During this time of transition in the seasons and with so  many changes stirring around us in the world, it is helpful to spend some time grounding and becoming aware of what you bring to this moment, this time. We often consult our own inner creative wisdom to guide us as we face uncertainty. In this excerpt and example of a process, we offer you a simple practice to assist you in accessing your own inner guide and to ground you in the present, so that you may look forward with new awareness.  It begins with noticing, observing and then expressing what stirs within you.

Expressive arts is defined as using a variety of modalities and moving from one to the next (intermodally). In this example from Tamara’s practice she began with a simple meditation and observing a small stone.  This helped her to get grounded and to enter the imaginal realm.  Her imagination invited metaphor, which then led her on a journey to discover something new.  Out of that, an image arrived which inspired words and movement, then words again and another image to serve as a reflection of the whole.

Steps in the process:

1. Hold your stone and listen to the audio meditation (or read the transcript below)
2. Write down your observations of the stone and any message it has for you.
3. Make some marks on your paper to create any image.
4. Move your body in response to the image.
5. Write some words beginning with the words “I bring…”
6. If you would like, create a final image to reflect on the process as a whole.

We invite you to try this practice and offer the attached meditation as a way to begin. You may want to find a small stone and gather some art materials. You only need a short time – maybe twenty minutes – or you can take longer if you wish. The full process is part of our online introductory training in expressive arts called Creative Wisdom. 

GROUNDING MEDITATION

Sit comfortably, holding your stone in your hands. Take it in with your eyes, carefully attending to its colors and markings. Close your eyes or soften your gaze, and let your awareness come to your breath. Follow your breath for a few inhales and exhales and allow your breathing to become a little deeper. Hold your stone in a way that is comfortable and grounding for you, and feel now its weight, texture, size, and energy.

Remember, trust, and attune to, the flow of your own abundant creativity, and all of the wisdom that your creativity brings. Open yourself up to that creative flow, breathe it in, allowing it to nourish you. 

Be aware of its properties and qualities. Allow your stone to ground you, to bring you into the here and now, to center you, to calm you.

Sit. Breathe, with your stone in your hands. 

Notice what arrives in your mind’s eye – color, image, symbol, shape.

Remember that it is OK if it doesn’t make sense just yet. 

Open your eyes, take a piece of paper, and begin making marks on the page, allowing the mark making evolve until you feel complete.  When you are finished, ask: is there a title? If so, write it down.