As I drove home this evening, I sifted through possibilities for tonight’s blog post. This was one of those days where I felt drawn in several different directions, with no clear indication yet which path to take. Music had snagged my heart, and I listened to the La La Land soundtrack as I drove…and yet silence met my inquiry when I asked about sharing something musical.
I also felt drawn toward creating on a new page in my art journal. I am very much enjoying that artistic journey. Yet again, when I picked up the journal at home, and scanned through a new page, nothing really connected with me.
I considered that tonight, for the first time since I began blogging, three plus years ago, I might not have anything to write about.
And yet…something…something…was trying to rise to the surface.
Reaching for my Walking in This World book, by Julia Cameron, I finished the last chapter. It was on the final two pages that the stirrings within finally surfaced and understanding dawned.
In the final task, at the end of the book, Julia writes that each of us carries the inner capacity for awe. Different things inspire different people, and some things simply make us happy, and some things we love for no apparent reason. We experience the touch of the Great Creator, when we touch upon something we love.
Julia says, “Because the part of us that creates is youthful and innocent, an ideal place to collect artist toys is a good children’s bookstore.” I know the truth of Julia’s statement. I often pick up a book from the children’s library, when I am learning something new. These books for kids cut out the unnecessary clutter and get to the important stuff quickly.
The assignment was to find a children’s book that makes me happy. “Make it a point that your bedside table contains at least one book on a topic that simply delights you.” She goes on to write that delight opens the door for the Divine to touch us.
There it was, the connection I was looking for, the door swinging open. I had a strong visual image of looking through an open door earlier in the day, and wasn’t sure how to interpret that. And now the Divine was inviting me to enter, by way of my delight.
Because, I already have a children’s book on my bedside table, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and I’ve been wondering how to share about it. However, I’m not exactly clear about why I have been drawn to read this book, and the series that follows. I recently rewatched all the Harry Potter movies. And that wasn’t enough. Now I know I am supposed to read the books.
This magical tale, by JK Rowling, centers on Harry Potter, an orphaned boy who does not know who he is. He only knows he is miserable, living in a tiny cupboard under the stairs, in a house with horrible people. His aunt, uncle, and insufferable cousin fear who he might be and seek to prevent Harry from living his destiny.
But when a mysterious owl delivers a strange letter to young Potter, his life shifts dramatically. The letter is an invitation to a place, a world, that Harry never dreamed existed. At Hogwarts, Harry Potter finds new friends and incredible knowledge, strength he didn’t know he possessed and almost overwhelming challenges. Ultimately, he finds himself.
I may not know yet what all the truths are for me, within these children’s books, but in this first volume, I’ve discovered…it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live…it takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to an enemy and just as much to stand up to friends…fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself…truth can be beautiful and terrible…and music is a magic, beyond all we do here.
I am enjoying the magical world of Harry Potter, as I complete the first book. Book two will be ordered soon, and placed on my bedside table. Julia wrote, “Let yourself celebrate what you love and that you are the person who loves it. Allow yourself to marvel.”
I don’t have to know why I am being guided to Harry Potter. I don’t have to figure it all out. My inner artist knows what she’s doing. I can simply marvel. I can delight. And in finding delight, I am opening the door to the touch of the Divine, and connecting to a sense of the marvelous.
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