Letting it Breathe
Muse 1-14-24
LETTING IT BREATHE
I'm currently immersed in the creation of my second book, or as it feels, my true first venture into fiction. It's a peculiar journey, marked by newness and unfamiliarity, accompanied by the inevitable growing pains.
This book unfolds as a narrative within a narrative—an intertwining of love, friendship, and a profound exploration into life after death, as well as the intricacies of living. It delves into the striking similarities between these two states, revealing a story that seems not just sensed, but known. I am allowing the words to find their way into my open palms, a result of the groundwork that has prepared me to have them outstretched, facing up. I am ready to receive the story.
Despite the apparent ease in this creative process, it's not without its share of starts, stops, and interruptions. Even now, as I share these thoughts with you, I’ve been interrupted three times. Once to remind a teenager how to reheat pizza, a second to let a 14 year old dog out to go pee, and a third to clean up the 14 year old dog’s pee on the living room floor after he wisely determined he was not going to pee outside in the rain. And here lies my motivation for doing the work necessary to be in receivership of my creativity. Life happens. A lot of the time.
Presently, my writing pace has slowed. Around 40 pages into the manuscript, I've hit a deliberate slower pacing. It's not a block, but a purposeful shift demanding integration and breathing space. My creative process is at work on a deeper level, and I choose to let it be there.
In these moments of creative integration, I adopt a counterintuitive approach, one that ignores the impulse to fix. I’m not sure exactly why but great emphasis is placed on the act of fixing in our world. (This is one of the many reasons I love poet Ross Gay’s concept of breaking his writing apart. He’s not fixing, but destroying and creating something new - I wrote about that too, if you missed it you can read it here). We like to tinker and fix. Things break and instead of focusing on bringing in something new, we get stuck on the fixing.
For example, I bet you didn’t know that in couples therapy the underlying motivation of the therapist isn’t to repair or fix, but to create new and stronger connections between couples. Esther Perel, couples therapy genius, often guides her patients struggling with infidelity by suggesting that the marriage they once had is now over. They can end the relationship and/or commit to a new marriage, but not fix the one they had. A new commitment that begins now and is based on an entirely new foundation. It is in the creation of the new that we find possibility.
The fixation on fixing, tinkering, and repairing often overshadows the potential for creation. Instead of investing days in “the fix”, I've learned to glean insights from past experiences and apply them to the act of creation. Creativity, after all, is an energy—a force that, when stagnant, requires movement.
In my current writing lull, I resist the urge to dissect and mend. I allow the story to breathe, trusting that when my creative process renews its faster pace, the words will find me.
What I am creating now is more of my own energy. Quite literally. Stagnation is akin to a creative block, and instead of fixing the block, I actively move my energy through meditation—aligning myself with the vibrant essence that is uniquely mine. Nothing feels as good to your body as your own energy. You have your own energy unique to you and often that energy is competing with the energy of others. Bringing in neutral energy to help find clarity, calling energy back from other relationships and experiences, and filling up with vibrant energy by doing things that inspire.Even alongside reheating pizza and cleaning up dog pee. Life is complex and weird. I give you permission to navigate the complexities of life with the vibrancy of your own energy.
Energy work isn't an esoteric discipline reserved for a select few; it's a simple practice of rediscovering your innate ability to run and move energy within yourself. It's not about hours of meditative stillness; rather, it's a brief, active engagement with energy, a practice I liken to an athletic practice.
Twice a day, for 5-10 minutes each, I engage in this energy work—no fixed agenda, no attempts to solve or force. It's a maintenance routine that allows my palms to remain outstretched, ready to receive creativity in its ebb and flow. Instead of fixating, I'm creating something new.
After years spent unraveling the power and mysteries of creativity, I've found it to be grounded in energy. Every writing exercise, journal prompt, or meditation created toward restoring creativity is essentially about moving energy. This work is how as creatives we reach a place where we can let things breathe. To allow for possibility. To have the words fall into our palms. None of this arrives magically. This is the work that leads you there. So, let's start there—acknowledge and engage with the energy that underlies all our creative endeavors. It’s so simple and yet so profound.
Let me know your questions.
xxx
LAS
SOLAR TRANSIT
1-17-24
Gate 60
The Gate of Acceptance
On January 17, the sun gracefully journeys through Gate 60, also known as the Gate of Acceptance. During this celestial shift, you are invited to embark on a profound journey of self-discovery. Gate 60 beckons, providing a unique opportunity to delve deep into your inner realm, with a specific focus on understanding how you approach limitations.
As the sun makes its way through Gate 60, it casts a luminous light upon a path ripe for exploration—an exploration of the energies propelling you toward the discernment of how to use creativity to overcome obstacles and limitations. This celestial transit serves as a gentle guide, encouraging you to reflect on rules, boundaries and limits and how these can be fertile soil for your creativity instead of limitations or experiences of scarcity.
Gate 60 acts as a catalyst, inspiring contemplation on what is working and what can be energized moving forward instead of getting stuck or fearful of ancestral stories of limitations. It encourages you to view limitations and obstacles as opportunities for ingenuity and creativity. Transforming the narrative of scarcity of one of resourcefulness and creativity.
Gate 60 embodies the energy of gracefully navigating life through the strategic use of creativity to surmount limitations. To delight in the breaking of conventional rules and take pleasure in establishing equitable systems and structures. That true potential can unfold when provided with well-defined boundaries, creating an optimal environment for the flourishing of magic, creativity, and transformative processes.
Gate 60 can create energy to fall prey to laws, rules, boundaries, and natural limits. In this state, it may lean towards a victim mentality, acting out when faced with unclear boundaries and opting for the safety of its comfort zone rather than harnessing creativity to overcome challenges.
The key to elevating this energy lies in identifying the specific requirements in which your creative process can thrive.
Here are some journaling prompts to deepen your understanding and engagement with this transit:
1.Explore the link between rules, boundaries, and your innate creative capacity.
2. Recall moments of peak creativity in your life. Explore how to recreate these conditions for unlocking your creative potential.
3.Consider the concept of establishing fair systems and structures. Identify areas needing balance. How can your creativity contribute to creating systems aligned with your values?
4. Explore conditions, environments, or rituals that enhance your creative process. How can you intentionally create a space nurturing your unique creative energy during this transit?
Gate 60 offers a journey of self-discovery focused on creatively overcoming limitations. This celestial transit encourages reflection on rules and boundaries, transforming them into fertile ground for creativity and resourcefulness. Gate 60 embodies graceful navigation through life, leveraging creativity to surpass limits, but cautions against falling into a victim mentality by emphasizing the importance of clear boundaries and identifying specific conditions for optimal creative expression.
NEW PROMPT!!
Do you know about Tapping? It can be an effective addition to energy work and nervous system regulation. Many of my Mentorship clients include Tapping as part of their daily ritual. You can learn more about Tapping and how to do it by hitting the button bellow.
EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping Prompt for this transit.
“Even though it is hard to let go of things that did not work, I now release the past, and I deeply and completely love, accept, and trust myself.”
Have a great week exploring these transits! Ready to learn more about your Human Design? Hit the buttons below to schedule a reading with me and download the free Human Design information sheets to learn more!
IN HARMONY
Still Woozy is the solar project from a guy named Sven recording and mixing all the parts to these songs out of his garage in Oakland. I kind of love that. Still Woozy is mello and brings an ease of contentment, like a lazy late Sunday morning. The art on the album covers is weird and wild and wonderful and created by his wife Amiya. It is hard to think of a favorite song, I really love them all and listen to them back to back to back, especially while I’m working. A standout for me is Window. It’s upbeat and very smooth. Always puts me in a good mood.
I hope you enjoy it too. Hit listen to get a taste.
And hey, some of you asked for all the In Harmony songs as a playlist. If that's you, here it is.
