Essentially, the 5 Rhythms musically mirror the rhythmic cycle of creation.
In the FLOWING rhythm, you are receptive, ideas are bubbling up, you are feeling an urge for change and new creation, you are drawing new experiences and manifestations into your life.
In the STACCATO rhythm, it is time to begin to pick and choose between all the possibilities, to focus, to mentally map out the creative path you choose to follow.
In the CHAOS rhythm, the old forms are falling away but the new forms are not yet here, there is a feeling of being lost in mystery, overwhelmed, as though there is no solid ground on which to stand. You may feel that everything is falling apart and wonder how anything will ever come together again.
In the LYRICAL rhythm, the death of the old has passed and the birth of the new has arrived. Everything comes together and there is a joyful flow.
In the STILLNESS rhythm, there is time to rest and reflect, time to go inward and connect to the whole, time to be at peace.
We see this cycle repeat endlessly in our own lives and in the world around us. When we can become aware of the rhythms, embody them, recognize what each of them feels like within us we are less likely to be overwhelmed by any of them. When we learn that none of the rhythms are good or bad, that none is better or more desirable than the others, we can find comfort and peace wherever we may be in our own cycle of creative evolution.
It’s always interesting to see the difference in color, shape and structure in the drawings that emerge from the 5 Rhythms. I’d like to share my own recent drawings and a powerful insight that came to me as I experienced these rhythms once again for myself.
FLOWING
STACCATO
CHAOS
LYRICAL
STILLNESS
I chose to explore the STILLNESS drawing more deeply. The squiggly green and purple lines radiating out from the core into the stars of the heavens seemed to me to represent my own vibrations emanating from my heart and soul and traveling out into the Universe. As I looked at the drawing, though, I was puzzled about the horizontal blue lines that seemed to intersect with the lines of vibration. Through a process of two-handed journaling, I dialogued with the drawing to find out more about that. In the dialogue process, my dominant hand (DH) speaks for me, and I allow my non-dominant hand (NDH) to speak for the image. Here is a transcript of that brief but revealing conversation:
DH: Blue lines, who are you?
NDH: I’m what you keep throwing out after you make a wish. You say, “This! Yes, please, I want this!” And then you throw up this net to try to pull it back in.
DH: Hmm. I recognize that I do that. Yet it looks like the purple and green lines just go right through the net anyway.
NDH: They have lost their creative power, though. Once they’ve passed thru my knotted trap, they become just noise.
DH: Wow. Thank you for showing me that. How can I stop doing that?
NDH: Reel me back in. Fold me up and put me away.
DH: Yes, but how do I do that? I mean, that’s a very nice metaphor and all, but what does it amount to in actual practice?
NDH: You must catch yourself.
DH: Anything else?
NDH: Keep dreaming and you will succeed.
DH: Thank you. Thank you very much. I think I needed to see all of this today.
How many time have you made a wish, stated an intention, repeated an affirmation and then blocked it from manifesting by giving more attention to your fear, doubt and confusion. Don’t toss that net out and catch your dreams before they have a chance to live and breathe.
