Spirituality News: On Boredom

Top o' the afternoon to ya...;-)

I've learned to scan my Google alerts for articles quite quickly. It used to take me forever because I would always assume something new would be in each alert section (each alert comes in a digest form). Considering the current memes that people have glommed onto in the areas of music, spirituality and technology (my top three alert terms), it's difficult to find anything truly new and refreshing.

But one major gem was shining in the dark coal of repetitive postings.

The idea in question came from a WordPress blogger who calls herself Sparkle. She is a fifty-something writer who has ideas that are decidedly old-school. But in an age of constant "go, go, go," technology and speed have created a vacuum in which "old-school" relaxation and self-exploration are the perfect antidotes. And that is precisely the angle from which she addressed the subject of boredom being a true source of creativity.

And as a creative person, therefore, I know precisely what she means.

I believe that boredom is not necessarily a lack of "something to do," but rather it's a state of feeling like certain activities are not interesting anymore because there is no reward, immediate or otherwise. And in this age of people desiring instant gratification, it's easy to spit out the words "I'm bored" and flop down in the chair or on the sofa and flip on the tube.

To people like me with active, creative minds and souls from the day we were born, TV holds no interest unless we're learning something or rewatching an old favorite flick that never ceases to amaze and capture our hearts, souls and imaginations. These are my preferences:"Law & Order?" Same ol', same ol'. Too much melodrama that makes the show more fit for daytime TV. Reality shows? Unless it's "Dog: the Bounty Hunter," "Dirty Jobs," or "Flip This House," three shows about which I can learn about other people and their careers, forget about it. Oh, and in my cable or satellite package, Sci-Fi, Discovery Channel (plus spin-off channels), A&E, and Nat'l Geographic are THE ultimate "Must-see-and-learn" TV, right along with PBS.

And let's not forget the ages old Eastern practice of sitting down and watching the breath in meditation, clearing our brains of that annoying "monkey mind" blather that haunts our thoughts. I've gotten better at flinging poo right back at the "monkey" who flings poo at my more productive thoughts. But of course, there's always room for improvement. ;-)

But back to the original idea: how does boredom fuel creativity?

Well, allow me to use one of my favorite metaphors: the cauldron. As a woman who is a practicing Celtic Pagan and Kitchen Witch, AND as a woman who *loves* to cook, the cauldron is a wonderful example of Creation and Creativity.

Imagine the cauldron, sitting there on the tripod hanging over a campfire ring. The fire isn't lit yet. That cauldron is labeled "Your Life," which, up till now, you've called 'boring.' You claim you "have no life." Or do you?

You sit and sit, thinking about how to fill that cauldron. Your mind is full of thoughts, most of which are random and like that annoying monkey or chimp at the zoo whose attempts to amuse are merely distractions from what you'd really like to see (E.g., the polar bears, or the lions or peacocks). You're meditating on how to solve this problem, and then...WHAM! It hits you: you'd like to do thus-and-such with the cauldron, and no gosh-darn monkey is going to stop you.

Now you're not so bored and 'uninspired.' You light the flame under the fire, just as sitting with your feeling of "boredom" has lit a fire under you, and then you're off and cooking. Then one after another, more creative ideas and solutions come your way, and then the floodgates open. You begin to connect one idea to another and then you have a recipe for say, a business, a kid's activity, a book...you name it, it's there, and the Universe has lots more...like the Cauldron of Abundance in the old Celtic mythologies, the Universe never runs out of food for thought to share. (And it is this process that sparked this blog!)

All you gotta do is sit and be with your boredom. It's the same concept as pushing or pulling into the resistance, instead of pushing/pulling against it, a concept that is common in Asian martial arts such as Tai Chi and Aikido. You can also think of it as learning to be in, as Eckhart Tolle calls it, "The Power of Now." I've tried it, and it works. And I like to do what works. ;-)

Granted, the first couple or three times you try this, you may feel like you want to give up, but this is where the power of perseverance comes in handy. Because aside from working your day job in order to feed your little ones, be they dog, cat, lizard or human, those so-called "important" things that are NOT your day job (like household chores) can wait while you attend to creating your life for a change.*

BB,
Rev Kat ^.^

*Turning on your cell phone in this instance is definitely not required. In fact, disconnecting your regular phone is also encouraged.