“Human” artists can view their “self” as matter, energy, mind, spirit or some combination of these elements. Historically, the various types of art have been based upon the permutations and combinations of this self mis-identification. For example, realism focuses purely on “material” objects. When realism is done well the objects reflect not only the physical form, but also the “energy” of the objects. The art of Dali and the later art of Picasso, is an identification with the “subconscious mind”, the realm of dreams and phantasmorgia. A lot of contemporary art that makes rational or political statements is coming from the “intellectual mind”. The art of the Japanese and Chinese Zen masters is minimal and spontaneous and reflects an identification with the “spirit”.

The evolution of contemporary art reflects the evolution of the contemporary man. All of the above are phases in the evolution of man and his art. As man evolves, so does his art. The human equipment has the potential to operate in a better way, a more enlightened way, a more divine way. The art will correspond. Ancient myths talk of divine beings that have perfected all the arts, just as they have perfected themselves.

There is one specific big misunderstanding about this much ballyhooed “higher potential” state of human beings. Most people believe that this higher potential in the human being, is for him to discover his identity with the spirit. This is not entirely correct. The higher man is “spiritual” but he is more than that…The statement, ”the goal of man is to become spiritual”, is partially true, but must be extended, for it to hold completely true. The truth is that the new fully actualized man is able to be spiritual in a material, energetic and mental world.

This source of the universe is super conscious. The super conscious source is not simplistically all light and void, the “spiritual”. It also embraces the opposite of spirituality, a “wet, messy and earthy” quality that I like to call “soulfulness”. The superconscious source uses both spirituality and soulfulness, at a subtle mental level, as opposing elements to create the universe, just as the artist uses black and white or blue and yellow to achieve variations in tone. It is these variations in tone that make a painting look realistic. Similarly it is the artful play of spirituality and soulfulness that create the univese. These opposing but complementary forces are called Purusha (spirit) and Prakriti (nature) in ancient Indian philosophy, that is derived from a past golden age where this knowledge was practically understood.

The ordinary human is a prisoner. She is not free. She is stuck somewhere, in a smaller or larger prison compound. Her prison may be a luxorious 5 star hotel straight out of the realm of the gods, however she is still under house arrest. The prision is made in the mind and the steel bars of the cage are made of industrial strength Ignorance, with a capital I. The root of this ignorance is wrong or partial self identification. To be more specific, humans do not understand who or what they are. Man has partial self identification and lives in the partial reality of the material, energetic, mental or spiritual dimensions.

Since the self awareness of the ordinary human is partial and art is the best expression of the self, the art of the ordinary human is partial.

The whole human is free. In the Indian lingo from a by gone sat yug or golden age, this much coveted quality was called “Kevalya” or complete freedom. The kevalya man is able to amiably wander in the scorching desert of the spirit, swim in the deep blue oceans of energy, and ride up and down the escalators of the skyscraper of the mind, stopping at will at the various floors: subconscious, intellectual, superconscious and supramental. Quite importantly, the whole man is also free in the world of matter or what is conventionally considered to be, “the real world”.

The kevalya human is not encumbered by a partial view of her self. Therefore her art expresses multiple realms and dimensions, traversing dimensions, like a singer touches notes creating haunting melodies. The kevalya man can combine energy, mind, matter and spirit, artfully. Pure intelligence, vision, intuition come from the spirit and are expressed using great dancing energy, intellectual constructs, subconscious gargoyles and fish, realistic material objects and supramental dazzlement. One can only play with materials that one has access to. If one has little access to spirit then the art must lack spirit. Also if one is spiritual but lacks mastery of energy or material realms, then their art must lack those elements.

Masters of an art form can arrive at this destination through their art. One way is to perfect the self and therefore perfect one's self expression or art The other is to perfect one's art and find themselves perfected by the process. In either case, the art then has range. It has deep darkness and brilliant light. It traverses the dimensions of the spirit, mind, energy and matter. It has bold, spontaneous let go but also ultra fine detailing. A perfect example is master of dhrupad, Ustad Zia Faridudding Dagar. His singing ranges from utter joy to dismal darkness, from reaching god through the pure notes of blissful devotion, to angrily berating him, from deep booms of sound that make the audience jump out of their skin, to the most intricate beautiful melodies, from wordless humming to songs that express the highest realities simply and beautifully.

Humans mired in ignorance suffer tremendously. Myths in every society point the way out of this suffering. They talk of a liberated man (Buddhism), a kevalya man (Yoga), a superior man (Taoism), Neo (The Matrix).