Consciously Journeying from Wonder to Wisdom
by Elsie Wood
The Way of The CreativeSage evolved from my personal creative and spiritual journey and the desire to share the benefits of walking that path. The Way of the CreativeSage meshes the disciplines of gerontology, creativity and spiritual wisdom. It is a path of growth for a positive, compassionate, conscious, meaningful and purposeful life. It is an integration of the fundamental principles of creativity, ageing, and sageing to guide and inform us. It is founded on tenets and core values from diverse spiritual traditions. Awe, beauty, truth, and love are compass points on a CreativeSage’s journey. It is grounded in individual personal strengths and skills and celebrates the magnificence within.
Regardless of where you are on life’s journey, you are a CreativeSage! Yes, you are creative. Yes, you are ageing. And yes, you become wiser with each day’s experiences and practices.
Ageing is a given like death and taxes. It is a process not only for those in the later years, but it is the process begun with the first drawn breath.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens posits the theme of duality: the best of times/the worst of times; hope/despair; wisdom/foolishness; light/dark. Those contrasting concepts are aptly applied to reflections on ageing. Continuing that litany are chaos/clarity; fast/slow; fear/courage; uncertainty/peace; loss/abundance; sorrow/joy; longevity/quality of life. These oppositions and many others provide the substructure of our choices on how we live our life as we age.
Regardless of age, there is a basic desire, hope and dream to have needs met, to live well, and be content. Yet often we are our own worst enemy. We stand in our own way. Feelings of discomfort arise when self-reflection and introspection take us down rabbit holes we would rather not visit. Unpleasant memories may surface and self-doubt inches in under our skin. How comforting to read Brené Brown’s words, ” … to feel this vulnerable means I’m alive.” That aliveness is invigorated through our resiliency and our personal attitude.
Where do we find the courage when the woes and challenges of ageing diminish the resolve to live fully? That’s where the CreativeSage steps in.
Creativity is the process providing the wind beneath our wings. It gives the wherewithal to take flights of fancy, sparks the imagination and gives voice to life’s endeavors. The Way of the CreativeSage is based on the solid belief that we are all creative. It is an innate gift from Spirit (or whatever name you give to the divine). It is like the gift of language. It’s there. To dispel disbelief and counter claims of not being creative because you are not an artist, can’t draw, etc.
It is not solely in an artist’s wheelhouse but also in cooks’, scientists’, gardeners’, carpenters’, everyone’s skillset. Through the lens of the creative imagination, a window into the inner psyche reveals secrets, fears, barriers and long held limiting beliefs paving a way for release and transformation. A path from wonder to wisdom forges a connection with the Creative Spirit to become a CreativeSage.
A deep and profound connection to spirit is fundamental. Wisdom comes from diverse spiritual traditions. And wisdom rests within each of us. It is our task to discover and explore ways of being so that every day we become a better version of ourselves
The gems from a life well lived provide the brilliance in the ripples circling out at the close of one’s life, a legacy left to be honored and celebrated, a wisdom to be cherished. It becomes a precious gift to family, friends, and the community at large.
It is very sobering to read about the passing of one’s contemporaries. Whether in the 20’s, 50’s or 90’s, it becomes a wake-up call. A time to stop, reflect and ask once again the now often quoted queries by Mary Oliver,
“Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”
You are in the driver’s seat. It’s never too late for new starts, new beginnings. I find value in working with six Portals of Passion and Purpose which serve as way stations of intention and practice to facilitate the journey of self-discovery, illumination and joy. These six practices, Pause, Pray, Ponder, Prepare, Play and Praise, capitalize on one’s inner spirit, and strength to live fully, creatively, and gracefully, finding balance between being and doing.
PAUSE PORTAL – Into the Quiet – Presence with Breath Let go. Here Now.
A most precious gift to give oneself. Time to decompress and get centered and grounded, capitalizing on the beneficial practice of deep breathing. It is a clearing of thoughts, allows calm and the refreshing feeling of nothingness.
PRAY PORTAL – Blessings & Spiritual Practices
Prayer is an acknowledgement and appeal for guidance and assistance. It effectively puts us in tune with our divine essence. Stopping throughout the day with short, quick, impromptu, spontaneous, improvised utterances that come from the heart, like “Thank you for this day,’ or “Please show me the way.” to faith-based formal, structured words to facilitate mind-shifts. Other forms include: conscious, mindful meditation; creative visualization; lectio divina; music/sound meditation.
PONDER PORTAL: The Empty Dark, Living in the Question
Answers don’t arrive if you’re afraid
of sitting in the empty dark room of not knowing, by yourself, long enough for them to arrive on their own schedule. —Michael Thelen
This practice uses the power of an open question. Asking “What if?”, “Why not?”. and “I wonder if I …” is a delightful kickstart to the appreciative inquiry process. It’s about laying out options for what is to come: illuminations from a place of wonder and awe, wool-gathering and ruminating on what could happen, what you bring to the table and trusting the process. Your story is front and center.
PREPARE PORTAL: Finding Strengths, Skills, and Resources
We bring to CreativeSaging: Years of life experience; Skill Set; Education; and Multiple Intelligences: intellectual, emotional, personal, social, conversational, creative, visual, and spiritual. You are ready. Gathering resources for your creative expression is fun-filled and magical.
PLAY PORTAL: Give Yourself Permission, Action with Awe-titude
Engaging in creative endeavors is the firing up of energy. It stimulates and activates the imagination. It gives form to creative impulses and increases one’s confidence and courage. Quirky, serious, humorous, and/or experimental play produces life-affirming smiles. The CreativeSage sees play as a basic need: nurturing the mind, body, and spirit. It is your story in a novel, uplifting form of your essence in a unique and awesome way.
PRAISE PORTAL: A Celebration of YOU!
You are a CreativeSage! You have the courage to face life head-on, being and doing whatever it takes to fully embrace living. Celebrate yourself. Now it is your turn for self-praise. It is not done often enough. It does not come from an egotistical or arrogant attitude but rather from a deep sense of accomplishment from engaging in the magic and mystery of being and doing and living fully.
The CreativeSage is one who strives to balance the demands of life with the imaginative spirit of the creative, a positive conscious attitude to age well, and the wisdom to embrace the essential.
Live your essence magnificently.
To be extraordinarily ordinary To be perfectly imperfect
To be gracefully ungraceful To be authentically true
To be gratefully humble
To be peacefully joyous
To BE YOU!
Elsie Wood is a .Mentor, Muse, Maven, Maverick, Mystic, and Seeker, Life-long Learner, Creative, and Visionay. She is passionate about sharing strategies, techniques, and practices to gain mastery in the Art of Living consciously and creatively, boldly embracing a well-lived life. She has a Master of Education in Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley University and Creative Ageing Facilitator and Creative Depth Coach training. For more information about CreativeSage Circles or CreativeSage Coaching, Elsie can be reached at elsiewood@msn.com