“Owing to ignorance of the rope, the rope appears to be a snake; owing to ignorance of the self the transient state arises of the individualized, limited, phenomenal aspect of the self.” – Guru Nanak

From Guru Nanak to Victor Hugo: It may sound strange, but, I assure it is not. Art from the unconscious is deeply symbolical and it’s connected with our own process of Self-Enquiry. The process streams with consciousness, reflected consciousness, once the mirror is polished then IT shines through and makes experience possible. From duality to non-duality and back to the marketplace (turia state or Zen’s last state in Oxherding plates), the quest is possible if there’s “Ishwarah Anugraha” (citation Guru Gita 1st sloka) – without the grace, it’s not possible simply by effort 🙏.

We are so much obsessed with Victor Hugo, the writer, the poet, the scathing social injustice author of the classic Les Miserables (1862), that, we have overlooked a great fact, which is nonetheless, cited by none other than Andre Breton as automatic drawing. Hugo’s intuitive experimentation in art is a secret that needs to be well acclaimed by people, he produced almost 4000 drawings, most of them not meant to be shown in public. Automatic writing or drawing – which the surrealists drawn upon in their work, is all about using the hand to do what it wants to rather than preemptive cognitive decisions that govern our thinking process. Like Hugo didn’t know what he would do on a Friday evening with a roll of paper and ink blots. ….yes, he cared not to know, in a Zen way, one shouldn’t let the right arm know the release time/moment of the shooting of the arrow. Difficult, but,  can be done…there are many examples of that all over and specially in spritual poetry or psychic art. Also same in music by the way…..I don’t think Bob Dylan knows exactly where he would put an end to his lyrics, he has a pattern for the verse but not every word is consciously chosen.

Ink and a quill
Both the nib and feather
Far away your setting sun, the Other
You may choose to run
beyond the horizon
And end up near your favourite apple tree…. (Something like this…!)

What is a free flowing communication that doesn’t get bogged down by preset interference pattern? That’s in reality was part of 19th Century spiritualism – Breton already said that Hugo was the forerunner of Surrealism, he was playing with chance any allowing it to evoke unforseen forces responding to the free-flowing communication that was part of nineteenth-century Spiritualism. Hugo attended séances during his exile, and actively kept a diary of dreams.

Then we have a dream world both in waking state and in dream state along with deep sleep mode. The waking dream seems apparently real, the dream state unreal, that’s our observation, and, we almost have no query about deep sleep mode. Well it’s time to ssk Wahi Guru !!!! Yes, Today….(3 interconnected words and I won’t say more Guru-Govind-Granth) and there is only non-dual consciousness – it doesn’t need to pervade any space time like an incense stick….because fundamentally matter energy and space time are all in it…..

What a beautiful day!

2 artworks – Guru Nanak and A dreamy Landscape from rare collections of Victor Hugo paintings edited by Stefanie Heraeus, translated by Deborah Laurie Cohen ( History Workshop Journal)*that was lying in my desk adding soot to my psyche.

Someday will discuss whats the connection with Vajrayana! And thanks to Sarvapriyananda ji and Guru Ji for making things as clear as a crystal. With little help from Divine Mother!

– JRC