Intro to Journaling Part 5: Spontaneous Writing

Photo credit: Laurel Guido

I was driving through the mid-morning desert on my way from Bishop to Santa Cruz. Massive rock formations loomed on the peripheries of the road and ahead on the near horizon. Suddenly I felt a creative force breaching within me. The Devil. A metaphor that illuminated some recent experiences in my life suddenly came to mind. I kept my eyes out for a safe shoulder, pulled over, turned off the car and reached for my journal and a pen. I wrote everything that was coming up, much of it rhyming. Incidentally, when I continued on my way, over the next hill was a sign: Devil's Postpile National Monument. 

Sometimes creative impulses or soul expressions happen all of a sudden. With regards to the above passage, I'm so glad I honored the impulse rather than continue driving. This one flurry of writing was the predecessor of a series of three (so far) poems that articulate real life experiences with creative fictional embellishments that I have shared publicly! 

Sometimes we experience a powerful creative upheaval and though we don't know what it's from, it's a clear sign to find an outlet for expression. For me, it's usually writing. For you, it maybe be along other creative lines, such as music or drawing. This can often be a precursor to spiritual insight/higher self encounter. If you have a journal close by, you can capture at least the theme if not the essence of the upwelling, and you can go more depth into it later. 

Authentic journaling--an expression of the soul--isn't this highly controlled thing. Sometimes a creative impulse pounces, and where it will take you is yet unknown. Do not aim for perfection. Just write. Perhaps you will refine and clarify later, or perhaps you will let it be as it is on the page in its original form. Relax your expectations and follow the expressions that rise within you. You might be pleasantly surprised, or even shocked, at the content you produce. 

This concludes the Intro to Journaling Series! But it is not the end to the topic. Sign up for newsletter updates at the bottom of this page to stay connected.

Series in Review:
Intro to Journaling Part 1: Why Journal?
Intro to Journaling Part 2: Materials & Organization
Intro to Journaling Part 3: Setting up the Heart-Mind Space
Intro to Journaling Part 4: Ritual Writing
Intro to Journaling Part 5: Spontaneous Writing