Accessing Depth Creativity, Divine Guidance and Universal Wisdom at Will

What if there were a simple, easy creative process you could practice regularly in whatever time you have available? What if this process enabled you to tap into your own inherent wisdom and your deepest creative source at will? And what if you could use this process to solve your most pressing problems, to get unstuck, to break through whatever is holding you back, to live a more free and passionate life, and to reach the goals you hold most dear?

CREATE! is that process. I use the term “create” in its widest sense as this process is designed to allow anyone access to their own depth creativity at will. Grounded in current brain research, the work is a marriage of art and science. CREATE! has been anchored in writing, movement, and visual media, and has proven to be both expansive and practical, in that it has broad application and it produces finished products. For example, members of practice groups have used it to:

• break through blocks to completing a doctoral dissertation,


• develop a method for analyzing qualitative data in a research project,

• uncover titles for a series of paintings in preparation for an art show,

• write novels,


• produce paintings and collages,


• write poems,


• set and reach important personal and professional goals,


• start new businesses


• probe issues impacting health and wellbeing,

• gain access to individual and collective wisdom,


• explore spiritual questions and realms, and


• integrate the discoveries into living more fully and passionately each day.

I believe there is still much to learn about this process and that its potential and application are truly limitless. Because of its universality, CREATE! enhances personal evolution and supports wider community and social change. The process works equally well for those who are practicing creatives – artists, writers, composers, dancers, inventors – and for those who think they don’t have a single creative cell in their bodies.

Individuals can benefit from a CREATE! practice in coming to know themselves more deeply and in working through obstacles to their growth and happiness. In the corporate and organizational arenas, teams can use it to enhance creativity and innovation and as a way to bond as a group. Regular practice groups convened among friends, colleagues, families and spiritual communities will enable individuals to maintain a steady practice while boosting the impact through a shared experience.

The seven-step CREATE! process guides you into the limitless pool where your deepest creative source resides, allows you to make the dive to retrieve its perfect and valuable pearls, and then guides you as you resurface to make use of these treasures in your daily life. The process is organized into seven easy to learn and practice steps. Each step has a “how to” as well as a recommended “practice” in which you will engage. The seven steps follow:

Commit - The very first thing you will do is to invest in the process, engage in learning and temporarily suspend judgment and disbelief.


Remove Barriers - Next you will identify and eliminate the obstacles to creativity. They may be personal, organizational and/or cultural.

Explore Intentions – At this stage you will focus your energy through clarity of intention.


Activate Brain Waves – You will ground your work in brain science and experience the power available when you access integrated brain wave patterns.

Think Bilaterally – You will also experience thinking with both halves of the brain, a natural process, though one that hasn't been taught in most learning environments.


Engage - Here you will get to put together everything you have learned and actually jump into the process with both feet. The fun begins!

!ntegrate - This step assures that you will be able to take your experiences back into your personal and professional life and embody them.

We start with the focus on the importance of commitment. Committing is the first crucial step and the fertile ground in which all that the steps that follow are rooted. As in all areas of life, until we commit ourselves to a course of action, not much happens. We will find ourselves doubting, distracted and disappointed. Once we commit, forces beyond ourselves seem to nudge us and assist us toward our vision or goal. When we commit to the CREATE! process, we commit to understanding ourselves better; we commit to our own growth; we commit to bringing our visions into reality; we commit to living more fully and joyfully.

There are inevitable barriers that arise when we embark on a new path or project and becoming aware of them is the first step to removing them. Identifying and breaking through barriers seems to be unavoidably necessary. As individuals we have them; as corporate teams we have them; as communities of people we have them. They seldom disappear on their own. And yet, their power to distract or dissuade us from our path is really minimal - though it may not seem that way at first. Often just naming them is enough to scatter them. Sometimes adjustments to our practice or life are called for. If this is the case, these changes will benefit not just our CREATE! practice but every other area of our lives, too.

A next step is learning how to explore our own and each other’s intentions. If you have some place specific that you want to get to, you had better have a good map or directions to get there. Clear intentions are the maps that enable us to get where we want to go in our creative process. Time spent working alone or with a group to clarify what’s really up for you at this time will result in a much more satisfying experience and much more relevant, richer results. Groups will sometimes write with the same intention for everyone. In this case it’s fascinating to see how each individual psyche addresses the same topic in such creatively different ways.

There is science to delve into which undergirds the CREATE! process. We have available to us four basic brain wave patterns which include beta, alpha, theta and delta. We cycle through these four states depending on what is going on in our day or night. Beta is the thinking state. Alpha is often associated with meditation but is triggered by most kinds of relaxation, including watching TV. Theta is the dream state. And Delta is thought to be a deep state which puts us in contact with the collective unconscious. Delta is also active during deep, dreamless sleep. Typically only one brain wave pattern is dominant at a time. One of the things that makes the CREATE! process unusual is that it activates all four brain wave patterns simultaneously. This “whole mind” state is one of the key features that makes CREATE! so powerful and enables us to access our deepest creativity any time we choose.

CREATE! is well supported by research on the human brain. The process has elements in common with other creative methods, yet it has distinct differences as well. Creating and problem solving from the “whole mind,” means to activate and involve all four brain wave patterns simultaneously: beta, alpha, theta and delta. In my own individual process over time and in my work with students, I have garnered clear evidence that by using the CREATE! process we integrate these four patterns in the brain and ride the flow between the conscious, subconscious and unconscious.

Another useful model of brain function focuses on the connection between our left and right brain hemispheres. Although these terms are used more metaphorically than scientifically, they are useful guides in accomplishing the “whole mind” state. Typically we think of left-brain activity as logical, rational, sequential and right-brain activity as emotional, visual, gestalt where everything is happening at once. Neither is better than the other, however many people tend to favor one orientation over the other. By activating both hemispheres we have access to broader and deeper ways of knowing ourselves and the world around us.

Engaging in the actual CREATE! process after working through the essential preparatory steps yields surprising results. We engage our whole minds, our hearts, our spirits. We engage and strengthen our community if we are working in a group. We even engage with the world around us as it finds its way into our work. This is the harvest we have been preparing for.

Integration of the process and of the learning into our lives is the way that we come to embody the wisdom we seek. If we just CREATE! occasionally we will have some interesting experiences and insights. But if we integrate the practice into our lives, our lives will change in ways that we envision and desire, as well as ways that are totally surprising. If we integrate what we learn, our lives will change more quickly than we ever thought possible.

Combining movement, writing and visual media (drawing, painting, even doodling) is another act of integration of mind and body—the whole mind, that is. What is amazing about our creative sessions is how easy the work is. When we share our work in a group, we bring our whole minds to decoding the works collaboratively. Each individual gains the wisdom of her or his own pieces, and the group has its synergistic and synchronistic learnings as well. A group that works together over time builds facility both in activating the four brain wave patterns as they create and in decoding the pieces that emerge. This continued practice serves the group, and it gives group members greater mastery in using CREATE! on their own.

When we create together in a workshop, we fully share the crafting of our intention statements. Each person discusses a direction or issue she or he is wrestling with or would like greater understanding about. Members of the group contribute insights and observations that help each other to narrow or expand the focus of the intention and craft the wording. Since it takes some practice to hone an intention statement effectively, the effort spent in the group to invent precise intention statements trains us to be able to work successfully when using this process alone.

I have found that writing frequently and regularly is most advantageous for continuity and growth. Once a month is not often enough for most people to stay engaged in the process. In the past committed groups have settled on twice a month for ongoing engagement, with one evening session and two weeks later one longer Saturday workshop. Individuals often write on their own between sessions. In most group meetings, each member of the group works from their individually crafted intention. There are however, other times when all members of the group use the same intention to frame the writing. Both styles give ample rewards.

In the creative part of the session, we work in shared space, usually in a studio or outdoors. We are aware of each other’s energy and presence, but our work is done independently. We can hear each other’s pens scratch across the page, the glide of brush and paint, and the tearing or cutting of paper for collage. We also can hear and taste and smell and see and feel the setting around us. Sometimes these sensory impressions enter our work. We usually position ourselves so that we cannot easily see each other’s visual pieces. As we train the parts of our psyches and activate all four brain wave patterns, distractions from our work become fewer and fewer. When we have explored writing individually and then doing a collaborative visual or dance piece; the results have been surprising and exciting.

When the creative segment is complete, we each take a turn and read our writing while the rest of the group listens or views the accompanying visual piece if we’ve worked in multiple media. (When working alone at home, it is also important to read the writing aloud and study the visual product.) Because group members recognize the sanctity of the process, they are quiet and respectful while they bring their whole minds to focus on listening and observing. At this point the creator may become consciously aware of his or her own material for the first time.

This part of the session is not an artistic critique. It is not about the group members’ opinions of what they have heard and seen. If something is triggered in a member of the group when experiencing someone else’s work, that can be freely shared with the understanding that it is that listener’s own perception or insight being related. The purpose of the discussion is to focus on and to inquire into how the creator’s intention was fulfilled and to help the creator extract the most value from his or her writing and visual art as possible, with the other group members serving as facilitators and witnesses in that process.

Each member of the group benefits from the ensuing discussion, not just the creator. Something a creator says or discovers in their own work could trigger an insight or chain reaction in the group. Through this process we discover our commonality, our universality as well as our uniqueness.

Collaboratively exploring each other’s work helps train us to apply this kind of understanding to our daily lives. Living is the ultimate creative process, and the whole mind can be brought to it enabling us to experience life more fully, freely and passionately, to gain all the wisdom and gifts available to us each day that are so easily overlooked or dismissed. Our practice primes us to be able to create our lives with clear intention, to find meaning and connection, and to be whole.

I hope that you will find the inspiration to start your own CREATE! practice, with which to guide your life and express your limitless creativity. Whether you want to explore an artistic medium, design a greenhouse or develop an investment strategy, CREATE! will allow you to bring all your mind’s resources to your work and your life. Its versatility enables you to develop a personal practice from which you will reap countless benefits or build deep community as you regularly work through the 7 steps with a committed group of practitioners.

May your creativity flourish and your genius awaken.

Check all the items that apply to you and your business. Add up all your checked items. The more items you have checked, the more work there is to do. However, one big out-of-control item can jeopardize the success of your company. Categorize the items you’ve selected. Prioritize them. Create an action plan based on what you’ve learned in this analysis. Take action. Engage your entire company in this effort. If you are a sole proprietor, get outside help to provide another perspective and consistent accountability.

~ Goalless – no clear financial goals

~ Owner/Arsonist/Firefighter – owner solves problems but creates more

~ 80/20 – not knowing what 20% of activity results in 80% of results

~ Addictive spending – from lattes to laptops

~ Unexpected add-on costs after purchase decisions made

~ Unreliable suppliers – domino effect company misses deadlines, opportunities

~ Lack of clear roles and responsibilities causing lower morale and productivity

~ Inefficient processes / operations; no periodic systems review

~ Telephone / computer systems not audited yearly for best equipment and price

~ Marketing plan missing or plan with no follow-through or budget

~ Absent or inconsistent customer *keep in touch* systems

~ Excessive overhead – no yearly audit to reexamine / reduce costs

~ Not exploring business barter as a way to keep shelter profits

~ Business view too short-term; not considering the 5 – 10 year opportunities

~ No Research and Development team or R&D time for owner

~ Not figuring ROI on ventures; not having an ROI benchmark

~ Company or employee that is on too steep of a learning curve too long

~ Not focusing enough attention on key customers 

~ Minimal customer service = unenthusiastic customers (damned by faint praise)

~ Ignoring Reduce / Reuse / Recycle ethic – buying new when used would do

~ Missing opportunities for collaboration and joint ventures

~ Tolerating lack of productivity, treating employees like children, patronizing

~ Hiring family and/or friends; paying more than they are worth; nepotism 

~ Low employees morale – poor salaries, poor working conditions, no benefits

~ Lack of professional development for staff who lose motivation / stagnate

~ Cash flow problems due to no/slow collection system on accounts receivable

~ Maintaining too many products on hand; stockpiling inventory

~ Late payment of bills which results in lost discounts or late fees

~ Advertising – inadequate feedback; not knowing if advertising is working

~ Indebtedness - cost of money too high, too much credit card debt, bank debt

~ Outdated products or services – demand is weakening or gone

~ Slow execution – by the time the product/service is ready market share is gone

~ Accounting – decision-makers with inadequate information

~ Lack of essential reports – critical data on productivity / markets not tracked

~ Old technology – systems that crash or are incompatible with others 

~ Overspending on technology – always buying the newest when not necessary

~ Lagging behind in communications – especially no email, no website

~ High turnover – employee problems going unnoticed, high cost of replacement

~ Too much/too little on outside experts – not figuring ROI on contract work done

~ Overpayments – property taxes, payables not audited properly

~ Paying top dollar – not comparison shopping for insurance, supplies, goods

~ Excessive benefits – costs not controlled, overpaying of fringes

~ Office furniture / design – spending more than necessary just to satisfy ego

~ Company cars – indiscretion in number or inappropriate employee usage 

~ National / international travel when electronic communications would suffice

~ Last minute purchase for airline tickets & other emergencies – paying more

~ Too many employees, company carrying dead weight

~ Right people in wrong jobs – most have most productive, best for position

~ Best kept secret – customers can’t get to you easily, don’t know about you

~ Plan is absent or old – update regularly, review mission, goals, implementation

~ No reserve – lack of buffer for emergencies or unexpected opportunities

~ Owner with high lifestyle and business supporting it

~ Insufficient incentives and job perks to keep employees creative 

~ Poor or slow follow-up with business prospects

~ Customer attrition – not doing what needs to be done to keep good customers

~ Foggy finances – no regular reporting of finances with review and action steps

~ No customer surveys – not taking to, listening to and learning from your customers

~ Contagious employee dissatisfaction – conveyed to customers and prospects

~ Forgetting what business you are in; trying to be all things to all people

~ Spread too thin, adding products, services, departments too soon

West is the direction associated with autumn. West is the path of wisdom. Consider this wonderful distinction between knowledge – so highly prized by our society and wisdom. Knowledge is the understanding that water is two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen – H20. Wisdom, however, is being able to make it rain. Wisdom is knowledge applied for the good of all.

Full Moon Rising over Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

Wisdom comes from within. Wisdom is tempered by all our life experiences – good, bad, neutral. Wisdom is the ability to listen to that still, small voice within and take action on what we hear. West is where that voice lives and thrives.

West is the home of teacher energy. We are fortunate when we find a teacher who is wise and willing to teach us. However, we know that teachers are human and fallible. When we don’t have a teacher or when our teachers disappoint us, we must cultivate the teacher within – the teacher in the west. West teaches us to listen to our intuition. To value and practice introspection. To dive into the deep, still waters within.

West is the watery world. The home of sea creatures, the whale, the dolphin, the Orca. It is the world of emotion. E•motion is energy in motion. Emotions need to move and flow – just like water. If they don’t flow they get stagnant. Stagnant water and stagnant emotions are not safe, not healthy, not life giving.  Emotions change quickly. We never see the same river twice – the flow is ever-changing.  In our emotional world, when we’re healthy, we’re never in the same place twice. We may revisit familiar territory but from a higher perspective on the evolutionary spiral.

When we are in alignment with the energy of the west, we practice stillness, silence, and receptivity. We create structure(s) for growth. How often do you experience stillness and silence in your life? Where can you cultivate that nourishing energy? Getting up earlier than the rest of the household can insure some of that cherished time. Stopping at a park on the way home from work can be a way to schedule that time. To close your door at work for 20 minutes can reset your mind and spirit. If you don’t have a door at work, can you get up and out of the office for a few minutes to create that needed break?

Receptivity is a “yin” quality that can be rare in our “go getter” culture. When our only strategy is hard-driving, we can exhaust ourselves in our efforts to get ahead. Letting life bring you what you want and need is a receptive strategy that beautifully complements the goal-oriented approach. Receptivity asks that we be clear about what we want and align our energy with it. That creates as resonance where our desires are fulfilled easily and quickly – miraculously it seems.

Structures for growth are a natural outgrowth of a strong west. Have you created environments that support your growth? If you are training for a marathon, you need to get out every week for runs of increasing distance and time. You need good running shoes, adequate nutrition and hydration. These are all necessary structures that support your growth as a runner. The same principles apply to mental structures for growth, which might include school or reading; emotional structures for growth, which might include therapy or journaling; and spiritual structures for growth, which can include connection to nature, meditation, ritual and ceremony.

When our west is out of alignment, it might seem that we are in muddy waters, nothing is clear. We might personalize events causing problems with other people. We might be indiscriminant in our choices. When we go through periods of loss – which are inevitable – we especially need the strong, healthy energy of the west. These losses could include any of the following:

• attachments        • turf          • structure          • meaning         • future          • control          • timing

Befriend the west this season. Go to water – fresh or salt – and listen to what it has to say to you. Let yourself feel your emotions without judgment. Notice how quickly they move through when they are not dammed or suppressed. Design and set up at least one structure for growth in your life – physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. Get to know the powerful teacher within you. Everything you need to know is already within you.

Look familiar? This little gift courtesy of the City of Olympia's Parking Services - lovely Rita, meter maid - was on my windshield when I finished a client meeting downtown this week. I'd like to say my reaction was one of loving kindness. But I'd be lying. And that's where Buddha comes in.

As I was walking later in the week with a Buddhist friend, we talked about anger - hers, mine, everyone's. She told me of her Buddhist teacher's encouragement  to welcome anger - and all other emotions - as windows into who we are and how we operate. Let it teach you about yourself was her (paraphrased) recommendation. Let it point the way to other ways of being - maybe loving kindness. As we walked, I realized that I had followed that advice without having heard it.
     I've recently welcomed anger as my guide. This decision came to me in the midst of a new relationship. Old relationship patterns that I thought I had left far behind had been surfacing. What was going on? Who was this angry person? I could see that I was hurting this man that I love. But maybe more importantly, I was hurting myself. What would it mean to be kind to myself? I resolved not to hang on to, not to stew in, not to inflict harm to myself or others with my anger. Tall order for an impatient, critical, perfectionist. But it's time. 
     I reviewed what had happened when I got the ticket. My temper flared. Look, I'm Irish and a redhead - what can I say? I could actually see "Rita" around the corner, just doing her job. My anger was immediately directed at her. And as quickly as it flared, I realized how unfair it was to be mad at her. She was, after all, only doing her job. A job, I bet she's mighty grateful to have. What followed was a train of thought that carried me from desert of anger to the wildlands of fear very quickly. What was I angry about? What was beneath the anger? I was afraid. The anger covered fear about money - an old, but familiar rut in this woman's road. With a recent dip in income, my old "not enough" fears have resurfaced. As I sat with the fear, I remembered what I know. I really know there is enough. I really know I'll be OK. I can remember these truths when I take a deep breath and follow my emotions (e•motion = energy in motion). When I don't deny them, block them, or worse, project them out there on someone else (an unfortunate but common human habit), that is. As the anger and fear disolved, I was left feeling clear, relaxed and slightly amused at myself. This moment anger and fear showed up. The next moment, something new. May I (and you) welcome all emotions, follow them to those dark, hidden places and mine the treasure.

Integration is a concept that is fundamentally appealing. It means to form, coordinate or blend into a functioning or unified whole. Who doesn't like that? It has been a guiding principle in my life and in my work, now more than ever. I have diverse interests and talents. Following the advice of many marketing experts, I have tried in the 15 years of my business to focus on one main thing. The truth is my one main thing is everything. Having come to the realization that that's who I am and it's OK, I am joyfully welcoming - integrating - diverse interests back into my work and life. This diversity includes art, yoga, CREATE!, permaculture, changing the world through social movements, relationship, consciousness, gardening, food, animals, the natural world - well, you get the idea.