Being the Rose, an exercise in creativity

Being the Rose, an exercise in creativity
By Emily Hanlon

We walk half asleep, experiencing only a small part of our creative passion, insight and being. Our vision is by the eyes of the mind, which are cast outwards. Creativity, however, is birthed in the cosmic landscape of the inner world, a place to which the mind's eyes are blind, a place belonging to the vision of the heart and soul. The question is, how do we awaken to the immensity of knowing contained within.
One way is through nature. Nature, fully noticed, and entered into with the wonderment of children, gains us admittance into the unseen world. Another way is through our writing or other creative endeavors, but this has limitations. First, this entry is often sporadic. Second, our creativity tends to disappear as soon as we put aside our creative endeavor. Nature, on the other hand, is a natural guide. She is a primal image for creativity, so majestic that even the Inner Critic dares not challenge her! She infuses us in unseen ways. Often by being one with nature, the inner world embraces both our creative efforts and our daily life while shifting our perception of our place in the world.
In thinking about this, I came up with an exercise that I call Being the Rose. I chose the word being with great deliberation... Think about it... how being the rose differs from the image and feel of becoming...observing...considering the Rose.
The Exercise:

• Look at the photograph of the rose above or find any flower, it doesn't have to be a rose, and gaze into it until you feel yourself falling out of yourself and into the essence of the rose. This is akin to falling from the your mind's eyes into your heart's eyes.
  
• Now dwell on this statement for a minute or two or ten:
  
• The most creative force in existence is nature...
  
• Your first response will likely be a thought that comes from your conscious mind. Let this thought go, then repeat the statement, The most creative force in existence is nature...
  
• Allow the sense of these words to move an idea into a feeling. (You cannot do this through your mind. Only the inner landscape whose entry is through the heart will work.) Allow images to rise up from the unconscious. Do not hold on to any particular image. Let it float away and watch new ones arise.
  
• Now open to the scent of the rose... Become the scent...
  
• Open to the seeing if the rose… Become the seeing…
  
• Open to the sound of the rose... Become the sound...
  
• Open to the feel of the rose... Become the sensations...
  
• Open to the taste of the rose... Become the taste…
  
• Ask yourself, "When is the last time I allowed nature to share her creativity with me?"
  
• "When is the last time I gave myself over to nature?"
  
• "When was the last time nature stirred me to passion, quietude, ecstasy?"
  
• Now sit down and write. Write without thought. Write without expectation....
  
• Write or simply be...

Emily Hanlon is a novelist of seven works of fiction and a book on the creative writing process. She has been a writing and creativity coach for over 25 years. Her website, http://www.creativesoulworks.com is based on her belief that the multifaceted journey of creativity is not limited to the arts, but nurtures life at the most profound depths, those of the soul journey. Her website, http://www.thefictionwritersjourney.com explores writing through her dual pronged method of teaching technique while unleashing the imagination.

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fear is not real!!!

By Dennis Harting

Fear does more to destroy the natural potential that people have than anything else on the planet. Each of us is capable of accomplishing incredible things. The “dream” life is available to each person on this planet. However, fear in its’ many forms creeps in to ruin any chance at achieving our true greatness.

The biggest problem with fear is that it is not real. It is exists in our heads. The mind conjures it up to protect itself from situations that it believes to be painful. Thus, it instills fear to turn us back from the situation that we are about to enter into.

One of the most powerful tools against fear is to remain in the moment. Focus upon what is in front of you. For fear to exist, one must project into the future. Unfortunately, because of the conditioning that we received over the years, our projections forward tend to be negative. Thus, when we look to a situation that is down the road, we view it as not working out to our satisfaction. This instills fear within us since we now must deal with something that we think is not good. However, notice how none of this has taken place. It is all in the mind.

Fortunately for us, most of our fears never come true. Unfortunately, they do a tremendous amount of damage because we allow them to stop us from taking action. It is amazing how powerful the mind is. Fear is such a powerful weapon that it can paralyze someone from taking any action whatsoever.

Realizing that most of what we fear never comes true is another tool against fear. A rational person would not take instructions from something he/she knows does not exist. Knowing that fear is a figment of our imagination allows us to discard what it says much easier. Would you listen to a little green Martian sitting on your shoulder telling you what to do? Fear is as real as that green Martian. Discard what it tells you since it has no basis in reality.

Success in life is a result of getting involved. One cannot win by standing on the sidelines. Fear of rejection, confrontation, and loss keep us from trying new things. There is always a degree of risk that things will not go as we planned. Successful people understand this, minimize the risk, and take action in spite of what their mind is telling them. The overcoming of fear is what allows then to get ahead.

It is said that courage is not the absence of fear, but, rather, the taking of action in spite of the fear. Remember this the next time you feel fearful about a particular situation. Everyone has fear to some degree. Realize that it will not be as bad as you imagine and bravely go forward. Nature loves and rewards those who take action.

Dennis Harting is the Head Coach at Your Rich Life. He is an acclaimed speaker, trainer, and best-selling author. His international best selling books include Your Easiest Million and The Ultimate Procrastination Handbook. His programs and more information can be found at http://www.yourrichlifeinc.com.

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Are You A Leader?

Are You A Leader?By: Bonnie N Ramsey
Can you tell me, aside from all the obvious such as positive attitude, outgoing personalities, sense of teaching, etc.,etc., what is one quality that every great leader has in common?

We know about the obvious things such as visions,setting goals, planning and taking actions. This is the one quality that without its presence, there would be no leadership.

I will give you my take on the subject. In order to be a great leader, no matter who you are or how powerful your heritage, you MUST have the WILLINGNESS TO LEARN.

Do you think that our Presidents come into office knowing all there is to know about running a country? Absolutely NOT! They must be willing to research different avenues of resolving issues, creating plans, setting goals and setting forth plans of action. All of the obvious things that I mentioned before but in order for these things to happen, you must be willing to aquire the knowledge to do so.

No matter how much education you have had or how much of a genius you have become, there is always something to learn. Once you lose the willingness to learn, your leadership powers will fade like a red blouse washed in hot water! Gradually all of the other qualities that have empowered your presence will fade away and your leadership will dwindle. People will begin to look for new leadership with fresh ideas.

Their ideas are fresh because they allowed themselves to learn new things. Your current knowledge will only carry you so far before it becomes stale and boring.

It would be a lot like trying to write books or articles using the same content that is stored in your brain without adding anything new. KNOWLEDGE is power and POWER is maintained by creativity and CREATIVITY is fed by WILLINGNESS TO LEARN.

Always keep your mind open to knowledge. Thirst for it like a tree thirsts for rain and you will begin to flourish and grow while imbedding strongly implanted roots into the foundation of your leadership.

Bonnie is a recruiter, trainer and coach in her own business. She is a writer of poetry, short stories, articles and a monthly newsletter called Business Scents. You can subscribe to her newsletter at http://www.businessscents.biz/Subscribe.html

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