Cathy Fike of One World/One Vision says that, in our society, we believe that spiritual work must be serious. Her class, Creative Meditation, challenges this assumption by asking you to create in the name of fun. Her idea came from the “artist’s date” encouraged in Julia Cameron’s guide to creativity, The Artist’s Way.
The idea is to link into intuition while working on a creative project in a meditative, altered state. You let the outside world pass you by and let go of the restless mind while expressing yourself creatively. Even though your body is in motion, stress is reduced and, unlike closed eye meditation, this links your body to Spirit, giving you a different access to the Life Force.
Any time you engage the body, you can do Creative Meditation. It can include dancing, pottery, painting, drawing, flower arranging and so on. While focusing on a project, the ego is set aside and the true self can be expressed. For example, using your non-dominant hand to paint and letting go of the ego or critical self, the focus is on the movement and just having fun. Most people don’t realize this is needed to help balance us, so they don’t set aside time for it.
The group dynamic expands intuition. In one class, everyone was asked to focus on the same person and paint their energy. When comparing the artwork later, they were amazed to find they each had used the same colors, turned their paper in the same direction and portrayed the energy in the same way! When we see what we’re capable of creating, we are empowered.
Contact Fike at 859-468-8522 or go to oneworld-onevision.com for information.
CONTACT JANET BERG via her Web site, www.janetberg.com
This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 5, 2003.