Matai,

I agree with you. That is why I have had to differentiate between my Muse (upper case), the creative spirit that is inside of me, and my muses (lower case), those who inspire me to write. The Muse can be encouraged with practice, study, and meditation/prayer/self-hypnosis ( did I cover them all, Amos?) , while the muses can be people, places, sights, sounds, etc. IMHO, of course.

8-{E