Day 18: Meditation Challenge ~ Creativity as Meditation, a Guest, and a Giveaway!
Welcome, to my 28-Meditation Challenge.
Yesterday, I announced the details of our 28-Day Meditation teleconference (free!) is scheduled for next week, Tuesday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Everyone is welcome! However, you must register to be in on the conference call. There are 96 slots available. To do so, go to the Contact Box at my website: www.awakenedliving.com. Send me an e-mail with the word "Register" in the subject line. By Sunday, I will confirm your reservation with an e-mail about how to call in. An MP3 will be posted for those who cannot attend "live." Read Tuesday's post for ALL the details. Even if you just found the Challenge, or if you committed and aren't meditating regularly, no worries. Join us, no matter what!
Please welcome today's very special guest, a wildly creative woman, Joanne Rose, from Breathe As Me.
She is one of the most soulful women I have had the pleasure to meet through the blogosphere. Joanne lives a deeply contemplative life and is passionate about her journey as an artist—as well as how that chosen path takes her deeper into living life itself as a meditation.
Joanne has graciously offered to Giveaway a 5 x 7 print of the artistic rendering of the spirited lady pictured above. Make a comment here and you'll be eligible to win! Without further ado ...
Meditation has often been described as a practice of mindfulness, of engagement in the present moment, calm and focused, neither reacting to nor identifying with thoughts of the past or the future. Meditation opens pathways to deeper understanding as we become more relaxed and receptive, focused and centered. Not surprisingly, most forms of meditation teach us to focus on our breath as a central point of our awareness. Through our inhale we breathe into our body, spirit and mind, and through our exhale we offer our response.
In my own practice, creativity is a dynamic, breathing form of meditation. With every inhale, i receive from something greater than myself that i do not fully understand, but do not need to fully understand in order to open and be of service to it. i simply need to breathe in...
Creative time does not mean being devoid of thought, but rather thoughts flow more easily with less tendency to dam up... i experience freedom from the tendency to grasp hold of thoughts and run away into the wilderness with them, where i may build them into overwhelming narratives having little resemblance to reality. There is something mysterious and indescribable about the vastness of creativity, and yet it is accessible and always close by. The subsequent action that results from my participation in the creative process is the exhale. There is listening (inhale)... and acting (exhale) ... observing (inhale)... and responding (exhale)... receiving (inhale)... and giving (exhale)....
At all times in our lives we are breathing, opening ourselves in our every inhale, and then acting on what we have received through our every exhale. Most of us can relate to having had times when we open ourselves to the inhale of frustration, fear, anger, hurt, and any number of other toxic things, which subsequently show up in negative ways in our responses and actions toward ourselves and others. Creativity provides an ever-present source through which we can practice being receptive to more of what we want from our higher self (inhale) ... and subsequently respond in ways that are more centered, balanced and compassionate toward both ourselves and others (exhale)...
Without exception, we are all creative. We create our lives every single moment of every day, and give something back to every one of those moments. The question is, what is it we are creating, and what are we giving? Creativity as a meditative practice can help bring us into better alignment with what we want to invite more of into our lives when we inhale, and likewise respond to in our lives through our exhale.
I call creativity a mansion, and in this mansion I find many rooms to explore... rooms of beauty, play, understanding, compassion, inspiration, self expression, truth, light, shadows, tolerance, passion, and love. This mansion is inclusive and welcomes all who enter. It stands steadfast like a lighthouse shining its beacon for all of us... (especially those of us who are lost and weary travelers)... leading us safely back home to the light of truth inside our own hearts.
Joanne Rose is living a creatively inspired mixed media life in sunny southern California. Her passions include creating with paint, words, photographs, fabric and beads, taking contemplative nature walks with camera in hand, and encouraging others to believe in, and reach for, their loftiest of dreams. Her blog may be found at http://breatheasme.com
Thank you, Joanne, for expanding our notion of creativity. May we express ours and allow it to give us life ... and serve others in the process.
As always, we welcome your comments ...
Blessings,
Jan
Read on ...
Read on ...
Yesterday I struggled. I kept putting off my meditation time because I had so much "to do," or so I thought. I waited until evening, thinking I would be more receptive, but then I was just tired. What was interesting to me was that even though I was incredibly busy throughout the day, I was not stressed. I felt very mindful, intentional, peaceful, about all my activities. I did do a little metta. I look forward to today as I am driving 3 hours in the car and I have no radio. Blessed silence! And I will sit zazen with Jundo now to begin my morning. I hope you all have a really good day!
Recommended Resources:
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron.
The best book I know that ties the creative process in with the spiritual while rediscovering your truest self. Beginning with "morning pages," we write without "police," connecting with our inner artist and heart. The practice itself can be meditation. There is now an online version of the course available, too! Take a peek at her website. A wealth of resources. www.juliacameron.com
Inspiration:
Inspiration:
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once (s)he grows up.
~Pablo Picasso
Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.
Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.
~Rene-Francois-Ghislain Magritte
In the esoteric Judaism of the Cabalah, the Deep Self is named the Neshamah, from the root of Shmhm, "to hear or listen": the Neshamah is She Who Listens, the soul who inspires us and guides us.
~Starhawk
In the esoteric Judaism of the Cabalah, the Deep Self is named the Neshamah, from the root of Shmhm, "to hear or listen": the Neshamah is She Who Listens, the soul who inspires us and guides us.
Share This Post
Posts
20 comments:
Jan this was such a lovely post! I will be honest I came here needing encouragement and some clarity balance again. I lost my way. I also had a late meditation last night and a late night journal, and felt so restless. I need to re-center again too and connect to that wellspring again. Joanne, I love what you shared here and found it deeply resonated with me and felt so poetic and delightful on my weary soul today. There is so much learning and sometimes it can be so draining - the tough lessons. I sort of thought of creativity as meditation but vaguely and sometimes I'll have long sessions organizing my visual imagery and it helps make sense of the clutter feeling and is so healing. I can see this and writing is my art form. I always forget when how to breathe fully and properly unless guided and so as you shared and included the inhales and exhales I felt my body calming and listening to that so well. Thank you for this beautiful post! soft blessings to both of you! ;) ~Sharmila
Jan...
thank you so much for hosting this topic and for letting me be a part of it on your site... i really admire how you are managing to put together such comprehensive topics during this meditation challenge... so obviously a burst of creative energy flowing through you this month...
Sharmila... i really love what you say about learning and lessons... those lessons ARE so so tough, aren't they?... i feel like i'm in one huge constant flowing river of a lesson, and that i get caught in many tributaries along the way... it is exhausting at times... sometimes i can be so engulfed i forget i am even breathing at all... there are times i catch myself breathing from such a shallow place high up in my chest i wonder how i am maintaining any life in my body at all...
it is the practice practice practice that is so important... whether art, writing, meditation...it is practice that masters always emphasize... the more we practice, the more easily we flow into gentler streams and find rest from the raging rapids... more able to withstand the winds and bending with them rather than breaking against them...
Good morning, Joanne! Welcome. So glad you are here guiding us deeper into what it means to be a creative person and how that interrelates with our spiritual life.
I love what you've said to Sharmilla (Jenn) and how this life journey is so much about practice. And it also so much about not worrying about it, how it turns out, how we will find our way, etc. Letting go and living into it—and that is what I think creativity helps us do. We start with nothing...end up with something...and learn all along the way. :-)
I look forward to a shiny bright time with you today. xo
Jenn,
I am glad that you found your way here this morning after some swampy patches. May you continue to breathe through ALL that do with grace and ease. If we could just remember that every time we take a breath, we are deeply connected to our spirit (and the Greater Spirit), how much more relaxed about life we would be! Hugs!
Jan-another beautiful post!
Thank you.
Joanne, wonderfully expressed-the inhale and exhale of creating.
I was reminded how mindful and meditative creating can be. I am missing my own creativity in my life now.
What particularly caught my eye was "The question is, what is it we are creating, and what are we giving?" What a breathtakingly high perspective to look at my life from! Inspiring !
Any suggestions for living from/with this viewpoint ?
And trying to get back in touch with one's creativity and dreams ?
Now this I can relate to! When I am out with my camera...my heart soars. I am calm. I don't think. This is why I love photography...it takes me out of my head. Especially after I download the photos and then "play" with them. That is my "creative high" so to speak. I could be on my computer for hours and it feels like minutes.
But I need this. I usually process my work at night after the kids have gone to bed...it's my sacred time to create. It's a beautiful way to wind down the day.
Joanne, I love that you call creativity a mansion. What a wonderful expression. I have never concidered myself a creative person, but you bring new meaning to being creative with your post. Thank you.
I had a wonderful meditation session last night. My mind was very busy but I was able to sooth it without being too hard on myself. That in and of itself it a great accomplishment for me. Thank you for your posts Jan and I wish you a safe and peaceful trip today.
~Marie
Jan...
You said,
"And it also so much about not worrying about it, how it turns out, how we will find our way, etc."
creativity is a wonderful practice for this!... we are often told by teachers in art that it is the process that is important, the journey, not the destination... and of course with everything one creates the inner critic starts speaking up immediately... but with practice what you come to understand is you have more power to turn your face away from that chattering than you initially think you do... there is a progression in creating, as there is in life... when we learn to cook, we start with simple recipes and as we advance we feel more courage to explore more complex ones... and we learn lessons along the way... it's all part of emerging into ourselves... what really helps a person like me who struggles with so much self doubt is making a turn from the self flagellation and just laughing at myself... sometimes it's easy to take myself entirely too seriously...
Karen...
i am still practicing this all the time... how to give to every moment more of what i want to give... how to be more present, to notice more... to respond to life rather than react to it... i think creating time to create as part of my practice has done wonders for me in this regard... even if it is just minutes every day to write or doodle on a napkin, to put a few lines on a practice sketch, to take one photograph, etc...
a significant part of the creative process, as it is in meditation, is to be an observer... i think this is vitally important to practice in every part of our lives... to practice being an observer of everything, ourselves, others, our environment... so, for example... let's say i am in the supermarket and someone surprises me with a very personal insult after i don't get out of her way fast enough (this happened to me a couple of months back)... can i be an observer in this moment?... what am i going to give back to her?... am i going to react from the spot of my own stunned hurt, and then retort?... is that what i want to give?... or... do i want to observe her... do i want to ask myself what might be going on in her life that has made her so short-fused today... maybe she just got some bad news... or taking this even further, maybe she generally deals with the feeling of being invisible in her life, and she just exploded over me because i was yet another person not seeing her... if i am able in that moment to become an observer, rather than a reactor, i will respond to her in a totally different, more compassionate way... it takes a lot of practice, and being gentle with myself when i don't give to the moment what i want to give... (when this happened to me a couple of months ago, i did not respond the way i wanted, but instead reacted... and that was okay, because i then reflected later about how i would want to give something different to that moment if it ever happened again)...
reflection is another aspect of practice...to use these moments to reflect on and learn from... to me, this is about living our meditation off the cushion, living our creativity in all aspects of our lives, not just in the confines of the creative space or the meditative calm we find when we are sitting in silence...
Caroline...
oh, i so relate to what you said!... i often wish i had nothing else to do but just play... i love this about creativity... it taps into that part of ourselves that is free to play, to explore, to see beauty all around us, to express... no worries, no hurries, no time, just float up into the shapes in the clouds and let yourself become one of them... it is the space where truly anything is possible...
Marie...
i think many people don't generally see themselves as creative... but without exception we all are... we are each living creations... and as such, we too are creators... including you :)
Jan, thank you so much for bringing creativity into the meditation challenge. And thank you for bringing in Joanne who knows how to share her creative heart so well.
As you both (Joanne and Jan) know, much of my creativity is expressed through music. When I'm singing in a choir or with just one other person I like to find the harmony and blend it in with what I'm hearing. There's a vibration or resonance that I can feel when I'm aligned well with the music.
Breathing, mindfulness and meditation must be a part of any musical expression when it comes from the heart.
At my piano lesson this week, I felt prepared, relaxed and ready to play but when I played my first song, my teacher put her hand on my shoulders to make me get them down. She said, "ok, now play it again and this time BREATHE. I just had to laugh at myself here because I've been following this challenge all along, doing meditation, breathing in and out etc. and I didn't breathe when my creativity needed me to. When I put my shoulders down, took a few deep breaths and played again, it was much better. I think that without breath, the spirit of creativity must just get stuck, it needs to flow like you said, Joanne.
You have given me so much insight into the creative process over the last year esp. in regard to my piano playing. Not even FEAR holds me down anymore. I have learned to accept myself where I am, forgive the mistakes and express my heart through music the best I can. Yes, I also practice, practice, practice. If I can get at least 7 hours per week of practice time, my teacher gives me a STAR.
I know, I'm in my 40's but that star still means a lot to me. :-)
Thank you so much for being here, Joanne, your words and art continue to inspire me and take me to much deeper places of understanding. I will continue to read and share my thoughts at breatheasme also.
Love to you both!
Julie
xoxo
Really appreciating this series. This particular post speaks to my spirit. About three years ago I was aware of this stirring in me to find the real me (I was approaching 40). After months of writing and months of working my way through Julia Cameron's The Artist Way, I discovered (rediscovered) how tightly woven my spiritual life is with the creative spirit and with my creative expression.
I really like what you say, "It is a prayer and meditation...brings the formless into form, deepens my understanding of myself and others..." Creativity is magical because it brings together the self with others, the self with the holy, and in the meantime, I participate in the creation of form. It is a way of seeing and experiencing that which is the most intensely sacred. Creativity is the thread that binds us all together as well as moving us all forward toward a new birth--we are all part of the one great push.
Thank you, thank you.
Julie...
i really love what you say about focusing your attention on relaxation while you are practicing... relaxing is another wonderful principle interwoven with creativity and meditation... isn't it fascinating how often we can find our bodies so tense when practicing the very thing we are so passionate about?... tense muscles, shallow breathing, worries about getting it right... what we want so badly is to express accurately that which we feel so deeply, and yet we ourselves are creating resistance with our tension...
so it is with all of our moments and our givings...
Nicki...
You said,
"Creativity is the thread that binds us all together as well as moving us all forward toward a new birth."
This is so beautifully expressed...
we each are a note in the grandest universal symphony being created... vital threads interwoven in a world-wide crazy quilt we are all creating together... :)
Hello All,
I've read all your soulful comments and have taken them into my heart. I am so glad this post has touched your hearts!
Joanne, I appreciate your compassionate responses to everyone. You inspire us onward! And inward. :-)
And onward I go, off to travel and teach a bit. I'll check in again when I can. Blessings of sacred breath to everyone. Love, love....
Joanne, I feel like I KNOW YOU...your approach to living a creative, contemplative life (at least from reading this blog post) is quite in alignment with the way I sit, walk, breathe, play through my days.
I love your creativity mansion concept too…a mansion is so expansive…so much inner space to explore!
Jan...I love that you are discovering more ease in your days even with the business that you are engaged in...and of course you know, it's ok when the anxiety does creep in too...everything is a wave...like the breath coming in and releasing...ease/anxiety...and back to ease again.
safe travels dear one and gentle steps,
Laura
Laura...
thank you for your kind words for me, and your words for Jan... it is wonderful to meet you!
What beautiful sharing here, of thoughts and hearts, eh, Joanne? How is it that just the thought of extending ourselves through creativity brings love to the surface? I appreciate all the kindness here. May the Muse dance in all our hearts!
Joanne, thank you again for your wisdom. You've touched many hearts today...
Oh that was wonderful..it is funny but so very true..I had never thought of my creative process as a meditation! It is deeply true though..when I am in the zone and the work flows through me I can feel it..it is bliss!! When I fail to get to my artwork and don't create for a time..I get cranky and stressed out! Facinating!!
Sometimes of late with my camera I have felt that same quiet vibe! I will pay closer attention to this in the future!
My practice the last couple of days has been a mixed bag. I was so tired last evening that I fell asleep mid practice. The night before I created a Mala for myself with 108 beads made of jade, opal and rose quartz. I found it very relaxing and focusing to use them!!
On Monday I was able to get out into nature and stroll on a lakefront beach all alone and just do a walking meditation..wonderful!
Loveing this Jan!! Namaste, Sarah
Jan...
again, thank you for the wonderful experience on your site... creativity does bring love to the surface!!!
Sarah...
what i love about what you wrote is how you are creating your own meditation practice... the act of making the mala is itself meditation, as is using it once finished... i think if we really give it some thought we could all come up with many forms of meditation we've never really considered before...
Another helpful reminder that I don't always have to sit in order to meditate but I as I go through my day whether I'm folding laundry or writing or taking pictures. Thank you Joanne and Jan for your inspiration!
Rochelle!
exactly!... meditation is not limited to our self-imposed boxes that we try to place it in... in fact, you mention housework, which can be incredibly meditative for me as well...
Post a Comment