Come Alive!

Soul Satisfaction

“Ask not what the world needs, rather ask what makes you come alive and go do that, for what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Howard Thurmond

“Creativity is so satisfying. That is why it is so important; not because it produces something, but because the process is cosmological, spiritual, centering and satisfying.”

Matthew Fox

Remember when you were a child; when you and your friends made up games to play? I do. We created an imaginary world, made up a story for that world, and then assumed character roles within it. One of the games I particularly remember was “Missionaries and Gorillas,” in which the girls created a small base-camp in the woods, under the shelter of a fallen tree, and set about making it hospitable. The boys, who, of course, were the Gorillas, would choose a time when we were engrossed in our play-camp to come swinging in, screaming and yelling. They would scatter our camp, and chase us all around the woods, making monkey sounds. We played this game for days on end, changing the theme of the story, elaborating on the camp and swapping characters. We were lost in the jungle as surely as if we'd been plopped down in sub-Saharan Africa.

We are born innately creative creatures. As children, our imaginary world is every bit as real to us as our outer world. But somewhere along the way, we lose that ability to unreservedly enter into inventive play. We tell ourselves that our imagintive world is just child's play, something that should be left behind now that we are grown. We begin to compare ourselves to others, and too often feel we come up short. At least, I do. When we approach the creative process with a critical mind, we short circuit ourselves. Creativity demands that we allow our juices to flow freely, and follow them where they lead.

Our ability to imagine allows us to participate in cosmic creativity. It is this reflection of divine energy that brings us alive when we enter its flow. The daily grind of life can be killing to the spirit, dulling our senses, aborting our gifts to the world. We have an opportunity now, as adults, to come alive. To learn again the joy of play. To create something that didn't exist before our hands shaped it. Don't let your inner critic short circuit you. More than ever, the world needs people who have come alive.

                                             In the Spirit,

                                                Jane