Instincts

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” Carl Jung

Happy Monday!

We had a whole lot of shakin’ going on in SoCal this week! It was quite a mixed bag of natural wake-up calls. I hope those of you in the burn and earthquake areas are safe!

I also hope you found a way to relax and refresh. I know some of us work throughout the weekend, but it’s good to make some time to rest and recharge. Those of us who have the weekends off often fill the time with activities and neglect to include self-care. Whatever your particular situation, please reserve time for yourself. Your frazzled nervous system could use a break!  

My older daughter and I have recently been hooked on soap operas from around the world. I know it sounds amusing, and sometimes, they’re just hysterical. Other times, we are prompted to consider things that aren’t in our daily stream of consciousness. Cultural differences can cause us to rethink our reactions and prompt us to try something new. And listening to a program in another language with captions can be a truly enriching experience.

Watching these shows has encouraged some deeper conversations about stepping out of our comfort zones and trying new things. It takes courage to step out of the known and into the unknown. There may be obstacles along the way, but when we look at the challenges as growth opportunities, it makes the attempt much more palatable and may bring joy in the process.

This quote from Carl Jung opens a window of encouragement when considering embarking on something new:

Hmm, when was the last time you played? I’m not talking about sports or other contests, but simply playing with bubbles, coloring, chasing waves, or dancing without concern about what someone else might say. We have an instinctual propensity to play, yet many have forgotten that our creative minds crave aspects of playfulness. Perhaps we feel we’ve outgrown those parts of ourselves and determined that adulting requires continual seriousness. Maybe we got into too much trouble when we were young and have generated an aversion to the light-hearted sides of our personalities.

How often do we repress or neglect our creative bents due to busyness, responsibilities, and exhaustion? If playing is an instinct and inner necessity from which creativity blossoms, there’s a good possibility that we’ve missed some exceptional ideas trying to become realities. It’s also possible that we can’t find the anticipated solution for whatever we’re wrestling with because we haven’t allowed ourselves the luxury of enjoying the journey of exploration and discovery.

Scripture shows us examples of instinct, creativity, and some things that are new in the following passage:

“Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness,
And rivers in the desert.”  Isaiah 43:19 (NKJV)

The prophet in this passage calls Judah to let go of the struggle and embrace something new ~ so wholly new, in fact, that the things being created seem impossible. Perhaps our instincts are leading us to something entirely new that may take all our creative juices. Maybe our inner necessity requires us to play around with new ideas and concepts.

This process could help us gain a new understanding of ourselves, our surroundings, or the people we love and serve. It may seem impossible, but with some application and creativity, we might recognize that we were meant to discover it all along. We just have to open our minds and hearts to play with the idea.

Let’s take some time to act on our instincts and inner necessity to play this week. My guess is the creativity that will come from allowing our minds to wander through entertaining thoughts will yield some pretty amazing outcomes. After all, we all have a playful inner child; we just need to encourage and protect the process!

Be Well & Be Blessed!
Lucinda