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Whispers of the Unseen: The Myth of the Muses and the Magical Vision of Remedios Varo

Updated: Mar 25

Remedios Varo was a Catalonian-born surrealist painter who found refuge, and creative liberation, in Mexico after fleeing Europe during WWII. A visionary artist with a background in science, mysticism, alchemy, and metaphysics, Varo created otherworldly paintings that feel like dream maps.


Photos: Varo was born in Girona, Catalonia. She was part of the Catalonian surrealist movement of artists which included Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte and Antoni Gaudi (just to mention a few). Unsplash


Her art is filled with:

  • Feminine archetypes

  • Esoteric symbols

  • Labyrinths, machinery, and stars

  • Women merging with nature

  • The sacredness of curiosity


To look at her work is to feel whispered to.

Varo wasn’t just painting from imagination—she was painting from a mythic state of consciousness. She lived in tune with the muse.

She blurred the lines between reality and dream, science and magic, logic and mystery. Her paintings didn’t just showcreative energy—they invoked it. And for so many artists, writers, and other creative souls today, Varo stands as a muse herself: someone who lived creatively, bravely, and mystically.


Muses in the Modern World: Do They Still Exist?

Yes. A thousand times yes.


But they look different now. The muses no longer wear togas and crowns. They arrive through:

  • A song that makes you cry

  • A quote that unlocks something inside you

  • A collage that flows out of your hands like it already existed

  • A walk at dusk where you suddenly feel alive again

  • A dream that won’t leave you alone

ancient map guiding star glowing scallop shell

The muse isn’t a myth. She’s a feeling. A moment. A message. A reminder that the world is layered, symbolic, enchanted—and that your voice matters.


What Remedios Varo Taught Us About Living with the Muse

1. Make mystery your friendVaro wasn’t afraid to paint the strange, the unseen, the magical. She trusted her inner visions—even when they didn’t make sense to the rational mind.


2. Blend disciplinesShe used her background in science, engineering, and esoteric philosophy to inform her art. Creativity doesn’t live in a box. It expands through integration.


3. Don’t wait to be “discovered”She created quietly, faithfully, for herself and the sacred act of making. The muse isn’t about fame. It’s about devotion.


4. Be curious about everythingVaro’s world was one of investigation, wonder, and imagination. She didn’t assume she knew—it was the not knowingthat led her.


5. Make your life your canvasHer entire being—her exile, her friendships, her solitude, her symbols—was an expression of the art she made.

To live with the muse is to live with wonder. And wonder is the beginning of everything.

The collage shows some of Salvador Dali's art, his museum and the city Girona. Remedios Varo was born in Girona, and Dali was born in a small town just outside Girona, called Figueres.


Myths and Muses: Why We Still Need Them

In a world that often values speed, productivity, and logic, the mythic and the muse offer us something rare and precious:


✨ A return to intuition

✨ A relationship with beauty

✨ A sacred pace

✨ A deeper way of knowing


The myth of the muse isn’t about waiting to be chosen.It’s about saying yes to your own inner invitation.


When we honor the muses, we honor creative living.We make space for magic, mystery, and meaning.We let ourselves be surprised again.


And just like the surrealist works of Remedios Varo, our lives become layered, luminous, and symbolic—not because we planned it, but because we allowed it.


How to Invite the Muse into Your Life

You don’t have to be a painter. You don’t have to be a poet.


But if you’re someone who feels deeply…Who notices shadows and sunsets…Who listens when your intuition speaks…Who believes there’s more to life than what we see…


Then the muse is already walking with you. Here are six ways to consciously invite her in:


  1. Create a ritual space – light a candle before you write, paint, or daydream.

  2. Keep a dream journal – many muses love to speak through dreams.

  3. Play with sound – let music shift your mood and open your imagination.

  4. Go outside – the natural world is full of muse messages.

  5. Study your artistic lineage – explore artists like Varo, Kahlo, Carrington, and others who lived mythically.

  6. Trust your timing – don’t force creativity. Make space. She will come.


Want to Live a More Muse-Led Life? Here's 5 ideas to get you started.

Join me in the 2025 Blogging Bootcamp Intensive which is a 3-day immersion into creative storytelling, soulful strategy, and inspired expression.


Explore my Vintage Collage Art Studio, and:


✨ Let your life be your masterpiece.

✨ Let your blog become your temple of expression.

✨ And let the muses find you ready.


Did this blog inspire you?

  • Save it to your Myths & Muses board

  • Share your muse moment in the comments

  • Pass it along to a fellow creative soul

  • Share it to your Social Media


 

Louise Sommer is a collage artist, bestselling author, and cultural storyteller with an MA in Educational Psychology. She specialises in creativity, communication, and the hidden narratives woven through culture, myth, and memory. Her book The Hidden Camino takes readers on a soulful journey through forgotten histories and sacred places. Since the 1990s, Louise has travelled widely across Europe, exploring how stories shape identity, belonging, and creative expression. Through her writing, design, and workshops, she invites readers into a world of curiosity, beauty, and deep connection.



✨ Discover more at louisesommer.co

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