Inward then Onward
“As within, so without” is a theme and mantra that keeps showing up everywhere in my life, my art, my daily practice, and all of my conversations with others.
“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.’” -Matthew 13:31–32 (NKJV)
“As above, so below; as within, so without.” -Emerald Tablet (Hermetic)
“You are the universe in miniature.”
-Upanishadic teaching (summarized from the Atman = Brahman doctrine)
“The world is shaped by the subtle.” -Tao Te Ching
“What is not good for the hive is not good for the bee.” -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
“Man is a small world within the great world.” -Zohar (Kabbalah)
This theme seems to be the ribbon tying it all together for me lately.
I have begun to recognize that as I’m being baited into war on the outside…I’m also being baited into war on the inside, and vice versa.
I have tried to take that download literally and tend to the little wars within as my way of contributing to the major wars we are all facing, without.
It’s sometimes seems futile or small, but now more than ever, I have to believe that small things matter.
The subtle things matter.
Not just symbolically…they actually shape everything.
In fitness, I learned that the compound effect over time of showing up in small ways daily greatly affected the outcome/goals I was striving for.
And, I know now that artists, mystics, and ancient astrologers and teachers have always known this, even when the world forgets.
Going inward to focus on art or creation isn’t a luxury or a pastime. It’s not putting our head in the sand to “disassociate” or “bypass” what is going on around us.
It is exactly how we resist being ruled by fear and make space for ourselves to get grounded and recieve the clarity we need to move forward, guided by love.
Fear feeds on consumption.
Spirit asks us to remember we’re creators.
Right now that feels so hard because everything in the collective field feels frantic and disorienting.
People are hungry for outrage, and demanding it from us. Which is valid considering what we feel we are up against, but it is also extremely harmful.
One of my favorite creative leaders right now is a man named Charles Ressler. He posts videos of his powerful embodied dance, expression and performance art as ritual in public spaces, and allows himself to be fully witnessed.
His post this week inspired me to take seriously the dire importance of responding to what we are experiencing right now from regulated nervous systems, and how responding to chaos with more chaos is actually not helpful. He goes on to beautifully articulate how how bodies ans physiology is aligned with nature and has the capacity within to lead us through these times if we would only tune into it allow if to lead us. (Please follow him and read the full caption here: Follow Charles Ressler here 🙏)
We are saturated with narratives and takes that are draining us, rather than steadying us.
So when I can find a way to get quiet, the one thing I keep hearing is:
“The micro shapes the macro. The journey is inward, then onward.”
I think that a single thing we can practice or offer has a larger effect on the world around us than we can even fully understand!
I saw this list on instagram the other day that inspired and reminded me that we all carry within us a specific, archetypal creative motivation:
Every sign is a creative act:
Aries reminds us that creation is ignition.
Taurus reminds us that creation is embodiment.
Gemini reminds us that creation is language that rearranges reality.
Cancer reminds us that creation is protection of the inner flame.
Leo reminds us that creation is divine expression.
Virgo reminds us that creation is sacred refinement.
Libra reminds us that creation restores balance.
Scorpio reminds us that creation transforms shadow into power.
Sagittarius reminds us that creation expands the horizon.
Capricorn reminds us that creation builds the world.
Aquarius reminds us that creation liberates the future.
Pisces reminds us that creation dissolves fear into unity.
(Original author unknown.)
Our creativity and expression is participation in a divine cosmic order.
It is resistance against surrendering to the collective chaos and fear.
That’s why inward then onward matters right now.
It isn’t retreat.
It’s the artist returning to the well.
The mystic returning to the temple.
Our soul returning to its blueprint.
If we don’t go inward, we will be drafted into someone else’s outward.
If we don’t create, we will be consumed.
If we don’t choose our frequency, the collective will choose it for us.
Because the macro is nothing more than millions of micro choices braided together.
Millions of breaths.
Millions of creative sparks.
Millions of people either collapsing or rising, inward and onward.
It’s our sovereign choice.
❤️🔥MH
#theartofwitnessing #poem
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