Use creative inspiration to nurture connection to spirit.

Byline: FROM HEART TO HEART By Halie Loren For The Register-Guard

My creative capacity has been the quality I've treasured most about myself. It also has been my clearest window into the way in which Spirit influences and directs me, even when I am unable, or unwilling, to detect its presence.

Though my life is filled with many forms of artistic expression, music has been the dominant creative outlet for me. It has granted me the most fulfillment on a spiritual level and garnered the most response from others, particularly through songwriting.

I'm told that I started singing almost before I could talk, and I wrote my first song at age 14, which means I have been calling myself a singer/songwriter for almost half of my 22 years. In crafting songs, I've used real-life experiences, other people's stories, myths, and even logical analysis for ideas while writing, but more often the conceptions come "out of the blue."

The songs that emerge through sheer creative inspiration end up speaking greater truths to me than many of the ones I've written using careful, calculated thought processes. They seem to come from some place deeper, where I've tapped into a source of wisdom greater than myself.

People have asked me how I write songs that belie my years and lack of experience with the hardships of life - songs that they as older adults feel connected to. The songs bring their emotions to the surface because the messages feel personal.

I've revisited a song I wrote five years ago - a song that seemed, at the time, to be a mixture of random "creative inspiration" and speculation - only to discover a depth and understanding relating to experiences and emotions I am going through now, that I had no concept of at the time the song was written. They were thoughts that I allowed to surface.

The more I experience this elevated awareness, the more I am convinced that creativity is one of the modes of expression of the voice of Spirit, the voice of the universal creative force that is responsible for and exists within all. Spirit is the only "source of wisdom" that I know I can tap into when seeking truths beyond my full understanding.

People seek the help of a greater source, or a "higher power," under various names and incarnations to help them grapple with the human condition. When we are able to reach this source, or perhaps when it is able to reach us, we discover amazing things about ourselves.

It would make sense that we can also gain access to, or be accessed by, Spirit on a subconscious level, and that Spirit helps guide us by way of intuition, inspiration and even the ebbs and flows of creative thought. In light of this, it is no wonder that I feel most connected to my spirituality when I am actively creating. When I allow creativity to fully nurture my connection to Spirit, the resulting artistic expression is a manifestation of a well-fed soul.

Halie Loren sings and participates at The Spiritual Growth Center (Religious Science). This column is coordinated by Two Rivers Interfaith Ministries, a network of more than 35 religious and spiritual traditions in the Eugene-Springfield area. For more information, visit www.interfaitheugene.org or call 344-5693.