Dis-Integration

Day 10 of Eleusinations asks how we can take lessons from transcendent experiences and weave them into our daily lives.

This post is part of Eleusinations, a 10-day journey inspired by the Eleusinian Mysteries.

Well, my friends, we did it.

We walked from Athens to Eleusis. We entered the cave of the unknown. We ate the pomegranate, bit the apple, ventured to the edge of possibility, and emerged transformed.

Or at least, the initiates of Eleusis did, and if you’ve been following along, I’d like to imagine you have as well. Perhaps you found a jewel of inspiration here. Perhaps you shared something vulnerable. Perhaps you took a moment to dream.

No matter how much or how little of this challenge you completed, thank you. Thank you for your curiosity. Thank you for your willingness to engage with mystery and ancient traditions and possibly with an unknown writer on Substack. Thank you for your creativity, your heart, and your courage to continue investing in your creativity and your magic. The world really needs it.

(And if you ever want to revisit any of these prompts, you can also access all the former prompts here).

Today, I would like to reflect on what comes after transcendent experiences. What comes after the great journey into the unknown. What comes after we meet God, dissolve our egos, journey to the edge of the world, taste true stillness, and emerge breathless from the blue waters of the pool of transformation.

This, always, is where the real journey begins. Not in the heart of the transformational experience or pilgrimage or rite. But in the everyday.

What do we do when we come home from the great adventure? What do we change in our daily lives? How do we treat people? How do we treat ourselves? What new habits can we implement? How can we allow a little bit of that magic we’ve been lucky enough to experience on our wanderings to fill the shadowy caverns and crevices of the everyday, the quotidian, the mundane?

What do we do when the same old shadows arise? How do we keep the flame on even in the bright light of day?

Today’s prompts are based on that.

Creativity Prompt #10: Rhythm

Today, I’d like you to take some time to journal and think about your creative practice and your relationship to art.

Here are some questions you might try to answer:

• What does creativity mean to you?

• How can you fill your life with more creativity?

• What times of day are you most creative?

• What places have enhanced your creativity?

• What inspires you to share your work?

• What work feels like it’s energized, alive, sparkling?

• What does your heart long to share?

• What would you share, if you could only share one project?

• What holds you back from sharing your work? How can you break through that?

Give yourself the gift, today, of thinking onwards. Of considering how you might give yourself the gift of living a truly, richly creative life.

Perhaps you might vow to spend a certain amount of time just free-writing each day. Maybe you set a new publishing goal on Substack. Or maybe you focus more on trust. Maybe you allow yourself to write more with no pressure to post it anywhere.

Either way, consider today how you might build creativity to your life in a regular way — how you might build reciprocity with the Muse and allow your creative energies to flow like the wild river they are, all the way back home into the sea of magic and song that always surrounds us.

Ritual Prompt #10: Onwards

Today, instead of doing a ritual, I’d like you to think about how you can make ritual a part of your life in the future. What kinds of rituals would you like to include in your everyday existence? Is it a morning practice where you light a candle and meditate? Is it a daily walk where you spend time actually looking at nature around you? Is it adopting a new religious practice, joining a group, or signing up for an actual pilgrimage or transformative experience?

Whatever it looks like, I’d like to invite you to take one small action so that your life can be more full of magic, praise, worship, and gratitude. I believe we as humans need ritual and spiritual practices. We need to feel that we’re connected to something greater. And when we abandon ritual and the community and connection it encourages, we often start to look for solace in all the wrong places.

In terms of my personal ritual practice, I’ve found a lot of potency in honoring the Wheel of the Year holidays. These were seasonal rituals practiced by various Pagan faiths and sects, and they include Samhain (November 1st), Yule (December 21st), Litha (the summer solstice), etc. I am actually launching an offering this year inspired by the Wheel holidays — a year-long creativity group where we will actually meet online to discuss our creative goals and processes. I will also be sharing insights on how to utilize the energy of the seasons and holidays to enhance our own creative and spiritual practices.

You can read more about it here, or at the post below:

edenariel7

A post shared by @edenariel7

This will be a beautiful way to actually meet other creative people and to honor the changing seasons and the power of ancient ritual, so if you’re interested, you can send me a message or comment on this post:

Thanks so much for following along!