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. At the time, I had been studying the chakras and how they relate to creative expression. Wheel like forms of energy can actively radiate from within and without our bodies. A personal experience led to wanting to understand more about how openness in various areas of our combined spiritual, emotional, mental and physical selves can lead to inspiration, motivation and renewal. Pinpointing this opening, I began my own search to learn more about where the creative forces originate within us and how each chakra might have an influence. Since I was so vividly aware of this new openness, the previous closure also had to be acknowledged. “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin I gathered from my own collection of books ones which might contain useful insights. Replacing one book, another one dropped from the shelf into my lap opening as if I were sitting there cross legged on the floor already reading it. Feeling invited, I began reading the paragraphs in front of me and had to laugh at the coincidence. I reach for another book that I started reading a few years ago, “The Untethered Soul” by Michael A. Singer. I remember enjoying what I’d read and could see I’d highlighted in yellow, sentences and paragraphs, all the way up to where I stuck the bookmark before it found its way back onto the shelf. Here in two books was the same message. In Singer’s

Artist of Life, Drawing from Within book, I had stopped reading at the chapter that said we cannot isolate ourselves in order to avoid feeling by Patti Lightflower 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 opened to a subject about the differences between ego pain and soul pain and how to: “transform that ego pain into a process that leads to the deepening of personal awareness and insight. This is done by becoming open to the learning that is present in the situation.” The past two years of isolation many of us have had in common, but how much time before may have been spent laying down a path toward safe isolation, protective inner wall building, or both? “It’s not enough merely to exist. One must have freedom, sunshine and a little flower...” ~ Hans Christian Andersen - The Butterfly Do we have the freedom and encouragement to be open? Societies and cultures direct us to maintain composure and self-containment. The definition of these terms relates to being independent and complete as an individual. Openness is one of the personality characteristics that is tested for in the Big Five Personality Profiler. People who score high in Openness to Experience tend to be more creative, willing to try new experiences and are more selfaware. If one scores low, they are likely to be fixed in their attitudes and preferences and prefer to live a life “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was of routine. I wondered how these scores might relate more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” to the chakras. A Chakra Test is available and easy to find on the internet at the Eclectic Energies website. It’s fun to take and my results seemed to fit how I related with myself. A book that was suggested for additional

reading just happened to also be on my bookcase shelf. “Eastern Body, Western Mind” by Anodea Judith includes some helpful ways to look at the chakra system along with psychology as a path to self. I appreciate how her lists include describing the seven chakras as rights and as demons, referring to productive and counterproductive aspects. According to Judith, the 1st Root Chakra as a right is ‘to be here’, and as a demon it is ‘fear’. The 2nd Sacral Chakra as a right is ‘to feel’, as a demon it is ‘guilt’. The 3rd Navel Chakra as a right is ‘to act’, as a demon it is ‘shame’. The 4th Heart Chakra as a right is ‘to love’, as a demon it is ‘grief’. The 5th Throat Chakra as a right is to ‘speak’, as a demon it is ‘lies’. The 6th Third Eye Chakra as a right is ‘to see’, as a demon it is ‘illusion’. The 7th Crown Chakra as a right is ‘to know’, as a demon it is ‘attachment’.

The previously mentioned book, “The Untethered Soul”, contains a few helpful tools for observing self and being aware of when you are holding onto your stuff and staying in a protective state of being. Choosing to stay protectively safe and avoid any disturbance to the status quo becomes the norm. The author shares “If you let go and stay in the seat of awareness, what you are noticing will pass. If you don’t let go, and instead get lost in the disturbed feelings and thoughts that arise, you’ll see a sequence of events unfold so quickly you won’t know what hit you.” ….. “You’ll look at the clock, and five minutes will have gone by, or an hour or even a year. You can lose your clarity for quite some time.” So true! If one is wallowing, it might be ego pain rather than soul pain with a choice to stay enclosed or an opportunity to burst free and blossom.

If there is a personal significance to the magnificent display of coordinated flight by the starlings it might have a connection to their openness to the experience.

“It’s the heart afraid of breaking That never learns to dance.

It’s the dream afraid of waking That never takes the chance.”

~ Bette Midler, The Rose Bio for Patti Lightflower: I have always enjoyed working with textiles. As a child I watched my grandmother turn colorful cotton feed bags into play clothes. I designed and made dresses for my dolls from scraps of fabric and shoes for them from orange peels, which I pretended were leather. I’ve attended art classes at the University of Cincinnati in the 70’s and have studied with textile artists at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, as well as with many other professionals in their studios over the years. My long-time passion has been the study of hands along with their owners, being creative and expressing my artistic side allows for manifesting something tangible whereas reading hands is more esoteric.

Patti Lightflower can be contacted at pattilightflower2 @gmail.com and more information can be found at her website: https://www.ireadhands.com/

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The goal of Religious Recovery is to reach out to those in need of healing Wayne Holmes’ Every Path Leads Home is a beautiful book of acceptance. For anyone from religious who has been abused by the supposed rules and strictures of a church or congregation organizations or pastor, for anyone who has come to see or religious religion not as a faith experience but rather as a set of ironclad rules, for anyone who has individuals. grown weary of the struggle to find God by whatever name:

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