Relating to the creativity we were born with

The child in us, a core in us human beings of light and joy, how can that be awakened?  There is something clear and honest about a child, a light shining with trust.  “Well, I have my childhood faith,” people often say, when conversation relates to religion.  But is that adequate in a grownup world, with responsibilities and fears and doubts?  Or does it help to leave behind all of childhood and put your trust in knowledge and mental will-power? The award-winning film-maker Margreth Olin shows in her new film, “Childhood”, something about free play.  “There is less and less room for children to be children,” she says.  She wanted to make a film showing children’s natural interaction in play and good relations.  There is a natural wonder and curiosity in human beings, an individual creativity we were born with.
     If we go back to the roots of human history we can begin to discover something native, which we were born with.  How can we keep this with us, or recover it from within ourselves, in our grown-up state?   To trust life is said to be an art, and it takes time to learn.  Perhaps it relates more to letting go of certain learning, to listen to the heart and inner wisdom which can interact with the mind.  Learning to use our whole being.
     We need to give our head some breaks.  There is a trend now to offer stillness-rooms in our society, to take time for meditation, for yoga and “mindfulness”.  In a world of much distraction, we have begun to see the value of learning to be present, as children are.  From different traditions in religion, culture and professions, impulses have come to change our consciousness, brought new understanding of our interaction with nature, as it is within us and beyond.  We experience that we have both physical power and an invisible spiritual power, the breath of life which keeps the body going, and gives life to everything else. 
     The human being is under development, the brain is developing, with experience and learning.  This is a variable life-process which evolves as a pattern being woven on a loom.  The foundation is the warp, the tight threads holding it all in place.  This part does not change, it is just there.  It must be there.  In our traditions we experience various patterns, various truths about how things should be.  If we go to the source of different patterns, we can discover that they have something in common.  That there is an inner source of power which is connected with that which holds life in place.  The anchor for sustainable living.  And that the many patterns in the timeless life-process, are people’s different perception, interpretation, experience, living-condition and learning at any given time.
     When traditions and learning  are transmitted from one generation to the next, or from one culture to another, the original meaning and intention are often lost.  It belongs in a different time, with different conditions.  It is important to be aware of what is relevant now, and what is the foundation in our human life-process.  In order to practice one’s faith, one has to go within, but in order to develop a sense of community we have to live in relations with others.  And the energy which can create a society lies in our spirit within. We used to talk about “åndshøvding”; “ånd” means spirit, “høvding” means chief, a tribal word for leader, from ancient times.  The word “åndshøvding” began to be used in the Romanticism of the 19th century to describe people who, with a certain inner power, had an inspiring and unifying impact on our society. They helped empower the Norwegian people to independence from Sweden in 1905, with peaceful means and no war.
     Knowledge is important, but we need the whole human being; both body, mind and spirit.  The playful, the creative, and the divine human being.  We need to talk about these things today, in our time of anxiety.  We need to make room for holistic development, for practice in sensing our inner power, practice to wonder, and to share our experiences. To practice stillness within so we can sense what is there.  To be.  We are so much better at doing than being in our culture.  But that may be the reason why there today is so much interest in meditation, yoga, and healing spirituality.  To be present in your body, that is natural for children.  They can be active, but they are present with their whole being.
     We need to create experiences rather than explanations.  Those are Margreth Olin’s thoughts.  On March 6 she will be in Voss to present her new film “Childhood”.  Then my annual Voss Seminar will take place the weekend after Easter, also this year with David Karchere from Colorado: Making our spiritual heritage relevant to our lives today.  “Within us we find something of You, Lord, of Your creative power,”  said our politician Inga Marte Thorkildsen, even though she says she is not religious.  It really is about being human.  But we have had such a focus on the human mind, at the cost of body and intuition.  Perhaps it is a reaction to this, which has given spirit and body a new meaning.  “I am thankful for my new learning,” says Vigdis Garbarek, “I ask for help to recover the child in me, keep my learning, and move on as a whole Human being.”
    

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