You are a Miracle, And an Artist
Have you noticed many of us, maybe even you, might be walking the world just existing? Do you recognize the sheer beauty of the simple moment? Can you see the miracle it is that you are even here; talking, breathing, peeing, eating? And did you know that, when you invite your imagination into your one wild life, that things can change? We get stuck in the much of our stories and forget that creativity is ever present in each moment. Many of us are just too busy to notice. Or too scared of change.
I am much more enchanted with my life than I have ever been. Yesterday, I saw one of our cosmo flowers turning towards the sun. Amazing. This afternoon I ate a soup made with vegetables from our garden. It is amazing to me that the rich dirt in my backyard can produce something for me to eat; to nourish myself. Why wait for God to come in fireworks? That creative presence is here now. Right now. Just look around and if you can't see anything that is a miracle, walk right over to a mirror and look into it. You will see a miracle. You will also see an artist.
We need our creativity to reenchant this world. Enchantment is one of my favorite words. It means a feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual. I am learning to like myself again. All of me. And in turn, I am learning to really like this wonderful and unusual world. When we think of ourselves as artists, we open to creativity, and a willingness to create over and over again. We reenchant the world. We can be shape shifters, with the assistance of something much bigger and deeper, that ourselves. An artist is not just someone who hangs a painting in a gallery. We are all artists because we have the ability, with our imagination, to create something new and inspiring every moment. It's hard to believe when many of us have been walking around with blinders on; blinding ourselves from ourselves.
Suzi Gablik, in her book, The Reenchantment of Art, says, Overcoming the crisis of disenchantment has become the greatest need of our culture at this time. As M. Scott Peck demonstrates in The Different Drum, we cannot save our skins without saving our souls. We cannot heal the mess we have made of the world without undergoing some kind of spiritual healing. Before proceeding to tackle the “arguments”, however, it might be useful to pause for a moment and consider what your concept of a successful “artist” is. What qualities does she have? What sort of “stance” in the world? Is the image that forms in your mind one that you can believe in? Is there anything about it that you would like to change?
Do you see yourself as a man or a woman with power? A power that can recreate your life? And the world while it's at it? Are we brave enough to re-imagine ourselves? To explore who we are and wonder, maybe we are not what we thought we were? To know that power, we begin with our feet. We get to know our roots; like a tree. Begin with your feet and like a tree, see what grows from it.
Thank you for echoing and clarifying enchantment. I should have known that you would share with me being amazed at the simple beauty that is everyday life.
namaste
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