A good number of individuals, these days, say that they not religious but spiritual in order to discover the essence and purpose of life. Education and psychology has incorporated the existential wisdom as part of human learning in form of spiritual intelligence enhancement.
Certain art forms used in various religious practices, when adapted, can play an important role in developing spiritual intelligence.
The artwork related to the other-world or non-physical world imagery constitutes religious art, spiritual art or sacred art, such art forms makes use religious and spiritual inspiration or ideas for artistic expression by incorporating ideas and motifs or symbols to take the mind away from the worldly and sensual expressions.
With the recognition to spiritual intelligence as a part of multiple intelligence theory of learning, such an art has found place in the mainstream psychology and pedagogy through critical and creative thinking rather than promoting blind faith or dogmas. However, spiritual intelligence is an emergent area and requires research work and development of curricula that enhance spiritual intelligence including through specific artwork.
In Hindu traditions, the wall art and floor art with religious iconography to welcome deities and good spirits is an ancient tradition. The attentiveness and concentration is required for doing this simple art that grew out of folk culture. Often repetitive geometrical patterns, vegetal forms, avian forms and insect forms are used to express the ideals of order and varied nature to reflect the simplistic spiritual essence rather than mere physical and decorative forms.
Among devout, the painting of the various gods, divine figures, their reincarnations with extra limbs, and their carriers are the parts of paintings, drawings and sculpturing. These are even displayed at worship places in houses and temples for public visitation.
The Tibetan Buddhist traditions include learning of and training in creation of thangkas and mandalas as a meditative practice and prayer recitation to enhance the spiritual intelligence of the followers and monks.
The implications for developing spiritual intelligence at school level, drawing from the following types suitable for various age groups can be tried
Continuous line drawings
Doodle, scribble, minimal and random art forms
Drawings creating optical illusions and riddles
Drawings of geometric patterns leading to abstract designs
Icons and visual symbols depicting religious, humanistic and spiritual values
Mandala drawings and expanding drawings
Traditional aniconic simple floor and wall art forms
The inset pictures show my work to get a feel of 'random art' to free my mind from the conventions and proceed randomly to create a piece of art which even got recognition from a group of artists.
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