Tapping into Your Creativity Through Rituals

There's nothing like a good 40-hour a week job to stifle creativity. Creativity needs room to flow and seep into the many folds of your brain matter, flowing in circles and inlets of energy but never quite regimented into a set path or a daily grind. Inspiration and creativity go hand in hand. Without inspiration, there is little creativity. But, where does inspiration come from? Dare we suggest that inspiration comes from that place beyond our conscious ego, what transpersonal psychologists refer to as the transpersonal self? How does one coax the transpersonal self to make an appearance and lubricate our creative joy back into physical reality? Is it true that in order to be creative we must embrace messiness and chaos in our lives? Or is there some orderliness we can obtain that implies creativity and a union of the subconscious with the conscious drive of man in physical reality?

Routines And Rituals

Some of the most creative people actually have routines to enhance their creativity. These routines seem aimless at first, a sort of ritual to loosen the fetters of the analytical mind and welcome the shadows of the intuitive self into being. In transpersonal psychology, ritual is a form of sacred work that is said to help one move into greater awareness of the invisible worlds of the subconscious and powerful Creator within. But, ritual implies a very regimented form of priestly actions, which is really far from the actual case. Ritual is any form of simple act that engages the transpersonal self to make an appearance. It often takes on a life of its own and is not regimented into some final conclusion. Usually, ritual begins within a set framework to encourage the transpersonal self to engage and begin to dance in harmony with the conscious mind, but after that, it is a dance of pure creation. The results may differ for the same ritual every time it is performed.

Free Association and Journaling

Julia Cameron has written one of the most defining works on the creative impulse entitled "The Artist's Way." It is full of wonderful information how to bring the juices of genius back into your life. Everyone has genius in his or her life; just not everyone allows that genius to bear fruit. But, every single person has it. Julia encourages writers to engage their inner genius through the use of a routine called "morning pages." Upon awakening, one is to keep a journal and write whatever comes to mind for at least four pages. This simple act of faith and ritual establishes a built-in confidence that words will indeed flow from your pen, if put to paper. They do not have to initially even make sense. They speak of something within and that transpersonal quality touches off your creativity and prepares you to establish a foundation for a creative career. In Julia's mind, creativity is linked to spirituality and she calls it a "spiritual force."

Taking A Walk

Einstein was a highly creative individual, even though his field was involved with physics. Einstein had a habit of walking home, and some years after being at Princeton he and Godel, another fellow professor, became his walking companion. They would walk to work at Princeton and they would walk home, all the while discoursing on philosophical and scientific subjects. Walking is a form of meditation in Eastern cultures, when done with mindfulness, but it can also be a ritual if done daily and with intent. This walk to and fro from Princeton may have been just a necessity to get to work, but it also underlies the creative potentials of daily routines such as walking. Enhancing the ritual by involving the participation of another soul makes the solitary practice a community ritual that brings new energies of creativity into being. And, of course, one of the other odder rituals Einstein had was his unwillingness to wear socks.

Invite the Muse Through Meditation

Since most of our inspiration comes from the subconscious realms, it's only natural to want to plug into them regularly if you want to be highly creative. Thomas Edison used to take catnaps when he was particularly stumped by a problem. Some even suggest he practiced meditation.

In fact, meditation is a wonderful way to get in touch with what lies under the veneer of our every day lives. Often, we are too busy to really pay attention to our world or the sources of our inspiration. If we learn to sit in silent meditation, we become more aware of our selves, our thoughts, our feelings, and this leads to greater communication between the transpersonal self and our every day self. A ritual of 30 minutes of meditation a day can weave wonders in the mind's clarity and ability to focus it.