The End

Once upon a time in the Land of Beginnings, the people, Beginners, found themselves in a very difficult situation. Well it had, quite literally, been building for years. Some of the Beginners did not believe that the situation was a problem and of course some thought that it was. They were a country divided until the day came when both sides were sure that yes indeed they did have a situation.

It all began when the Beginners settled into a beautiful countryside and decided to call it the Land of Beginnings. They really wanted to call it The Land of Beginnings because they had just been forced to leave a very precious place, a place that had been so wonderful for so long. The sadness each of them felt for having lost this most precious place was so overwhelming that they made it a LAW that never ever again would anything ever ever come to an END.

And so for very many years this was passed down from one beginner to the next. Soon no one remembered why they never got rid of anything they just knew that was the LAW. The Older Beginners hid from the Younger Beginners things that naturally died like flowers by burying them and never speaking about them again. It became a way of dealing with anything that brought on thoughts of losing something and then moved to any unpleasant feelings at all. Everyone learned to ignore those “bad” feelings and cover them up.

Their homes eventually became mazes of additions each piled high and bulging with all the new things that always came in and all the things that never ever left. There was so many toys and books and chairs that everything and everyone was on top of everything and everyone else.

There were clothes hanging rows upon rows and closets filled to over flowing and drawers stuck open with socks that never got lost in the laundry. The Beginners could not move- and well they started to get a little crabby with each other and feel a little overwhelmed and trapped at having so much stuff to deal with.

The situation had reached it's peak (quite literally). And so the Beginners had to figure out what to do. Well of course everyone here knows what they should do – do you?

Transformation

or “You can never step into the same river twice....” Heraclitus

“Transformation” is the latest most acceptable word for “Change”. It sounds better than the word “Change” because we've learned that “Change” is somehow “Wrong”. We even have negative sounding words for Change and click our tongues in judgment to those who change their minds, are indecisive, fickle, flighty, unreliable, or unpredictable.
We have learned that we are not suppose to Change. We learned that if we do Change there are dire consequences. So of Course we think that to change means that we are some how not achieving the “Right” way of living.

Here's the confusing part – we also want to be happy and so when we are not happy we want to make it happen without changing how we think, or behave. We want to do the same thing and get a different result.

But to fully realize transformation in our lives we in fact have to begin by making a change. That change is to start noticing and becoming aware of our patterns of thoughts, behaviors and feelings.

Transformation is a natural process. Images of flowing water can remind us of how our lives can flow too. That indeed the (right) way is to change and transform and that to deny this evolution keeps us from fully living.

The expressive arts can help all of us to discover, honor, and celebrate where we have been and where we are going and to consequently release the grip that both the past and the future have on us. When we release ourselves from past memories and from future expectations it allows for acknowledging who we are now and to see patterns of thoughts, behaviors and the feelings they invoke. When we see our patterns we can begin to change them. Once we make intentional changes to our thoughts and behaviors, transformation begins.

When we intentionally seek to express our feelings and thoughts and acknowledge times of our lives through music making, poetry, images, or movement we begin to make sense of our world and see how our thoughts can create our world.

Step into the river of transformation through the expressive arts and discover your life's flow.

Question the Routine of Your Rituals

Have you ever wondered why we do certain things a certain way? This time of year kicks off “Back to School” activities and is the portal to the season of many holidays; Labor Day, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Ramadan, Los Dias de los Muertos, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Years Eve just to name a few.

Have you ever wondered how it came to be that we have the rituals that we have? Where did they come from how did they evolve into what they are today?

One year when my children were elementary age we had a beautiful white, long-haired, loving cat, Larkin, who was hit by a car in the street. She walked back to our driveway and lay down and died. The children were devastated when they found out. I remember shock, wailing, anger, disbelief and then the ritual preparations began.

Now my children had never been to a funeral at their young age but throughout the course of the next 3 days the most beautiful, passionate and profound ritual was performed. And it was a ritual that has been performed by everyone all over the world since time began. It was a ritual born from deep love and passion. I watched as instinctively they created an altar of photos and memorabilia and lit candles. A discussion about where Larkin would be buried occurred and the adults began to dig. At the grave site without speaking to each other about what we would or should do I watched in awe as each child picked up a hand full of dirt and said words from their heart while placing the dirt in the grave. We held hands and cried and hugged.

Have your rituals become routines?

Take a moment and look at the rituals you have in your life and re-discover how they came to be. Is the passion they were born from still there for you? Do you truly embrace the impetus behind the chanting, praying, dancing, giving or grieving and the desire to express?

IF NOT

Reawaken in yourself the power of the passions you hold in your heart.

Revitalize your rituals and live full, meaningful, intentional lives.

Taking the Heat out of Change

The heat and humidity of an Arizona summer is a big Change for all of us - and let's be honest it's not a pleasant change. We say things like “We have to beat the heat” or “Survive the summer.” The heat is something to escape, or get through unwillingly at best.

The Heat is a big Change and it is interesting but the words we use for Heat and Change are similar and reflect our resistance and our negative perceptions of both. So it got me to thinking that if I looked at the similarities between the Arizona Heat and Life Changes maybe I can learn a little about both and go through each event a little easier and a little wiser....

Okay so I think it's true that many of us view change in our lives as something to get through quickly and smoothly. And I think we all agree that we like it best when change is something that we are in charge of and have planned on occuring. If change or it's intensity is unexpected or difficult then like the heat we prefer to to get out of the kitchen! And we'd like to get out and quick! Of course, it is instinctual to want to avoid the unpleasant feelings of change (or the heat for that matter). We all are familiar with these feelings, it is the unsettled way it feels to go from a known and sometimes pleasant situation (like Spring) to an unknown situation (like wondering how hot it will get and how long it will be that hot). But sometimes even just anticipating the unpleasantness prevents us from cooperating with making it happen. We are experiencing the fear of the unknown.

What is important for me to remember is that Change and Heat are the two things that I can count on and they are both natural occurrences. Change in the seasons, however, is easier to understand as a natural event than changes in our lives. But did you know that over 3,000 years ago, the sages in China studied change and documented the process of change in a book that continues to live today called, Yijing (I Ching) or Change. It is a symbolic guide to help us manuever through the naturally occuring changes in our lives. All humans have been going through similar changes for a very long time finding them mysterious and learning from them. When we allow ourselves to go through change we are facing our fears of the unknown. When we face our fears we are able to life our lives more fully.

So if I am brave enough to live my life to the fullest it means I am feeling the wonderful intensity of joy, laughter, hope, peace and love. But I can't feel those wonderful feelings without also feeling the intensity of sadness, tears, disappointment, frustration and apathy.

The good news is that once I begin to accept change (and heat) as a natural occurrence the less likely I will be to get caught off guard, to blame others, to view it as wrong and so the less painful it will be.

The challenge then is to find the natural rhythm or flow of change in order to anticipate what will occur next. I can learn the Ways of Change from the Yijing. It's wisdom shows the rhythm of change through the seasons, the decades, the elements, the trigrams and the hexagrams. I can learn how to ride the heat waves of change without getting burned. And I can more easily accept what may appear to be unacceptable.

I can learn to stay calm, cool and collected by greeting change in positive ways; starting with meditation to build a solid core, and moving on to the expression of my thoughts and feelings in ways individually and uniquely meaningful. My thoughts and feelings about my life changes can be expressed with poetry, movement, or painting, through rituals, traditions and intentional living and witnessed and supported from the rich tapestry of a variety of relationships we nurture and grow throughout our lifetimes.

For more information about the individual sessions, a Yijing reading, and groups offered through the Creative Expression Department at Life Sculpting see our website; http://www.lifesculpting.biz/.

A Time to Rejuvenate

(This article is an excerpt from Judy Grey's presentation at the Education Forum held in partnership with Valley of the Sun Wellness Institute on June 7, 2008).

I recently came across an article that highlighted art therapy programs developed at Georgetown University Medical Center and New York University Medical Center. These programs focus on helping patients reduce fatigue, depression, anxiety, pain and stress and boost their immune systems. Basically helping them to heal and survive while they are in the medical centers. The positive results of these art programs have placed value and importance on the arts in health care. I'm not surprised at these results as the Arts themselves are full body sensory activities and so put us in touch with our bodies. And when we are in touch with our bodies we are in touch with our minds and souls as well, helping us to feel 'alive' again. So of course when we begin to integrate the arts into our lives we feel rejuvenated, and when we neglect to have them in our lives we feel the loss – even if we can't identify it....
So if the arts can reduce these physical symptoms in patients it would stand to reason that the arts can play the same vital role in healthy individuals; reducing fatigue, depression, anxiety, pain and stress and boosting immune systems; aiding in a happier, healthier, more successful life, helping us feel 'alive' again..

So - Let's get clear about the effects on our bodies, minds and souls when we don't have a creative outlet – or when we have become expressionless.

In the Body; lack of expression may result in low energy, feeling tired all the time, trouble sleeping, carrying too much body weight, head aches, or any unexplained aches and pains.

In the Mind; lack of expression may result in depression, anxiousness, irritability, lack of focus, feeling overwhelmed, reacting to events and people instead of enjoying them, being dreamy or withdrawn, or lack of emotions.

In the Soul; lack of expression may result in feelings of isolation, not feeling connected with others or with “God” (or a higher power), feeling confused, lacking a sense of direction or purpose, or in general feeling discontent.

So - how do we get the arts back? How do we get back in balance? How do we infuse creativity in our lives?

Making any kind of changes in our lives always require a commitment and also a direction. It will mean letting go of old ways of thinking and patterns that don't support you're new creative lifestyle.

So first let's take a look at what a balanced creative life might look like;
Being creative takes courage, time and commitment
Infusing creativity means finding the time for a focused conversation
It means Acting instead of Reacting
Drawing instead of Withdrawing
Feeling and Revealing instead of moving on without regard
Infusing creativity means living a life filled with intention
Being open to options and opportunities
Being creative means that everyday situations, places, people and ideas begin to reveal a meaning never seen before.

So the first step towards infusing creativity into your life is to Stop, Look, Listen.
Stop being busy for busy-ness sake, slow down, take moments in your day to stop thinking. Purchase a watch that has an hourly alarm to remind you to stop and take 3 deep breathes each hour. Stop.
Let's take a moment right now to stop, close your eyes and take in a slow deep breath, follow your breathe as it moves in through your body. Feel it move down to your toes, feel it rush through your limbs. As you exhale push your breath out, follow it as it leaves your body. Take another deep breath in, release your thoughts, watch them come in and go out with each breath. Take another deep breath in, sink into your chair, still your mind, relax and breath out, and another breath in ...Sit in the silence.....stopping for 1 minute....

Look really see your world. Try this experiment and create a poem. Look around you and pick an object to focus on. With little thought just start to jot down what first comes to mind about your object. Write down any emotions it invokes, phrases that come to mind, or words to describe it. When it feels complete - read it aloud and give it a title. Notice that when you were focusing on the object for your poem you weren't thinking of the laundry or getting the car fixed or...and ....

Listen really listen to your world. This one is like the looking part except with your ears. So I want to invite you to do another experiment. Close yours eyes and listen; report out loud what you hear. Notice as much as possible in your environment. Do you feel a breeze across your face?........ What do you smell? ..... Now move from listening to our outer world to listening to your inner world. Start by doing a body scan, beginning at your toes notice if you are feeling any sensations in your body? .... Where? .......What does it feel like?..... Is it pleasant or unpleasant? ..... Does it have a color?.......Does it have a shape? ...... Now Open your eyes. If you have paper and markers or colored pencils handy, whip them out and capture the sensations you 'heard' in either your inner or outer worlds. It doesn't have to look like any thing in particular. Because you're trying to capture something abstract – a sensation, a feeling or a sound so it will look however it needs to look....

When you Stop, Look and Listen you become aware of your body. When you are aware of your body it helps you to feel more deeply and quiet your mind. When your mind is quiet you become more creative, when you are more creative you feel a release of emotions. When you release emotions and quiet your mind you are then able to move out of your body, out of your mind and Know yourself in another way. When you know yourself in another way you are able to see the world in another way, your perspective changes. You see alternatives where once there were none, you see love and connections where once there was pain and isolation.

Creativity rejuvenates our lives by solving are problems.

So the next time you cross a street – you will probably automatically stop, look and listen. The next time you stop, look and listen consider the path you are taking, take a deep breath, look at your world in a new way and listen from your heart. You will have just taken the first step toward infusing creativity into your life.

REMEMBER. . .

The theme of memories comes to mind this month, in honor of Memorial Day. Sometimes when we look back on our lives and remember – it can bring up painful feelings or memories; regret, guilt, sadness, missed opportunities, loss of friends and family and even wistfulness that it isn't as good as it was back then.....

If we define ourselves with these past feelings and memories we will feel the same past regret, guilt, sadness, missed opportunities, loss of friends and family, and wistfulness – in other words we suffer - again. When you remember an event do find yourself getting just as worked up as if it happened only yesterday? Do you look for memeories to validate your sadness, anxiety, etc.? Do you anticipate future events that also validate your sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, anger, etc.? Thinking and defining ourselves based on our past experiences, feelings, and emotions, keeps us in our past (or future) and out of our present. The present is what is real - and oops - it is always changing to the next present and the next. We can check out our emotions each moment and watch them change into the next moment. Being present does not allow for anything to attach to it - space is opened up as each moment goes on to the next present moment and the next. The present is a flow of ever changing moments.

When we do not live in the present we are out of balance. During your day begin to take notice what you are thinking about. Notice the times you are either thinking of something that happened in the past or what you will be doing in the future. Your body responds to these thoughts - so listen to your body as well. When you are thinking your past and future thoughts how did your body respond? Did you feel sensations, did you cry, laugh, did your heart ache, your stomach feel sick.....? Your body becomes a container holding on to the responses to your thoughts so that you actually carry around those past and future thoughts, becoming one with them. When this happens, and it happens to all of us, we now begin to define ourselves from the past or future. Over time our thoughts take up space preventing a free flowing of our life energy. We become out of balance

Being out of balance effects all areas of our lives; behavioral, physical, emotional and spiritual. One aspect of ourselves can not be effected without the other, we are holistic beings. Daily we are bombarded with more to process, if we are also continuing to process our past this can become overwhelming.

But we can restore balance in our lives. Being creative, I believe, is the first, middle and last steps to take in order to do so. Participating in the arts helps us to re-connect all parts of ourselves with our Life Force. The arts take us out of the past or future and pull us magically into the present. As Burnell Yow! says, “Art isn't just some guy's name.”

So in honor of Memorial Day try some of these creative suggestions:

Listen to music, really listen for each instrument, close your eyes and feel it.
OR
Drum with others in a community drumming circle and feel the entrainment and powerful beat
AND
Move your body to its inner rhythms – move like no one is watching!
AND
Draw a squiggle on your paper and just keep drawing – don't think – lay down colors and feel them.
THEN
Write a poem about your creative experiences capturing how you felt in the moment.
NOW
Sit back and reflect on your creative endeavors feel your connection to joy.


Create something every week, every day!

QUOTES TO PONDER

“More and more we are coming to understand the need to engage in processes that integrate all aspects of self: the body, mind, emotions and spirit. Simply put, we cannot integrate all aspects of self without involving all aspects of self. We do not become creative by thinking about it. We reawaken our creativity by engaging in the process of creativity.” Natalie Rogers, The Creative Connection, Expressive Arts as Healing, 1993.

"In our new, experience-centered Age of Aquarius, creativity is of heightened importance because we face a new world that demands creative new solutions to new problems. This need for creative solutions, I believe, is one reason why ever more poeple are turning to alternative medicine. The old ways just don't work, and alternative medicine grants us not just the condition of health, but also the experience of healing." Drhama Singh Khalsa, M.D., and Cameron Stauth, Meditation as Medicine, 2001.