The most sacred place dwells within our heart, where dreams are born and secrets sleep, a mystical refuge of darkness and light, fear and conquest, adventure and discovery, challenge and transformation. Our heart speaks for our soul every moment while we are alive. Listen… as the whispering beat repeats: be…gin, be…gin, be…gin. It’s really that simple. Just begin… again. ~Royce Addington
I received a comment yesterday on my post about my 2013 missions that truly resonated with me. Martha posted “I think of creativity as a good well. The deeper you go, the more you draw out, the better and easier it flows.” When I came upon this quote it reaffirmed this for me.
I make a point to soothe my soul which in turn nourishes my creativity. I’ve mentioned how nature speaks to me and envelopes me in peace. If I can’t get out to hike or canoe a simple walk through the neighborhood is enough to clear my head and lungs and lift my spirit. I take others measures of encouragement as well. Music and scented candles elevate my mood as well as good food and drink. A long hot bath with essential oils does wonders for my soul.
I think the most important thing I do for myself is connecting with God. While like most people I pray before bed, but I also give thanks every morning as I look out into nature. I also have casual conversations with God through the day. But I’ve always wondered if there is a proper way to pray. I mean we learn to pray from watching others or perhaps when our souls have led us to seek God. Some say to go to Him with an open heart (which is what I do). Others believe in repetition or scripture quoting. For my 2013 I’ve decided to nurture my prayer life. (Does this even make sense?) Anyway, I’ve made a string of prayer beads to help me stay focused. I can still speak from my heart but have a guide to stay on track and perhaps commune on a deeper level.
I found a reference for making prayer/meditation beads. It suggests you choose whatever beads speak to you. I chose stone beads because I like the feel of them. I selected various beads for personal reasons. I used amethyst, citrine, tiger eye, onyx, moonstone, red jasper, green aventurine, turquoise, labradorite, mookite, carnelian, and sodalite.
Always remember to take care of your own spiritual/personal needs. It enables us to take care of others and fosters our creativity. Here’s a link I found with ways to nurture creativity.
“Creativity, as has been said, consists largely of rearranging what we know in order to find out what we do not know. Hence, to think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted.” — George Kneller
Love Martha’s comment, Suzi. And she’s right…the deeper you go, the more you draw out, the better and easier it flows.
To me, creativity is something that flows THROUGH us; given to us by God. Therefore, I think the more we connect (listen to) God, the more the creativity flows. Creativity is an energy, which is how I see God.
I use meditation, along with Reiki to pray because it seems to open me to surrendering to that energy. And like you, communing with nature seems to open me to that energy – especially trees – trees seem to speak to me. Music too!
Great post, my friend….X
I really need to learn more about Reiki.
And oh the trees, you know how I love trees! I always seem to find their faces!
(((((Ron)))))
Ahhhh. Prayer beads. I could use those. I am not sure their exact purpose but for me they might help keep me on track. Silly as it sounds I start to pray and then find my mind wandering. Yours are lovely.
I’m hoping they will keep me focus because I tend to get off track at times, but the good thing is He always knows what is on our hearts and left unsaid.
Yeah, I get distracted too, “God, you know what is going on with Jane Doe, so please help her and her family . . . oh, I forgot to ask her about Saturday . . oh that reminds me I have to remember to pick up milk. Milk and bread. Oh wait do we have any lettuce? I want o make a salad for dinner tomorrow. The recipe Jane gave me. OH YEAH, JANE! Lord, where was I?” Beads would help my mind not wander. I think. :-}.
happy New Year (BTW)!!!!
The beads are simply gorgeous! This post is simply gorgeous. You make me think and I love you for that!
Thank you, Linda. Thinking is usually a good thing!
Your prayer beads are awesome. Thanks for sharing the posts that helped you in your process. I will check them out. I have done prayer beads in the past. This may be a project that will help me move through some difficulty I am facing currently. ❤
Rachel, I love stone beads…the beauty, the feel against my skin…oh, the energy!
I hope you find the beads that speak to you and they help you through whatever difficulties you face.
My word this year is Revive. I let so many things go that spoke to my spirit and helped me pray. I need to get much of that back in my life. Your post reminds me of that. I love nature and how it speaks to us. I pray your beads give you direction. They are beautiful.
Revive is a great choice.
Sometimes I’ve had to focus on one or two things rather than having to many irons in the fire and burning out….I’ve always had a tendency to do that. When I start feeling overwhelmed I slow down and refocus.
I love the stones you’ve selected for your prayer beads! I’ve heard of this type of meditation aid, but I’ve never made one — perhaps I should. Somehow, though, I think I probably get more peace and fulfillment from praying the Rosary (I’ve made many of them, and it’s always a treat to be involved in such a lengthy project!)
I’m not familiar with how the rosary works so I’m not sure if it’s similar or not. The point is to get peace and fulfillment so if that works for you I’d stick with it. I enjoyed selecting my beads and stringing them.
I like your organized and creative way to consistently strengthen your relationship with God. It is easy for me to lose sight of what is important in the mire of daily responsibilities. I should follow your example and have more a structured approach for daily reflection.
Thanks for making me think Suzicate.
Always happy to offer food for thought!
Bravo for taking on the challenge of improving your prayer life! As long as it’s done in a genuine, humble manner, I don’t think God is a real stickler for protocol. 🙂 I think we could always begin, “Hi God, it’s me again….” 😉
He probably gets a little tired of hearing from me…I’m probably known in heaven as the “one who talks too much”!
A lovely idea. I would submit that the act of creating is a prayer well from our most sacred space.
I like the way you put it, Jamie.
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