Creativity and Spirituality: the Enduring Path

A New Video and TeleSeminar from Emily Hanlon

2015-01-30T13:31:00.000-05:00

How do we access the wisdom of a life ― wisdom gained through love, risk, successes, failures, challenges met and challenges refused?

How do we process and grow with our heartache, passion, laughter and the constant cycles of birth, life and death that are our constant companions?

In my new six month TeleCircle, Tales of the Crone As Told by the Crone, we will do this in a very particular way: through storytelling, whether it be as fiction, memoir, myth, fairytale, poetry or allegory...

And who is our storyteller?
The Crone who lives within each of us and, in her wisdom, compassion and humor, has been a lifelong companion, whether we acknowledge her or not. And when we acknowledge her, what then?

To find the answer, please watch my new video: Tales of the Crone As Told by the Crone.
View on YouTube.

The TeleCircle meets every other Thursday, starting March 5 at 7 pm eastern time and runs for 2 to 21/2 hours. Each session is recorded.

Early Registration: 12 TeleCircles plus one private session: $600.

Early Registration ends on February 10. Fee after February 10 is $700.

Circle is limited to 10. All TeleCircles are recorded.

Register Now. Save $100 when you register by February 10

Email Emily: emily@emilyhanlon.com

phone: 914.962.4432

Remembering True Self

2014-11-27T09:36:00.001-05:00

I have come to believe that the most challenging aspect of the spiritual journey is the simple act of remembering that we have a True Self who, if allowed, guides our path with grace, compassion, and expectation. Remembering is easier when life is peaceful, but it is quite another thing to remember, much less call upon True Self, when we are in the midst of an emotional storm.

Leading an aware life comes from remembering that you are

The Deeper Journey of Creativity and the Soul

2014-04-17T19:50:00.000-04:00

What we yearn deeply to be, we already are.

Our birthright stirs in the beating of our heart. Our creative expression holds the key. We yearn, struggle, fear, flee and sometimes touch that birthright. Only to run again. Forget again. Forget our creative source, our creative being.

The deeper journey of our creative endeavors is about remembering... about touching with love the deeper creativity that takes us home. What that deeper creativity is holds potential beyond our mind’s ability to conceive.

What is the source of your creativity?

What is your vision of home?

Letting Go, A Poem

2014-03-28T10:41:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I cut back the rose bush’s dead blooms.

She did not argue.

There was nothing to protest.

Thank you, I said,

holding her wisdom in my heart.

Healing the Wound of Forgetting

2014-03-20T03:38:00.000-04:00

Risk: An Essential Ingredient in Creativity

2014-03-19T11:50:00.000-04:00

You cannot be truly creative until the gypsy in you dances.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Imagining your creative desires is the first step on the journey to getting them. The pursuit is not an easy one. Creativity doesn’t just happen. Wildly creative people aren’t the beloved children of the Fates. Creativity is hard work. It is risky business. Creativity is something we must choose every day of our lives.

Creativity is active and passionate. Creativity is about doing and feeling. The rich fertile ground where creativity is born and nurtured lies in the heart and the gut. Creativity rises from the unknown, the unseen, the forgotten. Creativity laughs and cries, it dances and sings, it creates and destroys.

How Do We Attain Creative Success?

2014-03-14T22:00:00.001-04:00

Nourish your creativity and it will nourish you! It's a two-way street, really!
To be “successful” in creativity we cannot lust after outcomes. This does not mean that we do not desire to have our book published, our play produced, our song heard, our garden flower, our path known. It does mean that we have to, as Emerson said, "Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience."

Does nature want her flowers to bloom, her grass to green and her sun to shine? Does nature want day more than night or summer more than winter? Does nature, the most creative force in life, want anything?

Why Do We Impoverish Our Creativity With Wanting?

2014-03-05T19:54:00.000-05:00

The Alchemy of Unattached Creativity

The creative flow is an organic process that embraces and defines us when we open to it from the heart and not the mind. Its success cannot be defined by fame and fortune. Its success is a deepening of soul, a greater awareness of the expansiveness and truth of our being as well as our connection to others. For as we serve our own deeper truth, we are serving as a guide into the deeper truth of the greater society.

Creative spirits have been historically and mythically the light bearers for human kind. We are the risk takers, those who journey beyond the boundaries of human consciousness into the Mystery where knowings that serve as keys to destiny can be found.

When we become skilled practitioners of creativity, we journey with a kind of unattached consciousness. By this I mean, we are mindful that we are on the journey without needing to control its outcome. This is vital, for creativity rises up the great seething chaos of the unmanifested and moves towards the manifesting of that which has not been before. This is the ongoing journey of transfiguration of the human soul and creativity is its midwife.

Prayer to Grace

2014-02-15T11:20:00.000-05:00

Search for me in the barren desert of false self.
Search for me in the bitter landscape of fear.
I wear my loathing like a skin I did not know I grew.
And now I wonder:
How many skins lie below this skin,
the ghostly remains of a motherless child.

Grace be my Mother,
Cradle my frightened self.
Breath sweetness into my heart.
Say a prayer over stillborn selves
Smooth away the dead skins.
My stillborn selves hunger
For the sweet breast of Grace.

Making Your Own Inner Wisdom Cards

2014-01-26T18:37:00.001-05:00

"What if you knew that the impulse to move in a way that creates beauty in the world will arise from deep within and guide you every time you simply pay attention and wait? How would this shape your stillness, your movement your willingness to follow the impulse to just let go and dance?" ~Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Have you ever made your own Inner Journey Wisdom Cards? Would you like to make some of your own. This is a very creative, magical and deeply healing process.

Although sometimes you start out with a card in mind, more often then not, the card evolves. The process is so engaging that you yield to the card that seems to be created by a force outside of you!

The process deepens as you ask the card for a message, as you will see by clicking on some of the cards below. Sometimes, the image on the card is so powerful, that you don't feel you need anything but the image. If you are interested in making your own cards and would like to work one-on-one with me on this fascinating journey, email me or call 914-962-4432 for information.

Yes, we can do this on the telephone!

How Is Water the Key to a More Fulfilling Life?

2014-01-18T15:30:00.001-05:00

Do you have the patience to wait
til your mind settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
til the right action arises by itself?
~Tao Te Ching

Water flows in the path of least resistance. This is not a sign of weakness. On the contrary, water is one of the most powerful forces on earth. Water flows around, over and under. With the patience of the seasons, water carves its way through mountains. Water falls from great heights with nary a thought. It sparkles in sunlight and whispers to the soul on a moonlit night. Water is serene and violent, clear and murky, shallow and deep. All this without regrets.

This is the nature of water... Water is true to its nature.

What might your life look like if you did not fight against the natural currents and rhythms of your true nature? How might your life change? In exploring the nature of water, we deepen our awareness of our own deep, true Self.

Who Am I Really? We Define Ourselves Through the Distorting Mirror

2014-01-12T11:03:00.000-05:00

A great deal of what we think about our self, how we view our self in the world and whether we think we are "good" or "bad" people, sensitive or insensitive, successful or a failure, compassionate or selfish is defined by viewing our self from the outside looking in. This includes the self-defining stories that arise out of family and culture; they are the creation of ego, whose home base is fear.

When we define our self through these distorting mirrors... and they really are distortions...we see our self from the outside looking in.

Once you begin to ask the questions, the outer world, ego-view of self begins to take second place.
“Who am I? Who am I really? Who is the me beyond the mask, beyond the thought, beyond the roiling emotions, beyond family, beyond culture, gender, race and religion,? Ask questions such as these and the outer world, ego-view of self begins to take second place.

There isn't a person alive who doesn't view herself or himself through a distorting mirror, to a greater or lesser degree. The heart, the soul and spirit call us to turn from this distorting mirror, if necessary to smash it with the sword of the Spiritual Warrior, and walk into the embrace of the one you truly are.

The Fire Inside Yourself

2014-01-05T10:07:00.000-05:00

Are you looking for a personal coach who understands the specific challenges that you, as a creative woman or man, face as you struggle to find your place in the world and the path that your heart yearns to follow?

My Creativity and Spirituality Coaching Is Designed for You!

Do You Know How to Uncover the Real Plot of Your Life!

2014-01-03T09:41:00.003-05:00

"Perhaps we could say that the soul joins the great Actors' Guild
of the Human Race when it takes a physical body and is born on earth." ~ Vivian King

Woke up early to a slowly graying sky and a snow laden world. So beautiful as I stared out my window. I thought, however, to go back to sleep, but Phoebe, my dog, had other ideas. She wanted out, or at least thought she did! Once I opened the door, I had to give her a strong nudge, and while she went about her business, I went about mine of making coffee! By the time Phoebe scratched to come in, the coffee was done and she and I, with coffee cup in hand, went back upstairs ― she intent on curling up under the covers, me intent on reading the book with which I fell asleep last night.

Soul Play, Turning Your Daily Dramas Into Divine Comedies
After Phoebe was settled under the covers, I reached for my book. As I did, I noticed another at the bottom of my bedside pile of books. It was a book I had ordered a while ago and really wanted to read, but somehow had forgotten about. It's called, Soul Play, Turning Your Daily Dramas Into Divine Comedies, by Vivian King. Immediately I set to reading.

What a treat! I could hardly contain my excitement as read on. Her processes resonated deeply and added to my own as a soul journeyer and Life Coach for creative women and men. What I love best are her playfulness and deep connection to the creative process and storytelling. It was when I came across the following passage that I knew I wanted to share this with all of you...

Being a Spiritual Warrior: Thoughts for the New Year

2014-01-01T11:40:00.001-05:00

Being A Spiritual Warrior
Some Thoughts for the New Year

In 2014, I find I am enough.

In 2014, I fall into confusion and forget.

Humanity is filled with bumps and warts.

Meanness and jealousy,

greed and hate come with the territory.

Imperfection is a given.

In 2014, I stumble and fall,

and forgive my humanness.

Laughing, I embrace the fall,

receive a gift,

a promise

an offering

to remember

there is more to me than I suspected.

In 2014, I embrace compassion

fierceness and strength,

joy and adventure.

This is who I truly am.

More than I ever dreamed.

Me, in all my glorious humanity

I am a spiritual warrior.

I break the distorting mirror

and remember who I truly Am.

How To Stop Failing Even When You Succeed

2013-12-27T12:18:00.000-05:00

Most of us see ourselves as the accumulation of stories defined by our role in the outer world.
These stories can be ones of success and hold moments of joy, feelings of being alive, worthy, respected and loved. Paradoxically, even when the outer world stories are positive, what we mistakenly believer are the deeper truths invariably seep in. We think to ourselves things such as:

1. My success won't last long... It really was a fluke.

2. The goodness, ability, intelligence, etc. that people see in me will ultimately be revealed as false glitter.

3. I am unworthy and if people knew the true me, they would see what a terrible person I really am – a fraud and imposter.


Are you ready to take off your mask?

We put on a good face to overcompensate
We feel this to a greater or lesser extent, and there are ways that we “put on a good face” to over-compensate for our fears of being "found out." Inside, however, we fall victim again and again to the fraud and imposter syndrome that that convinces us we are terrible people, unworthy, shameful, stupid... whatever is your false version of self.

Most people never awaken to the fact that the self they secretly condemn is not the real Self. It is the small, ego self. Perhaps you are nodding as you read this, thinking, yes, yes, I know this about my ego. But there seems little I can do to affect change.

You can’t force self-change.
You can’t even understand it. You can only have the experience and feel the embrace of True Self.

Your True Self never condemns or hides.
Your True Self is filled with compassion, joy and unconditional love.
Your True Self doesn’t categorize what happens in life as good or bad. All is part of the adventure, part of your path and another opportunity for growth.
Your True Self never hides. It is your ego self that can spend a lifetime hiding from True Self.

The journey to True Self is not an easy one. It means defying a lifetime of false stories and ego lies.

Interested in this extraordinary journey to True Self? Explore my Life Coaching.

Transform the Way You See Creativity and Yourself

2013-12-26T09:19:00.001-05:00

The multifaceted journey of creativity is not limited to the arts.
Creativity is not an end in itself. Creativity is a path from which the journey of life is explored, the mystery embraced. The multifaceted journey of creativity is not limited to the arts. There is another level of creativity that beckons, awakening us to the deeper truth of who we are, or who we would be. This is the journey of soul, an ancient quest central to the great myths and integral to the creative process. Then creativity is synonymous with life itself and a powerful source for personal spiritual growth and healing.

Anorexic Creativity...

If You Aren't the CEO of Your Life, Who Is?

2013-12-09T11:49:00.000-05:00

Creativity, Risk and Claiming Your Own Life

Pursuing our creative passions, even admitting to them, can be risky business.

Will I make money from our creative pursuits?

Will I be seen as selfish?

Am I wasting my time?

Will I fail?

Will I find out I have no creativity?

Such fear-based questions are the enemies of happiness and growth.

How To Use Writing To Support Your Inner Journey

2013-12-06T08:54:00.000-05:00

You don't need to be a novelist or even keep a journal to use writing to support your inner journey. There is something transformative and freeing about putting pen to paper and allowing your feelings to flow through the pen. Something magical happens.

Wisdom often shows up. Surprising creativity abounds. The key is to allow the flow to happen without your Inner Critic rising to the fore and questioning your ability — even your right to write!

How Does Writing Support Your Inner Journey?

Writing opens deep knowing. It releases unexpected wells. It offers you insight into a you who you may not even suspect existed.

Writing on the Spiritual Journey Can Be Used for Many Things:

Finding Your Life's Purpose

Memoir

Writing to Heal

Connecting to the voice of True Self

Prayer

Wisdom

Hearing your heart speak...

"Thank you, Emily, for the step into magic shadow world of the me who can write about things she does not know she knows and then be amazed at all she can learn from herself." ~Jen Simson

Explore Emily Life Coaching

Why Creativity Is a Journey Into the Dark!

2013-12-02T20:39:00.000-05:00

In Hamlet, Shakespeare said, "Nothing's either good or bad but thinking makes it so." So tell your Inner Critic to put that in his pipe and smoke it when next it tries to stop you from following the passion of your creativity!

Creativity is a labyrinthine journey that takes us deeper and deeper into our self. With every twist, turn and seeming two (three and four!) steps backward for every step forward, we learn more, let go more, fear, love, cry and dance for joy.

Creativity is a journey into the dark and it must be.
Why? Because as creators, we are manifesting the unmanifested.

Where is the unmanifested found?

Where are seeds found?

What gives birth to dawn?

From where does the butterfly emerge?

What is the warm, encompassing darkness that gives birth to every living thing?

The answers are all around us.

Creativity is BIG STUFF!
Don't underestimate the power of the journey! And if you feel at times, and we all do, that you're not up to the task, think of this: if you don't risk the journey, you risk even more.

Explore The Cycles of Creativity

How to Deepen Creativity By Embracing Your Own Shadow

2013-11-23T10:56:00.000-05:00

"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." ~ Carl Jung

Everyone has a shadow, much of which was created in childhood when our need for love and protection caused us to reject parts of us deemed shameful, unworthy or dangerous by family, teachers, religious leaders, friends and even our enemies. These disowned parts of us were exiled to the darkest depth of our unconscious, hidden from the world and often from ourselves.

This is a huge problem, for the shadow is a powerful part of us. We cannot will it away or think that it remains subdued just because we have forgotten its existence.

Creativity As the Path of the Spiritual Warrior

2013-11-22T10:59:00.000-05:00

Our creativity is most often used to birth our creations in the outer world, whether it be in the arts, the healing professions or any creative expression that is driven by our passion. Although these are powerful expressions, we are called to an even deeper level of creativity: the birth of true Self, who was there before you came into life and will remain when the body dies.

True Self is your center, your stillness and the knower of mystery and wisdom.
True Self loves your humanity and the immensity of who you are — an immensity beyond the mind's reckoning. True Self waits for you, always. Through her, you find your passion, your purpose and your freedom.

Creativity is the Spiritual Warrior's torch-giving light.

Deepen your understanding of how the Creative Process and its enduring cycles are the foundation of all of life's most challenges and adventures.

What Is Your Pathway to the Cosmic Creative Landscape?

2013-04-01T18:24:00.002-04:00

Creativity wells up from the cosmic inner landscape where the true Self abides. If we are free to meander in this landscape without expectation and need, our creativity becomes the wellspring of life in ways that cannot be imagined by the mind.

People approach this cosmic landscape in very different ways. How do you approach yours?

The Zen of Inner Vision and the Imagination

2013-01-15T09:37:00.000-05:00

Inner Vision, the Pathway for the Imagination

Inner vision has no fear of the unknown.
Inner vision pierces the veils of mystery and magic and embraces paradox.
Inner vision is innately the wandering pilgrim and fool who knows that getting lost is being found.
Inner vision is guiding light into our soul.

Creative success cannot be determined by the outside world. If you focus on that "prize" you are very likely to miss the real success, which is internal and deeply personal. The question becomes how to turn your sights inward? How to trust the inner vision as pilgrim, fool and intrepid guide in the shadowy and chaotic inner landscape? This demands courage, a leap of faith, a giving up of control and surrender. The result: a joyful expansiveness and freedom!

Why the Shadow Needs Love Not Fear to Come Into the Light

2012-05-23T08:53:00.002-04:00

There's an old story usually attributed to a Native American elder, that's meant to illuminate the power of attention.

A grandfather, imparting a life lesson to his grandson tells him, "I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is vengeful, fearful, envious, resentful, deceitful. The other wolf is loving, compassionate, generous, truthful and serene."

The grandson asks which wolf will win the fight. The grandfather answers, "The one I feed."

Which wolf do you feed?