Sharing Your Creative Expression...Express Yourself!

Here is my latest one. I was at a loss for "what to paint" . And could feel like I wanted to. So I put on my favourite soul tracks and then "saw" a spiral in my throat expanding outwards. And then did what I can only describe as ...went wild on canvas 

:) 

https://youtu.be/UE6KMHtf-Ik

Dear Open ,

After a long day of feeling contraction which ended with a snotty bawl on the floor ,here is what came through. I have started painting using flow acrylics. A beautiful technique that is completely non- directional . You just pour acrylic paints onto canvas and LET THEM FLOW ! 

:) 

It looks like I'm in that place on the path where the soul is trying to find the right expression and the way of stepping more into service through the creativity instead of trying to figure out from the mind how my being on this earth may be useful and serving.

The creative flow is taking me into the world of fascinating experiences of how do I see and feel all around me and then how more intimate I become myself with those experiences. It's like exploring the ever-changing-me and my new way of communication or relationship with all that is. One example of this process could be when I immerse myself into the nature with the camera in my hands. It's very interesting to find the difference between how this wondering creature in me is seeing and sensing everything through the eyes and how then it is all reflected through the camera lens. My experience is that through the camera lens the same world may look entirely different - colours, shapes, light and shadows. I always ask the question - what the reality then is? (And the obvious answer comes - what ever I want to create and actually creating for myself). The other example can be my experience when I started making my voice recordings for the videos and films that I want to create. I stepped into more intimacy with my own voice, when speaking now I hear myself somehow differently than before, now I less hear of what I'm saying but more feel how saying, the vibration of the voice. It's all about increasing self-awareness through staying within while engaged in the external.

I already wrote earlier about intuitive photography / filming. Just finished the new short video which I felt to make suitable for meditation, it has the voice instructions at the beginning and then leaves one for their own journey and experiences in the space of visuals and sounds. Sharing here with you, Dear Openhanders. Would be interesting to know what you think and how you experience...

With love to everyone 

Asya

Hi everyone! 

I wanted to share this writing that came to me today:

Hats off to everyone in 2020 who has come out the other side with renewed perspective. Those who didn't let ego get in the way of seeking out truth. Your humbleness inspires me!

Hats off to all who looked their challenges in the eye and said "you are my friend, because you make me better understand myself". Your courage inspires me!

Hats off to everyone who found new alignment in their lives, not despite of, but BECAUSE of their challenges. Your determination inspires me!

Hats off to the heart people, who despite being surrounded by fear, judgment and dogma decided that the most important thing right now is to show each other compassion and embrace community. You understand Bill and Ted's immortal words, "be excellent to each other". Your love inspires me!

Hats off to the warriors who stood their ground and reminded us that repression is NOT okay. You put aside your fear and stood up for what is right. Your strength inspires me!

Hats off to the go-getters who adjusted and adopted, showing us that it's possible to survive and thrive in any situation. Your resourcefulness inspires me!

Most of all hats off to YOU, dear reader. You make the world a richer, more colourful place. You bring something to this world that nobody else in existence can - your own unique and beautiful being. So, keep it up! You are valuable beyond words!

Lots of love you all

Richard

Hey thanks Open,Aphrohedi and Anastasia for your encouragement. Its so nice to feel welcomed here. 

It has taken me quite awhile to come out of my shell and be seen so I do appreciate pos feedback. 

Anastasia, I am still not sure why your song touched my heart so, but when I do I will post something. The words are so beautiful.

I am enjoying all the creative writings here, jolly good stuff I say! 

love to you all

Zee

First off, Zee welcome :)  I did not know you are new to the site and want you to know that I appreciate your contributions and I am happy to see you here!

Gary, I LOVE the lyrics you wrote!  I especially like the line 

Might raise a dagger or a toast

To the deepest part of me

I see lyrics and poetry as messages or sparks to growth...they often evolve as you do and do MUCH more for me than parables (a personal choice).  I am excited to explore your words further when I have a bit more time.  Thank you for sharing!

I saw a bunny run across the street on solstice morning and thought it odd as I have never seen one on a road before (except when camping).  The night before I had heard a beloved song called "Cornflake Girl" and it mentioned "rabbit, where'd you put the keys girl?" and the week prior I was fascinated by a song that is named "lost keys, blame Hoffman", which is my maiden last name...I decided to seek out other "rabbit" related songs to see if there were some messages that I need to hear from songs of the past that have now evolved.  I went back to one of my favorite albums from 2000, by one of my favorite bands that has a song called "Rabbit King" and these lyrics REALLY struck me more than they ever had (and this is an album I hear AT LEAST once every six months or so). 

"I used to wake up behind the wheel; I used to hurt before I could feel; I used to cower in every direction; I used to tolerate without discretion." ~Rob Wynia of Floater

I feel that a similar lesson is to be sought from your words 

Is that a shadow in the night

Yeah, perhaps the time is here

I could tell if I had more light

I could see without the tears

I leave a white and turbid wake

Heading for a vast unknown

It’s a call I can’t forsake

I can feel it in my bones

I am light filled.  I have been spreading my "shine-ease" for my entire human lifetime...I am working to embrace the darkness so as to be balanced...a "call I can't forsake...I can feel it in my bones."  Thank you for the precious insight to explore...VERY POWERFUL.

Namaste,

Heidi

Nothing better for me than when the creative flow comes out into lyrics. The Solstice and Full moon were amazing for this over the weekend. A very sacred experience for me.  I was reading Melville on Friday night, thinking of how he & Moby Dick were largely overlook in his lifetime. The line "I leave a white and turbid wake, pale waters, paler cheeks" stuck me as very poetic/lyrical. So I wrote the lyrics to this song, opening with the first part of that line, in honor of Melville (& the great Quest.) Chorus is blank as that  usually comes out collaboratively... Namaste.

I leave a white and turbid wake

Cast my fate upon the stars

Not sure why I’ve given chase

Or just what the dangers are

Might be a white whale or a ghost

Might roam the forest or the sea

Might raise a dagger or a toast

To the deepest part of me

It’s the night that leads me on

As it cloaks the mystery

Is it the moon now or the dawn

That’s the greater friend to me

[Chorus Goes Here]

It’s been months now since I sailed

But it feels like years to me

Guess time crawls when you’re jailed

(Or) when you’re not who you want to be

Is that a shadow in the night

Yeah, perhaps the time is here

I could tell if I had more light

I could see without the tears

I leave a white and turbid wake

Heading for a vast unknown

It’s a call I can’t forsake

I can feel it in my bones

So exquisite and simple; thank  you for sharing Zee!

I bless

I drink

it's  me

I am it

I die

I am earth

a tree

drawing rain

feeding streams

living water

I drink

I bless

ej 17.12.17

Thank you, Open! 

Your kind words mean a lot to me 🙏🏻

What I’m experiencing right now is a real sense of time not being linear, but more spiralling from the outside and in, with themes reinventing themselves through ‘new’ circumstances. I’m seeing my whole life from a ‘quantum’ perspective. I’d go as far as to say that everything I have done/experienced up until now has been a preparation/rehearsal for this moment in time. And I’m kind of in awe of how wisely (and bravely) my soul chose the challenges it chose.

Even with one of my toughest experiences, I can now see, that not only did I draw it to me, I literally jumped at the opportunity when it arose. It’s quite a head spin when you suddenly ‘see’ these things in a totally different light.

GARY,

Your picture is absolutely stunning! I’d like to have that hanging on my wall 😊

Love,

Anastasia

Hello everyone,

I'm just loving this thread!

Several years ago, I performed in this musical called Dracula in my original language. Just for fun, while sitting around for long periods of time waiting to rehearse my scenes, I started rewriting the lyrics of some songs into English, infusing my own angles and insights into the story. I showed these adaptations to the producers and they liked them so much, I was asked to write an English version of the whole Libretto.

Lately, I have felt a strong presence - that of my Twin flame, and I suddenly found myself revisiting this particular song over and over. I'm amazed that something I wrote 14 years ago would resonate so strongly today. But I remember how every nook and cranny of me bathed in a very special and sublime energy when I wrote the lyrics to this song. Although I had no idea at the time, it is clear to me today for what or whom I wrote it...

This is the duet between Dracula and his Love, Mina, right before he grants her 'eternal life'.

LOVERS OF THE NIGHT

Can you feel my heartbeat... echo in your soul...
running through your chambers... and making you whole
Like a moth...
to the flame...
lighting up inside you
burning up the shame
whispering my name...

Follow me tonight through every shadow to a different place
I will walk with you, Yes, I will follow
guided by your grace

Can you feel my senses... seeking out your heart...
All of your defences... are falling apart
Let us fade...
unafraid...
deep into the darkness
where we find the light...

Lovers of the Night

Come along into this magic world where fairytales come true
I will come along and every breath I take
will be for you

You and I together
like waves upon the sand
Falling like a teardrop
that melts into your hand...

I can feel your heartbeat... echo in my soul...
running through my chambers... and making me whole

Let our flame reignite
Let it live forever
Let it shine so bright...

Lovers of the Night...

(The image on the video is NOT from Dracula.)

Hope you can feel it.

Anastasia

Hi Open and everyone,

I've been asked to elaborate on the 'level 0' in the spectrum of dying above. I believe this level can be touched at times when we are pure presence. In order to experience this level consistently we need to let go of our identities (ego). 

Identity creates a kind of eddy current in the flow. When no identity is there then we can flow effortlessly with the universal torus. However, if we are identified with something then we are basically making the statement of 'I don't want reality to be how it is in this moment, I want it to be how it was before'. It's like throwing an energetic tantrum! 

There is no method to experience this 'level 0' other than to let go of what's in the way - in other words for everything that isn't your essential self to die. When we experience this then the complementary energies of death and birth will be our constant companions.

Of course for a more detailed explanation of how to let go of the obstacles, embrace your essential self and live from that place, you'll have to read the whole book!! 

Much love

Rich

Open, Jen, Paul, Charlie and Scott - thank you for your feedback.

Paul - Isn't music fascinating, how we combine certain single resonances and weave them together to produce a complex sound which evokes certain feelings. I hope you're having lots of fun with it!

Jen - Ah, that's so cool that you are mixing elixirs. I can imagine it takes a blend of knowledge and intuition and will always be unique. Great to keep the creative juices flowing.

Marije - I see new branches sprouting from old, cut back ones. 

Hi Rich , 

Thanks so much for having layed out your deep explorations about different ways of dying in the day to day life . I personally have been contemplating some of those points lately as i am transitioning from one life ( the ending phases of ( different karmic loops / tendencies / pain charges ) to a new invigorated One . In the past few weeks , at times , i truly felt like the " death " or "ending " of various aspects of the Old Self ( and its habits that no longer serve ) in very Odd ways . Truly looking forward to read your book - i am sure its gonna help me go through some of the nitty gritty parts of this particular shift  & many others . 👌

Jean Bluehopi

In the spirit of this thread. I haven’t been playing piano very long so it’s chunky. But Love this song too much not to share. Finally let some soul through there at the end. :)

Hi Rich. Great to see you sharing the love. Looking forward to the read.

Keep on keeping on

Charlie

Hey Rich,

I am really impressed by the way you’ve so thoughtfully and artfully woven these different overlapping levels into one spectrum. It resonates the depth of your exploration and revelations of knowledge hard won.  I just downloaded the book and am looking forward to making the journey cover to cover! 

Inspired,

Paul

Creative expression.... At the moment I am exploring herbal/nutritional elixirs that support the natural propensity toward wholeness. These elixirs act as either a support, a catalyst or a varied blend to open the doors to what wants to release and what wants to come forward. Diving now into creating labels, words and images that express the right vibe. 

Wow Marije! That is a powerful image... To me, brings up awareness of the nervous system. ❤️

Hi everyone,

If I may share a short excerpt from my book. I created a system to explain the different levels of dying we experience in our everyday lives. I've defined death as, 'the breaking down of one reality in order to make space for another'. Within this definition we are going to different levels of dying all the time. Here's the excerpt copied straight from the book:

 

The Spectrum of Dying

The Spectrum of Dying is a model that I have created to show the different levels of death we can experience. It is by no means exhaustive or definitive. It is simply there to provide a reflection, to show how death is ever present in your life. There are nine levels, in which I’ve written some notes for your understanding and contemplation. By working with the lower levels, where dying is more frequently present in life but less intense, we can prepare ourselves better for the later stages when dying becomes a major factor in our lives.

Level 0 – The death of perceived time

This is the constant dying from moment to moment. We are no longer the same person as we were in the previous moment. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river, and he is not the same man.”

Level 1 – Very minor pain, irritation, movement of thoughts.

When we become aware of minor pains, our bubble of comfort may pop for a few moments. If we are aware of the movement of thoughts, we will notice how quickly our states of consciousness change.

Level 2 – Disappointment, not meeting your own or other people’s expectations, entering into conflict with others

When our expectations aren’t met, we realize that our filter of the world may not be completely accurate. We all experience the world through our own filters. Usually, people will identify with their filters and therefore seek to justify these expectations in order to protect this identity. Entering into conflict has a similar effect. We experience a kind of death when we realize that our perception of the world is only ours, and therefore may not be the ultimate truth. Again, those who feel that this threatens their identity will seek to argue their point and even try to convince others that they are right. To embrace level 2, we have to work with our judgement of how a situation should be. Being spontaneous is a powerful antidote to this.

Level 3 – Moderate injuries, moderate physical/emotional pain, temporary setbacks

This level challenges our more integrated and permanent identity (body and emotion) but only with moderate intensity and not in a permanent way. Being attentive to how you react to things is the way to work with this. Are you becoming identified?

Level 4 – Choosing to change circumstances, for example leaving a job, ending a relationship or moving home

These are larger changes to our lives, which may take us out of our comfort zone. However, they are empowered choices and therefore some perception of control over the situation may remain. Some grief may happen. It will also be likely that many aspects of level 3 will intensify. It’s important to always be aware of how you feel to be and letting action guide you from there. Feel into where life is taking you, without getting attached to particular goals or outcomes.

Level 5 – Forced change of circumstances, for example redundancy, your partner unexpectedly ending the relationship, your children moving out of the home

This can turn our whole world upside down. The perceived reality that you had become comfortable with is no longer valid. Grief will likely be quite strong but will ease over time. Work to let go of the old paradigm. Then, feel into the pure potential of void that has been created. What aspect of being wants to come out of it? There are always tremendous opportunities for expansion in such situations.

Level 6 – Permanent loss, for example the death of a close friend or relative, permanently losing function of the body or mind, being diagnosed with a terminal illness

We know that our reality, as we’ve identified with, will never be the same again. Of all the levels, grief is most intense in this one. Give yourself time and space to process the grief. Seek support from others. If possible create a network of people in similar circumstances. Balance this with plenty of time by yourself so that you can feel who you are within this new paradigm.

Level 7 – Final moments of life, leading to actual physical death as we begin to merge with Source

At this stage, people will gradually dissociate with their body and mind, which are no longer functioning well enough to be able to interact with the outer environment.

Level 8 – Actual death of the bodily vehicle.

Death of the body, emotions and mind. No matter what your beliefs of what (if anything) comes after death, this is the moment where the vehicle associated with this life is permanently let go of.

Notes on the Spectrum

Generally, the intensity of the death increases from levels 1–8, requiring more and more levels of surrender. However, as the levels get higher, they will also occur less frequently in our lives. It must also be said that the final two stages (7–8) are processes that happen organically, with no interference from fixed identities. Therefore, there is no resistance. With this in mind, it can be said that the death of our identity occurs in stages 1–6. These are the stages which require work on ourselves, in order to let go of outdated identity patterns. Grief tends to happen between levels 4–6 increasing in intensity through them.

It can also be noted that there may be a combination of levels at play. In complex experiences, such as the ending of a relationship or a car crash, different aspects of the experience will likely be experienced on different levels. Therefore, it’s helpful to recognise which aspects are on which levels, and also when an aspect changes levels as can also happen. Applying this means we can see what we need to give priority to when moving on, how to work with it, and the progress we make in healing.

Level 0 (which I call the “Ace”) is separate as it doesn’t fit in with the general trend of the levels increasing in intensity but happening to us less often. Yes, it happens the most often (each and every moment in fact). However, it is also the hardest to master. It requires a complete letting go of any identity. Unlike levels 7– 8 where letting go of identity also happens, level 0 requires us to face all of our pain and darkness head on. It requires a baptism of fire. We need to liberate ourselves from all of our attachments and fears until we come to a stage where we are only coming from the place of purity where our essence resides (this will be fully explained in later chapters). Only then is level 0 possible.

This Spectrum of Dying provides a model to work with. It is only by working with this concept of death (i.e. letting go of identities and embracing the emptiness beyond it) that we are able to truly live in the moment. Only by confronting our death, is spontaneity really possible. By embracing the death of all that is not truly who we are, we open ourselves up to the full majesty, beauty and magic of life.

In order to work through these levels of dying, it’s foremost important to work with our fear of death. In my observation, fear of death manifests in our daily living in two ways:

1. Fear of loss
2. Fear of the unknown