– Photo by Jan Ketchel
Here is a recently channeled message from Jan and Jeanne to accompany you on your journey and as you make decisions for how to live as a citizen of the greater world. May it offer you the guidance you seek for this time in your life. Thanks for listening!
– Photo by Chuck Ketchel
As an artist and writer I fully experience my creativity. When I am creating something I am totally focused on what I am doing; I am in the zone. Everything else slips away and life is just me and what I am working on. Creative energy runs through me and I willingly go along for the ride.
I have a deep need for creative perfection, but I’ve also learned over the years to recognize when a piece is done, to instinctively know when it’s time to stop, to put down my tools and release myself from the creative surge and to also let go of my attachment to the work I have done. There is deep satisfaction in both the creative time and the release from it; there is balance.
I recently listened to a segment of The Moth in which a New York Times reporter ventured to Afghanistan after the ouster of the Taliban in 2001. He went in search of art. All forms of art had been banned while the Taliban ruled, everything from painting to poetry and music. For five years no one was allowed to produce art, to sing, to act, or even own a musical instrument; to do so would have meant arrest or even death.
By a series of synchronistic events the reporter met a man who was painting miniatures in the traditional style. He asked him why he wasn’t painting something new, expressing the energy of now and the future that was looming before him and his people. The artist told the reporter that he could not paint the future until he had completed the past, that his people were not free to move forward if they did not fully know their past. It struck me. The artist knew the value of recapitulation; only in fully knowing where he had been could he go forward with any sense of release or contentment. He knew he had to recreate what had been, as perfectly as possible, but he also knew that a time would arrive when he would leave the past and move on.
I have recently been pondering my own process of creativity. I notice how that need for perfection is so honed that it takes over. I become totally focused on what I am doing and often the rest of my life goes unattended. I do the minimum, but only what absolutely needs doing. I am often reluctant to stop at the end of the day, to have anything interfere. There have been times in my life when I was able to totally live the creative life, but as much as I loved it I now know that it was a life out of balance.
Needling thoughts that I must attend to the piles of clutter, to the unattended that gets forgotten after a while, had been stirring all through the winter months. I’d look around and tell myself that I had to attend to this pile of stuff and that pile of stuff. When I’m done with this, I’d say, when I’m done with that. Now it’s almost summer. I’ve been making inroads into clearing the clutter, into clearing also the energy stuck in that clutter, making a concerted effort to get rid of what I no longer use or need and to organize that which has value so that my life can flow better. My need for perfection is seeping out of the dedicated creative time into all the time now. Life, I have decided, is my new art form.
I still seek a certain kind of perfection, not to be perfect because I know I am not, but to achieve the impeccability that I have mostly assigned to my creative endeavors. Where before I might leave dishes in the sink to do later while I head off to do something creative, I now finish the kitchen clean-up before I turn to something else. I do it with impeccability. I want to walk into a beautiful kitchen later in the day, to feel good in my home, to experience a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that is energetically fulfilling. In so doing I learn the value of completion of one task before beginning a new one. This is what the Afghani artist was telling the reporter; one must fully complete if one is to be fully energetically available for new creative endeavors.
I’ve noticed that even in clearing out my cluttered closet I achieve a sense of renewal. The more I clear, the more space I create, space in which energy can finally flow freely and naturally without obstacles or blockages.
In clearing, I create a new reality for myself, more balanced and in alignment with the energy of the universe. Each time I clear something I feel myself become more energetically alive and available for what life has in store.
Try it; it really works,
Jan
The story I heard on The Moth: A Time of Hope
Here is today’s message from Jan and Jeanne. May it assist you in achieving some much needed balance and calmness today and throughout the week. In mindfully breathing, one stays more fully present and open to the magic in life. Enjoy breathing!
Here is a substantial and very practical channeling message, compliments of Jeanne and Jan, to start off the week!
Wherever you look, there will you find what you need. Let your heart lead the way now, as you move forward into deeper life—deeper spiritual life, deeper inner life, and deeper physical life. Be present with your whole self now and you will more certainly notice the signs that abound and that surround you on a daily basis.
I speak of inner matters as being of the most importance, so do not shy away from addressing them. Do not turn your back on either the innocent self or the fearful self. Do not hide from the ignorant self or the bashful self. Do not dismiss the lost or the unfeeling self, but strive for connection at a new, deeper level with all of the selves. In this manner, your wholeness will be achieved. In this manner, your life will begin to interweave a stronger, more determined intent, with spiritual prowess and focus your main purpose.
People look outwardly for purpose and meaning, and yet I say that all you need is already within. It seeks uncovering, acknowledgement, and life. To evolve, one must let the self be humble. One must accept all that one is and, without critique, explore the meaning of the deeper issues of the self. You are enough.
Yet, you must also live upon that earth, and so I say, do it with impunity. Live impeccably, yet do not deprive, starve, or deny, for such restriction will only induce craving and resentment. Balance must be firmly established and adhered to, however, for change and advancement to take place. In the beginning, this may cause difficulty, and so, a call to discipline is of the utmost importance. Once discipline is established, balance will be easily maintained.
Balance requires physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, so strive first for these important aspects of overall health. This healthy balance requires that you do inner work while you also live in the real world. Your human situation requires this of you, and so, you must achieve balance in the situation you find yourself in, in the world you presently inhabit, if there is to be growth in a new direction. In other words, accept your life; begin where you are.
Do not berate the self, but do require adherence to certain principles of health and healthy living. Do not regret or resent the self for past or present behaviors, but take one step in a new direction each day. The simple intent to change and grow is of the utmost importance. Once better balance is achieved, once you are shorn up and feeling strong and committed, then one is prepared to turn and face the old self. In balance, it will be possible to both review and aid the old self while continuously moving forward into a new self. This is how to grow.
Create a new structure to abide by. As the world turns and the planets realign, your progress will be well supported. As earlier mentioned, the signs that will guide your progress and light your way will appear more readable, and more frequently, as you work on the self, simply because you will be in better balance with all of life. Look for these signs as you proceed on your personal journey toward balance. Define balance in your own life, to suit where you are, keeping in mind that balance will be different for each individual. Every human being must discover and enact their own set of impeccable disciplines and strategies. You are all unique, and only you will truly know what balance means for you.
Proceed with the intent to change—this is the key to everything. Once you are well on the way, nothing will hinder your progress. The only thing that will get in the way is old behaviors, fighting desperately to retain dominance. Old behaviors are the greatest enemies any human has to face. But once your momentum is humming along at a good pace, there will be little or no interference from those old enemies, for you will provide nothing for them to attach to. Your speed and your intent will have taken over, and your future will become much more interesting than your past. That is when you will know that you have succeeded in attaining good balance, both innerly and outerly.
I wish you all well in this turning time, in this time of opportunity for real forward progress that is now upon you. Remain aware of it at all times and utilize it to your fullest advantage! Remember: Change is in the very air you breathe, so breath deeply, filling your lungs and body, knowing, at every breath, that you are aiding yourself in changing at the deepest, healthiest level.
The air of change is ready to take you deeper and further into fulfillment now. Bon voyage!