David Whyte and the inner fire of creativity.

...in a world that is more often than not associated with a harsh and destructive bottom line." It's scary stuff!

The Soul cares not for constraints, it has in its sights that which seeks to find expression through you, and demands the call is answered as best you can. Yet, the human being is caught between an insistence on creative freedom, and the Saturnian principles of limitation, whether they be personal, cultural, material. David Whyte describes the inner fire of creativity as something which is both delicate, and powerfully capable of burning away all that confines its free expression.

How do we reckon with this, whether as artists and creatives, or more generally seeking to find purpose and meaning through bringing the unique qualities of our being to the world? Often this will be experienced as an encounter with cold rejection, rather than welcoming embrace.

These are areas I help people to explore, in related yet differing ways through Psychotherapy or Mentoring.

In terms of Mentoring and Coaching, I find that much of this industry tends to automatically position financial or commercial success as the client's exclusive goal. As David Whyte suggests, the danger is that the creative flame is dampened through over emphasising the financial aspect. What I offer is something a little different. Whilst being visible in the world, making a living, and creating success on your own terms are welcome to feature as important elements of our work together, we will attend to these themes through prioritising the depth of personal and spiritual integrity in all you do.

Our one to one meetings can become a sanctuary for the creative imagination, fuelling the fire of art and purpose, without ignoring your relationship to money OR placing further limitation upon the soul's desire.

I highly recommend D.Whyte's book, Crossing the Unknown Sea. I have read and referred to it numerous times during the past ten years, and on each occassion it has offered something new and always manages to seem personally relevant.

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Andrew Phillips is a Visual Artist, Psychotherapist, and Creative Mentor.

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