Entering the Flow of Creativity
A meditation for the First Quarter moon of the Path of Creativity
At the dawn of creation, the big bang flared forth, carrying all the energy this universe would ever have. It flowed through the cosmos, transforming and cooling and giving rise to all the materials around us.
We are all rooted in this flow. These are the Divine Energies that flow from God into the cosmos to gather, break down, create, and transform everything that is, was, and ever shall be. This flow forms the basic web of interconnectedness between God and nature. We are a part of nature and we are always connected to the Divine.
Building a connection to this great underground flow of creative energy, even if only in our imagination, nourishes our spirit. This greening helps us to grow and transform the elements of our life into creativity.
We are a process, an intricate web of interconnections. That doesn’t mean we are not whole in ourselves. It means that everything we are and ever shall be exists in relation to others. We are woven into the plants and animals we consume and the microscopic ones that live on and within us. We are connected to the farmers, the farms, the soil, the sun, the moon, and the stars. We live in God, the very being that is the ground of all being and becoming.
This being, this existence, is in God. That same God is in us as much as we are within God. This gives us connection to a greater well of power than we allow ourselves to know.
When I and others say there is a great underground flow of Divine Power, we are trying to open our eyes to this reality. This creative energy flows through everything that is. This underground river nourishes us, the earth, the sun, everything. Entering this flow opens us up to the wellspring of creative potential longing to flow through us.
This creative flow vibrates in our skin. It beats in the electric pulse of our hearts. It is so close to us and beyond us all at the same time. In its closeness, it is infused into the substance of our bodies. It is only distant in that its limitless potential and power is so far beyond our comprehension. The more we connect to this flow at the depths of our being, the more we hear its invitation to delve deeper into its well of inspiration.
How do we tap into this flow? Mindfulness, visualization, and simply believing or trusting it is there. We learn to see it in the flowers, the trees, the rush of the water down the mountain. Once we accept the same power moves through us that raises mountains and grinds them to dust, we awaken to the world as it is.
Many misconstrue this power as the power of manifestation. No, we cannot simply will the cosmos to change. We can affect the subtle and crude energies of the world to move it in a different direction. Action produces change. Whether it is subtle action through our thoughts and words, or embodied action, it changes the course of events that follow.
There are many paths forward. Many seek this truth in the scriptures and traditions of a myriad of faiths. How many of us read the Book of Nature written by the very hand of God. I am reminded of a song by my friend, Kathy Mar, the Word of God:
From desert cliff and mountain top we trace the wide design
Strike-slip fault and overthrust and syn and anticline. .
We gaze upon creation where erosion makes it known
And count the countless aeons in the banding of the stone
Odd, long-vanished creatures and their tracks & shells are found;
Where truth has left its sketches on the slate below the ground
The patient stone can speak, if we but listen when it talks
Humans wrote the Bible; God wrote the rocks
There are those who name the stars, who watch the sky by night
Seeking out the darkest place, to better see the light
Long ago, when torture broke the remnant of his will
Galileo recanted, but the Earth is moving still
High above the mountaintops, where only distance bars
The truth has left its footprints in the dust between the stars
We may watch and study or may shudder and deny
Humans wrote the Bible; God wrote the sky
By stem and root and branch we trace, by feather, fang and fur
How the living things that are descend from things that were
The moss, the kelp, the zebrafish, the very mice and flies
These tiny, humble, wordless things---how shall they tell us lies?
We are kin to beasts; no other answer can we bring
The truth has left its fingerprints on every living thing
Remember, should you have to choose between them in the strife
Humans wrote the Bible; God wrote lifeAnd we who listen to the sky, or walk the dusty grade,
Or break the very atoms down to see how they are made,
Or study cells, or living things, seek truth with open hand.
The profoundest act of worship is to try to understand.
Deep in flower and in flesh, in sky and soil and seed,
The truth has left its living word for anyone to read.
So turn and look where e’er you think the truth will be unfurled.
Humans wrote the Bible; God wrote the world.Kathy Mar, The Word of God
This might seem like a radical statement in a world where so many grifters and false prophets have driven a wedge between science and religion. If we return to the teachings of Jesus Christ, we see how often he taught from the Book of Nature. Look at the birds, the lilies of the field, the mustard seed, and I could go on. Today, we can read the Book of Nature deeper into time, and with more detail.
Just as a seed sprouts underground, drawing sustenance from the unseen depths, our bodies and spirits do the same. We draw on these hidden currents of creative energy, enabling personal growth and spiritual evolution. Real magic exists in the borderlands between this view of reality and our imagination relating to ourselves.
This truth transcends the boundaries of religion, culture, and individuality and grants us access to this creativity. I am not advocating for a bland spiritism smoothing out the distinctive flavors of our religions and cultures. Once upon a time, I saw that as the goal, but the Book of Nature taught me a different way.
If you are an oak, a pine, a birch, or any other tree in the world's forest, be that tree to the best of your ability. Just don’t forget that you are in a forest filled with other trees and we all work together for the best of the forest itself. Spirit is the mycelial network connecting all of us at our roots. It shares messages and nutrients between us.
Nature doesn’t care which type of tree flourishes, only that life goes on. It pushes the energy forward. Seeking this harmony, this sense of unity and cooperation, helps us to connect to this flow.
Once we awaken to this reality, we can take our place as co-creators with the Divine. Together, we are building the world to come through our every thought, word, and deed. As we align our actions and intention with this flow, we learn to embody it. We are vessels through which God manifests beauty, truth, justice, and goodness into the world.
As we channel this flow into the world, we learn to shape it through our unique gifts and talents. Like everything in life, this is a process we learn in our own singular way. We may find tips and tricks from the process of others, but we need to find our own way.
I am sorry if you read this, wanting a quick trick or secrets that will open you up to this power instantly. The best I can offer is to trust your intuition, discerning your actions with compassion and justice. These are the best guides on the journey. Truth is, you have to feel out the path that is yours. My path will not help you.
Do not follow anyone else’s path. Learn from them, but do not follow. They are on their own path, but they may have great hints for how to navigate the forest. It is worth the effort. The world opens up in a new way when you draw the flow up and allow it to flow through you.