Mythos and Create-ivity as a Spiritual Act

(Please note, this post was written for the February SynchroBlog, a " group of bloggers who like to write on topics of post-modern faith & life." I've therefore written in less secular language than I usually do. I hope you will find this examination of Tolkien, faith, and the creative act interesting, even if you are not yourself religious.)

Growing up, I often wondered whether my scribblings would amount to anything. Shouldn’t I be working harder at my schoolwork, or developing other profitable skills? As a Christian, shouldn’t I be working at “discipleship” (whatever that meant) or helping the poor, or whatever? I loved writing, but it often seemed such a terrible indulgence!

At the ripe old age of twenty-seven my “mad hobby” (to borrow a phrase from my favorite author) hasn’t yet brought me any of the trappings my society labels success. Even so, I can’t think of another activity that I value more than my art. In fact, I rarely feel so authentically human as when I sit at my laptop, typing out my little stories. While I won’t go so far as to claim that creativity is necessary to spirituality (to say nothing of religion), I do think it’s a rich way to connect to something deeper than ourselves – which all too often Christians (and others) undervalue, at our own peril.

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