When I need to tap into the “live feed” of my soul, I often sit down and write. I’ll give myself 20-30 minutes to handwrite 3 full pages with no censoring. This is intimacy time with me, and my molten core. I learned this technique over 20 years ago when I attended a workshop by Julia Cameron called the Artist’s Way. I went on to write Morning Pages every day for over 7 years.
Even when I sit to write and it feels as though nothing is happening, or my attention isn’t being captured by something interesting, there is always more going on underneath the surface. When I’m present to the moment and follow the stream of consciousness that flows in such a lively way from my mind, I seem to always come back to my molten core. It’s as though I’m being pulled back to what’s truly important, as I sift and weave my way through the surface thoughts and allow myself to feel more deeply.
This process of engaging through spontaneous writing creates a kind of intimacy with my molten core. I choose to pay attention to the stream of words, thoughts and feelings. And my inner core reaches out in a mysterious and intuitive way. It guides me with a pull to focus more on this or a nudge to explore that. And somehow after writing three pages, I’m more whole; a more complete human being.
I offer such gratitude to Julia Cameron for so wisely articulating this practice, which is so beloved by so many writers, artists and others. In her words, “It is impossible to write morning pages for any extended period of time without coming into contact with an unexpected inner power.” This practice never gets old, because the “live feed” is always fresh.