It is hard to be born onto a planet that persecutes artists.
Artists cause trouble.
Artists instigate reform.
The songs of social change
lead awareness, lead consciousness;
and the writings and graphics too.
Thus artists are dangerous
and we get slandered all the time.

People like to think of artists as wanton
and morally loose.
Parents fear that their children will become artists,
thus doomed to be failures
and eternal social embarrassments to the family.

Yet what is humanity without art?
How can you drop everything and follow,
if you never hear the song?

The truth is that like other persecuted people
artists in this world
suffer greatly from all the social problems
associated with poverty and shunning.
Yet, how are we going to achieve
transformation of consciousness on this planet
if we keep punishing artists;
keep pretending that artists
aren't as important as,
engineers are?

The powers of darkness
are afraid of artists.
Artists are uncontrollable
and artists wield huge power.
Artists impact people
right at the core.

Artists are persecuted for a reason;
never forget this.
Like druids of the system,
the fearful masses,
pull away from their Godly artists
and buy only the dark arts.

Be proud to be an artist
and stop letting people treat your work like it is worthless.
Stop accepting social shunning and slander
and help remind the world
of how important ART is.
Where I live there are bumper stickers that say:
ART SAVES LIVES.

You can't choose whether you are an artist or not.
So how do you know if you are an artist?
Do you feel jealous of artists?
Did you always want to dance,
or be on stage?
Are you a good storyteller,
does writing write you, more than you write it?
Do you go into deep and darkest depression
when you stop doing your art?
Are you crazy enough to BE an artist
even if it means going hungry,
and being a social outcaste?
These are the kinds of questions that artist's lives generate.
These are the sorts of questions that haunt you,
if you are indeed an artist.

Divine ONE, help Your artists please!
Empower and prosper Your artists.
Beyond this, may all Your devotees find true purpose
and be given all the resources and opportunities they need
to DO YOUR WILL, O DIVINE LOVE-LIGHT!

My Guru, my special friend, my guide and teacher,
great artist,
poet and songwriter,
says:

"Fortunate ones, listen to this joyful song,
all our wishes will be fulfilled,
we obtain the Transcendent,
all grief and sorrow
are left behind.
Suffering, sickness and fever depart,
when we hear the Revelation.
Through the Guru, the pious win understanding,
they are in bliss.
They who hear are pure,
they who recite are pure,
for they are suffused with the True Guru;
Nanak says, they who sit at the Guru's feet
ring with unstruck melody"

Kamalla Rose Kaur is a professional writer, theater director, workshop and seminar leader, publicist, events planner and singer.

USA born of Irish descent, Kamalla Rose Kaur embraced Sikhism in 1972 at age 18. She tried everything for over twenty years, including frantic practice of Yoga, until she learned "why Sikhs are so adament about having the Sri Guru Granth Sahib as their only Guru."

The author welcomes comments and feedback: Love&Light. Her articles are available in archives.