Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The angel of creativity

It hasn't been easy- --finding time to return to this blog. I keep breaking my own rules about taking time to pause each day. A few days ago I found a marvelous piece of advice in the book, Leading from Within. It came in the form of a question asked by Ted Falcom: How can I learn to say "No" so that my "Yes" has real meaning? I need to write this question on my forehead.

Of course, if I do say YES when, perhaps, I ought to have said NO, I am then in the position of trying to be faithful to my YES. This has been my stance these days---practicing being faithful to the YES. Yesterday some unknown angel (perhaps the angel of creativity) came to my assistance. In straightening up some piles of "stuff to be filed" an old greeting card slipped out of a magazine. It was a photo of dragonfly resting on some long green stems in a pond. Below the photo was an inspiring quote from the poet, Rabindranath Tagore:

The same stream of life
that runs through the world,
runs through my veins night and day
and dances in rhythmic measure.
It is the same life that shoots in joy
through the dust of the Earth
into the numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of flowers.
~~Tagore

Upon reading these words I experienced a piercing of the heart. Immediately I became aware that it was time for me, once again, to lean into creativity. I need to discern how to facilitate the stream of life pulsing through my veins. Pausing is not an option; it is essential for your health. If you keep the door of your heart unlocked, the angel of creativity will soon or later catch up with you. She will teach you to pause.


6 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing that quote! It is truly inspiring. I, too, am having trouble returning to blogging after a break though I suspect it is more because I am having trouble discovering my voice amidst the pressures to write a certain way about certain topics to please certain people.

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  2. Ah yes, Let's try to give up the pleasing.
    I so want to relax when I write and just write because the words want to take a walk through the empty pages on my desk or on my screen. It is a challenge. May the angel of creativity surprise you with joy.

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  3. Macrina,
    Thanks for the insight on the importance of saying YES to creativity time.
    Priscilla

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  4. I can relate to the yes-no dilemma...My kitchen table and counters are piled with projects...Recently a group of us got together to say prayers for Mother Earth at a beautiful monastery in Fremont, California...Sr. Joan used some of your prayers (and Joyce Rupp) from your book "Circle of Life"...I made up a mostly 2-note melody to your "Prayer Over the New Fire" so we could sing it easily...We were honoring the fire element this month...

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  5. wonderful post, macrina! thank you :-)

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  6. Thank you, Macrina. I am so glad I came here today.

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