“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. As your simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.“ Henry David Thoreau
I have confidently gone it the directions of my dreams many times, in love, in spiritual pursuit, and now creative artistic path. Has my life gotten simpler? I am not so sure, for I have had to reorganize the way I think, the way I love, the way I create as well as see creation. For the path suggested by the collective unconscious to be a certain way, to do a certain thing to make money or to have a certain life style shifted when I understood what it meant to be gay in the world. That I had to remove myself from my religion of my family, to hold on to values I know I had been given by teachers I knew intuitively to be correct in their suggestions of how to manage life from a place of awareness, acceptance as well as inquiry and investigations. Much of that was abandoned when I found booze and boys, that for the next 20 years would be spent in the pursuit of unfulfilled lost dreams. Dreams of Love, from someone else, not from myself, dreams of a life with another person who would fill me up, make me whole, complete me. Ha was I in for a surprise!
Now 20 years later the rediscovery of who I am through the process of recovery from booze, co-dependant relationships, re-setting boundary, a conscious seeking of a spiritual path, that returned me to my religion of childhood only to denounce it once again to embrace a more fluid nature based spirituality influenced by Christian Mystic’s, Buddhist Monks, indigenes cultures, radical faerie/gay spirit creativity, just to name a few.
The path is always changing, always adventuresome, a rediscovery of who I am through the relationship of who I was and who I choose to Be today. The relationships with the people in my life as well as the circle of inspiring creative beings I have meant and begun to cultivate community with on-line. These blogs, these morning pages are part of that process, part of the ever-widening, expanding network of champions to my self-worth through my gratitude to them by the continuation of self discovery.
In that process I have to opportunity to assist in their growth from my sharing of my story, sharing the adventure, offering the map I have taken to get where I am, and sometimes it seems I am not where I think I want to be but acceptance of where I am and to envision the path of where I am directed with conscious intuitive spirit.
Another of the task for this week suggested in The Artist’s Way is “Imaginary Lives: If you had five other lives to lead what would you be in each of them? The point of these live is to have fun in them–more fun than you might be having in this one. Look over the list and select one. ”
A Monk
an actor,
a fashion photographer
a shaman,
a world traveler.
Which one will I choose to imagine or create in my life? I wonder?
I wrote earlier in my friends Kathy’s blog I mentioned that I had notice I had not taken my camera many times of late with me in the wood during our walks. That I was feeling uninspired, I walk these same paths everyday, and right now everything is wilting due to the extreme heat and humidity. Upon my noticing I did not have my camera with me what do I see a grouping of mushrooms that were not there yesterday… so Kathy’s blog was a dare to go someplace we had not been before, and I had just been thinking I wanted to look up National Park/parks in NJ, places of interest, there is plenty I have not seen and most I have not photographed, so my journey is to move beyond my little wood, take a back road, go to nature walks, find some lakes, take another street in the city… not only treat for the senses, but a challenge to my art, to photograph and to experience a new sight.
Affirmation: “Through the use of a few simple tools, my creativity will flourish.”
“Through the use of a few simple tools, my creativity will flourish.”
“Through the use of a few simple tools, my creativity will flourish.”
“Through the use of a few simple tools, my creativity will flourish.”
“Through the use of a few simple tools, my creativity will flourish.”
As you see I did not get to go to NYC and to MoMA today, a friend reached out last night and I am going to meet him in Philly later to day, but I think I will go earlier to do some photography before meeting up with him, to socialize, to maybe do some healing with him, or just hang in the park, or coffee shop/bookstore !
Growth Question: Are you confidently going toward your dreams? If so, what tools, maps, etc are you using? If your not going toward your dreams confidently why not?
I am Love, Jeff
PS: I did go back and take those shots of the mushrooms and every photograph here was taken once I shared where I was with my creativity!
Photographs here for purchase, post card, note cards, framed.
the reluctant bloger 
Life is full of surprises, isn’t it!?! The journey of self-discovery never ends it seems, and if anything, seems to get more intense the longer we live.
Love the picture of the mushrooms! They are an amazing part of our living earth. After hearing the following talk I started looking at them in a whole new light. You might enjoy it, too, at TED: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world.html
Your description of your spiritual journey makes me think of a D.H. Lawrence quote I find to be true for so many of us: “A person has no religion who has not slowly and painfully gathered one together, adding to it, shaping it, and one’s religion is never complete and final, it seems, but must always be undergoing modification.”
Growth question answer: This is a tough one Jeff. I find myself in a situation where my dreams have to be put on hold for a while. Yet, while trying to learn patience, I find that I am writing more now than I have in a long time. My blog is a tool and my books are my map for now.
Some day I’d like to visit and hike through all the National Parks, camera in hand, too!
Barbara R.
Funny that video has shown up in my life before, and I still have not watched it yet. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you for the D.H. Larwrence quote very telling, yes our spiritual journey is never over it is always shifting and evolving like the seasons.
Yes I understand your ‘waiting process’ and your putting your dreams on hold until your family is in a place where you feel safe to explore your self once again. I think your blogs and your involvement in this circle is enriching for your, shinning the light so when you are ready spirit will take you right where you desire to be!
Thank you so much for coming by, your comments mean alot!
I am Love, Jeff
Growth Question: Are you confidently going toward your dreams? If so, what tools, maps, etc are you using? If your not going toward your dreams confidently why not?
Here is the sad part, I have not been to a National Park for 35 years. That would be wonderful!
As for my other dreams, yes, they have been on hold for a long time, not because of my own doing, but being a busy mom, you tend to put everyone elses drams in your life and forget about your own and even what they are. I am beginning to see that I have somehow shortchanged myself.
My online friends are challenging me to see otherwise, which I appreciate more than anything I can describe
Kim
Kim,
I am glad that you could see your path through your on-line friends. Being a working parent and wife is a dream of yours too. May not be as creative as you think, but I honor women who have created a home and a life for it is I am sure a very challenging experience as well as rewarding.
Getting out for your walks and “seeing” the world there does not mean your are missing anything… by not going to National Parks or other places. They will be there when and if you are ready.
I am Love, Jeff
Jeff, I am so glad that you, too, are inspired to walk in new places and expand yourself. Don’t you find it’s so easy to get stuck in patterns, in ruts, in walking in familiar places? I find that so… so often I go to the same places and look in the same ways. But there is a nudging spirit deep inside which says, “Try looking over there!” “Go over there!”
As for going confidently in the direction of dreams, sometimes it’s easy and effortless; at other times soooo challenging. I truly honor you for turning your eye to follow where you need to go now.
Love your morning pages here!
Kathy,
The spirit walked and created with us today. I didn’t get out to the city as I had planned but I did get out and took more photos… I am still taking up your dare!
Following our dreams are both rewarding and challenging, what fun would they be if they were not?
I am glad you are enjoying the “pages”! Now that I have been doing them for a while they are not as difficult to let go of!
I am Love, Jeff
Jeff – your page today is so very raw and naked in its honesty; your photos have a theme of shadows with faint rays of light as if you yourself are living in the shadows, yet at the same time, there is light to give you safe passage; your mushroom picture and its caption “growth in the dark” say to me that you are aware that even when you are “in the dark” you are still growing and becoming. Your growth question – am I going confidently toward my dreams? Hmmm . . . not as reliably as I should be!
Barbara K.
The words just flowed out this morning, and as raw and naked as it may seem, I was not feeling raw or naked. Or I don’t feel as if I am living in the shadows but I have, and I am looking into some of those places. Yes there is light all around now, more and more…
Yes, I think you are moving confidently toward your dreams! You are where you are…
Thank you for coming for a visit and comment!
I am Love, Jeff
“Which one will I choose to imagine or create in my life? I wonder?” Great post Jeff, thank you.
Growth Question: Are you confidently going toward your dreams? If so, what tools, maps, etc are you using? If your not going toward your dreams confidently why not?
I’m living one of my dreams — HolEssence. And moving confidently toward another — book publication. The most frequently used tool is my attitude: positive, uplifting, constructive, and healing.
Laurie,
Late to the party but glad you found your way! I had been thinking about the question I left open there, “Which one will I choose to imagine or create in my life? I wonder?” Wether I will openly answer that on my blog/pages or not?
Yes, Laurie your life is a great example of moving confidently toward your dreams! I am grateful to be witness and observer of that dream unfolding….
I am Love, Jeff