Newsletter #10
The HourGlass of Inspiration
Hi there,
How inspired are you feeling today?
How inspired do you feel most days?
I love being inspired. I love that feeling of awe and wonder that cracks through our normal, run of the mill thinking and beckons us into new and exciting realms of action.
But it’s not just the feeling of inspiration I love. I also love the word.
It turns out that the word “inspiration” comes from the Latin word “inspiratus,” which essentially means “breathe into.”
If you follow the etymology of the word even further into history, you’ll find that ‘inspiration’ has a theological meaning too. A spiritual meaning. When someone was ‘inspired’ in the olden days, they were thought to have been directly influenced by a divine spirit.
I love the thought that being inspired is like ideas coming to us from a divine source and breathing something new into our lives.
Inward + Spirit + Breathe + Life = Inspiration
As I’ve journeyed along my own spiritual path of ‘inspiration’, this definition of the word makes complete sense to me. In fact, it feels like its grounded in wisdom and truth. It’s a genuinely profound insight. And, as such, it opens up a new way of finding inspiration and feeling more inspired everyday.
The HourGlass: A Perfect Metaphor
I came across a really thought provoking metaphor last week that brought this spiritual idea of inspiration to life. The metaphor was that of the hourglass. Or the egg timer as it used to be called in our house.
The hourglass is an ancient timing device made of two round glass sections linked by a narrow channel. The top section contains sand which takes an hour (or the time to make a perfect soft boiled egg) to flow into the lower section.
Have you got the picture in your mind? The top half filled with countless grains of sand, the bottom half gradually collecting what flows through, and that narrow middle channel connecting the two spheres.
Now use that picture to imagine this;
The top glass section represents the infinite realm of ideas, possibilities, and creative potential. It is the plane of possibility. It's the spiritual dimension, the source, and the wellspring of all inspiration. It is endless and abundant.
The bottom glass section is where these ideas manifest into physical reality. We take those ideas in the form of inspiration and convert them into our actions, creations, and relationships. We transform the intangible into the tangible and in doing so have an impact on the world.
The narrow channel in between is you and me. It's our consciousness, our awareness, our ability to receive and translate those higher inspirations into everyday reality.
It’s a fantastic metaphor that really resonates with me. And here's the critical point: the width of that channel determines how much can flow through. A wide and open channel allows us to draw in more of the sand from the top section. It allows us to fully accept and draw down the inspiration on offer.
When the Channel Narrows
But how open are our channels? The hourglass analogy would suggest that our channels are pretty narrow to start with. But I suspect most of us are operating with blockages and constrictions of one form or another that make it almost impossible to utilise the inspiration on offer. And I say that because that’s the place I operated from for many years. I know what it feels like when that channel closes.
Here’s a list of things that keep the channels restricted and closed off from inspiration;
Rigid thought patterns and beliefs that resist curiosity
Fears about stepping outside our comfort zones
Resentments and grudges from the past
Cynicism that dismisses new possibilities
Busyness that drowns out the whispers of inspiration
Numbing to distract ourselves from the monotony of everyday existence
These habits of thought and deed keep our minds and souls closed to the infinite source of creativity.
The result? The tiniest trickle of creativity rather than a free-flowing river. A life that feels more burdened than inspired. Uninspired days that blur together instead of standing gloriously apart, drenched in fresh ideas.
I know this territory intimately. I built much of my former identity around being productive, being the "money-making machine," and measuring my worth and success by work accomplishments. I had a very fixed idea of life. I was self-centred and driven by fear and greed. It was a difficult existence that felt like hard work. And so I drank to dull those difficult feelings away and all but closed the channel completely.
Perhaps you recognise this pattern in your own life too. If you do, then I’ve got some good news.
We weren't made to be that. We weren’t created to be starved of inspiration. We are made to lap it up.
Widening the Channel
If you sense your channel is restricted there are some relatively straight forward things you can do to create space for more inspiration to flow through. Here are a few ideas:
1. Be open-minded. Closed thinking is the great constrictor of the channel. When we become rigid in our perspectives, when we insist "that's just the way things are," we cut ourselves off from the flow of new possibilities. Curiosity keeps the channel open.
3. Do some spiritual work. Inspiration comes from the spiritual realm. And we are all, at heart, spiritual beings. These are facts whether you like it or not; whether you believe it or not. Practices like prayer, meditation, affirmations and contemplation are ways to keep the channel clear. These aren't abstract religious concepts - they're practical tools for maintaining connection with something larger than ourselves. Even five minutes of quiet reflection can begin to dissolve the blockages. Do some spiritual work regularly whether you like it or not; whether you believe in it or not.
4. Release what doesn't serve. The channel gets blocked by accumulated negativity—old hurts, resentments, fears, shame, guilt, limiting beliefs. Identify what you're holding onto that's restricting your flow. Forgiveness, gratitude and positive beliefs aren’t just nice ideas; they’re proven ways to unblock your consciousness and widen your channel of inspiration.
5. Balance work with wellbeing. We live in a world where work dominates our every thought and every action. It preoccupies our waking hours and causes us stress. The work idea must be balanced with the wellbeing idea. We aren't meant to be 24 hour productivity machines. We are meant to slow down and rest and play regularly. Creation requires both effort and ease, structure and spontaneity. When was the last time you played without purpose? When did you last lose track of time doing something that brings you joy? Do more of that and see how your channel opens up.
Heaven on Earth
This hourglass metaphor of inspiration has opened up something new for me. That ‘something new’ is the realisation that there is a two-step process that can help us find new solutions to pretty much every problem we face;
Step 1 - Be open-minded and fully aware that there is an abundant realm of inspiring ideas waiting for us to draw down. Limitless, inspired ideas that can help us in any given situation, challenge or problem we’re facing. We just need to keep the channels wide and restriction-free.
Step 2 - Know that once we have drawn down an inspiring idea it is completely within our ability to bring it into the physical realm and make it a reality. We can make the intangible tangible. We can make the ethereal real.
With this two-step process we have the mechanism and wherewithal to solve problems, create peace and find happiness with ease. We can draw down the spiritual realm and translate it into the physical realm. We can literally bring heaven down to earth.
This may sound a bit too woo-woo for some people. But it actually feels quite grounded to me. It feels more realistic to think of heaven as something that can be accessed and experienced here and now rather than a place we go after life.
Heaven then becomes more like a state of receptivity we can cultivate in our daily lives. It helps us find peace and happiness easily, simply because we keep the channel open and remain constantly permeable to inspiration and possibility. When we do that, we have access to infinite creative ideas, we find ourselves effortlessly navigating our way through life; addressing problems with apparent ease. We live a truly inspired life.
The universe is for us. It wants us to be happy. And this inspiring idea of bringing heaven down to earth is a way we can find that happiness. It’s a way to find spiritual happiness.
If your current thinking and lifestyle habits aren't making you happy, if you feel creatively stifled, then maybe it's time to examine what's blocking your channel. What spiritual practices are you neglecting? What resentments are you nursing? What fears and negativity are you allowing to dictate your choices?
The Balance
Life requires balance. There are things that must be done - responsibilities, obligations, necessary work. But even within these, we can maintain an open channel. And beyond them, we must make and protect the space necessary to carry out the practices that keep the channel as wide as possible.
I believe this deeply.
That narrow channel in the hourglass is the most precious gift you have. It's how you can experience heaven on earth. It's where inspiration becomes reality.
Keep it open. Keep it clear. Let the sand flow freely.
Life’s too short to be uninspiring.
Until next time,
Simon