The Power Of Creativity

Here is a wonderful article on the importance of creativity:

Painting is one vehicle of creative expression, one that has allowed me to tune into higher realms and unending inspiration. Writing is another way. I believe that there are many ways and that we are all creative, it is the way we approach life, with Faith, Hope and Love. After experiencing years of depression and anxiety, connecting with my creativity has helped me soar to new heights. I feel my inner strength and know that if I hit a wall, my creativity shows me new doors, openings; I turn a corner and see new possibilities.

Why nurture our creativity? Well, when we don’t, life can become dull and meaningless. We are all born with gifts and talents and our creativity allows us to express ourselves and share our gifts and talents with others. It frees us from isolation and helps us feel our sense of community. We can wake up joyful and inspired every day. You experience wonder, miracles, freedom and peace beyond measure. You become inner directed, able to participate in the world with joy, independent of other’s opinions. Despite what is happening in the outer world, you are connected through Spirit and live in an abundance of ideas and inspiration.

Have you heard the phrase:

The Kingdom of Heaven is Within

The first time that I heard or read those words, helped me feel the light at the end of the tunnel. I no longer worry, at all. Intuition, psychic awareness, psychic~ meaning of the soul, all of this inner work pertains to the inner world that many of us miss if we are too busy to notice. Or too busy immersed in the earth plane world. Jesus encouraged us to be in the world but not of the world.

Many people have experienced power outages, earthquakes and other major earth change experiences. It is more important than ever to learn to listen to your highest guidance that comes from within. We are so used to depending on outer resources for our well being. In times of change, let us remember how Divinely guided we are. Creativity is our connection with Spirit. Before I felt creative, I felt depressed in a way. Can you relate to this? Did you ever feel destined for creative genius destiny? That book you dreamed about writing? The art you could show somewhere? Or do you want to creatively design your life to match on the outside what you know to be true on the inside? I felt this way and am here to tell you, in my wildest dreams, when younger and was told by art teachers to forget about being an artist, did I ever dream of having my art sold, having commission work and then displaying on the Laguna Beach Gallery Website? No, but more and more my reality has surpassed my dreams. We are here to experience abundance and to experience it to the fullest. Here are four ways to discover your inner creative genius.

1. Set an intention.

Intention is energy. We can hope and dream about being creative; declaring by intention sets the wheels in motion with the Universe to being in the co-creation process with you. Say, thank you God, Spirit, that I am now receiving brilliant creative ideas and inspirations that fulfill my destiny and life purpose now.

2. Pay attention to thoughts and feelings.

As a painter I am particularly attuned to color. As a writer, I love words. Begin to pay attention to what moves you. Have fun noticing what colors you are drawn to, what words interest you. Creativity in the arts can be writing, painting, drawing, music, dance and more, like cooking. Do not be intimidated by this thinking that you need to be famous to fulfill your destiny in expressing yourself. Just do it. What moves you? Ask yourself this and let go of any judgments around the answers that you hear.

3. Take Action.

Many know that they want to write, I say, buy a journal, meditate, then write. I never took a painting class, I desperately wanted to paint, I bought the paints and painted. Classes are fine, but my message is that all that you need is within you. Act as if you already know what you are doing because you do know, deep within you, you know this.

4. Dream then Do.

Imagine your finished product or situation. Spend time feeling the feelings that you wish to experience creatively. No matter what your dream is, begin to imagine it in your mind, feel it as if it already is. This is manifestation and co-creation with Spirit. It is Synergy, part your participation and part grace. Dream Big~Go for it!

You have everything that you need within you to create endless possibilities for your life.

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By: Anne Deidre Smith

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

As a Visionary Artist and Author, Anne Deidre Smith is founder of Inner Visions Gallery, LLC. She is a Psychic Intuitive Coach, and Certified Angel Messenger. As a Transformational Teacher and Healer, Anne offers Readings and Coaching Programs, including a certification course on Pyschic Intuition. Psychic

Living Like a Zen Monk

 These rules come from Thich Nhat Hanh's article, "12 Essential Rules to Live More Like a Zen Monk" at http://zenhabits.net/12-essential-rules-to-live-more-like-a-zen-monk/

He explains their way of being to promote mindfulness and peace in everyday living. I think these rules would greatly enhance our creative pursuits, especially combined with the intention used to create a pathway to Spirit.

1. Do one thing at a time. This rule (and some of the others that follow) will be familiar to long-time Zen Habits readers. It’s part of my philosophy, and it’s also a part of the life of a Zen monk: single-task, don’t multi-task. When you’re pouring water, just pour water. When you’re eating, just eat. When you’re bathing, just bathe. Don’t try to knock off a few tasks while eating or bathing. Zen proverb: “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.”
2. Do it slowly and deliberately. You can do one task at a time, but also rush that task. Instead, take your time, and move slowly. Make your actions deliberate, not rushed and random. It takes practice, but it helps you focus on the task.
3. Do it completely. Put your mind completely on the task. Don’t move on to the next task until you’re finished. If, for some reason, you have no choice but to move on to something else, try to at least put away the unfinished task and clean up after yourself. If you prepare a sandwich, don’t start eating it until you’ve put away the stuff you used to prepare it, wiped down the counter, and washed the dishes used for preparation. Then you’re done with that task, and can focus more completely on the next task.
4. Do less. A Zen monk doesn’t lead a lazy life: he wakes early and has a day filled with work. However, he doesn’t have an unending task list either — there are certain things he’s going to do today, an no more. If you do less, you can do those things more slowly, more completely and with more concentration. If you fill your day with tasks, you will be rushing from one thing to the next without stopping to think about what you do.
5. Put space between things. Related to the “Do less” rule, but it’s a way of managing your schedule so that you always have time to complete each task. Don’t schedule things close together — instead, leave room between things on your schedule. That gives you a more relaxed schedule, and leaves space in case one task takes longer than you planned.
6. Develop rituals. Zen monks have rituals for many things they do, from eating to cleaning to meditation. Ritual gives something a sense of importance — if it’s important enough to have a ritual, it’s important enough to be given your entire attention, and to be done slowly and correctly. You don’t have to learn the Zen monk rituals — you can create your own, for the preparation of food, for eating, for cleaning, for what you do before you start your work, for what you do when you wake up and before you go to bed, for what you do just before exercise. Anything you want, really.
7. Designate time for certain things. There are certain times in the day of a Zen monk designated for certain activities. A time for for bathing, a time for work, a time for cleaning, a time for eating. This ensures that those things get done regularly. You can designate time for your own activities, whether that be work or cleaning or exercise or quiet contemplation. If it’s important enough to do regularly, consider designating a time for it.
8. Devote time to sitting. In the life of a Zen monk, sitting meditation (zazen) is one of the most important parts of his day. Each day, there is time designated just for sitting. This meditation is really practice for learning to be present. You can devote time for sitting meditation, or do what I do: I use running as a way to practice being in the moment. You could use any activity in the same way, as long as you do it regularly and practice being present.
9. Smile and serve others. Zen monks spend part of their day in service to others, whether that be other monks in the monastery or people on the outside world. It teaches them humility, and ensures that their lives are not just selfish, but devoted to others. If you’re a parent, it’s likely you already spend at least some time in service to others in your household, and non-parents may already do this too. Similarly, smiling and being kind to others can be a great way to improve the lives of those around you. Also consider volunteering for charity work.
10. Make cleaning and cooking become meditation. Aside from the zazen mentioned above, cooking and cleaning are to of the most exalted parts of a Zen monk’s day. They are both great ways to practice mindfulness, and can be great rituals performed each day. If cooking and cleaning seem like boring chores to you, try doing them as a form of meditation. Put your entire mind into those tasks, concentrate, and do them slowly and completely. It could change your entire day (as well as leave you with a cleaner house).
11. Think about what is necessary. There is little in a Zen monk’s life that isn’t necessary. He doesn’t have a closet full of shoes, or the latest in trendy clothes. He doesn’t have a refrigerator and cabinets full of junk food. He doesn’t have the latest gadgets, cars, televisions, or iPod. He has basic clothing, basic shelter, basic utensils, basic tools, and the most basic food (they eat simple, vegetarian meals consisting usually of rice, miso soup, vegetables, and pickled vegetables). Now, I’m not saying you should live exactly like a Zen monk — I certainly don’t. But it does serve as a reminder that there is much in our lives that aren’t necessary, and it can be useful to give some thought about what we really need, and whether it is important to have all the stuff we have that’s not necessary.
12. Live simply. The corollary of Rule 11 is that if something isn’t necessary, you can probably live without it. And so to live simply is to rid your life of as many of the unnecessary and unessential things as you can, to make room for the essential. Now, what is essential will be different to each person. For me, my family, my writing, my running and my reading are essential. To others, yoga and spending time with close friends might be essential. For others it will be nursing and volunteering and going to church and collecting comic books. There is no law saying what should be essential for you — but you should consider what is most important to your life, and make room for that by eliminating the other less essential things in your life.

complacency

Do not allow yourself to become too comfortable or complacent. Your soul seeks adventure. Do not forget you are alive.

Psalm 150

1. Praise the Lord! Praise God in His holiness; praise Him in the firmament of His strength. 2. Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His abundant greatness. 3. Praise Him with the call of the shofar; praise Him with harp and lyre. 4. Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flute. 5. Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with clanging cymbals. 6. Let every soul praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Through Psalm 150, King David tells us to praise Hashem through music. Kids, grab your instruments, your voice, and your dancing feet.

Diversity

 
I like this picture. Perhaps we should all focus on the Source behind all sources and get past our tribal animosities. Everyone celebrates the Divine in their own unique way. It seems that's the way it's suppose to be. All of nature is created with a variety of patters, colors, and personalities. Isn't diversity wonderful??

Two Wolfs

This is a wonderful tale that reminded me of our two inclinations.

 

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

"One is Evil -  It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"The other is Good -  It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Meditation on Music

 1. Put some suitable music (such as New Age) on low volume.

2. Breath in and out paying attention to the air flowing in and out of your body.

3. Allow your breath to become the music and the music to become your breath until they are one. (You do

not have to breath to the rhythm of the music.)

Thank you Modern Art Images for this beautiful picture.