The Magnificence of Inspired Creation

 by Paige Stirling Fox         

We are sitting knee to knee in a circle in a small cabin in the Colorado Rockies. We have come with our intentions for the weekend – to fully envision the year-long program we are creating and to come away with the program goals and learning objectives, schedules and activities for the retreats, a brochure and content for a website. Ambitious for two-and-one-half days to be sure, especially since we have no agenda or work plans for this time together. What we do have is a deep trust that we are being shown an old/new way to create.

During the past year, as my two closest friends and colleagues and I have been developing and growing a program called Women Circling The Earth (WCTE), I have come to know the miracle of inspired creation.

What is inspired creation? It is a process by which an individual or group of people feel called or compelled to create or expand a program, business, product, piece of art, or any other idea. The foundation of inspired creation is a belief that it will contribute to the lives of others, and make the world a better place. I believe that inspired creation is how all great artists work. And although it is not as widely acknowledged, it is also the way that the most vital and dynamic businesses have risen above the crowd.

Here are a few things that we’ve learned about how to lay the foundation for inspired creation:

Create space for spirit, wisdom and guidance to appear

Why do some of your best ideas come to you when you are in the shower, or driving a well-known route? When your mind has a chance to be still and free from the running litany of commentary and “to-do” lists, you are more open to the ideas and thoughts that come from a higher wisdom. My colleague received the idea for WCTE when she was getting a massage.

Intentionally create space for inspired creation by carving out time to be quiet and still and to listen for the “whispers”. Go for a walk in nature, eat your lunch in a park, light a candle and have a moment of silence when you begin a creation session, or simply close your office door, put the phone on call forwarding, and take an hour each week to simply ponder.

In WCTE, we regularly rely on the guidance of our “center”. Whenever we come together, we begin by ‘centering’ which means that we are silent, we ground ourselves and we express our gratitude for the sacred space and for the inspiration and wisdom that is shared with us from spirit.

Trust your intuition

Call it a “hunch”, a gut feeling, or an indescribable ‘knowing’, most great ideas start with an inkling. If we give some space to that inkling, it can grow into an intuition and begin to take shape as an inspired creation.

With inspired creation, one’s intuition is consulted regularly: “Am I on the right track? Who do I need to call now? What am I overlooking that could make this easier?” Ask a question that is on your mind and pay attention to the first thing that pops into your awareness. Then, trust the intuition! Sometimes, the most out-of-the-box thought is exactly the one you need to move you forward.

When we began enrolling participants into our first program of WCTE, we trusted our intuition with this question “What woman is wanting to hear about our Circle?” All three of us have experienced the most incredible conversations with women whom we called to say, “My intuition has been telling me that we need to talk. I keep seeing you in the Circle and believe that there is a place for you there. Would you be interested in exploring whether this program is right for you?”

Vision precedes action

Inspired creation is primarily a receptive process. It demands of us that we first create space, listen for guidance, and trust what we receive. Once this has been attended to, action taken will be full of ease, flow and synchronicity.

We have learned – often the hard way – to ensure that we have a clear vision for what we are intending to create. Now, whenever we are launching a new initiative, we first create a “mock-up”. We take time to envision our ideal vendor, participant or program, give it detail and even a name. We make sure that the three of us are aligned on our vision. Only then do we take action.

Follow the “YES”

Inspired creation is an organic process. Once initiated, it takes on a life of its own, and will lead us if we are willing to follow. And what do you follow? Follow the “YES”!

When you begin to take your creation out into the world, you will get clear indications of what to do and develop next simply by going where there is no resistance. When things become hard and are taking too much energy to accomplish, we have to be willing to let go of our expectations that things will proceed in a certain way.

When we first launched WCTE, we were having difficulty enrolling women to the year-long program. Women were telling us that the dates of the retreats didn’t work for them, and that we weren’t allowing enough lead time before the start of the program. When one of our enrolled participants was unable to find any flights to the first retreat, we finally got a clue and let go of our ‘commitment’ to keep the dates that we had initially set. Now, instead of pushing forward when we are confused or are meeting resistance, we take a step back, go to center, and wait for a clear indication of what we need to let go of. Inevitably, once we release our attachments, we begin again to get the “YES!” response.

Keep the creation space clear

Like any relationship, the relationship between you and your creation needs care and tending from time to time. The space can become clouded, confused, neglected or overcrowded with expectations, and needs to be de-cluttered and cleaned regularly.

The most integral component of clearing the space is complete personal honesty about what you are experiencing as you create. This may range from total joy and excitement, to frustration, apathy or overwhelm. Joy (or lack thereof) can be used as a barometer of how clear your creation space is, or whether it is time to do some cleaning. If your creation is a collaborative project, this will entail some deep truth-telling with the others you are working with.

Be prepared to experience profound personal growth

One of the outcomes of inspired creation is personal transformation. If you want to engage in this process, be ready to learn a lot about yourself.

Throughout the development of Women Circling The Earth, all three of us have observed that the creation is taking place on multiple levels. The visible, tangible, external creation includes program details, marketing materials, participants attracted to the program, and multiple other “results”. On another level, there exist the deeper reasons we were led to create the program and why women are attracted to participate in it. And weaving throughout are the insights we have gained individually about our own personal styles, strengths and areas for healing or development. One clear sign for me that this is an inspired creation is that I am constantly motivated to grow into the best of myself.


What are the benefits of working with the inspired creation process? As an individual, you will experience the spaciousness and joy of inspired creation. Though it may feel like you are investing more time upfront in the process to do a mock-up or clear space, it ultimately results in such ease that more time is available for what is most important to you.

The process itself honors all those who are touched by it. It takes care of both results and the people involved in the creation.

Most importantly, this process guarantees that the creation is truly needed in the Universe. Since the creation comes through you, rather than from you, ego is put aside: you do not create because you think it is a good idea, that it will make you successful, or earn lots of money (though these may also be true). You create because you are called to create.

Inspired creation is applicable in all areas of your life, from business, to art, to relationships and family. This ancient process is being reborn as the new way to create. Hear the call and enter upon the most thrilling adventure of your life.
 

Paige is the co-creator of Women Circling The Earth, a yearlong transformational program for women who are looking to live their callings. Women Circling The Earth believes that there is a profound need now for women to step into the work that is uniquely theirs in the world. To enable these shifts, the program brings together a Circle of women for three spacious, nurturing retreats and a year of ongoing connection and learning.

Visit www.WomenCirclingTheEarth.com for more information.
 

 © 2003. Paige Stirling Fox, all rights reserved

Paige Stirling Fox is a Life Coach and graduate of Coach University, who coaches non-profit leaders and women in transition. With a degree in psychology and a Certificate of Adult Education, Paige designs and delivers numerous professional and personal development workshops. She is also the Lead Trainer for the Psychology Foundation of Canada’s “Kids Have Stress Too” program.

To contact Paige, email: Paige@WomenCirclingTheEarth.com

Want to see other articles from The Unboxed Brain?  Visit our archives