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Cruellers’ Ozian Twist Reflects Flow

Cruellers Give Example of Aunty Em’s Flow

Cruellers remind us of flow.
Cruellers, a Dutch name for donuts, are formed her from scratch. Their infinity shape reminds us that flow, too, in without end.

Cruellers are a Dutch version of a donut. When viewed through the lens of The Wizard of Oz, they take on a deeper meaning. These delectable treats are served fresh from the fryers and tossed with cinnamon sugar.  Aunty Em offers them from a plate to Dorothy and the farm hands at the beginning of the movie.

We are never in the kitchen with Em, but we can  imagine that she has her Fanny Farmer Cookbook opened to the yeast dough section. We can further imagine her sifting the flour, stirring in the water and yeast, punching down the dough as it rises.

In short, we see the flow of her work. Aunty Em enters flow to create the cruellers.

Art Imitates Life

Because the Wizard of Oz was released in 1939, we can assume that this tradition of handmade donuts was commonplace. Women – and men if they lived alone – cooked and baked and fried by scratch. In and of itself, cooking is a form of meditation. And a way to enter flow. The yeast, or the experience, of doing the mundane routine can be elevated by awareness. Our spirits literally rise to the occasion when we are in flow.

Sacred Shape Connects Cruellers to Flow

The twisted shape of  cruellers looks like a number 8 on its side. This symbol is he one for infinity. And if we dwell on this a moment, we can see that the image can covert to the timeless flow available to all to enter

Your Turn

Take time to observe the food you eat. If you prepare it, look and listen to the process for symbols of guidance. As they say, “Go with the flow!”

Here is to Growing YOUR Flow,

Marisa

 

 

 

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Seek Self-Approval to Find Flow

Self-Approval is the Fastest Route to Flow

What usually happens when there is a perceived catastrophic problem? Well, we go to the authority figure of the moment, don’t we? A local mayor, counselor, or CEO for answers. We may be asked to prove our self-worth. And in doing so, we may jump through a lot of hoops to receive help. In the framework of the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy emerges from her crashed pad, yearning to go home. She is told by the Munchin Mayor, as well as Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, to seek the advice of the Wizard. But the Wizard is on the other side of the county, and Glinda notices that Dorothy is traveling without a broomstick, so she sets her on the path.

Self-Approval Helps to Meet Flow
When we see approval for anyone but ourselves, we tend to interfere with our own sense of flow.

Not Nobody, Not No How!

After Dorothy’s travels produce not one or two, but three other travel companions, the group finally reaches the doorway of the Emerald City. They try to use the bell, but it is out of order. Then, they knock and a guard opens the window and posts a sign that reads: Nobody Gets In To See The Wizard Not Nobody, Not No How.

Dorothy begins to sob. All she wants is to get home to Aunty Em, who may have a heart condition. Dorothy’s been through an awful lot by this point in the story and is worn out from the emotional toll of it all. The guard himself peeks out the door’s window and is so touched that he, too,  begins to sob. He learns that they have been sent by Glinda and invites them all in to go to see the Wizard.

So in they go.

Take the Long Way Home

Frank L. Baum decided to write all of the challenges into the  story that would leave a contestant on Survivor look like a lightweight next to Team Dorothy. They conquer challenge after challenge to finally produce the broomstick of the evaporated Witch of the West. Dorothy learns that the Wizard, is a man rather than a wizard. Now the story would be truncated a great deal if Dorothy knew to click her heels together and head home at the story’s start. Had she been present with herself, she may had been aware of her own power through flow to go home. What if the only lesson we take away is this: We all possess the power to enter flow. It is there for the taking. Life would be so much more simple, indeed.

Your Turn

Apply this wisdom of entering flow with what you know to any writing block. Take out a piece of paper. Write about the problem and ask for guidance. Fold up the paper and place it in your pocket for the day. At the end of the day, unfold the paper and write what solutions may have popped into your head during the day by trusting your instincts. Isn’t it worth a try? It’s better than trying to flee metaphorical flying monkeys now, isn’t it?

Here’s to Growing YOUR Flow,

Marisa

 

 

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Sometimes Flow Runs Ruby Red

We are all born with our set of ruby slippers or creative intuition.

Accept Power of Flow as a Ruby Gift

We were all born with our own set of ruby slippers. No worrying about a house from Kansas crashing our party. While the Wicked Witch of the East may have perished in the classic tale, we can guard our ruby slippers from folks like her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West. She may have not known it at the time, but no one can steal another’s ruby reds. Or, our creative intuition. Each of us has the power and we never need to be afraid of its strength. It is only a question of if we are aware of our ruby reds and how we use them.

Sometimes Our Ruby Reds Get Misplaced

Sometimes we allow others to bully us or sully our gifts. We begin to second guess ourselves. No worrying about a sentence in a castle’s dungeon awaiting our fate. At those time we need to remember the truth: We have had the power all along. The ruby reds guide us effortlessly down our own yellow brick roads. We just need to become aware. Sure we can run with a fun crowd. They might yearn for what most people want: a home, an education, emotional intimacy, and courage. All those things and more can be found when we travel within to find the answers.

They Must Be Very Powerful…

We can connect with our very own intuition by journaling daily, walking daily, or sitting very quietly for the guidance. It bubbles up just as surely as Glinda appears in her bubblegum pink cloud to soothe Dorothy’s fears. And don’t we all have those fears. And they can be many. We aren’t accepted by others when we use our gifts. Or, we aren’t educated enough, sensitive enough, or courageous enough to make an impact. Yet, once we take the power of intuition and shift into the flow, we are exceedingly powerful. And we need to protect that sense of power from others who are not connected into the own.

Or She Wouldn’t Want Them So Badly

People can try to intimidate us. Or demean us. Or frighten us into thinking that we are indeed powerless. We know the secret and it is one that Louise Hay, author of “You Can Heal Your Life” teaches: “The only point of power is in the present moment.” And such it is with Dorothy. She runs all over Oz, meets new friends, becomes air bound with the flying monkeys, and finally defeats the Witch of the West. She reduces a Wizard into a mere mortal. But after she misses her ride, Glinda finally sets her on the path to home.

There they are and there they’ll stay!

You’ve Had the Power All Along

After all of her experiences, capers, and angst, Glinda reveals the power of intention to Dorothy. And click-click-click, Her own words take her out of the dream and back into her tornado-busted bedroom in Kansas. She places herself in the center of her own rescue mission. And we can, too, because we know that our creative flow can lead each of us home.

Your Turn

Anything can stand in for ruby slippers. A comfy pair of well-worn sneakers. A favorite mug to sip tea from when writing. Any prop will do. Use it when settling in to write in your journal. Because, as Dorothy reminds us at the sepia-splashed ending: “There’s no place like home!”

Here’s to Growing YOUR Flow,

Marisa

 

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Find Flow in Florals

Find flow in the freshness of flowers placed in miniature displays!

Flower Power Accesses Flow

Flow is found in oddities. In the unusual, flow is more pronounced. When a passage is meant to be read it is often said to “jump off the page” at you. So it is with flow in regard to flowers. An example I can give you is from a recent trip to a county fair. There in the exhibits of plants was a miniatures display. There were small scaled and magically placed bouquets made from found objects. The one that really caught my eye was one that resembled a scoop of fruity, frozen confection.

Why Flow Keeps It Fresh

Looking at this display, the flow came to me when I saw the contrast in the flower, heavy with color and lush in display, against the bareness of the the handle of the antique ice cream scoop resting in the white dish. Perhaps my vision flowed to the negative space that so nicely balanced the riot of color in the scoop portion of the arrangement. The display had a Rockwellian feel to it or even a Shabby Chic appeal. Here is what flowed from this image: writing prompts.

Go With the Flow

Here are some of the questions that bubbled up as I gazed at the miniature bouquet:

  • Who or what would you serve a scoop of flowers to that might feast on it?
  • Would the recipient literally feast on it or would it be a metaphorical one, a feast for the eyes?
  • Where did the ice cream scoop come from and who was the last one to use it?
  • Because it is an antique scoop, I wondered what kinds of ice cream did they serve in the 30s, 40s or 50s that they no longer serve now?
  • What room would you display this arrangement in?
  • Who would you give it to as a gift?
  • Where did the person who arranged it get their inspiration from when putting it together?
  • Are the flower’s colors supposed to symbolize the flavors of real ice cream or sorbet?
  • What flavors would they be?
  • If a fairytale was written from this photo, who or what would  this fanciful treat be given to and what is the occasion?
  • If a poem were to spring from this photo, what sensory details could be switched between the taste and the scent to show the visual appeal?
  • Why would this display catch a judge’s eye? And if you were the judge would you give it a blue ribbon?

Your Turn

Take a prompt from above and write something sentimental, silly or sublime regarding the ice cream scoop and flowers it serves. Or, write your own prompts from the image and see where they might take you.

Here’s to growing YOUR flow,

Marisa