The Well of Inspiration

Sacred Well in Ireland


Getting started in any creative endeavor reminds me of dipping ones toes into the Well of Inspiration. You have to step in and get your feet wet and as you do so, you can feel the forces of inspiration welling up behind you, creating a wave that you can catch and ride upon. The challenge is in getting to the actual spring itself. There is always some muck to tramp through initially—some daily sludge between you and the inspirational thoughts—and if you’re not willing to do a little tramping, a little getting your feet muddy, you never make it to the well where the living waters flow.

I have often stopped short before I found my way and oftentimes I have not even begun because I could not feel the pull of inspiration. Yet it is always there if we are willing to make the trek through the mundane.

Taking this trek reminds me of attending to the to-do lists of life. If I find myself stuck, I must usually write the to-do lists first, empty my mind of my worries, and attend to the basic needs of my life and ego concerns. This is what trekking through the mud can look like for me. It is only when I have done this—when this is the very thing that is standing in my way—that I can begin to go fishing for a nibble of inspiration, stick my toes into some fresh water. Often there is a period of washing the mud from my feet, but then the water starts to clear, along with my brain, and my heart opens to the beauty and abundance of inspiration. It always feels refreshing and I emerge from the process feeling energized and cleared.

Perhaps the initial phase of writing, or any creative endeavor, could be called, “Walking to the Well of Inspiration”. It seems like there can be endless distractions along the way, and too often, I can find myself writing nothing at all. I wonder how often this is true with other creative endeavors in our lives. How often do we never get around to doing our art, our creative project, practicing our music, composing our songs, creating our sculpture, taking that class, writing that book, dancing our own dance? It seems that there is a lot of mud to walk through on the way to the Well of Inspiration and how many of us actually stop short of finding it?

The Divine Feminine resides in the Well of Inspiration and She flows out into the world through our creative efforts. If the world is to ever change, if it is ever to come more into balance, we must answer the call in our own lives to show up in new and creative ways. We must make the trek to the Well of Inspiration and drink deeply in the waters of life, letting the Divine Feminine flow out into the world through our creative endeavors.

We must sing our songs, dance our dances, paint our canvases, write our books, and show up in the unique and creative ways that only we can do. We must be willing to be seen and heard. We must be willing to clear out clogged springs and trek through the mud and do the necessary work in order for Her voice to be heard once more in the world.

Moving through our self-doubts and insecurities, we must be willing to show up in authentic ways. We must learn to speak for those who are not yet able to speak on their own. We must write a new story for our earth. We must paint a new picture. We must do this or else we perish. The time is here and we must each one find the courage to pick up our brush, our pen, and our microphone, to speak the truth, to write a new legacy, and to paint a new picture for our world.

The years of guns, violence, and suffering can be changed, but it is up to courageous women and men to provide a new map, to write a new song, to show a better way. The pen is mightier than the sword. Art is more powerful than guns. The Water of Life from the Well of Inspiration can heal a planet. We must be the carriers of its life-giving force.

Comments