Is Creativity Spiritual?

I was in college when I first read The Artist Way, by Julia Cameron. I had just gotten back from a semester abroad, spent all my money, took on three jobs for the summer, and found out I had Mono just before starting my senior year of school. Then I ran into my theater teacher from high school.

“Have you ever read The Artist Way?” And made me promise I would pick up the book and read it. I must not have looked convincing, because he didn’t let it go.

“I will, I just don’t know that I could do it right now,” with studying, earning money and extra sleeping to do…

“No, it has to be now. Promise me you’ll do it. You have to get out of your way — people need to see you on stage, and writing — promise me.”

“I will, I promise.” Yeah, that didn’t do it, and he had me follow him back to his barn where he searched for his copy of the book, and when he couldn’t find it, that’s when I made the promise complete with the urgency he gave to it. I bought the book that day. I read and completed the book that Fall. It changed my life. I got back into acting and back into writing in ways I hadn’t noticed I had turned away from. And the very first word in the book that stood out to me was God.

She connected creativity to spirituality in a way I had never considered — that self expression was honoring who I was in the world, and my heart opened. Giving from love, receiving from love too — and maybe honoring an unconditional love was spiritual. If it came from who I am and who I craved to be — not who I felt told to be— than a rush of feeling came through me that felt very spiritual too. And there was this — I was created, in love, and I can create, in love… something spiritual stands out for me there too.

So I am creative because I love it, and because it connects me to a very powerful, large love — that makes it even better.

Meditation. A small step. A small breath.

Meditation is described as clearing your mind and concentrating only on your breath. It’s hard to stop thinking about everything that goes through your head, but to begin someone once told me that thoughts will come into your head (at least at first) but you don’t follow them. If you close your eyes, take a deep breath and remember you didn’t do your laundry, you have the thought and let it go, instead of following it into “I get home, I’ll have to divide the laundry, do I have enough quarters, can I do it before I go food shopping, I don’t know what I’m fixing for dinner tonight, I forgot to take ingredients out of the freezer….” We could keep going, and usually do. Instead, let it go. Another thought comes in and let it go, too.

The second thing is to start with one minute. We can try anything for one minute. It’s not as daunting. After one minute, maybe try a second minute. Work your way up to 5 or 10 or 20, but start with one. Some people meditate for hours or days. You do one minute, sometimes much more and sometimes not, but one minute is more than nothing, and it’s a first step. We can always do it.

So you want to lose weight...

So you want to lose weight.

And every one of the answers to that is a fight. Waging war against yourself. Making what you love the most — yourself — do what it wants least. Sacrificing moments of joy. Beating yourself down when you don’t follow the rules. Ignoring inner desires, whispers that you deserve to be happy, and screams of why are you doing this to me ! ?

What if losing weight, and being a little healthier, having more energy, feeling more beautiful, sleeping better, feeling happier, relaxing easier and having less stress, moving painlessly, all happened while getting along better with your body and yourself, connecting more with loves and desires and coming together in negotiation instead of fighting.

So my argument: Your body is on your side. There is nothing wrong with you. It doesn’t want to fight, you don’t want to fight, so lets stop fighting. Find the goal, and let your heart, mind AND body in on the secret: That you are doing this for yourself. For your deepest desires. That way, you can all work together.

Be good to yourself. Love yourself more when you are trying to change so much.

Time to say good-bye to your beautiful, extraordinary body the way it is, getting you through all the many moments, and emotions, and memories, the hugs, and the laughs over pies, and with a kiss and a tear that can roll all the way down your face, it is time for a new experience, a big change and a new version of that magnificent body of yours.

Love yourself that much. You deserve it.