Louis Parsons - Release Your Power To Create

Feel Truly Alive In A Minute

You wake up. You slap your alarm clock (or in my case that would be a 2ft high handsome curly haired little boy who'd like to play with his cars)

You feel around in the dark for your dressing gown... Time for another day.

Another day... The thought of that to a dehydrated brain is not enlivening or awe-inspiring. It's drudgery and and hard work! That's why the very first thing you should do when you wake up is drink a big glass of water.

Even if you don't read anymore and you just do that... You'll have a WAY better day. 

But, as you may suspect, I have something more for you.

Now, I don't know if you are the most disciplined prayerful dude, or meditating dudette. Maybe you have your hour of silence tied down. You access the depths of inspiration, the vast reservoirs of latent possibility that reside within you on a daily basis that provide you with a foundation light, focus and engagement for an insanely productive day.

You might. Or you might not.

It always makes me smile when I read about the importance of a morning ritual to make the most of your day and your life. If only my 2 year old son had read the book aswell, then maybe my 6am start would be a little more contemplative than watching Cars 2 for the eighth time. (although we did both do a yoga move in front of waybulloo the other day .... "tree, daddy, tree!")

I don't have an hour... Maybe you don't.

But do you have a minute?

I bet you have a minute? Even you must have a minute a day that you can commit to developing your highest, best and deepest qualities as a human being.

I'll take that as a grudging yes.

Ok. I'll let you into a secret. It's a the foundation of a book that I am currently writing, and I call it "Soul Inspiration".

This is a very simple practice that condenses the best of visualisation, prayer, meditation, and... Breathing. You don't need to be spiritual to do it. You just need to be able to breathe :)

Firstly, let me sell you one few benefits. Many people advocate an hour of silence, prayer or meditation. Neuroscientists are now seeing the benefits of some kind of regular practise, to the physiology of the brain, including a vast reduction in age related illnesses, and brain shrinkage that can occur in later years. It's fascinating stuff.

But, you know what, you just feel better if you do it. Better about yourself, and better about life. You may even to get to free the world of some of your grumpier moods!

Most practises suggest using an object of some kind to focus on, wether its a scripture, a word, an image or your breath.

Now, being an artist, I thought I'd offer you an image that you can offer. It's a preliminary sketch of a new set of work that I will be working on in 2012 called "the soul chords". There will be 9 of them, and each one relates to a soul capacity that I have identified in my ten or so years of SoulScaping..

Take a look:





Soul Chord 1 - "Stillness"

Here we see a tiny figure near the top of "Stillness" representing your localised sense of awareness, the "I" that you believe lies on one side of your skin, behind your eyes somewhere. This is your starting point for the descent into what certain traditions call "the ground of all being". We start at the pinnacle of your true potential. See the gentle root-like tendrils that stretch down into the still, watery depths, navigating the strata of layers of incomplete life experience, until you find an inner chamber of openness and light.

This is the entry point into absolute stillness, and the vast spaciousness that is in the very depths of your soul, and beyond.

Here, very delicately stretched out, is a light body.. representing your infinity, God himself, waiting calmly in the stillness. Underneath all things lie the ever-lasting arms, waiting to give you the most gentle, warming embrace in absolute stillness.

Blues and whites represent stillness and calm, and pure divine energy emanating from the  infinite heart of God.


So here is the practise:

First, find a timer and set it to one minute.

Take the soul chord that you would like to develop, stillness for example. Place the image in front of you, or gaze at it on your wall. Place your self in the picture, swap places with the figure in the image. Take a a deep breath and feel deeply into this experience. What do you feel in your body, what textures can you sense? What sounds can you hear? What fragrance can you smell?

With each breath, with a soft gaze focus...  on the image and replay the experience until 30 seconds passes. Now close your eyes, and with each breath replay the experience, use your imagination to bring light, movement and light to it. Smell the smells, feel the textures, and let go deeply into this experience.

As you reflect on this piece, breath deeply, follow your breath into the depths of silence. Notice the space between your thoughts.... Feel deeper still and you find the chamber of infinity inside. Now... Rest.
When your timer goes off, gently open your eyes, observing what is different internally, and what you notice that is different in your surroundings

How did you find it?.

Please leave a comment below.

You see this isnt about the length of time you do something, it's about the quality with which you do some something.

And if you have a young family, or crazy morning like I often do, you can practise this in your room for one minute, in the shower... Or even on the loo! :) (Needs must sometimes!)

It can really set you up for the day, and make you realise that a truly inspired day is actually just a thousand moments that you have brought yourself too.

Give it a go and I look forward to hearing from you.

To your inspired 2012,

Louis 

Create your future

After running an Art Of Authentic Leadership workshop, one of the first things that happens I see is a renewed energy to get creative. I see eyes alight and a new level of energy. I see the tip of a creative iceberg that comes alight... Neurons fire in a new way, synaptic connections are ablaze, and there is a commitment to do “that thing” that we know we should be doing.

 

“Im going to push forward that new initiative”

“Im going to use those paints sitting in the attic.”

“Im going to get writing.”

 

Quite often what happens is that, after this initial blast of energy.. the excitement subsides, life carries on, a few years go by... then there is a another wake up call of some kind, and we realize AGAIN what it is we know we should be doing.

 

Is this sounding familiar?

 

Its all very well having a little creative blast to blow the cobwebs away... but what about day to day? Where is that little spark... that subtle energy that puts us in that special state of aliveness into our work and our lives? Are you aware of it now? Can you sense it below the layers of a busy mind? Maybe its clear and bright right now, and its putting the spring in your step. If so, then that is fabulous. Take a look around you and notice the effect it has on those you interact with today.

 

Pretty soon we are caught up in the grooves we have carved for ourselves. Our daily routines, expressed in our thoughts feelings and behaviors. Before you know it, that spark becomes a little dull ache.. awaiting expression, once again

 

Lets consider a slightly broader perspective for a moment. The world is growing and developing. Its constantly in a state of flux and change. Its a vast and hugely complex place, at once incredible in its profound diversity and beauty, and frightening in the number of multilayered challenges it faces.

 

This is our story as a species. We face profound problems, and we overcome them in new, creative ways. We evolve... and here we are! 

 

Look back at where we have come from, at the extraordinary landscape of possibility, new knowledges and development... at all we have learned (sometimes through our repeated mistakes!) and its pretty amazing what we have achieved already. 

 

We are living in incredible, exciting times. We have an extraordinary vista of possibility in front of us. A vast blank canvas of options, outcomes and results, all of which are yet to be created. Think what would happen if we took the sum total of what we know, and what we have learned... took real stock of it, then walked into today knowing we can create what we want to create.

 

What if you approached everyday as though it were a blank canvas?

The thing is, most of us have already complete out canvas before we even start painting.

 

What does that mean?

 

We have already established our thought patterns, what we are going to do, and where we are going to end up before we set foot into our day. We will probably repeat about 80-90% of what we did today, tomorrow.

 

As a result, a lot of us are “sleep painting” through the partially completed canvas of our lives. (Sleep painting is like sleep walking, but with a paint brush in your hand).

 

A quick reality check: If you carry on sleep painting for the next 5 years, you will have painted a mess, and not event be aware that you are painting a mess. In fact, you will be so unaware of it, that you will blame others, and society, anything other than you.. for the mess that you have created. 

 

Look back over the past five years of your life. Have you ended up anywhere near where you thought you were going to be five years ago? Are you happy where you are now?

 

Tough questions to face, but face them we must.

 

Lets assume for a moment that you aren't entirely content with the sum total of your current reality. What can you do about it? What are the next steps? How can you make the next five years the most compelling, engaging, involved five years you have ever had?

 

Put simply, build your creative muscle. With consistent practise, and effort over time, you can have a more consistent, inspired, creative, daily experience.

 

Lets get practical. Here is a simple 3 step technique to integrate into your day that will help develop your creative muscles. Try it for 10 minutes a day for 5 days and see what benefits you experience. Many people report results such as:

 

• More effective decision making
• Greater focus and clarity even in busy, distracting environments
• A noticeably higher level of energy in approaching the tasks of the day
• Greater presence and awareness
• A deeper respect for colleagues, and an appreciation for the diversity of communication we face in the day

 

Sound like you could use some of that?

 

Well here it is:

 

1. Be still
2. Focus on what you want to create
3. Create your day

 

 

1. Be still

 

Its harder to be still than you might think. It take practise. Lots of practise, but as you develop this profundly powerful life skill you will experience greater centredness and integrity in your thoughts, your feelings and your behaviours

 

Take look at this picture:

 

Imagine you are figure on the bank of this river. Imagine that the river is the flow of your thoughts. You have several layers of thinking: Surface thoughts, day to day distracted ness, deeper, more creative thoughts... and at the deepest level, no thought... but a a profound sense of creative stillness.

 

The object of this exercise is simply, like the figure, observe your thoughts. Get a timer and set it for 5 minutes. Sit comfortably. Choose a word that represents to you opening to a higher or deeper place of being. An example could be “open” “love” or “peace” As your thoughts come down the mind stream just gently return to this single simple word, like an anchor in the depths of your being. Let the thoughts come and go through your mind. Do this as an act of focus, and when the time is just, just gently open your eyes.

 

 

1. Focus on what you want to create

 

You have probably written a mission, vision or value statement. (If you haven't got one, write one!) If you are anything like most people, you probably haven't looked at it for a while.

 

Take one aspect of this statement, and imagine what it would be truly like to be that way. Imagine that this thing is already achieved to perfection. What do you experience as it is achieved, what are you thinking, saying and doing?

 

Spend 2 minutes replaying this experience.

 

 

1. Create your day.

 

Holding onto the experience you have created... run through what you want to achieve today, your major opportunities, and tasks. Visualize the effect of bringing yourself in this new way to these tasks. Imagine them being completed with vigour and inspiration.

 

Are there any new approaches that can be taken? What can be done even better?

 

 

As a personal challenge, try this for 5 days. 

 

What happens to your week? Your productivity? The quality of your day to day living?

 

What obstacles do you face?

 

Would love to hear your comments and thoughts!

 

The Depths Of The Ocean, the Power of The Soul - Part 2

The ocean is filled with power and beauty. 

To explore it, we have to have adapted ourselves to its rules. When we do, what was previously terrifying becomes something that creates wonder and awe within us.

Once a few myths have been dispelled, and we become more at ease with this new sense of movement, and new rules of being, we begin to actively pursue what we were previously afraid of.

Lets take sharks for example. You can thank the film “Jaws” for every fear you have of sharks. There are more people struck by lightning every year than there are shark attacks on human beings. 

 In over 400 million years of the evolution of sharks, (We have only been on the planet for about 3 million years, and diving for around 100) they have yet to think that we are food. Sharks eat fish and seals, not people. They will actively swim away from you most of the time, unless driven to aggression by stupidity.

They are incredibly beautiful creatures. Many times on the Great Barrier Reef, I would swim gently upto white tip reef sharks. During the day they could be found sleeping on the ocean floor… With very slow movement, and using my breath to gently descend, I could lie next to sharks to within a metre or so, and look them in the eye. White tips are not just “grey”. There skin has a pearlescent sheen of pinks and purples. Breathtaking.

So, what leviathan do you carry around beneath the surface of your being? What powerful fears do you remove yourself from? With patience, and acceptance, you can look them in the eye, turn them to the light, and re-integrate them into the fabric of your being.

 

Here is a small video that I shot underwater in Egypt and Mexico of a few beautiful underwater sights. Spend a couple of minutes admiring the elegance of movement, and the dance of form. I hope it inspires you to practise some stillness, and experience the power and beauty of your soul.

Following the video there is a few works of art one of which I have just created. I haven’t titled it, but it is inspired by the subtle and elegant movement of the eagle ray.  There is a connection between the dance of its movement through the water, and the subtle energies of the soul. I hope you like it.

The music in this video was commissioned and created by Naomi Hayley Barker.  You can hear more of her beautiful, inspired music here. 

The Depths Of The Ocean, the Power of The Soul...

When you consider the ocean how does it make you feel? Excited? Awestruck? Terrified?

Diving has played a part in the development of my life and my art. Initially I did it to get paid work whilst I was travelling, but I soon became absolutely enthralled with the underwater world.

 

“Is that why you paint so much blue?” you might ask J. Maybe. I just cant seem to get away from the depth of calmness and peace that Pthalo blue, and cerulean hue gives me as I paint. It’s the closest I get to sharing with you the experience of deep calmness that comes from practising stillness.

That to one side, there are many parallels with diving the depths of the ocean, and exploring the power and beauty of the soul. This is the first of three parts to share with you just how much of an effect diving has had on my art, and my life.

The first parallel is that you have to adapt yourself to whole new set of rules. Movement under the waves is very different to movement above it. I think it’s the closest we ever to get to flying. One kick of the fins, and you are propelled forward. Breath in, and you buoy upwards, breathe out, and you gently sink. It’s a beautiful experience.

Using the breath enables you to sink deeper into yourself. Just place your awareness on your breathing outward for a moment and you will see what I mean. There is a reason that the word spirit is often translated “breath” in spiritual writings.

There are also new rules for light, and sound. Sound moves faster through water that it does through the air. The brain pinpoints sound by triangulating the distance between your ears, and the direction that the sound is coming from. The way you can pin point the direction of sound underwater is turning your head very slowly, and paying fierce attention to sounds. It takes practise, but you can soon adapt your mind to pin pointing sound accurately. It took me four years of diving before I realised that fish make sounds. I was diving past a cave mouth full of a shoal of fish, and when you steadied your breath you could hear a beautiful sound like that of a pulsating electricity.

 

Fierce attention, especially to the sound of silence, is also a beautiful gateway to the depths of the Soul.

The deeper you do in the ocean, the stiller the movement of the water. Similarly, the deeper you go into yourself, the more you leave the surface of your busy exterior life, the more you find interior stillness.

(To find out one way to practise stillness, listen to this free podcast.)

Look out for part 2 to this series soon!

3 Ways To Experience Your Souls Power and Beauty

^{1. Contemplation – the gateway to serenity}

^{Now, its not easy to convince an 8 year old to still their mind. But that’s ok, because this is something for you to do. (A 6 week old baby does seem to do this naturally by the way!)}

 

<sup>Contemplation is the act of practising stillness. Practising stillness is the easiest thing in the world NOT to do. But do it anyway.

Stillness is to the spirit what food is to the body.

You don’t have to be in a quiet place, but it helps.</sup>

 

<sup>Sit comfortably.

Close your eyes.

Now watch your thoughts. Imagine them floating by like debris on a river in front of you. Let them pass before you. Resist the temptation to get swept along by your thoughts.</sup>

 

^{Realise you are more than your thoughts and your feelings.}

 

<sup>Try it for 2 minutes.

If you need a hand, then listen to this free podcast, it will give you a few pointers.</sup>

<sup>2. Inspiration – Ideas that bring life

Go look at something beautiful.

We have art around the house (none of my own actually – im like a plumber… I don’t like to take my work home with me!)

Clare has some work up, Phoebe has a few pieces. I have a couple of pieces that we commissioned an artist to paint.

Its amazing the power of letting your eye linger on something beautiful and visual. It seems to bypass the mind, and speak to the heart. I have taken a lot of solace and wisdom from a piece that was created for me by Oliver Pengilly. (actually he painted it for me in a "paint off" at a Mind Body Spirit fayre, but thats another story.</sup>

^{Go take a look at his work. Its beautiful!}

 

^{The trick with this is to REALLY look. Stop. Observe.}

 

^{Let the thing speak to you, rather than your mind doing all the talking for a change.}

 

<sup>Oliver does this with ease. He looks and looks and looks, and he doesn’t label it. He just smiles at it. kid is enlightened already.

If you want to be a bit more inspired, here is a free podcast on inspiration.</sup>

3. Creative Expression – releasing the soul

We have a piece of art that we painted together as a family. This was one of those rare Sunday afternoons when we didn’t just clear up the house (I find it hard not to reduce this to a boring task if I’m honest) but Clare suggested we paint something together. Phoebe said “Lets paint a magic Garden!”

So we did! Clare cut us three equally sized pieces of watercolour paper, and we painted! (I like oils, so watercolours take me out of my comfort zone a bit.)

Clare then put all three pieces side by side, and skilfully and elegantly painted across all three so that they link together. It now takes pride of place on our dining room wall.

You know, you don’t have to be able to paint to do this. Just get messy and have some fun. The results will surprise you I’m sure.

Every time we look at our magic garden piece, its makes us smile. Its an undeniable reminder that we do things a little differently sometimes.

And that’s a nice feeling.

All good creativity begins by making a powerful decision. Take a listen to this.

The Soul Expression Triptych - Creativity

This piece is the second of the Soul Expression Triptych.

 

Soul Expression is…

 

“Soul expression is bringing yourself to your everyday reality, and transforming your life into something wonderful to live.

Soul expression is knowing who you really are, that its ok to be powerful, and that creativity is power.

Its knowing your power to create your life, your way.”

(Excerpts from the forthcoming book “Soul Expression – What were you born to create?” by Louis Parsons)

 

Creativity…

“Creativity is the act of taking something ordinary, investing it with power, and transforming it into something extraordinary.

Creativity is where your inner world is woven with the outer world. All of your contemplation and inspiration gets to hit the road, and make some impact in the outer world. It is no wonder that one can sense great vulnerability in acts of creativity. This is because you are, quite literally baring your soul.

Here is where you get to see just how powerful, and beautiful, the treasure trove of your soul is.

 (Excerpts from the forthcoming book “Soul Expression – What were you born to create?” by Louis Parsons

The Soul Expression Triptych - Contemplation

This piece is the first of the Soul Expression Triptych.

 

Soul Expression is…

 

“Soul expression is bringing yourself to your everyday reality, and transforming your life into something wonderful to live.

Soul expression is knowing who you really are, that its ok to be powerful, and that creativity is power.

Its knowing your power to create your life, your way.”

(Excerpts from the forthcoming book “Soul Expression – What were you born to create?” by Louis Parsons)

 

 

Contemplation…

 

“Put simply, contemplation is the act of practising stillness. And practising stillness is the inner doorway to true power.

It is in stillness that you learn a powerful truth:

You are more than your thoughts and your feelings.

Think about that for a moment.

You are more than your thoughts and your feelings.

What does that mean? Well, every philosopher and religion tries to answer this question. But when it is answered, it doesn’t ever seem quite enough. There is a very simple reason for this.

 

The Soul cannot be defined. It cannot be quantified. It is beyond any boundary that your mind can conceive. If you do think about it, then that’s all you have done, is reduce soul to a thought.”

(Excerpts from the forthcoming book “Soul Expression – What were you born to create?” by Louis Parsons)

 

The 8 Symbol

The more I have worked with this symbol, the more powerful it has become for me. As we journey round the infinite cycle of life, we grow, we redefine ourselves, we explore our potential more fully., and we let go of the old structures that have been holding us back.

 

Some hold the number eight to represent “as above… so below.” This is a process of experiencing heaven on earth right now, in this moment.

 

In the paintings, the top part of the 8 symbol represents the outer world, and the bottom part represents the inner world. One has a profound effect on the other.

Experiencing The Power And Beauty Of Your Soul

Me and my wife expect our child to be born mid November.

To be perfectly honest, this has given me a vast realm of experiences recently. I have been enthralled and overjoyed at seeing this little life move around inside Clare (my wife). I have been overwhelmed at the prospect of being responsible, once again for bringing life into the world.

I have had to walk my talk. I’ve been stressed, worried and anxious. But through finding some “still time”, I have been calm, serene, poised and ready.  In short ive been more able to bring myself to these feelings. To find a place for them all.

Feelings are powerful. We create them. All of them. We may not like some of them. But we do it anyway.

 

Your feelings are a wonderful gateway to experiencing the power and beauty of your soul.

But how? And why?

Well, wether you believe in Soul or not, most people, when you talk to them for long enough, will agree, at the very least that there is something more.

And somehow, this something more, wether you consider that to be the power of the subconcious mind, the ebb and flow of universal energy, the heart beat of God, is very powerful. And you are an intrinsic part of it. Your feelings are also an ebb and flow of energy.

When we realise, just for a moment, that we are more than our feelings, then there is freedom.

How do we do this? Well, listen to this podcast on contemplation, and it will give you a tool to do this in about 2 minutes. With practise.

Why should you? Because you will feel better about yourself when you do.

So what on earth has this got to do with art?

Well, if you have read this far, it is probably because you are drawn to the power and beauty of my art in some way. You are struck by how it makes you feel. You like the colour, and the form. It brings you energy. It makes you feel alive.

Thankyou for your appreciation.

All of that power and beauty has come from one place. Stillness.

About 50% of what I do is about creating from a place of stillness. Artwork, workshops, writing, my life. my wife, my children all feel the benefit of this.

The other 50% is in helping people find some stillness so that they can enjoy what I (or what they) create!

If you would like to find out more about experiencing the power and beauty of your Soul, then here are a few things you can do:

1.     Come to my talk on 15^th December, 7.30 at The Isbourne Foundation at Cheltenham. See The Isbourne Foundation Wesbite for Directions

Why should you come?

- If you feel a little lost on your life, and work, and know there is more, then this will provide you with some pointers to find fulfilment

- If you feel great, and want to be feel even more inspiration, then you will enjoy this too!

- I will be sharing some new works of art that capture the essence of what it means to feel truly alive. I will also be sharing some practical tools to give you an experience of how to find stillness in everyday life.

- I will also be sharing the SoulScape process, which helps you connect to what is most important in your life through artwork.

- There will be originals and Ltd Editions there so you can see more artwork in the flesh. (Ltd editions also make great Xmas presents.)

- Lots of good, like minded people will be there, including me.

Se

Tickets are only £5 payable on the day.

I may be a little tired with my new addition to the family, but it will be inspiring anyway! I promise.

There are only 40 places, 5 have already gone. So please email [email protected] or call 01242 808 333 to book your place.

2.     Book me for a no obligation consultation for your SoulScape. A SoulScape is a work of art, personally created to help you find a more continual experience of your inner power and beauty. (Click here to find out more about SoulScapes and Wedding SoulScapes).

A SoulScape means different things to different people, so a meeting face to face helps us both to understand what it could do for you.

I am getting bookings for 2011 already, so if this is something you are interested in call, or email sooner rather than later! 01242 808 333 or [email protected]

3.     Find some still time just for you, for 2 minutes a day. Listen to the podcast on contemplation if you need help stilling your mind. (That’s free too.)