About the Artist: Daniel Brian Holeman Born 8:41 PM Oct. 9, 1952, San Jose, California Artistic talent combined with life-long exploration of consciousness and devotion to self-realization has given Daniel B. Holeman an ability to depict uplifting and profound sacred imagery. His inspirational paintings have a strong impact and an uncanny affect on people. Many are deeply touched emotionally – sometimes brought to tears - and describe his paintings as the most beautiful pictures they have ever seen.

"Daniel's paintings express a visionary world which lifts my spirit and releases tensions of this world" - Barbara Marx Hubbard Author, Founder of Global Family, President of Foundation for Co-Creation

"Daniel does marvelous and refreshing work. I appreciate his art. His paintings are very restful." - Edgar Mitchell Astronaut, Founder of Institute of Noetic Sciences

"Daniel's art aids in de-stressing; by looking at Daniel's paintings I relax and lift above worldly concerns, knowing that everything is in order." - Terry Cole Whittaker D.D.S., Best selling author, speaker and Founder of Adventures in Enlightenment

"I find child-like enjoyment in Daniel's pictures." - Ken Keyes Jr. Author, Handbook to Higher Consciousness and The Power of Unconditional Love.

"On my living room wall is a constant source of good feelings for us and all who visit our home. Thanks, Daniel, for your beautiful work which enhances our lives." - Stan Dale Author and Founder of the Human Awareness Institute

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More detailed Bio:

Roots
I was born Oct 9th, 1952 at 8:41 PM in San Jose, California. Mother Jane Lois Thompson and Father George S. Holeman Jr. My mother, Jane, was a farmer’s daughter, born and raised in Grants Pass, Oregon. Her grandfather was an accomplished artist, William H. Gage 1, who taught Walt Disney (as a student) in his art class. My father, George, was the son of a Medical Doctor and Nurse/wife. His mother’s mother was born in Nevada City, California in the gold rush days and I was named after his mother’s father, Daniel Buckley, who was a stagecoach driver for Wells Fargo. My father became a science teacher at San Jose Junior College. My mother was quite smart, majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Psychology in college. She was a very insecure and sensitive woman.

 

Childhood
I grew up in San Jose, California, and went to Catholic schools for the first 9 years. By the 8th year I had come to the conclusion that the Catholic doctrine did not feel true to me and at the same time (around 1967) the Beatles and other musical groups began singing about mind expanding drugs and possibilities of better ways of being (as individuals and as society). Since both of my parents were pretty immature, they did not create a very happy family environment and my mother became an alcoholic and my father divorced her when I was around 13. Troubled by this I began to read books on psychology and spirituality. The Catholic Church not only failed to have any real answers, it actually contributed to the problems. Although the nuns and prients had some good qualities and contributions, they were also very psychologically dysfunctional and troubled people, who did NOT have much wisdom or true connection to God. I experienced them, as many did, as rather mean and controlling and fear/guilt tripping on little innocent children (You will go to HELL forever if you do not believe what we teach, which was a load of crap anyway, and live the way we say you must live.) Very damaging to young kids' psychological and spiritual health. I detached from that religion around 1966. On the positive side, they taught me to be a good person (treat others well) and the virtues of living in God's grace - and to seek that. I also explored psychedelic drugs, as was common in those days. I did not go looking for drugs. They were offered to me by my friends and seemed worth checking out. Some people were saying that drugs were a great thing if used properly. Certainly the musical lyrics of those days suggested that.

Turning Point
In 1969, when I was a Junior in High School, we had a major English Class assignment to read three books and write a term paper tying the three books together. I read Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, The Prophet by Kahil Gibran, and The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, by Alan Watts. This last book by Watts is an amazing discourse on the nature of consciousness, oneness, and the ego (still highly recommended reading). I wrote the term paper titled “Man’s Role in the Universe” and got an A+ and the teacher was very impressed at such deep writing from a 16 year old. The day after getting my grade I was home alone and took LSD and had a profound awakening experience. I kept laughing at the idea that all that information had all been in my head as mental ideas and now I experienced pure consciousness and the illusory nature of the world I had known until then. Of course the drug wore off and I re-assembled to my regular state, but my life had changed at such a glimpse of the deeper, truer reality. I continued to read many books by Alan Watts and other spiritual books and went around telling everyone I came into contact with about what I had found, and came to see that it was just a set of weird ideas unless it was experienced. Reminds me of that song by Jimi Hendrix – “Are You Experienced?” (See disclaimer on drug use below).

Young man
During 1969 I began to do art projects on my own time (in addition to taking art classes for the last three years of high school) which was mostly imitating the art on Fillmore concert posters and record album art of the days. (see sample 1969 artwork by Daniel). I had been an avid Deadhead (Grateful Dead fan) since 1968 and read in Rolling Stone Magazine that they were into Scientology, saying it was beyond LSD, so I was curious and got involved in it in September 1969. It appeared to have answers I was seeking to fully bring conscious and stabilize the state of being I had experienced while on LSD. After a couple years I decided to dedicate my life to its cause and joined their Sea Org (inner sanctum that lived on a 325 foot yacht named the Apollo in the Mediterranean Sea with L. Ron Hubbard and his family). This was quite adventurous for an 18 year old and I got to know all the folks who were running the organization worldwide and after about 12 years came to realize that it was not what it claimed to be – it was not a path to enlightenment that I had been seeking, but a self contained belief system to polish up and make a stronger and polished ego. However, during this time life taught me many lessons – about blind faith, giving my power away, power and authority, and many lessons in general. (see more detailed discourse on Scientology). I have had no physical or philosophical association with Scientology since 1983; but because for so many years I knew L. Ron Hubbard, his family and most of the executives running the show, I consider myself to be an expert on the subject – basically telling the truth about Scientology and having deep insight into the nature of its teachings and processes. Unlike many who have left Scientology, I hold no ill-will or resentment; and hold no affiliation or alignment with it whatsoever.

Born Again Pantheist (oneness consciousness)
When I left Scientology in 1983, it took me a couple years but I finally released all their proprietary thinking and all associations related to it. And I resumed my exploration of life, consciousness and spirituality. This was like being reborn after having become stagnated within Scientology. I did all kinds of workshops and listened to channeled teachings and read lots of books, etc. One of the main sources of inspiration was the Pathwork Materials by Eva Pierrakos. I read all her lectures over the course of some years. In 1989 I bought a house in Grass Valley and had a weekly radio show called the Conscious Café, where I spoke about the spiritual awakening process, did interviews and also read Pathwork Lectures on the air. This period led me to the current set of Spiritual Teachers whom I respect and recommend to others (Eckhart Tolle, etc). It is basically the same conversation of Awakening that I started out reading about in The Book by Alan Watts in 1969, only much clearer and updated. (see more info on Spiritual Awakening and recommended Spiritual Teachers here).
In 1989 I also started painting. I had been doing various jobs to try to make money so that I could open a Spiritual Center. I head Joseph Campell saying “Follow your bliss” and remembered that I really enjoyed art when I was in High School, so I bought a bunch of supplies and just started painting. And in the later 90’s a dear friend, Chris Prima, gave me a computer and I scanned photos of my paintings into Photoshop and began to manipulate and make new versions of my art on the computer. My intent with art has always been to inspire people to spiritual feelings and ideas.

The New Millennium
Since around the year 2000 it became increasingly apparent how much of a destructive path humanity has been on and so I have incorporated social and environmental activism into my life as a needed and practical expression of my commitment to Spiritual Awakening. It has become more apparent than ever that the most important focus in these times is humanity’s awakening. From that place of unity consciousness – our experiential sense of connection to all of life as our true Self – it seems obvious and is natural to care for nature and others and the environment. It is all different expressions of the One living, evolving “God”. The illusion of separateness has gotten out of control and is rapidly destroying the playing field of Earth. It is presently threatening the very life support system on earth - the earth's natural ecosystem that supports and sustains life. Authorities in positions of power have been abusing their power for self-gain and treating others poorly, sometimes horribly.
I am involved with the Pachamama Alliance as well as other non-profit organizations helping to help wake people up out of the trance that has become a nightmare, threatening Life on Earth.

 

(Coming from “Unity Consciousness” as a place to think from or be from, I naturally stand for certain values): What I stand for:

Truth / Honesty
Justice / Fairness
Equality / Including Animal and Nature Rights (treating every human and living being with equal respect and dignity, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, status, wealth, position or authority or power).
Goodwill / Kindness

When people are awake they naturally abide by these values, they naturally care for all of life; and when these values are lived you get Peace, Harmony, Security, Happiness and Joy as a byproduct. These things cannot be bought or forced (as those currently in positions of power and authority continue attempting). Believing the illusion that one is separate from the whole leads one to pseudo solutions – such as attempting to find happiness by acquiring more money and things, attempting to gain security by using force, acquiring more and more power, etc. True solutions are only found within. It takes us, as individuals, looking within, waking up and living in unity consciousness and as a result of this (which is already happening and is in progress) we will stop giving our power and money away to those in positions of power and authority who are unconscious and greedy. Most those in positions of power and authority are diseased by ego – like an extremely obese person who is on a destructive course. They crave power and money and are sick people. It only contributes to collective negativity to hate them or hold them in contempt. So forgive them and look in the mirror and clean your own house and those outside will eventually lose their power as a result of enough people doing this.

Speaking to a gathering at my home in 1996.

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More about Daniel's personal life path and process

2009

Burningman 2007

Disclaimer on Drug Use:

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane
by those who could not hear the music."
~ Frederick Nietsche

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