May Retreat for Inner Synergy

I'm celebrating synergy today - the ability to seek unity, embrace teamwork, live holistically, and work tirelessly towards a better end. Synergy is the eternally active primal force of creation: No matter what the conditions are, they will change.

Stephen Covey says, "Fulfilling the four needs [spiritual, mental, physical, social] in an integrated way is like combining elements in chemistry. When we reach a "critical mass" of integration, we experience spontaneous combustion -- an explosion of inner synergy that ignites the fire within and gives vision, passion, and a spirit of adventure to life."

I'm going to create some synergy today, here at home, all by myself.

Agenda

1. Read "Writing and Being"

2. Practice the Stoic Art of Inquiry

3. Create synergy for Art

1. Read "Writing and Being":

I'm reading from a book that has been sitting my shelf for a few years, "Writing and Being: Embracing Your Life Through Creative Journaling," by G. Lynn Nelson (2004).

I've started chapter five: Centering in the Self. "As we write in our journals, we are, in effect, talking to ourselves. Invariably, one of the fundamental questions we are working on, then, whether or not we are aware of it, is: 'Who am I?' It is a question we are seldom encouraged to ask, for it brings with it other questions, such as: 'Why am I here?','What is my purpose in life?', and 'What matters?'."

This journal exploration asks me to use my journal to talk to the various voices in my head - the angry voice, the lonely voice, the lazy voice... If I write about my anger, then I am watching it, and that separates me from it -  I am no longer trapped in it, and it doesn't have control. Writing allows me to transform my feelings.

From my journal: I have this undermining voice that whispers, "I don't feel like it." It's a spoiled child voice, or maybe an emancipated woman voice - is it weakening or strengthening? I know that "Just say No" is easiest for me; I'm not a Yes person. Sometimes that is a self-protective choice and sometimes it is self-defeating. 

2. Practice the Stoic Art of Inquiry:

I encounter obstacles each day that threaten to stop me from achieving my goals: Lack of money, lack of knowledge, people making demands... but my own inner voices are among the biggest obstacles, and over those I have complete control.

Today I will take Marcus Aurelius’ advice: “Advance cautiously” towards what I know to be just." 

When I hear that little rebellious voice saying "I don't want to!": Relax, pause in my day, be curious, be aware, and love myself. Identify the thought, and the feeling that underlies it, and be skeptical. Ask-

Is it true? Can I absolutely know it’s true? 

What happens when I believe it? How do I react? 

Who would I be without the thought?

Find 3 ways to turn the thought upside down to its opposite so that every “bad” becomes a new source of good. What is the opportunity? 

Give myself some time to gently puzzle over the mess and, after a while, I will have a flash of insight and a fresh take on what is true. The Buddha called it “turning an arrow into a flower”.

Be a stoic- “Relaxed but alert, cheerful but determined—such is reason’s faithful follower,” and spend each day as if it were my last, “without frenzy, laziness, or any pretending.”

3. Create inner synergy for art:

Inner synergy is when your body, mind, spirit, and heart are all cooperating to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. I love the image of "an explosion of inner synergy," and I've experienced that passion spontaneously, and I know it's possible to harness that energy when you want it and need it.

Step one is to choose any project or task that is a priority, that connects to your values and principles, something you want to do soon; something a little challenging but within your abilities, such as making a collage.

Each step below has multiple ways to engage, and you don't have to use them all. Take as much or as little time with the steps as you like - you might want to stretch the process out over a few days, repeating each step a few times in different ways, building a little more energy each time. Or you can speed shift through the steps, and explode into action today!

Engage my mind:

• Write about the project or task in your journal, and why it's important.
• Create a clear vision with a visualization.
• Gather all the information you need to do the project.
• Make a beautiful chart and color code it!

I decided to engage my mind by writing an artist statement - and memorizing it. Also, I made a list of the next steps and put them in my calendar. Took half an hour and my mind is (super) engaged!

I'm working on a Nature's Purpose Project, speaking with the fierce voice of nature, explaining to humans that the natural world has its own purpose (other than to please us), and countering popular symbolism that animals are "our little spirit friends". I'm using predominantly water-based media, pastels, and collage.

Engage my heart: 

• Identify the love component. Write about and visualize who this project might benefit, and the people skills you might need to develop for this project.
• Focus a Love Meditation on the project: Send the "pink light of love" to yourself and the people who will be impacted by the project.

I'm clear that the heart component is: I want people to make a mental shift in priorities; to have an aha moment, and see from nature's eyes. I need to develop clarity of purpose and the verbal and artistic skills to communicate my intention.

The emotional burden is a sense of urgency. I plan to light a pink candle before working each day, speak out my statement, and give attention to releasing my need to make things happen fast.

Engage my spirit:

• Choose a mantra, the word or phrase that will remind you of the deepest reasons for the project.
• Light a candle, repeat your mantra, and carry the words with you all day.
• Use the mantra as a focus for your daily awareness practices.

My mantra is "Nature's Voice".

Engage my body:

• Get prepared - schedule time to physically do the project or task.
• Gather all the supplies you need.
• Prepare a space for the project.

I set a timer for 3:00 every day, and moved a pink candle to my studio. I've also scheduled a time to prepare the space and materials each day.

Start a fire: 

My art synergy plan is a sequence that begins when my timer goes off:

1. Mentally review my artist statement.
2. Engage my heart by lighting a pink candle, and releasing my urgency.
3. Engage my spirit by reciting the mantra "Nature's Voice."
4. Engage my body by diving in to the next step on my list.