Morning Pages

I find it helpful to return to the practice of doing morning pages whenever I start to stray from my soul’s wisdom. The term morning pages was coined by Julia Cameron, author of The Artist Way. She makes her living as an artist and finds that writng three stream-of conscousness pages every morning helps her connect to her true self.

Morning pages help us connect to our soul in several ways. Often what shows up first is all our negative feelings. These feeling allow us to see where we might be getting stuck in life. They reveal to us where we are holding negative beliefs about ourselves. As we keep writing we will also begin to notice the dreams and wishes we have for our lives. Our words will reveal to us what is in our hearts.
Morning pages have been a part of my practice for years and years, but recently I’d gotten away from connecting to myself in this way. I’m now into my second week and enjoying the 30 minutes of relfection they allow me. Most of the women who shared their stories for my book said that the Artist Way book was one of the books that helped them connect with themselves the most. What have you found that works for you?

Follow Through

I’m reading a book this morning called the Creative License, Giving Yourself Permission to Be the Artist You Truly Are, by Danny Gregory. Gregory suggests that if you want to become an artist, start by learning how to draw. His theory is that drawing will teach you how to see the world. I am inspired by his words. I have wanted to learn how to draw for a long time and have taken some drawing classes, but have never made the commitment to make it a daily practice. I never follow through on the dream. Instead I collect pencils and paper that sit unused in my closet.

I have a way of making other things a priority. But what could be more important than learning how to see and experience the world…to learn the art of presence? And why do I avoid it, when a part of my soul yearns to let my inner artist out? Could it possibly be fear as Gregory suggests? Is it the fear of facing the blank page, fear of perfection, fear of hearing those critical voices in my head as I struggle with my first drawings? Even now I’m reading about it, planning when I will do it, but not actually doing it.

Last night I let myself color in a coloring book. That was a start. And I began to notice things. The sunset was brilliant last night and when I took a bath last night I saw stars in the sky and the dark outlines of trees with white now glowing on their branches. More than drawing, I’m sure this is the world my soul wants me to see and experience. I will learn how to see. I will look at the details. Today I will face my fear and make my first contour drawing. Where do you lack follow through? Could it be your fear speaking?

Death of a Dream

11/21-This morning I woke up feeling heavy and sad. I had a dream that I was given the responsiblity to take a woman’s gifts out into the world and that I lost the gifts before they were able to be delivered. In the dream I called the hotel management to look in the lost and found but they did not find the gifts.

I feel like the dream has to do with my book I’ve been writing for women. A few weeks ago I sent my proposal along with a couple of chapters to an editor in New York to read. She chose to take a stern and challenging voice with me and offered little or no encouragement that my ideas were good or valuable. At least that’s the way I interpeted it.

I feel like this is what my unconscious was processing in the dream. My husband says it is the death of a dream. Sometimes you have to lose something to recognize its value. Share your thoughts.