Imbolc Creativity

As we move into February, we enter the season of Imbolc. This is a time to water the seeds of creation we have planted, by listening to our soul’s whispers in our time of rest during Winter Solstice. With our sun growing in strength, we are gradually gifted the masculine energy of direction and focus to assist us in our creative process. Here I share with you some of my thoughts on this creative dance.

In a recent dream I was a prima ballerina getting ready for my performance. Just before I was due to dance, I went lucid from the panic of not knowing what I was doing. “I’m not a dancer”, I thought, “I’m going to make a fool of myself.” Sensing there was no way out of the situation, I took a breath and told myself “Close your eyes, trust your partner to lead you, and just allow the dance to move through you”. I awoke knowing that I had been gifted a metaphor. This metaphor is one that is particularly poignant at this time in my life, as I’m beginning a creative project that my ego, my inner critic, has much to say about. 

So taking this metaphor, what if closed my eyes, trusted my soul and allowed the art to just move through me? 

What would happen if, instead of attaching to what our ego whispers to us when we attempt to create something in our lives, (which often quickly stifles our creations) we opened up to the stream of creative consciousness and allowed it to channel  through us, free of judgement? What if we got out of our own way, quietened our minds and allowed a force greater than us to have the floor?

In the words of Piet Mondrian: The position of the artist is humble. He is essentially a channel.

The time has come in my own life for my inner critic to take a back seat, to allow the artist to lead the way whilst listening to the whispers of creation. But I know her nature and she’s feisty, so I will not abash her, because this may just lead to her fighting against me and doing further injury to my inner artist. Instead, I will romance her. The path of least resistance. 

I’ll thank her for her concern and for trying to protect me. I’ll thank her for attempting to push me to be my best at all costs. And then, I’ll tell her that her perfectionism, whilst it seems like a gift, often leads me astray. Thank you, but no thank you. I’ll remind her that sometimes, imperfection is the nature of creation. In this relationship, I’m allowed to be a messy lover. I’m going to colour outside the lines sometimes, and that’s okay. 

Passion isn’t squeaky clean. Sometimes, like a dancer in the wild, it’s covered in mud with bloody toes and messy hair. And there’s a beauty in that too. Sometimes, you just have to trust the dance. Be it stiff, raw, eloquent or sensual.

What creation needs to move through you at this time? 

Allow yourself the space to listen to your soul’s whispers. Open up to receive the creative force flowing through you without judgement or ridicule. Dance with your creation.

You owe it to your inner artist. You owe it to your wild dancer.