| Become a (Spiritual) Writer |
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. Become a (Spiritual) Writer . "When the writer is ready the Muse will appear".
. The (Spiritual) Writer - is someone interested in writing a non-fiction book. They live their life according to a set of spiritual principles or values. They may follow a spiritual discipline such as meditation or they may see life simply as a spiritual adventure. They may or may not have an overt spiritual message to share with the world. They may want to write about coaching, cookery, meditation, voice work or yoga or a thousand and one subjects in-between. They seek to write from a place of authenticity, heart, insight, joy, passion, stillness, or wisdom. This book is about learning to: connect with your Higher Self and the Muse; re-discover past lives where you developed creative abilities, gifts, strengths and talents; connect to your unwritten book as pure potential energy; connect to the Higher Selves of other spiritual writers (both alive and no longer living); find your unique writing style; uncover your core writing message; know your core audience; learn how to create an enlightened structure around your core message; write in a whole-brain way; and discover how to use your intuition to find your optimum publishing route. . Writing as Pure Grace –The (spiritual) writer is an artist. He or she knows that true art comes from a place much deeper than the average intellect can generate unaided. Here we are talking about the realm of the soul. Real art and inspired writing flows from the soul and is delivered in this world through a state of grace. I would say all of the great artists and writers of the world without exception were connected to the divine flow of grace. But what is grace? Grace is about connection to Source energy. Mostly we do not go about our lives in a state of on-going grace. Although we are born in a state of grace, we can learn to shut it out. The good news is that at any point we can reawaken to grace. Grace is another word for genius. Grace and genius are about connection to source as confirmed by the great 15th century artist Leonardo da Vinci, “Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art”. Writing is an act of art and the inspired writer is no different from the inspired painter or sculptor - he or she is inspired and guided by grace. The difference between a worldly writer and a (spiritual) writer is the latter works more consciously with spirit and grace. Another great artist Michelangelo described grace in this way, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and the task of the sculptor is to discover it.” The spiritual writer approaches his work reverently like a master sculptor and allows grace to flow on the page. When we write from the separate ego alone then it feels like we are hammering our block of stone with a hammer and chisel. Art and writing are both subtle and powerful activities. For our writing to inspire others we must first feel inspired. In Ancient Greece it was believed that inspiration and grace were gifts of the muse. It is said that the muses (originally three in number) inspired the creation of literature and the arts. (One way to think of the muses is to picture them as angels). The muses were often linked with springs and fountains, probably because of their fluid, flowing nature. This book is about reconnecting to the grace and genius of the muses and bringing there enchantment into your writing. . The Illusionary Danger of Creative Expression – In times gone by there has been times when expressing the truth have not been very welcome. Although spiritual writers have existed within the heart of every spiritual tradition – for instance Paganism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam – they have not always been welcome. Throughout history many (spiritual) writers have been branded heretics - often for writing outside the box of dogmatic religious teachings - and some have had their work censored or publically destroyed. A few were even killed for expressing their views. Thus the profession of the (spiritual) writer has often in the past been dangerous. The reason why it is worth mentioning is that it is quite common for people with spiritual values to have a vague sense of fear about expressing their truth. This comes from an unconscious sense that it has not always been safe to express personal truths let alone spiritual truths. Fortunately nowadays the biggest dangers facing the (spiritual) writer are little more than apathy, busyness, confusion, doubt, and fear. . There has Never Been a Better Time to Write - We live in a world that has for the past few centuries valued the intellect over imagination. Now that the Industrial Age has had its heyday we find that a demand for creativity and innovation is returning. There was once a time when the (spiritual) writer faced considerable pressure to deny the creative impulse or channelling it into finding or keeping a ‘proper job’. That pressure still exists but has lessened. With the emergence of the Information-Virtual Age we no longer live in a totally 9-5 world and all forms of writing can more easily be done alongside other work. Writing has its challenges but it also has a tremendous opportunity for personal growth and healing. When I wrote my first book Freeing the Spirit I learnt so much about writing to a deadline and overcoming writer’s block. When I wrote my second The Prosperity Game it helped me clear many of my own personal blocks to abundance. My third book The Enlightenment of Work helped me understand what I really wanted to do to make my living in the world, write and teach. Each book was a stepping stone that led to the next. It has been a path of tremendous personal growth and healing. Fortunately with all our modern day challenges the (spiritual) writer is far from redundant. Currently we are experiencing a renaissance of spirituality in the West. Sacred teachings that were once only passed down in the intimacy of the teacher to student relationship are now available for all to read. The wisdom and techniques of ancient esoteric and mystical traditions are now available on Amazon. There is an overwhelming abundance of spiritual books available from countless spiritual writers including such leading lights as: Julia Cameron, Deepak Chopra, Paulo Coelho, Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay, Byron Katie, Sanaya Roman, Eckhart Tolle, and Neal Donald Walsh. . Just as there are an abundance of writers there is also an abundance of demand. In the last ten years of organising (spiritual) author events the attendance has been on an upward spiral. . Are You a (Spiritual) Writer in the Making? – Being a (spiritual) writer is not just about writing about spiritual ideas or topics. What makes a (spiritual) writer is the way they go about the activity of writing. I use the term (spiritual) writer for a number of reasons. Firstly not everyone wants to write directly about spirituality, yet they may consider themselves deeply spiritual. The (spiritual) writer may want to write about coaching for example and the way the flow and feel of their writing on the subject contains a certain light and power. They may not even mention the word spiritual and yet their words vibrate with joy, love, and inspiration. The (spiritual) writer is someone who is deeply connected with themselves. They know their values, the issues and ideas that are important to them, and so they know what they want to write about. The (spiritual) writer has found their unique way to inspiration. They know how to connect to the source of this inspiration deep inside. This connection can happen through silence, stillness, meditation, creative visualisation or through walking in nature or doing exercise such as cycling, swimming or Tai Chi. (This book offers a range of exercises and meditations for this inner connection to happen). If you feel called to connect, inform, motivate, inspire or uplift then a book is a wonderful way to do this. At a practical level a book as a great advertisement for your emerging work or business. You may be in the business of coaching or wellbeing or bodywork or therapy. This is your outer work. Your true work could be about reminding people of the inherent beauty and sacredness of life. Your true work could be about giving people a greater sense of choice or power in their lives. Your true work could be about connecting people to spirit or opening their hearts. This true work can find creative expression through a book. . How This Book Will Help You – This book has two primary aims, firstly to help you open to creativity, inspiration and flow - this is about helping you to connect with your unwritten book as pure potential in the inner dimension of your psyche (this requires a certain set of learnable skills). Secondly this book is designed to help you create enlightened structure and content around your core message - this is about drawing out your pure potential out into a tangible form so that it becomes a readable inspirational book (which requires a different set of skills). . 1. Your Book as Pure Potential – The first part of the book is about helping you connect with your book as pure energy in the inner planes. There are exercises, processes and meditations to help you raise your consciousness, proceed with faith, neutralise inner resistance, open to grace, and connect with the energy of your unwritten book. You reach this energy template through a unique gateway. To reach this gateway you will work on raising your consciousness. On the other side of this gateway you will meet your Higher Self and the muse. Here you will find that there is no limitation of time or any other resource. You will learn to move backwards in time (to reclaim and actualise multidimensional abilities and qualities) and forwards in time to connect with your, as yet unwritten, book as pure potential energy. You can move upwards to connect with the Higher Selves of other writers; both living and those have already passed in the light. Working this way with consciousness and energy will allow you to build an energetic foundation for your writing and down step the energy of your potential book from the inner planes to the physical plane. . 2. Creating Enlightened Idea-Structure-Content - Whereas the first phase is more right-brain orientated the second phase involves the left-brain so that both sides work start to work together. Working with both sides of the brain allows you more easily to find the core idea or message your Higher Self wishes you to explore. This core idea or message is in complete alignment with your authentic self, your true values, qualities, gifts, and aspirations. Your core idea or message addresses a real need in the world – whether that is a need for a quality such as hope, love, connection, transformation or a specific skill. Once you have clarified exactly what you want to write about it is much easier to create an enlightened structure for your book. After this has happened it is much easier to create enlightened content in a state of flow. . My Credentials - As an author I know the challenges and joys of writing. Aside from this book I have authored three books on practical spirituality. Secondly this book is written from the outside perspective of the coach and promoter of author events. For the past 11 years (since 2000) I have been a director of Alternatives - a not for profit organisation based in St. James’s church, Piccadilly, London. In this time I have helped to organise well over 1000 author events. These authors all fall into the spiritual, personal development or self-help categories. I have had the privilege of interviewing many authors for a free podcast series. Also many authors are my personal friends. I have worked as a personal and business coach since 2006 and over the years most of my clients have been 'creative'. I have worked with: authors, actors, copy-writers, designers, and playwrights. I understand the creative process; I have experienced the joys, the pains, the challenges, and the successes. . This book will completed around the beginning of May 2012. I am already offering workshops and retreats in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria ahead of the publication of this book. Please check the events section for details. .
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