Maximizing the Creative Process [Writer’s Guide]

What does it take to really generate an idea and bring it to life?

The creative process is merely a skilled use of our imagination according to most people, but when you actually sit down and analyze the issue, you realize that there may be more going on behind the scenes.

Creating characters and worlds out of thin air while imparting powerful ideas that resonate with millions and can even change public thought for generations, this is a form of magick.

Tales that teach, stories that caution, and worlds so rich they almost jump off the page. Very rarely do we stop to think about how this is done or what it entails.

Many of the greatest works of humankind, from the Bible to the works of Plato, to the Bhagavad Gita and the works of countless philosophers and theologians down through the ages, either contain fiction or are entirely “fictitious,” yet still impart great wisdom. Perhaps more so than many dry accounts of history.

Even if you are to take works such as the Bible at face value, you realize that there are many tales of fiction within it, spoken on behalf of the characters. Whether they are historical or not, is moot. The value is in the wisdom they impart, such as in the parables of Jesus.

How do these stories come about? Are we to believe that they are entirely the end-result of chemical impulses firing in our brains? Or is there something a bit more esoteric at work here?

What the Creative Process Reveals About the Nature of Reality

There is good reason to believe that many of the “ideas” that we think are created out of thin air are actually simply “learned of” via our connection to the collective unconscious.

The actual act of divination and the feelings and sensations that accompany it are almost indistinguishable from the creative process. It is merely our perception or outlook on what’s happening that alters where we believe the information originates from.

Historically, many writers claim that they can’t always conjure ideas to further a story along or build a world. We experience writer’s block, which could better be described as black hole in a stream of thought. A missing puzzle piece.

Furthermore, many writers, including famous names you might be familiar with, claim that many of their ideas come from “elsewhere.” They can’t accurately describe where these ideas come from, only that they seem to alight in the mind, at times unbidden.

Personally, I have had entire cities, with cultures, faces, governmental systems, and even languages appear to me without warning. Once you open yourself to these channels of communication, “creativity can strike” when you least expect it.

Our brains do have a part to play in all this, but it is a marginal one. The bulk of the “work” is in establishing a bridge, or channel, through which the free transfer of information can flow.

Once you become attuned to the “accuracy” of the information you uncover, you begin to recognize when your own thoughts clash with this information. Some stories even demand to be told, and cannot be altered within our minds, as many writers would attest.

The creative process is a form of divination. According to the great minds of the mystery schools, to “create” is to communicate between dimensions.

Thinking of Creation Metaphysically

Everything, including thought, is made up of energy. That energy exists somewhere in space-time.

To bring about an idea on paper so that it can be shared with others, the “idea” must first exist in the mind. 

Because this idea has its own energy, it exists as a part of the Collective. Technically, it is accessible by anyone, and can be experienced by anyone.

Some thoughts may be genuine acts of creation, or the bringing of a new set of data into being. Other ideas, however, may involve reaching into the collective unconscious and becoming aware of someone else’s idea, or even one of their memories.

During the course of writing a piece of visionary fiction, a combination of processes is occurring. Some of the information gleaned may be an idea held by another person, while other parts are gleaned from other worlds.

Many of the “fantasy” worlds that are featured throughout our works of fiction are nothing more than bits and pieces of these other dimensions or planes. This is the secret that most artists already understand to be true on a gut level, but that few would ever admit to themselves.

The notion that writers are mediums or channelers is not new of course. In the Hermetic traditions, writers and scribes were considered oracles.

In fact, down through the ages those with artistic gifts have always gravitated toward the occult or have been products of mystery schools, colleges, and other branches of the esoteric.

To write is to open a door into other Spheres, downloading and filtering foreign information. That which you may comprehend from this alien data forms ideas in your subconscious, which then become pictures and scenarios in your head, and eventually words on a page.

The same process applies to all art forms to some degree or another, including the creation of television programs and movies.

Great truths have been imparted through these mediums over the years, and attempts have been made to display the content of “other worlds,” with varying degrees of success.

Isn’t this all just a product of an overactive imagination? It’s easy to write our creative efforts off as simply the product of our imagination, but the issue here stems from a lack of understanding in regards to what “imagination” is in the first place.

To grasp what is happening, you have to return to the quantum nature of reality and the Laws of Hermetics.

Once you learn how to visualize and manifest, you realize that the process of writing when you are in flow state actually feels exactly the same.

Either you are building a bridge to other worlds, or you are bringing those worlds into being. Regardless of which of these scenarios is the ultimate truth (perhaps it is both), the end result is still the same: writing has much wider implications than simply inventing stories and writing them down using an alphabet.

How to Improve Your Creativity

Finding inspiration can be difficult if you don’t take the right approach. Not that you have a better understanding of where your ideas come from, it’s time to learn how to access this pool of collective wisdom at any time.

Here are key steps to maximizing the creative process:

• Don’t force anything. Like any form of manifestation, you must learn to be open and receptive.
• Be open-minded. What you think your story / world / premise needs and what it “is,” are two different things.
• Meditate before and after every writing session.
• When writing, sit with good posture, in comfortable clothing, as you would when performing yoga or meditating.
• Make sure you are properly hydrated. Dehydration leads to brain fog.
• Write down / record any “impressions” or “feelings” you may receive during the creative process, even if they don’t make sense at the time.
• If you feel stuck, don’t focus on creating, but switch to a receptive and understanding mindset. Breathe slowly and evenly, allow your mind to reset, and take a short break if necessary.
• Feed your brain. A nutrient-packed smoothie with nootropic foods such as blueberries, turmeric, green tea, or coffee. This will make the process of filtering data clearer for you.
• Start a dream journal. The better you get at remembering your dreams, the more creative you will be.
• Try not to write when you are physically uncomfortable or pressed for time. Treat writing as a mindfulness exercise.

Whether you are in the process of telling a story purely for entertainment purposes or if you are putting together an informative work that centers around teaching or explaining deep truths, the process remains the same.

Developing an open mind and  strengthening your ability to visualize will help you open those bridges and establish clearer channels of communication. Being creative isn’t an exact science, but students of hermetic principles have been using the same techniques for thousands of years to pen some of the finest works in all of history.