The Visionary as a Bridge Between Worlds
- nessleith
- Jul 15
- 5 min read
Recognising the challenges humanity faces, artists have the ability to create work that offers healing on both individual and collective levels. For over 40,000 years, humans have expressed themselves through drawing, painting, and sculpture. But what is it that makes us want to symbolically convey our emotions and ideas through images? Visionary art aims to express an expanded state of awareness, inspiring and connecting us to something greater than ourselves. Much like the divine, which goes beyond definition, visionary art shares insights that are difficult to express in other ways. It emphasises unity, reflecting an inner journey and serving as a mirror for culture, helping us to envision a better world. Artists have the responsibility to shape the collective consciousness positively by sharing their creative energy with the world.
The act of creating visionary art is helpful in the integration of mystical experiences, offering a way to help us understand the great mystery we are part of. Symbols from dreams can reveal insights into our transcendental nature and artists can portray these other worldly experiences through a material form. The insights gained from connecting with source or the divine are expressed through sacred art, which is beyond words and rational thought.
Viewers experience a message from the artist, making art a journey that offers healing and an inner exploration, acting as a gift to the world. Creating spiritual art is a transformative process involving periods of death and rebirth, driving the artist to meet the edges between themselves and the creative energy flowing through them.
For example Hilma af Klint, was influenced by spiritualism and Theosophy and made intricate, symbolic pieces guided by what she described as communications from higher spiritual beings. Her art aimed to express unseen realities and spiritual truths, using geometric shapes and vibrant colours. Hilma kept most of her work private during her lifetime, believing the world was not yet ready for it, her art is now widely recognised as a bridge between mysticism and abstraction.
“The imagination is not a state: it is the human existence itself.” —William Blake
Nineteenth-century artist and poet William Blake claimed to communicate with angels and drew inspiration from spiritual entities. Through his self-published creations he challenged conventional religion, stating, “All religions are one.”
Sigmund Freud, regarded as the father of modern psychology, explored how dreams and emotions are visual experiences. He shared that patients might express their inner worlds more effectively through images rather than words.
Carl Jung, who had a deep interest in symbols and dreams, emphasised the therapeutic power of art, showing us that visually representing dreams can help access hidden emotions and resolve inner conflicts. Visual art then becomes a bridge between the unconscious and conscious, revealing parts of someones identity and the collective psyche.
Visionary art demonstrates that artists have the ability to capture and express moments of cosmic consciousness and connections to other realms, allowing the artist to act as a mediator and the artwork as a transmission. The term "visionary art" gained recognition in the 20th century and was shaped by movements like the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism, which combined technical skill with the exploration of the subconscious.
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.” — Carl Jung
Tibetan Tangka art is often linked with spiritual rituals and altered states of consciousness. Through spiritual symbols, art has acted as a connection to the divine, dreams, and realms beyond ordinary perception. Visionary art is associated with altered states achieved through meditation, fasting, drumming, dance, or psychoactive substances. These states open gateways, allowing artists to display their insights in an image.
“Artists must be the healers of the world, bridging the material and spiritual realms with their vision.” — Alex Grey
Contemporary visionary artist Alex Grey uses psychedelics and deep meditation to create works with fractal patterns, sacred geometry, and energies that express expanded states of consciousness. Unlike traditional art that focuses on the external world, visionary art turns your attention inward, connecting with the eternal.
Visionary art draws mostly from
• Spirituality and mysticism—Divinity and expanded states
• Depth psychology—Unconscious symbols and archetypes
• Shamanism—journeying into spiritual realms and returning with insights
• Psychedelic experience—translating altered states into form
• Myth and collective memory—ancient symbols and cosmic stories
During my own awakening, one particular experience impacted my dedication to a creative life. It started when a spirit communicated through a dreamcatcher, guiding me on what to paint. As I applied a magenta glaze to the canvas, my body became really hot and I needed to get fresh air and lie down. My body began all sorts of weird shaking and suddenly I left my body and felt myself above my body. I prayed for help, and as my awareness returned to my body, a powerful surge of energy traveled from my feet up out the crown of my head, causing the bones to realign in my spine and neck. In the following days, the boundaries between past, future, self, and others dissolved, creating a sense of unity. Outside I looked at my sweatshirt hanging on the chair, it resembled the skin from Michelangelo’s Last Judgment, symbolising the shedding of the ego and the challenges faced by a creator in service to spirit. I realised that between darkness and light lies a space of pure peace. Sitting by the river, dragonflies hovered in front of me, gazing into my eyes for what felt like a long time. I began sensing other people’s energy as waves of colour, vibration, and emotion before they passed me. Everything seemed synchronised and divinely timed. When I looked at the stars, I saw my own face reflected back, conveying the message that I longed to go home. Grief came in waves and I cried, realising I was not from here. I felt the Earth's pain, particularly the trauma of colonised lands. I sensed the wounds of First Peoples, slavery, and humanity’s disconnection. I couldn’t sleep, and I saw shadow beings and felt like I might be going mad. This taught me that being a visionary isn’t about running away from the darkness, it’s about embracing both shadow and light and finding integration.
"If everything around you appears dark, take another look, you may be the light." - Rumi
Since that time, art has become a more meaningful practice for me. A way of remembering and helping others remember too. To be an artist is both beautiful and a burden. To act as a mirror and a bridge, to offer heart back to the world.
And so art as a sacred practice is a prayer for healing, and a reminder of our true selves beneath conditioning. Creatives need to dedicate themselves to regular, focused practice, because while inspiration can appear unexpectedly, creativity thrives when it is actively nurtured. Genuine authentic creations remind us that we are part of an interconnected universe. Through visionary art, we gain a glimmer of infinite consciousness and the beauty of existence.
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