Join with me in exploring creativity with the help of co-active coach, Jamie Ridler's Virtual Book Study Group. This week we're exploring Secret #1 - Acknowledging Your Creative Self and the book is called "The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women."

THE BOOK:

This book bills itself as a "portable mentor" and was written by Gail McMeekin and features interviews with 45 well known creative and successful women. The first chapter talks about taking creative risks and accessing your intuition and creative potential by experimenting with new processes.

OUR ONLINE GROUP:

The purpose of our online book study group is to bring together creative women who are interested in exploring and documenting their own creative journey with the help of this book. In the first chapter of Gail's book she tells us how she dealt with a so called "women's illness' by exploring and developing her intuition and in the process redefining her career, goals and life vision.

MY RESPONSE:

In response to Chapter One I am going to take a look at how and why I decided to become a professional intuitive guide. I am often asked the question, "when and how did you first realize you were intuitive or psychic?" And my response is that I've always been intuitive! I started a dream journal when I was thirteen and I am still working with my dreams and writing them all down. Often I will request specific guidance before I go to sleep at night. I will also place a gemstone or specific crystal under my pillow to help me dream. Over the years my dreams have helped me with creative idea generation, with life direction and sometimes they will tell me if someone is lying. I have also worked with meditation, yoga, astrology and the seasons for many a moon!

PSYCHIC BOOT CAMP:

In the winter of 2006 I began my psychic-medium training in an English Traditional Healing Circle being offered by well known English psychic-healer, Adam Higgs. For six months a group of us practiced psychometry (divining the future based on holding each other's hands or objects), mediumship (contacting those who have passed over) and crystal gazing (divination) with each other.

MID LIFE CRISIS:

This English Circle just happened to coincide with a major astrological transit known as Uranus Opposition that was going on for me at the time. This transit happens to all of us around the age of forty. The planet Uranus reaches a point in the sky that is exactly opposite where it was when you were born. Uranus is the ruler of Aquarius and can really shake things up! I have seen friends of mine go through some major changes based on this transit so if you're stuck and feeling stagnant, you won't be by the end of it! So hang on!

ARTY HAPPENINGS:

Previous to this Uranus business I had worked full time as a professional artist with my own business. I began LuLu Design when I was in Graphic Design school. LuLu was the name I had chosen for my altar ego, my inner child self. My best friend and I came up with alternative names for ourselves and mine just happened to stick! Since graduating in 1993 with a degree in Art History and a Diploma in Graphic Design I have been painting on silk, with watercolors, acrylics, pastels and printmaking (aquatints, etching, linoblock.) I have been selling my work at art and craft shows, to shops, galleries, magazines and online.

PSYCHIC HAPPENINGS:

My psychic and intuitive work really began to take over my life while I was studying with the English Traditional Circle Group and the next thing I knew I was giving readings at a new age store called Nirvana. When Nirvana eventually went out of business I went back to my art full-time because I had no other avenues for my psychic work.

LEFT HAND DRAWING:

To back up a bit, in 2001 I became quite bored with my drawing hand, my right hand - I like to explain it this way, "my right hand just lost it's sense of humor!" So I switched over to my left hand - the intuitive hand (it is controlled by the right brain) and I used this hand exclusively (to draw) for the next 5 years. I created over 500 Lefty drawings and I also created a zine (a self published not for profit magazine) filled with Lefty poetry and I started a Writer's Group in my town, which had previously lacked one. I really, really wanted the Lefties to speak! My personal psychic, Lauren Michaels, had told me that they had so much they wanted to say and she also saw them on stage! Shortly afterwards I actually had a phone call from my hero, Michelle Shocked, a Los Angeles musician and activist. She asked me to appear on stage with my Lefties blown up to life size as part of her Women's Day performance for her Campfire Series at Molly Malones in Hollywood. So I did it and I also invited my friend, Julie Bini to participate with her cartoon art and healing messages about body image.

LEFTY TAROT DREAM:

During this time I was really struggling to figure out what the Lefties had to say and so I requested some dream guidance and was told "Lefty Tarot" so I started offering free Lefty soul readings in the Etsy Forums (Etsy is the largest online community of artists and crafters on the web.)

PSYCHIC READINGS ON ETSY:

After giving 100's of free readings and trades on Etsy I was able to build up some great feedback, met many wonderful repeat clients and started offering my soul readings for sale. I knew this wouldn't be easy at first, because readings were not officially allowed on Etsy! But I knew this would change, because I was posting so often in the forums that the Administration was bound to take notice! Since Etsy is a handmade community, a tangible item must be offered for sale so my readings offer a document (doc or pdf file) along with jpg's of the cards I use in the reading. I like how fellow Etsian MuseCatcher described readings in the forum: "I believe that a reading, if done honestly and in the tradition of the ancient ways is truly a "craft" (indeed, soothsaying was one of the earliest crafts in the technical sense of the word,) and therefore fits in with the theme of Etsy."

THE WISE WOMEN OF ETSY:

I have connected with many wise women (still waiting for some men to pop in and say 'hi' - you are more than welcome!) in the Etsy Forums and Michelle of GreenFingers and I are in the process of founding a group of metaphysically minded Etsians so that we can work together and help each other and the planet in numerous ways! Please email me if you would like to participate.

THE LEFTIES SPEAK:

Along the way I discovered that the Lefties true mission was to speak to folks on a soulful and healing level. I currently work with three oracle decks of my own creation:

* Lefty Oracle Deck - 50 cards

* Goddess Deck - 32 cards

* Fairy Herbal Healing Deck - 80 cards

PSYCHIC HOW-TO:

The key difference between intuition and other forms of divination (tarot cards, astrology) is that I do not use external cues to help me out, or to lead me astray! So I don't actually look at the cards that I pull for someone until after the reading is over. My wish is that the imagery and the healing messages of the cards will continue to resonate with the client on many different levels long after the reading is finished.

NO PSYCHICS MENTIONED IN GAIL'S BOOK:

I did notice that not one of the 45 women who participated in Gail's project were listed as being professional psychic-mediums or intuitive guides so I do hope that by participating in this book study I will be able to expand some horizons and help others feel free to explore these mystical realms in a fearless and brave new way.

I stand corrected on this folks! There have been several mentions of psychics throughout the book!

Please feel free to join this group and participate in this creativity challenge yourself - more info can be found here: 12 Secrets.

Balloon Riders: LuLu, Zippy, Moonbeam,

The White Bear with Wings and Hermes (the cat)

Every week a different creative blogger will be interviewed. This week Jenn Lee - life coach, artist and yogini is featured.

To read more Book Club entries please click here.