There is an oft-repeated theme running through these posts. The creative journey is an ongoing dialogue between the rational mind and the collective unconscious. Engagement between these two sides of the brain sometimes needs a navigator, for the different aspects of the mind speak different languages. The rational mind formulates ideas into script; the unconscious uses symbols to convey meaning. With these different methods of communication, we sometimes need to call upon an intermediary to weave them together, to make the intent behind the symbols plain enough so that they can be ordered by the rational mind.
Bringing these two elements together can be challenging. I am not a master at it, but I have entered into this mode of communication enough times to know that this is where creativity happens. I have also suffered through spells in which there is nothing but numbing silence, and I yearn for the creative discourse to resume. Finding inroads into this terrain is rough going at times, so it is good to think outside the box.
I work closely with the shamanic healer, Anna Geddes, in order to support this process. She often reminds me that it is important to ask the universe for help on a creative project, on a regular basis, like every day.
Sometimes we get a little too ego-based and think that we can muscle through a session with the creative spirit, without acknowledging how the great wide world has a profound influence upon the project at hand. Anna uses her experience to connect me to outside forces of support that I can lean upon, in order to bring these two sides of the mind into dialogue.
During guided meditation, she helps me to summon a power animal that can bridge the gap between these two sides of the mind. Once an octopus billowed out of the darkness and offered up a clear bit of advice as to how to proceed with a particular hurdle in my artistic pursuit.
Whatever spiritual path you are more inclined to embrace, each one offers up guides who act as intermediaries between the rational mind and the divine. This lies at the heart of mysticism in every tradition. There are saints and bodhisattvas to reach out to. Even if this feels a little too ‘out there,’ it is worth the search. Find a creative mediator for yourself, a figure that can lead you into a space where these two disparate aspects of consciousness can communicate easily.
For information on Anna’s practice, https://www.annageddeshealing.com/
Photo by Stephanie Harlacher on Unsplash
