Life comes in waves. Sometimes it comes in big wooshing movements and sometimes it comes in the quiet stillness. One of my teachers says, “There is a difference between inertia and incubation.” Sometimes when I am in the stillness, it feels like inertia, but the angels are quick to remind me that I’m always on my way to somewhere and a greater part of myself is always moving forward. They say that even when our physical-self is not in movement, our higher self is navigating the lines of destiny.
There is a wisdom to navigating the energies in the world. While we have dominion over our own actions and intentions, we are also creating in a stream of energy that exists in this realm. The best way to describe this is to think of the journey of a surfer. They can get up each morning and get to the ocean’s edge prepared to surf, but if the ocean is calm, there is not much they can do to create the waves they desire. The surfer has dominion over their craft, over their actions & conditioning. It is their job to get to the ocean. But it is the ocean’s job to bring the waves.
Sometimes the energy gets very still. We can take action and broadcast our intentions and we are met with stillness. Often when this happens we are surfing on an energetic ocean that is clear like glass.
[blockquote align=”right”]There is a difference between inertia and incubation[/blockquote] There are times that I just can’t seem to get moving. All I want to do is sit on the couch and read a book. When this happens, I tend to go into judgment because I have so much to get done. There are classes to market, angel messages to channel, a house that needs cleaning. But all I want to do is to sit and be still and to allow my mind to wander off somewhere without thought to its destination. Usually I resist and force myself to sit in front of the computer to work – but I wind up not working at all. I get lost in the abyss of Facebook or Pinterest and I’m still not really working.
There’s a natural ebb and flow to our creative energies. There are times when the smallest movement can produce huge leaps forward and other times when huge investments of time produce barely a dribble of movement. I’ve come to realize that when I’m guided to pull away from my creations, it is usually because I’m going into incubation. The inner taskmaster screams and calls it laziness and inertia. But the truth is, usually there is something unseen that is being calibrated and divined. When inspiration hits and the energetic waves begin moving again, no one can stop me from diving in and moving forward again.
So, if you are feeling like you are in the stillness, ask yourself if you are in inertia or incubation. You are likely incubating. Give yourself a few days to be in the stillness and watch the waves. You will likely find that very soon you’re ready to take your surf board out onto the ocean again and go for the wonderful wild ride of your co-creative adventures.
I am missing our session and this pops up today.thank you.love and blessings,Helen
Agree. today. thank you. love and bless, Iryna
I resonated with this so much. Sometimes I just can’t seem to get moving and feel so unproductive. I like the idea of just using that time to relax and be instead of pushing and forcing. Incubation. And it’s sooo true, when I’m “in the zone” hours literally float by and I even forget to eat. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing with us, Julie. It’s always a blessing to have you here!
This is my second message about stillness tonight. I’m feeling this is a current need for me. It is hard to take breaks and be still when the workload is overwhelming and the inner critic is telling me I’m going to fail because I should be working and I’m not and there is so much to do and, yet, when I listen and take a break, I am always more focused and productive when I return. The calling has been here all evening to take a break and be still. I’m going to do that now. Thank you.
Hi Michele – isn’t it wonderful when we hear the message from more than one source. It’s truly divine when that happens. My inner critic sounds a lot like yours. Maybe they’re cousins? I hope you enjoyed your rest.
I had to come back and tell you that it was a really good thing I listened. Ended up sick in the middle of the night. Fairly minor, all things considered..wondered how much worse it might have been had I not taken that break.
And our inner critics might very well be related 🙂
мне нужно много сделать, для этого много работать, для этого покинуть инкубацию и проживать в инерции под действием навигации………у меня нет всё ещё доски для серфинга…..чтобы насладиться волнами……
Hi Iryna – I translated your comment (gosh Google is awesome) and I want you to know that I’m sending you a surfboard so you have an easier time riding the waves. Much love to you!
The last 18 months have been highly productive ones for me. Intense. It’s only recently that I’m finally beginning to take relaxation breaks. To let myself sit on the sofa with a book I can get lost in, a just for fun book that doesn’t involve marketing strategies or self-improvement.
And I’m getting just as much done. Imagine that…
Hi Susan – I’m totally with you on the reading for fun. About a year ago I somehow stopped reading spiritual self-help books and switched over to paranormal romance novels. I guess I needed to escape for a while. BTW – I love your page and the name of your company. So creative!
This is much needed food for thought for me. I feel like I must be doing something productive to attain the life I want. I love to read but really only allow myself that luxury on vacations, where I cram in 5-7 books in a week! If I’m watching TV, I’m going through the mail, folding clothes, cleaning the kitchen…because it’s never all done.
Hi Karen – Oh, I totally support you in curling up with a good book this weekend, one you can lose yourself in. There will always be something more to do – and sometimes just checking out, even if it’s for a few hours, can make all the difference. So glad you found us here!
Lovely post Laurel. This week I’m in stillness, it seems unable to do anything that I was so actively doing last week or the weeks and months before. Everything is at a stand-still. I’m trying not to judge it and allow myself instead to be here knowing that there is a bigger meaning to all that I am experiencing in this moment.
I love how you expressed this… “I’ve come to realize that when I’m guided to pull away from my creations, it is usually because I’m going into incubation.”
Hi Suzanne – Mercury is in retrograde and we’ve also had a powerful eclipse this week, so the stillness seems to be finding a lot of us. Perhaps you can consider it ripe with potential. The Osho Zen tarot deck has a card called “No-Thingness” – it represents the sweet space of potential between breaths before a new universe is created. I always find it helpful to consider it this way… Thank you for joining in the conversation!
I love the image of incubating – a soft cocoon of stillness. That feels so empowering when we can meet that energy with welcome. And it does feel so cyclical – resting, incubation, and getting ready for the next surge of creative wonderfulness. The ebb and flow of waves.