The Hallucinations of Hermits: An Exploration of the Compensatory Nature of the Imagination

What is required when I spend so much time in my mind?

For the engaged writer, concentration creates a private experience. The focus which enables us to convert scenes played upon the screen of imagination requires a removal of distraction. This challenge means we spend time alone, in the planes of imaginary space. Is there a downside to this immersion? Do we begin to novelize our private lives, applying the secrets from our mind to what is occurring in the present sense? Is there a hangover of distemper when we remove ourselves from this dialogue? Or conversely, is there a state of euphoria in living so much from imagination?

 Ecstatic Experience = feelings of a new life, another world, satisfaction, joy, salvation, glory; of new and/or mystical knowledge, of loss of words, images, sense; of unity, heaven; of up-feelings; of contact; of loss of worldliness, desire, sorrow, sin; of enlargement and improvement; of loss of place, of light and/or fire feelings; of peace and calm; of liquidity; of ineffability; of release; of pain.

              Excerpt from “Ecstasy” by Margharita Laski

I hope those who experience this anxiety or ecstasy will feel free to share, not only their frustrations but also the remedies that have been applied in an attempt to overcome feelings of dissociation. In collecting unique experiences, we may discover commonalities.

{Artwork by Enzo Cucchi}

The Engaged Writing Code

Some days the writing is sexy & natural, others a futile chore. On the surface nothing accounts for the difference in ability. I behave the same way in each instance, the mechanics do not alter & my enthusiasm to create something fresh & original compels on both occasions. Still. There are separate modes of aptitude as a result of equal effort.

One principle aim of this blog remains an exploration into what causes differences in creative ability. Is there a secret to engaged writing? I remain curious to discover.

How is it that on one occasion I summon clear, effective language to record plainly what is transpiring on the screen of an inspired imagination yet on other occasions, the words grind to a halt & the visions dissolve?

It would appear being swept away in a flood of feelings, triggered through the conversion of different forms of expression is volatile. How the excitement & at times, the euphoria is experienced might be a mitigating factor?

Psycho-dynamically, feelings towards this discrepancy in performance ability is abject confusion. Was it something I ate? Is there something troubling me? What can be blocking all this best intention?

The lapse in ability can effect confidence. Can I actually write or am I deceiving myself with fragmented bursts of disjointed sequence? Are the times when I am able to get something onto paper a fluke? Why am I not able to summon this at will?

To discover methods & attitudes which enable consistent performance will be a professional breakthrough. Sustained performance represents maturity & a progression of technique. This remains the goal going forward.

{Artwork by Alberto Giacometti}

The Book Baby

At long last, I have my first novel up on Amazon.

Mirror Face

And so. . .




Will be back on Tuesday,  September 11th, 2012.

Happy end of summer, all!

Like Revelation

“Whatever we know of the world, there is always more.” - David Bohm

The opportunity to observe, then share discovery along this path of creative transformation feels like Providence. To encounter a broader perspective; to encourage deeper insights feels like some aspect of potent discovery exploding under the powers of subtle activation. Something has been missing up until the point of that exchange & in this sharing of self-knowledge & process, a circle is extended & the power to write sustains.

The task of bringing into a sense of balance the currents of emotion & the coherence of reason is a perpetual process of adjustment. These polarizing forces will be ongoing, cyclical in nature for the inspired writing which dictates these conditions. Being prepared for this balancing act feels like fortified relief.

When I first begin to write, I am a child learning to swim; shoreline is the end of a sentence. I paddle furiously towards the hands of safety that will hold me fast while I rest, waiting for the next lead. Through sentence after sentence I swim this way, each new word brought forth with the effort of a single stroke. Sometimes this happens smoothly, other time more careful & plodding. If I remain conscious of distance, say to the close of a paragraph, the task of each single stroke becomes fraught with self-consciousness & an awareness of the action itself.

The words become isolated & absurd; their meaning obscured.

So I begin to trust; trust that each period will teach the arc & grace of a sentence. Trust & over time, this begins to foster a sense of faith—faith that isolated units will converge into a coherent body: the paragraph. Through active process, this new trust is the vehicle driving a faltering will. It is a key to understanding this exchange & in believing it's all possible.

“. . . that these countless modifications, instincts with majesty, sweetness and irresistible appeal.” - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

{Artwork by Stev'nn Hall}

The Ritual of Creation

As a new writer, it is my will to encourage conditions which shall coach the exceptional from imagination. I wish to learn to harness this function in order to maintain work habits which will sustain & nourish the act of creation. I wish for this to be a gradual, manageable process that can respectfully be controlled & keep abreast of.

Many approaches will lead a writer to motivate actual work. We might directly confront the idle part of our nature & wage a series of negotiations with whatever distraction presents itself to divert intention from sitting down to create.

One tactic I have found especially effective is a challenge: I set goals in writing & this inscription of future intent motivates all now pre-determined accomplishment. My ego has been activated & responds to this form of a challenge. Collective writing jamborees are also useful in this same regard; also vowing to record a specified number of words or pages per day. Simple methods to encorage regular, flowing writing.

A writer might humour themself with the promise of some prized reward or we can blindly employ a force of will to write. Or else. I do not wish to be overwhelmed with the dread of not believing myself capable of achieving established goals. Fear can be an effective motivator because it has so much potential for self-torture in the realm of an underutilized imagination. Are any of these methods more effective in assisting ambition to be productive?

When creative function is inter-working & I, as writer or recorder of this synthesis is able to keep up to the output, there is a beautiful expansion of emotion which accompanies this productivity. Feelings of love, hope & relief; of balance & satisfaction inter-play to create a joyful, meaningful experience.

Maybe the most important insight is the proven awareness of the cyclical nature of spontaneous creativity, I wish to avoid the inverse of these more heightened, positive states. Through the inception of a preferred state of this mysterious process, I remain abreast of feelings of doubt & the quality of writing, or feelings of shame at not digging deeper or embarrassment for having once believed my work to be of merit.

I further discover that gratitude expressed in clear language for what imagination reveals is the most appropriate response for this revelation. When I allow an expectant ego to swell-up & command all the respect for what is being accomplished, I am then the most susceptible to the darker, more permeating emotions. When I remain thankful, I continue resourceful & open.

Intuition works above the level of everyday consciousness & requires a passage of time to be fully  integrated into writing. It is this expanded awareness which leads to understanding the need for reflection. When I am expectant, my conscious mind translates what the imagination or occasionally, my sense of intuition experiences & I falter in frustration & disappointment.

Another aim of this blog is to discover methods on which I can create a sacred space from which to accomplish this act of creation. What rituals will assist in helping this process and sustain this gratitude experienced for being able to accomplish goals? How might I balance the demands of everyday life with this more rarefied process?

{Images by Banksy}

Spellbound

Which methods are best for coaxing property from imagination?

    The memory of this rapture is what keeps me working.

Writing has been the greatest influence of my adult life. It has shaped a viewpoint, determined ethical standards & perhaps most profoundly, engineered life strategies. This begins simply: in order to accommodate the demands made upon available writing time, a schedule is organized & a social circle is reduced to permit the greatest amount of hours unencumbered by external obligation. This time is critical for progress & it has taken many years to accept that more competing parties means less time to create a satisfactory portfolio.

The value of mystical domain becomes concrete when one begins to produce work. Before that time, experience within the inner world of imagination can be dissociative & lead to chronic alienation or in some cases, a form of depression.

It is through the act of writing that I am able to understand what is meant by the “spiritual.” In this manner, I refer to a sense of connectedness; a union with the mode of consciousness broader than everyday thinking.

Imagination is where we play out potentiality & resolution, safely & with license. When this connection is fluid, the experience of writing is exhilarating. Absorbed in this union of the force generated by a writer’s will, with the realm of the imaginary that so fascinates & compels, this is the creative process so often written about & canonized by those eager to impugn its fantastic, euphoric merits.

{Artwork by Keith Haring}

The Art of Imagining

I have read many remarks by writers who tell us that writing, or more specifically, the act of creating, is a process of discovery. They write without a map and trust so completely in this intuitive process that no decision as to the direction the narrative will take is made in advance. Played by ear this way, the process of writing becomes like walking along a road that appears below your feet upon each new step.

Other writers assume the role of cartographer and carefully map each section, knowing in advance what they plan to include in their story. They block-out the action, grid the rise and fall of the narrative and have already determined central plot points. It is formulated and followed exactly.

When the writing is flowing and surprising us, there is a sense of exhilarated delight that becomes the energising vehicle for continuing. When things are not going so swimmingly, the act of writing can be difficult; a drudge through of woods of disjointed sentences and half-remembered notions. It is my wish to reach a place of method where I can balance these extremes. Is it possible to reserve creative energy for this leaner time and then apply it as is needed?

Another way of phrasing this might be to say that the treasure I am seeking is not entirely dependent on the finished product, the words mined for the page but the method through which they have been procured. When I operate from this sequence, the act of writing begins to take on what might be described as an “automatic function.” It is this grace I wish to cultivate going forward.

It is at this time I feel most alert but also the most comfortable. I am capable, emotionally speaking, of riding the currents of this inspiration which seem to flow from an activated imagination.

I feel fulfilled and serene.

There is a fascination in de-constructing the act of writing and this is to be one of the focuses of this blog. What happens to us when our imagination becomes fully engaged and we are capable of translating what plays out on the screen of our imaginative mind into clear language? Can this be accomplished at will? Are there methods to assist in this phenomena? What are they? Do they come at a price to our overall mental health? Is living in the isolated world of creativity preferable to seeking regular input and stimulation?

Another aim of this blog is to commit to an exploration of what it means to be in possession of a practical sense of intuition. This seems to dove-tail lovingly with the concept of an educated imagination. Both of these are non-rational functions of the mind, when working together, serve as the engine for our creative voice.


In mastering this union, it is my belief that we move on to cultivate a relationship with our muse, that ineffable spirit of inspiration, who both illuminates and delivers. Perhaps most importantly, in being aware of this relationship, we are better placed in a position to accord it the tender respect it deserves.

We become aware of these relationships, but then are free to let them go. In this surrender, the effort we have invested to understand the working of imagination tends toward a confidence that the experience of writing is both lucid and manageable.

{Paintings by Wilfred Lang}