and holy tribe. We are
the carriers of the truth that spirit moves through us all.
When we deal with one another, we are dealing not merely
with our human personalities but also with the unseen but
ever-present throng of ideas, visions, stories, poems, songs,
sculptures, art-as-facts that crowd the temple of
consciousness waiting their turn to be born.
We are meant to midwife dreams for one another. We
cannot labor in place of one another, but we can support the
labor that each must undertake to birth his or her art and
foster it to maturity.
It is for all these reasons that the Sacred Circle must exist
in any place of creation. It is this protective ring, this soul
boundary, that enlivens us at our highest level. By drawing
and acknowledging the Sacred Circle, we declare principles
to be above personalities. We invite a spirit of service to the
highest good and a faith in the accomplishment of our own
good in the midst of our fellows.