Afterword

Creative Process as Pilgrimage

I’ve heard it said that at the far reaches of science it becomes indistinguishable from magic. I’ve always felt that at the far reaches of spiritual practice comes art.

Like any discipline, spiritual or not, at a certain point you have to move on from practicing to the real performance—the creative expression that arises out of all that hard work. Why would you spend your whole life practicing something that never bears fruit? Or that you never had any fun with?

Creativity arises naturally when you stop striving to achieve something. There’s a certain spontaneous appreciation of the world and a wish to play with those energies.

One of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s gifts was a practice called “maitri space awareness.” It’s a playful approach to discovering how energies of the five elements manifest in different ways and how we personally respond to and re-create those energies in our lives.

Water can manifest as peaceful calm or icy reflection.

Earth can shower riches or become barren and dry.

Fire manifests as passionate warmth or lusty destruction.

Wind can clear away debris or create total chaos.

Space can be accommodating or forgetful.

We are part of the natural world. When you start to know yourself and learn your habitual patterns of responding, you can bring new awareness to the process of living your life. The antidote to constricting energy is space. The antidote to fear is love.

I’ve discovered that the key to keeping this pilgrim state of mind is just a simple daily practice of yoga and meditation, daily walks outdoors, practicing self-love and generosity when I can. When things get tricky, space is usually a good answer.

More recently, practice includes a daily dose of painting. However your creativity shows up, let it lead you to your next adventure.

May your path be filled with peace, joy, inspiration, and ease.