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Drinking Lightning: Art, Creativity, and Transformation
A celebration of creativity and the unconscious shines the spotlight on artists and mystics who have used transpersonal experience in their work.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published October 17, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 30, 2021
A chance encounter and a foreword by philosopher Ken Wilber first prompted me to open this book. Intrigued, I soon found myself entranced by the life story of visionary artist Philip Rubinov-Jacobson, beautifully illustrated by pictures of works from his oeuvre. His compelling autobiography doubles as a survival guide for the "creative mystic," but you needn’t be a visual artist (I’m not) to glean profound lessons from this book.
Walking the path of working artist and spiritual seeker, Rubinov-Jacobson never seems to take the easy route to his destination. From traversing mountaintops in Austria to walking India’s streets in the nude, and later founding artistic communities around the U.S. and globally, the author descends from the peaks of a professional career in the art world to carve out a path of service to humanity as a teacher. On this rich tour of the psyche, comparative religion, and the school of art known as Fantastic Realism, he proves an amiable and refreshingly humble guide.
True to its title, "Drinking Lightning" had me lapping up Rubinov-Jacobson’s insights into creativity and personal transformation from page one. In the weeks to follow, I turned to this book for perspective as I wrestled with grief over several deaths in 2020 and the general malaise of the pandemic. I’ve since come back to it for periodic inspiration in my continuing quest to balance creative and commercial pursuits. I heartily recommend "Drinking Lightning" as a handbook for all who are serious about their search for truth, perennial wisdom, and The Self.
Walking the path of working artist and spiritual seeker, Rubinov-Jacobson never seems to take the easy route to his destination. From traversing mountaintops in Austria to walking India’s streets in the nude, and later founding artistic communities around the U.S. and globally, the author descends from the peaks of a professional career in the art world to carve out a path of service to humanity as a teacher. On this rich tour of the psyche, comparative religion, and the school of art known as Fantastic Realism, he proves an amiable and refreshingly humble guide.
True to its title, "Drinking Lightning" had me lapping up Rubinov-Jacobson’s insights into creativity and personal transformation from page one. In the weeks to follow, I turned to this book for perspective as I wrestled with grief over several deaths in 2020 and the general malaise of the pandemic. I’ve since come back to it for periodic inspiration in my continuing quest to balance creative and commercial pursuits. I heartily recommend "Drinking Lightning" as a handbook for all who are serious about their search for truth, perennial wisdom, and The Self.
May 13, 2012
Not really a treatise on "Art, Creativity, and Transformation" so much as an auto-biography of Rubinov-Jacobson. It was interesting in parts but exhausting by the end. Contains excellent full-color reproductions of various visionary artists' work, though.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews