Creativity is usually defined as the ability to produce something worthwhile, meaningful, and original—a literary or artistic work, a solution to a problem, an innovative product, a scientific discovery, or even a good joke. Obviously, what may be considered new and valuable will vary depending on the cultural and social context, as well as on the timing of its delivery. We know of great artists and visionaries whose brilliance was ignored while they were alive, only to be re-discovered many years after their death.
When we think of creative power, people like Picasso, Mozart, and Einstein come to mind, and we often fail to acknowledge the creativity required to navigate our everyday lives—to solve a sudden issue at work, to help our kids understand life, or even to fix a lovely dinner. This is because most of us uphold the myths that creativity comes only from “creative types” or that certain conditions must be met to facilitate creative expression.
For instance, you may think that only a supportive or well-educated environment contributes to the creative spark, or perhaps you hold the belief that artists are tortured souls having no choice but to sublimate their pain on the surface of a canvas.
We can observe, however, the sophisticated artwork of Tibetan monks designing a colored sand mandala to reflect the impermanence of human experience, or that of tattoo artists in Russian prisons carving each other’s bodies with primitive and sadistic tools, as a personalized gang ritual. These two extremes, between the refined craftsmanship of meditative minds and the handiwork of a barbarian jail practice, makes it clear that creativity is alive and well in any type of environment and state of mind.
Creative Power is Innate Within You
The need for creative expression can be found anywhere because being creative is your nature, no matter what your personality, upbringing, or environment. I grew up in the Third World and always found both fascinating and inspiring how indigenous women would walk barefoot and sit on the ground to sell their wares, and yet they would conscientiously pile up their fruits or place their crafts in creative, colorful patterns. These women were not thinking in terms of marketing; they had the inner need to create beauty around them.
The Infinite Consciousness Continuum that we are all extensions of (as “encapsulated” souls) holds an inherent creative potential that is also an essential aspect of who you are. In fact, it is the creative power that originates at the soul level that you use to convey your sense of individuality—your uniqueness—into physical reality, no matter what you are doing. It is such an inherent part of who you are that you probably take it for granted. Yet it is an incredible power waiting to be unleashed for a higher purpose.
The Universe itself is continuously expanding and creating, and so are we all—whether intentionally or by default. If you have ever attempted to meditate, you’ll agree that what makes meditation challenging is that the mind creates one thought after another; it is its nature to constantly produce thoughts and desires—this is also your creative potential at work. You cannot stop the stream of thoughts by focusing on them; that would simply fuel more of the same. You can only quiet the mind by focusing on something else—by anchoring your attention on your breathing, a visualization, a mantra, and so on.
Well, just like each thought has the inherent seed of another thought, or a fruit the potentiality for a new fruit or a tree, absolutely everything you think, feel, or do has the same creative potential, and the collection of mental and emotional seeds within your mind shapes your whole life. If it is not going the way you’d like, you either haven’t harnessed your own creative power and are creating negatively by default, or your desires and unconscious beliefs are not in synch. But you can always start where you are and change your perception and false beliefs. It’s a matter of understanding where you are placing your focus and your energy, and what it is that you are allowing into your experience.
It’s Time to Take Charge and Shape Things Differently
The difference between those who succeed at expressing their creative power and those who don’t is that those who succeed play with their ideas, projects, problems, or issues much longer—either to improve their skills or simply because they have the urge to fully explore and express who they are.
In other words, creative visionaries hang on to their ideas, vision, goals, or purpose without losing focus, until they get where they want to get, even if they experience anxiety, self-doubt, or discomfort in the process.
A masterpiece takes patience and skill. Embracing your creative power to consciously shape your life requires self-discipline, courage, and clarity. Yet what could be more fulfilling than transforming your perception into a life that truly reflects who you are and a planet that supports your truth and sustains life for all?
December 2012 is here, and with it the choice to create new paradigms for ourselves and the Earth, lest we continue paving the path of self-destruction. I am not saying that we haven’t made big changes within the past century and even more within the last few decades, but the time to make a real commitment and utilize our creative power to change things around is here and now, demanding clarity of purpose—as individual souls, community members, and citizens of the world.
Ancient Egypt had a Goddess called Maat, who represented the concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice. She also ruled the stars, seasons, and the actions of both mortals and Gods, to set and maintain the order of the universe at the moment of creation. Maat is usually depicted with a feather on her hair and sometimes also holding a set of scales.
In the Egyptian Book of the Death, it is written that upon death, the heart of an initiate would be placed on one of the scales and Maat’s feather would be placed on the other. If the heart was as light as a feather, the initiate would be allowed into the heavenly realms—meaning higher states of consciousness. If the heart was heavily laden with fear, negativity, regret, and sorrow, the initiate would have to return to the lower worlds to continue growing spiritually.
Which Mental Patterns Are You Feeding: Those of Fear or Love?
In a very real way, humanity is at its meeting point with Maat, and can only tip the scales through self-awareness, self-growth, and conscious creative power. Since we are all co-creators, each person who believes in the timeline of doom, destruction, and horror will add to its reality, and everyone who holds the vision of the New Earth will also add to its reality. The Universe is infinite potentiality, and your own creative potential gets filtered through your mental patterns, so you are in the process of creating your reality and the next chapter of your life on Earth.
No matter what you hear and how you feel right now, due to the fluctuating energies on the planet and so much contradictory information going around about 12/21/12 by those who feed their power on fear, you are not powerless in this situation. You hold in your very nature the power of radical change for yourself and the planet.
If your heart were placed on Maat’s scales right now, would it be light as a feather, or would it point out the fact that you still have to lighten up and open up, and remove the mental patterns that prevent you from shifting your attention toward the glorious vision of the New Earth, with absolute faith, trust, and fearlessness?
The clock is ticking, so contact me today if you need help understanding what you may be going through and where you are headed. Shift your perception of the world to create a more meaningful life and pave the way toward a much brighter future for yourself and the planet.
© 2012 Yol Swan. All rights reserved.