Soul Fire: Accessing Your Creativity

by Thomas Ryan

Overview

Trust the Creativity within You—Then Get Out of Its Way

“[This] is the invitation of the inner creative spirit: you are created to create. The creative potential within you is one of the things that makes you ‘in the image and likeness of God.’ Whether your medium be music, watercolors, clay, gardening, woodworking, writing, cooking, dance or voice, the Creator has gifted you with creativity. Your gift in return is to use it.”
—from the Conclusion

This inspiring guide shows you how to cultivate your creative spirit, particularly in the second half of life, as a way to encourage personal growth, enrich your spiritual life and deepen your communion with God.

Each chapter provides questions for reflection to help you identify your creative energy, overcome your insecurities, and connect with your chosen method of expression. Practical exercises at the end of each chapter help you awaken your creative spirit within.

Whether you’re a novice or expert; young adult, middle age or golden age; you will be challenged by this invigorating call to set free your creative potential.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594732430
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	02/01/2008
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	2.36(w) x 3.54(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Rev. Thomas Ryan, CSP, is a Catholic priest and member of the Paulist Fathers. He coordinates ecumenical and interreligious relations for the Paulist community in the United States and Canada. The author of twelve books, his works include The Sacred Art of Fasting: Preparing to Practice (SkyLight Paths); Interreligious Prayer: A Christian Guide; Four Steps to Spiritual Freedom; and the DVD Yoga Prayer. He lives in Washington, DC.

Rev. Thomas Ryan, CSP, is available to speak on the following topics:

• Fasting: A Fresh Look
• Challenge and Inspiration from Other Religions
• The Ecumenical Gift Exchange: What Do the Churches Have to Offer One Another for Their Mutual Enrichment?
• Soul Fire: Accessing Your Creativity
• Remember to Live: Embracing the Second Half of Life

Table of Contents

Introduction: Bellows and Coals     vii
The Third Birth     1
The Urgency of Midlife     1
The Stakes Are High     5
Reconnecting with Creative Energy     10
Embracing the Shadow     12
The Secret to Staying Fully Alive     15
Questions for Reflection     20
Exercises to Access Your Creativity     21
The Nature of Creativity     23
We All Have It     23
Transformation of the Ordinary     26
Life Itself Is a Creative Act     29
Questions for Reflection     35
Exercises to Access Your Creativity     35
Your Creative Journey     37
A Creative Journey Road Map     37
Personal Glimpses     38
Shoots of Creativity     46
Questions for Reflection     51
Exercise to Access Your Creativity     51
Four Paths to Develop Your Creativity     53
Come to Your Senses     55
Visit Your Special Places     60
Discover Your Music     69
Seek Inspiration from Others     73
Questions for Reflection     77
Exercises to Access Your Creativity     77
Four Practices to Tap into Your Creative Potential     81
Listen to Your Longings     83
Have Your Own Experience     87
Work the Edge of Your Comfort Zone     92
Surrender to the Adventure     98
Questions for Reflection     105
Exercises to Access Your Creativity     106
Four Spiritual Gifts of Creativity     109
Connecting with Your Creator     110
Awakening More Fully to Life     114
Unleashing the Power of Imagination     121
Enjoying the Surprise of Grace     124
Questions for Reflection     131
Exercises to Access Your Creativity     131
Conclusion: "Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying"     133
Suggestions for Further Reading     136
Acknowledgments     138

Editorial Reviews

Don't let the author's title of reverend scare you away from this soulful cheer for creativity. A Catholic priest and yoga instructor, Ryan artfully blends his personal journey with equal parts travelogue and biography, yet manages through engaging end-of-chapter exercises to bring the focus back to the reader seeking spiritually creative motivation. At times the combination of his poetry and guidance is a bit awkward and perhaps even indulgent, yet at the same time it is a seductively brave demonstration of his challenge to "Surrender to the Adventure." Friendly and even almost confidential in his manner ("Here's the thing about creativity: It's a live growing entity") he still maintains enough of an air of authority (think yoga master, not schoolmaster) that the questions for reflection and creativity exercises are less like homework and more like steep mountain climbs or complicated yoga positions, delicious in their challenge. Although Ryan is better at relating his own experiences than helping readers generate their own "soul fire," his exuberance is more than enough to inspire and encourage others-regardless of their professed or practiced faith-who seek an enlightened, emboldened path of spiritual creativity. (Mar.)

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