The actor, director, and teacher Michael Chekhov described the beginning of a play or other creative project as a deep and meditative gaze upon a sense, a feeling, or an atmosphere that wants to come forth into the world. This is the creative gaze, where the smallest Intuition can become a tug that becomes a passion for expression in physical reality. Living your life with this kind of expansive curiosity transforms you from a victim of circumstance into the creator of your life.
1.Sit with an attitude of silent and gentle welcome to whatever is here in your life -- physically or narratively -- right now. The story you live or write begins in silence.
2. Close your eyes. Breathe slowly, deeply into your heart, into whatever part of your body calls for breath.See yourself expanding into the world on your inhalation and dissolving inner clouds on your exhalation. Sit for 5 or 10 minutes in beautiful silence, breathing, paying attention.
3. In this relaxed and attentive state, you are approaching the zone of clear seeing and generative being. Allow yourself to bathe in the calm waters of this life-giving consciousness. It is called by the Taoists "wu wei" -- doing by doing nothing.
4. Form an easy question: "What wants to emerge now?" without demanding an immediate answer. I promise: you will learn to trust that life will show you what it wants from you in its own perfect time.
5. Gently open your eyes, stretch your graceful limbs in all directions, give thanks for the gorgeous opportunity that is your life, for possibility -- whatever presents itself now -- and for the greatest gift of all: compassion for yourself and all living things.
6. Put pen to paper to sketch or write. Jot the note of a melody that wants to be heard. Move a hand or foot. This is the metaphorical language of the path that wants to be seen. Improvisation is the path of truth.
Know that you can always find your true path out of the dark forest or the endless sky by being still and letting the world show you the way.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, JULIET BRUCE, PHD, 2019. From "A Write of Passage: a Storied Path for Yearning Souls," working title for my almost finished book.
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