• Home
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Products
  • About
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Cart
Divining The Muse
  • Tarot Consults
  • Dream Consults
  • Writing Consults

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

What Mask Do You Wear?

Posted on  October 23, 2013

Masquerade!/ Run and hide–/but a face will/ still pursue you!
from Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Masks are not just for Halloween. Over the centuries, they have served a variety of purposes.

  • Entertainment. Since the time of ancient Greece, mask have been used for theater performances (noh masks of Japan) and for celebrations and festivals (Mardi Gras masks).
  • Disguising identity. Think of Batman, the Lone Ranger, and other superheroes. Sometimes having a disguise can be very helpful, even it is only a half mask. Thieves and other bad guys will concur; having a mask makes it difficult for anyone to identify you in a line-up.
  • Concealment. In Phantom of the Opera, the Phantom wears a mask to hide his disfigurement. In The Man in the Iron Mask, King Louis XIV condemns his twin brother to wear an iron mask to conceal his relationship to the king.
  • Ritual and ceremony. Around the world, masks representing gods, goddesses, spirits and elementals are used to invoke those beings and their powers during ritual. The Hopi of the southwest and their kachinas, and the Iroquois and their false faces are two examples in this country.

You’ve probably worn a mask. Perhaps for a Halloween costume party or as part of a theater production. It’s fun to slip beneath a mask and become something or someone else for a while, isn’t it?

The problem with masks arises in your personal and creative life when you begin to identify so closely with the mask that others believe that you are that mask.

Any form of creativity requires a personal vulnerability. After all, you are the vehicle for those words or images or ideas. They come from you and through you. And the risk you take to create inevitably sets you up for critique, criticism and rejection.

So wearing a mask—at first—seems like a good idea. Of course, the mask you don depends on who you are with. The professional one day, the caretaker or fixer the next, or the “good” girl or boy another. But, if you wear any of those masks too long, you give away your power and the truth of who you are.

A better mask to put on is the mask of your Muse. Why? Because instead of concealing or disguising, the Muse mask can be used as part of your creativity ritual. So try this:

Imagine what your Muse looks like. You can do a conscious dream journey, a meditation or ask for a sleep dream to meet your Muse.

Ask for a name. And, while you are at it, a message.

Create a mask. You can cut a mask shape from paper or buy a blank one from a crafts or hobby store. Decorate it with colors, symbols, feathers, beads, glitter–whatever makes you feel connected to your Muse.

Design a short ritual using your Muse mask. Choose an opening movement, sound or scent and put on the mask. Think about the work ahead of you for that time period, what you want to accomplish and see if the Muse leads you somewhere with it. Remove the mask and get to work. Then close your Muse time. Blow out the candle or incense, turn off the music, etc.

Keep your Muse mask on your creativity altar (do you have one?) to remind you of your relationship and the creative power available to you.

If you are going to wear a mask, isn’t it better to wear one that empowers you rather than one that hides the beauty and truth of who you truly are?

Which mask will you wear today?

Save

About the Muse Blog Creativity Rituals Seasons
Tags : Batman, ceremony, Creativity, disguise, Halloween, Lone Ranger, masks, Muse, Phantom of the Opera, ritual, The Man in the Iron Mask
← Next Post
Previous Post →

Comments

  1. Tai Goodwin says:
    October 30, 2013 at 5:48 pm

    I never thought about masks this way. Thanks for the inspirational perspective.

    • adminpaulacs says:
      November 4, 2013 at 8:19 am

      You are welcome. Interesting to think about cultural facial tattoos and how they might serve similar purposes.

Categories

  • About the Muse
  • Blog
  • Creativity
    • The Business of Creativity
    • Writing
  • Dreams
  • Fairytales
  • Family
  • Myth
  • Rituals
  • Seasons
  • Story and Storytelling
  • Tarot
  • Travel
Divining The Muse | Copyright © 2023 All Rights Reserved
Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
Images by Ciro Marchetti with Permission
Site by Creative Implementations
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT