What Rituals Support Your Writing?
My son and I have stimulating conversations, no matter where we are. This past weekend, it was while we were cross-country skiing, and we ended up talking about daily rituals and intention. I was intrigued enough to write this insight post about writing rituals.
I used to think about “rituals” as events happening in more formalized settings, associated with religious or spiritual gatherings. In that context, rituals are an act of celebration, sometimes honoring a seasonal shift, an event, or a deity. I’ve since expanded my understanding.
For example, Miriam-Webster online dictionary defines ritual as: a formal and customarily repeated acts or series of acts
Rituals for Daily Life
I now acknowledge my morning routines as rituals, which support my transition from sleep and dreamtime into the waking world. It’s a time when I celebrate that I am awake once again, that I have another 24 hours ahead of me. My morning rituals also support my creativity. My most creative time is early morning, so I typically get up early, make a pot of loose-leaf green tea, sit quietly in meditation, then pick up my journal and begin to write. I sit on the sofa, with my cozy blanket over my legs, and let the words flow. My journal writing emerges on the page without any previous planning, it’s completely fresh. Tea, meditation and journal writing form the ritual foundation for how I begin each day.
Each activity serves a specific purpose.
Sipping hot green tea reminds me to slow down and savor the moment. Meditation prayers support me into a settled mind-state, and sitting in stillness guides me out of negative thinking. I meditate until I reach the mind-state of, “All is well”. No matter what is going on, I am grateful for this precious life. As for the journal writing ritual, that’s when I meet the unfiltered Self. The words fall out of my brain and onto the page, and I welcome all the questions, ideas, and emotions along with the not-knowing. My morning rituals support my creativity, and they are essential to my sense of well-being.
There is choice, action and intention involved every morning as I awake. When I speak with other creative beings, I hear their powerful intentions, to craft a work of imagination into a form that others can experience. Intention underlines the development of our work, in all arenas. I love to hear about the routines and writing rituals of those around me. Each person develops practices that support and nurture their creativity.
Your most creative time of day might be late at night, or mid-afternoon. A simple, yet very effective step is to schedule creative dates into your calendar, to make a commitment to bring your vision into reality. Your dates with creativity are as important as a medical appointment. And showing up for your artist-self can become a routine.
Share Your Writing Rituals!
I’d love to hear from you:
- What routines have you created that support your entry into the creative realm?
- What routines would you like to create, or modify, to support you moving closer toward your goals.
Crafting your intention into routines and desired outcomes is all about balance and perspective; a healthy dose of pragmatism mixed in with intuitive visioning. Just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, navigating the energy of “Just Right”: not too big and not too small. Standing in right-sized power, offering the best of your gifts to the people you are meant to serve.
The alignment of confidence and intention is necessary for completing any writing project. That’s why my programs include several ways for you to be supported:
- Bi-weekly group classes for sharing words-in-process and receiving support
- Individual consultations each month
- Creative Focus sessions
- Writing buddies
- Knowing your words matter, your voice matters.
marie
If something in this newsletter inspired you, send me a note at marie@mariemaccagno.com.
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