trans·for·ma·tion/ˌtran(t)sfərˈmāSH(ə)n/ : a complete change in the appearance or character of something or someone, especially so that that thing or person is improved
Tarot key XIII, usually called Death, is the card those television and movie fortunetellers always manage to turn with a great flourish and gasp of horror. That’s fiction. This card almost never means physical death. Almost never.
What we’re talking about here is Transformation, people. Change, alteration, conversion, metamorphosis, or so Roget tells me. But transformation requires space in which to work. Nothing new can begin until something ends.
THE CUP IS ALREADY FULL
Once upon a time a spiritual seeker went to a great teacher. Before they began talking, the teacher prepared tea for them. The teacher poured tea into the seeker’s cup first, filling it to the brim. Then he continued pouring, even as tea overflowed the cup and spilled onto the table and the floor. Finally the seeker couldn’t stand it any longer and shouted, “Stop! The cup is already full.” The teacher smiled. “Like your mind,” he said. “Already full. No room for anything more.”
A few months ago I attended a generative poetry workshop in which a nice young poet led us through a practice for creating poems when we just don’t feel inspired. It was different from any method I’ve used or heard of, and I’ve added it to my tool kit because I have a lot of uninspired days. There was this one fellow in the workshop, though, who spoke up. “This isn’t a technique I’d ever use,” he said. “It’s not how I write.”
Miss the point much?
The man who said this is a competent poet who knows his comfort zone and stays within it. I understand that, and I don’t blame him for holding on to the security of what he knows. His cup is full, though. There’s no place for improvement in his writing. There’s no space for transformation. There’s no room for him to grow because he’s dug his roots into that tiny little container and refuses to explore the big, wide garden spot beyond.
READY TO TRANSFORM YOUR MAGNIFICENT SELF INTO SOMETHING FRESH AND NEW?
- Try writing something you don’t usually write (poetry, romantic fiction, literary essay, or some genre you’ve just made up) using this prompt:
Rising sun, not setting sun + two lines of dialogue + a green food
- Try reading and submitting to one of these journals.
ONE TRANSFORMATIVE THING
NOW GO WRITE SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
This and future posts will also be found on my Substack. If you’d like to get those posts delivered directly to your Inbox as soon as they go live, you can sign up using the box at top right or bottom of this page. There’s a free subscription option, and I encourage you to use that.
You can read previous issues of b.read.crumbs here.
~You can share this post on social media or receive updates on new posts by clicking one of the buttons below~
