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We are all creative. It is our natural and fundamental way of Being.
In those moments we are connected to our natural creative flow, we express our essence fully, without reservation. In those sacred moments, our Heart is open.
ARE YOU AN ECHO OR A SOUND?
In his wonderful book, "Echoes or Sounds", artist and mystic Howard Brodie beautifully expresses the choice we have at every moment of our lives, when he invites us to honestly ask ourselves, "Am I an echo or a sound?"
Brodie invites us to inquire: "Am I living my life merely as an "echo" of the unexamined ideas, thoughts, beliefs and ideals indoctrinated in me by my parents, society, culture, tribe or group, or am I aware of the unique "sound" that I am here to express and fulfill in this life?"
This unique "sound" is the "sacred song" of Being that each of us is. It is our gift, our contribution to life itself. When we are in touch with our true nature, our song arises naturally, and the gift of our Being becomes available to the world. It matters not how much material wealth and power we may accrue if our lives are merely an echo that we have consciously and unconsciously inherited from others, and if the gift of our unique sound - our sacred song -- is never heard. Unexpressed, our song is lost to the world, and our purpose for Being remains unfulfilled.
For Brodie, being an echo is to live from a past-based world view; from beliefs and behaviors that are passed on as being the "truth" without ever rigorously re-examining and questioning their truth and validity in the light of our own direct experience.
All echoes are forms of repetitive conditioning that have replaced direct experience and inner wisdom as our guides in life. We can hear the echo at work in such phrases as, "They say�" and "Everybody knows�" and "I believe�" Belief is a crutch people cling to when they do not know the truth of something directly. When we experience something directly, we don't need to believe it, we are AWARE of it, we are present to it, we ARE it.
I learned an important lesson about the difference between belief and direct knowing from a remarkable healer, Dr. Hazel Parcells, D.C., N.D. Whenever a person in one of her classes would offer up a theory about whatever problem was being examined, and say to Dr. Parcells, "Is that true?", she would never rise to the bait of offering the person the illusionary comfort of second-hand knowing by responding with a "Yes" or "No".. She would pause, and say, "Check it out!", insisting that the questioner inquire rigorously and find out the answer for themselves. As she used to say, "There is knowing, and there is knowing about." Knowing about is always an echo, a conditioned way of Being.
Living as an Echo leads to a mechanical, reactive life with one primary purpose --- the survival and continuity of a past world view that we identify ourselves to be. Living as an echo is the conditioned mind's attempt to control the world---to make it familiar and predictable, and therefore less threatening. For an echo, the unknown is a threat to the unquestioned " way it is." For an echo, the unique song we are that is waiting to be expressed needs to be suppressed and forgotten, for the song is a threat to the Echo's identification as "me". From the perspective of an echo, originality and creativity in ourselves and others can appear as dangerous, a blasphemy, and a heresy that must be invalidated, eliminated and destroyed. However, the unique song we are never dies. Its existence flickers to the surface of our consciousness from time to time in the form of a dream, a shadow of regret, a sudden sigh, or a vague feeling in the background of an emptiness or that "something is missing"..
To suppress our own unique and "sacred song," is to suppress what we are here to express in life. With awareness of our "song", and the freedom and desire to fulfill it, arises harmony, happiness, and resonance with the creative flow of life itself.
FOUR WAYS OF RELATING TO THE CREATIVE FLOW OF LIFE
There are four ways that human beings relate to the natural infinite flow of creation within us:
SUPPRESSING THE CREATIVE FLOW
The most constrictive way of relating to the creative flow of life that is to suppress it in order to "be good, get approval, avoid pain and rejection, be successful, "win", and fit in." We are expected to swallow the continuous suggestions and pressures to conform, to think, to be, and to do what we have been told we "should" be, think, and do. These "shoulds" are unexamined beliefs and ideals that we have inherited, based on the judgments of others, living and dead, that we consider "authorities." A "carrot and stick" strategy is used to get us to buy into the beliefs and suggestions being promoted as "the Truth". The "carrot" takes the form of promises of rewards now or in the future to come if we unquestioningly take on these echoes as our own, and the "stick" takes the form of threats of punishment we will receive now or in the future if we dare to question the "truths" we are told to embrace. No matter how materially successful or popular we may be as an echo, the suppression of the unique "song" we are makes true fulfillment, creativity, and inner peace unattainable.
SELECTIVE SUPPRESSION
Some of us have given ourselves partial permission to express the flow of creativity. We allow it to see the light of day in a particular area of our lives, but in other areas, we keep it under lock and key, guarded by our indoctrinated fear of losing what we've got or not getting what we want. We may give ourselves permission to be creative at work, but be "echoes" at home or in relationships. For others, it may be a different combination of permission and suppression.
PERMISSION TO BE CREATIVE
We begin to express our unique song --- living life as a created work of art --- the moment we stop giving away the power over our lives to inherited unexamined beliefs and outer "authorities", and reclaim for ourselves the PERMISSION to be open to receive inspiration and action from our infinite core wisdom --- the true Source of Being. In this state of Being, we resonate with the intention to be Consciously Creative. Our awareness, intention, passion and action all align to manifest the creative flow in our unique way.
ACCESSING THE "CREATIVE ZONE"
Creating = Play. To be Consciously Creative is to stay in touch with the play of life. Whether it is expressed as artists, writers, musicians, scientists, businesspeople, entrepreneurs, teachers, athletes, parents, etc., it is the ability to consciously and intentionally access the "creative zone." In this state of Being, we are attuned to and guided by the Source of All to manifest our unique song, expressing gratitude, appreciation, love, compassion, humility, and natural openness toward the creative flow of life that moves through us and through the world in every moment.
This week, I invite you to accept Howard Brodie's invitation to ask yourself the question, "Am I an Echo or a Song?". What might you discover if -with pen and paper in hand -- you take an inventory of all the areas of your life, and honestly ask yourself, "In what areas of my life am I an Echo, and in what areas of my life am I expressing and fulfilling my Song?"
Freedom begins with realizing the truth.
-- Hal Isen
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