Tag Archives: inspiration

Navigating Inspiration

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Sometimes I feel so anxious because I have a million things swirling through my head. It’s a constant whirl wind of thoughts and ideas, sometimes inspiration can be overwhelming and I feel that when it’s time to step up to the plate… I just don’t have the strength. I’ve been trying to figure out how to manage better, and be able to have ample time and energy to put into creative projects.

Dancing with chaos is part of the process. The vibrant world of thoughts, ideas and feelings, never die down… unless we spend the time to drown it out and why would anyone want to do that. I am working to be receptive to these ideas and trying to find the pulse, the thread that pulls them all together so I can link into it and dance.

Everything must come at you for a reason; there are no coincidence and accidents in the Universe. We live in an intricately connected web; a beautiful tapestry and we must learn to see our part in that. We must gather all the things that make us unique and utilize them… just allowing them to be what they are.

I remember talking to my professor in the Fall and telling her that I felt at least 70% of a project is the act of thinking about it… the other 30 % is doing it. But I get stuck at the thinking stage, so maybe I need to get out of my head. I need to get my feet of the ground and get moving.

Overanalyzing ideas can be a real killer, but it’s hard not to because you want to have some sense of direction. At what point is an idea solid enough that you just run with it? What I said in a previous post holds weight here… we shouldn’t be so focused on the end. That’s what I must remind myself of. The project, the art, the beautify will unfold… as long as I keep pulling that silver thread.

With all of the potential that this summer holds, I must bring some organization to these thoughts and ideas. Since I work well with writing, I will begin by writing out my goals. Sometimes it’s good to jot things down, just to acknowledge their existence. Then I need to get into the habit of setting dates, though I feel very limited by them at times, it will really help. From this I think I can begin to give shape and form to my inspiration.

Do you have any methods for helping you stay focused and grounded in your projects and ideas? What do you like to do, to kick of a new project?

Much love,

Shaheen

 

© Shaheen Miro

then dance

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We live in a constant state of flux. In this state of perpetual motion you must learn to be in the center; Present, aware and allowing. As you ride these waves of change and transformation you beginning to shed layers of skin revealing new faces, perspective, dreams and talents. This is essentially the secret of life.

There is so much resistance to change and transformation. I personally resist it at times because it can be intimidating and scary. Sometimes you don’t understand the transformation you are going through. You are dancing in the dark and you cannot feel your surroundings. You must close your eyes and perceive with your spirit. Befriend change and allow it to enter you…

I often find myself feeling like I need to write more, draw me, sing more… just needing to be more creative and then I realize that I need to allow the creativity to flow through me. You cannot force art. When you are pursuing dreams you must be well rested. You may need some down time, just being present in the moment, allow the confusion to be a sense of calm before the real “change” begins.

Ideas will stalk you. Your dreams will stalk you. The things you are destined to do, will stalk you… until you allow them into your life and you allow the transformation to begin. I have had many clients tell me that they want to do this or that… but the opportunity never comes or it never works out. And really the problem is that they never allow it to. I can relate. I feel that I should be making music… writing and singing… but that will never happen if I don’t sit down and play the piano, record a song, try to hit the stage!

Don’t worry about missing opportunities because if it is meant to be it will come again… but don’t push them away from yourself repeatedly because you fear the outcome. The old cliché… “What do you have to lose?” Is perfect here. Be gentle with yourself, love yourself, but love your dreams and goals, as well. Don’t stand in your own way. Take uncertainty by the hand and walk for a while. Then dance. Then see how it all changes, again.

© Shaheen Miro 2/10/2012

let yourself be

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Sometimes its difficult to stay grounded in the moment. Responsibilities tend to drag us away from our center. We catch a glimpse of those things that inspire us, and then some other, “more important thing” pulls us away.

Our creativity is a bird fighting to be freed from its cage. We want to feel connected and empowered; yet we put our spirit’s health on the backburner. I am guilty of getting swept away by all the external things in life, the unimportant and conflicting. You have to find those moments of calm in the middle of the storm.  It is in those moments that the most powerful epiphanies will occur.

When you are confused and seeking clarity with no success, stop trying for just a second and allow yourself to be. Do something that brings you joy and relaxes you. Listen to your favorite CD, play an instrument, go for a walk, read a book, draw or paint… anything that allows you to lose track of time.

In those in-between moments, when time seems to sleep away, a door to our inner world opens and we can hear the voice of our intuition. Finding clarity isn’t always about going on some long and drawn out spiritual pursuit. Sometimes the spiritual fix we need is just a few minutes of play.

  • Stop trying, and just be.
  • Lose time for a while. Just PLAY!
  • Remember creativity feeds the soul. Make it a priority.
  • Be mindful of your thoughts, they gauge what you bring into your life.

I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, 
and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, 
he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. 
- Henry David Thoreau

© Shaheen Miro 1/16/2012

spiritual message for the holiday weekend 12/24/2011

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I know that this can be a difficult time of year and this weekend will be jam packed with people, events, stress and fun… so a here is a little insight and inspiration, a little present from the Universe. I hope all of you are well and Happy Holidays.

© Shaheen Miro 12/24/2011

daily card: queen of wands

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I can feel myself growing and changing. Some how I feel more mature and stable. I guess I needed this time to learn something about independence and responsibility. I’ve realizes that my choices are mine alone and I can’t ask anyone to make them for me and there’s no one to blame when they don’t work out.

This morning I drew the queen of wands and I feel that her presence is very fitting. She symbolizes confidence combined with inspiration. Being here I’ve grown more confident in my abilities and I’ve learned what I don’t want to do…the queen is telling me to trust that.

I think her presence is powerful for all of us and if you are reading this she is speaking directly to you. She asks you to be confident and reminds you that inspiration is divine. It’s rooted in spirit and intuition and regardless of how outlandish it may seem…if you trust it there will be pure magic!

I have grown bolder and more set in my ways and I have realized that trying to fit me into a box is no easy task. I’ve never done anything easily just because someone “said so” or because it’s “just common practice” or “it’s what’s expected”. I need a reason and that reason has to sit well with my own beliefs. The queen of wands asks us to be bold and self aware…after all we are royalty.

If you are feeling walked all over then stand up and say something. Don’t be afraid to step out of the norm or to be seen as eccentric or inappropriate…its your life and you only live once. My mom always told me to stand my ground and that’s exactly what I get from this queen.

Being an artist and a gypsy is about being liberated in thought and action. When you are unafraid to do or say what you think is right, you become more capable of following your intuition and your inspiration. You become at home in in your glory.

I hope you are well and feeling inspired

Always…
Shaheen

(c) Shaheen Miro 8/26/2011

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Fearlessly being me.

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Tonight I sit here with the cool breeze blowing through the lace of my windows and I feel something wild and explosive. I hear the people chattering below me on the streets and it slowly fades into the drowning hum of my own thoughts that race at a million miles a minute. I stop for one second remembering that I am almost 4,000 miles away from home and at some points I feel worlds away and at others I feel so isolated that its like I am back at home.

Baby Ali climbing places that I tell him not to!

I am reminded of my best friend saying to me, “You don’t have to be somewhere to be someone.” And now my retort is, “You don’t have to be somewhere to be no one. Either.” I honestly feel at times that I am so isolated even in the crowded streets of London. The same slow ride to work and the same hastily walk home…. And I ask myself where is the color?

I have felt so stifled because my creativity as begging to be let loose. I have been working for days doing my internship, which has been amazing because of the magnitude at which I am learning. But it takes its toll on your hear and spirit. I want to write and sing. I want to take my seat at a shiny grand piano and touch the ivory keys… the surge of creativity running through my veins; and I want to sing…songs about life and love and loss and all the other feelings that crawl through every fiber of your being asking to be acknowledged.

I keep hearing the words, “Fearless” in my mind. Like a ghostly whisper that calls to me from somewhere far away… just be fearless. I affirm to myself, “I am fearless… I am fearlessly being me.” But I shrink back from the mirror at the look in my eyes… because I know that there are parts of me that are terrified to step off that ledge to just being.

I believe our fears are the killers of our creativity. So many times something bright and colorful and ephemeral has come to me like a fairy vision…and I have let it fly on by because I feared the consequence of answering to the call. I now realize that in order to live a life filled with the biggest dreams… we must be brave and wild and uninhibited. We must look our fears straight in the eyes and say, “I will not let you take me… I will fight you… Because I will NOT be taken prisoner…”

Its when we find all the might in our little gypsy souls to just stand out and be brave, that we finally make magic. I know its scary… its scary to answer to the call of our creativity and our inspiration because that may mean being alone… it may mean standing out. You may be looked at because you are “different” or “strange” or whatever labels that FEAR causes us to put on things… but when you do it you become a force that cannot be tamed… you become like the wind taking down everything in its path.

There is a silent community that grows out of the fearless ones. One finds another until you have a circle stronger than any one fear could ever be. I ask you now to be fearless and be inspired. Let your muse guide you. Tie those nastily little feelings of rejection and insecurity up with the heaviest robe and sink it to the bottom of the sea!

For days now I have felt this strange presence around me. I will walk into a room and its as if someone has just left. Or I will be climbing the stairs and the muffled sound of footsteps seems to follow close behind. Or a mysterious music will play off in the distance and now as I write this I wonder if that presence that so silently floats in and out of my awareness is my muse… she is saying, “Hey please pay attention to me.”

I challenge myself to do something crazy…. Something wild… wild in the sense that I am stepping out of my comfort zone. I don’t know about you but I have a whole list of things that I “Want to do but cant because…” and now I am going to look at it and mark off each thing one by one.

In the past when I have rushed head first into the dangerous territory of the unknown I have later stopped back and said, “wow… that wasn’t scary at all!” And  I know now that is the magic of just taking a risk. Lets fearlessly be who we are… Lets be a tribe of brave little gypsies expressing everything that lives in our wild hearts!

Be brave,

Shaheen

© Shaheen Miro 7/4/2011

London the Dreary

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outside my window

 

outside my window

me in the glow of a candle

five of hearts/cups: The card that the weather invokes right now.

Music and candle light create a moody atmosphere in my room tonight. There are so many things to think about and being here really allows me to take a look at my life and who I am. Its been some time since I’ve kind of allowed the night to carry me gently to inspiration… so here I am writing and reflecting. I willing take in the rains baptismal powers. And the five of hearts comes to mind. The five of hearts/cups represents moving on, letting go and release. It can be a card of tragedy. But i’ve always believed that you find love in tragedy. So here is to releasing. To walking fearless. To casting off the old!

I Want To Fly Through The World In A Golden Ball

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It’s almost time for me to head to London for my 10-week stay and I am so excited! Part of me is a little nervous because it is such a new experience for me. This will be the first time in my life that I have been on such a freeing and independent trip, but that to me is the magical part of it.

I know that there is something mystical about this trip; it is going to be an alchemical experience. Something within me is going to come alive; the light is going to shine a little brighter. A powerful time of inspiration for me… I know there I will meet my muse.

I want to also show my appreciation for all of those who have helped make this trip happen. I continue to get people asking if they can make any kind of donation or something toward my London experience… such amazing people seem to fill my life. To answer a lot of people’s questions all at once, if you would like to contribute to my trip you can visit my website shaheenmiroinsights.com and hit the “Tip” button under the consultations page. There you can add whatever funds you would like. Again I am filled with gratitude… all of you have been so kind.

Every bit helps and I appreciate it… whether it is a kind word or a bit of advice, it touches my heart that you have taken the time to add something special to this experience that means so much to me.

I hope to hear from all of you soon… I want you to go on an adventure this summer too, live your spirit, tell your story and find something that makes you feel alive.

I love your Gypsy Souls,

Shaheen

Poets, Legends, Priest of Nothing

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I think everyone needs someone or thing that keeps them inspired and really motivates them to follow their dreams. That person for me is Stevie Nicks. She is one of the many magical, fairy Godmothers that I look up to in my life and she has been for a very long time.

Her timeless, mystical and emotive persona has become something very familiar to me over the years. As a little kid I can remember being totally enthralled by her songs and thinking how she so eloquently put into words the things that live in my imagination and spirit.

The many songs that she has penned and performed solo and as the lead singer of Fleetwood Mac have become staples on my ipod and they have been the energy behind so many journal entries, projects and writing of my own.

I’ve known my entire life that I came here to be a storyteller. I tell stories with my cards, I tell stories with my garments, I tell stories with my poems and songs. Ms. Nicks has given me the courage to embrace my place as a storyteller.

So let me ask, “What story are you telling? ”

 

Stevie Nicks has been pulling us into her little world since the 70s and decade after decade she has given us wonderful music.

Here is my favorite version of Edge of Seventeen… such a dark and moody song that really energizes me.

And here is a wonderful song from her MUST HAVE new album IN YOUR DREAMS! Its called Annabel Lee, from the poem by Edgar Allen Poe.

Fall Into the Dark

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There is something calming about falling into the night, just letting go and allowing the hushed and gentle spirit of the Moon to speak to you. I find myself coming alive in the dark. I lay down to go to bed after a long, hard day and something in me is awakened by the subtle calm that permeates the air. I want to write, I want to sing, I want to tell my secrets to the angels.

I feel that I’ve crossed over into another world as the night comes on. Everything looks different, one thing transforms into another. We all become shape shifters in the dark. We unwind and let go; we shed the layers of the day. Like a weight has been lifted and we become light again. Its at night, in the dark that we can become the darkness unafraid.

There is nothing to fear in the dark because if you close your eyes everything becomes nothing and nothing is all the same. Its a powerful form of alchemy where you can experience what is unable to be seen in the light of day. Its not that everything in the night is taboo in the day, its just easier at night because there are no expectations. You have no guilt when you are falling into the darkness because thats whats expected; whether you are sleeping, dreaming or going wild.

I ask you to find what sets you free. In the still of the night find something that inspires you. My muse comes alive in the night. She takes my hand and ask me to dance with her. Thats when I write my deepest poems and draw out my most intimate dreams. The night time is powerful because its very intimate. The night time is like a silk velvet robe of the darkest ebony, slipping around your body gently touching you, keeping you safe. So let yourself unwind and just fall into it all, you become the darkness and let the darkness become you. Thats when I know you should whisper to your angels.

Be creative, be alive and most of all be free…

I love your gypsy souls….

Shaheen

© Shaheen Miro 5/19/2011