The day before my retreat. I’ve spent the last four weeks putting together a syllabus and outline for my first Spiritual Artist Retreat which starts tomorrow. As I sit here at the table and view the yard outside, I notice the intense stillness. No wind. Cloudy sky. No birds at the feeder. A very silent morning. In some ways, I’ve planned for this retreat for many, many years. It was at Virginia Cobb’s Santa Fe workshop that I realized the incredible gift in artmaking; the experience of co-creating with a Divine Intelligence.
I know that the world outside my window operates from an incredible intelligence. I hear a crow caw far off in the distance. He is claiming his aliveness. It was through my yearly trips to Santa Fe that I remembered my connection to a Greater Power and it is through the act of painting that I found myself. Perhaps that is why I have spent the last month planning for this first art retreat. I find myself trying to recreate that moment from my past. But that is not mine to do. This morning, I remembered the truth. It is not mine to force the creative process. I need only let go and let Spirit direct me to the perfect outcome; be that painting or a better way of living. My morning inspirational reading reminds me of this spiritual truth. “We need not coerce; we do not create the power, but we must let this great power operate through us,” according to New Thought leader Ernest Holmes. I know that I must stop efforting, get quiet, and listen. Listen for the direction of Spirit and let myself flow with it.
As planned, I will gather my painting supplies, notes, and activity handouts and drive to Lake Texoma but I now remember that at any given moment I may scrap my agenda and follow the lead of Spirit. The creative process is about listening to that intuitive voice, trusting its guidance, and letting it take you to new manifestations.
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