Sometimes when I draw I use a pencil and sometimes I use an eraser. The same is true with life. When I am clear about what I see and want, I use a pencil to add in the necessary lines to develop the picture. On the other hand, when I am unsure of what I am seeing, feeling, or wanting I need to use an eraser to remove the unnecessary lines. In these moments, I usually have too many images floating around in my mind, and I am unclear on which to follow. Using an eraser allows me to slowly extract what isn’t necessary; leaving only what my psyche wants me to see. Unfortunately, my lack of harmony tends to show itself boldly on the paper, so often I don’t like these drawings. On the other hand, I value them immensely, because they are my transformational road map.
I’ve had people look at my drawings and ask how I was able to capture so much with a simple line. The answer is equally simple. I had to transform my beliefs about the subject or how I might draw the subject, because that clouded my ability to see its essence. Once I remove the inaccurate beliefs that cloud my vision I don’t see form–I see the vibrational structure that creates the form, and that is where truth lies. The same is true with life.
If your mind is attracted to something and yet your body wants you to back away, what do you do?
This is not the time for a pencil! You can’t get clear by adding more lines; you have to get clear by removing unnecessary lines. In the process you can uncover the reason for your attraction and the wisdom of your retraction.
This is a time to use the eraser! Where do you start? Focus first on the details that seem unimportant, and then in your mind remove them with your imaginary eraser. One by one remove the things that don’t support or apply to this composition or situation for they just disturb your clarity. What are you left with? Normally you are left with two things–the core of the disturbance–the source of your uneasy gut feeling and your attraction–the subject’s “essence.”
In a composition you can only have one focal point. There is usually tension and sometimes conflict because that creates energy, excitement, and movement–but there is only one main focal point. So you need to choose. In the choosing, you create a reality. (Insightful artists know that this reality is not just on paper, but is a mirror reflection of their perceptions about life and themselves.) Observe the disturbance and observe the essence, then ask yourself what do you want to highlight or magnify. Do you want to create a piece about truth, essence, and purity or will the underlying current be about conflict, pain, disappointment, and upheaval? You can choose because you are creating a picture–it is your story.
When we are aware of what a pencil is used for and what an eraser is used for, we can create our life with the same clarity and effortlessness. Remember there can be only one focal point. So if you feel stuck use your imaginary eraser to remove the background clutter. Once you have done that you will be able to see the root of the conflict: the two different forces that are pulling you in two different directions. Then choose! Decide if your composition today is going to be a reflection of purity, truth, and essence, or if you need to create another picture for your “stuck” or “blue” period. There is no right or wrong, there is only choice. The internal conflict originates from the subconscious mind wanting to create one thing, and the conscious mind wanting to create something different. Pain is the by-product of your lack of alignment with your soul and your inability to choose. So use your eraser to get to the bottom of any internal conflict and then the choice will be obvious.