In this blog post, we're going to explore the concept of cosmic creativity and how to unlock it.
So, what do I mean by cosmic creativity?
When we think of the word cosmic, what comes to mind?
You might immediately think of the universe, of galaxies, star fields, and the immense vastness of the cosmos.
You might also think of metaphysical notions such as manifestation or spiritual wisdom.
Now, how does any of this relate to creativity, and what is creativity anyway?
Put simply, creativity is the ability to produce fresh, new and original ideas.
It is about imagining possibilities and potential futures with our inner eye, and then turning those visions into reality.
Creativity is woven into our DNA.
It is the ultimate in manifestation, gifting us with the power to make the invisible visible.
It is in our nature to imagine, to invent, and to innovate.
To spark creativity, why not practice the art of making a wish and ask yourself, 'Wouldn't it be amazing if X happened or if X existed?'
What could you do to make it happen?
What steps would you need to take to bring it into being?
If the book you'd love to read hasn't yet been written, why not write it yourself?
You have far more creative power than you realise.
Creativity comes naturally to us - so naturally, in fact, that many of us don't think we are creative at all.
Very often, though, our ability has simply been stifled by the confines of the workplace - where creativity is bound by metrics and success is measured in numbers.
It can be stifled, too, by the 'sameness' of everyday life, and by a sense of embarrassment at sharing our soul ('But what if I'm rejected? What if this is just rubbish?') and by a sense of judgement ('This is rubbish, and everyone thinks so. Even so-and-so said it was rubbish.')
The antidote to this lies in seeing with cosmic eyes and in remembering who and what you are.
There is no separation between you and the universe - you live in it and it lives in you.
Even the most boring, everyday moments look different when we look at them with cosmic potential.
Astrophysicist Carl Sagan once said, 'We are made of star-stuff',
going on to describe how the iron in our blood was created
inside an ancient exploding star.
When we know this to be true at a very real and literal level, we begin to open ourselves up to a sense of awe and wonder, noticing the deep connection between all things, no matter how many galaxies or light years apart they may be.
Powerful emotions such as these are potent tools that we can harness to promote creative thought.
Why not listen to a piece of music that makes the hairs stand on end at the nape of your neck, or seek out things that make you feel joyful?
A little bit like method acting, we can gently get ourselves into the emotional state or energy that we want to create from.
Science tells us that everything is energy, and I believe that we are all woven together by this powerful universal force.
There is nothing in the universe that is not, in some sense, family.
The French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once said, 'The cosmic sense must have been born as soon as man found himself facing the forest, the sea and the stars.'
But when we think of our family tree, how many of us include our cosmic ancestors, the stars?
Our curiosity cannot help but be stirred when we get out into nature and look up into the night sky.
By shifting our mindset and consciously tapping into our ability to think cosmically, the spark of excitement and energy that lives within us ignites - and this is a great mindset from which to create.
To see our creativity as a game, as sacred play, as manifestation -
and to go with the flow when the universe has other plans -
frees us up from stressing
about whether what we create will be 'right' or 'good'.
We are just the instruments for art and stories and songs to flow through us.
Creativity is not something we do but something we are.
We've become so cut off from this knowledge though by the fast pace of modern life that we can find it hard to see that a blank page or canvas, just like outer space, is an infinite, fertile void vibrating with divine potential.
It is not something to be feared.
So don't be afraid of 'messing up' the blank page or canvas.
Remember, so many amazing creations and inventions have materialised because of a 'mistake', like chocolate brownies and x rays.
It is the nature of the universe to create, to expand, and to grow -
and so it is with us.
So why not look to nature for solutions and inspiration?
There are, of course, universal laws that keep everything ticking over nicely - but the universe also surprises us with quirks and anomalies, so why not take a leaf out of nature's book and make like the universe?
Why not experiment by throwing out the creative rule book?
Try to look at mistakes or challenges with a variety of different creative caps on.
How would an artist approach this, or a scientist, or a hat-maker?
How might a systems programmer or an astronaut see this situation?
There are an infinite number of ways of looking at a problem - and I'll bet that at least one of these ways will offer a fresh approach and a solution that hadn't occurred to you before you got imaginative.
Another way to awaken our cosmic creativity is by tuning into the collective unconscious.
Carl Jung wrote about this field of universal knowledge, rich with archetypes and symbolism that resonates with us all.
Many people, too, believe that there is an imaginal realm, a sort of storehouse of wisdom in the sky, sometimes called the Akasha, and that we can tap into this realm through meditation, by being curious, and by practicing active listening with life.
Why not create your own 'storehouse of wisdom'
in the form of a scrapbook of inspiration?
Make it random and flip through it when you need to come up with something vibrant by combining new concepts.
The possibilities, just like the universe, are infinite.
Play with opposites; put things together that you wouldn't normally dream of.
Have faith in yourself and your unique creative essence.
It is said that many of our ancestors believed the cosmos sang with the 'music of the spheres', and that each star and planet rang with its own unique vibration and sound - and we, too, are no different.
We each have a note to play in this cosmic orchestra called life, and only when we each play our part can the full harmony be heard.
When we feed the spark of universal energy that lives within us - by focusing on our gifts, fuelling the connections we make between everything under the sun, and following our passions wherever they may lead us - we cannot fail to unlock our cosmic creativity.