When it comes to enhancing your creativity or intuition—because the two work together synergistically—you don’t need elaborate rituals or fancy tools to tune into these natural abilities you have available to you.
Here’s all I want you to do to boost your creativity… Simply watch your breath.
Sounds silly or too simple, right?
Watch your breath. It’s such a natural body behavior that often we don’t stop to think about how we are breathing.
Did you know that your breath indicates what’s happening in your body?
When your breath is deep and flowing naturally, do you think your creativity and intuition might flow more easily to you? It most certainly does!
When we are stressed or scared, how we breathe directly reflects that—by showing up as rapid, shallow, or inconsistent—and also reinforces those feelings.
So, this practical action step is to stop and observe how you are breathing—to see how the flow of energy is coming to and through you.
So, I challenge you to set a reminder on your phone every 3-4 hours to check on the state of your breath. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
Silently observe and notice how each breath feels as it enters your nose or mouth, how it travels down your throat and into your chest and lungs, and how your body opens up to receive that life-giving oxygen. Feel every step of your breath through your body. How does it feel for you at that very moment?
And assess… How is your breathing?
Where does your breath go: into your belly, expanding your chest, or raising your shoulders?
Are you restricting your breath somewhere—not breathing as deeply or in short bursts?
Does your body feel stiff? Are you holding your belly in?
Do you find yourself actually holding your breath sometimes? I have!
Then, take a few deep breaths until your body relaxes into its natural breathing rhythm again.
Air, just like creativity and intuition, is energy. And it’s abundant and available to you.
Everything is energy. How you let it flow into you will directly reflect how you breathe. So, pay attention.
Return to your breath as often as you can. Simply bringing awareness to your breathing can help you develop more of an awareness of how your body feels throughout the day, how your intuition is speaking to you, and how your creativity wants to move through you.
When you remember to focus on the breath, you focus on the energy flow in and out of your body.
Now, imagine when you breathe in, you breathe in creativity and intuitive connection to the greater divine.
And that’s when your abilities open up more… Give this exercise a try and see how it opens up your capacity for creativity and intuition.
When I tell you this blew my mind… It BLEW. My. MIND.
Now, before I sit down to edit any client’s book, I have a little ritual I partake in. Goes a little something like this…
I take a few deep breaths. Maybe I move my body around a little to release any stagnant energy. And I go to my crystal collection. I pick out whichever crystals feel supportive for the particular book I’m working on. Each time, my little crinoid fossil star wants to be included when I’m editing.
Every time.
Considering I’m a bit of a crystal junkie, I feel like I should have known the significance of this little star-shaped fossil, but I didn’t. I just liked that they were ancient fossils in the shape of stars and they were quite affordable, so I got a few.
Right before a recent book reading—not to be confused for reading a book, but an intuitive reading for someone’s book—this crystal was like, “Pick me!” Just like normal.
When I do the intuitive readings, I share which helpers (crystals, plants, songs, etc.) come along and what their properties are, and I realized I never actually looked up what these little crystals meant.
And when I looked it up, I found this:
“Fossils are thought to be a wonderful tool to assist you in moving from the old to the new and to be receptive to the fresh, innovative forces that are available to you. Fossils may assist you in your quest for transition, transformation, and personal growth, helping you to understand the process of change. They may also help you instill quality and excellence in your environment.” – Source
Um, WHAT? I didn’t even know this, and I love how supportive this little fossil is for the work I do—which is literally to take something and transform it into its best form. I take books and content from their previous form to a polished form while offering a fresh perspective on how to elevate their words and stories.
And me being me, I do my best to instill quality and excellence in everything I do, particularly when it comes to my work.
But how cool is that? That the stone I’ve been selecting for my editing work is perhaps one of the most perfect stones I could have found to support me in it. What a fun discovery about a little stone that’s been part of my work process for the past couple of years!
I also love that these crinoid star stems—which stem from ancient fossilized sea lilies—have also been known as fairy coins. I’d believe it. 😉
Are you a crystal junkie like me? What crystals do you feel drawn to all the time? And have you looked up their spiritual/metaphysical properties yet?
Imagine your skin tingling from head to toe, your heart hammering on in a dancing rhythm, your breathing quickening in excitement, and your brain lighting up and expanding with possibilities…
I can count two times in my life when I got this excited about a job offer…
The first was for an internship for a local news broadcast station right out of college. I’d met a producer while working as a media intern for my university’s sports department. After helping him out in the TV production van for a televised basketball game, he invited me to apply for the internship for the news station. He thought I might like it.
I remember walking into the newsroom and feeling the buzz of everything—and immediately felt how excited I would be to work there. I remember when he said, “It’s safe to say you got the job!” And I felt like crying because it felt like such an exciting opportunity to grow into and learn from. I remember thinking, “This feels like Disneyland!”
Yep, that excited.
Ended up completing the internship, then was offered a part-time evening production assistant job a handful of months later. And I loved working there, I truly did. Every bit of it.
But then I realized, several months later, that I wanted a job with 9-5 work hours so I could still do theatre in the evenings—for what I felt was a balanced life where I could still be creative and have a steady job. So, I loved working in the newsroom, but my other creative passions were calling for my attention.
My Disneyland needed a shift.
Around that same time, I got another invitation for a full-time job from one of my other part-time gigs that sounded like a great fit for me. That job allowed me to stretch my wings as a baby magazine editor, which I loved. That was pretty lucky!
And the second tingles-inducing job offer came a couple of years into my New York adventure…
It was a secret desire. One I wasn’t sure I could do because my career trajectory thus far hadn’t necessarily or obviously pointed to a career in my desired field. But I had privately shared it with my intuitive coach at the time, and I had written it down in my Evernote as a potential business idea. But the niggle of the idea had always been an interest of mine…
A psychic even predicted it was coming. “Watch out for August. Editing work will come in then,” he said.
While not all of his predictions were correct, this one was.
At the end of August,a book editor—the one who had helped me edit my own book back when she was a budding book editor herself—reached out to me and said she wanted to expand her stable of editors for her business to provide a more thorough editing experience… She thought I might be interested.
Y’all… When she offered me a spot in her stable, I HAPPY DANCED MYSELF OUT. I’m pretty sure I cried. It came out of left field, and it felt like the perfect job for me. Came to discover I loved learning from her and working with her. I loved learning the process of book editing, and couldn’t wait to dive into more in-depth editing types for books. And I’m blessed that I still get to work with her from time to time!
A (literal) handful of books I’ve worked on. Delighted to have a section of my bookshelf dedicated to books I’ve helped to edit or proofread!
Book editing became my absolute favorite job. I get utterly lost in the work while editing—helping the narrative become clearer, polishing up the errors and mistakes, offering words of encouragement when desired, and providing constructive criticism. I still lose time in this work since I’m having so much fun. That could be why I started my own editing business… 😉
Never have I loved a job so much—which is saying something because I’ve been fortunate enough to have loved all of my jobs to some degree.
But it was those excited tingles, that sense of my whole body just buzzing as if I’d been hopped up on a dual coffee-sugar rush—only it didn’t have a crash. Only up and up from there!
That excitement felt like the biggest YES I could have felt when it came to my work.
Reminds me of that saying… If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no.
Not that you can’t say yes to things that don’t spark the living daylights out of your veins… You can also feel at peace or a general contentment to know if a decision is right for you.
The trick is to notice what your unique yes/no feels like in your body, so you can make those aligned decisions for yourself.
My hope is that you can find something you feel excited to say YES to very soon.
This is the phrase that came to me this week in a future-self meditation I did for the new moon in Leo.
Do you have any practices you like to engage in around times, seasons, or planetary markers to check in with yourself? I’d love to hear about it!
In this meditation, provided by the CHANI app, I saw myself on my last day on Earth, surrounded by books and loved ones. At first, I almost recoiled from the guided visualization when it suggested visiting your last day on earth since I have no interest in knowing when/where my last day will be. But then, I just let that go and let the experience take me on the journey anyway.
And before the prompt even came to ask what was most important to my future self… I heard, “I left nothing unsaid.”
Rang straight like a bell and has stuck with me ever since.
So, naturally, my curiosity started brewing…
What does this mean: to leave nothing unsaid?
And what does it mean for me, specifically?
I have some ideas.
In leaving nothing unsaid…
I finish all the books in my heart in this life.
I tell the people I love how much I love them and appreciate their presence in my life. Often.
I communicate my newfound boundaries clearly and kindly, knowing that my needs matter, too.
I know my voice has an impact—it’s safe and okay for me to speak up.
I speak from my heart when love wants to come through.
I trust that what’s on my heart to share is what’s perfect in that moment.
And I’m supposed to be a writer. Literally… That’s what I’m here for.
Anything else is just the cherry on top.
In this meditation, I was at peace. I was at peace with what I created. I knew I created and wrote and put to the page so many stories that help, heal, and entertain others. Reminding people of their potential, the light and inner child within, and the magic that can be found in the everyday.
I truly had the sense that I left nothing unsaid. I said everything I needed to. I told all the stories I needed to. I told all the stories in my heart and thumping in my womb (a healer told me that once). I helped to create stories that expanded beyond the page, even. My words healed, transformed, and inspired me as I created them—just as I hoped and trusted they would heal, transform, and inspire others as well.
I’m also willing to explore all the ways “to leave nothing unsaid” will show up in my experience.
I suppose this is the mantra to guide me right now… So, that’s where my priorities need to be.
To leave nothing unsaid.
Does this statement strike anything for you?
What would it mean to you if you were to “leave nothing unsaid”?
Does it mean to speak nothing but your truth for the rest of your days?
Does it mean to pen every story, song, poem, or other creation that deigns to cross your mind?
Does it mean speaking up when something is wrong, not right, or disrespect has been done?
Does it mean to speak your mind honestly when someone asks what you think? Or even when they don’t ask?
Does it mean to use your voice for others who can’t speak for themselves or those who could use a boost of additional voices?
Does it mean expressing your love and appreciation in more ways than just words?
And could it possibly mean, saying no more than you need to so you can also listen to what’s also being “unsaid” yet communicated anyway?
Perhaps this is an opportunity for you to ask yourself:
What is it I want to feel at the end of the day?
Is this something you’d like to explore with me? I invite you to chime in in the comments. <3
This is a story about the moment that would change my life forever. A moment that seemed both inevitable and unexpected all at once.
You see, I had built a pretty comfortable life post-college after my hustle of a dance of various jobs in the years following. Eventually, I landed a full-time job in a communications position that didn’t feel life-sucking but felt rather exciting in different ways. I felt truly seen and appreciated by the organization… Needed might be a better term. I felt needed.
This job allowed me to barely afford an apartment in downtown Salt Lake City where I could walk to work (a dream back then) and I could live solo in the most bustling city available to me then. Plus, I got to use skills I was naturally good at, which felt like I was being useful in a way I liked.
Not only was happy with my job, but I filled my evenings with rehearsals and performances for a couple of the local community theaters. In essence, I was doing everything I felt I wanted to do! I could use my skills as a writer and editor at the office, then turn on the glitz, glam, voice, and show in the evenings with other artistic folks who are just as off-beat as I am.
(If you haven’t met that side of me, hello starshine!)
So much of this time I wouldn’t change for anything. I met wonderful people, had a job I enjoyed, and got to engage my creative gifts quite a bit. It felt very balanced. And I was content, if not happy, with how I was living.
That’s why this felt so… jarring.
Since I was (and still am) a very efficient worker, I’d often start my mornings with inspirational readings from a couple of email subscriptions to boost my energy and spirit. Primarily, at the time, I read the DIY Daily, which was chockfull of inspiring entrepreneurial folks, doing all kinds of cool things with their lives, making waves, and doing things I thought were quite revolutionary at the time. It also catered to musicians and other artists as well, so it hit all the notes that felt compelling to me. As I’d read these articles, important life questions would be presented, but there were a couple that really stuck out to me.
Keep in mind, at this time, I was very content with work, loved living on my own, loved the show I was in at the time as I had been recently cast as Rapunzel in Into the Woods, and was fresh off a dream role experience as Doralee in 9 to 5: The Musical.
Things were GOOD in my book.
So, I sat back in my spindly office chair pondering these questions from my little cubicle. Closing my eyes, I took a breath and asked myself:
When I look at my life, could I see myself doing what I am doing now for the rest of my life and be happy doing it?
Nope.
I knew in my bones that would make me feel stagnant… And being in motion, though scary, is far more fulfilling to me than staying in the same place, doing the same things, over and over again, until I return to the ethers.
And this question surprisingly got to me:
Would you want your boss’s job/life?
Now, don’t get me wrong… I very much respect and enjoyed working for the bosses I’ve had—they are tremendous individuals who’ve done great work, continuing to grow and expand into new arenas. But at that time… When I thought about the kind of life they had in Utah where they were executives at their organizations, had loving families in the suburbs of Salt Lake, yada yada yada…
I felt a visceral “no” throughout my whole body.
I don’t want that.
I’ve never wanted that.
So, that made me schlump forward.
What the heck did I want then?
Because it certainly wasn’t that kind of future in Utah.
In a flash, I felt different versions of myself clamoring for attention.
I thought of the 12-year-old girl who wanted nothing more than to grow up so she could move out of the house and live independently without the chaos that comes with growing up in a blended family of divorce, despite how supportive and loving it was still.
I thought of the 16-year-old me who so badly wanted to attend Juilliard in New York City, but upon realizing the cost of such a venture, opted to get her bachelor’s degree at a state university, attended a summer program at Berklee instead (still ridiculously expensive), then go from there.
I thought of the 19-year-old who, after studying voice and music since childhood, switched gears from a voice performance major to an English literature major, excusing away the shift with a lock jaw diagnosis over the summer. But really she just didn’t like the environment, hated the idea of losing the enjoyment of one of her main forms of expression, and felt like if she had to do college, she wanted to be challenged in something she was actually interested in learning more about.
(Also a secret until now: I put in the change order for my degree before my jaw locked shut… I still remember it clicking like a stuck typewriter at the meeting with my student counselor.)
And I thought of my 25-year-old self at that present moment, who was committed to a 9-to-5 job, in an office, five days a week, where—though doubly fulfilled through community theatre endeavors—was often exhausted, falling into binge-watching TV shows to relax (not knocking it… it works), and feeling like there was only so much I could do from that space. I could feel the ceiling and the time crunch all around me, especially when I realized that wasn’t all that I wanted out of life.
Okay…If that’s not the life for me, what is?
What is it I most desire to do?
Like a beacon of white, I saw the words in my mind:
New York City.
And I knew…
It was something that had been on my radar forever. Movies and TV shows based in New York (verrrry glamorized, by the way… wait ’til you see the cat-sized rats, the tiny and pricey apartments, and the smelly streets/subways… and the pandemic made it worse).
I had visited at age 16 with my performance troupe, falling in love on day one, and deciding then and there that I would live in New York one day.
New York was always something on the horizon. Maybe. Someday.
When I decided to make the leap, I labeled the guise of wanting to move to New York as wanting to pursue my performing ambitions. And sure, those existed to a degree and were relatively true at the time. But honestly?
I just felt in my soul that that was where I needed to be. I needed to move to New York, even though the reasons weren’t entirely clear why.
First night in NYC
And literally one year and ten days later, I stepped into the first room I rented in New York, just a block away from the Port Authority Bus Terminal—right near Times Square (why this was not an ideal place to live, but also why it was, is a story for another day).
But it took that moment to sit back. It took assessing my life, looking at it how it was, and anticipating—if I stayed on that track—how it might look if I kept going down that path… And then asked what it was I truly wanted.
Have you ever done that with yourself, lovely?
I think it might be worth it.
Actually, it is worth it. You’re worth it. Go ahead.
Take a deep breath and ask yourself:
What is it I most desire to do?
I hope something that stirs your soul comes to mind.
***
Originally published on magicwithmikael.substack.com
What if I release desire? What if I release clarity—or the need to know the outcome or the “how”? What if I release trying to “manifest”? What if I release personal preferences and wants? What if I release needing to know my next step?
What would that look like?
What if I embrace surrender? What if I embrace trust—in myself, my intuition, and the forever loving guidance of the universe? What if I could just let life flow? What if I could release outcomes? What if I could embrace natural expansion and growth?
What if instead of feeling scattered, I allow myself to feel led and guided by one thing only: the love of god and the universe?
What if I release all the identities I’ve had, claimed, or sought? What if I allow God and the Universe to move and actualize through me? What if I trust that I’m always divinely led and guided?
I know that I constantly worry about the “how”… How to attract clients, how to get clarity, how to find purpose, how to hone in on what I actually want, how to find my next steps, how to bring in money. And on and on…
What if I just… let that all go?
What if I don’t need to know what I want or how it looks? What if I don’t need to know how clients and money will show up? What if I don’t need to know any of this?
What if I could free my mind, body, and spirit of that constant question of “how” and just trust that life will lead and guide me to the people, places, situations, and work where I can best serve?
How freeing would that feel?
Leaning into that trust, surrendering what could be for what is, right now, in this very moment.
So…
What if I let go of the “plan”? What if I release the chase? What if I let go of the vision? What if I release the need to have a vision at all?
What if I release any thought of the future and instead stand fully present in the here and now, and know without a shadow of a doubt, that I’m exactly where I need to be and that life and the universe are always working out in my favor?
***
Can I tell you that a weight truly lifted from my head after writing all this out, a weight that I didn’t even know was there?
Just the idea of releasing the need to know or plan or do anything like that… To just let yourself be. Surrendered to the moment, surrendered to life.
There’s something so freeing about not having to worry about what it is I want and instead have life lived through me as I go.
“I didn’t want to be in charge of my life; I wanted to be free to soar far beyond myself. Let the flow of life be in charge. If life brought events in front of me, I would treat them as if they are meant to take me beyond myself.” – Michael A. Singer, The Surrender Experiment
It’s a new moon in Pisces today… And this is where my head and heart is. My contemplation today took me down this road. It feels vulnerable yet somehow incredibly freeing. Perhaps I’m embarking on my own kind of surrender experiment.
There are all these pressures—from society, family, friends, work, ourselves—so I guess I’m just wondering what happens when you let those pressures, demands, expectations, and questions fly away. I’ll leave you with this final question that I’m feeling into.
What if what I want is just to surrender and expand into my fullest potential—in this moment and every moment hereafter—even if I have no idea what that looks like?
I am willing to trust and surrender to something greater to find out.
This week for your Joy Challenge, let’s keep it extremely simple…
Unexpected Delights
I’d love for you to keep your eyes open for this Joy Challenge.
Set the intention before you leave the house to be delighted by what you see. Then, let yourself be delighted by what’s around you.
Let the unexpected things grab your attention. It could be an animal (or more!), an insect, a child, the shift of colors in the leaves, or a lovely exchange between strangers that you observe.
Be open to being delighted by the random happenings and nature around you!
How this challenge went for me…
I saw school of fish, flashing their silvery bodies as they crossed the Hudson on my usual visit to Riverbank State Park for my morning walk. I hadn’t seen that before! The Hudson usually has pretty cloudy waters, so to actually see the shape and form of the school topped with the flashing and splashing of their swim brought me a fresh joy.
Also, seeing a cute Pez dispenser at the store gave me a tickle of delight, so I had to pick that up too.
I’d be tickled to know what ends up delighting you in your observations this week! Leave a comment below and let me know!
Have a blessed week!
The true joy is starting to be present to your life. Start to notice where you can pause and enjoy the moment more. Because when you align with your joy through all of your senses, you become more aligned with your core, your body, and your soul. Then it becomes easier to listen to your intuition and to let it guide your creativity.
Our joy is found only in the present, so we are going to create some joy from a past love for a twist today..
And when I say a past love, I mean a song you loved in the past.
A Song From Your Youth
Identify a song that brought you joy as a kid. And then go find it. If you can, find it in the original rendition you first heard all those years ago (same artist, same album, etc).
Let it be a song you haven’t heard in who knows how long. Let it be a song that whenever it was on the radio in the car, you yelled out to let it keep playing. Perhaps it’s a song from a movie or from a TV show you particularly enjoyed. Or a song that your dad used to play when he got ready in the morning, or the song your grandmother used to hum to herself as she went about her day. It could be any song, as long as it was one that made you smile as a child.
Then it’s time to get present with a song that delighted you as a child to see how it brings you joy now.
Plug in your headphones and turn it on with whatever source you can find it on. Hear the song with your adult ears.
The goal this week is to bring a new sense of joy to an old love of music.
Most songs are only 3-5 minutes long, so I challenge you to sit and listen without any other distractions. Just sit. Close your eyes. Focus on just the sounds coming into your ears and the how the vibrations make your body feel. And listen to your song.
What emotions does it bring up for you? Did you find new meaning in it? Does it make more sense now or does it confuse you even more?
A bonus challenge:
If you want, choose more than one song of your childhood to return to to re-enjoy! Maybe make yourself a playlist of your favorite tunes from your youth that you can return to anytime you like.
How this challenge went for me…
A few songs I love from my childhood that immediately came to mind include:
“Hold On” by Wilson Phillips “Dreams to Dream” from Fievel Goes West “Whatever You Imagine” from The Pagemaster “Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks (why this was a 3-year old’s favorite song, I’ll never know!).
I loved rediscovering the harmonies in “Hold On”… Hearing “Dreams to Dream” replays the animated sequence with Tanya from the movie. “Whatever You Imagine” is one of my favorite songs ever so it’s always been in my playlists. And “Thunder Roles” returns me to the living room in my grandparents’ house with my little black tape player.
Music carries memory and history… See where your childhood favorites return you to.
Maybe these will spark further memories of songs you love from your childhood!
Did one song in particular come to mind at reading this post? Does it carry significant meaning or a special message that’s relevant to you now?
I’d be tickled to know if your chosen song brings a needed salve or message to you right now. If you feel like sharing, let me know which song you chose to return to in the comments below. You may remind someone of a song they loved too!
Have a blessed week!
The true joy is starting to be present to your life. Start to notice where you can pause and enjoy the moment more. Because when you align with your joy through all of your senses, you become more aligned with your core, your body, and your soul. Then it becomes easier to listen to your intuition and to let it guide your creativity.
Did you know that movement can also be meditative? If trying to sit down to quiet your mind for meditation is difficult for you, this is one meditative practice I love to return to.
Take a mindful walk.
Plan it in your calendar for at least 10-15 minutes a day (up to an hour if you feel like it!). No distractions, no earphones. Be fully present to the nature around you.
Begin walking slowly and intentionally, breathing in your natural rhythm.
Feel every step you take, how your feet hit the pavement or ground. Feel every sensation in your body, from the inside out to your skin. Connect with your inner self with each sensation that you feel.
Without losing that connection to your inner presence, start to stretch your awareness to your surroundings: what do you hear, smell, and see? Observe with no attachment.
If you get lost in thoughts, simply bring yourself back to your experience–the sensations, sights, sounds, and the feeling of your inner being within you enjoying the walk that you’re on.
Afterward, if you feel so inclined, journal out your experience and see what pours from you.
This is a time to return to your senses, clear your mind, and ground yourself into your body and spirit. This will help to keep you present while also treating your body to some conscientious movement. Good for mind, body, and spirit and for fueling your intuition and creativity as well.
This is here for you whenever you need it. Take care of you.
This is an excerpt from The Intuitive Creativity Forecast, a weekly email subscription that offers cosmic and energetic guidance for the week, including an intuitive pulse for the week, a peek at the astrological atmosphere, and ways to spark your creativity and intuition, and more.It’s a suggested $8/month exchange to keep the magic of the Forecast supported (about $2/email!).Sign up for the weekly Forecast today!
