Walking mindfully through the world

Mindful writing is essentially writing which wakens us up, which asks that we open our eyes to what is right in front of us, here, now.  Through our engagement with the process we will learn to see with new vision, to explore our world with ‘beginner’s mind’. Day by day, moment by moment, we begin to notice the extraordinary in the ordinary. We no longer see a tangled mass of flowers, bruised and almost dead after the storm. Instead our attention is captured by the curved contours of a single quivering tulip’s stem, pausing to watch in wonder at how something so fragile could hold the weight of something so beautiful.  A pink tulip whose petals, on close encounter, are not florid pink after all, but flushed with deep crimson and carmine tones rising from a dark maroon centre, like a monk’s begging bowl, then shading into tones of cerise striped with threads of ruby-coloured claret, before paling to a tinted blush of watered-down pink along its outermost extremities, as if astonished by its own superfluous beauty.

Walking mindfully through the world, our perception of everything we encounter is altered, so that what had previously seemed so complex and difficult and even harsh at times, is, after all, utterly simple and beautiful. It all comes down to the one thing which lies beckoning, waiting, calling to us to come and look. Or maybe not quite calling, but just here, simply present. And we too can learn to be present to what is here, now, in this place, at this moment. All we need do is open our eyes and hearts and look. Be. Here. Now. Gradually, bit by bit, the manner in which we write is altered too. By its very nature this is a slow process. In all things mindful there is never any need to rush.

Mindful writing reveals what is hidden in the deepest recesses of our unconscious minds too, bringing to the light what has been lying hidden in the darkness, leaving traces of its unacknowledged presence in the detritus of our lives. We feel its presence, we sense it’s there, but we have yet to recognise it for what it is. Through the process of writing mindfully we pay attention to all our inner voices, whether they are whispering or clamouring to be heard. And gradually our thoughts, feelings, perceptions are enveloped by an ever widening circle of openness and inner spaciousness. We let go of our ego mind, our over-thinking and conceptual mind, and instead learn to go with the flow. Writing mindfully, we follow our river of words wherever they take us. And it is often a heady ride!

A few points to bear in mind when writing mindfully:

• Mindful writing is directed towards process rather than product, although you may discover much rich material for use in your other writing, especially for memoirs and creative non-fiction.
• Try not to allow your critical mind to take over. If your Inner Critic starts shouting too loudly, then stop and take a moment to return to your breath and, without trying to force it to be quiet, simply sit still and wait for it to dissipate. Do not re-read as you write for this invites your Inner Critic to take control. Just write. Let your words spill out on to the page. Words lead to more words which lead to sentences and paragraphs. Just keep writing.
• Writing mindfully is a meditation practice.
• Over the next few months I will include some simple meditative breathing practices to incorporate into your mindful writing practice. However please remember that these suggestions are not necessary to engage in mindful writing. They will simply be offered to you as an additional practice for those who might be interested in exploring other avenues towards deepening their mindful writing experience.
• You might like to develop some simple preparatory ritual/s which you engage in every time you sit down to practice mindful writing. Apart from serving as definite markers separating your solitary silent mindful writing practice from the rest of your hectic day, such rituals serve as bells of a sort, like those in a monastery calling the monks to prayer. Your writing ritual will be your call to write mindfully. They can be as simple or as complex as you like, eg light a stick of incense, or a small candle, or perhaps burn some aromatherapy oil in a burner, or drink a cup of herbal tea while pondering and observing the world.
• Choose to write either with a pen and paper, or on your lap top. If on your computer, then set up a special folder for your mindful writing exercises. Personally I prefer to use a pen and notebook for my mindful writing even though I can keep up with my thoughts more easily on the computer. The beauty of a simple method is that it can be used anytime, anywhere. This dovetails perfectly with my personal concept of mindful writing as a spiritual practice.
• Mindful writing comes in many guises. It is more disposition than method or technique. Next month we shall look at one particularly fruitful approach to writing mindfully. Over the next few months we shall explore many potential options to choose from.
• Finally, I would strongly recommend that you consider making some sort of personal commitment to your Mindful Writing practice. Make room for writing every day, or every second day, or three times a week, or whatever you decide will work for you. But whatever you decide commit to it. Make your writing practice a priority in your life. Doing this will reap benefits not just to the quality of your writing, but to your life.

Until next month, I wish you the blessings of many peaceful hours of mindful writing. And if you care to share some of your experiences, please leave your comments below. I’d love to hear how you are getting along!

Link to last month’s introductory post to mindful writing:

https://storycirclenetwork.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/on-mindful-writing/

-Edith Ó Nualláin lives with her family in a small village on the east coast of Ireland, snuggled between the mountains and the sea, where she reads, writes occasional reviews, and spins exotic fibres into yarn. Some day she hopes to learn how to spin straw into gold. Her poetry is published in Crannóg, an Irish literary journal. Her book reviews are published in Calyx: A Journal of Art and Literature by Women, and also online at the Story Circle Network Book Review website. You can follow her musings over on her blog In a Room of My Own:  http://inaroomofmyown.wordpress.com/

 

Warning: Poems Save Lives (“Live in the layers. Not in the litter.”)

  “Fly Away Home”

Image and essay by Janet Riehl. Poem “The Layers” by Stanley Kunitz.

This morning readying for June’s Creative Catalyst post I opened a notebook  which turned out to be from 2008-2011. It fell open at page 31 to reveal Stanley Kunitz’ fine poem “The Layers.”  Ah, there’s the poem copied out in my own hand from a Memorial Booklet. It’s a poem of wisdom and compassion for self and others. Very much where I am now (and perhaps always have been).

I read the comments posted after the You Tube video of  Stanley Kunitz reading his poem “The Layers.” [Click to see.] People focus on how this is a poem of an older person. Some say what the heck is this about? Help me out here.

This poem is as close to my life story as anything  can get. It’s been the story of my life since my 20s. Now at 65 it’s still my life story. I believe our deepest life stories stay with us and do not change that much. I need no college course or poetry commentary or poetry discussion group to know in every syllable, word, and line  what this poem is about.

It’s about hope and heartbreak. It’s about the courage of not knowing. It’s about the fruits–both bitter and sweet–of a nomadic life of constant re-invention. Here you go.

Stanley Jasspon Kunitz (July 29, 1905–May 14, 2006) was a noted American poet who served two years (1974–1976) as the Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (a precursor to the modern Poet Laureate program), and served another year as United States Poet Laureate in 2000.

THE LAYERS BY STANLEY KUNITZ

I have walked through many lives,

some of them my own,

and I am not who I was,

though some principle of being

abides, from which I struggle

not to stray.

When I look behind,

as I am compelled to look

before I can gather strength

to proceed on my journey,

I see the milestones dwindling

toward the horizon

and the slow fires trailing

from the abandoned camp-sites,

over which scavenger angels

wheel on heavy wings.

Oh, I have made myself a tribe

out of my true affections,

and my tribe is scattered!

How shall the heart be reconciled

to its feast of losses?

In a rising wind

the manic dust of my friends,

those who fell along the way,

bitterly stings my face.

Yet I turn, I turn,

exulting somewhat,

with my will intact to go

wherever I need to go,

and every stone on the road

precious to me.

In my darkest night,

when the moon was covered

and I roamed through wreckage,

a nimbus-clouded voice

directed me:

“Live in the layers,

not on the litter.”

Though I lack the art

to decipher it,

no doubt the next chapter

in my book of transformations

is already written.

I am not done with my changes.

Stanley Kunitz, “The Layers” from The Collected Poems of Stanley Kunitz. Copyright © 1978 by Stanley Kunitz.  Reprinted by permission of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Source: The Collected Poems of Stanley Kunitz (W. W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2002)

_________________

Janet Riehl is a country girl who roamed the world and then came home. So many countries, so many homes, so many heartbreaks, and so many hopes. You can read more at Riehl Life: Village Wisdom for the 21st century  where the mission is to create connections through the arts and across cultures.