"Come Out of Hiding!"

One never knows the secrets of that mysterious hidden River Sarasvati. She is the deepest essence of the Goddess we turn to in our empty moments when we are lost in a sea of void.
The river/goddess though, cannot be found by digging frantically underground in search of her. She is a silent operator and sometimes we need to co-conspire with her silence to allow her to reveal herself.

Today was one such day. A chance interaction on a Facebook post of mine that suddenly opened me to this wisdom. The first threshold on the path, crossed!

Cut from mystery to history - recent history. Yesterday I had chanced upon a beautiful quote ascribed to Vincent Van Gogh and it sent me powerful subterranean signals. I had touched the mystical river. She had come out of hiding for one precious moment and I had to share that moment spontaneously.

The quote was posted on a site that had an even more inspiring name "By All Means Create" that left me with an even greater sense of validation, being a painter who painted with words! Yes a word-artist. Hearing the resounding call to turn a deaf ear to all those naysayers within and without:

"We invite you to ignore that inner critic who says, 'you cannot' because it is through any medium and by all means that art is created."

I promptly shared the quote and sent out the call, loud and clear as my Facebook status.

I share part of the conversation that followed. It motivated me to make a post after a long gap. I am delighted at the way the post has timed itself. Read on and you will know.

To my jesting question of how I could possibly create in the absence of my "Head" (currently immersed in higher studies, more about him later in the post), I found some really profound answers in the shape of a conversation between Kim Raikes and Robert J. Evans II, awaiting me on waking.

Kim: "Fortunately creation does not come from our heads. I'm not sure where it does come from, though. I'm sure that Sarasvati knows."  

Robert: "Poetically speaking, at this time I believe creation comes from the Ground of Being's (Robert, I will request you to explain this term via comment, so our readers can understand better - I will simplistically equate it to divine power for now) will to love itself. From our perspective creation appears both peaceful and wrathful, at rest and moving. We participate in this whole process of movement and repose, creating and destroying as we learn how to love ourselves. (just thinking out loud)

Kim: "Just thinking out loud as well, yes, Bob. There is both a destructive and pacific edge to creation... both a passive and active participation on our part. Anyone who has ever watched birth or death, of a person or a poem or an idea, can probably appreciate this...The pacific and active parts are easy to love. I'm still working on loving the destructive and passive parts, and fitting myself into the mix "

I instantly connected with and replied to Robert's summing up of the magnificent cosmic process of which we  are -and in which we play- a part, seamlessly woven in.

".... the cosmic balance that Nataraja embodies in his perpetual dance.
 'At rest and moving' - your words are affirming and make me feel better about this roller coaster of fits and starts, of "movement and repose" that I ride 24x7. I ride it clumsily, Nataraja with aplomb!"

Suddenly I could understand with new insight, the often frustrating and inexplicable way the creative process worked for all of us. 

And I found myself bubbling over with my new found sense of revelation!

Sarasvati is that mysterious underground river and she is the wood nymph that turns up in unexpected places in the heart of a crowded city.

Wood Nymph Sarasvati of Kolkata turns Mystical Underground River Sarasvati
Photograph by Kim Raikes metamorphosed by Incognita in a moment of revelation

 And those happenstances impel us to create! My "Head" (introduced earlier in this post) was one such unexpected gift to me.

 To quote Kim, "The pacific and active parts are easy to love. I'm still working on loving the destructive and passive parts, and fitting myself into the mix"

Kim, this fitting in, is what causes the friction. You and I (and other creators we know) try to "fit" ourselves under some unseen pressure that we feel. I believe that "fitting" is only about "tailoring" ourselves  to connect with those who are happy to limit themselves and try to limit others so they can be in control. As they are currently in charge of the "world," we struggle. Maybe we need to alter this process and start to synchronize with Nataraja's rhythm. Let us creators take a step towards creating a new paradigm. Today is a day of celebration for both of us and we have a third hidden element that we both embrace as part of the celebration.

To you, dear Karan Vohra, the mystical hidden river in my life that surprises me when I least expect, I dedicate this post on your birthday. Let this be a day that awakens new creative processes in all of us and most especially you. A Very Happy Birthday!