Desert of Inspiration

Sometimes, doing nothing is more productive than doing something. Creative indolence leads to innovation. That frustrating limbo between letting go of the old and giving birth to the new is an essential, though uncomfortable, law of nature.

 

Our culture teaches us to admire and emulate those who work more, buy more, try harder, and seem busier. The art of not striving has been lost, and we’re suffering from a host of stress-related illnesses as a result. The entire history of Western civilization is proactive.

We have to look to ancient China to find a term capable of defining the constructive aspects of doing nothing. WU WEI, which translates as “not doing.”

 

Albert Einstein once remarked that some of his greatest ideas came to him so suddenly while he was shaving that he was prone to cut himself in surprise. Other scientists have come to acknowledge the Three—the Bus, the Bath, and the Bed—as where the most influential discoveries are made.

 

Desert of Inspiration is a marvellous metaphor for the creative limbo between letting go of an old way of being or thinking and discovering the oasis of the new. Forgetting that this uncomfortable intermediary zone exists. Many people get discouraged when their ideas or dreams don’t materialize immediately. They give up and go home too early, back to that conventional yet dissatisfying way of life they “tried” to leave behind.

 

Yet the limbo stage is a law of nature, like waiting for a child to be born. Practice “not doing” is easier said than done, however, because lack of control is infuriating and frightening for the intellect. For this reason, it’s beneficial to practice “not doing” voluntarily rather than wait until circumstances force you into those inescapable limbo periods. Training the mind with a regular dose of WU WEI quite simply strengthens courage and creativity on all levels.  

Way of the Horse Oracle Cards