Creative Spirituality

“Happy New Year!” Seems as if everywhere we went in January, someone greeted us with this message. A smile was on their face, hope in their hearts, optimism in their stride. And so we “hoped … made resolutions that will lead us to “say or do those things I ought to have said or done” or “to not say or not do those things I ought not to have done” … dreamed … prayed … wanted to make a new beginning.

Our intentions were honourable. We were genuine in our attempt to forgive (ourself or another); honest in our attitudes to the persons or situations which coloured our memories of 2008; humble and sincere in our inward search to ‘begin anew’.

We made lists (either on paper or in our mind) of intentions for action, resolutions: … spend more time with the children/parents/siblings/grandchildren/spouse … write those letters that seem to put to the bottom of the “to do” pile … be on time … organize the family photos … get more exercise … do the mending … go out for an evening alone with spouse … stop procrastinating … go back to - or start going - to a church/synagogue/mosque/temple … get caught up on the professional journals that are piling up … begin Christmas shopping earlier next year … enjoy the ocean shore more often … visit friends who are ill in hospital … take a leisurely stroll at sunset … make the bed every morning … write in journal … get caught up on the paperwork … eat more nutritionally … lose weight etc..

But the reality is that it all boils down to accessing how we plan to spend our time in the New Year. What specifically will we do with the precious 24 hours of each day ahead of us for the next 52 weeks - those 3,760 hours? Will we be good caretakers/stewards of the time given us?

The Greeks used two words to explain the different dimensions of time - “chronos” and “kairos”.

For most of us, the time we speak of in our day-to-day activities is the “chronos” kind; the pedantic, clock-watching, systematic notation or organization of our time. It’s those scheduled activities, or daily rituals like going to work or school or volunteer activities. It’s doing the laundry, picking up the groceries, putting out the garbage, taking the children to their after-school activities.

We’re all so very good when it comes to the “chronos” portions of our lives – those things that are noted chronologically — work, meetings, events, activities, “don’t forget’s.” Many of us have 2009 calendars already partially filled-in with many of these.

The “kairos” time of our lives is more elusive. It’s those treasured moments when we take time to simpley “be”; when we get in touch with our true selves; when we understand ourselves in relation to our Creator; when we see the miracles about us and know, beyond all knowing from an intellectual point of view, that there is something (SomeOne) - whatever name we entrust to that Essence - is greater than ourselves.

It’s those moments we spend sitting by the bedside of a sick child quietly reading a book … seeing a newborn baby … watching a caterpillar burst into a beautiful butterfly … noting the formation of clouds on the horizon … being reassured by the gentle purring of a cat or nuzzling of a dog … hearing a piece of music that sends shivers up our spine … reading a portion of Scripture we’ve read countless times before and having it ‘leap’ from the page with a meaning we’d never before encountered … receiving and giving a hug … having a smile returned by a stranger … enjoying that prayer time in the tub or shower or car on the way to work or church pew or favorite chair … being aware of the gift of our breath unassisted by mechanical means … holding the hand of someone who is dying … sitting in silence before the ocean or fireplace and hearing, in that silence, an affirmation that you are a person the Creator chose to call into being and that you are deeply loved … slowing eating a meal and truly tasting and appreciating … receiving a gift from another who, for no reason, chose to bless your day by giving you a present of time or material possession … having fun in the kitchen making a casserole or cookies you’ll share with another … gasping at the rainbow that arcs across the horizon … walking through a cemetary and being aware of the frailty and fragility of your life … laughing a deep, from the belly-kind-of-laug.

So what about the “kairos” portions of our lives? Will we take time to ’smell the flowers’ … recognize healing and compassionate presence in another’s smile, touch, phone call, visit, letter, embrace, handshake, eye contact, tears … encounter silence and solitude as gift from the Creator … see beyond the immediate moment and experience a global connectedness as illustrated by the following story:

When a man, who had just had a serious asthmatic attack and, for a few moments couldn’t breathe, recovered, he remarked “For the first time in my life, I understand that life and time are gifts! We think we have all the time in the world - and then we discover, so suddenly, we don’t!”

Remember that often-quoted proverb: “Don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today”? It’s usually addressed to those ‘chronos’ activities of our lives. Might 2009 be the year to consider new ways of connecting more intimately with our spirituality … to reflect on the “kairos” moments of your life?

Many are asking ’soul-questions’ these days - what with concerns about terrorism, the global economy, the housing market crisis, their own personal/medical crises and more. They’ve lost their ability to play, to delight, to be amazed, to be in awe, to be creative. Their connection with spirit is tenuous. Soulistry retreats and workshops are an opportunity to re-connect with that intangible soul-essence of life through artwork, silence, discussion, creativespirituality and play. No previous art experience is necessary. Come and celebrate the gift of creativity and create ‘artistic soul-space’ within you! Let your inner creativity soar with a variety of artistic expressions intended to help release your playful nature and enrich your spirituality in new ways. Engage in discussions with others and yourself about blockages to spiritual growth and creative expression.

For more information about Soulistry retreats and workshops, contact me at: junemaffin at gmail dot com

May the God of WONDER be with you, delighting you with thunder and eagle’s swoops,  sunrises, daisies, songs and baby’s laughter, enchanting your senses, filling your heart and giving you wide-open eyes.
MAY GOD’S WONDER BE WITH ME.

May the God of COMPASSION be with you, holding you close when you are weary and hurt and alone and when rain is in your heart.  May you be the tender hand and gentle eyes of compassion for another when she or he reaches out to you in need.   MAY GOD’S COMPASSION BE WITH ME.

May the God of MERCY be with you, forgiving, beckoning, encouraging you to say “Now, I will get up again.”    May your readiness to forgive those who have caused you pain, calm the fears, and deepen the trust of those who have hurt you.  MAY GOD’S MERCY BE WITH ME.

May the God of GENTLENESS be with you, caressing you with sunlight, rain and summer winds.  May God’s tenderness shine through you to all who are hurt and lonely.  MAY GOD’S GENTLENESS BE WITH ME.

May the God of SIMPLICITY be with you, opening you to a clear vision of what is real and true, leading you deeply into the mystery of childhood.   May your dealings with others be marked by the honesty which is simplicity.   MAY GOD’S SIMPLICITY BE WITH ME.

May the God of PATIENCE be with you, waiting for you with outstretched arms, letting you “find out for yourself.”   May God’s patience be your patience with all the young who fall from small heights and the old who fall from greater heights.  MAY GOD’S PATIENCE BE WITH ME.

May the God of PEACE be with you, stilling the heart that hammers with fear or doubt or confusion.
May the warm mantle of your peace, cover those who are troubled or anxious.  MAY GOD’S PEACE BE WITH ME.

May the God of LOVE be with  you, listening to you, giving God’s Self to you, drawing you close as you tremble.    May God’s love in you, light fires of faith and hope in the heart of others.   May God’s love glow in your eyes and meet God’s love glowing in the eyes of your family and friends. MAY GOD’S LOVE BE WITH ME.

May the God of TENDERNESS be with you, enfolding you with the desire to bring warmth to those who are dis-eased.   MAY GOD’S TENDERNESS BE WITH ME.

May the God of STRENGTH be with you, always, holding you close, on eagle’s wings.  May you be the sacrament of God’s strength to those whose hands you hold, whose embrace you share and whose confidence is entrusted in your listening ears and heart.  MAY GOD’S STRENGTH BE WITH ME.

May the God of JOY be with you, thrilling you with God’s nearness, filling your heart to fullness and filling your soul with an awe that is profound and wonder-ful (filled with wonder!).   MAY GOD’S JOY BE WITH ME.    Amen.  So be it.

In today’s intense world of terrorism, disasters, broken relationships, global warming, and other stressors, a spirituality of play may seem a curious matter. But, more than ever, a spirituality of play is an attitude that needs to be cultivated in our society and educational system so that children and youth can become adults who live balanced lives where laughter, joy and hope are an intrinsic part of their being.

From the Greek word selig (which means blessed) comes the English word silly. I like to think that there is something sacred about the ability to be silly – to play – to laugh and be child-like.

Many faith traditions - Christian and Hasidic storytellers, Zen masters, Taoist sages - encourage us not to take ourselves too seriously. These prophets have an important role in the spiritual life because they espouse the spiritual practice of play and as Ralph Waldo Emerson (quoted in Joy by Beverly Elaine Eanes) wrote “It is a happy talent to know how to play.” When Hindus speak of the creation of the universe, they don’t call it the work of God. They call it the play of God.

Playing is as sacred as music and silence and solemnity. In “Toward Holy Ground,” Margaret Guenther wrote “When we play, we also celebrate holy uselessness. Like the calf frolicking in the meadow, we need no pretense or excuses. Work is productive; play, in its disinterestedness and self-forgetting, can be fruitful.”

When we play - when we enjoy the fullness of life with its curiosities, frivolities and insensibilities - when we don’t take ourselves too seriously, some would say that we are praying. Like prayer, laughter and play can be healing to the body, mind and soul. Laughter and play are holy things. When we play, we leave behind the daily stressors and allow our spirit to breathe and re-create.

Literature, the Arts and holidays remind us of the importance of playing – of giving ourselves permission to be silly and foolish … artists from Russia in the 15th century often featured the yurodiva, a kind of “holy fool”, in their paintings. April Fool’s Day is a day for laughing, for playing kind and gentle jokes, and for trying to trick friends. On the last day of the nature festival “The Huli” in India, people have fun by sending friends on impossible errands, such as finding a stick with only one end. In Native American Traditions, Coyote is the Trickster. In the Aztec tradition, Coyote is called “God’s dog.” In Hollywood, Wile E. Coyote always played tricks on the Roadrunner and they always backfired.

A spirituality of play helps us live with mystery, paradox and absurdity of life! So few people grasp that concept, sadly. It’s in the spirituality of play that helps us come to know ourselves, as Teillard de Chardin wrote - not as human beings having a spiritual experience but as “spiritual beings having a human experience.”

Perhaps now is the time to open / re-open the doors of flexibility, intuition, vulnerability, child-like innocence, and spontaneity. If the Creator created anteaters, duck-billed platypuses, giraffes, clownfish, pink flamingoes and us (!), surely the Holy One has a great sense of humour and invites us to nurture a spirituality of play.

May you make time to play, laugh, and “be” in all of its wonder, simplicity, learning and joy each day of each week. And through that play, may others come to recognize that they are human be-ings, not human do-ings and that when they create, they are expressing their be-ingness, their spirituality. Namaste. June

The reason for my joy is simple. Three-fold, actually. For almost five years, I’ve been dealing with mercury poisoning which brought a variety of unpleasant side effects etc., but this past year, energy has been returning slowly but surely; my first e-book is about to be launched; and Soulistry has been evolving - to the point that 2009 bookings are coming in and 2010 too … including an invitation to offer a week-long Soulistry Workshop in Italy in 2010!

Talk about being humbled and encouraged in this new Soulistry venture! Wouldn’t I just love it if people signed up for the Soulistry week so I could get to Italy? You bet! Even though I do try hard with the calligraphy, damage done by the mercury poisoning is calligraphically restricting though gratefully, it hasn’t stopped me from being creative in other ways or in teaching others to play, create and grow spiritually … thus, Soulistry!

I hope your curiosity about Soulistry will encourage you to check out the rest of this Soulistry website and my ArtID blog and Gallery (http://artid.com/members/soulistry).

Should you be interested in the Tuscany (Italy) Soulistry Retreat in 2010, send me an email (junemaffin at gmail dot com) and should you know of any group/organization who might welcome a Soulistry Retreat or Workshop, would be appreciative of your passing on information to them. I’m learning the importance of networking!

In the meantime, may you be blessed this new year in ways you can’t even ask or imagine; may there be grace-filled moments of joy, peace, love and hope; and may the world be a kinder place for all.

The busyness of life grabs at us … the anxiety produced by the seemingly never-ending economic woes with predictions of recession and depression scream at us on the evening news. No time. No energy. No creative juice. No zest for life. “What’s the balance?”

Maybe it’s in giving ourselves permission to be a human “be-ing” rather than a human “do-ing.” Expectations (self-imposed, others) infringe on our lives, and so often we don’t allow ourselves to simply “be” …

I wonder - instead of doing everything which seems to be draining to the extent that the passion-to-create , the desire to spend quality time with self/family/close friends is no longer paramount (or maybe even existent) in your day, maybe it’s time to set aside In this Season of Presents, give yourself the gift of Presence … presence to yourself. In so doing, you give yourself permission to do nothing ‘productive’ from a worldly perspective for a specified time (a morning; a day; a week; etc. ).

Instead, let yourself play … dabble with new colours and shapes with no thought to the outcome; dance and sing and hum to music in your studio … have no judgment on what is being created; no “job” in mind; no thought as to how it can be used “down the road” … simply the joy of creating … for its own pleasure … for whatever time frame you give yourself.

Before you know it, the time you take to simply “be” will become the catalyst for that precious balance you so genuinely seek to emerge.

You can do it all — over time … one day “this”; one day “that”. Acknowledging your problem is half-solving the problem. The other half comes “in time.”

The Greeks have two words for the English word time: Chronos and Kairos. Chronos is what we refer to as chronological time. Kairos is that sense of time that is ethereal, magical, mystical, spiritual. And that’s what “being” is all about.

And yes, this is what Soulistry workshops and retreats offer - a help for people to learn to simply “be,” because in our be-ing the spirit grows, wholeness emerges and personhood evolves.

Hope you’ll give yourself the Gift of Presence … soon - not just at this Season of Presents time of the year … but all year round! June

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