Between the earthquake and the eclipse
Creative surprise keeps us on our toes
When last Friday's earthquake rumbled directly underneath my house, shaking it from foundation to timbers, the awesome power of the earth moving beneath my feet reminded me very tangibly of how change can happen when we're least looking for it.
Unlike the solar eclipse, which we know will unfold right on schedule on April 8, 2024, earthquakes are unpredictable and uncontrollable.
The dimming of the sun during the eclipse will be a potent event, but because I know to the second when it will start and finish, it will not have the earthquake's power of radical surprise.
While I'm grateful that our recent New England quake was relatively mild, it has me thinking about how, in a security-obsessed culture, it can be good to experience a bit of risk and uncertainty.
If we extend this metaphor to the creative process, an eclipse is like an outline, while an earthquake is like a free write.
Of the two, I prefer the free write, because I always prefer to be surprised by what I write.
For example, when I sat down to write this post, all I knew was that I wanted to write about the earthquake and relate it somehow to the creative process. On the strength of that very hazy intention, in the process of writing, I discovered a contrast between what I might call "eclipse writing" vs "earthquake writing." Who knew?
In the past couple of weeks, before and after my trip to California for the Bioneers conference, I began drawing radiantly lit caves inside the craggy mountain with the hermit's hut on top, a motif that had showed up earlier.
Now it occurs to me to wonder: did my drawing of the caves somehow anticipate the earthquake?
On the evening after the earthquake, a new element entered my intuitive drawing: a double-headed ship, moving towards the cave-riddled mountain with the hermit hut on top.
What does this ship represent? There is no way for me to know, and I don't want to overthink it.
I'm enjoying how this progression of intuitive images keeps me constantly surprised. It's like rumblings from the deep recesses of my psyche, keeping me creatively on my toes and wondering what will come next.
In our era of algorithms and GPS, where it seems that everything has already been charted, thought and graphed, there is something both reassuring and enlivening about realizing how little we know about the deep workings of our Earth and our psyche.
What about you? How is your creativity emerging this spring? What is keeping you surprised and engaged?
Coming up….An Inspiring Author Conversation
On April 17 at 7 pm Eastern, I’ll be hosting a free online Green Fire Press author conversation with Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle, author of Ley Lines of Love: Adventures Along the Spiritual Path. A dedicated practitioner of Buddhism, Olivia shares many remarkable stories about her inner journey, including the joys of learning from enlightened teachers. She also recounts how her years of involvement with a devotional tradition from India ended in an archetypal story of disillusionment. In her compelling, deep and far-ranging memoir, she confronts legacy issues connected to her family and illustrious ancestry, while tracing the intricate “ley lines of love” that span cultures, centuries, and countries.
Register here to receive the zoom link.
Come with me to Tuscany this spring!
Step off the beaten path of your routine life and join me for a fabulous Il Chiostrowriting workshop May 25 - June 1, 2024 at the luxurious Borgo San Fedele, a meticulously restored monastery set in exquisite gardens amid a classic Tuscan landscape of olive groves and vineyards.
Our days will unfold in a perfect balance of guided writing and productive sharing; excursions guided by our Il Chiostro hosts to nearby picturesque medieval towns; coming home to San Fedele to relax by the pools and gardens, eat delicious meals and visit with new friends; and taking time for your own contemplative writing and thinking.
You’ll come away from this magical sojourn simultaneously enlivened and relaxed, with a deeper understanding of your purpose in writing memoir, along with many pages of new writing providing a plethora of potential doorways into the story of your life.
More information (and beautiful photos) here.
Ready to book? Click here.
Come Riding & Writing with me in Iceland this June!
I have not found a better creative tonic than RIDING and WRITING in the spectacular Icelandic countryside. Join me in the height of the bright summer season, June 10 – 16, 2024.
Every day we’ll ride out on sturdy, sweet Icelandic horses through the expansive rolling vistas of western Iceland, led by our experienced guides from Hestaland. Once you’ve experienced the exhilaration of the fast, smooth tolt, a gait unique to Icelandic horses, you may not want to go back to the trot!
We’ll eat delicious meals together at the beautiful Hestaland Guesthouse and participate in thoughtful, open-hearted guided writing sessions.
There will also be plenty of time for sharing and discussing your writing projects and visiting the nearby hot spring spa at Krauma.
Learn more about costs and accommodations on the application form.
Whether you’ve been to Iceland many times, or this will be your first experience there, this trip is sure to be transformative!
More information (and beautiful photos) here. Email me with any questions!
Friends, it’s my pleasure and my passion to support you as we stretch towards living our lives creatively and to the fullest.
The motto of my author consulting business is “Writing to Right the World,” and the motto of my book publishing business, Green Fire Press, is “Books that Make the World Better.”
If these intentions resonate with you and you are working on a book, or have one in mind, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Supporting creative people bring their work more strongly out into the world is one way I try to make the world better….
