Authenticity is Priceless

"The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call 

to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive 

and uprising, and gave neither power nor time."

Mary Oliver

If a creative individual shares they are an artist, they are often times bombarded by insulting questions such as:  How many paintings have you sold?  Which galleries have your work?  If a person shares they are a writer, the questions become:  What have you published? Have you been paid for your work?  It is no wonder novice or undiscovered artists shy away from the public eye.

Art can be an action inspired by passion, imagination, and personal interpretation.  There is no limit to the definition of art, and quality is not determined by fees, exposure or recognition.   An artist may hesitate to even refer to his or her work as it triggers questions that are offensive to personal expression.

While attending a meditation, the circle leader asked if we would each jot a few words down to share with the group.  We all began scribbling.  I happened to notice the woman sitting next to me ... she nervously kept repositioning herself and her body was trembling.  When it came time for her to read, tears ran down her face as she reflected not being able to string any words together.  "Maybe you all could accept this instead."  She turned her leather bound journal around for all of us to view, and there across two pages was a brilliant fantasy sketch of what she had experienced.  Art exists within the creation of the artist and in the eye of the beholder.

Three Primary Selves

"The child I was is with me in the present hour.

It will be with me in the grave."

Mary Oliver

BRAIN PICKINGS posted an article about Mary Oliver.  Maria Popova reflected poet Mary Oliver's creative awareness:"She identifies three primary selves that she inhabits, and that inhabit her, as they do all of us:  the childhood self, the social self, and a sort of otherworldly awareness."  The child attempts to integrate a continuous thread through our personal identity.  The social attached to numerous ideas of obligation.  The otherworldly self is perhaps the most difficult to describe as it ebbs and flows into the other two.

This third self which senses the presence in all things is the artist or creativity which resides in us all. It takes us a step beyond the ordinary or obligated into an arena of artistic discovery disbursing our energy to all we yearn for.  This level is where we yearn and receive the mysteries of the world.

This is an unidentifiable place we repeatably visit to experience beyond the veils.  It is a sensual realm where we learn a new way of communicating and learning, effortlessly.  Through contemplation or prayer one trains the mind to sit still, to distance the worldly demands, and to witness all that is holy.

Recess of the Mind

 

 

 

 

 

 “Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe
that I do not want it. Now I understand
why the old poets of China went so far and high
into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.” 

 

Mary Oliver

 

 

 

Every individual needs a special place or a designated area where one feels safe and free.  A significant spot we can call our own where we can just be without expectations or fear of judgement.  A cubby hole, a nook or cranny where we can safely breathe. 

 

There are cultures  that lack food and shelter, fearing for life itself.   Families killed or separated, severely wounded physically, emotionally and spiritually, struggling to stay alive.  The only shelter they have are the recesses of their minds. 

 

Please join me in holding these warring nations in our hearts, sending love, light, and energy into the hearts of the innocent people, especially the children.  For all of those in need, I pray for nourishment of the mind, body and soul.