“There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and be lost. The world will not have it.
It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with other expressions.
It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”
~ Martha Graham
Painting by Shiloh Sophia – Chief Soul Fire
Dear One,
I feel I am in the middle of a quickening. Something I don’t understand but that is calling me to question everything I know about myself and the world. It is provoked by my own journey, world events, loved ones and creative process – but it is something all together it’s own. A quickening….and in this crucible of transformation….I am being changed.
I don’t know what I am quickening into lol, but when I find out I will be sure to tell you. I just know I am changing, cellularly, spiritually, and towards my calling in a new way. There is excitement and fear, and a desire to keep it real and keep it my own, while working with teachers and healers to help me ground this experience.
I think about this quote from Martha Graham all the time. About how much that vitality, that is connected with my creativity informs me, lights me and and charts my course. And the courses that I teach! There are so many teachings in this quote I feel I would love to do a workshop on every line. Today I wanted to bring our attention to this part:
“keep it yours”.
“keep it yours”.
Keeping your expression yours is one of the key teachings in all things Cosmic Cowgirls – we are all about unapologetic beingness. Discovering what that is, can sometimes be a head-scratching riddle. The thing is that sometimes to open up to this dynamic flow and unstop the blocks you need learn, from someone. Sometimes you don’t, but in my years of experience I think that is the exception – most of the women I work with are coming into Intentional Creativity to unblock that vitality and meet their muse, so she can become the ally instead of the critic. Then after the tools we teach, to open it up, you can move towards the ‘keeping it yours’ part. Wait for it…wait for it…finally something that is yours. I didn’t create something that was truly mine all through art school – years of nothing being mind. When one continues to create, one finds one’s own way of creating which opens us up to real communication with our soul’s language.
Why is the ‘keeping it yours’ part so hard? Because our beliefs and beings are so colonized by others beliefs and beings. Finding our own unique thoughts is often hard to do – first we have to know that we have them and then find out where they are or what they are – easier said than done. Often after my most powerful teachings on moving through the subjugation of our consciousness, I ask my students to reject anything I told them that wasn’t true for them, even if they used it as a tool to access the process. I don’t think of myself as a mentor with answers but a guide that reminds others they have their own answers. This isn’t anything new – but each creation we bring into form makes it new for us – and shows us what we are not seeing.In Intentional Creativity we are most focused in our work in self expression towards form. First – get it to flow out of your mind, heart, body and onto the canvas. And yes, sometimes there is a formula for that, an actual structure, which creates a container into which the wild hidden-ness can be funneled or as Martha says, to keep the channel open.In all my teachings throughout the 3 countries from which I just returned, and in the events I am sharing with you here, there are many common denominators like self expression, listening to the soul, bringing it into form…but at the heart is a desire for you to find your own way – your ‘part’. When we are connected to this, powerfully, we can discover so much more of who we are and what we want to cause and create. We call this your piece of the red thread, that which is yours to do.
I think…if we could all know more about our own information and how to access it – our world would be different. So many of us are running around busy being what we are not, instead of what we are. But we don’t know who we are. Art is one way to learn about ourselves, that is not only gently but powerful beyond measure.
Here is an inquiry to consider that I ask myself all the time, and in this case, connected to the famous quote of dear Martha Graham…
Do you feel that you are doing what is yours to do it this life?
If not, do you know what that might be?
Perhaps consider not seeking actual answers, but just being willing to ask the questions….
as that often leads to the deepest wonder and gives your brain a chance to explore instead of ‘fix’.
You might have heard me sharing about some recent back pain ‘stuff’ – and I have been putting it all to the test by writing, painting, praying using intentional creativity. And while I am not through my healing yet, the insight and actual pure joy I am experiencing, is surprising me…and making me more curious about pain, and paint and how they can dance together. If you want to see my little slideshow about pain and paint, it’s here. The crazy thing is even with my pain, I am feeling profoundly deeply wildly creative. Hmmm. there is something to this and I am doing my best to explore it – and enjoy the ride…
Thinking of you, with love and heart full. I went on a healing journey of floating in water for about 5 hours last week as a part of my process and in the middle I got this clear message.
YOU CAN LOVE AS MUCH AS YOU WANT
YOU CAN BE AS GENEROUS AS YOU WANT
this doesn’t mean it won’t hurt sometimes
YOU CAN BE AS GENEROUS AS YOU WANT
this doesn’t mean it won’t hurt sometimes
BUT YOU STILL DON’T HAVE TO FEAR LOVING
Then I just cried tears into the already salty salt water pool. When you have things happen, weather it is a death or trauma or injury the heart begins to crinkle up a bit, and we have to ask it to begin to expand and soften again, sometimes it won’t just do it on its own. We have to ask. And sometimes, something comes through….that we an really practice and use. I love this quote from Jesus, Perfect Love Casts Out Fear, I live by it. I forget, then I remember.
With a heart in the quickening.
Smiling in Siena, Italy
Shiloh Sophia
