Welcome to this meditation for letting go of limiting beliefs around creativity.
Go find yourself a comfortable position,
Whatever that looks like for you.
You can close your eyes if you're comfortable doing so.
If not,
Try to relax your gaze.
Before we start,
We'll take a couple of nice deep breaths to settle into the practice.
Breathe in deeply through your nose,
Then exhale slowly through your mouth.
Again,
Breathe in deeply through your nose and out slowly through your mouth.
One more time,
Breathe in deeply through your nose and out slowly through your mouth.
For your next breath,
Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose in an even pace.
Your own pace.
Keep that breath going,
Nice and easy,
No strain,
No tension,
No nothing.
A simple breathing in and breathing out.
If there is any tension lingering in your body,
Bring your attention and your breath towards it now.
On the in-breath,
Imagine how your breath embraces the tension,
This tightness.
On the out-breath,
Allow the tension to lessen.
Now imagine you find yourself in a meadow.
Green grass rolls from one side of the meadow to the other and beyond,
Disappearing out of view just before it meets some mountains or hills in the distance.
Perhaps you see a few animals grazing or going about their day,
It's all good.
When you turn around,
You see a tall oak tree at the centre of the meadow.
There's a picnic table there as well,
Right next to it,
And a low fire that burns in a fire pit.
You look back at the oak tree,
Taking in its majestic shape,
Its size,
And you notice someone has tied ribbons to its branches.
You start walking towards the tree,
Your eyes never leaving those ribbons.
Once you're close enough,
You realise they aren't just ribbons,
Someone has written something on them.
You reach out,
Standing on your toes,
To untie the nearest one,
But just before you loosen the knot entirely,
It hits you what these ribbons are for.
They are beliefs.
All the beliefs you have about yourself as an artist,
A creative person,
All your beliefs about your creativity and the projects you're currently working on,
And the ones you've worked on in the past and wish to be working on in the future.
You untie the ribbon further,
Then straighten it out.
What does it say?
Which of your beliefs is spelled out across the fabric?
Is it a good belief?
One that empowers you as a creative?
Or is it a limiting one?
Is it a belief that might be holding you back?
Do you remember having this particular belief,
Or did you forget all about it?
If the belief feels empowering to you,
Feel free to tie the ribbon back to the branch.
Maybe you'd like to tie it somewhere else,
In a spot that makes more sense to you.
You can also keep it with you,
In your pocket or tied around your wrist,
If you could really use this reminder right now.
If the belief doesn't empower you,
If it's something that might be holding you back,
Read it again.
Whose handwriting is that on the ribbon?
Whose voice or voices do you associate with it?
Is this your belief,
Or is it someone else's?
If it's yours,
Do you remember why you created it?
If it isn't yours,
Do you know why you adopted it as your own?
What made you convinced you needed this particular belief in your life?
Has the time come to let it go?
If it isn't the right time to let this belief go,
Tie the ribbon back to the branch,
Knowing you can come back later when you're ready.
If it is the right time,
Walk over to the fire pit,
The one next to the picnic table.
Before dropping the ribbon into the flames,
Thank the belief you're letting go of for everything it has done for you.
No matter how much it is limiting you now,
It did serve a purpose once,
And there's nothing wrong with acknowledging that or being grateful for that.
Once the flames have consumed the belief entirely,
You can return to the tree and untie another ribbon,
If that's what you want to do right now.
If so,
Determine once more whether the ribbon holds an empowering or limiting belief,
And act accordingly.
If it's empowering,
Either put it back into the tree or pocket it if it's something you need to remember more often right now.
If it's limiting,
Determine how it became one of your beliefs and whether it's time to let it go.
If it is,
Go back to that fire pit,
Thank the limiting belief for everything it has done for you,
And then drop it into the flames.
You can return to the tree as often as you like.
Perhaps you want to do a few more right now.
Perhaps you want to check all ribbons.
Do whatever feels right in this very moment,
And know the tree will always be there for you when you're ready to return.
You don't have to release all limiting beliefs at once,
Take as much time as you need.
When you're ready,
Walk away from the tree in the direction you came from,
Leaving behind the majestic oak that's holding all your beliefs,
Both empowering and limiting,
About your own creativity.
Once you've reached the end of the meadow,
Take a deep breath in,
And slowly exhale as you come back to the room.
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
Give your limbs a good stretch,
And slowly open your eyes and take in the room you're in.
If you feel so inclined,
Grab your journal and write about what you've just experienced,
The belief or beliefs that showed up for you.
As you go about the rest of your day,
Remember to take it slow and be kind to yourself.
Letting go of limiting beliefs is an intensive practice,
Especially if the beliefs we're letting go of have been with us for a long time.
It will take a while to process it all.
Happy creating!
