# Creativity and Spirituality: Are They Related?

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

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> Creativity & Spirituality: Are they related?
> 
> Negin Sanaei
> 
> Australian Bahá'í Studies, Vol. 2, 2000
> 
> The definition of creativity is very broad as it encompasses many things.
> Everyone is creative, even those of us who think otherwise. Every dream, every
> fantasy that we have all had as children and even those we have as adults are
> the manifestations of our creativity and imagination. Whether we appreciate
> all kinds of creativity, it surrounds us everywhere. We may ask ourselves why
> some creative works of certain creative and imaginative people last longer than
> others. We could ask why the works of Shakespeare have lasted so long, and
> why have the creative theories of Plato, the findings of Socrates, the imagina-
> tive discoveries of Galileo, the contributions of Einstein have made such a
> big impact on our civilisation? Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that Shake-
> speare's plays appeal to a majority of the population or perhaps the thoughts
> behind those ideas and works were spiritual or perhaps both.
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh states:
> 
> Consider Hippocrates, the physician. He was one of the eminent phi-
> losophers who believed in God and acknowledged His sovereignty. After
> him came Socrates who was indeed wise, accomplished and righteous...
> What a penetrating vision into philosophy this eminent man had!… He
> had a profound knowledge of such sciences as were current amongst men
> as well as of those which were veiled from their minds… He it is who
> perceived a unique, a tempered, and a pervasive nature in things, bearing
> the closest likeness to the human spirit… After Socrates came the divine
> Plato who was a pupil of the former... Then came Aristotle, the well-known
> man of knowledge… These men who stand out as leaders of the people
> and are pre-eminent among them, one and all acknowledged their belief
> in the immortal Being Who holdeth in His grasp the reins of all sciences.1
> 
> This quotation explains to us why such men were 'successful' in their
> imaginative endeavours. It will be referred to later in an attempt to find a better
> method of how we can be more 'successful'.
> 
> Spirituality may seem to be a mystic word; it takes on many facets. The
> definitions in the Bahá'í Writings vary. Poet, Jack McLean defines spirituality
> for Bahá'ís as "to be involved with the life of society in order to preserve and
> promote its finest heritage."2
> 
> Spirituality and religion are often used interchangeably. Spirituality, in
> fact, is an aspect of religion and perhaps the most important aspect. Shoghi
> Effendi states: "no amount of administrative procedure or adherence to rules
> can take the place of this soul-characteristic, this spirituality which is the
> essence of man".3
> 
> At the Bahá'í World Congress in 1992, David Hofman observed:
> 
> The world today is starving for spiritual food. It is dying of spiritual
> thirst. In the innermost private life of every man, woman and child on
> the planet, there is this inner frustration, this inner lack, this hunger, this
> yearning for something other than what the world is offering for them
> today or what they can discover in the world. When all the activities of
> mankind turn against him, his economics doesn't feed, clothe or shelter him,
> his religion doesn't inspire him to kindliness and goodwill, his politics are
> unmentionable and his recreations are debased. Nothing today gratifies
> this longing, this yearning in the individual human soul.4
> 
> This inner yearning can illustrate why Deepak Chopra or James Redfield's
> books are among the best sellers. It is not hard to become more spiritual, as
> Bahá'ís believe that man is in reality a spiritual being and only when he lives
> in the spirit, is he truly happy. So how do we live in this spirit? Perhaps by
> using our spiritual power. What is our spiritual power? 'Abdu'l-Bahá has
> said our imagination along with other faculties like thought, comprehension
> and memory are parts of our spiritual power.5 The more we utilise any of
> these faculties, the more would we enhance our spiritual growth. This is not
> to say that if one person commits to memory all the books in the world, s/he
> is an especially spiritual person. That person also needs to use other faculties
> of their spiritual power. Just like the body which needs food, water, exercise
> and fresh air to survive, our spirituality needs to use all four faculties of our
> spiritual power mentioned above.
> 
> Jack McLean writes in his book Dimensions in Spirituality that "imagination
> can transcend time and space and directly go into the world of eternity
> with its ethereal, airy spirits."6 Imagination is a constituent of our spirituality,
> therefore it has implications for spiritual growth. It also has sure implications
> for our spiritual detriment. Creativity has two dimensions. On the one hand,
> when it is focused on unveiling knowledge, the advancement of civilisation and
> the promotion of harmony and unification of the world, it becomes a powerful
> ally of spiritualisation. On the other hand, when its energies are harnessed in
> the service of the frivolous and self-focused gains, it can pose a serious threat
> to spiritual development.7 It becomes a threat when our creativity is used for
> our own materialistic purposes rather than for the portrayal of spiritual inspi-
> ration. Therefore imagination can be viewed as a power of the soul which
> may either focus on higher and abstract spiritual realities or on lower objects
> of self-gratification.
> 
> Recall the quote about Hippocrates, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. In that
> quote Bahá'u'lláh asserts that they all believed in God and praised Him and
> recognised that without the help of God we are not worth as much. Even
> someone contemporary, like Einstein, insisted that religion and science should
> move forward together: "Science without religion is blind, religion without
> science is lame."8
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá expands on this point in Paris Talks: "By the power of the
> Holy Spirit, working through his soul, man is able to perceive the Divine Reality of things. All great works of art and sciences are witnesses of this power
> of the spirit".9 And Bahá'u'lláh states:
> 
> All art is a gift of the Holy Spirit. When this light shines through the
> mind of a musician, it manifests itself in beautiful harmonies. Again, shining
> through the mind of a poet, it is seen in fine poetry and poetic prose. When
> the light of the Sun of Truth inspires the mind of a painter, he produces
> marvellous pictures. These gifts are fulfilling their highest purpose when
> showing forth the praise of God.10
> 
> Does this mean that if we do not write or paint about God and the Divine,
> our efforts are useless? I think not! I think the success of our art depends on
> our intentions and our purposes. Our intentions should be spiritual and wanting to portray what is in our spirit and inspiration for the sake of presenting
> and displaying our inspiration and not what that demonstration may pave the
> way for.
> 
> There are many demonstrations of decadent creativity, for example, creativity used in marketing campaigns for achieving their materialistic goals while
> destroying our self-worth and dignity. We are constantly probed to buy lottery
> tickets so we can 'spend every minute of everyday, of every year'. This leads
> us to think that money can come easily and we therefore have no respect for
> the time which we have spent working hard. Nuclear power has the potential
> to help humanity but unfortunately it has had a major adverse result of destroying parts of the world and some members of its family. Einstein had said
> that if he had any vision of his energy theory being used as bombs he would
> never have discovered it. These examples show our spiritual development
> being threatened, when creativity is not used to advance human civilisation.
> 
> As an individual, however, I suggest that we acknowledge the negative and
> find out what we can learn from it and try to make amends by concentrating
> on the positive side of it. Let's utilise all the great talent we have around us
> and appreciate its importance. Bahá'u'lláh states: "It hath been revealed and
> is now repeated that the true worth of artists and craftsmen should be appreciated, for they advance the affairs of mankind,"11 and further, that, "Arts, crafts
> and sciences uplifts the world of being, and are conducive to its exaltation."12
> 
> ---
> 
> Notes:
> 
> 1.   Bahá'u'lláh, Lawh-i-Hikmat in Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1988, pp. 146-147.
> 2.   J.A. McLean, Dimensions in Spirituality, Oxford: George Ronald, 1994, p.126.
> 3.   Letter on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, April 25, 1945, quoted in Helen Hornby, Lights of Guidance (2nd rev. ed.), New Delhi: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1988, p.542.
> 4.   Bahá'í World Congress video, 1992.
> 5.   'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1990, pp.210-211.
> 6.   J. A. McLean, op.cit., p.176.
> 7.   'Abdu'l-Bahá, op.cit., pp. 210-211.
> 8.   Richard Tarnas, The Passion of Western Mind – Understanding the Ideas that Have Shaped Our World View, New York: Ballantine Books, 1993. pp.355-356.
> 9.   'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, (10th Ed.), London: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1961, p. 85.
> 10.  Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, op.cit., p.192.
> 11.  Bahá'u'lláh quoted in The Compilation of Compilations, The Arts, Maryborough: Bahá'í Publications Australia, 1991, p. 3.
> 12.  Ibid.
>
> — *Creativity and Spirituality: Are They Related? (Used by permission of the curator)*