Not unlike this Calla lily, which has sent up only leaves for years, until now. Dormant in blooming for so long I can no longer remember if it was pink or white when I first brought it into my garden.
It has chosen to burst out of its dormancy in these glorious sunset colours.
So many of us have have been forced into a dormancy of sorts recently.
I’ve delighted in seeing people rediscover things they enjoyed when times were less busy. Things core to their being.
What has been laying dormant in you?
What is longing to burst forth in colourful glory?
Image from the ‘net. If you know whose it is, I will attributed it to them.
I’m not feeling so deeply inspired today. I have a shoulder that’s persistently reminding me I’m human today.
But.
This is a more.. erm.. contemporary way to ask one to consider approaching things with a beginner’s mind. Very rarely, at least for most of us, are we good at something new the moment we try it.
I invite you this week to try something new. For me, working in an unfamiliar medium will often unlock a stuck spot for something I’m working on. When you try something new, you haven’t formed any rules for how to do it yet.
Use the “what if I tried…” as a jumping off point, rather than a wall of fear and stalling. See how this willingness to let curiosity lead your exploring something new might be applied to something you already do. How might you look at something, or do something, in a fresh way?
If you can’t think of anything. Do something you usually do with your nondominant hand. I would love to hear what you try, and what you discover!
Alex Grey shared this image and quote from his book “The Mission of Art” on his Instagram feed this morning. This book, and quote in particular, have played a huge role in my vision for Crafting the Spirit.
“I”m going to go out on a limb and say that there is a lot of good for anybody in making almost any kind of art. Just as each of us benefits from physical exercise and meditation, even though we may not become professional athletes or enlightened yogis, making art is intensely cathartic and healing, and should be enjoyed by everyone, even those who don’t think they will become the next T.S. Eliot, or Picasso. The at of drawing, or painting, writing poetry, dancing, or making music brings us into personal contact with the creative spirit, and that has inestimable value for enjoyment and self-discovery. The health of the soul depends on whether we can express our creative energy freely of reel we must keep it hidden and suppressed.”
I clean a music studio
once a month. I looked down at my bucket, and.. well. I can’t quite
describe all the feelings I had. I remember there was a time in my life
I was quite adamant that I would **never** have a job cleaning
bathrooms, and yet.. at that moment, there I was about to do that very
thing. And I felt so much gratitude for that bucket of water.
My life seems to bounce around extremes, sometimes simultaneously. During the next couple of weeks I’ll be decorating a house that is amazingly delightfully over the top. And no, I can’t share pictures; it’s one of the conditions of my working there. This is year three!
A practice I want to reignite: I would do any “job” for awhile, save
up my money, then take a sabbatical and focus on something that reflects
my true heart. It’s given me something to look forwards on both sides
of that journey.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the
concepts of devotion and dedication lately. To me, they are similar, but
not the same.
Devotion I see as coming from a place of loving
attention. Dedication as more of a practical nature, and commitment to a
process/ideal/cause. They work in partnership, the dance of loving
attention and practical commitment complementing each other, and
nurturing the journey.
I’m feeling on the cusp of Something
Really Big and Good lately. I know what some of it is, and feeling
frustration around my survival gig not allowing the flexibility I think I
need to do it. I would love to have the resources to fully jump into
what I know is my What’s Next, but I don’t. So I’m working with the
constraints of perceived lack of time and resources, and finding a way
to make it all happen anyway.
Choosing to see my survival gig as a
venue to hone my skills of interacting with all kinds of people,
communicating, sharing, sending out love and healing. (You’d be
surprised how many people come shopping in search of healing). Learning
how to exchange energy without being depleted, because if what I feel
is coming for me is coming, and I work to make it happen, there’s gonna
be a whole lotta ‘xchangin’ goin’ on.
I know this is more rambly than usual. Some feelings are hard to put into words.
If you made it this far, thank you! I love you, and I can’t wait to discover together and share what’s next!
OK! Let’s start off with the biggie that affects us all, eventually. Creative block. The ideas just won’t come. We suddenly have to clean our living space/binge watch/party. Anything but deal with the empty page/canvas/uncut fabric/musical instrument/dance floor staring back at us.
The key for me is to simply start.
“But Adele!” you say with exasperation “I can’t think of anything!!” You want to know a secret? You don’t have to!
Take the 15 minute challenge! Set a timer if you like. Are you pacing, mind racing? Get outside for 15 minutes. Go for a walk, mindfully. Turn off your phone. Walk and observe. How would you describe what you are seeing? How are the trees moving? If you were a bird, what would your song sound like?
Another approach I use: when writing I might just start listing words that come to mind, in no particular order. Look at something nearby and describe it in minute detail. I will pick up a pen and start doodling with no objective. Play scales. Move around. Just. do. Something.
Close your eyes and breathe. Yes.. meditate! Get out of that “I can’t” head of yours!
Ready? Take the 15 minute challenge and let’s talk about it.
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