Meditation of the week

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Meditation of the week

 

Semi-automatic Writing: Taking Notes for the Inner Voice

 

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" By words the mind is winged. "

Aristophanes

 

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" When all things began, the Word already was. The Word dwelt with God,

and what God was, the Word was. "

The Gospel According to John

 

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In a previous meditation called " Notice Your Focus, " we encouraged you

to become more aware of your sensations, awarenesses and thoughts by

writing or typing them as they arose in your consciousness. If you

haven't done that exercise, you might want to try it before progressing

to this one.

 

Sometimes the human mind can be like a drippy faucet. You cant shut it

off no matter how hard you twist it. However, if you want it to be

quiet you can loosen it up and increase the flow. If you put your mind

in a relaxed, loose and flowing state, you may find that the stream of

thoughts is drawn from a deep well of consciousness.

 

Meditative writing can help you tune in to the inner voice of wisdom

that is always available, but often unheard. Some people discover the

gift of automatic writing where the words seem to pour out through the

writing instrument as if the person had turned over control to another

mind. We are suggesting, though, that you try your hand at

semi-automatic writing. You don't need to completely relinquish control

of your thoughts, you just relax into them. You don’t cut yourself off

from your train of consciousness, you just listen and write what you

hear.

 

A word of caution. Some people may encounter a wall of disturbing

thoughts between their normal state of mind and a place of deeper

awareness. This may be particularly true for people who have suffered

emotional trauma or who have some form of mental infirmity. If the

thoughts you encounter are too troubling, stop the exercise. Use your

judgment. This may or may not be an exercise for you. Counseling may be

a better way to work with the unconscious when the emotional wounds are

too deep.

 

Practice:

 

Sit with your favorite writing instrument, whether that be a pen and

paper or your computer word processor. Start with a blank writing

space. Pause for a while. Let yourself relax. Release your worries.

Release your plans. Just be there with your writing tools without

expectation. Allow calmness to descend upon you. Notice any muscle

tension you might have, and let go of it. Invite your muscles to relax.

Sit upright in a balanced posture that is comfortable for writing. Let

your eyes relax. If you can write or type without looking at the words,

do that.

 

Imagine that the space around you is filled with pure white light. The

light is love. Feel the safety of love. You are safe here. You invite

love and light into your heart. You seek the wisdom of your loving

heart. You have found a space to be at peace. You invite peace into

your heart. You invite peace into your mind. You allow your mind to

calm itself. You release yourself from directing the train of your

thoughts.

 

Now sit with an open mind. Quietly anticipate the words that are about

to come to you. Don’t try to think. Just listen. Listen for a word or

phrase that comes from your inner voice. When you " hear " a word, write

it down. Don’t try to think what the next word will be or should be,

just wait for it to come. See what you get.

 

Don’t worry about spelling or punctuation. If punctuation happens, let

it happen. If it doesn’t, don’t interrupt the process to put it in. Try

not to judge the content of your output while you are writing. Just let

it come. Resist thinking about what the next word should be. Just see

what comes up.

 

If you get stuck, it’s all right to read over the last line or two to

get your mind back to the last frame. Then wait again for the inner

voice to resume its dictation.

 

After you have finished writing, read the words over. You may find

meaning that was not obvious while you were writing. At first, you may

find the words don’t seem to make any sense. They may come somewhat

randomly. Be patient. Give this some time. You may need to practice

this technique a number of times to get into the flow. Once you tap

into the current of your quiet mind, you may be surprised at the

creativity and wisdom you find there.