Spirituality and art forms are like peanut butter and jelly – they just naturally go together! By practicing any form of art, our spiritual journey expands and generates curiosity, serenity, and joy. Even caricature artists, with their comical sketches, help lift society’s spirits by bringing humor to the darker side of politics. It doesn’t fix the problems, but at least we can feel lighter for a moment while laughing at the drawing.
Tattoo artists can also imbue their art with spiritual significance, especially if their clients’ tattoos have a spiritual angle. For example, the first tattoo I got features many musical symbols arranged in a lotus flower. The second one I have also has two well-defined music symbols; one large treble clef and a large bass clef positioned upside down.
Together, they form a heart shape, and inside the heart is a triangle surrounded by a circle (to represent recovery), with a peace sign in the middle in honor of my mom, who has passed on.
Another tattoo I have is a yellow butterfly, which also symbolizes my mom’s spiritual presence. When my sons were little boys, shortly after my mom passed away, every time we traveled, whether it was to visit family in North Carolina or to go camping in Pure Michigan, a small yellow butterfly followed us on our trips.
We decided that it was their Nana (my mom) watching over us on our travels. In a deeper sense, this tattooed art on my body is very spiritually connected to my beloved mom.
According to artist Randy Ford, “Art has always been a conduit for expressing the deepest aspects of the human experience. Beyond the colors, shapes, and techniques lies something intangible: the spirit in art. This spiritual journey goes beyond the surface, inviting viewers to connect on a deeper level and experience the profound impact that art can have on the soul.
Art: A Mirror of the Soul
Art is not just a visual experience; it is an emotional and spiritual one. The spirit in art reflects the artist’s inner world, beliefs, and emotions. It’s a reflection of their journey, struggles, and triumphs. When artists pour their spirit into their work, they create pieces that resonate with viewers, touching them in ways that go beyond mere aesthetics,”.
The latest tattoo likely holds the most spiritual significance of them all. It is an oak tree. I am a true “tree hugger” – I love trees and being in nature. There are many trees on my property, but my favorite is the oak tree on the side of my house, in the center of my driveway. I call it my “peace tree” because it is a beautiful split-trunk oak.
In fact, a split-two-trunk oak tree carries profound spiritual significance, blending the ancient symbolism of the oak—strength, divine connection, and endurance—with the metaphysical energies of duality, partnership, and choice.
When a single oak root system splits into two codominant trunks, it serves as a powerful natural metaphor for how distinct pathways or energies can remain anchored by the same core truth.
To say that my oak tree tattoo art on my arm has spiritual significance would be an understatement, for it serves as a daily reminder of strength, rootedness, peace, and the enduring connection I feel with both nature and the sacred presence of my mom.
Recently, I started practicing meditation and active listening next to my oak tree, as I feel I am at a spiritual crossroads. I am actively seeking and open to new spiritual experiences.
Music spiritual benefits
Another way I connect spiritually is through music. Whether I am listening, singing, or playing an instrument, music is an essential means of healing both physically and spiritually.
To be born into a music-loving, music-playing, songwriting family is a glorious gift that keeps on giving on down through the generations. Although my father was not in my life until I was a parent myself, his talent for playing instruments was handed down to me via genetics.
My mom was a beautiful singer and poet. Between the two parents, one being nurture and both being nature, I have the gifts from each of them – I can play many different instruments, I can sing, and I enjoy songwriting. From what I have been told, I am talented in all aspects of my musical gifts.
For me, music is everything. It can transport me to better days, help me release a good cry when I’m struggling to process my feelings, boost my spirits, or hype me up as I head out on a road trip. In my home, you will rarely see the television on. However, music is always playing in the background, no matter what I am doing.
Furthermore, since my mom has passed on from this world, whenever I am missing her, I will play her favorites to feel the nearness of her spirit. Some of the music my mother loved best was by the following artists (which by no means is complete):
- The Beatles
- Paul McCartney (solo)
- George Harrison (solo)
- John Lennon (solo)
- Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
- Bob Dillon
- The Rolling Stones
- The Byrds
- Marvin Gaye
- Stevie Wonder
- Sonny and Cher
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Peter, Paul, and Mary
- Sam Cooke
Why is music so powerful spiritually?
My mom and I used to have long, philosophical conversations about how music has an amazing ability to transcend time, space, language, culture, and the quiet distances between people — carrying emotion so pure and universal that a melody heard for the first time can feel like a memory, and a song shared between two people can become its own kind of home.
Bahai Teachings believe and share that music is significant because, “Music is one of the important arts. It has a great effect upon the human spirit. Musical melodies are a certain something which prove to be accidental upon etheric vibrations, for voice is nothing but the expression of vibrations, which, reaching the tympanum, affect the nerves of hearing.
Musical melodies are, therefore, those peculiar effects produced by, or from, vibration. However, they have the keenest effect upon the spirit. … although music is a material affair, yet its tremendous effect is spiritual, and its greatest attachment is to the realm of the spirit.
Music touches the soul, and affects each one of us in potent, powerful ways,”.
What is the spiritual function of art
In conclusion, the spiritual function of art, in all its forms, is simple yet profound — it connects us to ourselves, to each other, and to those we love.