“[Everything moves] in large and wild patterns, one following the other in this order: creation, increase, power, dissolution, death, incubation, creation, and so on.”
Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Where are You in the Creative Cycle?
Money touches us deeply – the more comfortable we are transitioning with it, the easier it is to rightsize it and mindfully use it as a tool. In her chapter on creativity Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Jungian analyst and cantadora, outlines what it takes to bring your art to life, and I found it a useful framework to bring money to life.
My goal is to see clients go through at least one whole creative cycle together. That way going forward they have muscle memory on how to move through it with money on their own, although I’m always here to give support! The most common stages when people seek out my help are:
- Dissolution when we realize what we are doing no longer works,
- Death when we’re in the process of letting go, and
- Incubation when what’s next feels unclear.
A couple of years ago a friend, let’s call her Olivia, was telling me she’d been ripped off by a locksmith. She’d accidentally locked herself out of her house, it was late, and the guy was charging way too much. And she’d just had to get her car fixed, so her savings were wiped out. The anger she felt had her smack in the middle of the Dissolution stage: Whatever was going on with her money was clearly not working. So what’s next?
Respond, Be Wild, & Begin
I help clients figure out where they are with money by creating space for them to sit still, slow down the mind chatter, and Respond appropriately. Olivia worked through this over a couple of months with me and other friends. She began to unravel her money stories, take a closer look at her business, and ask questions. She was done living one emergency away from being broke.
Once you know where you stand, tap into your body, your inner knowing, to learn what’s next. As adults someone telling us what to do is unlikely to work. Honestly, only you know what’s best for you – trust it.
A few helpful practices are journaling, any type of release ritual to move/dislodge whatever is stuck, and talking it through with trusted friends or therapists. Estés advises we Be Wild, and do the thing that calls out even if our logic thinks it’s impractical. Maybe you need to burn an effigy of your ex (my fav), reach out for help, or take a trip to get some rest. As long as you’re not using spending to numb yourself out, your money can mostly likely cover what you need.
When I realize I’m in a Death stage I’ve learned to go into hibernation. I outline the bare minimum for work, money, relationships, and let that be enough. There’s no point in pretending I’m somewhere other than where I’m at – been there, done that, and it’s exhausting. As emotionally avoidant as our culture is, running from our emotions just doesn’t work. The only way out is THROUGH. Don’t worry, you’ll revive in due time. A wild one knows death is part of life – let go of trying to revive what’s dead, none of Frankenstein’s monsters here please.
Begin taking the next step and soon enough you’ll be in a different part of the creative cycle. The perfect is the enemy of the done. Estés says it best, “It is not the failure that holds us back but the reluctance to begin over again that causes us to stagnate.” Take that one step, make that one phone call, just do something that nourishes you.
Protect your Time, Stay With It, & Protect your Creative Life
Name what you want and don’t settle for pale imitations. Protect your time and dedicate it to the thing you want. Build systems that support you, like automatically saving for your goals, regular money check-ins to review progress, and supportive relationships that will keep you engaged when energy fades.
Now that you’ve gotten started, stay with it. My favorite call to arms from Estés is “I love my creative life more than I love cooperating with my own oppression.” Olivia struggled through the fear of raising her prices, even though it was long overdue. She started hiring help and kept practicing negotiation. After a while she began seeing each next step more clearly and it was easier to follow her intuition.
Protect your creative life – say no to anything that weighs you down, including commitments, relationships, projects, or hobbies that deplete or distract you. As Rumi says, water the rose, not the thorn. I know it’s scary to take steps towards your best life, but each one you take will bring it closer and energize you in the process. Whatever problems may be coming up, name them and fix them. It is possible and you deserve a full creative life.
Craft your Real Work & Lay Out Nourishment
Craft your real work – share your gifts with the rest of creation. Find a balance between what Estés calls “pedestrian responsibility and personal rapture.” You are a whole being and bringing that to your money life will transform you! Let go of any fantasies of being rescued and stand on your own two feet. If it’s time to look for a new job, raise your rates, or eat more home cooked meals to pay down debt – you can do it!
Remember to lay out nourishment for the journey ahead. Being creative means being fully present to life as it is, so that you can respond appropriately. Hard times follow good times, like the sun follows the moon. To feed your soul focus on Estés four ingredients: time, belonging, passion, and sovereignty. When things feel hazy stop to gather your wits and make a decision on what’s next, otherwise you’ll end up repeating patterns that don’t serve you. Throw away everything you’ve outgrown, be grateful for the lessons, give yourself time to rest, and craft your own life.
I agree that growth is uncomfortable; the sad thing is that stagnation is just as bad, if not worse. To keep your creative waters flowing proactively move towards uncomfortable growth. In reality the only way out is THROUGH.
Large &Wild Patterns
As long as we’re alive, money will be part of what we do. Dealing with money in a way that aligns with your values and nurtures you is possible. Check in with your body as you do money work and pay attention. Slow down to understand its signals.
Keep in mind that all of these stages overlap. For example, Olivia has the following stages going on:
- Dissolution & Death: Mindsets she’s outgrowing, like her unconscious vow of poverty.
- Incubation: There’s a new business idea percolating in the background.
- Increase: Her marketing is getting revamped!
- Power: She’s finishing up home renovations she had been putting off for years because it wasn’t clear how she could afford it.
For me, the hardest lesson is surrendering to the fact I don’t have control over these stages. If I did, I bet I’d want to stay in Increase or Power. Who would ever visit Death? Yet, life is always changing. A personal catastrophe can take me from Increase to Death in a heartbeat. What I do have control over is staying engaged and doing the next right thing, which could range from investing in my training to taking a nap and everything in between.
Learning, growing, and refining your systems is money work. When life changes, money changes, and life is changing all the time. No one goes through life unscathed. As my dad says, los chingazos te hacen mas fuerte – getting knocked down makes you stronger.
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