Monday, March 23, 2020

We are Creation Creating

We are Creation Creating

I just had a thought, one of those that recurs to me occasionally when something brings my attention to it.

I was in the process of chasing a moth (we are infested with a small, clothes eating variety). Its flight pattern was erratic, making it challenging to swat. The flight pattern of a mosquito is also erratic. Both are programmed genetically to fly in a way that will make it hard for them to be swatted- or more likely to avoid being eaten by a bat.

This ability is part of why they are alive, the ancestors of this moth took on the ability to be this way as a fundamental part of who they are, genetically. This helped them thrive. And when conditions invariably change (as they always will, eventually) inherent in the dna transfer process are small aberrations in the code, which may, but mostly won’t, be the thing that offers greater survival in some other circumstance. The species as a whole may move in a new direction in what they look like, how they behave and what they are capable of, a long, shifting process, with no true end because the goal posts are constantly changing.

I was considering these moths and what their goal is- essentially to mate and lay eggs. There’s no finding those eggs- they are very well hidden. And the moths are tricky, suddenly landing and blending in or walking into crevices.

I am trying to kill it, but clearly many have escaped me because new moths keep showing up. The upshot is that they are ‘winning' the opportunity to release their next generation into the world.

My thought: Life always finds a way. All these forms around us in the world - life finding a way to exist. As a colony, as an individual, as a species. Life finds a way into existence.

The ways that life has found to express itself are as many as the uncountable fellow inhabitants on this planet.

I see a fundamental force driving this process. A force whose goal is its own existence. It is generative, it is forwarding moving, intent-ful. It is self-organization- the opposite of chaos.


Here's where that takes me when I consider the idea relative to my own life...

At our essence you and I are expressions of a Force that is fundamentally about creating itself and keeping itself alive long enough to keep the process moving.

Poetically speaking, You and I are expressions of life creating itself.

When I lead my workshops the most spoken words I hear are ‘I am not an artist’, followed by ‘I am not creative’. These words create division simply by their existence- as though they are things that you either *are* or *aren’t*. But it is a false dichotomy. We are all creators simply though the fact of our existence. At a basic level, our hearts are beating, our eyes are blinking, I am eating- my body and me are keeping me alive.

I envision his creative force as a stream that is passing through me. When the blocks to accessing it soften I find that it was always present.

Bringing this perspective of us being connected to this force of creation, I see that we are all wielding the capacity to tap into the Creative Force, to be energized towards birthing into existence things never before yet seen, something coming through our own unique being.

Metaphorically speaking, Creativity is the product of tapping into this Creative Force. Dreaming up and building from nothing or building upon its predecessors, this is the act of creation expressing itself in the moment through the Creator- the person wielding this Creative Force.

A grounded way this shows up for me is the need to track the tides to find the best times to create my art. This is an act of creation- through charting the tide I am engaging the creation process.

Species evolution is mainly a reactive force, a path of least resistance, engaging practicalities slowly, over millions of years. It doesn’t look ahead. It doesn’t create meaning or analyses.

In contrast, our own level of self-awareness allows us to consider into the future, to feel into possibilities that may never, or could never, be. We can reflect upon our own life experience and divine meaning which can offer both guidance in the moment and serve to evolve ourselves into new imaginings.

Creating ourselves into being, continually.

This is the ultimate place from which to exist in one's life- the place of intentional creation. You are operating from this place simply by being alive- which includes multiple levels of self-creation.

What I have found is that when I connect to this Force of Creation, the more life energy I feel. Through engaging the things that activate within my creative force, I feel energized.

Think upon any experience that had you feeling ‘in the flow’- that state of being in which time slows down and senses heighten, when you were fully absorbed and single focused. I see this in my son playing with Legos or building his marble runs.

Think upon a time in which the activity you were engaging fed you energy to keep going, after a day's work, perhaps physically and mentally tired, but emotionally and spiritually recharged. Creating always is a recharging act.

We are all born as open channels to the Force of Creation. No small child would ever consider the idea that they lack the ability to create. But as they get older it can become easier and easier to create blocks to the ability to access this force. Hurtful comments from parents and peers, lack of encouragement, narrowing conceptions about what art is, self judgement- these can build up internal resistance to allowing oneself to access one’s creative potential.

But it is always there, it never goes away. It may need some rust brushed off, some lubrication and jump-starting, but your channel to the Creative Force is an intrinsic part of who you are as a being.

If you have activities and interests in your life that amplify your energy when you engage them, bravo to you, keep it up! If this creativity connection feels lacking in your life, it is time for change. I am going to be looking more closely at the process of opening oneself to one’s creative potential in coming posts.

To those who would think 'I am not an artist' or 'I am not creative' I say: You are a manifestation of the Creative Force and through you creation actively flows. How this looks for you specifically is your life’s journey.

Life is precious. It is our opportunity to make it as expansive and full as we can.

Enjoy the ride :-)

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