Adam Blatner

First thing is singing, often an improvised marching tune, or anything.  It might be a simple note that I begin to vary and watch what begins to  come. The notes are then amplified into a basic tune. Be-boo-bop, no  particular words. Occasionally I might insert the words to a spiritual chant, such as Om Namah Shivaya or some other phrase. (That means that Om,  the holy vibration, is the name of Shiva, the spirit that recycles life, or  however else this Sanskrit phrase might be translated.)

Second thing that keeps me going is a sweet wife who likes to play and  reflects and adds to this generation of a layer of mild aesthetic fantasy  that softens the everyday tasks to be done.

Third is contemplation that not infrequently matures into a brief essay on this blog. This involves a process of  opening to the psychic axis of inspiration (sort of like the chakra system  spoken of as part of Kundalini yoga). It’s also energizing.

Fourth is dancing. I might go in feeling blah but after about a half  hour of folk dancing, square dancing, or ballroom dancing there is a lifting  of the spirits. (I’m reminded of the song from Camelot, "What Do the Simple  Folk Do?"

Fifth is the Grace of an interesting conversation or encounter: People  are on such interesting journeys, and wondering why, how, they have managed  to escape the pressures that keep them stifled, dulled—these are exciting.  Noticing what excites them, noticing the process of becoming interested,  playful, of feeling pleased that they are feeling seen and heard—this all  increases rather than decreases psychic energy. (As Moreno said—I  think—, spontaneity is a form of non-conservable psychic energy.)

Sixth, art? Sure, I doodle; but if you make the doodle on a framework of  a mandala—that is, within the structure of a somewhat symmetrical  circle—then it looks like an elegant drawing of some sort rather than just  as a doodle. I have bunches of these on my website (keyword Blatner +  mandala).

Seventh: Philosophy. Well—sort of a mixture of philosophy and poetry:  I imagine that the Universe (or God) is waking up, being born into a new  level of consciousness and interactivity, and that what we are doing could  help a bit. I think these methods are still hardly appreciated in the  world—ways of developing our spontaneity, ways other than coffee to  re-connect with purpose and values, and that reminds me that the world needs  this stuff. It’s not too grandiose— maybe just a little—and I don’t  assume that I am more than a red blood corpuscle in the vast sea of  becoming-ness; but still, it’s a positive contribution to the great Dance.  And it works to draw me forward into life.

Eighth, a bit of having some pals to share that life can get tough, and  they care, and I care when it happens to them, too. So we’re pals on the  journey. Maybe you have to walk that lonesome valley, and nobody’s gonna  walk it for you—nobody can, really—but where is it written that nobody  can walk it with you? And we can do that for each other. So if I’m not the  one being helped, then I feel blessed to be able to offer a little comfort,  a "Hi," to pals as they struggle along too. That draws me forward.