Writing as Medicine
Monday, September 16, 2013 at 09:41AM After my last post, “Writing in the Dark”, I reviewed the various themes, stories, energies, and tones I had been working on for months, trying to bring at least some to completion for posting here. With so many, sorting, editing, and trying to finish them became its own sneaky distraction that seemingly kept me from actually moving forward. However, I finally realized that all of those pieces I had been working on were essential ingredients needed for this next stage of the journey, though none of them were able to stand alone very well. They were not meant to, as it turns out, because individually they would not completely convey what my heart and soul needed to express. To me, writing is often like a medicine made of many herbs selected in proper proportion and tinctured precisely to achieve potency. Experiences in life often need to be gathered carefully, lovingly, respectfully, and in their own season before being added to the mixture. Then these elements must blend and infuse over a period of time before they yield just the right healing and inspirational elixir.
Some medicine is bitter to take, but it often draws out the deeper poisons of body, mind, spirit, and emotions. This ultimately permits a clearer and brighter light to shine through us out into the world. In some ways, writing about (and reading) “bitter” or unpleasant things is similar. It can break up stagnant thoughts or beliefs, stimulate emotional flow, purge impurities that might be clouding our minds, and it can result in a strengthening our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual fortitude. If we can get past the bitter taste, and endure the uncomfortable sensations we feel after taking the medicine, we will be better for it.
Passage into new realms of consciousness and awareness often requires a sacrifice of some kind. We must give up something of ourselves, be it comfort, an idea, personal desires, an old belief, an attachment to something, a way of being, a notion of the world, or even who we think we are, in order to follow our path. While some sacrifices in life may appear to be forced upon us, we eventually learn to trust the process of life and trust our path, looking for the opportunities that are ultimately revealed. It is not always easy or pleasant, but we can ride the energy sweeping us across some new threshold by listening to who we are called to be – and who is calling us. As difficult as it may feel at times, life happens for us, not against us.
Reader Comments (1)
Describing life experiences "to be gathered carefully, lovingly, respectfully" and then given to a "blend" to "infuse" naturally conjures up a cup of tea. Granted, some blends are bitter. What then is the honey? Writing!
The act of reflecting on things happening to us, we harvest, sort, mix and drink, through the creative act of writing.