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"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." Michelangelo
Inside you is a masterpiece waiting to be expressed in this physical realm. Your soul. Your Highest Self. It is perfection in all its divinity and glory. We come here as a clean slate. A solid block of marble, if you will. Through our experiences, we uncover the angel underneath. Each trial, each expression of love, each joy, and each sorrow contribute to the editing of the marble. We start by carving out a general shape, and we use bigger tools for that job. Then we change tools and fine-tune the shapes. Other tools help bring detail out, like the texture of hair or the detail of a pupil.
On my second deployment, I had the amazing opportunity to go to the Vatican. I stood in line at St. Peter’s Basilica, and I was excited to get to see the huge cathedral. It was the first time I was going to get to see Michelangelo’s work in person. I had the pleasure of seeing two pieces of his work that day: The Pieta and the ceiling at the Sistine Chapel. I made an interesting observation, one that didn’t really make sense until now.
When recalling what I felt and experienced that day, I can take myself back to standing in front of the marble statue like it happened yesterday. I remember standing there by myself. There were a few other patrons in the other parts of the Basilica, but I was the only one standing in front of the statue. It was tucked away in a corner of the massive church… and I almost walked by it without seeing it. The statue was smaller than I thought it was going to be. I remember how delicate Mary’s face looked…. The details of her hands, and the draping of Mary and Jesus’ clothes. She looked radiant, like a Goddess. She was a Goddess. I was drawn to tears standing there. Not from the content of the sculpture, although that visual of a mother holding her dead son is quite powerful… but from the thought that a man several centuries ago, carved this beautiful piece of marble into a divine expression… a physicality of divinity.
I walked around the rest of the day, unable to forget that feeling of awesomeness I felt while standing in front of the two of them. I walked into the Sistine Chapel later that day, and it was packed to the brim with people from all over the world. Everyone was looking up at the ceiling, pointing and excited. I joined them, looking around, and I was impressed at the work. To my surprise, I did not feel that visceral awe-inspiring truth I had before when standing in front of Michelangelo’s other work. It was amazing, please don’t mistake that point.
Perhaps I was more drawn to the subtraction than the addition. The edit rather than the supplementation. Why is that? What was there that inspired my soul to vibrate with delight and bring tears to my eyes? What WAS NOT there?
Living Creatively Through Edit
We spend so much of our lives adding. Adding partners. Adding children. Adding finances. Adding promotions. Adding stuff. Yes, we can create some amazing lives through these additions. There are some things we add that maybe do not create such amazing lives. Stress. Shitty food. Alcohol. Unrealistic expectations.
What about the subtractions? What amazing lives can we create through subtraction? Subtract the stress, the junk, the poison we indulge in. Subtract the clutter, in our living space AND our minds. Subtract the desire to keep up with the Jones’. Subtract the television. Subtract the relationships that are not supporting our growth. Subtract the incessant need to be perfect. Subtract the noise.
Coco Chanel, one of the most iconic women in fashion in the Twentieth Century, knew all about editing, especially when it came to accessories. She said, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” Watch any fashion, makeup, or art-based reality show, and you will hear the judges talk about editing.
As Creators of Life, we have SO. MANY. IDEAS. We want to show the world what we can do, so we shove every single idea into one piece or block of time. It’s like putting on every single piece of jewelry you own…. It’s too much! We get scared that if we edit or remove these things or relationships or noise, there won’t be anything to replace them. So, we drop the carving tools (figuratively and literally speaking) and walk away from our soul’s cry to make dreams come true.
Creating from the Void
It is in the stillness, in the darkness, in the negative space, that we can see the beauty of life. Michelangelo was willing to sacrifice the chunks of marble to reveal the Holy Mother and Son hidden underneath. Did that marble cost money? You bet your butt it did. Michelangelo was 24 years old when he carved Pieta in 1499. What if he had been so concerned with finances that he didn’t carve that marble? What if he just left a block of marble, untouched?
This is what happens when we forget to edit our life. We keep adding things, or we don’t take the time to carve out space for the dreams, desires, and passions of our hearts and souls, so the angel underneath never comes out of the marble of our lives. We think that adding more stuff, more friends, more kids, and more activities, will bring us joy and fulfillment… and sometimes, that’s true. But this very packed, stressful, more more more culture, leaves little room for Spirit to move in our Creative Void.
Here are some indications that you may need some editing/subtraction in your life:
You feel like you are constantly in motion, moving from one activity to the next without any space to daydream, think, or imagine
You are always devoting your time to the To-Do list, kid’s activities, social engagements, and work obligations
Sitting down and resting, or even the thought of doing that, feels VERY uncomfortable
You struggle with over indulgences with food, shopping, alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes, drugs
You feel burnt out, lackluster, exhausted, overwhelmed
You feel you have zero time for yourself, your passions, or what brings you joy
If you identify with any of these indicators, it may help to take a good look at your time and how you’re spending it. There may be activities that could be removed, scaled down, or edited, to give yourself some breathing room.
I always tell my coaching clients… the first thing to focus on when making a change is building Self-Awareness. Answering these questions to yourself honestly: Is THIS how I want to live my life? Am I spending my time (which is your most prized asset) the way I want? Are my activities getting me closer to the things I want in life? Think of your living room. If you look around, can you “see” the clutter? If there are piles of stuff everywhere but you become blind to it, you probably won’t do any straightening up. Likewise, you must first become aware of the clutter in your Life House before you can do anything about it.
Journaling is probably the BEST WAY to develop self-awareness. There are lots of different types of journals that can help you gain clarity about your life and where it's headed. As a Cyclical Being, I freaking LOVE my Cycles Journal. I’ve been using it for 2 years now and WOWZA has opened up so many clues into my life… I’m not sure I’d be writing this blog without it. It’s helped me create healthy boundaries, build awareness about my time and how I’m spending it, and most importantly, it’s helped me develop a stronger relationship with my body, mind, and soul. If you’re interested in checking out Cycles Journal, you can find them HERE. Use the coupon code KORIRAEWELLNESS to receive 10% at checkout!
Once you become aware of some clutter in your life, now you’ve got to EDIT! This is the action part, and honestly, it can be the most challenging part, at first. My suggestion is to do it in small, bite-sized parts. Making fifty bazillion changes all at once is probably going to freak out your nervous system and you’re not likely to stick to it. Pick just ONE area you want to edit and focus on that for a while. I like to choose one area of my life to work on per menstrual cycle/moon cycle. That helps me stay focused, really get clear on my boundaries, and time to implement the changes.
Lastly, extend gratitude and grace to yourself. Editing is HARD sometimes… especially because we’ve been trained to add more and more to our plates basically since birth. Be compassionate with yourself and others as you remove things… and soon, you’ll find a new normal and much more space to create life with intention and purpose. The Pieta inside of you is waiting for you to make space to see her realized.
Remember Sister, you are TOTALLY worth it.
Much Love,
Kori Rae <3
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