FLOURISH

"To practice any art, no matter now well or badly is a way to make your soul grow. SO DO IT." - Kurt Vonnegut

What a great word flourish is. The dictionary meaning of flourish is to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment; to thrive, prosper, or bloom; or to announce with fanfare and embellishment.

To flourish is also a great state of being. In Kundalini Yoga, flourishing is usually the outcome of practicing on a regular basis whether or not "flourishing" is your original intention. When negative thought forms, behaviors and habits drop off and we are filled with creative energy... we are content, we feel expansive, productive and happy. We are successful.

Creativity is misunderstood as a thing that only special people possess, and while talent may be the result of a gift or extensive practice, the creative flow is available to everyone. In the previous "chapters", we talked about uplinking to the Universal Consciousness aka the Cosmic Creative Flow and conceiving and implanting ideas that were originally received as thought waves. Both of these concepts take us to flourishing; where implanted ideas start to grow and bear fruit.

Your Kundalini energy is your creative flow... and through your practice of Kundalini Yoga and meditation, the ongoing result is the experience that you are creating a life in which you have something of value to share. It may take the form of art, or commerce, or healing, or even how you relate to people in your life. No matter how this flow manifests in your world, the byproduct is this state of flourishing and as a result, your life goes from ordinary to extraordinary in a very short amount of time. 

Yogi Bhajan said the that Law of Creativity is to Conceive, Flourish, and Deliver. It is the basis of creating life and it is the basis of making art.  Either way, the creative force is strong within us and this is the law. We all know how babies are born; when you are making art, similarly you conceive an idea, it blossoms and grows within you and then you deliver or put it out into the world. Flourishing is nurturing the idea and manifesting it into our material reality. 

"A definition of art is that it makes concrete our most subtle emotions." - Eva Hesse

The flourish part of the law of creativity is when you get to work it out; to feed it and watch it grow. It takes an insatiable appetite for self-discovery with a healthy dose of stubbornness. You have to stay "on it" in order to ready it for delivery. Eternal Vigilance.

"Don't only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets; art deserves that, for it and knowledge can raise man to the Divine." Ludwig Van Beethoven

Like Beethoven said, you have to FORCE your way into its secrets and this takes courage, faith and stamina.  I find that building your focus, commitment and your energy is crucial when you are in this phase of creativity. 

Making art, practicing an art form, being creative in any capacity is a spiritual pursuit. Both art and spirituality require the drive to know more. You need that desire to "force your way into its secrets" or the appetite for self-realization in order to achieve progress or success in both areas.

"I usually work in a direction until I know how to do it, then I stop. At the time that I am bored or understand - I use those words interchangeably - another appetite has formed. A lot of people try to think up ideas. I'm not one. I'd rather accept the irresistible possibilities of what I can't ignore." - Robert Rauschenberg

Back to yoga...in order to maintain this state of flourishing, one must transform and utilize energies that originate in what is called the "lower triangle". The lower triangle consists of the first three chakras. The first chakra is located at the base of the spine and it's energy deals with survival issues and instinct, security, habits, and self-acceptance. This feeling of  "grounded-ness" that a balanced first chakra can provide is essential for success on every level.

The second chakra is located in the sex organs and it's energy deals with issues of feeling, desire, creativity and merging. Artist blocks or procrastination occur when there is a blockage in these two lowest chakras. Any creative person will tell you that when this happens, it's a living hell. Feeling stuck makes you feel even MORE desperate, more insecure, more worried, and completely undisciplined. And then, you might find that you make unhealthy choices that might not be in your best interest.

For example, if you have financial worries and are feeling unsupported, this might make you feel unproductive and uncreative;  this in itself might trigger an artist's block. You can nurture the negative feelings of stagnation OR you can generate more energy, take action and move your mindset. Yes, the mindset is a location that you can change.

"The way to create art is to burn and destroy ordinary concepts and to substitute them with new truths that run down from the top of the head and out of the heart." - Charles Bukowski

The third chakra, at the navel point or solar plexus, is the center of the will, personal power and commitment. When a person is blocked or low in energy here, they are out of balance and it is hard for them to move forward. The lack of confidence from this imbalance prevents the delivery of an idea or project or confusion as to which direction to go. So if you are feeling stuck or confused, one of the ways to move forward is to generate and balance the energy in the third chakra. Once you do that, you will have enough energy to actually move and transform the energy in the lower chakras and this can create, balance and maintain the state of flourishing.

Sometimes it might require a bit of elbow grease; you might have to increase your yoga and meditation practice, go to the studio more, work a little harder, put in more time and energy. Some times it germinates on its own and seems to be effortless. In both cases, the most significant shift should be in your awareness of the process.

"...these words were just streaming out and there were tears running down my face. But I couldn't stop, they just flew out. It's an odd feeling, like something else is guiding you, although forcing your hand is more like it." - David Bowie 

Yogi Bhajan said that an idea is "something, which is beyond you and which you have grabbed."  Once you have grabbed it, ask yourself --- considering the circumstances and what it would take to bring this "idea" into fruition, how can I create balance around it's development and delivery? Will it create an impact? If so, what kind of impact do I want it to have? How can I be of service to this idea so that it will have the impact I desire?

"In life, the third chakra is yes and no. High and low is balanced at the third chakra. It is a point of pure energy. If you do not know to balance the third chakra, you may have all the degrees, all the knowledge, all the money, all the beauty, but you shall be unhappy. Because it is not what you feel, it is not what you know, it is not what you can do—it is how you can balance it. When you cannot balance, you cannot live". Yogi Bhajan

Love ~ Peace ~ Sat Nam Raghubir

#flourish #kundaliniyoga #raghubir #yogibhajan #davidbowie #kurtvonnegut #charlesbukowski #robertrauschenberg #beethoven #evahesse #creativeflow #elevenyogicartsofcreativeliving #thirdchakra #gestation #feedyourproject #transformenergy #lowertohigher #transmutation #raghubiryoga