MISSION

The "why" behind the art.

As a mixed-media esoteric artist, writer, and humanitarian, I draw inspiration from nature, Natural Law, the supernatural, and my own (often unconventional) life experiences to connect the powerfully unseen to what is and towards what could be through a habitual practice of intentional choices of expression by using art in (and as a part of) ritual.

My work can be paradoxical and even triggering because it links accepted norms and taboos toward harmony through discernment of both dualistic natures. I believe this helps heal the damage division has done for far too long.

This is why the alchemical process of my personal life is reflected in my creative process; they are synonymously subversive in nature, and the esoteric elements I use are as integral as how I choose to share them, even if they seem exoteric at first glance.

My intention is to make us, as a collective, think, feel, and reflect on life circumstances that are often overlooked or convoluted, so we can mature and develop together. It also asks us to acknowledge how far and how long we have been slipping backward.

For the world has grown accustomed to living in "The Upside Down." Unconventional artists, philosophers, truth-tellers, activists, generational pattern-breakers, conscious parents, noble leaders, and more have been seen as problems rather than liberators and fellow humans. They have, therefore, been treated as drainers of society's progress rather than its heart. Instead, society consumes rather than feels, downplays genuine wisdom, and gets lost in the overwhelm of learning discernment. In other words, in the aggregate, we have become fragmented with no trusted path towards restoration, and adjusted to a sick society*.

As a result, A.I. slop and soundbites lead most of us down endless spirals of ragebait and bedrot. Sadly, this is the wolf the majority has fed. It all makes even Millennial beige seem like a relief in a world craving distraction from the common and the status quo.

It takes a strong mind to acknowledge that the systems of the world have been designed to exploit us for profit, status, and power, through what dark psychology, or Black Magick aimed outward, has led us to believe is not only normal but the way it should be. The media enforces toxic beliefs about what is good and responsible, such as overworking and under-fulfilling ourselves, and about acceptable forms of distraction, which are hollow and vice-ridden rather than encouraging progress, healing, and contribution.

The tribal Native Americans knew far more about connection, responsibility, balance, self-defense, social acceptance (such as being two-spirited), and the respect and wisdom they deserved than most people they were compared to were afforded. There was no infinite waste of materials; nature was revered; art and story were sacred; and everything in existence functioned as both a teacher and a student. Those who carry these ways in their blood and their habits, no matter their origin, tribe, race, or location, are leaders calling us all home. They do not have to be well-known, but their contribution is still needed.

I feel my work and mission are one step closer to bringing those ways back into focus.

For too many years, the selfish have used calculating tactics to pervert the truth and plant falsehoods through careless "entertainment" and "newsworthy" stories. Creatives have been corrupted through poverty and their own compulsions to express, since ancient times, to promote divisions through superficial differences, faith as cover, and "for the good of the people" policies in ruling societies, into the present day through coercion and coups, and in advertising campaigns across dictatorships and plutocracies. The planet Pluto, which "rules" over other people's money, power exchanges, and the hidden, should be no surprise. The esoteric is everywhere. It is unbiased knowledge, but who wields its power and for what purpose matters.

If you think esoteric arts are all a bunch of woo from scamming fortune tellers, then you are falling into small-minded black-and-white thinking. There is a whole world of visual symbols, patterns, histories, and ways to interpret them hidden in plain sight. The question is not, "Is it real or disinformation?" It is, "Are you ready to open your eyes and see that every attempt at doing so has been devalued as misdirection on purpose, and are you willing to do anything, no matter how big or small, about it?"

For example, it is not God who is dead; rather, the definition of such a force may be too limited, as it was defined by humans with different biases, agendas, intentions, and experiences that supported its perceived validity or usefulness, feeding into either extreme. Even then, further nuance is required to frame it in the context of harm to others through force or harm experienced in response. The line of responsibility frequently needs deeper consideration than the chaotic times afford, and that is by design. But is it a design excuse, or is it a challenge meant to be tackled as well as possible?

I believe these questions are important ones to ask. I feel that society is most ready to break away from outdated belief systems, projections, and apathy when it can no longer escape its collective, unwanted realities. This happens when the superego of individuals and culture has been run off by an Id gone amok and too few stand up united as the counterforces needed. A healthy ego based in responsibility and confidence is far more affective than insecurity-based humility that dictates (and taints) our actions. **

We dismiss authority in general due to this internal confusion and corruption of power; in doing so, those in the minority with pure authority are dismissed along with the majority as powerless. This resistance, in the form of rigid black-and-white thinking, breeds Lord of the Flies scenarios. There is a difference between being adamant about a known, tested truth and being closed off to testing claimed truths in the first place, often as a coping mechanism.

The Sacred Arts is one way to break through this confusing resistance with more progress than blunt force can, especially when it is taken out of context, since the latter is too vulnerable as fodder for an endless tit for tat instead of actual justice. That is why we cannot find solutions in the same mindset that created the problems in the first place. It is the difference between protection from domination and domination to protect. How we do something matters as much as our aim.

Ultimately, I know that every person who dares to be themselves lovingly can be a starting point for compatible groups and lasting societal change, a healthy version of the tribalism I spoke of before that esteems both the individual and the whole.

My work stands in support of those who do so as a healing balm, for it is both necessary and steadfastly attuned to the ailments of the current times.

My Promise.

By accepting The Great Work, I will continue to offer my insights as a Mystic through the Bohemian principles of truth, beauty, freedom, and love, which act as beams of light from my own North Star potential.

I will proudly highlight the wonder and intricacy of basic joys often taken for granted, as well as the large and complex, but worth examining, in a way that encourages those who find my work to pause rather than rush in the face of both. I will use this mindful approach to demonstrate better actions with less need for backtracking by marrying the head with the heart, and the us with the them.

My art will focus on that very intention by bringing out the particular strengths and weaknesses of both individual and collective natures, nurturing them as fundamental elements of life as a means of learning and growing, without boxing others and myself into what it's all supposed to look like.

Through portraiture, enchanted landscapes, sculptures, sigils, and grounded spiritual writings, I will transform original works of art into oracle and tarot decks, keeping them accessible as ritual guides. AURIEL ARTS will always welcome a compatible tribe of seekers toward their North Star, serving as a mirror of expression and possibility as it has done for me.

I will use introspection, creativity, and cyclical ritual practices to overcome feelings of being trapped or helpless, without turning away, no matter the circumstances, and help myself and individual seekers alter their perceptions of themselves, the world, and others in hopes of creating something better than what was inherited.

-Auriel