What wants to be expressed, felt, seen, held, loved into existence through you?
The spiritual dimension is no different from creative inspiration. The world’s wisest sages, spiritual teachers, and mystics, have all had something in common with great artists: the ability to get out of the way and allow the force, the creative impulse, the shakti to come through them.
When I was a teenager, I began singing. Alone in my room, I’d open my mouth and something beyond me — moving through me — would burst forth. The same thing happened when I would write (at 14 years old I had a poem published in the now defunct ‘Teen Magazine – OMG! My teen self was SO excited!)…and then it would also happen when I would act on stage and eventually in front of the camera.
From writing to singing to Shakespeare to experimental avant-garde theatre to solo show to sketch comedy to stand up…from energy healing work to spiritual teaching to channeling intuitive messages…I’ve honored this force and where it wants to take me.
There was a presence, an energy, a force that wanted to be expressed. And this force needed the instrument of me to make this happen. It still does today.
This is also true for you. You are the unique instrument for Divine Creativity.
And it gets to look however it looks, be whatever it is, and eventually find its way to reaching others — if that’s what you choose.
Humans are naturally creative creatures.
We can open up and become a channel for creative inspiration by letting our pens move across the pages of our journal, or a paintbrush moves across a canvas, or a leg or arm moves across the space creating a dance. And when we allow this energy to express itself, it comes rushing forth with no judgement, no labels, no need to change or fix it. It simply IS.
Just like a tree simply is itself. Nature is like that. And so are we.
And when we allow these forces to move through us, we also create space. We can feel more expanded. We clear the energetic clutter. We honor this unique and Divine instrument of who we are that will never be duplicated again.
But our minds can come in to the picture and start judging our creativity. This is where we have to practice getting out of the way and letting what wants to come through simply come through.
It’s a great trait to want excellence and to strive for great form. But when that is out of balance with the loving allowance needed to let creative inspiration really flow and simply be what it is at first, you will become tense doing what you once loved to do. And eventually, you may hate it and stop altogether.
So what did you love to do before it became “what you do” or you began to do something else? Did you make up silly songs? Dance around to no music? Draw for hours without a thought as to whether anyone would like it or not…or be able to even make out what it is?
We stop the flow of creative energy through criticism, judgement, and comparison. No one else in the world is you. And this energy is yearning to move through you — onto the page, the stage, the microphone, the canvas, and out into the world. Surround yourself with wise people who understand this deeply. And let your unique creative expression OUT! The world is a better place because of it. Honing and refining can come later. But the impulse, the drive, the urge to create needs honoring. Think of it as a spiritual practice if you like. Because these passions, these energies, are there as a gift. To embody them is, indeed, Divine.
The famous, bold, and innovative dancer and choreographer Martha Graham said it best, so I’ll leave you with her words.
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.” – Martha Graham
About the Author: Sarah TAYLOR is one of Your Monthly Mentors, a meditation teacher and a Master Level Reiki Practitioner, as well as an actor, comedian, and writer based in Los Angeles, CA. Drawing from a Buddhist background as well as the other non-dual spiritual traditions, her classes and talks are accessible and filled with humor. She was a series regular for three seasons on NBC’s “In Gayle We Trust”, can be seen in the comedy feature, “The Golden Scallop” and has made appearances on Hot In Cleveland, Bunheads, and numerous other TV shows and films. Read More…
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