Welcome to this meditation that's designed to help you ignite,
Or perhaps re-ignite,
The spark of creativity that you have within you.
It's not required,
But you may wish to have a journal or piece of paper to hand to note down some words,
Phrases or sketches after the visualisation when invited to do so.
If you don't have paper or journal,
Don't worry,
You can still do the full practice.
This session can be used for any creative project,
New or ongoing,
Whether it's art of any kind,
The written word,
Composition of music or business related endeavours.
Please sit with your back supported for comfort.
Be in a position where your body is relaxed and at ease,
And let yourself settle into a receptive mindset,
Open to whatever today's session might bring.
Check in and relax your legs from your toes all the way up to your hips.
Soften your abdomen and let your belly move a little bit with your breath.
Place your arms in a comfortable position and let any tension release from your neck and shoulders.
Soften your jaw,
Your forehead and around your eyes and invite your eyes to soften and still.
Take a deep breath in,
Pause for a moment at the top and let a slow breath out,
Pausing again just for a moment at the bottom.
Take your time with two more of these long breaths,
With me or at your own pace.
Full breath in,
Pause and long breath out and pause.
Inhale deeply and slowly and pause and exhale all the way out and pause.
Now begin to breathe naturally and in your mind's eye,
Imagine being in a cabin.
Picture the room around you with dark panelled walls punctuated by large windows that are framed with long curtains.
A stone floor underfoot worn smooth bears witness to the age of the room that you're in.
One wall is a grand stone fireplace with an old iron grate inside,
Logs and smaller sticks stacked in a metal basket to the side.
It's early in the day,
Before dawn,
But soft lamps light the room enough to show the traditional tools of your creation,
Whether that's easels and canvases in front of a window,
Musical instruments and microphones,
An old-fashioned typewriter at a beautiful wooden desk or simply a pen and paper.
This is a historical place of inspiration and creation.
The room is still chilly from the night,
So why not build a fire before settling in to create?
Fortunately,
You have just what you need.
You place a hand close to your heart,
Take in a deep breath and slowly exhale.
Within you,
There is a spark,
Deep in your heart,
A spark totally unique to you that's always there whether you notice it or not.
You feel the warmth of the spark spread out to your palm.
Very carefully cup the spark in your hand and look at this beautiful,
Sparkling light,
Intense and bright as you hold it in front of you.
Breathe in gently and as you slowly exhale,
As if through a straw,
You notice the spark shining even brighter in response to the breath,
Shining brighter when you turn your attention to it.
Crouch down by the fireplace and use the spark to carefully light some of the smaller twigs and kindling in the grate.
Go slowly and patiently and begin to build the fire.
Take your time,
Act methodically and enjoy the process rather than being tempted to rush.
Once you have a kindling of light,
Continue to care for the fire and build it up bit by bit.
You're not disturbed or concerned about whether other people believe you can build a fire or not.
You just do the work.
Know that if you dilute your attention by checking your phone or email rather than tending to your fire,
It will lose its momentum and some of its energy and distractions may seem appealing whether it be playing a game or meeting friends or cleaning the house or tending to other work or personal obligations.
But know that unless you spend time with the fire,
It will not establish itself enough to be beneficial.
And finally,
Don't allow yourself to have any doubts about the end result,
Whether it will be hot enough or last long enough or stand the test of time.
Simply tend to the fire and enjoy its growing heat.
And this fire represents your inspiration and creative energy.
There is always a spark within you,
But in order for creativity to flourish,
It needs attention,
Time and care.
You can keep the creative fire going as long as you embrace the process,
As long as you show up.
If you neglect the fire,
You leave it for a week or a month or a year without any effort,
No doubt it will fizzle out.
But know that the original spark in your heart that started the fire is very special and it will never go out.
So if it's been a while since you created anything,
Don't worry,
Your spark is still there.
If you've previously lost momentum on a creative project,
Know that the spark can be reignited again.
This isn't to suggest you should leave your project to a future date,
For tomorrow or the next day or next week or when things are just right.
The fire in the future hearth isn't keeping you cozy and warm now.
So while the creative fire may have previously reduced to embers,
Today it is stoked up and burning bright.
Have confidence in yourself and turn up the corners of your mouth.
You're ready to participate fully in the creative process.
So in your mind,
Allow yourself to sit and admire the fire in the hearth.
Safe and cozy and warm,
Settle your mind into an open and receptive space,
Free from expectations,
Resistance or anticipation.
Allow ideas to form in your mind's eye,
Start to see in your mind's eye a vision of what you may wish to create today.
Allow images and words to pop into your mind,
Or allow phrases to form and take shape.
You can continue to do this practice in your mind,
Or if you prefer now,
Reach for your journal or paper and write down ideas and words and sketches and doodles.
Release judgement while doing this process,
Let go of a need to label what arises as good or bad.
Just let ideas flow,
And if nothing comes to mind,
It's okay.
You can use this time to free write anything at all,
Even if it's listing tasks or voicing issues so as to clear space in your mind.
I'll give you a little time now to dwell in a creative space.
Don't seek an end result or finished product.
Whatever you create today,
You can add to,
Take away from,
Use or abandon over the next few days,
Weeks and months.
A masterpiece takes many sessions to evolve,
But none could exist without the first step.
If you've found a train of thought or thread of creativity that you wish to continue with,
Feel free to pause until you're at a suitable stopping point,
And restart the audio when you're ready to complete this session.
If you're ready to end your practice for today,
Take a deep breath in and sigh it out.
Thank yourself for taking time out of your routine tasks of the day to begin connecting to the creative spark within.
Regardless of whether you have an idea that you want to pursue or not,
This time has been valuable.
It takes commitment to a creative process to yield results.
If possible,
I recommend repeating this practice daily,
At the same time,
To create a routine of creativity.
As the writer William Faulkner said,
I only write when I'm inspired.
Luckily,
I'm inspired at 9 o'clock every morning.
Keep turning up for yourself.
Whether the kindling sometimes feels a little damp or the fire burns bright,
Be committed to showing up regularly in order to gain unstoppable momentum.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be free,
And may you enjoy your creative process.
Namaste.
