In Sanskrit, there's a word called ‘Prātibha’.

It means ‘to brighten towards’. 

It’s a word used to describe one aspect of Iccha Shakti, or the aspect of divine will which takes action in the direction of a desired, inspired outcome.

More than anything, Prātibha is an experience of yielding into deep listening. It's the process of honing & building a relationship with the depths of receptivity and listening that practices like meditation, yoga & intuitive movement, kirtan and ritual prayer nurture within us.

 

What we feel over time, is that this ability to listen deeply to what we are ‘brightening towards’ becomes a crucial aspect not just of creativity, but of our ability to observe and become unstuck from habitual patterning, & to drop into a more felt, somatic sense and experience of what Life is wanting to do through us.

​

The equivalent to 'prātibha' in ancient Ireland was a practice and state called Imbas Forosnai - it's an Old Irish word that means 'inspiration'', but it specifically refers to the form of inspiration the poets used to receive and compose their creations. It also required intensive training in order to become masterful at wielding it - a process of sensitization that required consistent tending to. This is exactly what the tantrikas did with prana shakti and prātibha - using the 'science of energy management' that T*ntric practice is, to refine our access to divine inspiration. The two are one and the same - Imbas & Prātibha.

​​

THIS is what spiritual practice helps us to hone - the relationship we have to the spark of our own becoming; the depth of presence we are able to hold with the nuances & fluctuations of life from moment to moment, whilst still listening to the nudges towards growth & continuous unfolding that do not ever cease. 

​

This weekend will be an opportunity to explore your own relationship to Prātibha/Imbas - to nourish and nurture it’s many forms, contours and edges; to begin the process of developing trust in these subtle, often silent moments of brightening towards the next most natural step in our own unfolding.