Creative thinking solves problems as an expression of Mind,
but also as an expression of Spirit and the emotions. The creativity of the
Mind and Spirit can heal the Body. Many hypnosis techniques are based on the
creative aspect of Mind and Spirit to heal the Body.
A key concept in achieving vitality and well-being is to
realize Life is an act of creation. We are the creators of our own lives. Every
aspect of life is important and sacred and we are meant to master it all.
At times life tasks seem overwhelming. Each job is a
microcosm of another. Whether you are a national president, state governor,
city mayor, school principal, or a mom with children, you share the same basic
tasks. You are responsible for housing, feeding, health, safety,
transportation, and problem solving.
In Creativity - Flow and the Psychology of Discovery
and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,
describes two types of creative people. The word creativity refers to
“1. Persons who express unusual
thoughts, who are interesting and stimulating - in short, people who appear
unusually bright, or 2. People who experience the world in novel and original
ways. These are (personally creative) individuals whose perceptions are fresh,
whose judgments are insightful, who may make important discoveries that only
they know about.” (Pages 25-26)
“Characteristics of the creative personality:
- Creative individuals tend to be smart, yet also naive at the same time.
- Creative individuals have a great deal of energy, but they are also often quiet and at rest.
- Creative individuals have a combination of
playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility.
- Creative individuals alternate between imagination
and fantasy at one end, and rooted sense of reality at the other.
- Creative people seem to harbor opposite tendencies on
the continuum between extroversion and introversion.
- Creative individuals are also remarkable humble and
proud at the same time.
- Creative individuals to a certain extent escape rigid
gender role stereotyping and have a tendency toward androgyny.
- Generally, creative people are thought to be
rebellious and independent.
- Most creative persons are very passionate about their work, yet they can be extremely objective about it as well.
- The openness and sensitivity of creative individuals often exposes them to suffering pain yet also a great deal of enjoyment.” (Csikszentmihalyi, pages 58-73)
It is important to honor and
respect the creative aspect of self and your unique individuality. In certain
cultures and societies, roles and expected, acceptable behaviors are rigidly
defined. This is a sad occurrence by my thinking as rigidity strangles
creativity, innovation, beauty and well-being. While other cultures, such as
the Hindu yoga practitioner, embrace the empowering energy of creativity:
Yoga postures, breathing and
meditation can create a positive energy that energizes creativity and
motivation. As the breath, body, mind and Spirit come into balance so do our
ideas and thinking. Meditation clears the mind of chatter, and the flow of prana
(life energy) increases causing thinking to become easier and focused.
There are many yoga postures and
meditations that help remove mental or emotional blockages that stifle
inspiration and creativity. Yoga meditations create a state of awareness, which
opens us up to unknown possibilities and answers residing in the subconscious
Mind.
I believe meditation is an effective tool for, 1.) Opening
one’s self to creativity, 2.) Developing creativity, and 3.) Finding hidden
aspects of mind where creative answers rest waiting to be discovered. I identify with the following statement as the writer describes his
creative insecurity. If you are struggling with your creative nature his blog
can be inspirational.
“I’ve always had an extremely
powerful imagination and regularly come up with great
ideas. You probably know how that feels. You may also have experienced the
judgmental attitude that limited me for a long time. I used to come
up with ideas all the time, but a lack of self-confidence and an
overly analytical nature led me to pooh-pooh my idea before I’d even
begun to create them. So it was that minute after minute, I’d come up with a new
idea, decide it wasn’t good enough and doing nothing with it. This went on for
a long time, thousands of ideas, no results. Then, years ago, I started
meditating. Meditating put me more in the present moment, such that, the moment
I came up with a new idea I would start to create it.” http://thedailymeditation.com/meditation-for-creativity/
To put my belief in the creative energy of meditation
to the test, I created a meditation challenge for myself. My goal became to
meditate and find stories hidden in my Mind, and not to actively create the
story as I do writing this article. I
would meditate and allow the story to tell itself and I would write it down
without judgment. To get the conscious mind to step back and be passive was a
discipline, yet I was amazed by the stories that were resting in my
subconscious Mind.
These are my basic assumptions:
1.
Mind’s purpose is to creatively construct and enhance one’s
life and well-being
2.
Mind has many layers (conscious, unconscious, pre-conscious,
subconscious, etc.)
3.
Mind is not limited to the brain but interfaces with the body
4.
Mind is energy storage and like a computer is constantly
processing
I am influenced by the theories of Carl Jung, and the
writings of the anthropologist Joseph Campbell. The central idea of their work
is that all humans share the same life experiences and each person is the hero
of his own story. The following story was found in my Mind through the process
of meditation. I can read the story as a metaphor for my life. At times in my
life I am the bear, at other times I am the flower.
The Bear’s Story
There was a Bear. He was large, golden-brown and shaggy.
There was kindness in his eyes. This bear had a very sad and lonely history. He
loved the Earth Mother desperately but he felt jilted by her. She had taken
another lover.
The Bear went off into the woods to live alone. The wood
was dark and dank. The light there was an emerald green, which gave the place
and you really feel.
He had wanted so desperately to live his life with the
Earth Mother that he had never conceived of life with out her. His plans for a
home and children were now gone. He did not hate the Earth Mother or her lover
for he was an honorable bear. His love for her transcended the moment and he
wished her joy and life.
But now he was here alone sitting on a hollow log. Not
even honey helped. He was at a loss as to what to do. The purpose and
productivity of his life had been based on his desire to care for the Earth
Mother, building her a home, and establishing a family. He sat for a long time
meditating on a yellow Flower. The Flower did nothing but follow the sun with
its face. “What a pointless thing to do,” thought the bear. He became bored and fell asleep.
His huge bear body began to cast a shadow on the Flower,
blocking the golden-yellow rays of the sun.
“Wake up! Wake up!”
Bear heard the urgent small voice. He turned his head
left, then right and looked all around him. But he saw no one and nothing
seemed amiss. He yawned a huge bear yawn and stretched out his mighty arms. He
enjoyed feeling the strength and power of his own being.
“You block the sun! You block the sun! Have you no concern
for others?” said the small voice.
"What others?" exclaimed the Bear quite taken
aback.
“I am living my life and I die in your shadow with out the
sun,” said the Flower.
Bear said, “What is it that you do that is so important to
life? I was to be the mate of the Earth Mother, her protector, and father to
earth children. That is a destiny worth having. But now, I am jilted with no
purpose and no children.”
“Indeed that is a sad story,” said the flower. “But my
contribution continues for inside of me I hold the essence of life, mine and
yours.”
“What do you mean by that,” demanded Bear. “My power is
greater than yours. With a swipe of my hand I could tear you from the ground
where you stand. You would be no more.”
The Flower said,
“My friends would mourn my passing, and their lives would be diminished
for our lifeblood is the pollen we pass the between us. The death of me is the
death of my seed yet unborn. The death of the Flower is the death of the Bee
for do we not share the sweet nectar of life with our brother the Bee. And will
not the Bee die with my passing. And is not the quality of your life brother
Bear diminished with the passing of the Bee. Does not the Bee in his generosity
make an over abundance of honey for he knows it is sweet nectar of life to the
Bear?”
“Everything you have said is so,” said the Bear. “I did
not think. The dark emotion of the moment had blinded me to the rays of the
sun. The truth is, the sweetest nectar of life and my destiny have only begun.
I shall follow your example, meditating on the sun and honoring the cooperation
of my brother beings.”
* * *
The process of meditating and then writing allows us to
tap into creative aspects of Self that tend to remain hidden. These aspects of
Self work for our healing, Mind/Body/Spirit, and well-being at deep levels of
Mind. If a story seems to be to big of a goal, start with a poem, or write simple phrases (even single words) that emerge from your mind. If you are not a word person draw, paint, or make a collage from magazine pictures. "The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet." Lao-tzu
