Fall into the beauty
of a rose
and know yourself.
If you cannot
love
yourself
you will not
be the rose.

We walk half asleep, experiencing only a small part of our creative passion, insight and being. Our vision is by the eyes of the mind, which are cast outwards. Creativity, however, is birthed in the cosmic landscape of the inner world, a place to which the mind's eyes are blind, a place belonging to the vision of the heart and soul. The question is, how do we awaken to the immensity of knowing contained within.

One way is through nature. Nature, fully noticed, and entered into with the wonderment of children, gains us admittance into the unseen world. Another way is through our writing or other creative endeavors, but this has limitations. First, this entry is often sporadic. Second, our creativity tends to disappear as soon as we put aside our creative endeavor. Nature, on the other hand, is a natural guide. She is a primal image for creativity, so majestic that even the Inner Critic dares not challenge her! She infuses us in unseen ways. Often by being one with nature, the inner world embraces both our creative efforts and our daily life while shifting our perception of our place in the world.

In thinking about this, I came up with an exercise that I call Being the Rose. I chose the word being with great deliberation... Think about it... how being the rose differs from the image and feel of becoming...observing...considering the Rose.

This exercise also explains my choice of Costa Rica as a site for this year's retreat: Writing, Creativity and Ritual, A Retreat for Women. The Samasati Retreat Center and nearby rainforest and ocean offer us an unparalleled opportunity to embrace and be embraced by Nature in her most alluring state, offer us the unparalleled opportunity to feel, without conscious thought, her vibrant creativity that flows through us like the breath of life, and to make it our own.

There is more to work and play in Costa Rica, but the above poem, Being the Rose, describes its essence that will vibrate within us long after we leave.

The Exercise:
Look at the photograph of the rose above or find any flower, it doesn't have to be a rose, and gaze into it until you feel yourself falling out of yourself and into the essence of the rose. This is akin to falling from the your mind's eyes into your heart's eyes.

Now dwell on this statement for a minute or two or ten:
The most creative force in existence is nature...

Your first response will likely be a thought that comes from your conscious mind. Let this thought go, then repeat the statement, The most creative force in existence is nature...

Allow the sense of these words to move an idea into a feeling. (You cannot do this through your mind. Only the inner landscape whose entry is through the heart will work.) Allow images to rise up from the unconscious. Do not hold on to any particular image. Let it float away and watch new ones arise.

Now open to the scent of the rose... Become the scent...

Open to the seeing if the rose… Become the seeing…

Open to the sound of the rose... Become the sound...

Open to the feel of the rose... Become the sensations...

Open to the taste of the rose... Become the taste…

Ask yourself, "When is the last time I allowed nature to share her creativity with me?"

"When is the last time I gave myself over to nature?"

"When was the last time nature stirred me to passion, quietude, ecstasy?"

Now sit down and write. Write without thought. Write without expectation....
Write or simply be...

Join a circle of women passionate about their creativity!
Come to Costa Rica and let Nature Inspire You!

Explore the Retreat!
Writing, Creativity and Ritual: A Retreat for Women
September 24-October 7, 2006

Call Emily at 914 962 4432 if you'd like to join
or would like to talk to other women who have been on Emily's retreats.

©2006 Emily Hanlon.
This exercise cannot be used or reproduced
without permission and acknowledgment.
Contact emily@emilyhanlon.com