Creativity as the expression of the Soul

No man by himself can build that which is lasting, that which endures, that which can truly serve, for in isolation man is but a wanderer, lost in the desolation of his own darkness. But filled with the light of God, filled with His love, and open to its continuing flow, man is able to give, to create and build that which serves all humanity.

The secret of creativity lies in our own posture, our own attitude and our true intent. To realise this is to acknowledge the source which feeds us and to recognise that that source is not our own but rather that we are a part of it, and serve it through the living and expression of our lives.

For man, related to the material world, is unable to comprehend the fullness of the possibilities he himself contains. This is so because man is more than just a creature of this planet; man is a spiritual being, and to see himself, to feel himself, he must look to his own spiritual nature, to his own soul. Unless he does this, he is doomed to remain upon the surface of this world, to see but a part of himself, and to lose the meaning of himself, that meaning which he desperately needs.

Many of us feel within ourselves certain desires and urges perhaps bordering on the realms of fantasy, it is often difficult to disclose what is deeply felt by us to others, to manifest in the world the way we truly desire. Some may recognise how they would want things to be, but feel at the same time a great chasm lying between what they feel and its realisation. It is easy to muse, somewhat difficult to think things out in order, and even more difficult to bring into being through our outward activities the product of our musing and thinking. For many of us it is difficult to correlate that which we feel within, perhaps in an almost mysterious way, to that which we feel to be the realities of the world.

Within every human being, within the totality of his individuality lies the truth of himself, the meaning of his own being. But the total individual is not an island, is not an isolated bit of animated consciousness, for through his own soul he is joined to God, and it is through that union that his own truth may be made evident to him. For God is truth, God is reality, and separated from Him, there is no reality or truth. Apart from God there is only illusion, and if we are not in communion with Him, we exist in illusion and are victims of our own meanderings.

Thus to find the meaning of our life, we must find truth. To find truth we must find God. And to find God, we must look into ourselves, not in the material sense, but in the spiritual sense, and to do this, the little self that we know must be put aside, that the real Self may be known to us.

We are born with elements of utility in us, gifts of creativity, and these gifts are contained within our being as kernels of possibility, as nuclei capable of development and blossoming. These gifts, these talents, we cannot recognise in full form until they are used, not for the benefit of ourselves, but for our fellow man. For in seeking not for ourselves but for others, with our true intent not related to self but fully in the spirit of giving, our talents are brought into use, into a balanced service, and thus are able to grow to their full capacity.

By seeking first the source within us, looking inward for our direction rather than outward, we may come to understand ourselves, to discover the purpose of our being, and to feel the joy of true communion. It is easy to look outward, to want to plunge into activity, to use ourselves in this age which so needs the active participation of all. But in doing this without looking to our own soul and to God for direction, we are establishing our relationship only to the world, and in so doing are limiting ourselves, to be pulled by the world. It is only through God that the world may be conquered. It is only through Him that we are able to apply ourselves in a manner which best accomplishes that which we are capable of doing.

For be relating ourselves only to the world, our vision is constrained to the vision of the world, and we become, though our intent may be honourable, as the blind leading the blind. But a greater vision is available to us, a perspective which enables us to see beyond the limitations of the world and thus truly to help where we may help, and truly to serve where we may serve, and in doing so to find ourselves, to discover within ourselves all that we are. This is why we must turn in ward and seek that source which works through our inner being. We seek not to remove ourselves from the world, but rather to live in the world more fully.

The needs of the world are many, and those needs buffet us on all sides; we cannot ignore them, for wherever we go their urgency calls to us, demanding from us that something be done, that we turn our attention to them. But desire alone, the needs of the sick, do not make a man a physician. He who desires to heal, who feels a calling within himself must develop his own potential, that he may truly aid those whom he wishes to aid. Unless he does this he is liable to cause more difficulty that he cures.

In the application of ourselves as ordinary world related individuals, little is known of the overall pattern of our own being, let alone the overall pattern for humanity. We cannot know what we are doing unless we raise ourselves beyond this clouded domain; and the way to do that is to look within ourselves and to follow the urgings of the quiet voice within us, for in that voice is contained a direction which includes the germ of the overall pattern both for ourselves and for others.

It is not always easy to follow the prompting of our inner self, for often that which we feel is at variance with our ordinary reasoning, and in conflict with the logic of the world. But we are not here dealing with worldly philosophies and the like, but rather with something of a transcendental nature, and the voice that we hear within us is an echo of the voice of God, and it is His Word that we heed.

All that has come into the world, all that has prepared man for the coming of a new age of truth, all that has had meaning and value for him has been derived from the very source which we seek today. Thus it is only is this way that we can recognise that which is best applicable for ourselves in the light of the past, to meet the needs of today, and to fulfil the promise of the future. The answer to the needs of man cannot be derived by the compilation of all that has been and all that is, for that in itself is but a partial viewpoint, not only in the sense of time, but also to the extent of visibility and to the capability of those who attempt to abstract the underlying fundamentals. These fundamentals, real though they are, are not within the grasp of humanity in term of the understanding familiar to man. But their essence is contained in the quiet voice within us, and for that reason, this voice is to be listened to and followed, for only then can we engage in activities which build in the lasting way, the way of God.

In the unfolding of the new age many individuals are finding within themselves promptings which move them towards disassociating themselves from what has been, and are seeking new areas in which they might express themselves in a manner compatible with their own feelings. Confusion among those who feel inspired to do things which differ from that which has previously been done is naturally to be expected. There is confusion because the outer being of each of us, the physical man, has grown accustomed to a world of forms, and seeks therefore to channel his ideas within forms whether they be new or old.

The inner urges of the new generation, a transitional generation, are indications of a vast creative impulse, a creativity whose fruition extends beyond the confines of man's domain. Thus it is no wonder that there exists an alien feeling between old forms and ideas, and new ideas. It but remains for the new spirit to emerge, first into conscious though and then into physical reality, and in that way establish the fulfilment of the individual lives which seek to express themselves as they truly feel they should.

In bringing out the latent patterns, allowing the inner creativity to develop and blossom into fullness, it is necessary that each of us first look within, and in doing so, become selfless that we may turn outward again. By then turning our attention to others, we widen our own inner channel to God, and more and more can His love flow through us, and more and more can we discover our own capabilities in full use. There is then established a creative experience, a flow which enables us to use our being, a utilisation of all our talents and characteristics in just the right way of balance. In opening ourselves to others we open ourselves to God, and nothing stands in the way of His love. Others feel from us that which God gives to us and which we in turn give to them, and they in turn open themselves to us, and we feel their love as they themselves are filled with God's love.

The white light of God's radiance shines through each of us, and we in turn form it according to our own pattern of being, the pattern of our own soul. Thus our individuality is brought out by love and given to others, as their individuality is brought out by that same love and given to us. In this way men recognise one another, and through recognising one another, recognise God. The One becomes many and the many become One, and all is in balance and in harmony with a peace and joy beyond our present understanding. Thus is the promise of the new age fulfilled.

As love fills each man, as brothers are recognised as brothers, as the creativity of man blossoms from the spiritual into the material world, then indeed shall the Kingdom of Heaven come upon Earth. Then may God dwell in the heart of every man, illuminating all as though myriads of reflecting mirrors, and then may the river of life flow through the entire being of each of us, filling us with love as man stands up and reaches out to achieve his destiny.

- Rene Yohannan