Creativity and Spirituality: the Enduring Path

Most of us see ourselves as the accumulation of stories defined by our role in the outer world.
These stories can be ones of success and hold moments of joy, feelings of being alive, worthy, respected and loved. Paradoxically, even when the outer world stories are positive, what we mistakenly believer are the deeper truths invariably seep in. We think to ourselves things such as:
We put on a good face to overcompensate
We feel this to a greater or lesser extent, and there are ways that we “put on a good face” to over-compensate for our fears of being "found out." Inside, however, we fall victim again and again to the fraud and imposter syndrome that that convinces us we are terrible people, unworthy, shameful, stupid... whatever is your false version of self.

Most people never awaken to the fact that the self they secretly condemn is not the real Self. It is the small, ego self. Perhaps you are nodding as you read this, thinking, yes, yes, I know this about my ego. But there seems little I can do to affect change. 

You can’t force self-change.
You can’t even understand it. You can only have the experience and feel the embrace of True Self. 

1. Your True Self never condemns or hides. 
2. Your True Self is filled with compassion, joy and unconditional love. 
3. Your True Self doesn’t categorize what happens in life as good or bad. All is part of the adventure, part of your path and another opportunity for growth. 
4. Your True Self never hides. It is your ego self that can spend a lifetime hiding from True Self. 

Wisdom often shows up. Surprising creativity abounds. The key is to allow the flow to happen without your Inner Critic rising to the fore and questioning your ability — even your right to write!



How Does Writing Support Your Inner Journey?

• Finding Your Life's Purpose
• Memoir
• Writing to Heal
• Connecting to the voice of True Self
• Prayer
• Wisdom
• Hearing your heart speak...

"Thank you, Emily, for the step into magic shadow world of the me who can write about things she does not know she knows and then be amazed at all she can learn from herself." ~Jen Simson 

"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." ~ Carl Jung

Everyone has a shadow, much of which was created in childhood when our need for love and protection caused us to reject parts of us deemed shameful, unworthy or dangerous by family, teachers, religious leaders, friends and even our enemies. These disowned parts of us were exiled to the darkest depth of our unconscious, hidden from the world and often from ourselves.

This is a huge problem, for the shadow is a powerful part of us. We cannot will it away or think that it remains subdued just because we have forgotten its existence.

True Self is your center, your stillness and the knower of mystery and wisdom.
True Self loves your humanity and the immensity of who you are — an immensity beyond the mind's reckoning. True Self waits for you, always. Through her, you find your passion, your purpose and your freedom.

Creativity is the Spiritual Warrior's torch-giving light.

• Inner vision has no fear of the unknown.
• Inner vision pierces the veils of mystery and magic and embraces paradox.
• Inner vision is innately the wandering pilgrim and fool who knows that getting lost is being found.
•  Inner vision is guiding light into our soul.

As we go into the dark womb time of the earth, where dying is the promise of new life, I think of this by Goethe:

And so long as you haven’t experienced
This: to die and so to grow,
You are only a troubled guest
On the dark earth.

As I look my life from where I am right now,
this quote makes me feel.....

Please post your writings on the blog!

"Emily, although your written works did not place within the top four winning slots, the editorial judges absolutely fell in loved with the pure-light and healing energy your poetry emanated in the poem entitled: LETTING STILLNESS GROW.

Our judges were so impressed with this poem, they'd like to offer you an opportunity to share a single piece of your poetry inside each bimonthly issue of the brand new, forthcoming literary spin-off publication of SIBYL Magazine entitled, SIBELLA: Poetry and Artwork To Heal the Soul and Inspire the Heart".



Letting Stillness Grow
and I did not know
it was mine.

What wonders lie in stillness,
that evasive gift of life.
Is it fear of death, of nothingness
that keeps stillness at bay?
My thirst is great.
Am I patient enough
and brave enough
to let my stillness grow?

Lately, the rhyme has been coming back to me with an understanding that became quite visceral the other day. I was walking my dog on a beautiful trail and paused on a bridge overlooking the reservoir. The sky was a brilliant blue. The branches of the bare trees held the stark beauty of winter; it seemed to me that the branches were reaching skyward in prayer.

I was aware, too, that the voice who was considering this Truth was not my own.
I had a fight with my husband last night. I slept in the guest room and come morning, I was still angry and hurt. So I decided to meditate on how to handle these feelings. This was the intention of the meditation, but soon I found myself considering the question of my truth. Not the truth in terms of my version of the fight. That I was right, of course, and he was wrong-- and would never admit it much less apologize. My meditation had taken me to my Truth with a capital T. I was aware, too, that the voice who was considering this Truth was not my own. That the thoughts in my head were not my own...

Silence is the womb;
silence is the heartbeat.
Without silence we cannot hear the song.
Wear silence like a crown.
Drape yourself in its radiance.
Enter silence in the midst of laughter,
sorrow, joy and pain.
Self awaits.

Silence is our birthright.
It is the place that intuition, the voice of our inner guidance, calls home. It is the place where our true Self can be heard. The problem is, silence is a rarity. We can be alone deep in a pristine forest, far far away from the noise of modern society; we can be alone on a mountaintop with no sign of human life for miles and miles, yet the outer world silence can not penetrate the raucous swirling of own thoughts. Even if we are awe struck by the purity and silence of nature in the moment, so much so that our minds are suddenly infused with peace, it won’t be long before thoughts intrude.

The silence of pure solitude holds awareness and possibility, not loneliness or fear. The question is: how can we learn to inhabit solitude?

Such confusion is life
emotions and doings and things.
Right, wrong, yes, no,
a whirlwind of living.
And where is love?
Like the roots of Sequoias
love penetrates,
tender, strong and caressing,
a web of support.

The soul’s song is sweet and ancient,
fierce with love,
a mother bear
wild and free.
                                                                   
This is what we have come for:                                                                            
love, you and me, love!