The ORIGIN of our Originality
Our Originality is a precious gift. It is an authenticity that originates in the unique pattern of each individual soul. Every one of us is unique in all of eternity. To discover and bring forth our intrinsic unique individual expression is our most sacred duty and our sweetest delight.
Originality is not a rebellion, it is a discovery
In our current culture ‘originality’ has come to mean ‘breaking the rules’, but true originality is not a rebellion, it is a discovery. The root of ‘Originality’ is ‘from the Origin’. Originality is that which comes directly from the Origin. We are most original when we are creating from the deep source inside of us. Our quest for originality is not merely a frivolous desire to be noticed, it is the thirst of the soul to know itself. It is the call the enormous territory of the inner world. It is an unquenchable longing for the multi-dimensional realms within us; the ‘many mansions’ of perception and capacity.
This might seem very self indulgent, especially in such a perilous watershed time when the world is unraveling and life itself feels threatened. The urgencies of our time demand action. And yet, more than ever before we need to find our common ground. The fragmentation of our civic discourse, the polarization of our politics, the splintering of our communities and the sundering of the fabric of life call for what can restore unity. The unraveling of our era will end in chaos unless we can find the deeper threads that unite us beneath the surface.
Ancient and enduring traditions tell us that true unity is found in our ORIGIN. We find our common origin in the DNA we share with all of life, and the epic cosmological story that we share. We find our unity in the consciousness that underlies energy and matter. And our unity is also found in the depths of our Being.
This is the great mystery of originality. The deepest ORIGIN of our own Being is the SOURCE of all.
The great works of art, music and literature that are prized through the ages are both original and universal. They are utterly fresh, and yet they resonate with what is ancient and enduring. They are unquestionably unique and yet they speak to millions because they touch the chords of our common humanity. This is the great mystery of originality. The deepest ORIGIN of our own Being is the SOURCE of all. When we dive to the depths of our own Being we find our communion with the world. At the inmost core of who we really are is an opening to the largest reality. As all great wisdom traditions have taught; ‘the kingdom is within you’. At the core of each soul is the empyrean of eternity. Within every heart there throbs the heart of God.
Our unity is revealed in the spiraling DNA of our flesh,
in the spiraling nebulae that formed our world,
in the spiraling pathway to the center of our Being.
The imperative of our time is unity. Our true unity is deep below the surface of our outer differences. It is obviously beneath surface of our diversity of race, nation, culture and gender. It also beneath the surface of our thoughts, words or actions. Our true unity resides in the realm of Being. When we delve to the ORIGIN within us, we touch the fountainhead of existence; “God, whose center is everywhere, circumference nowhere.” This phrase is one of the oldest and most enduring definitions of God- found on temple walls in ancient times, revered by saints and sages throughout the ages. It is a concise expression of a powerful truth.
When I was young I was drawn to the Arts and would have loved to pursue them. But as a child of the sixties I felt that pursuing the arts was too self indulgent. How could I simply enjoy the luxurious bliss of creativity when the world was careening towards annihilation? At that time the threat of nuclear war was strong in the collective psyche. When I was 12, I went to a summer camp and I worried that my hometown of Denver might not be there when I returned. Along with many in my generation I felt I must devote my life to ‘saving the world’. In my youthful naivety, I didn’t really know what that meant, but I felt impelled to ‘figure it all out’ so I could inform the world. I pursued philosophy so I could understand the roots of the problems.
Along the way to my Masters Degree in Consciousness Studies, I continued to do art. It was what I fell back upon in every crisis, and what emerged out of me in every blossoming. Before long I had opened my first “Transformative Arts Studio” in Berkeley California and I soon discovered the real power of the arts. When creative energies flow through us they cleanse and heal, transform and uplift. Far from indulgent, engagement in creative process opens the door to the deep, authentic life of the soul. When that floodgate was opened, people became alive- passionate and empowered. Dormant capacities began to emerge. The solutions that needed to happen to ‘save the world’ could now begin to flow through the lives of people who were awake and ready to serve.
In watershed times we must go within
One of the most powerful things we can do in a perilous time is go within. When we land inside the depths of our own authentic Being, we come into harmony with the world around us. Opening the channel to our own joyful, authentic, original self expression, we open ourselves to be more genuinely present to others. We discover the holy continuum of Self, Community and Cosmos.
Ultimately, we are vessels. When we open the inner aperture, we allow greater forces to move through us. Creative energies are transpersonal- both primordial and Divine. Allowing ‘Holy Creativity’ to flow through us carves and shapes us in the direction of a greater wholeness; our personal lives fulfilled in the larger reality of our inter-connection. Serving as channels, we become a finely tuned instrument to a higher intelligence playing in symphony with creation.
~ by Dana Lynne Andersen, Founding Director of Awakening Arts Academy
~ this is what we do at Awakening Arts Academy…
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If you are interested in the relationship between inner and outer change, check out Climate Change and Consciousness, held at Findhorn in April of 2019. This will be a unique conference about surviving and thriving in a climate changing world and post-carbon economy. The conference will be onsite and livestreamed- featuring some of our clearest and most passionate voices speaking of behalf of life.
The conference is an international, inter-generational and multi-disciplinary gathering- finding syntony among climate change scientists, wisdom keepers, entrepreneurs, activists, artists, community builders, movers and shakers- all who are working to create a culture capable of thriving on a climate changing planet. Awakening Arts Academy is a sponsor of CCC19 and Dana Lynne Andersen will be presenting at the conference.