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The energy of the Creative Rainbow Mother is to conceive, gestate and birth, over and over. Whereas that of the Earth Mother is to nurture the existent: she deals with what is with great devotion, where the Creative Rainbow Woman is always after what will be, trying to unravel the red thread of creation a little faster, in the constant urge to co-create, rather than accept.
The Creative Rainbow Woman needs to cultivate a certain set of skills (not those usually taught to women, whose training has previously only been that of the Earth Mother, the homemaker and nurturer). These skills include:
• An understanding of erotic and ecstatic states, in order to seduce the muse and open ourselves to becoming pregnant with creations.
• Knowing how to ensure that our bodies and souls are as fertile as possible.
• Caring for ourselves during creative gestation.
• Understanding the stages of creative birth and how to navigate them: when to push and when to surrender.
• Knowing how to find a creative doula, midwife or birth partner who supports our vision.
• Learning how to support others in their process.
If we understand our dominant energy force we can learn to work with, rather than against, ourselves.
When envisaging the difference between the Earth and Creative Rainbow Mother archetypes I like to think of them in terms of energy. The Earth Mother is encircling, embracing, she holds a space with calmness and strength. She is the Venus fertility image, an earth goddess: sturdy, reliable, consistent, patient. A strong but gentle flow of constant energy comes from her heart, her arms embracing firmly to comfort, to hold on, and sometimes to hold back. The Creative Rainbow Mother is more like a whirling dance of colors, with sparks of energy flying out like fireworks – grab hold of one and you can take a journey to the stars, but you might also get your fingers burned. Hers is an expressive, expulsive energy, dynamic, shifting, uncertain. Think of the power of a volcano, or explosion: a big bright light, and then silence. Whilst the Earth Mother pulls towards her, the Rainbow Mama pushes away. The Earth Mother is magnetic when we need to be calmed and soothed, the Rainbow Mother is hypnotic and exciting when we want to learn, explore and play.
Earth Mothers tend to recharge their energies through giving and interaction, order and routine. The energy pattern of an Earth Mother is a straight line, like the horizon – it might rise and fall, but slowly.
Creative Rainbow Mothers tend to recharge through solitude and creative activity. The energy pattern of a Creative Rainbow is high peaks and low troughs, like a heart-rate monitor, rising and falling in quick succession: her energy pulsates. The high energy of a Creative Rainbow is not sustainable. It is necessarily followed by periods of reflection, lethargy and a sense of emptiness. The key to managing her creative energy is primarily not to let the highs and lows become too exaggerated. This is done mainly by taking care of physical needs and keeping her biological self in balance – eating, sleeping, resting, both when feeling creative a
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nd when feeling low.
We need to recognize the cyclical nature of our patterns, to know that neither lasts forever, that a low is just that and that soon the energy will swing up once more. If it goes unchecked, or is overblown, then these swings can turn into full-blown depressive episodes which are disabling not only for the mother, but for the whole family which orbits her energies. We need to learn to surf these energy changes rather than be swept away or dragged under by them. Knowing when you need to retreat and recharge and how to do this in small spurts is a vital skill for all mothers, especially creatives.
Children always need energy, they cannot turn this need off, though as they get older they can learn what part of the cycle you are in and become more self-reliant in some areas or accept deferred gratification of their needs. Younger children cannot be expected to do this. This is why parenting young children is so draining for the creative mother. Just at the moment that she feels she has not an ounce more energy to give, and that she needs to retreat into herself, the child, sensing this withdrawal, draws closer and sticks to her like super glue, pulling her fully back into this world.
In traditional societies, Creative Rainbow Mothers would be honored for their unique talents and abilities, and Earth Mothers for theirs. In our own, the Creative Rainbow Mother is expected to be an Earth Mother too. And all mothers are supposed to be able to do it alone. Whereas in reality we evolved to live in a tribal society when raising children, and most mothers I speak to mourn the lack of this, and feel it as a deep hole in their mothering experience.
I found it interesting to note in my research for this book, that a larger than average number of Creative Rainbow Mothers had one child. As a mother of three, this seems like a wise move from women who know that they must prioritize their creative energies: they know that with one they can give of their best to their child and their work. Those of us who only realized our Creative Rainbow Mama tendencies in midst procreation, are those who struggle most with energy issues and keeping our mental health on keel.
The Creative Rainbow Mother...
• Has the energy of the poet, seeker, dreamer and artist.
• Inspires and celebrates her children in her own way.
• Seeks to understand her own unique energy and work with it, honoring her own cycles above those of clock and calendar.
• Acknowledges that her creativity is embodied within her uniquely beautiful female body.
• Needs to discover, make space for and honor her own creativity and find satisfying outlets for it which will recharge her energy.
• Journeys to the dream-time and regularly immerses herself in ecstasy.
• Finds a way to make a home in a way that does not suck her energy.
• Honors the Crazy Woman and seeks balance and healing in her life.
• Weaves a web of beauty around her.
The Rainbow Way - Cultivating Creativity in the Midst of Motherhood by Lucy H Pearce. ISBN: 978-1-78279-028-0 (Paperback) £15.99 $26.95. 978-1-78279-027-3 (eBook) £6.99 $9.99
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