Magical Guidance: Unlocking Creativity
When it comes to the act of creation, we can try everything in our power to re-ignite that spark. Going for walks, a short nap, meditation…all of which might help but sometimes it does nothing for you. Sometimes we need to employ a little magic.
The ways in which magic can help with the creative process can be done in two ways. We can explore the creative block itself, or we can look to extend or inspire our next move.
Exploring the creative block
Tarot cards are inspirational story boards just waiting to be unlocked, unpicked and enjoyed in the creative sphere. The rich symbolism, the colour palettes, the iconography - this can create sparks. The very thing you had been searching for!
Simply pulling a card and writing about it in a journal can unlock something. This is a very simple but effective way of starting the day or ending the day – whichever you prefer or can manage.
Creative blocks are usually engineered by factors such as stress, confidence problems, burn out or medical issues. Sometimes we just cannot face it and that is ok but what we do need to do is do a little digging into the psyche, into the self and find out what is going on. This is the time to ask yourself - what do I need to overcome to restore my creativity? Usually picking 1-3 cards is sufficient for this type of session but there are no rules to this, this is your time to explore so you can pick a single card, or you can pick more. Or you can rephrase the question to your liking.
Once you have your card/s, open your journal and start writing down what you feel the cards are communicating to you. This doesn’t need to be an essay or several paragraphs, it can be a list of words or a spider diagram, use your intuitive mind to identity your own meanings and your own personal symbolism within the cards – they are consulting with you. Once you have exhausted the words on the page, take some time to look over them. Does it resonate? Do you see any openings here? Connections? Is there some kind of answer here? If you cannot see it right away, that is ok. Leave the page and the cards and come back to it later. Sometimes we need to percolate.
The cards can be used at various stages of your creative process, you can use them to ask questions about a particular project, or which direction you feel you should go or shouldn’t go. Let them be your guide.
Exploring your next move
So, the girl in your story has moved to a new city, she has her new job and now what? You are stuck. Bibliomancy is a great way of loosening up those muscles, it can take you in random directions and can also throw you out of your comfort zone. The seven word bibliomancy technique works well for unlocking something that could contribute to that new poem or a new direction in your work.
Take a book (pick it at random). Close your eyes. Flick through it until something inside you says STOP! Using your finger as a guide, intuitively scan the pages and again, when something tells you to stop, hold your finger still, look at what word you have and then write that down. Then start the process again until you have a total of seven words. Use these words within a poem or in a paragraph of prose, which ever you feel suits you best. Do it how you please – this is your untangling.
Practising these regularly can really help you obtain a less cloudy landscape of creativity. It can loosen the wheel, it is the magic elixir that keeps the mind and soul moving.