Genie: We all have that genie hidden inside of us
After a bit of reflection, the picture that emerged for me in this artwork is some sort of genie-like being placing balls of thoughts into the string in perfect alignment. It makes me think of these moments when an idea or a concept seems to come out of nowhere. It’s like these flashes of ideas that only emerge when you make space for them. It’s what I imagine gave people like Einstein, Tesla, Leonardo Da Vinci, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and many more the ideas to create something that hadn’t been done before. It’s something that is accessible to all of us but that we don’t necessarily cultivate. It’s the kind of idea that you have and don’t do anything about and then years later, you see it manifested by someone else.
If you are familiar with the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, then this probably makes sense to you. There’s this belief that ideas are floating around us all the time. They are not ours, they are in some invisible realm, like WiFi Internet connection for humans rather than for computers. Anyone can connect to it voluntarily or by accident, knowingly and unknowingly. We tap into an infinite source of information and we get to choose if we want to bring these immaterial ideas into reality or let them go to the next person who wants to do something about it. This goes not only for inventions but for artworks, songs, book ideas, medical breakthroughs, technological breakthroughs, etc. I remember hearing an interview about someone who knew the artist formerly known as Prince, and how he would have this competition with Michael Jackson and that whenever he had a song inspiration he would quickly record it, no matter the time of day or night because he wanted to make sure he caught it before Michael Jackson would. In Big Magic, the author was talking about having this idea for a book that she never really worked on and then, later on, she found out another author had written “her” idea without ever having confided her idea to her.
I’ve had many instances where I didn’t act on an idea and found out someone else did exactly what I had in mind. So more often, I try to remind myself to act on the ones I like instead of waiting around because one way or another these ideas are going to come out and it would be sad not to participate in manifesting some of these ideas. You never know where they may lead and what you’ll get out of it, especially if you don’t try. (This is also part me encouraging myself to keep working on this book idea and making sure I finish it).
In the artwork, the human strings of thought in this picture are winding, they go in circles, they can’t sit still. They go back and forth. They are not sure exactly where they are going. Still, if the thinker is open to receiving some insights, what seems to go nowhere actually becomes aligned with the help of the genie. So listen to that inner voice, even if it doesn’t make sense to you, even if it seems to be going in circles or have no purpose to it. If it feels like the right thing to do, do it and let it guide you. There’s a divine plan within all this that will be revealed to you when you are ready and the time is right.
A couple of years ago, I was listening to an interview Oprah did with Pharrell at the time he created the song Happy that became an Internet sensation. He said something that really resonated with me. He said that he felt that he was an instrument of God (or the Universe). He felt that what was being created was not his, he was just the straw. In a sense, I feel that this is what we are here to do as humans, as creators. I feel that no matter what we do, we are here to co-create with the Universe.
Think about it this way: Many believe that we were created in the image of God. My logic tells me that if we’re created in the image of the Creator then we are also creators. We can’t help but create. It’s our natural state of being. The ultimate way of creating is creating in alignment with the Source when we allow that God Spark in us to guide us through our creations. When these random sparks of ideas tell us, “What if you try to do this like that this time?”, our job is to listen and act. We must pay attention to that voice within, we must shut down the noise and distractions around us that keeps us from being able to hear that unique voice inside, that genie that lies within us all. I believe that we all have that genie hidden inside of us, waiting for us to pay attention and co-create with it. We have the freedom to choose if we want to do it or not. In order to do that we have to let go of our ego telling us to be in line with what we think others will think of us doing something that is out of the ordinary, that is not in line with the status quo. This is based out of fear of being judged, fear of being rejected, fear of being laughed at because we’re doing something different. But if you take the time to look at all the people you admire that have done something unique, something noteworthy, something impactful, they went against the status quo, they went against the grain, they didn’t let the opinions of others dictate their own voice. Having the courage to be yourself and to do you in an environment that tends to scare you into falling in line with what’s already there, is the way out of your self-made prison and into co-creation with Source, into better harmony with yourself and others.
Now it’s your turn. What are those ideas that keep popping in your mind that you cast aside because they are not part of the norm? What is your genie telling you to do? What are these ideas you thought would be great to create in the world, but you quickly find excuses not to do something about it? Perhaps it involves creating a particular song? Taking on a new hobby? Creating a special dish? Joining a particular group? Creating a particular group? Writing a special piece of content? Taking pictures? Inventing something? What if that idea that you’ve put in an archive would make a huge difference in someone’s life including your own? Imagine if Oprah had decided not to start her own show when she had a secure job paying her $20,000 per year. Imagine Elon Musk decided not to spend the money he earned from PayPal into creating Tesla. Imagine if Steve Job had decided not to give Apple another try after he had been fired from it. Imagine if Kanye West had decided not to venture into fashion because he wasn’t trained as a fashion designer. What if you not acting on your own unconventional ideas would have the same effect as them not acting on theirs? Now, what are you going to do about it?
