Cultivating Genius

I am so proud of my 13 year old son - The Artist. He is working so hard right now to put together a portfolio of creative pieces for an audition in 10 days time to a high school with a specialized visual arts program. Whether he actually gets in or not, the process behind the attempt has been such a valuable experience, that it almost doesn’t matter.

The Artist is not particularly interested in sports (although he does have a wicked golf swing). And academics have never been his thing. But his wild imagination and eagerness to express it through pencil and paper is truly phenomenal. And as a mom, it makes me so happy to know that my child is passionate about something worthwhile.

We should all be so lucky to have an activity through which we can shine – regardless of how others may perceive it or whether or not it might actually take us anywhere concrete in this mundane life. True passion is about joy and it is rooted in the soul. And when we follow that kind of calling, it can only be something positive.

Soul Sisters

Often,

We find each other

In unlikely ways,

Or familiar places.

It begins

With polite words,

And a spark.

Something resonates

From deep within…

This recognition

Of kindred spirits.

For a day,

Or a lifetime,

We are bonded

And transformed

By what we share

In thoughts

And feelings.

Soul sisters

Reconnected

In a world divided.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/erica_marshall/2885783824/

Join in the fun: Compose a short story in 55 words and report back to the G-Man at http://g-man-mrknowitall.blogspot.com/ …every Friday.

Soul to Soul

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” 

~ C. G. Jung

What if you were to take what Jung wrote about here and expand upon it: consciously observing your own reaction while an exchange with someone plays out, witnessing the transformation in the moment.

And could you take this experiment a step further: completely open your energy up to that other person, in acknowledgement of him or her as an equal Divine soul. Using your heart, instead of your intellect, even for just a few moments, to feel or sense the connection between you. With whom would you feel comfortable sharing such an experience? And perhaps more importantly, who would you not feel comfortable with and why?

One of the gifts of interacting with people who are very different from us is the opportunity it presents to see ourselves reflected back in the “mirror” they are holding up. Whether we are enjoying an exchange or not, our own reactions always tell us more about ourselves than they do about the other person – if only we have the courage to really examine them.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bidwiya/748871150/