Fall into the beauty
of a rose
and know yourself.
If you cannot
love
yourself
you will not
be the rose.


We walk half asleep, experiencing only a small part of our creative passion, insight and being. Our vision is by the eyes of the mind, which are cast outwards. Creativity, however, is birthed in the cosmic landscape of the inner world, a place to which the mind's eyes are blind, a place belonging to the vision of the heart and soul. The question is, how do we awaken to the immensity of knowing contained within.

One way is through nature. Nature, fully noticed, and entered into with the wonderment of children, gains us admittance into the unseen world. Another way is through our writing or other creative endeavors, but this has limitations. First, this entry is often sporadic. Second, our creativity tends to disappear as soon as we put aside our creative endeavor. Nature, on the other hand, is a natural guide. She is a primal image for creativity, so majestic that even the Inner Critic dares not challenge her! She infuses us in unseen ways. Often by being one with nature, the inner world embraces both our creative efforts and our daily life while shifting our perception of our place in the world.

In thinking about this, I came up with an exercise that I call "Being the Rose". I chose the word being with great deliberation... Think about it... how being the rose differs from the image and feel of "becoming...observing...considering" the Rose.

This exercise also explains my choice of Costa Rica as a site for this year's retreat: Writing, Creativity and Ritual, A Retreat for Women Writing, Creativity and Ritual, A Retreat for Women. The Samasati Retreat Center and nearby rainforest and ocean offer us an unparalleled opportunity to embrace and be embraced by Nature in her most alluring state, offer us the unparalleled opportunity to feel, without conscious thought, her vibrant creativity that flows through us like the breath of life, and to make it our own.

There is more to our work and play in Costa Rica, but the above poem, Being the Rose, describes its essence that will vibrate within us long after we leave.

Click for the Exercise. Being the Rose (The page is very pretty, too!)