Pruning back for sustainable evolutionary growth
There are times when we build things up and for some unforeseen reason, they just don't want to work. No matter how we try, the pieces of the jigsaw don't seem to want to fit together anymore. It's strange because when we built the landscape, it all seemed to grow quite naturally. It may have felt like we were in the flow. Ever found yourself in such a situation? If you're quite a creative being, you may find the shoots of imaginative ideas grow quickly in the spring and summer, but as Autumn kicks in once more, you may have to prune back, gather the energy in again and let the roots strengthen once more, ready for something new to grow again. I'm often reminded that authentic evolutionary growth is a bit like being a constant gardener...

Blind spots in the creative flow
We are creative creatures, which for me is entirely natural. We came here to experience the fullness of life, especially in this material world, where the intangible divine can be tasted for real in all its succulent beauty.

But the drawback of all this wonderful form, is that we can all too easily build fixed realities of how things should be, of how we want them to be or how we think things are supposed to happen. It can be confusing because the reality we created may have been founded on a good degree of truth and there may be a reluctance to let go of those treasured creative threads.

A key thing I've come to realise though, is that as I create the weave of each new garment, there may have been gray areas or blind spots where I couldn't quite see properly. Better to break down the new creation and trust that if those threads really are meant to sew together, they will reform naturally again in the future, although this time, they may well bind more tightly together and the new garment may stand the test of time more solidly.

A basket case
Take for example the European Union, a basket of countries (some may say a 'basket case'!) all with a glorious variety of cultures, styles and natural joie-de-vive. I'm sure there may have been some truth at the heart of connecting all of them together. We are after all inquisitive, creative and social beings. We simply want to connect.

But then establishing one government (essentially), one economic financial system, which from the centre tells a farmer in Ireland what land to sew and what not, or a consumer in Greece that he can borrow like there's no tomorrow (who said "tomorrow never comes"?) or a person in Germany that he must then 'pick up the tab' ("nein danke"!), seems a tad too much to me. A bit non-sensical. There was some truth there at the beginning, but the threads of the jumper got stretched a little too far.

So that garment is clearly now beginning to fray and fall apart. And no matter how long European minsters burn the midnight oil, it's time to let go of precious and cherished creations before the whole thing goes up in a ball of flames. The experiment is simply not working. Time for countries and communities to learn how to self sustain again based on what is directly applicable and wanting to grow naturally in their own locality. Nothing wrong with exchanging (trading) between localities, but let each location succeed in its own speciality.

The blind weaver
So yet again I do believe the divine is presenting a glorious mirror for us all to see, assuming that is we're not just reading (and attached to) the drama unfolding on the surface. But instead, reading the one - the real one - that's entwined through the creative weave. And so what are we being shown? I'd say...

"Most things that we create are founded on the solidity of a great inspiration. But the ego so often wants to embellish or imagine that bit extra, to glamorise that which is already perfect in its natural beauty. The mind thinks it knows what the divine is wanting to create. Alas it does not. Time to break the creation down again and watch what really wants to form, taking natural shape all by itself."

I'd say shaping truly authentic creation is a bit like being a blind weaver. You can feel things that want to bind together, things that want to flow and shape. But to me at least, the truly destined end product cannot be seen until it has unfolded itself in front of you. In authentic spiritual living, we have to move beyond intentioning, otherwise that which we create may not be what is supposed to happen. The mind will never imagine the full splendor that the hand of the divine is ready and able to create.

Gardening constantly
So maybe after a period of strong growth it's now time to 'prune back the garden' a little? Speaking personally, I have to say I find that a touch difficult. I love the wild greenery of luscious growth. Yet I also know that if I do dissolve some of my landscape, the energy will return once more to the roots. I can't see what is then wanting to form. An overactive mind must be tamed with the firm hand of patience. It must become enough to feel the creative juices flowing strongly under the surface.

In such situations I'm learning to form loops of creative energy. I feel it coming in, I hold it a while, let it build like a fire within my belly, but if I can't immediately see where and how it wants to shape, I send it back up to the universe again. In this way, the energy doesn't dissipate or get squandered away on some false creation. Instead it builds in constant, continual loops, ever growing until the landscape reshapes naturally of its own accord.

I see it just like building natural eco-systems. No one designed them. They shaped, formed, dissipated and regrew over eons of time. The blind gardener never knew what 'he' was creating. But tending to the garden constantly, 'he' noticed how somethings just wanted to fit together and work. They felt right and 'he' gave 'his' energy to that. Not limited by a constraining mind, just look at the stupendous beauty it's created all around. Perhaps then, it's time to unleash such unfettered creative flow through your landscape? Perhaps it's time to become more like the constant gardener, weeding and pruning so that when the sun truly shines, sustainable and lasting growth will take natural shape all by itself.

Chris