Have you found the magic in your process?
On Sunday evening, I attended an event with Maggie O'Farrell, author of the now very famous Hamnet. I saw the film (emotionally devastating, and entirely worth it!) and knew I wanted to hear her speak about her work and creative process.
Most of the Q&A centred on her new book, Land. It draws loosely on the stories of her ancestors' lives, on deep research into the people and history of Ireland across centuries, and on her own creative flow - pulling it all together, building emotional connection, bringing to life characters you want to get to know.
I really see writing as a kind of magic. And I find it fascinating when real magicians - writers, artists, creatives - can speak openly about how they create without destroying the mystery, or the miracles held within the process.
Towards the end, an audience member asked about the difference between writing a novel and writing a screenplay. She shared that the novel is entirely independent, the words are her's alone, her full responsibility. But a screenplay requires a stripping back. So much of the language she had given must be removed, and interestingly, in that removal, it becomes a co-creation. She knew that the actors, set designers, the music, the scenery, would bring all that she had let go.
I think learning, teaching, creating events, and holding space can carry a similar tension as you move from one to the next - from becoming aware, learning, and then supporting others through an experience.
My life has been so filled with sensory input, overwhelmingly so, for many years. As I began to understand my own sensitivities, my intuitive capacity, and the difference between what is mine and what belongs to the world around me, I learned to strip away the unnecessary: the false beliefs, the assumptions, the judgements I'd carried without question. Clearing that noise revealed the bones and roots, the connective tissue, the harmony and rhythm of what rings true - and the capacity to witness how these weave together. The world can be extraordinarily loud. Our intuitive senses help us find the art, the creation, the language beneath it all.
In less than two weeks, I'll be guiding a group through two days of this process - clearing the overwhelm, the superstition, the resistance and misunderstanding held in the body and energetic field. And then we'll begin the work of establishing clear energetic boundaries, so that the information you receive becomes cleaner, more honest, more true. Just as a bell rings true in a clear space, we evolve into this too. The experience is yours, and yet it is co-created within the group, the venue, the time together, the meditation, the music, the tools, the rituals, and the connection that will be present with us.
If you hear the call, feel the magnetic pull, or simply see yourself there, I hope you'll book your place. I know from my own experience how difficult and lonely it can be to figure this out alone. When we come together, burdens dissipate, and we are no longer alone in it.
Sending each of you blessings for community, connection, and the joy that comes from your own beautiful unfolding.
