Our Divine Human Race- Revised

In the studio…

Greetings All,

It’s been a while—over a year, in fact—since I last wrote a full blog post. This past year has been devoted mostly to painting and to navigating some health challenges. A few things had to come off the plate, and writing was one of them.

Lately I’ve been rereading older posts and gathering thoughts on where I’d like to go next with my writing projects. One piece from more than three years ago leapt out at me. It felt important when I first wrote it, but it feels even more urgent now as I sit with profound grief over the rising hatred and the deepening divides in our world. We are so quick to shout over one another that no one is truly being heard.

I’ve been asking myself a serious question: How can I be a catalyst for change?

For decades I’ve taught and mentored artists—through academia, workshops, retreats, and private mentorships. My art practice is rooted in metaphysics, beauty, and truth. While I can always share technical skills, I feel called to go deeper.

As I move forward, painting and supporting individual artists in finding their own voice will remain at the heart of my work. But you’ll also notice my larger workshops—online and in groups—leaning more fully into spiritual practice: art as ritual and meditation, the tarot as a tool for grounding in personal imagery, even painting symbols inspired by your natal astrological chart.

So stay tuned. In the meantime, here’s the blog post I revisited—Our Divine Human Race.

By now, we fragile humans can agree we have a sharper understanding of division. It isn’t just a social construct; it’s visceral, almost surreal—something we feel in our bones.

I’m speaking of division within ourselves, our families, our communities, and our countries. It has become personal and dangerous.

I keep asking myself, and invite you to ask too: How do we heal from this?

I believe change begins with questioning how we perceive information—really questioning our perceptions. That means slowing down, noticing the language we use each day, the images we absorb, and the words we read. It also means expanding our sense of creativity and how we create in the world.

And I’m not just talking to those who identify as “artists.”

Creativity wears many faces. Some define it as technical mastery—a deft hand with a pencil or a precise musical performance. Others see it as emotive expression, an act of feeling made visible. In truth, it’s both: skill merging with imagination, logic marrying emotion.

What I’m suggesting is this: we all have the power to become agents of change from the inside out. The world’s troubles are not only external; they’re also born within us. We choose how to construct the reality before us. Don’t like what you see? You can change it.

I’m reminded of a simple quote by critical theorist Roland Barthes: “The image has the last word.”

And poet Allen Ginsberg takes it further: “The warfare’s psychic now. Whoever controls the language and the images controls the race.”

So let’s begin simply. Notice the words you speak, the images you envision, the ones you send into the world. As Paul Levy writes in Wetiko: Healing the Mind Virus That Plagues Our World,

“Our creativity is not a mere hobby, a sideline, something we should indulge in on our days off. The creative spirit is an essential part of our being, the life-giving oxygen to our soul.”

Our souls could use that creative oxygen right now.

Start by observing how you take in information and images managed by the outside world. Do you accept them as absolute truth?

Then listen inward. Tune into dreams, intuitions, and callings—especially the ones that feel outrageous. They often contain the seeds of new ways of being.

As Levy also says, “We can begin the practice of translating these changes into communicable language—verbal and non-verbal.”

This is how we begin to heal the world.

Thanks for reading,
Lauren

Here is one upcoming on- line intimate 4 session zoom class starting October 31st- Tarot as a Creative Guide: A 4-Session Journey into Art, Intuition & Symbolic Expression ( Live & Intimate on Zoom )