On art as portal of ascension

In conversation with artist Paige Hasaballah, AKA Delta Venus, on creation and consciousness

The observer comes to look at art but leaves having also seen the self. This is not how one is accustomed to recounting their gallery tours. What is most remarked upon are the compositions, the influences of the artists who made them, and the feelings evoked as a consequence of the work’s intention. Lesser said are details of the lines subconsciously drawn between the pieces and one’s own psyche, but it is these parallels that propel art from its position as an aesthetic object to be admired into one of an apparatus for spiritual ascension.

Seated on viewing benches, strolling halls of suspended oils, and astoop over statuettes, we can encounter, if we tilt and twist our perspective, little glimpses of ourselves reflected in relics created by others. Carl Sagan once said that the nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, and the carbon in our apple pies were all made in the interiors of collapsing stars. That we are made of starstuff. If that be the case, it seems fair to presume that we and art could be considered one and the same. The name of the artwork may not be your own, but meditating on the materialisation of its medium allows you an opportunity to meet yourself always for the first time.

Ever-traipsing the fluid line between waking and dream state, artist Paige Hasaballah channels her pieces for the purpose of creating portals to the self. Creating many of her works in a quasi-trance state, the Melbourne-based Hasaballah employs both digital and physical mediums to birth art that acts as an ally to our individual and collective ascension. Far more than art for art’s sake—l'art pour l'art—the perpetually evolving oeuvre of Hasaballah is composed not only of manipulated mediums, but of mirrors built for, and of, the observer.

KATHRYN CARTER: Where were you born and raised?

PAIGE HASABALLAH: I was born in Melbourne, Australia and raised in a few different locations across Australia’s east coast. Mostly by the ocean.

What is your earliest memory of connecting with source energy?

I was 15 years old, and I remember this specific moment as clear as day. I think I might have been grounded at the time—I was quite a rebellious teenager—and this was before phones had the internet and social media. I was sitting outside watching my Mum in the garden and really connecting with the sun as it radiated its light and warmth on my skin. The next thing I knew, I was having my first out-of-body experience, where suddenly I found myself as the radiant light of the sun itself. I was formless and fluid and could feel my energy moving down through the sky and onto, well, myself. This was the first moment I remember thinking things were more connected than they appeared. How could I be the sun and myself all at once?

Such a magical experience to have had so young! One’s first out-of-body experience is a hard thing to forget. Your questioning of how you could be both the sun and yourself all at once reminds me of something Sören Kierkegaard once wrote, “Once you label me, you negate me.” You yourself do not like to confine yourself to any strict definition. Do you feel this allows you to evolve your artistic practice with greater freedom and fewer limits?

Absolutely. I really reject labels of and boundaries around my human experience, as they seem to limit my ability to explore and create. I believe this gives me more freedom to explore the energy of creation, without an expectation of the outcome. Sometimes, something needs to be expressed in visuals that cannot be expressed in words and vice versa. And sometimes, a form makes more sense as a sculpture instead of a drawing. I think grounding in the process of creation itself is more important than identifying with a medium or a style.

I agree wholeheartedly. And as a child, did you always know you wanted to commit yourself to a life of intuitive creation, or has your journey led you down this path in a way that was more unexpected?

I've always been creative, but only when my journey took me far away from this essence did I recognise that it was an essential part of how I express who I am. From the age of 16, I did not create at all for years—nothing. I call these the arid years. Then, at 24, I made the choice to pursue what felt like my personal truth, which was a very difficult decision for my loved ones to support.

To commit oneself to the pursuit of personal truth can be challenging even with the support of others. Why do you think it was hard for others in your close circle?

Well,  I left a full-time job that was deeply unaligned with my purpose, but that also entailed leaving the safety net of steady work recognized by others. I lost count of the number of times the words “starving artist” were thrown my way. There have been many strange twists and turns from that moment until now, but I find the deeper I lean in with trust and surrender, the more the universe continues to provide for me and my community. The more I share, the more I am given to share.

Trust is so important, it seems the universe has certainly supported your pursuit, and your practice appears to have continued to evolve over time. Today, you express yourself via the mediums of digital design, digital painting, and poetry. What was it that drew you to these disciplines?

These are simply the mediums that my work chooses to be expressed through at this time. A few years ago, it was sculpture and pottery, as the energy coming through really wanted to be expressed as vessels. But my current energies can move through me fairly quickly in the digital space. So, it means that I can start and finish a piece in flow, without interrupting the energy to wash brushes or wait for paint to dry. I’ve had some serious battles with my ego to surrender to creating in the mediums the energy wishes to be expressed.

That friction between soul and ego is something I feel many artists must contend with often. You've said in the past that your intention is to express yourself, authentically, through divine love and sacred union. Is this union you speak of your relationship with the universe, or your higher self?

This union is both internal and external, but I believe it begins internally. Union between your lower and highest self, union between the masculine and feminine aspects of yourself; union between the lower and higher expressions of your energy. Beyond this, we’re then able to achieve sacred union between self and spirit, self and others, self and the universe. I mean, it’s all us at the end of the day, right?

Absolutely. What, if anything, do you hope the observer of your work will experience in the presence of your art?
Themselves. My intention is to create a portal through which the individual observing can witness themselves. My works are like mirrors in that way. Oneness is not really a concept that can be fully understood through the mind. So, my hope is that these portals can allow for the experience of oneness to be felt, and known, through the non-physical aspects of one’s self.

At the start of each piece, do you ever set out with a more specific intention? Say, to make any particular statement?

I make an agreement with God—source, Spirit, higher self—to remain a clear and open channel for whatever needs to come through. In this sense, I don’t ever create with a set expected outcome. It can be quite difficult when my ego doesn’t personally like something that is coming through me, but who am I to question the work of God? I’m simply an instrument available for its use.

Beautifully put, I resonate with that feeling of being an instrument to an unseen and divine energy. No matter what you choose to call it, it’s a source that is available to us all. You’ve said in the past, too, that your work is inspired by “the dream space,” a state of subconsciousness that you tap into so as to discover answers unknown in the physical world. What questions do you find yourself seeking answers to of late?

I think of the dream space as night school—earlier this year, for example, I learnt hieroglyphs from ancient Kemetic deities. Currently, I’m exploring questions around death and non-physical incarnations of consciousness. My questions are quite open-ended, as the energy in the dream space is so malleable it doesn’t really like to be too directed by me. I find the more I try to control it with my mind, the more difficult it is to access.

Allowing what needs to come through without intellectual intervention, so to speak, is a powerful skill to learn, I feel. Further to the point of what inspires you, you’re also deeply connected with your Egyptian heritage, incorporating the ancient spiritual practice of your ancestors into your work. Could you tell me more about the spiritual practices you’ve inherited from generations past?

Dreaming as a form of divination has been a practice from my lineage that I have worked with my entire life. My ancestors used the dream space to explore places they could not access in their physical life. I am often met with messages and premonitions in this space.  Ancient Egypt really feels like our most accessible reference to a culture that understood the connection between outer and inner worlds. There was less differentiation between an inner and outer experience than we have today. In that sense, Egypt provides me with a context for understanding myself, life, and consciousness through a more encompassing perspective. It allows me to bring outer experiences into my inner world.

I too have learnt a lot from reading the philosophies of ancient times. A mantra I return to often is ‘as above, so below’—a modern paraphrase of the second verse of the Emerald Tablet, a Hermetic text—to remind myself that whatever happens on earth is reflected in the astral plane. The Hermetic principles have taught me so much about natural law.

I also love working with natural law! In the Kemetic tradition this is ma’at. I feel like these are powerful extensions of the commandments and they help to keep me accountable in the energy I both absorb and emanate in my life. I also come from a Celtic lineage which has provided me with a deep and nourishing connection to plants and animals as sacred allies and dear friends. Most of the questions I have are answered through the simplicity of nature. I am grateful for the practice of listening to them. 

Speaking of the lessons of your lineage, it is said that the aesthetic balance in much Egyptian art reflects the cultural value of ma'at (harmony)—something you’ve just touched on—which was central to civilization. Historically, this concept was also personified as the goddess Ma'at. As a divine principle, ma'at was understood to regulate the orderly operation of nature, the cosmos, and human interaction. Is it ever your intention to reflect this, or similar, divine principles in the work that you create?

I think of the principle of ma’at in the same way as that of the Tao. For me, they are both ways of trying to encompass the divine balance and order that exists in all life throughout the universe. Whilst my intention isn’t to try and reflect this consciously—I am not the Supreme and therefore cannot express the creation of the Supreme in its entirety—it is my intention to reflect an aspect of this. Infinite expressions of the same oneness. The way you express ma’at is perfect! Thank you.

I’m pleased to hear that, Paige; the roots of divine principles such as ma'at have always resonated with me strongly. In relation to how you raise and channel your own vibration, as a soul with Egyptian heritage creating on Australian soil, do you ever feel yourself channeling a hybrid of the energies of both lands as you create?

Absolutely. My last home in Australia was on such sacred, indigenous land. Elders would meet me in the dream space and teach me about their stories and ways of caring for Earth. Last year, I was also lucky enough to visit a site in Australia that is home to Egyptian hieroglyphs. Whilst the mainstream narrative is that this site is a hoax, I listened to a recent translation of the glyphs from a first nations Egyptologist and there is quite compelling evidence to suggest that the two cultures interacted at some point in time. I see so many similarities and overlaps between the two and feel deeply grateful to live here in Australia, with access to two incredible ancient lineages.

I too am grateful to live on such sacred land, and feel we have much to learn from the peoples of many indigenous cultures, particularly with regards to how we can be guided by spirit. In his book 'The Nine Eyes of Light', author Padma Aon Prakasha describes the nine eyes, or bodies, of light, the ruling principles that form the basis of Egyptian spirituality, and how the culture navigated through life. To the Egyptians, just as we have our physical body, so too do we have eight other bodies that are just as real in other dimensions or wavebands of vibration. According to Aon Prakasha, these additional nonphysical bodies allowed Ancient Egyptians to sense, feel, navigate, and create the many astounding feats of technology, science, and spirituality that still baffle us today. Do you feel that one’s artistic practice can be subconsciously influenced by the layers of our being unseen to the eye, and often unknown to the conscious mind?

I might even go as far to say I believe it is the subconscious that is driving creative expression. To me, creation feels like quite a mindless process. When I strip this back to think of creation in general, let’s say for this example with regards to creating human life, it isn’t a consciously controlled experience. You don’t think a baby into inception. In much the same way, I think it is the formless, thoughtless aspects of ourselves that speak through the artistic medium. The less it can be understood by the mind, the more deeply it seems to be known in the heart.

So beautifully said, Paige. As a soul, you’ve also said that your desire is for the energy you feel in your body to permeate through everything you create, to become a mirror for others to witness themselves through. The work you create, thus, is our work. What do you feel this kind of connection—through art as opposed to, say, via conversation—gives to a society?

I believe all creators are accessing the same unified consciousness. Art, then, becomes the portal through which we are able to recognise our sameness. I think music, as one example, articulates this so beautifully. A song can be heard by 100 different people from 100 different walks of life speaking 100 different languages, but still it evokes the same sort of emotional response. There is a tendency to become possessive of creative concepts, as if they belong to the individual they are channeled through. A byproduct of that possessiveness is the viewer believing themselves to be separate from the art, the artist, and the energy it holds. I think it’s really important people realise that when they are moved by an art piece it is because that art piece exists within them. I also think it’s really important for creators to actively include the viewer in the experience of the work. Art is simply a mirror to reflect the ever-evolving human consciousness.

Absolutely, for this reason I’ve always thought of art as essential to life. I’m reminded of a line delivered in Dead Poets Society by Robin Williams, ‘...medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.’ I feel art in all its forms is crucial to our spiritual evolution. As an artist committed to the pursuit of your truth, when do you feel most alive?

When I find myself in loving union with everything; it’s more of a resonance than a describable moment. You know that feeling when your edges dissolve into everything around you? I guess I’m saying I feel most alive in love.

So beautiful, Paige. I know this feeling you describe intimately well. What creative projects are you currently focusing your energy on?

I am currently researching a new body of work and a spiritual methodology that I am hoping to bring forth as a course offering next year. It is still very much in its incubation stage and as such I give it the protection of not speaking of it until it’s formed.

I understand completely, divine timing is everything when it comes to the birthing of new ideas.

Yes, and aside from this, I am pouring lots of loving intention into creating energy portraits which reflect the unique energy signature of the recipient back to them through a visual portal. I also just released my book Illuminations which has 365 daily reflections on consciousness, spirit and loving union.

Sounds incredible, I look forward to experiencing and connecting with your new creations. Before we part, I have to ask. Why, in your own words, do we need art in this world?

To see the unseen. To know what is within us but what cannot be accessed by the mind. To witness the beauty that echoes all around us. To give tangibility to the formless. And, to find more and more open channels for love to flow through.

fin.

You can explore Paige Hasaballah’s art here.

You can read more of Kathryn’s writing here.

This article was first published in JANE PRIVÉE