Day 1: Revisiting the Artist's Way

This is my first morning doodle - I was struck by the way my seemingly random lines could be interpreted as either a face or a body so I'm calling it "Face Your Body".

I've just re-read the introductory chapters and the first week of The Artist's Way and clarified for myself what I'm doing this time around. Rather than seeing it as a spiritual path to creativity this time its a Creative Path to Spirit.

I remember the first time through wondering why, when Julia Cameron said that using the word God was going to create problems for people, she still insisted on using it. For me this isn't about God at all. Its about experience not belief. The word Spirit might cause problems for you but for me it doesn't and this is my personalised path.

My version of the Basic Principles

1. Becoming more fully conscious of the consequences of each thought and action leads to greater scope for change; change begets change.
2. Becoming more fully conscious of one's own buttons enables greater freedom from manipulation by others.
3. Becoming more in tune creates greater harmony.

And that's it. Not much in common with the original 10.

I worked with three affirmations this morning. These:

1. I am willing to use my creativity to find my path.
2. I am allowed to nurture myself.
3. I am willing to use my creativity to make life more fun.

And I found them quite hard too. I found the affirmation in the book that "I am allowed to nurture my artist" easy, but to nurture myself really difficult.

Then I moved on to one of the exercises and reworded it from "List three old enemies of your creative self-worth" to "Old enemies of my spiritual self-worth". I came up with various people with whom I'd clashed; they had marked the path for me at the time but I do not see them now as enemies, more like worthy adverseries. Which means I'll have to reframe the exercises that follow this. Maybe write imaginary thank yous to some of them.

I loved discovering this. I'm not a victim of monsters but a befriender and appreciator!

Oh-oh, I can hear some blurts around that statement. Not least the phrase "well today at least".

Synchronicity: This morning I got a present from a friend who'd rung me on my birthday (over a month ago now) apologising that she'd not got around to posting my card and present in time. She posted it on Monday - it arrived today - she'd included a Guardian Angel pin. How relevant on the first day of a Creative Path to Spirit, in the first week called Safety!

Thank you!


Update: I've briefly switched the radio on twice today and got angels -
13:30
Where in the World? 15 November 2006

John Simpson presents the geographical panel game which takes a whistle-stop tour of the globe. Guests are Helen Atkinson Wood, Hugh Dennis and Crispin Swayne.

I've not heard this before and the small amount I did hear sounded like a panel game as an excuse for a conversation or maybe to avoid an interview.

Whilst I was listening it involved them playing some music and asking whose it was and where it referred to.

It was Jim Morrison's L.A Woman which prompted John Simpson to mention the "City of Angels"

THE AFTERNOON PLAY
Wednesday 15 November

The Word Man - a play about Fowler the original author of A Dictionary of Modern English Usage

Angel! I particularly like your inclusion of angel.

In trying to refind this (through the BBC's listen again page) I've discovered that it was proceeded by:

So how do you intended to define wings?

One of the limbs or organs by which the flight of bird, bat, insect, angel etc. is effected. I can find no more terse way of expressing it. What do you think?

Hah! A definition of great elegance! I challenge any dictionary now or in the future to match it. Angel! I particularly like your inclusion of angel.

So angels are definitely one of the themes for today. Now I'm wondering about that foot: