The title I chose for this blanket is taken from a song by the Irish musician Hozier… Listening to Nina cried power today, it lit fire in my veins,it made me feel grateful to be alive, to feel the importance of being free and crying power in the world that we live in.

My journey has shown me the importance of learning how to inspire yourself, and for me this is about finding those things that light fire in my veins, the things that make me feel grateful to be alive, inspired to serve and help others. And this song is one of those things, it is a protest song and a testament all packaged it one… Hozier’s vocals make me skin tremor, and his lyrics sing to my soul,

“It’s not the wakin’, it’s the risin’
It is the groundin’ of a foot uncompromisin’
It’s not forgoin’ of the lie, It’s not the openin’ of eyes
It’s not the wakin’, it’s the risin’”

I think for me, this journey has taught me the importance of not giving up, its learning to pick yourself up when you stumble… it’s not only about finding meaning and clarity in your life, but about rising to the occasion, it’s about taking the steps and living the life your meant to live.

“It’s not the shade we should be casting
It’s the light, it’s the obstacle that casts it
It’s the heat that drives the light
It’s the fire it ignites
It’s not the wakin’, it’s the risin’

It’s not the song, it is the singin’
It’s the heaven of the human spirit ringin’
It is the bringin’ of the line
It is the bearin’ of the rhyme
It’s not the wakin’, it’s the risin’“

These words just seem to encapsulate the very importance of inspiration itself, the power of creativity and the immense beauty of the human spirit… the importance of finding that light within you, being a light for others and allowing the world to hear your spirit singing its song.

“And I could cry power
Power has been cried by those stronger than me
Straight into the face that tells you to rattle your chains
If you love bein’ free” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j2YgDua2gpk

And if any words in this whole song could be the most moving to me, I guess it’s these… they highlight the gift of freedom, and the dire importance of protecting it, of learning how to use your Voice to cry power. By speaking of the likes of Nina Simone, Mavis Staples, Pete Seeger, James Brown, and John Lennon he is calling us to stand with those who used music to speak for something they believed in, he is calling us to cry power, to stand up, to allow something greater to be expressed through you in whatever you do and make a difference in this world… and this is a message I wish to hold, to take with me in my own creativity.

“Inspiration is a reminder. It is a reinforcement. It is a remembrance. It represents that greater truth of your life that is calling you to recognize it, to accept it and to embrace it.” Inspiration, Marshall Vian Summers

“All great contributors in all fields and endeavors must at some point come to terms with the reality and the fact that what they are giving comes from beyond them, that they themselves are a medium, a messenger and a provider for something greater from beyond themselves. This is the reality of their creativity.” Marshall Vian Summers, Wisdom from the Greater Community 2, chapter 32