Muse Mess(ages)

"Sleeping Muse" at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Musing...

“The muse is the mystic force, but you are the master.”  ~ A.D. Posey

Charise’s Turn:

This is the last blog post for 2017, and for Kate and me, a second year of collaborating on a book based on inquiry into the nature of creativity. When we began, we didn’t determine a deadline, but rather a timeline (monthly phone calls and individual assignments). We knew we had an unwieldy task that would require a great deal of listening―to each other and to muse messages. 

Sometimes, in the midst of such a process, you have to tolerate the “mess” in “messages”. It’s as if there’s a translation going on, from the nudge of the muse into language you can grasp. And this process can hit rough spots… overwhelm…and then breakthroughs! For the mastery to happen, stick to it―whatever your current creative mess is―you will feel blessed in the end.

"Men talk as if victory were something fortunate. Work is victory." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Get Fired Up:

What is your current mess(age) of inspiration? Listen to the muse. 

Winter Fire

Musing…       

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” - Albert Schweitzer

Kate’s Turn:    

Autumn, closing in on winter, is typically a time to slow down, reflect and harvest the fruits of our year’s labor, and to ready ourselves to rest and restore through the seemingly dead of winter.  The non-activity of winter is really about dormancy; the life cycle has a period of rest and restoration before the new blossoming season. 

This is the natural life cycle of creativity as well. When we feel flat, uninspired, and lethargic about our creative manifestations, it may just be a time of dormancy and a call to rest. When we don’t feel our fire internally, it also calls for faith and trust that its dormancy will be rekindled when conditions support our creative spirit to outpour once more. And those conditions just might be an invitation or encouragement from someone. I recently received an email from someone who had been given one of my notecards; she wanted to see more of my work. At a recent art fair, I was lit up by interest in my creative work and affirmations of how it spoke to others. My winter fire felt warm and bright.

Going with the flow, making the best of a down time, and trusting that our creative spirit will once more be rekindled are all active ways to honor a time of rest…to keep our winter fire ablaze.

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next." - Gilda Radner

Get Fired Up:

Light a candle, enjoy a bonfire……honor your inner fire…..rest in it.

Collaborate, inspire another as a way to rekindle their creative spirit.

 www.kroskalifecoaching.com

Fierce Art

Chihuly Glass Installation, 
New York Botanical Garden

Musing…

“Whenever I read a poem that moves me, I know I'm not alone in the world. I feel a connection to the person who wrote it, knowing that he or she has gone through something similar to what I've experienced, or felt something like what I have felt. And their poem gives me hope and courage, because I know that they survived, that their life force was strong enough to turn experience into words and shape it into meaning and then bring it toward me to share. The gift of their poem enters deeply into me and helps me live and believe in living.” - Gregory Orr, author of Poetry as Survival

Charise’s Turn:

Poet Irina Ratushinskaya, who passed away on July 5, was imprisoned for three years in a Soviet labor camp during the 80s. She continued to write secretly while confined––by writing poems in soap (with the burned tip of a matchstick). She would memorize these poems, and then wash them away to avoid discovery. Her remarkable story is testament to the unstoppable power of creativity.

From “I Will Live and Survive” by Irina Ratushinskaya:  

“And I will tell of the first beauty 

I saw in captivity. 

A frost-covered window! No spy-holes, nor walls, 

Nor cell-bars, nor the long endured pain – 

Only a blue radiance on a tiny pane of glass…” 

Get Fired Up:

It’s not only poetry that is life affirming––it’s any product or expression of your creative spirit. In these days and times, we need all manner of fierce art to help shoulder the burdens we endure, and to connect us to all of humanity.

www.charisehoge.com

Creating our World

Musing…       

"Man can no longer live for himself alone. We must realize that all life is valuable and that we are united to all life. From this knowledge comes our spiritual relationship with the universe." 

–– Albert Schweitzer  

      

Kate’s Turn:  

It seems as though there are no words for the amount of suffering, tragedy, trauma and loss felt in our communities, our families, and at times, in our own lives. Here in the USA, I don’t know anyone who isn’t affected, if only by a small degree of separation; we all know someone who suffers from the impact of natural disasters, social or political challenges in their lives. How do we speak of creativity in this light except to know that we MUST create a world that unites us in supporting all life. We must weave a web of loving connection. Love is how we repair the garment of our destiny, for love is the greatest transformative energy we have. Everything responds to love. Let us pray and send out our loving arms and hands to those who suffer – create a world you want to live in.

"It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly."  –– Martin Luther King, Jr

Get Fired Up:

How can you participate in making this world a better place for all?

www.kroskalifecoaching.com

Out in the Open

Musing….

“Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.” - Kahil Gibran

Charise’s Turn:

While visiting my daughter in Denver, we walked by an extraordinarily welcoming front yard – terraced with blooming plants, painted rocks, pinwheels, figurines, and a large banner with the words “Welcome Friends”.  This is a children’s garden, a memorial garden “created to honor the lives of all children everywhere cut off from childhood at an early age. May you feel the love they had for life in every flower and where the flower blooms no more, remember the bloom it once held” (quoted from the largest painted rock). Two women tend this garden, the mother and grandmother of Shelby, the child they lost to cancer. 

Shelby’s grandmother sits on the front porch and shares stories of passersby who have stopped, and one who asked for a rock to be added in honor of a loved one. What impresses me is how this single family brings acceptance of loss and the transformative power of love out into the open–– into community, with nature and whimsy. To stand at this garden is to see the smiles of children.

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Get Fired Up:

We all have experiences that stay in the dark of our existence. What can you bring out into the open to behold?  

 www.charisehoge.com

Bearing Fruit

Musing…         

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”   
- Nelson Mandela

Kate’s Turn:

I love visiting the farmer’s market every weekend during this time of year. The display of the season’s abundance is a beauty all its own.  The inevitable outcome of a small seed, given the proper conditions, becomes nourishment for our becoming. The energy at the market hums with pride and delight – I always feel happier there, celebrating all those miracles of creative manifestation.

We also can manifest and bear fruit when we nurture and tend the dream seeds we hold in our hearts…a work we are passionate about, a home furnished as an expression of ourselves, a meal created from the fresh produce perhaps we have gardened ourselves…the possibilities are endless. It may seem that our desires are impossible to realize, but the life force within us holds the power to manifest the seed’s essence. We just need to get out of the way, and nurture its growth to the bearing of its fruit.

“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.”   - Rumi

Get Fired Up:

What fruit are you anticipating in this season of your life?                                                             
How can you nourish and be nourished by it?                                                                               
Enjoy!

www.kroskalifecoaching.com

Embark

Musing…

“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.” - Albert Einstein

Charise’s Turn:

Summer imparts the energy of manifestation, of full flowering from roots unseen. Where I live, we are having a heat wave. It’s not officially summer, but this is a summer evening - I am typing with candles still lit from dinner and a whiff of peonies in the vase. Loath to blow out the candles and turn on lights, I’m counting on this set-up to work some magic for your attention. To my right are the galleys of an upcoming publication, to note any errors and send back to the publisher. It’s a tedious task, and a joy. A collection of poems will soon be printed, in a perfect bound book, part of the physical universe.  

The choice I made two and a half years ago to submit my writing, rather than leave it on my desk, is an example of embarking on a commitment. Have you made a commitment of this nature? If yes, you will not fail, because you have an unfailing desire to create. How this manifests is a mystery to be revealed, a flowering. If you have not made a commitment, what are you waiting for? An unfailing desire to create awaits! It’s yours, for you to own. I dare you.

Get Fired Up:

Borrow the manifesting energy of summer; dare to commit to the unfailing desire to create.

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” - Maya Angelou

www.charisehoge.com

Flowering

Musing…        

And you—what of your rushed

and useful life? Imagine setting it all down—

papers, plans, appointments, everything—

leaving only a note: “Gone

to the fields to be lovely. Be back

when I’m through with blooming.”

- from "Camas Lilies" by Lynn Ungar 

Kate’s Turn:

Spring can be so busy – a new change is visible every day in the natural world – and in our own world as we awaken from the winter’s rest. Spring invites us to the playful, spontaneous opening, flowering, birthing of all things new. It calls us to abandon ourselves to the abundant creative force within, to our own inevitable blooming. We simply forget our serious selves and follow our inner being of love and joy – our blooming will be gift for all. I followed my love of spring flowering by enJOYing the 70,000 bulbs in bloom at our local arboretum – so, so lovely! 

“Love the work.  Destiny will do what it wants with you, regardless.”   - Elizabeth Gilbert

Get Fired Up:

Let’s get serious about play!   

Join the spring abandon to your own fertility and destiny of flowering…you have it in you!                                                     

www.kroskalifecoaching.com

Serendipity

https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/
striking-light-from-ashes-by-charise-m-hoge/

Musing…

“Risk-taking, trust, and serendipity are key ingredients of joy. Without risk, nothing new ever happens.  Without trust, fear creeps in. Without serendipity, there are no surprises.” - Rita Gelman, author

Charise’s Turn:

I have a great respect for timing. Last summer Ancient Rhythms Dance performed at a benefit for Afghan immigrants and refugees. We danced in the middle of the room where a buffet was served and families gathered. The music system was a little off and it was overly warm, but I was genuinely happy to offer joy through dance as an act of welcoming. It was here that I met Rahela Majidi, who appreciated the physicality of our artistic expression, and talked about her art medium of oil and watercolor painting.

Fast forward several months, when Finishing Line Press accepts my poetry chapbook for publication. Rahela is the one person who comes to mind for the book cover art.  I scan her “dreaming peace through art” facebook page and find exactly what I imagined. It’s as if her painting was commissioned for my title and collection of poems, except that the piece is already finished. In spite of the fact that she doesn’t really know me other than the one time we met and conversed, Rahela is ready to share this painting with the publisher. It’s this kind of occurrence that makes the world seem magical. Truth is, magic thrives on initiative.

Get Fired Up:

Be prepared for serendipity. Keep an open mind and heart to the possibilities for taking initiative.

“If one has fear, there can be no initiative in the creative sense of the word. To have initiative in this sense is to do something original - to do it spontaneously, naturally, without being guided, forced, controlled. It is to do something which you love to do.” - Jiddu Krishnamurti

www.charisehoge.com

Shimmer

Musing…       

“… still and still moving…”    - T.S. Eliot

Kate’s Turn:

I love the paradox of this quotation. Mother Nature multitasks at this time of year with apparent minimal activity in our lingering winter landscapes while much is shimmering with eager-to-emerge life beneath the surface. Some cultures, such as Celtic traditions, celebrate spring earlier than our March 20 calendar date, as the return of the sun celebrates the successful passing of winter and the making way for spring. The lengthening light of Father Sun awakens the receptive Mother Earth to germinate new seeds. Our own fire of inspiration can warm the ideas that shimmer within us towards new growth.  

“Spring rain softens the Earth with surprise…may your winter be kissed by light.”                             

- John O’Donohue

Get Fired Up:

What new life shimmers within you?                                                                                               
Light a candle to honor the sun’s rebirth...welcome your own rebirth.                                
Visualize your life blooming with creativity, with renewed energy and strength.

www.kroskalifecoaching.com

A Date With Your Self

National Building Museum

Musing….

“Do what intrigues you, explore what interests you; think mystery, not mastery.”

- Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

Charise’s Turn:

Julia Cameron will encourage you – all of us – to go on a date with your self on a regular basis to do something inspiring, whimsical, fun. Pay attention to what interests you, and schedule time to explore this either on your own or with like-minded company. You may think this is a good idea and park it in the back of your mind. I’m here to say, don’t wait. Also, once in a while, let a large-scale eventuality take shape (look at the size of the maze in the photo!).

Taking a trip to India has been a distant dream of mine. It was never a good time to go – too many demands, too much time away, too much cost, a great interruption. There are always obstacles if I think of it this way. But I’m ready; I’ve pressed go, purchased a ticket. It has become imperative to me to experience the culture and connect to the source of the yoga practice I’ve been teaching for eighteen years. That imperative is not exactly a need; it’s a want that sparks my imagination.

“The world is but a canvas to our imagination.” - Henry David Thoreau

Get Fired Up:

Go on - go on a date with your self (solo or not) that has nothing to do with your day to day routine, but has everything to do with discovery. Call it an adventure, allow yourself to be open and play-full.

www.charisehoge.com

Time

Musing…        

“The trouble is, you think you have time.”    -Buddha

Kate’s Turn:

The beginning of a new year prompts us to pay attention to time. Most feel as though things are speeding up, that there is less time. I believe that the concept of time is a constant. Our perception, however, can have us feel as if there is not enough time, or that time seems to be dragging on, or that we have lots of time. We have choices about how we use our time; therein lies our power. My intention is to cultivate creativity; hence, my choice is to consistently devote daily time towards this goal. My 2017 calendar is titled “Cultivating Creativity – awakening the artist within.” Each daily quotation offers encouragement and inspiration in this endeavor. Today’s quotation is the one above by Buddha. It made me take pause as I realize how recklessly I sometimes use my time, being distracted by the rush of life coming at me and putting off my creative intention. How much finite time we have remains a mystery; our choice of how to use our time remains in our power.

“When the sun first comes up and shines on you, your shadow is big behind you. But as you continue to sit, your shadow gets smaller and smaller, until finally it’s just Buddha sitting there. You sit on your black cushion, your mind and body rhythms become slower and slower, quieter and quieter. You begin to be aware of the One Great Thing. Everything is simple and direct, and there is much more space from which to live.”      -Jakusho Kwong Roshi

Charise and I continue to devote time towards our creative collaboration with this blog. We get to experience the creative process in action; it is such a delight!  More updates to come.

Get Fired Up:

So, my fellow creative spirits! What is your relationship to time? Mindfulness about your choices, moment by moment, can cultivate your creative expression, all in due time.

The time is NOW

www.kroskalifecoaching.com