Before I go into this week’s topic & offer a practical exercise to try – let me announce what I have going on for November (all pop-up & supplemental offers are for KAP grads or those currently enrolled in KAP level one only, please) :
This time of the year is when we bring lights & Nature inside while the world goes into repose – it’s to remind us that the light inside doesn’t die regardless of what might be going on externally. It’s also to remind us that cycles by their very nature are cyclical & that nothing is permanent. To paraphrase the late, great wrestler Scott Hall, “Bad times don’t last, but bad@$$ people do.” So, during this time I would ask everyone to please let the light within shine to those who need it most right now. My grandfather made monthly donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital (and I have many friends who have children that have been healed & helped by this institution) and I try to carry on that legacy & make donations in his name when I can. Mercy Corps also is another worthwhile institution & one that Dr. Morris’ KAP & Morris Methods have worked with for quite awhile. Or, if you have another worthwhile charity that you enjoy working with – please reach out & donate if you can. I will be offering a triple match for donations to St. Jude’s & Mercy Corps up to $300 for new students of either KAP 1, KAP 2 or KAP 1 & 2 together (so, if you donate $100 – I will give a $300 deduction, $ 50 = $150, etc). And a double match for KAP grads up to $100 (so, $50 = $100, $25 = $50, etc). Email me a receipt showing your donation & I will send an invoice. KAP classes will start December 4th. But, regardless of whether you choose to take advantage of this discount, please let your light shine to others during this time when it’s desperately needed. I thank you in advance for any help that you might offer to others during this Winter season.
I’ll be offering 5 classes starting November 30th (all 4 levels of Theurgy & Thaumaturgy and Creative Enhancement) – at a 30% discount per class/level or all together as a bundle. Email me (therev23<at>gmail<dot>com) for more information or to register.
I’m also offering all of the pop-up classes (Kuji-In Reality Hacking, The Lazy Jedi’s Guide To The Galaxy, Back To The Present, The Lazy Force Ghost’s Guide To The Multiverse, Cosmic Physical Culture, Surfing The Circuits, The Abundance Sessions, 3 Realm Monte & the upcoming A Gentle Stroll In The Shade : Practical Shadow Work For The Rest Of Us) ala carte & at a donation-based tuition (take it anytime & pay what you think is acceptable). Email : therevdr23(at)gmail(dot)com for more information & to register.
Please note that I’m taking a headcount for the upcoming A Gentle Stroll In The Shade pop-up class, so if you’re interested in me teaching a laid-back approach to practical Shadow Work that anyone can plug into their daily routine – please let me know via email (as I gauge start times for pop-ups based on desirability). This will follow the standard pop-up structure – multiple classes (approx 30 mins-1 hr per class) uploaded & available at everyone’s leisure. Feel free to ask me any other questions. Thank you!
Creativity And Cultivation 2 : Mental Focus (Semi-Weekly Post # 7 – 11/10/22)
Within the last post I talked about the emotional benefits of creative endeavors (bringing up trapped emotions, transmuting them into a manifested product – whether that be a piece of visual art, a performance, musical piece, novel, business idea, etc).
That really sets the structure for creative benefits. This time I’d like to briefly touch upon the mental benefits of creative endeavors.
Up first, let’s talk about some of the more widely accepted mental gains that we can expect.
- Creative endeavors help keep the mind sharp. This is the old adage that an unused blade tends to dull. It should make sense that using our minds for more than repetitive, menial tasks would help neural pathways stay linked and active in a productive fashion. The basis of a novel is its structure. The basis of a work of art or photograph is its composition. The same goes for a piece of music. You can riff off of any of these (and should), but without them it’s just random and chaotic information flying towards your audience’s minds. Getting information across is one thing. Getting information across in an engaging and relatable fashion is another. Ever working towards this goal is what keeps our mental swords sharp.
- Pushing beyond our preset boundaries helps hone the blade. Some people take the same two selfies over and over again ad nauseam. Or draw different characters in the same position, or write stories with cookie cutter characters, etc, etc. And, they work on some level. But, like the wife of mythical Max who played the same note over and over again – our audiences may get tired of the constant repetition. And, first and foremost – we are our most important audience. It’s often been said that the greatest achievements were made, not for gain, but for personal enjoyment. And, if someone else enjoys it too, all the better. So, if we feel stuck in life – try to break out by pushing a creative boundary. Let’s pursue a practical example. James Altucher for years has preached the real-world applications of daily lists. Get a notebook and each day make a list of ten things. It doesn’t matter what they are. To start, you can simply make a list of ten of your favorite friends or toys from childhood. Ten of your favorite memories. Ten things that make you happy. You come up with the topics. Just make a list of ten things everyday. After a while, once you’ve adjusted to this technique – try to make a list of ten things that don’t exist or haven’t yet. Try to make it where you have up to five “give me’s”. So, for instance : a list of 10 stories that you’d like to tell. Almost everyone has thought up a story or two at one point in their life. List those first and then, you’ll have to mentally stretch to fill the rest of the ten spaces (unless you’re creatively constipated and have a ton of stories that never get written, in which case…my Creative Enhancement class might be just the thing). Make a list of ten business ideas. It doesn’t even have to be something that you know that much about. Make is a list of ten things that you want to learn. You decide what to do. But, do it – everyday.
- Focus. That was both a generic noun and a specific verb. Bring more focus to your life. Creative endeavors by their very nature are good at this. Think of adult coloring books (I mean more like the mandalas to color than anything X-rated, but whatever floats your boat…). You follow the intricate lines and shapes and your awareness flows along with them. If I get really deep into a work of art – I try not to buy groceries afterwards, because my mind can’t comprehend why anything in a supermarket is beneficial to anyone. It can only understand lines, shapes, depth, shading, and possibly color (if I’m working outside of my usual black and white mediums). The same goes for writing. Words become pleasing rhythms and concepts – devoid of a consistent, collective reality to hang them on. Some of the most euphoric moments have come from listening to music. Lon Milo Duquette told a story of finding forms of enlightenment while meditating with The Beatles “All You Need Is Love” on in the background. Robert Anton Wilson details similar experiences with Beethoven’s Hammerklavier. And this may seem the opposite of focus, but it’s actually hyper-focus. Focusing beyond the normal consensus version of reality and experiencing what lies behind. This is a real gift of creative enhancement.
OK, let’s get into more a practical methodology…
There’s a journaling technique that is sometimes called Morning Pages & I tend to call semi-automatic writing. Essentially, get a journal or notebook page. This works best with lined pages as you’ll tend to go all over the place without the lines. The lines are there to act like a particle accelerator for your “monkey mind” to race down.
I have used several versions of this method. The most basic is to think of a question or topic that permeates your mind. So, if you’re trying to come up with a method to better advertise your business – your question would obviously be : “How can I better advertise my business?” Write that at the top of the page. If there is a person, place or thing that doesn’t seem to want to dislodge themselves or itself from your mind – write the name of that specific topic at the top.
Now, just start writing. This is akin to the automatic drawing exercise from last week. You just let words flow out and keep the pen moving without stopping. It could all be gibberish. Or a mish-mash of sensible words and “nonsense”. That’s OK. Whatever words are flowing out are the words that are stuck in your subconscious and need an outlet. It may even be a jingle or jingoism. Use this as a valve to get them out. Keep your question or topic in the back of your mind and eventually (without conscious guidance) – the words will begin to revolve around it – almost as if from a separate being. This is a good way to tap into and open up a dialogue with the subconscious. Just keep writing until the page is full. If you get to the end of the page and you feel that a catharsis is looming – keep going onto another page. Sometimes, you’ll reach catharsis halfway through and the rest will just be emptying the mental waste bin. Sometimes catharsis or breakthroughs don’t come. It’s all OK. Just keep going day after day until it does.
And that’s your experiment for the week. Should you choose to accept it.
I thank you for your time and best wishes in all of your endeavors.
“Keep Going. Keep Playing. Study On This.” – Dr. Morris
UNTIL NEXT WEEK…
Same KAP Time. Same KAP Channel.
– Paul