It finally happened. I forgot to send the newsletter on Sunday. I was at the stunning Fort Lewis Lodge in Bath County, VA, for a long weekend with friends, and today, Monday, felt like my Sunday. So here we are. A Monday newsletter! How quaint.
I didn’t do so hot on my Chapter 4 assignments this week. I had to re-download Instagram on my phone for work after just one day of deleting it, so I consumed more media that I wanted to. I did manage to not read any books or news articles, though! A modicum of success—we’ll take it.
This week is titled “Recovering a Sense of Possibility.”
We limit ourselves for many reasons.
It’s easy to take ourselves so seriously; we don’t want to look like idiots pursuing some patently grandiose scheme.
Don’t underestimate the power of the creator and of creation.
Co-creating with god/source energy/the universe is a “conscious partnership which we work along slowly and gradually, clearing away the wreckage of our negative patterning, clarifying the vision of what it is we want, learning to accept small pieces of that vision from whatever source and then one day, presto! The vision seems to suddenly be in place. In other words, pray to catch the bus, then run as fast as you can.”
First you have to believe that you’re allowed to catch the bus.
Recognize that god/source energy/the universe is in unlimited supply and that everyone has equal access. This begins with clearing up guilt about having too much.
“Since everyone can draw on the universal supply, we deprive no one with our abundance.”
Scarcity thinking is one reason we are miserly with our desires.
Don’t anthropomorphize god into a capricious parent figure. God is our source, an energy flow that likes to extend itself.
“By listening to the creator within, we are led to our right path. On that path, we find friends, lovers, money, and meaningful work.”
“When we cannot seem to find an adequate supply, it is because we are insisting on a particular human source of supply. We must learn to let the flow manifest itself where it will—not where we will it.”
Do not put your creative good solely in human hands.
What next step are you evading? What dream are you discounting as impossible given your resources? What payoff are you getting for remaining stuck at this point in your expansion?
“For the past few weeks we’ve been excavating our consciousness, seeing how often we think negatively and fearfully, how frightening it has been for us to begin to believe that there might be a right place that we could attain by listening to our creative voice and following its guidance. We have begun to hope, and we have feared that hope.”
The shift to spiritual dependency is a gradual one. We are shifting slowly but surely, becoming more true to ourselves and more open to the positive. We find we are able to tell more of our truth, hear more of other people’s truth, an encompass a far more kindly attitude toward both.
“Morning pages, a flow of stream of consciousness, gradually loosens fixed opinions and short-sighted views. we see that our moods, views, and insights are transitory. We acquire a sense of movement, a current of change in our lives. This current, or river, is a flow of grace moving us to our right livelihood, companions, destiny.”
“Dependence on the creator within is really freedom from all other dependencies. Paradoxically, it is also the only route to real intimacy with other human beings. Freed from our terrible fears of abandonment, we are able to live with more spontaneity. Freed from our constant demands for more and more reassurance, our fellows are able to love us back without feeling so burdened.”
Recovery is the process of finding the river and saying yes to its flow, rapids and all.
Becoming internally clear and focused about dreams and delights requires downtimes, time to do nothing.
An artist requires the upkeep of creative solitude. An artist requires the healing of time alone. This withdrawal is not selfish.
Many recovering creatives sabotage themselves most frequently by making nice.
Many of us have made a virtue out of deprivation. We have used it to feed a false sense of spirituality grounded in being good, meaning superior.
For an artist, virtue can be deadly. The urge toward respectability and maturity can be stultifying, even fatal. What would you do if you weren’t afraid of being selfish?
Tasks:
What is your favorite creative block? TV, overreading, friends, work, rescuing others, overexercise?
What is your payoff for staying blocked?
List 10 ways you are unkind to yourself.
List five more imaginary lives.
What would you do if you were 20 with unlimited money?
What would you do if you were 65 with that money?
List 5 reasons you can’t believe in a supportive god.
Keep doing morning pages!
Until next week,
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth, good week to you!! Just wanted to say that I enjoyed the old format of recommendation s, more than this artist way notes. I miss the random short recommendation on a song, a painting, a style!!! I say this with all the respect and positive vibes as I know all the work and consistent strength that it takes to build something like a newsletter. It's just a personal opinion of mine. Again, hope you have a nice week!!