It remains the dream of every life to realise itself, to reach out and lift oneself to greater heights. A life that continues to remain on the safe side of its own habits and repetition never engages with the risk of its own possibility, remains an unlived life.* John O’Donohue
It surprises us, catches us unawares, how the realised Self does appear out of living for self, but in living for others – Growing from independence to interdependence, from the ego or little self to the True Self, Gifting our lives to others: To the warrior, greatness is not the product of ego but of service. If you live for your self, you can settle for less. If you live for others, it requires all of who you are.**
I came upon six canons of the Eastern Artist according to Joseph Campbell, and I thought there could be some fascinating transposing of these into the service of the other – the most imaginative art we bring into the world; I leave them for you to play with: 1 Before beginning, feel the rhythm of what is being drawn, 2 Find the form: the line produced must be a true, living line, 3 Be true to nature’s rhythm in what is being drawn, 4 Find the colour of energy and inertia, light and dark, 5 Find the right placement of the subject in the field, 6 Use a style appropriate to the subject.^
May you have the grace of encouragement To awaken the gift in another’s heart, Building in them the confidence To follow the call of the gift.^^
The thing is, feedback is a gift. Feedback transformed into generoous and useful criticism is priceless.* Seth Godin
It is difficult, challenging, and yet extremely necessary at the time of wounding to revision our situation so that its larger story is revealed. This means, first of all, that we stop repeating to ourselves the data of the local events or personalities that have caused us pain. This is not to deny the facts but to move out of the easy seductions of tunnel vision into the broader landscape that reveals potent opportunities for growth. … tell the story again – not as a repetition of historical detail, but as a myth in which the wounding is only the middle of the story, the ending of which is the birth of a new grace.** Jean Houston
This is not about writing a more positive story using your difficult and painful experiences; It’s about what the story opens up for you to do that nothing else, so far, has been able to, and this for the sake of others.
But we are complex beings, and so are our challenges. Simplistic solutions tend not to work for the multilayered nature of our sorrows. We must accept the complexity, and the fact that untangling our inner knots will take time and effort.^
Take a moment to enter the Doodle Zone … the the doodler’s breathing slows; her heart rate decreases; her mind relaxes; her focus sharpens. She find herself momentarily a picture of relaxed tranquility amid the hustle and bustle of daily life. She also find herself surprised at the insights that result from this seemingly insignificant endeavour.* Sunni Brown
I didn’t mind the wait – In fact, I hoped it would go on a little longer, I became more aware of the people around me, Their interactions; Getting the drinks became more of an experience.
The Doodle Zone is everywhere; All we need to carry is a plain paged notebook and black pen, and, best of all, Everyone can doodle.
Resist chronology It will always impose itself. Break the flow of time once it begins. Better yet, resist it from the start.* Verlyn Klinkenborg
To migrate away from the named places (territories whose topography was continuous with memory and community) to the coasts (unmapped islands, the anonymous forests) was to reach land that did not bear the marks of occupation. It was to act out a movement from history to eternity.** Robert Macfarlane
To be peregrini, wanderers, is a matter of heart and soul; Otherwise we would have to cast our flimsy craft upon the chopping waters, and wait to discover where winds and tides have taken us.
There are timeless places to explore all around us, In the eternities of reading, or spending time with a fascinating other, or working on some art or artisanship, or wandering through sagely nature … .
There is only to be a continuing search for more – as of a mind eager to grow. … a world of change, new thoughts, new things, new magnitudes, and continuing transformation, not of petrification, rigidity, and some canonised found “truth.”* Joseph Campbell
Cultural change often affects the young first.** Jean Twenge
Until more recently in human history, There have always been myths, guiding stories to help us navigate our existence and potential, Mythologist Joseph Campbell concluding: Mythology is apparently coeval with mankind.*
Tied with our understanding of who we are and the contribution we bring, The old myths are no longer able to serve us as we need them to, And whilst we continue to advance on the outside, Our inside worlds can be unexplored, unsuccoured, even scary places.
My sense is that some of the old myths, Re-imagined, will nurture us, But each of us is capable of shaping our own myth, most likely Woven with the more timeless from the ancient that always allowed For this cocreating to be the best of ways, understanding that we are shapers, makers, artists, imagineers.
A morning when you become a pure vessel For what wants to ascend from silence … To reach beyond silence And the wheel of repitition. … In order to come to birth In a clean line of form, That claims from time A rhythm not yet heard That calls space to A different shape.^
*Joseph Campbell’s Myths to Live By; **Jean Twenge’s iGen; ^John O’Donohue’s Benedictus: For the Artist at the Start of the Day.
Editing takes time, It’s focused work on our own that takes our vital energy with the door closed.
And the great thing about being tired of our story is that stories can be edited. Stories can be fixed. Stories can go from dull to exciting, from rambling to focused, and from drudgery to read to exhilarating to live.**
THIN|SILENCE 
You must be logged in to post a comment.