The fourth in a fifteen-part short series, Meet the Writer. These posts were originally written as part of a #meetthewriter challenge facilitated by author Beth Kempton.
The large beeswax candle held in a lantern reminds me of the Hermit’s in the Tarot. I keep a selection of incense by my desk and the sacred smoke joins the glow of the flickering flame that, to me, always feels a bit alive. There’s always a Tarot and Lenormand or oracle deck handy.
I’ve had to learn new ways to offer myself the sacredness and magic of ritual when seated verticality is inaccessible. Thing is, as important as all of our sacred practices are, the real magic of ritual is in the energy that we create with our consistency, intention and inner expansiveness.
So on the many days when sitting upright isn’t possible, I now know that I can create magic with me wherever I am. If I allow the thoughts to flow and I simply start dictating or jotting down whatever is on my mind, trusting it to take me somewhere…
…it always seems to.
Let’s not romanticize disability or illness, though (which, by the way, is ableism). I will not say that my best work has come from my worst days, because it simply isn’t true. Rather, it’s treating writing like all of my other practices that I have been committed to daily for years that creates the magic of flow, even if the words that flow are very different from what I expected.
Consistency is crucial even if it seems oh-so-unsexy. It’s also how neuroplasticity works (our brains’ ability to learn, adapt and do new things). This has been my practice in writing for years, come to think of it. It’s really always had its own ritualplasticity. The imagery is always dancing in my mind, and I will always honour it by letting it become manifest on a page, whether handwritten, dictated, or typed.
I hope this may inspire someone to pull out their journal, a notebook, a journaling app or even your voice notes and share whatever comes to you with your page. Your thoughts are already alive; honour them by allowing them to be what they already are.
Read more about my writing craft here.