Summary:
Att lÀgga kraften mot ens önskad riktning trots osÀkerhet och utan garantier Àr aktivt hopp. Det Àr att bygga, trots risker, för en bÀttre vÀrld.
Det inspirerar till att agera för det vi tror pÄ, det vi betraktar som viktigt, betydelsefull Àven om vi ocksÄ har insikten att det nÄgot som Àr större Àn vi.
Att ta sig an en uppgift som krÀver mycket tid, arbete, i en omgivning vi inte kan rodda pÄ, dÀr vi har inga garantier att vÄr insats kommer att rÀcka till eller om nÄgot externt kommer att förstöra det vi lÀgger energi pÄ att skapa kan kÀnnas hopplös. Hur kan man göra det? Varför göra det?
Det finns en underbar berĂ€ttelse frĂ„n Johanna Macy, författare av bl.a boken âActive Hopeâ, nĂ€r hon besökte munkar i Tibet pĂ„ 1980-talet som höll pĂ„ att bygga sten för sten en ny tempel efter deras hade blivit förstörd av den kinesiska regeringen. Det var mycket arbete kvar och Johanna frĂ„gade en av munkarna som jobbade dĂ€r hur han orkade lĂ€gga sĂ„ mycket möda nĂ€r situationen var sĂ„ ovis, med risker att Ă„terigen den kinesiska regeringen skulle bestĂ€mma att de inte fick finnas med sina temple.
Munken svarade henne: âDu kan inte veta vad som kommer att hĂ€nda. Det Ă€r bara att göra det som behöver göras för att nĂ„ ditt mĂ„l. Man lĂ€gger en sten pĂ„ en annan och en annan ovanpĂ„ det. Om stenarna slĂ„s ner börjar du igen, för om du inte gör det kommer ingenting att byggas.â
Aktivt hopp Àr att lÀgga sin kraft i den riktning vi vill se vÀrlden gÄ, oavsett oddset, utan att begÀra garantier att det kommer att rÀcka till. Det Àr att vila i att det Àr det enda du kan göra: vÀlja att ge din energi i en riktning som du kÀnner skapar en bÀttre vÀrld.
Att kunna vila i ovissheten och ta de stegen du kan mot det du brinner för kan vara utmanande utan stöd och uppmuntran. DÀrför Àr det viktigt att möta likasinnade, pÄminnas om meningsfullheten av varje god handling, och fÄ verktyg för att möta och anvÀnda kÀnslorna som vÀckts sÄ att du kan gÄ frÄn hopplöshet till handlingskraft.
I so appreciate using art as an own therapy and just play in the present moment without any agenda to create something more then enjoying the process of creating and feeling whatâs moving inside of me.
Like this picture I painted where an unloved, chaotic, thorny little creature in the left end corner showed up, feeling the darkness around it, and realizing how much it was just asking for acceptance and love, not needing to be anything else.
And in the process, I discovered new ways to make marks that really spoke to me, that I enjoyed doing, that I enjoy seeing in the end result.
This may not be a painting that I would frame, but it moved energy for me and connected me with my inner world in such a valuable way.
Thatâs what my âin the clearingâ creative workshops are all about, to hold space for others to connect to their inner world, enjoy the creative process for itself with permission to express in any way that feels good, right and develop a practice that elevate our vibration and wellbeing. A way to become the creators of our own lives.
I wanted to thank Angela Fehr for the inspiration and her approach of her art, encouraging exploration, enjoyment of the process and seeking the even smallest areas of a painting that we love – one brushstroke, one mark maybe – that feeds our inner artist and invite more expressive creativity to come forth.
This video from a year ago on the topic of balance between feminine flow and masculine structure is so juicy and seeing it today as I recently came back into the corporate world, I see how this is a very actual theme for me. Ifind myself challenged in my balance, struggling to find a new way of being where my feminine essence is both nourished and also invite the masculine goal oriented doer in me to breathe and remember why Iâm here.
After a few weeks connecting to the goodness and the potential of bringing more of what lights me up : to contribute to the change in the world I want to see, I am challenged, experiencing old ways of being in a similar environment to the one âback thenâ and wondering how to create balance, ease, and take care of this part of me that get caught in the stress and rush in the work culture and that is afraid when she doesnât have all the answers to what is presented to her.
Obviously the difficulties I meet are beyond balance of masculine and feminine energies. Itâs also trusting to slow down when everything seems to accelerate and push. Trusting that by pausing and not doing for a moment will allow me to see more clearly. And trusting that I can handle what is presented to me even if in the moment the amount of information feels overwhelming and I have no idea yet about the way forward.
Iâm writing about these chalenges I face and my unhealthy ways because once again Iâve got aware that I mostly share with you when I am in a place where I feel good enough and when inspiration is back. Thatâs quite natural but it also participate to a faulty idea that all is only well and under control for me when it is not. And I don’t want to feed anymore the myth of having everything under control or feed the pretending shiny surface that so many present on social media letting each one of us feeling inadequate when life is challenging.
So Iâm challenged and out of balance. Having top much activities, doing, and not enough down time. Not even willing to fully choose down time because I feel the urge to compensate for the non inspired draining hours. Not willing to listen until my body doesn’t allow me to continue and imposes me rest.
Iâm grateful that I see it and know that this strong contrast is calling me to change my behaviors. To change my beliefs and change a narrative that no longer serves me. That there is always a way. And that I am learning all the time and I can celebrate how much I already have grown.
Balance Rest Silence Do Play Remember Letting go Relax Love Be Just be
And Trust, in Life, in myself and reassure the young one in me – everything is always working out for me.
This was the Creative Conversation we had on the topic of reconciliating feminine flow and masculine structure. Enjoy and share what resonates with you đ§Ą
What I want to bring Who I want to be What I want to seed
Peace Courage Confidence Appreciation
Breathing in the potential Loading with curiosity I enter the day
Whatâs possible? What joy is brewing in the here and now? Plugging into the sensual of the body Feeling every cell vibrating Of Life Connecting to the Present To the Now Open, receptive, ready For this new day
How can you work with life, use the existing currents for your higher Purpose and Wellbeing instead of fighting upstreams.
This is the exploration I invite you to take as we contemplate lifeâs cyclical nature.
I never questioned the daily cycle of night succeeding to day. I accepted getting tired at night, not questioning the signal to go to sleep, knowing that there would be a new day with renewed energy after I slept. This has been the cycle most obviously accepted and followed in my life and in our culture.
Seasons are also obvious in the countries I have been living in. But Iâve never really met any deeper acknowledgment of winterâs invitation to rest and reflect nor even really the suggestion that so was the case before a few years ago. It was more something to work against: take some vitamins, find alternative sources of light and keep going in your work and life.
As I went through my journey, learning natural farming 9 years ago, spending blessed hours in my kitchen garden đȘŽ under the sky and with Life, I began to feel the desire to live more in symbiosis with Life and the seasons.
3 years ago in a weekend retreat I heard about â8 shieldsâ (www.8shields.org) where the similarity in energy of the daily, yearly and human life cycles were highlighted and explored as a compass to navigate life more harmoniously and it reinforced my desire to find ways of living honoring more of these natural rhythms.
Still I needed to understand deeper and integrate that much more of life is cyclical.
I had really hard times in my low energy phases and emotional state. I grew up with a mother who experienced depression most of her life. I also experienced times of depression. So each time my energy goes in a lower low, there is a contraction growing in me, a fear of staying stuck in that energy level.
Have you ever felt in a similar way?
A couple of years ago as I worked with my mentor Stephanie Fabela (www.allaboutintimacy.com) I began to understand that my emotions also where following a wave, and that any high would be followed by a low, like night follows day. And that I wasnât feeling low energy because of anything I would have done wrong. Still I had a hard time to trust that lows were as temporary as highs were.
Last year my awareness was drawn to the moon cycle and more and more of the other planets đȘ. Hearing about these transits and the influence they have helped me relax more and make it less about my own abilities but understanding that this is the world Iâm living into and there is so much more than the succession of day and night that is around and impact my energy. It teaches me deeper acceptance of my energy level, not needing to know exactly what is at play, but just know that my tiredness is part of my body intelligence so that I may take a pause, reflect, integrate and reassess.
This knowledge helps my mind to accept more easily to let go of blindly pushing through and instead give myself what I need, liberating a lot of energy otherwise used in creating additional mind made suffering.
When I can see my emotional waves as a cycle that I donât have to question in the same way as night following day, I find a deeper trust in life and can ease and embrace my low times, going with the flow of life instead of fighting against it.
In Creative Conversations Ep.5 we talked about cycles and the impact of understanding and honoring or ignoring the multiple cycles that are woven in the fabric of life and it made it clear that this conversation is needed as it hasnât been a way of approaching life for many of us before starting our transformation journeys.Â
The video in this post are my reflections extracted from this Creative Conversation.
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