Everyday I write the book...
Find a sign or symbol to inspire your beginning-ing
Hey Friend,
A few days ago, I was mulling over a particular challenge in my life…and I felt stuck. Really stuck.
I thought about our September theme, Beginnings.
(Folks new to Journey with the Seasons: each month we explore a new theme. Each week, we explore our theme through a different kind of creative prompt.)
That day when I was stuck, I turned on the radio. When I listen to music, especially if I sing (off-key) along or dance like no one’s watching (cause I’m alone in my house, not at a club), it helps me to shift my energy, open to new possibilities.
‘Everyday
Everyday
Everyday I write the book…’
It was Elvis Costello, one of my all-time favorite artists, crooning over the airwaves. I hadn’t listened to him for a while. I got swept up in his voice, his lyrics.
Everyday I write the book is about a man chronicling his romantic relationship in chapters. But when I heard the lyrics, they inspired different associations:
Everyday I write the book. I write the book of my life. Challenges are part of our human experience. I have a choice in how I respond. Today can be a shift. A new beginning.
Okay–it might have been a long psychic departure from the pop song–but so what? The lyrics opened my imaginations, my spirit.
We can write our metaphorical books everyday–or maybe a journal entry, at least.
For today’s writing prompt, select a sign or symbol that inspires you to consider beginnings. See where your associations lead you. Open to the possible.
Writing Practice: Set aside 5-7 minutes for this practice. Write in a journal or open a ‘Journey with The Season’ document where you can return each Sunday.
Prompt: I’ve gathered some symbols from the natural and spiritual world and from mythology that I associate with ‘beginning’–you may think of many others. ‘Beginning’ could be symbolized by:
the Phoenix
a Butterfly
the New Moon
The roman God Janu
a Labyrinth
an Acorn
a Sunrise
the Lotus Flower
Select a symbol that resonates with what ‘beginning’ means to you or choose your own. Write about why that symbols resonates with you–how it reminds you of beginning. Write about a time in your life when you experienced a new beginning or about a desire for a beginning that you hope for.
Some phrases to get you started. I’ll use a butterfly as an example:
A butterfly reminds me of…
A butterfly symbolizes beginning by…
I see myself as a butterfly because…
Like I butterfly, I wish to…
The butterfly in me wants…
I’d love to read about your beginning associations and expressions! Leave a comment here or try the messaging app.
Deepening Practice: Select a phrase about beginnings from your writing and read it each morning as an affirmation, reminder or intention. Write it out in longhand. Speak it into a voice memo and listen to it when you need it. We can begin to become our own teachers.
Wishing you a week full of imagination & possibility! With love, Gabrielle Ariella
Friends in the Philly area! I’m excited that Ava Adames (second from right) and I are re-starting our monthly Moon Circles at Violets in Bloom in Elkins Park. A new beginning! Join us on the second Thursday of each month, 7-8pm, for an hour of sound healing, meditation and expressive writing on a seasonal theme. This Thursday, 9/12, we’ll offer a drop-in Open House (including writing time!).