Artist of Life,
Drawing from Within by Patti Lightflower
A river of starlings flew into the Juniper tree in my backyard while I was looking out a window a few weeks ago. More birds than seemed possible filled this small evergreen that suddenly shimmered with movement. They burst like a puffball all at once, swooping over my roof, quickly returning and burst again from the tree another two times before flying away. It was an unbelievable live performance of nature, a murmuration, right before my eyes. I felt blessed and gifted and filled with delight. As is my nature, I soon began wondering what kind of sign this was and what could be the message.
Here in two books was the same message. In Singer’s book, I had stopped reading at the chapter that said we cannot isolate ourselves in order to avoid feeling pain or getting hurt or situations that could be what is personally risky based on one’s own life experiences. The other book, “The Creation of Health” by Caroline M. Myss and C. Norman Shealy, had ƌŝǀĞƌ ŽĨ ƐƚĂƌůŝŶŐƐ ĨůĞǁ ŝŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ :ƵŶŝƉĞƌ ƚƌĞĞ ŝŶ ŵLJ ďĂĐŬLJĂƌĚ ǁŚŝůĞ / ǁĂƐ opened to a subject about the differences between At the time, I had been studying the chakras and how ego pain and soul pain and how to: “transform that ŽƵƚ Ă ǁŝŶĚŽǁ Ă ĨĞǁ ǁĞĞŬƐ ĂŐŽ͘ DŽƌĞ ďŝƌĚƐ ƚŚĂŶ ƐĞĞŵĞĚ ƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ ĨŝůůĞĚ they relate to creative expression. Wheel like forms of ego pain into a process that leads to the deepening ĞǀĞƌŐƌĞĞŶ ƚŚĂƚ ƐƵĚĚĞŶůLJ ƐŚŝŵŵĞƌĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ŵŽǀĞŵĞŶƚ͘ dŚĞLJ ďƵƌƐƚ ůŝŬĞ Ă energy can actively radiate from within and without of personal awareness and insight. This is done by Ăƚ ŽŶĐĞ͕ ƐǁŽŽƉŝŶŐ ŽǀĞƌ ŵLJ ƌŽŽĨ͕ ƋƵŝĐŬůLJ ƌĞƚƵƌŶŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ďƵƌƐƚ ĂŐĂŝŶ ĨƌŽŵ our bodies. A personal experience led to wanting to becoming open to the learning that is present in the understand more about how opennessĂŶŽƚŚĞƌ ƚǁŽ ƚŝŵĞƐ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ĨůLJŝŶŐ ĂǁĂLJ͘ /ƚ ǁĂƐ ĂŶ ƵŶďĞůŝĞǀĂďůĞ ůŝǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽ in various areas situation.” The past two years of isolation many of of our combined spiritual, emotional, mental and us have had in common, but how much time before ŶĂƚƵƌĞ͕ Ă ŵƵƌŵƵƌĂƚŝŽŶ͕ ƌŝŐŚƚ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ŵLJ ĞLJĞƐ͘ / ĨĞůƚ ďůĞƐƐĞĚ ĂŶĚ ŐŝĨƚĞĚ Ă physical selves can lead to inspiration, motivation may have been spent laying down a path toward safe ǁŝƚŚ ĚĞůŝŐŚƚ͘ Ɛ ŝƐ ŵLJ ŶĂƚƵƌĞ͕ / ƐŽŽŶ ďĞŐĂŶ ǁŽŶĚĞƌŝŶŐ ǁŚĂƚ ŬŝŶĚ ŽĨ ƐŝŐŶ and renewal. Pinpointing this opening, I began my isolation, protective inner wall building, or both? own search to learn more about where the creative ĂŶĚ ǁŚĂƚ ĐŽƵůĚ ďĞ ƚŚĞ ŵĞƐƐĂŐĞ͘ forces originate within us and how each chakra might “It’s not enough merely to exist. One must have freedom, have an influence. Since I was so vividly aware of this sunshine and a little flower...” ~ Hans Christian ƚ ƚŚĞ ƚŝŵĞ͕ / ŚĂĚ ďĞĞŶ ƐƚƵĚLJŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĐŚĂŬƌĂƐ ĂŶĚ ŚŽǁ ƚŚĞLJ ƌĞůĂƚĞ ƚŽ ĐƌĞ new openness, the previous closure also had to be Andersen - The Butterfly acknowledged. ĞdžƉƌĞƐƐŝŽŶ͘ tŚĞĞů ůŝŬĞ ĨŽƌŵƐ ŽĨ ĞŶĞƌŐLJ ĐĂŶ ĂĐƚŝǀĞůLJ ƌĂĚŝĂƚĞ ĨƌŽŵ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ Do we have the freedom and encouragement to be ǁŝƚŚŽƵƚ ŽƵƌ ďŽĚŝĞƐ͘ ƉĞƌƐŽŶĂů ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ůĞĚ ƚŽ ǁĂŶƚŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶ “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud open? Societies and cultures direct us to maintain was more painful than the risk it took toĂďŽƵƚ ŚŽǁ ŽƉĞŶŶĞƐƐ ŝŶ ǀĂƌŝŽƵƐ ĂƌĞĂƐ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ĐŽŵďŝŶĞĚ ƐƉŝƌŝƚƵĂů͕ ĞŵŽƚŝŽ blossom.” Anais composure and self-containment. The definition Nin of these terms relates to being independent and ŵĞŶƚĂů ĂŶĚ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂů ƐĞůǀĞƐ ĐĂŶ ůĞĂĚ ƚŽ ŝŶƐƉŝƌĂƚŝŽŶ͕ ŵŽƚŝǀĂƚŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƌĞŶĞ complete as an individual. Openness is one of the I gathered from my own collectionWŝŶƉŽŝŶƚŝŶŐ ƚŚŝƐ ŽƉĞŶŝŶŐ͕ / ďĞŐĂŶ ŵLJ ŽǁŶ ƐĞĂƌĐŚ ƚŽ ůĞĂƌŶ ŵŽƌĞ ĂďŽƵƚ ǁ of books ones personality characteristics that is tested for in the Big which might contain useful insights.ĐƌĞĂƚŝǀĞ ĨŽƌĐĞƐ ŽƌŝŐŝŶĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ ƵƐ ĂŶĚ ŚŽǁ ĞĂĐŚ ĐŚĂŬƌĂ ŵŝŐŚƚ ŚĂǀĞ ĂŶ Replacing one Five Personality Profiler. People who score high in book, another one dropped from the shelf into my Openness to Experience tend to be more creative, lap opening as if I were sitting there^ŝŶĐĞ / ǁĂƐ ƐŽ ǀŝǀŝĚůLJ ĂǁĂƌĞ ŽĨ ƚŚŝƐ ŶĞǁ ŽƉĞŶŶĞƐƐ͕ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ĐůŽƐƵƌĞ cross legged on willing to try new experiences and are more selfthe floor already reading it. Feeling ďĞ ĂĐŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞĚ͘ invited, I began aware. If one scores low, they are likely to be fixed in reading the paragraphs in front of me and had to laugh their attitudes and preferences and prefer to live a life at the coincidence. I reach for another book that of routine. wondered scores might relate “And the day came Iwhen thehow riskthese to remain tight in a bud wa I started reading a few years ago, “The Untethered to the chakras. Soul” by Michael A. Singer. I remember enjoying more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ŶĂŝƐ EŝŶ what I’d read and could see I’d highlighted in yellow, A Chakra Test is available and easy to find on the sentences and paragraphs, all the way up to where I internet at the Eclectic Energies website. It’s fun to stuck the bookmark before it found its way back onto take and my results seemed to fit how I related with the shelf. myself. A book that was suggested for additional
Artist of Life, Drawing from Withi
18
by Patti Lightflower
Spring Splendor 2022
