Archive for the ‘creative imagination’ Category
Thursday, August 5th, 2010
Have you seen sand spirits like this? Surely you’ve walked on a beach where the iron filings leave streaks in the sand. And where the tide reveals shells and rocks that sit perched on top of the pattern like a head on top of a robe. Have you imagined that these faceless robed ones are spirits?
If you’ve seen my Sand Spirit cards, you know that I’ve spent a lot of time imagining this, and working with people willing to dialogue with these “spirits” to see what wisdom emerges. (If you haven’t seen them, consider going to throughadifferentlens.com and hit the Sand Spirits tab.)
These spirits, now long-time friends of mine, are proving themselves international. I discovered the original images in Mexico, and this photo is from a recent trip to Costa Rica. Where else have you seen the “faeries of the sea,” as shamanic teacher, Tom Cowan, referred to them?
Perhaps there are colonies of spirits hidden within nature, just as the Celtic celebrants believed. We can regard these invisible ones as friends who help us live in and understand more than one level of experience at a time. Kind of like multi-tasking in this “middle world,” we can experience the spirit world while walking “on practical feet,” as teacher Angeles Arrien puts it.
Look around you now, wherever you are. What elements of nature are nearby? Even if you’re in the middle of a city, you have sky and clouds. Can you see figures in these elements of nature? What if you played with them as if they were “signs” meant to help you walk in more joy and peace and wisdom? What might they say, then? And how would you respond?
Everywhere in the world, we have the earth, and her spirits. We simply need to open our eyes.
Tags: consciousness, perception, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, spiritual practice, The Beauty Way
Posted in consciousness, creative imagination, Imagination, nature as mirror, Photography, seeing oneself, shifting how we see, shifting paradigms | No Comments »
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
Blue Morpho
This is my favorite Costa Rican Butterfly, which I got to see again at a Butterfly farm, where the trained guide held this one in his hand for us to see and appreciate. The butterfly facts of life he shared were stunning to me, and made me think again about the subject of transformation.
Did you know that caterpillars have within them “imaginal cells” that carry the blueprints of their future lives as butterflies? I think of these almost like photographic negatives, and also like the luminous field that surrounds us all. This energy carries a blueprint of what we might become as well, and that’s why it’s so important to “clean” this field as often as possible and to keep gathering light energy around and within us. We want those blueprints or negatives to carry the highest and best possibility that we will then manifest in form.
Are we like imaginal cells in our society, who all carry blueprints of transformational possibilities for the planet? I like to think so. What do you think?
I found it amazing to hear that caterpillars also have wings! They aren’t visible, but they are incorporated into the caterpillar’s body. During their stay in the chrysalis, the wings begin to unfold so they can be available when the chrysalis breaks down and the butterfly emerges.
Perhaps we too have wings of sorts–forgotten angelic parts that are within us. When our time come to break out of this form, I like to picture those wings unfolding and presto! Flight!
Finally, one more fact about the Blue Morpho delighted me. The wings are not really the beautiful sky blue they appear to be; they are transparent. From ground level, one can look up at the morpho and see that the wings are transparent. But the top part of the wing reflects the sky, and so appears to us to be exactly the sky’s color.
So we too may not be the “color” we appear to be to others. We are really light beings, and so we reflect what is around us. In reality, we are transparent, light-filled. And all our colors, though beautiful, may be illusions.
And so how is all this butterfly stuff useful? Well, for me it helps me to remember that there is “more than meets the eye” in every person and every situation. If much of what I see is illusion, then I must continue to train my inner eye to see the invisible, and to bring that vision into my life that I might see more clearly and use that vision to become a wiser, clearer, more loving human being.
Tags: beauty, consciousness, Flying, Photography, The Beauty Way
Posted in bringing out your gifts, conscious evolution, consciousness, creative imagination, death and new life, Flying, Imagination, inner landscape, nature as mirror, seeing oneself, shifting how we see | 4 Comments »
Saturday, June 12th, 2010
Can you believe this ceiling? It’s part of the Boulder Teahouse, a building originally from Tajikistan that was shipped to CO in pieces and re-constructed. Sitting in that environment with my daughter Laura and my recently graduated grandson, Simon, I wondered what it would be like to live in a culture so steeped in beauty that it is all around you and in you. I imagine, perhaps with too much romanticism, that it would be more difficult to be cruel or thoughtless if you were surrounded by evidence of human creativity and crafstmanship. And, perhaps it would be harder to get lulled to sleep than it is entering a shopping center that looks like any other shopping center in the country.
If it sounds like I’m an architectural snob, I admit this is probably true. I’m in California right now, where architecture in certain areas has been preserved and maintained and honored. I love wandering past Craftsman and Victorian houses, admiring the romantic Spanish colonials and appreciating how the landscaping frames and enhances the buildings. Architecture is part of our highest human expression. To me, dull and repetitive architecture is a sign that the creative spirit has gone to sleep or is not being honored. What happens to a society that has stopped valuing beauty in our surroundings?
We don’t have to be part of that trend. No matter where you live, you can use your imagination and creativity to enhance your nest. What are new ways to put together your belongings that will be an expression of you and your appreciation for beauty? Just the exercise of thinking about this can fire up your awareness and your creativity. When that’s at work, other things in your life can change as well, because you will be awake as a creative being.
What can you take away or add or re-arrange? I’d love to hear your ideas and solutions!
Tags: consciousness, Creativity, inner landscape, living today, perception, Photography, The Beauty Way
Posted in bringing out your gifts, creative imagination, Creativity, creativity and empowerment, Imagination, inner landscape, seeing oneself, shifting paradigms, The Beauty Path | No Comments »
Monday, June 7th, 2010
outrageous beauty
I’ve been inspired to write about the qualities of feminine leadership after seeing a wonderful exhibit in San Diego at the Mengei International Museum. It’s entitled Sonabai: A New Way of Seeing. Sonabai was a poor woman who lived in a remote village in central India and was married to a man who kept her imprisoned in their house for ten years. Unable to have contact with anyone but their small son, and able to only go out to their well, Sonabai went beyond surviving to thriving. She began to create.
When she discovered that she could sculpt the thick mud she scraped off the sides of their well, Sonabi began to make figures and animals to serve as toys. Next, it occurred to her to fashion a screen that would filter the hot sun beating down on one side of the house. She tied pieces of bamboo into small circles and connected them. She attached her screen to the house with wood, and covered the whole thing with mud. Next, she sculpted whimsical birds and figures to sit within the openings of the screen. She painted all her work with bright colors made of vegetal dyes. By the end of her decade, her whole house had become a work of art.
Sonabai created something completely unique without any training or any exposure to architecture or art. She had never seen or known about the elaborate screens that are part of the royal architecture in India’s cities. Yet out of the deep well of creative energy to which we all have access, she created outrageous beauty. Other women nearby had decorated their doorways, but in patterns and colors that stayed within the local traditions. Sonabai’s art was fresh, innocent, alive and original. Like the plants in the photo above, the details she chose, the colors and the variety of designs were delicious.
Sonabai wasn’t aware that she was going to become a leader, but she did. When she was discovered and her art was exhibited internationally, she received a grant to teach other Indian artists her methods. They have taken the basic folk art themes and developed their own styles and variations. Sonabai has left a legacy–not only of art, but a lesson about creativity and empowerment.
Perhaps the way we can all engage the creative power that lives within us, is to begin by thinking of what kinds of beauty we love. How can we create more experiences of these kinds of beauty? Some of us might not ever sculpt or paint, but we might create beauty with food or flowers or music or dance. We might recite poetry with passion or learn the forms of a sport in a way that feels beautiful to us. All these efforts are ways in which we can empower ourselves. We can do more than survive; we can thrive.
If you’re curious about Sonabai and the gorgeous exhibit created by anthropologist, photographer and curator, Stephen Huyler, go to http://www.sonabai.com/exhibition.html.
And then, I’d love to hear your comments about how you create beauty and how you feel that is related to the new feminine leadership!
Tags: beauty, Creating beauty, creativity and empowerment, living today, new life, perception, Photography, The Beauty Way, women leaders
Posted in authenticity, bringing out your gifts, consciousness, creative imagination, creativity and empowerment, divine feminine, feminine leadership, healing, Imagination, new life, Photography, self-healing, shifting how we see, The Beauty Path, women's empowerment | No Comments »
Thursday, May 13th, 2010
Can you believe this wave machine? This surfer was one of the only ones who stayed on for any length of time. And that included people who appeared to have surfing experience. Probably that’s because this is a new kind of wave–harder to ride than the usual ones. Kind of like the events and changes out in the world that are new kinds of challenges, harder ones to ride than the usual ones.
So here are some surfing tips I picked up from my early history as a surfing groupie, and from my observations:
1. Watch first. Good surfers check it out, watch how the waves are breaking, observe how other surfers are doing, see where the wind is, and know whether the tide is in or out. Whatever your challenges are, be the detached observer before you try to act.
2. Pick your spot. You don’t want to sit and wait for a good wave in a bad place. No point in being in too thick a crowd, or too near the pier pilings or in a place where the waves aren’t breaking well. Position yourself to get the best ride possible. Be smart about where you start and how you place yourself before you try to make a move.
3. Be in front of the wave. Clearly surfing is about being carried by the energy of the wave, so you have to have it at your back. This is like the old Irish blessing about having the wind at your back. That’s the only way to get assistance from the Universe.
4. Paddle like hell until you catch the wave. You have to act. it’s about timing, and it’s also about effort, at least until you know you’re being carried. Then you get to play and experiment.
5. Get all you can out of the ride. Surfers don’t come toward the beach in a straight line; they angle so that they are at the breaking edge of the wave or sometimes then inside the curl, so that they get the maximum time and opportunity to try out their skills. When the Universe is carrying you, get all you can while the getting is good!
6. When you wipe out, try again. It’s clear that wipeouts are part of the deal. We get tumbled and crunched. So we paddle out and give it another go.
7. Have a blast. If it isn’t fun, then why are we surfing? This is a ride on earth, and it’s meant to be a joyous one whenever we can make that happen.
And your tips? Let’s hear them!
Tags: Photography, sense of humor, ups and downs, waves of energy
Posted in bringing out your gifts, consciousness, creative imagination, Guided imagery, humor, Imagination, Photography, play, shifting how we see, shifting paradigms | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
Allow me to introduce my mother-in-law, Margaret, the weekend after her 99th birthday. That’s right–this is the new 99! She has just walked down the steps on to the the lawn where her granddaughter will be married to the groom (on her right), in a service officiated by the woman on her left. Doesn’t she look like she’s dancing? Isn’t her outfit smashing? Can you believe her smile? You should hear her conversation. She is alive and vibrant. This is my definition of health. This is my dream for old age.
What might happen if we hold such an image in our consciousness right now, and ask to be informed about decisions we might make that will help this dream to come true? If we were consistent about it, I think that would have a tremendous influence over the result.
What do you think? What is your experience about the link between vibrancy, setting intentions and your health? Please comment!
Tags: consciousness, grandchildren, health, living today, managing change, perception, Photography, spiritual practice, vibrancy
Posted in conscious evolution, consciousness, creative imagination, Guided imagery, healing, health, managing change, nourishing ourselves, Photography, seeing oneself, self image, self-healing, shifting how we see, shifting paradigms, spiritual practices, women's empowerment | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Sand Spirit insight card #14 looks like a medicine person to me, an important tribal person wearing a headdress and cloaked in mystery. When I ask this figure what he has to say to me, he says that he is here to remind me that we each have what Angeles Arrien calls our “original medicine.” Whatever cluster of gifts we have is a unique mix. If we don’t offer it to the world, it will be lost forever. What a great motivation to bring out all the potential that lies within you!
What is your unique cluster of gifts? And how do all your life experiences, dreams, longings and “failures” come together to form a package that could help others? You might think, for example, of what has broken your heart about the world. Author and minister Frederick Beuchner urges us to find our calling by matching what breaks our heart with what our deepest longings are. At that intersection, perhaps you can find your “original medicine.”
And how will you bring that out into the world? The Sand Spirit tells me there are a thousand ways, a thousand versions. They are all just like flavors of ice cream. They are all sweet, delicious. Just choose the one that delights you the most, and go for it.
Your comments? I’d love to hear from you!
Tags: bringing out your gifts, calling, living today, musings, perception, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, Self
Posted in bringing out your gifts, calling, coaching, creative imagination, Guided imagery, Imagination, nature as mirror, Photography, seeing oneself | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
Are you a woman leader looking for affordable, practical tools for women at a crossroads? You already have a tool you can teach them that is absolutely free and accessible by birthright. Surprise! It’s the creative imagination!
You want tools of hope for women facing the gravity of life’s challenges, and what I’ve seen is the best approach to that is to show people how to let the creative imagination take flight. When you learn how to speak the language of metaphors, symbols and images, you are learning the language of the soul. When the woman who feels victimized by outer circumstances connects with her soul’s true power, a door opens. Are you willing to help her open that door?
The creative imagination has so many benefits, both for you and for those you serve. Not only is it free, but the more you use it the more powerful it becomes. And, it’s easily accessible. Just try accessing it by looking at the photo above and then closing your eyes and seeing if you can “see” the image. Now allow the image to change. The woman with white hair appears to be helping the other woman open the door. Does she succeed? What happens next? What is inside that door?
The stories we tell in our creative imagination determine our reality. When we can expand what we see and shift the lens we use, our lives expand and change. This is a practice everyone can learn.
The final benefit is for you as a leader. People spend a lot of effort trying to step into a greater role as a woman leader, when often they could be better served by focusing on embodying their soul’s true power. That way they not only accelerate their progress, but they end up being authentic and able to connect in a deep way with others.
How do you open the door to your creative imagination? Nature is one great portal. Guided meditation. Poetry. What are your favorites?
Tags: consciousness, creative imagination, Flying metaphor, inner landscape, perception, Photography, poetry, practical tools for spiritual leadership, Self, shifting paradigms, soul, spiritual practice, women leaders
Posted in authenticity, conscious evolution, consciousness, creative imagination, feminine leadership, Guided imagery, Imagination, inner landscape, nature as mirror, Photography, self-healing, shifting paradigms, spiritual practices, women's empowerment | No Comments »
Have you seen sand spirits like this? Surely you’ve walked on a beach where the iron filings leave streaks in the sand. And where the tide reveals shells and rocks that sit perched on top of the pattern like a head on top of a robe. Have you imagined that these faceless robed ones are spirits?
