This week I watched one of those videos that gets passed around on FaceBook because of its emotional impact.

It’s about a young man with autism who loved basketball and attended a high school in upstate New York. He joined his high school basketball team, not as a player, but as a coach’s assistant. He made sure the players had water and towels. He helped run the team through practice drills. And at the games, he cheered them on and kept their spirits up. Every game, he showed up.

Finally, in the last game of his senior year, the coach had him suit up. And then, somewhere near the end of the game, the coach sent this young man out onto the court to play with his teammates.

Finally, the ball was passed to him. He took a shot Read More→

So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it. ~Krishnamurti

Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. When we really listen to people there is an alternating current, and this recharges us so that we never get tired of each other. We are constantly being re-created. ~Brenda Ueland

During my recent telesummit on tapping into divine inspiration, several of the guest speakers talked about the importance of deep listening in the creative process. But what is meant by deep listening? Why is it important to our creativity?

Many of us spend hours each day listening…to kids, parents, spouses, bosses, the TV, whoever is on the other end of our phones, talk radio, etc. Sometimes, this listening is just surface listening—that is, listening for key words or phrases of interest. The rest of the time, our minds may wander off, go for a brief vacation and then wander back when we hear another keyword.

Sometimes we are listening with more attention but, at the same time, we are preparing our response—why we agree, disagree, how we have a similar experience, or what advice we have to offer on how to change or fix a situation.

Deep listening, whether to another person, myself, or my Muse, requires a different state of being and a different state of mind, especially if I want to hear accurately. To listen deeply we must:

1. Move into silence. This may seem like a contradiction but it isn’t. To listen deeply to another person means we have to first stop our internal chatter, all the “me” talk. We have to put aside our needs, our opinions, our ideas, and even our desires to “fix it”. To listen deeply to ourselves, or our Muses we not only have to enter into inner silence but into external silence as well. Hearing “the still small voice” of our soul or heart, or our source of inspiration requires silence, deep silence. Turn off the TV and radio and MP3 players. Sit in silence or try meditation, and other forms of centering to move into inner and outer silence.
2. Make a commitment to be present. Being present to someone who is speaking means listening with an intent to be fully aware and attentive. The same is true for yourself and your Muse. How can you hear your desires and thoughts, or the ideas and inspirations of your Muse if you don’t make yourself available to her physically and mentally. Commit to being present with attention, not allowing yourself to be distracted by the Internet, or TV, or food, or friends.
3. Be patient. Does it seem to you as if people talk faster and faster these days? TV and the digital world seem to encourage short, fast communication. If I can’t tell you something in 140 characters (Twitter) or 30 seconds (your elevator pitch, a commercial) then I’m in trouble. But true communication does not happen in tag lines, slogans, and tweets. True communication requires sentences and paragraphs and silences in between. And for communication with the Muse, the silences are just as important as the words. Give the gift of presence with patience in your listening.

Deep listening takes practice, just as our creative work does. If we want our Muses to show up on a regular basis, then we need to be ready and willing to really listen to them. Like our friends, our Muses want—and deserve—our full attention. In listening deeply, an energetic exchange is set up that is rewarding, inspiring, and often healing for both speaker and listener.

Try being aware of your listening patterns this week. Are you giving yourself the gift of deep listening?

When I started talking about the branding and name for my business, Divining the Muse, some people argued against it, suggesting that most people would not recognize what a Muse is.

While I agreed that some might not, I also insisted that most people who work in the creative arts would know. And those who read Western mythology would certainly know who the Muse is. But we can all use reminders and clarification, so, just in case, let me introduce you to the Muse and give you five ways you can encourage Her to visit you.

First of all, in classical Greek mythology there was not one Muse but nine. Yes, nine. One for each of several branches of literature, art, history and science. Yes, there is a Muse for science because science, good science, is an art as well. Three of the Muses inspire poetry—epic poetry, love poetry, and sacred poetry. There are also Muses for music, comedy, tragedy, astronomy and science, dance, oratory and sacred hymns, and history and writing.

These amazing daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (memory) use the god’s fire to ignite that creative spark within us and the goddess’s wisdom and knowing to fan that spark give passion and meaning to our creations.

According to Angeles Arrien, “The ultimate call of the Muses in contemporary life is to live a creative and authentic life.”

Not an easy thing to do, certainly, given a culture that more often values consuming than creating. But, if you are willing to enter into a relationship with your Muse, then you invite in creative magic and meaning.

To invite the Muse into your life and creative work:

1. Create space. That is, create physical space. It doesn’t have to be a whole room. It can be a part of a room, an empty closet, even a chair. Just designate a space as your creative space, your space to receive your Muse.
2. Create time. This is another kind of space. Making time in our schedules to quiet down, to slow down and to really listen is important.
3. Be willing to play. Listening to and honoring the Muse is not all about serious work. It is also about play and whimsy, about dancing and singing, about stepping outside to listen to the world’s creativity around you.
4. Write the Muse an invitation on lovely paper with colored ink. Try something along the lines of, “Dear Muse. I invite you to join my in my creative space. I promise to provide and open mind and heart and a listening ear.”
5. Create an altar for the Muse and your creative project. This doesn’t need to be anything more than a vase of flowers, or a seashell, or some incense. Put a picture or the title of your project there as well. Honor the sacredness of your connection with your Muse and Her gifts.

Like any good relationship, your connection to your Muse takes time, patience and commitment. By honoring Her, you honor your creative life.