Alone With the Alone

Abstract

This dissertation examines the artistic creative process and it's relationship with esoteric spiritual and religious beliefs and practices. Pulling from traditional, hermetic, and occult sources, I have developed an alternative view of the creative process, in which I see it symbolic of a metaphysical rite in humans. This metaphysical rite is rooted in the fact that humans are creative beings and this innate creative functioning is what makes us unique. To better demonstrate this view, I have developed my own creative process into an intuitively based ritual, performed before a live audience.