Remember back when so long ago we first heard of wishing wells? We thought that if we threw a coin into the well that something or some higher power just may grant our wish. If we dig a little deeper, we can find we have the ability within ourselves to make our wishing well a reality if we are willing to take the actions needed to get us there.
The other day when I was painting, the words “wishing well” and a melody kept popping into my mind. At first, I brushed it away, but it kept playing over and over in my mind. I decided to grab a pen and magically a poem enfolded onto the paper. I share this published poem with you today, so we can see the impacts that wishes and the role we play in them have on the outcome of our lives.
Wishing Well, by Alicia Londos ©
Under the light of the wishing well
Speaking words, I cannot tell
Flowing out far and wide
To a place I cannot find
Over the days dark and long
Thoughts in my head and sing a song
Running to a place I do not know
Looking to find a place I wanna grow
Sitting in the forest among the trees
To a place I never wanna leave
Feeling at peace and full of hope
Knowing this life is not a joke
Under the light of the wishing well
I find myself again
The Self I missed words cannot tell
When I grabbed my pen that day, I had no idea this poem would flow out of me. Just as when we create art, we find that creativity and beauty flow out from us through the pen or paint brush if we allow ourselves to tap into it.
It is great and amazing to have dreams and wishes, yet we need to have the personal power from within to take action (as hard as it may be) make those dreams and wishes become a reality.
If we rely only on the wishing well for our dreams and wants to come true or something outside of ourselves to come down to save us, we are removing our responsibility and the diminishing the role we play in the outcomes that unfold during our own lives.
As I write this post, I’m reminded of a client story where we used art not only to create peace and balance, but also to release frustration and pain. My client was having a tough time at home and living in violence. To the outside world, everything seemed to be what people consider normal, a house, family, dog, you name it… yet on the inside, it was a war zone. This was difficult for her to put into words, so she drew me a picture describing how she saw her life. I’ll describe her drawing to create a picture in your mind to show how powerful art can be, and that it can be a powerful tool to help us to get our internal stories and struggles into words and outside of our head. When we do, this we address these stories and find a solution for change coming from within.
The outside of the home surrounded by giant flowers filled with motivating sayings like “you can do it, you are strong, we are proud of you," but on the inside of the home no words of encouragement existed, only words like “in exhausted, I’m a burden, help me, why me” filled the roof of the house. My client drew herself inside a box with the words fragile hovering above it and titled the drawing, “There’s No Place Like Home.” In looking closer, I could see the word home was painted in red with drips of blood coming off it. As you can imagine, this was not a peaceful drawing, yet you can see the power art can have.
Using Art as the Medium to Heal art can help to release and talk about inner turmoil going on so it can be addressed. Whether we are drawing, painting, or in relationships, there are certain lenses we view the world through, and these lenses can limit us. We have the ability to use art to identify things, dig old stuff up, and release whatever is limiting us.
When she finished her drawing and told me her story, I asked her if she had a wishing well what would she wish for? Immediately she welled up and tears flowed down her face as she realized she hasn’t taken much time for herself these past years, or considered what she wanted in her own life, or even realized that she had a choice.
· If you had a wishing well, what would your wish be?
· What would you wish to hold on to?
· What would you wish to let go of?
· What would you wish to change?
· Are there any fears or limitations you wish you could release?
· What would you wish to become a reality in your life?
These are all simple questions, yet they have so many complex answers and feelings that arise when we really give the questions some thought. We all have the power within ourselves to make our wishing well become reality and recreate a life we truly want to live for ourselves.
It is a tough realization sometimes that we are the main character in the story of our lives and that we have a direct hand in the choices and circumstances that we find ourselves in. We can try to wish away all the woes of life, or wish something or someone will save us, and yet we still find ourselves in some repeating story or circumstance we don’t want to be in, over and over.
To move forward we need to identify what has happened, realize actions and solutions we need to take, and find the courage and willingness to overcome any fears or limitations that may spring up along the way. When we do this and choose our new path, we in fact do have the ability to make our wish to the wishing well a true reality within our lives coming from within.
If you find yourself needing some guidance to address the wishing well within your life, reach out and set up a "Connect session" with me.
Thanks!
~Alicia
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