We'll carry this together by Laura Berger "The heart of a human being is no different from the soul of heaven and earth. In your practice always keep in your thoughts the interaction of heaven and earth, water and fire, yin and yang." Last week I wrote about how common it is to get caught up in endlessly striving towards something without taking time to rest along the way. I find this happens very quickly when I'm doing something I love- whether that's developing a creative project, working on my business, or exploring the hidden realms of the subconscious for self-growth. These are all worthy pursuits, but I do believe everything is best done in moderation, and when I forget this, I tend to burn out. This is when I come back to my kindergarten geometry and geek out on systems. When I get into that pattern of continually forging ahead, I'm following a linear mentality. This mindset perceives a prize in the far off future, an ultimate goal, and insists I must keep going until I get there. This thinking is certainly useful for short-term projects or endeavours- you create a timeline, you stick with it, and it takes you to your destination. But it becomes problematic when we're using this over the long-haul because there is no end to the hard slog. What I find more effective for the long-term is working with circles instead. More specifically, following cyclical patterns of being and doing. As a species we've been working this angle for a long time because we have mimicked systems in the natural world. The common theme among all cyclical processes is an understanding that there are times to do/act, and times to be/reflect. Each feeds the other, and by observing this we can bring more wisdom to the way we structure our lives. Below are 5 tools that I have gathered over the years and weave into my life at different times. Some of them work directly with cycles found in the natural world, and others are human constructs formed through myth, mathematics and divination. I'm personally fascinated with esotericism and the unseen, but I'm also quite pragmatic. So I have found these systems useful in terms of providing practical frameworks through which to organise my life and explore my psyche, while also offering magical threads to dive deeper when it feels relevant. Untitled, Anish Kapoor + Weekly cycles I first came upon the mythology behind the names of weekdays through a blog post by the lovely Vienda Maria. Basically, the name of each day is derived from classical planets in Hellenistic astrology, and with the mythological deities associated with those planets. For example, Wednesday correlates to Mercury, messenger of the gods, and therefore this is a great day for any tasks involving communication, e.g. blogging and journalling, connecting with clients or important customers, teaching, or writing love letters to your kindreds. (For any word nerds and language lovers, you can see the linguistic connections across languages here, it's quite fascinating.) I've started incorporating this cycle into my lifestyle more recently now that I structure my own work week, and I love how it brings mythology into my everyday. Check out Vienda's post on this topic for more details and how to best use this cycle. Art by Alexandra Duprez + Moon cycles The moon shimmies around the earth in a cycle that lasts roughly 29.5 days. I've worked with the 2 halves of the cycle- waxing (moon growing full) and waning (moon decreasing) - for many years as a rough guide to building the momentum on a project or a wish and then slowing down to reflect. However, more recently I've started working with the 8 phases across a moon cycle and their respective yin and yang energies to navigate my own rhythms. Today is a New Moon, so it's the perfect time to muse on intentions for anything you're wanting to create in your life. You can read all about this and more in Ezzie Spencer's beautiful new book, An Abundant Life, and in her Lunar Abundance program that teaches flourishing with the cycles of the moon. Reaching for equilibrium by Izziyana Suhaimi + Seasonal cycles Ancient European cultures developed celebrations and lifestyles around the turning of the seasonal wheel- summer/winter solstice, autumn/spring equinox, and the four periods in between, which add up to 8 sabbats or festivals across a year. On a practical level these tied in with agricultural processes, but on a metaphoric level each phase also corresponds with a multitude of mythology and symbolism. In some ways this becomes less relevant depending on where you live, and the holidays fall at opposite ends of the year in the northern and southern hemispheres. As a general rule of thumb I work with the seasons in terms of going inward and prioritising rest over the darker/cooler months, and getting into a more productive/sociable mode of being in the lighter/warmer months. I naturally tend to travel a lot more over Spring and Summer and then hibernate over Winter. The seasons are different closer to the equator, but still have their unique times of internal focus (wet season) and outward attention (dry season). Mystic Mamma has a few good articles on working with the equinox and solstice, and if you want to get a bit foodie with it, Gather Victoria weaves together recipes with traditional lore (it's northern hemisphere-based, but still provides inspiration for those of us in the south). Ceramic artist Alexandra Standen. Photo by Nikki To for The Design Files. + Astrological cycles There are so many glorious cycles within Astrology. There are the 12 sun and moon cycles each year, which move through the zodiac and give us themes to explore based on the symbolism and elements of each sign. Then there are the larger cycles of faraway planets like Saturn (e.g. the often dreaded Saturn return- which is actually an amazing time of growth if you work with it and not against it). You also get planets going into retrograde motion, which signifies a time to slow down and reflect. These can be applied to many aspects of our lives. Check out the stunning 2017 Seasonal Astrology Guide by CosmoMuse, or their online magazine, which offers an interdisciplinary approach to integrating the astro seasons into daily life. Art by Rob Hodgson + Numerological cycles
According to Numerology, every year is assigned a particular theme depending on its number, and also each personal birth year carries symbolic meanings. These work in 9 year cycles. For example, 2017 is a 1 year, meaning it's all about new beginnings. Whereas my personal year is currently a 5 year, which is a turning point between the "in breath" years (1-5) and "out breath" years (6-9), and heralds significant change. I've been observing these cycles for the last 5 years, and utilise them as a broad framework to guide my focus for the year ahead. You can read more about 2017 and calculate what number personal year you are in, and how to best work with it, over at Stevie Bee's numerology site. Photography by Yasutomo Ebisu "...a kind of memory tells us that what we're now striving for was once nearer and truer and attached to us with infinite tenderness. Here all is distance, there it was breath." A few weeks ago I read an article titled "What if all I want is a mediocre life?" In it, the author, Krista O'Reilly Davi-Digui, questions her own constant striving for more productivity and excellence: "What if I all I want is a small, slow, simple life? What if I am most happy in the space of in between? Where calm lives. What if I am mediocre and choose to be at peace with that?" After the last sentence, a tear escaped my eye, but not from sadness. It was the excess water from a wave of relief that washed out of my body. It was the best kind of writing that felt like a magic mirror, and showed me a part of myself that I hadn't dared to acknowledge out loud. As I sit here writing this in my small hometown of Bellingen- to which I've just returned- I'm asking myself the same questions around my life and what is "enough". Of course, I wasn't the only person who had been moved by this writer's sentiment of humility- the number of shares on the article exceeded anything I'd ever circulated on social media. It struck me- are we all fed up with the unrelenting pressure to strive for "more"? (Whether that's more money, status, freedom, purpose, knowledge etc.) Are women, in particular, feeling like the role of mother/homemaker- if not combined with a career- is no longer enough? Is the average self-development devotee just as growth-obsessed as the capitalist high-achiever? On giants' shoulders by Xabier Zirikiain No matter which subculture we're a part of, none of us are immune to the constant pressure to perform. The particular faction I belong to is always looking for more healing, awareness and self-growth. We may feel like we're doing things differently by stepping off the corporate rat race and leading a holistic lifestyle, but actually we're still hustling- instead, it's for the next breakthrough or revelation. We're always looking for another course we can do, retreat we can attend, or divination we can receive. When does more ever become enough? This endless search for growth is nothing new- more than 2000 years ago Buddha identified that we're driven by desire. It's human nature (though it's also our nature to work in cycles and know our limits- which is how we maintain the balance- but that's a whole other article). Now that we see what the Jones' are up to not just next door but also across the other side of the planet, surely the pressure to perform has intensified as our audience becomes global? Red Acorn tree cross section print by Bryan Nash Gill I'm not saying we should stop doing any of this. I'm an ambitious woman and a firm believer in dreaming, expanding, growing and all those good things. But how do we move beyond the particular search for more that leaves us constantly simmering in the pressure-cooker? We don't. We will always be craving, and attempting to eliminate this would just be another trap of thinking we need to strive for something to transcend the striving.
So while we're scrolling through the feed being bombarded with 'get more this' or 'become more that', perhaps all we need to implement is simply the pause button. In between the growth spurts and the meaning-seeking we need periods where we just- stop... and exhale. It doesn't have to be a fancy meditation or ritual, just a moment to acknowledge how far we have come and what we've already achieved. A crack in time to see what resources we have and to give ourselves that "hey, you're a good egg" pat-on-the-back. It won't necessarily transform our lives or create soul-shattering changes, but for that brief moment, let it be enough. Ultimately, it comes back to us allowing space to recognise our intrinsic value. Our worth is with us from birth. Our enoughness resides in the liminal spaces, where there is no fame or glory or action. It's sitting there quietly, murmuring over the din of better, "I exist. I'm here." Take a deep breath... did you hear it? Photo by JACK HIBBERT "Don't ever let anyone convince you that art isn't important. It makes people feel, and in this world in this time, it is the most important form of activism, to revive the lifeless through rehabilitating their ability to feel." Tell us a little bit about yourself and your creative journey. When I was a little girl, I used my imagination to escape the hurts of the world. It was more exciting and infinitely safer in my head than it was on Earth, in the physical realm. I always felt disconnected and a little bit on the outside and the way I dealt with that feeling was to become really good at things- being the most intelligent or the best performer or the most outrageous, and if I couldn't be the "most", I would get quite depressed. I used to play music at my dad's Indonesian church and that's where I learned most of my music skills. Not necessarily the technical skill but more the subtleties of dynamics, communication, reading the crowd and that sort of thing. In my early twenties the traditional Christian dogma just didn't fit me anymore and I began to explore spirituality in my own ways and study various religious philosophies and find my own path. Since then, and especially in the last few years, expression and transformation have been inextricably linked. Healing, raising consciousness and oneness have been driving my creativity as my core purpose. Photo by CATALINA BRICENO You’ve also created a record label called ‘God Queen’. What exactly is a God Queen, and how can women get in touch with this part of themselves? My transmission through the God Queen philosophy is that we are all Gods, all creators of life and that beyond the illusory façade of reality, there is no hierarchy or governance over our lives. Therefore, being a Queen and honouring each person as royalty is a rejection of the highly-flawed system of monarchy and takes back our power to govern ourselves with truth, love, compassion, nobility and benevolence towards self and others. I want to support women artists to make amazing music that raises consciousness in the world. It's so hard to do everything yourself and unnecessary too, so I made the label to release music I love and believe in! Photo by BRAVO CHILD Your sound and look are both stunning and culturally eclectic. What does it mean to you to be a woman of mixed race (Indonesian and European), and how does this influence your creative expression? My relationship to culture and heritage has changed so much over the years. I used to feel like I didn't belong to any culture and I was fetishised as a Eurasian in the Indonesian community, but I felt dirty and not white enough to be accepted by white Australia. This really messed with my self-esteem and self-worth. I didn't really know how to identify. Later in my teenage years, I forged a closer relationship to my Indonesian heritage and learned to speak Bahasa fluently. For a while, it became a huge part of who I told myself I was. I ostracised my mother in my early teenage years because she was white. I dated only Indonesian men and never dated a white man until I was in my late 20s. The older I got, the more I opened my eyes to the world around me and started to realise how much I was blocking out. I kinda pendulum swung and disconnected from my Indonesian heritage for a few years while I was trying to figure out who the hell I actually was! I feel now that I've sort of transcended culture in a way. In my view, culture is story. Stories are always changing, as they are passed down, details get forgotten and new ones added until eventually, the stories have completely changed. Culture is no different. So now, when I channel my expression, I know that of course I carry with me my ancestry and the stories of my family, but I am also evolving and writing my own story. Photo by LINDA ANGLEDAL Who and what are your muses, and why? My biggest muse and inspiration is very simply, me. My experience of life gives me everything I need to create art and express myself. I feel that when you can observe life with utter appreciation and reverence for all it offers, there is no such thing as writer's block. The most simple statements of "what is" are usually the most profound and beautiful. I've learned so much from the friends I surround myself with. I'm lucky to live among such a creative community of people, and I see them as my greatest teachers. Photo by CATALINA BRICENO What advice would you give to other souls who want to explore their own unique expression? The things I wish I knew when I was younger: There is no measure for art. It is totally subjective so just do what you feel and tell the truth. Don't censor yourself and don't edit too early. Let yourself get in a flow and run wild. Get all the ideas out, refine later. Find safe people to share your expression with, those who can catch your communication and won't make you feel stupid or inadequate. Often these people are closest to us, and we want their approval so much we keep going back for it even when we constantly walk away feeling insecure about our creations. Find people who are going to support you, encourage you and give you honest, attentive feedback without trampling all over your art babies. Lastly, do it 'cause it's really healthy to get it out. It's healing and nourishing. Don't ever let anyone convince you that art isn't important. It makes people feel, and in this world in this time, it is the most important form of activism, to revive the lifeless through rehabilitating their ability to feel. Photo by CATALINA BRICENO bio. Gangsta healer, channeller of other-worldly wisdom, ALPHAMAMA is the full spectrum of a feminine deity. Rapid fire raps and soulful lamenting, her presence on stage is unmatched. ALPHAMAMA is not your run-of-the-mill singer. She is a forward-thinking, entrepreneurial artist who is a phenomena to witness in action. Commanding her space with other- worldly presence, she engages her audience through her raw and evocative performances. An ALPHAMAMA live show is never the same, for her or for her audience; she instead creates a unique experience combining poetic storytelling, audience interaction, hard-hitting rap verses, booty-shaking and occasional oracle card readings. A love of Jazz, Soul, Hip Hop and World music underlies Alpha’s unique sound and approach to songwriting; sharing intimate accounts of her interaction with people and life but also her wonderings about the state of the world, the cosmos and a woman’s place in it. Her style has never been easy to box, constantly pushing boundaries of creative expression as can be heard on her debut album “Truth, Trips and Revelations” released through Creative Vibes. Since then much soul-searching and collaborating has uncovered a deeper tone to her voice and message. As a woman of mixed race, she inherited the unique features of her Indonesian father and European/South African mother, both of whom instilled a deep love of culture. She fuses her live sets with traditional Indonesian singing and African-inspired beats when she’s not stripping it back accompanying herself on her keyboard. ALPHAMAMA has performed on stages all around the world in Indonesia, South Korea, Germany, USA and South Africa. She has supported and shared stages with Dead Prez, Jean Grae, Macy Gray and Salt 'n' Pepa, Tuka, L-Fresh The Lion and toured as a backing vocalist for Australia's own Jessica Mauboy. As an artist who is passionate about community, she is a highly regarded collaborator seeing her create music with Kween G, P.R, Danny G Felix, True Vibenation and Set Mo. Her recent release with Sydney house duo Set Mo introduced her to the dance music scene internationally with the track ‘Chasing Forever’. As a spiritually aware artist who is passionate about individual and collective expansion, she heads a record label, more like an art tribe of women artists called 'God Queen' whose purpose is to bring about positive social change through art and remind women of their innate power. Check out ALPHAMAMA's work on her website, Spotify, YouTube, and follow her on Instagram and Facebook. + + THE MUSE SPOKE is a mini-interview series with inspiring humans that embody soulful creative self-expression. + +
Self portrait, 1983, Jean-Michel Basquiat. “Discharging your loyal soldier will be necessary to finding authentic inner authority, or what Jeremiah promised as ‘the law written in your heart.’” One of the things I notice most in people who feel stuck in their life or self-expression is that they are paralysed by the voice in their head that tells them they "should" be doing x, y, and z. It's that voice of the inner critic, the one that tells us we're not (fill-in-the-blanks) enough. A lot of advice on how to overcome the inner critic hasn't really worked for me because it involves positioning this part of ourselves as an enemy that needs to be "silenced". To my mind, it's pretty clear that this stance will only breed more internal conflict. Here's what does work for me: allowing the inner critic to speak, and then being kind towards it, that little bit more each day. (It's an ongoing relationship with self, so expecting ourselves to nail the process overnight is unrealistic and a magnet for further criticism.) Being kind to yourself doesn't mean you'll automatically figure everything out, but it will give you a moment of breathing space. It inserts an almost imperceptible gap between the sentences in the onslaught of negative self-talk, thereby forming a crack in which to break the loop, feel some relief and begin to see the picture from a different perspective. One of my favourite authors, depth psychologist Bill Plotkin, talks about a part of ourselves called 'the loyal soldier' in his book Wild Mind: "The Loyal Soldier [is] a courageous, wise, and stubborn sub-personality that formed during our childhood and created a variety of strategies to help us survive the realities (often dysfunctional) of our families and culture. It keeps us 'safe' by making us small or limited, or by further traumatising us." The Loyal Soldier can take the shape of many guises including Rescuers, Codependents, Enablers, Pleasers, and Inner Critics. Art by Tomie Ohtake. This concept was created from a true story about a Japanese soldier who was discovered still guarding his post on a remote Pacific Island years after WWII had ended. He hadn't heard news that the war was over and he no longer needed to defend and hide. The problem with us subconsciously taking orders from our loyal soldier is that the task of protecting ourselves in this way is no longer necessary in adulthood. This position was very helpful in childhood, but we forget that childhood has finished, and not only are these roles now redundant, they're quite inhibiting at best and entirely damaging at worst.
Unfortunately, we can't just ignore the loyal soldiers or get rid of them with the snap of a finger. They're intrapsychic- they're a part of who we are. So what Plotkin suggests we do is welcome them home. Call in the troops, thank them for their work in keeping us safe over the years, but let them know their services are no longer required on the front line. They can retire; we've got this from now on. (Or, we could also reassign them to areas of our life where a certain amount of discernment is an asset- like forming healthy boundaries.) One way to do this is by writing a letter to yourself from the perspective of your inner critic. Don't censor it- let it have its say. Thank it for its perspective and protection, and then discard the paper/file afterwards (dwelling on it is probably counter-productive). Have you ever noticed during an argument with someone that if you allow their point-of-view to be truly heard and acknowledged, they actually soften? I was astounded to find that the same goes with the voice of the inner critic. Once I did this, the loyal soldier's case diffused and held less power over me. It's really quite amazing to see what we're capable of creating when we allow ourselves the permission to do so. The more we accept ourselves, the more space we have to listen to other parts of our psyches that may only be a faint whisper next to the pleading cries of the inner critic. Metamorphosis by Shae Detar. This week I thought I'd do something different by sharing a poem that I wrote just over a year ago. I originally wrote it about a lover, but interestingly, when I read it to my mother, she thought I had written it about the various aspects of myself. As a personal manifesto, this poem speaks to me of the rich "emodiversity" we can cultivate when we allow all parts of ourselves to come to the party. It's called, Bring all of yourself... I am the depths of a still lake. Dive into your reflection, my love. Bring all of yourself. Bring your summer, your autumn, your winter and your spring. Bring your dew drops and your milk thistles. Your nightingale and your crow, your pigeon and your wren. Bring all of yourself. Bathe my soul in your sunlight and soak my soil with your afternoon storms. Hold me dear in your canyons and envelope me in your star-filled skies. Bring all of yourself. Bring your lone tiger and your family of wolves. Bring your army of ants and your blossoming peace lilies. Your caverns and your savannahs, your tides and your mountains. Bring all of yourself. Shed your skin and leave it with me for safekeeping, buried deep in my womb. Guide me though your jungles and lead me through your deserts to the hidden oases. Bring all of yourself. I will meet you there, under the shade of that tree, with open eyes, open arms, open legs and an open heart. I will bring all of myself and I will walk with you. Lead the way, my darling, and I will nurture our most wild and tender truths. Cosmos by Tamara Dean. I've had a very trying few weeks, and am currently swimming in what feels like a sea of deep confusion and endless questions about my identity. What's underneath all of the self-governing expectations and societal assumptions? How do we navigate the sometimes conflicting needs of our rational self and our animal self? Who are we, really, when we start stripping away old stories and obsolete ways of being? A lot of the questions I've been exploring are mired in a mix of guilt, shame and fear. I am beginning to address some aspects of myself that, for the most part, I've continually suppressed. We are human. We are both ordinary and extraordinary. We need, we bleed, we do wrong and we stumble. We get dirty, we get angry and we repeat patterns we know aren't good for us. But we also love and make love. We have the capacity to imagine, to grow new shoots, to learn and to change. All of this is okay, because it's part of our nature. Sometimes there will be more questions than answers. Follow their trails, and when you encounter the strange and sometimes grotesque creatures that live in the dark woods, approach them with curiosity and kindness. Pick them up with care and welcome them back to your home, for they are in need of your love just as much as the wildflowers. Still from the film Girl Asleep. + + Want to read more? Sign up to my fortnightly newsletter here for extra musings.
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