"Sacred Art - A Hollow Bone for Spirit"

Sacred Art - A Hollow Bone for Spirit: Where Art Meets Shamanism by Imelda Almqvist is a truly inspiring book that takes readers on a journey through art history from stone age rock art to modern day fine art. It is a journey that shows how art, religion, science, alchemy and cosmology were all once interwoven and how they became disconnected in our need to analyze and break things down into constituent parts. As the title suggests, this is a book about sacred art, however, it doesn't have any images in it. Instead, the book invites its readers to use their imagination to visualize what sacred art is. Imagination is our portal to the spirit world. Internal imagery enables us to perceive and connect with the inner realms. Making sacred art means stepping outside the realm of the ego to become a hollow bone for spirit so that the artist becomes a channel for higher consciousness.
 

The shaman has sometimes been described as being a hollow bone, one who can enter an altered state of consciousness without their personal ego. This non-ego hollowness makes a way for spirit to use them as a healing instrument. In this way, the shaman is a channel for higher consciousness. Like the shaman, by "hollowing out" or emptying ourselves of limiting beliefs, we remove all obstructions to the flow of source energy. The magic of the hollow bone lies in allowing the divine source to work through us, rather than resisting it with our learned limitations. When we can move our ego and rational mind out of the way to channel the divine power of the universe through us, our creative potential is unlimited.
 

While shamanism is the focus of the book, you don't need to be on that path to benefit from reading it. As you weave your way through the book and suggested activities, you will begin to look at art and the world around you in a whole new way. As someone who trained as a fine artist and has worked with art in various capacities for many years, the author knows a great deal about art. She's also been practicing shamanism for a long time, and is well qualified to speak about the role of art in a shamanic context. I urge you to fully immerse yourself in this book, to become a hollow bone unleashing your inner artist to create your own masterpiece.

Drumming the Hollow Bone

We need to get out of the way of our dreams and passion so they can be birthed in a clear way. In the current issue of Sacred Hoop Magazine, I share a simple meditation method using the drum to help us shift our consciousness to become a hollow bone or conduit for spirit. It is a way to clear away anything that could possibly clog the bone of our spirit and mind. When we can move our ego and rational mind out of the way to channel the divine power of the universe through us, anything is possible. Read my article "Drumming the Hollow Bone" in Sacred Hoop Magazine, Issue 78, 2012.

The Hollow Bone Teaching

Frank Fools Crow was a revered Lakota Holy Man who taught that you must become like a "hollow bone" to be a great healer. He believed that to become a conduit for the source of all creation fulfills the destiny of the human spirit: to sustain the order of existence. According to Fools Crow (paid link), "We are called to become hollow bones for our people, and anyone else we can help. We are not supposed to seek power for our personal use and honor. What we bones really become is the pipeline that connects Wakan Tanka, the helpers and the community together." In his becoming a hollow bone, Fools Crow believed that he went through four stages:

1. First, he called in Wakan Tanka (Great Mystery) to rid himself of anything that would impede him in any way, such as doubt, questions or reluctance. 

2. Then he recognized himself as a clean tube, ready to be filled with hope, possibilities, and anxious to be filled with power.

3. He experienced the power as it comes surging into him.

4. Finally, giving the power away to others, knowing that as he is emptied out, the Higher Powers will keep filling him with even greater power to be given away.

Becoming a Hollow Bone

Close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply seven times. Let your abdomen rise and fall as you breathe. Inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four, and then exhale for a count of four. Focus on the breath as it enters the nose and fills your lungs, and then gently exhale any tension you might feel, clearing the energy channels of your body. Release all of your worldly concerns, doubts, and fears, allowing them to drift off on the air of the wind, on the breath of life. Feel yourself relaxing with each breath.

   

When you are fully relaxed, ask the "Higher Powers" to remove any blockages that prevent you from functioning as a hollow bone. Repeat the affirmation, "I choose to be a clean, hollow bone." Visualize yourself as a hollow bone or tube that is all shiny on the inside and empty. The cleaner the bone, the more energy you can channel through it, and the faster it will flow. 

Now begin drumming a steady tempo of about 3 beats per second and imagine the power of spirit flowing through you. You may feel it, see it, sense it, or simply imagine it. As you focus on it, it will occur, for all energy follows thought. If your mind wanders, bring the focus of your attention back to the beat of the drum. Drumming opens portals to the spirit world, draws spirit in, and opens you up to receive it.