Notch #2 – BABY STEPS / Week of February 15 to 21
BABY STEP
FOR THIS WEEK
Ever since starting my Morning Walks, I stopped writing my Morning Pages. Every time I stop writing my Morning Pages, I lose contact with my Soul. And now is not the time to lose contact with my Soul — I’m on a quest for change!
The practice of writing Morning Pages — just like the practice of Morning Walks — is a form of meditation. Here’s what Julia Cameron has to say about this in The Artist’s Way:
We meditate to discover our own identity, our right place in the scheme of the universe. Through meditation, we acquire and eventually acknowledge our connection to an inner power source that has the ability to transform our outer world. In other words, meditation gives us not only the light of insight but also the power for expansive change.
Insight in and of itself is an intellectual comfort. Power in and of itself is a blind force that can destroy as easily as build. It is only when we consciously learn to link power and light that we begin to feel our rightful identities as creative beings. The morning pages allow us to forge this link. They provide us with a spiritual ham-radio set to contact the Creator Within. For this reason, the morning pages are a spiritual practice.
It is impossible to write morning pages for any extended period of time without coming into contact with an unexpected inner power. Although I used them for many years before I realized this, the pages are a pathway to a strong and clear sense of self. They are a trail that we follow into our own interior, where we meet both our own creativity and our creator.
Morning pages map our own interior. Without them, our dreams may remain terra incognita. Using them, the light of insight is coupled with the power for expansive change. It is very difficult to complain about a situation morning after morning, month after month, without being moved to constructive action. The pages lead us out of despair and into undreamed-of solutions.
So from now on, I will wake up at 6:00 in the morning instead of 7:00. I will write my Morning Pages, then take my Morning Walk, and do my Morning Stretches.
Amen!
REFERENCES: The 12-Notch Plan — Notch #2 – GOALS for February — UPDATE / Week of February 8 to 14 — Morning Pages
Michael Nobbs says:
I think I’m on a very similar journey to you at the moment. Replace “Morning Stretches” with “Ten Minutes of Gentle Yoga” and out aimed for morning routine would look identical.
These days I’m being gentle on myself and thinking that two out of three ain’t bad. This morning I might just go for the Morning Pages and the yoga. Maybe there’ll be a walk tomorrow
February 17, 2010 at 2:30 am
MuddLavoie says:
Hey Michael!
I thought of you while walking this morning. The word “gentle” came to mind as I must take care of my foot. So I made sure to walk on flat, non-icy surfaces. I need to focus on being more gentle with myself… thanks for reminding me (indirectly).
(((HUGS)))
xoxo
February 18, 2010 at 10:48 am