March 3, 2010
In Greek mythology, the muses were the nine daughters of the god Zeus and Mnemosyne, goddess of memory. They were thought to inspire the creation of literature and the arts and transmit the knowledge of poetry, history, dance, astronomy, music, and comedy. Their legacy is threaded through modern language with words such as ‘museum’, ‘musing’ and ‘amused’. It is, however, most apparent in the seriousness that artists and writers give to finding ‘their muse’. What does this mean and how can finding your muse improve your writing?
The muse is really the mysterious creative process that brings us the deep seated seeds of inspiration. It is the mixture of your talent, determination, experience, imagination, and dedication all brewing in your subconscious and then bursting forth as song, word, dance, image….it is the primordial creativeness that makes us feel so free. And it can be cultivated.
How do you welcome the muse?
Many writers find it easiest to visualize the muse as a person, either imaginary or real and they write as if to that person or from her. For Robert Graves she was the White Goddess, for Dante she was Beatrice. William Blake’s poem Jerusalem was dictated wholly by his muse. Other authors use their characters as their muses, having whole imaginary dialogues with them, create a rapport with a relative or friend who has passed on, or write as if to someone who is alive but distant–an author whose work they esteem, an old lover who always made them feel creative, a particularly supportive friend.
Other writers use place as a muse. They recollect a place that was particularly conducive to their creativity or one that reminds them of their childhood (their grandparent’s house maybe or a particularly loved vacation spot). Still others create an imaginary cave or room in their head where they imagine going to write.
The use of animals as guides and muses in indigenous storytelling goes back thousands of years as does the calling on more celestial beings such as angels.
The important part, whatever or whoever you choose your muse to be (and try to have this come up spontaneously), is to create a clear image of them or it in your head.
So sit with whatever it is that makes you feel inspired and spend a few minutes a day before you write visualizing your muse. It’s also good to visualize them when you are exercising, driving in the car, waiting in line, going to sleep. You don’t have to do anything in particular–just bring up what the person looks like, sounds like–the details of a place or feeling of an animal or spirit. No pressure. But what this will start to do is create the space in your unconscious for writing and inspiration to exist. With your muse, you prime your pump of creativity and access your talent and drive much more quickly. Creating a relationship with your muse is one of the most important skills you can create for prolific writing and can actually bring you surprising knowledge and ideas you didn’t know existed within you.
