Why it's Important to find your Creative Purpose

Saraswati, Goddess of the Arts and Creativity

We are all creative in some form or another. Some forms of creativity are not as obvious as others but it's still creativity. When we are in touch with our creative selves we are also inadvertently in touch with our feminine selves. As women we are the great creators of life (whether we have actually created life or not). We have the creative power within us. And birthing something new and creative can also be a painful and drawn out process.
 
When we are creating something we are essentially reaching into the depths of our souls to bring about something inside of us. We must get it out into the world and out of ourselves. When we are in the process of creating we are in a trance-like state and laser focused on what we are birthing. We can include creativity into our spirituality by calling on our deities to assist us or guide us in our creative endeavors. We can ask our goddess for help if the creation process becomes to much for us to handle.
 
Creativity comes in many forms. The obvious ones would be artistry of any kind, writing, painting, drawing, crafting, sewing, music, cooking, acting. But if we think about it there is creativity in many things. Cleaning, organizing, planning and finding creative ways to work and live. Over the years, since I am a very creative person myself, I've had various people say things to me like "I don't have a creative or artistic bone in my body." And I guess that depends on what you personally consider to be creative or artistic. But if we really think about it, almost everything we do can be construed as being creative.
 
To be in touch with our creative side is to be connected to our soul. We all have this thing inside of us that needs to get out. We all have our own special creative juices flowing inside of us. If you are not sure what your special blend of creativity is then I suggest asking your deity to show it to you. Sit down in front of your altar, light some candles and incense and meditate for a few minutes. Then call on your goddess and ask her to show you what your creative purpose is. Thank her, leave a small offering and move on with your day.
 
You can also grab a notebook and a pen and think about the things you've experienced and accomplished so far in your life. Write them all down and then go back over then and try to find the creativity behind each event. Maybe your creativity came about after something tragic happened like losing your job. Maybe you had to scramble to come up with a way to find work. And maybe you did find a new job or other way to make ends meet. Try to think about how you made that happen. What happens in your mind or in your body that helped you to get through it?
 
Sometimes our creativity comes out during certain circumstances in our lives and that's when it works best for us. For example, if you did have to come up with a new way to make money quickly and you accomplished that then maybe it means your creativity comes out when you are under pressure. Or maybe you've noticed that when you're stressed out your creativity is blocked. Although after you meditate and take a day off you feel more creative then ever. We are all different and our minds and bodies all work differently so we need to find out how these things uniquely work for us. It doesn't necessarily mean that you are not creative if you are not an artist or a poet, it means that you have a different creative purpose and a different way of bringing that to fruition.
 
So, do you know what your creative purpose is?

Nimue, Lady of the Lake

The Lady of the Lake by Emily Balivet

Nimue, better known as the Lady of the Lake, is the High Priestess of Avalon in the Arthurian tales. Nimue (pronounced NIM-OO-WAY) has also been called Vivienne in certain myths. She ruled over Avalon which was called Ynes Affalon or Land of Apples and as such Nimue is associated with apples, especially the golden apple. She was known as a Faery Queen who gave birth to Lancelot, the famous knight of Camelot, and conjured Excalibur, the magical sword, for King Arthur. Morgan le Fay, who was also a priestess of Avalon and half sister to King Arthur, tutored under Nimue at Avalon.
 
There are many different versions of the myths surrounding Avalon and King Arthur. Nimue was a pupil of Merlin, Arthur's powerful wizard, and he taught her all of his magickal knowledge. Some say that Nimue seduced Merlin in order to learn all of his magickal tricks. Clearly this is a patriarchal view point of this story. Others describe Nimue as a healer and compassionate goddess. Nimue gifted Excalibur to King Arthur which she conjured from the depths of the lake in Avalon. It is said that Excalibur was so powerful that Arthur's sister Morgan le Fay wanted it for herself. She stole the sword from him, took it back to the lake and threw it in with the hope that Arthur would be killed. Of course in other stories Morgan le Fay is also said to be a kind and caring sorceress who loves her brother Arthur.
 
When Arthur was mortally wounded in battle, Nimue is said to have helped him get to Avalon to be healed. Nimue stands in her magical boat which sails the waters of Avalon and grants passage to her enchanted world. She parts the mists, or the veils between worlds, to allow others to enter. She breaks down the barriers of illusion allowing you to actually see reality. Nimue can be called on for emotional healing. She helps us get to the depths of our wounds and helps us to heal. She can also be called on for matters involving your intuition. She helps us to trust our gut and harness our own inner magical power.



Picture courtesy of Emily Balivet

The Highly Sensitive Priestess

The Oracle at Delphi ~ Heinrich Leutemann

 

 

A highly sensitive person or HSP is defined as someone who has an innate, sensitive processing system who is aware of subtle changes in their environment. This person can also become easily overwhelmed when in a highly stimulating environment. Being highly sensitive does not just refer to ones emotional sensitivity but literally a sensitivity to everything. We feel things deeper and sometimes before they come. We notice subtle changes in behavior and mood. Usually an HSP is also an empath and intuitive and we can use these things to our advantage during our work as priestesses.

The ability to notice and feel slight changes of energy can be something for us to tap into while we are in ritual or trance. Since we are naturally more in tune to the energies around us this is a great tool to use during meditations or spell work. We should theoretically be able to pick up on energies of things before they happen so therefore this is a great tool for divination. This, I believe, is the empathetic part of being highly sensitive. We get a feeling that something is about to happen but we don't know what. We do know that we've just experienced a shift in energy, we're just not sure how to use this information.

When we experience this the best thing to do is sit with this energy in meditation. Allow your body to feel it fully. Let your sensitive mind work out the energies to try and decipher what this new energy means. Many times if we listen to our intuitive mind it will tell us what is about to happen. We just have to trust it. Our sensitivity is like a built in warning system. For example, let's say that you've recently noticed a shift of energy at your job. You feel like something big is about to happen, you just can't figure out what. When you have time sit with this energy in a meditation and try to determine if this is a positive shift or a negative shift.

This could mean preparing yourself to find new work or maybe preparing yourself for a big promotion at your current job. Allow your intuitive mind to naturally come to a conclusion. Being a sensitive empath can be a beautiful thing during ritual. We tend to connect more easily and sometimes more quickly with the energy of our deities. We can also become deeply infused in trance work. I've always thought that the sensitives of the ancient world would have been the oracles of classical culture or the volva of the Norse culture. They acted as connectors of the spiritual and mundane worlds. They could sense things before they happened and they could reach high levels in trance. This is most likely why they were oracles.

While I believe that sensitivity is a gift, it also comes with its own set of special problems. When we are overwhelmed or over-stimulated we can get worn out rather quickly. And we need time to recover from that. Sometimes because we are usually also empathetic we can unintentionally take on the energy of those around us. Especially because we are naturally good at listening to others and helping them. We are in a sense natural born healers and other people can sense this on a subconscious level. So sometimes people will bring us their problems because they feel that we are easy to talk to. Have you ever noticed that complete strangers will come up to you and tell you their whole life story? It's because of your empathetic and sensitive nature.

So it's important to have boundaries in place so that you are not drained by the energy of others. I'm not suggesting that you shrug people off when they try to talk to you about their problems. But if you notice a sudden drop in your energy, it's because you are giving it away too freely.  The best thing to do is to find a polite way of excusing yourself from the conversation. A great way to recharge your batteries is to spend some time in nature preferably alone. Being in nature is incredibly soothing for a sensitive. Because we feel everything more deeply. A birds call is music to our ears. Watching a family of deer is calming to our soul. Listening to the waves crash against the shore, feeling the wind blow through our bodies or feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin can all be very cleansing and renewing.

One of my favorite things about being a sensitive empath is feeling the shift of energy with the seasons. I can sense when the energy of a particular season has shifted not by the date on the calendar but by the change of the energy in the world around me. Even days of the week have certain energies to them. Moon and star gazing are also intensified when you're sensitive. In order to truly love our gift of sensitivity we need to accept it into our lives and learn to work with it properly. It also helps to become a little educated on the subject. To help you with this you may want to have a "sensitivity journal" where you jot down things that trigger your sensitivity. You might not notice all your triggers right away but slowly you will start to pick up on it.

The best way to know yourself is to know how to use your gifts. To find out what works and what doesn't. This way you can tailor your life to work with you instead of against you. And don't just write down the things that negatively affect your sensitivity. Also write down the positive like being able to connect with nature more deeply or whatever your special set of rewards is.

So, what is your favorite thing about being sensitive?