Dearest Meaning Maker,

Welcome back to the Muse-Letter! I am so excited to bring more Coherence to your inbox. If you missed the first Muse-Letter and would like more background on what we’re creating, check out this post.

As the Muse-Letter progresses, I had anticipated, and still do anticipate, the structure and creation to evolve as the Collective does. And our first evolution has already arrived! It’s always been important to me to create The Cohere Collective from a collectivist perspective; this is not just about me and my story, but about us all coming together to support one another in our evolving communion with the Self. So, I want to include you and your inspirations and insights in the Muse-letter as well to accurately reflect our community!

Each week, I will remind you of what next week’s Theme and Pillar will be, and if you have a Coherent song, quote, or piece of inspiration that speaks to that theme, you can send it to us to be included (more details below).

Today’s Cycle Theme and Pillar of Coherence: Muse + Source

This week, we’re exploring the Second Pillar of Coherence: Source. What does it mean to feel connected creatively to Source? Is Source in some way our largest Muse? Is creative inspiration a spiritual experience? We’ll explore these thoughts, and so much more, in this week’s Muse-letter!

Next week’s Cycle Theme is still the Muse, and we will be exploring the Third Pillar of Coherence, Other, which manifests as Community. You can email connect@thecoherecollective.com with the subject line “Muse-Letter: Muse + Other” if there are any inspirations you have in relation to the theme! Please provide a source and links to anything you send our way, and please submit them by Sunday evening.

I hope you enjoy! Here’s to our weekly dose of meaning, connection, and Coherence!

Smack,

Reese

FIRST LIGHT | an inspiration

“You are the Universe expressing itself as a human for a little while.”

— Eckhart Tolle

This week’s song is *Everyday I Write the Book* by Elvis Costello

The Muse can’t be denied, and is usually long felt.

From goth.worm on Instagram

RISING SUN | an essay

In the Beginning, We Created: On Spirituality, the Muse, and the Paradox of Creation

Creativity is inherently a spiritual act. Historically, we cannot disentangle our human relationship to the sacred from our relationship to human works. Linguistically, we can tie “creativity” to “creation” quite obviously, and any numinous tradition has a creation myth to either metaphorically or literally (depending on your personal interpretation) ground the belief system into application.

If you were to begin researching the history of religion, your studies would start with the creation myth, as the creation myth is also the start of all religions. Across the vast number of creation myths we now have, we can also find some very similar principles and requirements. In Thomas King’s The Truth About Stories, we read, “The truth about stories is that that’s all we are… So you have to be careful with the stories you tell. And you have to watch out for the stories that you are told. But if I ever get to Pluto, that’s how I would like to begin. With a story… But which story? That's the question. Personally, I’d want to hear a creation story, a story that recounts how the world was formed, how things came to be, for contained within creation stories are the relationships that help to define the nature of the universe and how cultures understand the world in which they exist.” (10). King’s beautiful description of creation stories offers, not only an explanation of what is found across nearly every creation myth we have access to, but also why we find these themes.

The Art of Prayer

If you’re brand new to meditation or have been meditating for years, this practice is for you! The below exercise will be a soft entry into trying meditation if you find that you struggle, or a fun exercise to freshen up your routine practice.

To begin, gather any art or creative supplies you may have for a short and simple creative act. If you have a preferred method of creation, like scrapbooking, art journaling, drawing, or writing, use whatever materials you have easy access to. At minimum, you’ll need a piece of paper and a writing utensil. Once you have your supplies, set up a sacred space where you won’t be interrupted for the next 10 minutes. For my meditative practices I always like to add in some “bells and smells,” or in other words, a gentle instrumental playlist or sound bowls going in the background and some incense or a candle going to really prepare all my senses for communion.

When you’re ready, sit in any position that is comfortable with your supplies on a surface in front of you. Take a deep breath, and begin with a simple body scan, starting from your toes and relaxing each portion of your body as you rise through your legs, to your torso, through your arms, and finally your head. If you’ve never completed a body scan before, check out this video.

Once you feel relaxed, invite in the Muse. Perhaps say in your mind, or outloud, a piece of gratitude for the Muse. And then when you’re ready, invite the Muse to guide your creative practice. You may write, draw, sketch, paint, cut and paste, or just scribble. Feel free to keep your eyes open or closed, whatever feels the most natural, and let the Muse guide your creation for the next few minutes, trusting where your intuition takes you.

Once the time is up, thank the Muse for guiding you, and look at your creation!

This exercise is for you to enjoy and use however you feel it will best serve you! Feel free to modify, eliminate, or add as desired.

Journal Prompts:

Did any thoughts or insights come up during this exercise? Why did these thoughts arise?
What did it feel like to invite in the Muse? Did it feel like an external entity or a piece of yourself?
If you are used to practicing creation, how did this approach feel the same or different from your typical process?
Look at your final piece. What feelings arise as you contemplate it?

GOLDEN HOUR | a podcast