“The opposite of war isn’t peace. It’s creation.”
—Jonathan Larson, American composer and playwright
We are a world at war. This is 2022, and it’s not how we probably imagined World War III by any means. Nonetheless, it’s here and it’s happening.
It’s entirely forgivable if you haven’t twigged yet: in the plutocratic west, there are no bombs raining down on our cities, no blackouts or streets filled with soldiers and tanks. In fact, life could be seen to be largely normal, save for a slow-marching squeeze upon our finances and freedoms.
And in parallel, the reality of weaponised war is happening in certain countries: Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Syria, and of course Russia/Ukraine to name just a handful.
Our newsfeeds tell us where to look – would we even have known (or cared much) about the Ukrainian invasion if social media had not blown it up in our feeds as the coronavirus maelstrom petered out?
It’s easy to feel flustered and righteous. Our morals and values are constantly at the mercy of media manipulation, and the majority of this today is silent, unassuming, unconscious. It is a slow creep upon our triggers, base impulses, emotions and resulting (re)actions.
We don’t need Lord Kitchener-style propaganda in 2022: it’s right there in our social media feeds as we scroll and seek our next unconsciously-programmed dopamine or serotonin hit.
And while we scroll, the multi-billionaires are reaping the excessive financial rewards, corrupting our governments, and informing us that we will “own nothing and be happy” about it.
But what if we revolted? En masse?
What would it even take for us to revolt?
Media Fasting
Taking ourselves out of the media machine is one thing – I’ve seen parades of peers quitting Facebook or (more recently, due to TikTok-wannabe algorithmic changes) Instagram in disgust. Enough is enough! is the common refrain. Still more folk are beginning to understand the need for social media breaks – intermittent fasting-style. I’ve done this myself, and can attest to the liberating results.
And yet, it never goes away. Not truly. Those who quit one platform tend to simply spend more time on another instead. The folk who take a break inevitably come back. And I’ve yet to find anyone who avoids all social media altogether. It’s too ingrained in our culture, and our base need for social acceptance in a world which operates largely online.
Reclaiming Our Consciousness
Meditation and taking back our consciousness is another big move, which has gone from fringe-woo-woo to almost ubiquitous and on trend in the last 5 years. Whether you take 5 minutes at the end of the day to tune into Headspace or similar, or you have a daily practice which includes a form of compassionate mindfulness, it’s a no-brainer to wash your mind-brain on the regular.
But even the most ardent meditators still get sucked into the neuro-and-nervous system rewiring of socials. It’s the biggest drug around, and it wants you hooked (even if you’re aware of it!).
The simple reason mindfulness and meditation aren’t enough is that they assume you can somehow disconnect from the human need to be connected, accepted and appreciated. Unless you’ve dedicated your life to monk or nun-hood, social media is going to play a significant part in this need.
Full peace of mind is also anathema to the world we live in. It feels both unattainable and unrealistic; a utopian idea that simply does not apply to the chaos-filled life of kids, 40-60 hour work weeks, paying taxes and affording food, rent and utilities.
Getting Outside the System
Where I have seen real shifts is in the non-polarised space. The space which exists outside of the media altogether; in fact, it occupies a space we are encouraged at all costs to avoid.
Creation. Pure, curious, exploratory, playful, self-led creation.
When we are in creation-mode (note, not merely ‘productive’), we inhabit different areas of the brain, the body and our energy sphere. Instead of running the hamster-wheel of echo-chambers inside a hall of mirrors, getting creative necessitates us exiting that system entirely.
And in doing so, we come back to ourselves. We begin to remember who we really are, and what nourishes and fuels us on a soul-level.
Soul – not survival.
But what if you don’t identify as creative? What if that word sends you into spirals of panic and dread? That’s when someone wise – perhaps Brené Brown or Liz Gilbert – will remind you that creativity is a fundamental part of being human. You cannot not be creative, any more than you cannot not breathe. You just might need to spend more time exploring your own creative urges and rhythms, perhaps with the compassionate support of a mentor who once sat panicked where you are now. And you probably also need to be reminded that there are infinite types and forms of creativity, from dancing wildly in your living room to 80s pop or cooking up an exotic curry from heart memory, to growing soul-nourishing plants or unleashing your inner Jackson Pollock. The key is to let your heart and soul lead – and let them explore, play and be expectationless – not your brain.
That leads me to a caveat. Creativity for the primary purpose of sharing your outcome on social media is led by survival impulses, not soul expansion.
Being in survival won’t win this war. This much is crystal clear.
If we are to truly revolt, and revolutionise the world to fit (expand) to our whole-being needs rather than continuing to squeeze us into air-raid shelters of fear, lack and unending uncertainty, then we must attend to our souls.
Let me assuage your objections, because I can hear them flooding in: this is not an either-or exercise.
In short, you can work on paying your rent and get creative every day. I know! We’ve been told this is indulgent, irresponsible and selfish! I know!
You can live with an energy-zapping chronic condition and still create something which enriches your day-week-month on a whole new level (and quantum-leap your well-being at the same time).
You can work a 60-hour week and still find time to refuel rather than numb-out through letting yourself get playfully creative, and letting go of the outcome!
You can change your life from the inside out, and by extension, the lives of those around you, simply by getting your creative mojo on – even a few times a week, and allowing yourself to really bathe in that space awhile.
It’s this simple act that shifts us out of survival mode, out of chronic fear/anxiety/lack/uncertainty, and ultimately out of the warmongering machine we have inadvertently found ourselves stuck in.
Our act of revolt is to create. (Again, for the ones dozing in the back: not ‘produce’).
In creating, we are rewiring our brains and nervous systems in myriad ways for the better. We are learning to be proactive, resilient (through growth, not oppression), to see problems and challenges in entirely new ways, to recognise the rewards in the process over the product, and to treat ourselves within that process with infinite love and compassion.
Imagine those ideas spreading, hey Ted? Imagine a world not simply at peace, but in full soul-fuelled creation… Wow!
And if that’s not quite enough to persuade you to get your 4yo’s crayons and IKEA paper roll out, then maybe this will nudge you over the edge:
Creativity is the way that the cosmos evolves and communicates with itself. The great uplifting of humanity beyond its self destruction is the redemptive mission of art.
Alex Gray, Mystic Visionary Artist
This war will be won on our decision to engage, and activate our soul response. The time for unending, passive, victim-led consumption is over; now is the time to bring our whole selves (yep, even the exhausted and ‘broken’ bits) to the circle. Lovingly, in full transparency and shared humanity, let us each say,
“Here I am, a jumble of imperfections and inconsistencies: this is what I wish to share, and this is how my soul wants to express itself, and I am now ready to allow that because our world needs it from each and every one of us to heal and rebuild.”
Let us be soul activists: not marching and waving placards, wearing Eat the Patriarchy shirts or bombing parliament… Let’s create.
Written by: Zoe Foster on ‘Soul Activism’
Zoë K. M. Foster channels immersive, lifesize energy art for divinely feminine rebels. She is also the creator of her SacredExpression™ method, which combines sacred geometry, Jungian mandala psychology and fully-embodied, energy-expanding self-expression. Into her work, she brings over 20 years of training and experience as a cognitive psychologist, yoga teacher, energy worker, and spiritually-creative misfit. She lives in a beautiful bell tent in the wilds of Devon with her love and 2 starseed children.
