Hello everyone! Today is the debut of Sunday’s Stillpoint on the APA blog, and I look forward to your comments and feedback. Tina-Sue graciously introduced me this week, but in case you missed it, I am a writer, artist, single mom, and clinical psychologist living and working in Connecticut. I have been working for 22 years post grad school, studying Jungian/Woodmanian psychology intently for the past 12 of those years, and I am particularly interested in bringing more understanding of the Feminine aspects of consciousness into the world.
As you may know, the term “Feminine aspect” is a Jungian term, and refers to the lesser-known half of our dual nature. Within each individual are both masculine and feminine qualities. Both are important for authentic living, though our culture overvalues the Masculine aspects in both men and women, such as thinking, taking initiative, and the linear path to achievement. Over-emphasis of the masculine aspects undermines the awareness and development of our feminine qualities, such as honoring the wisdom of the body, following our inner knowing, allowing ourselves to follow the normal cycles of growth, death and rebirth. We try again and again to follow the straight line to our goal, deaf to our inner voice and blind to our true path.
I believe that sharing these ideas with artists, writers and all kinds of therapists is the optimal way to reach people, because our work is about stimulating people beyond where words can take us. Our work is with the psyche. The authentic and honest voice of our soul’s expression, resonate with other souls. Most artists are driven to create. Most are in touch with voice inside that inspires, guides, even beguiles us to create. It is in that creating that we learn about ourselves. We need to create space and silence to be able to hear that voice. We need to make space for our own inner knowing to come forth. I don’t know about you, but I have to create the space for silent reflection, so that I am in touch with my soul’s voice. I suspect that is true for most artists. That is what I’m hoping Sunday’s Stillpoint will help us do – create the silent space where we can again connect with our inner muse. I want to share the knowledge I have worked hard for, and I want to learn from you.
Perhaps when all the tears have been shed
the earth will be more fertile
I look forward to hearing from you! For more about my publication, please take a look at: www.psychesjourney.org
Breathe deeply and be well. Dorica
Beautifully written Dorica - and compelling!
ReplyDeleteI restore my inner knowing, authentic voice by allowing mistakes and surprises to appear in my work, in my paintings. I've learned that a strangle hold on the process, with a rigid vision of what the end goal will be - shuts down my authenticity. So I scribble and wait for the surprise or mistake to intrigue me, awaken curiosity and guide me.
I look forward to more of Psyche's Journey!
Nice to see you leafing out the branches on Psyche's tree, Dorica and spreading your wise word further afield.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to you question...sometimes I have to allow myself to wallow in my stalledness, my inactivity, my procrastination until one day (or hour) I just can't stand it anymore and burst into action again..!
Thanks Barbara and Lisa - I hope others will read your wise words and try ALLOWING... mistakes, inactivity, surprise! Interesting that you both used the same word - allow! The ability to let go of control and allow requires courage! Different than what we most often see portrayed in our media as courage; determined effort is the Masculine side and opening and allowing the Feminine. We need to balance the two energies. Denise Levertov aptly calls this "Consent." Her poem, on page 3 of the Spring/Summer issue of Psyche's Journey says this beautifully!
ReplyDelete....she did not submit with gritted teeth,
raging, coerced.
Bravest of all humans,
consent illumined her.
The room filled with its light,
the lily glowed in it,
and the iridescent wings.
Consent,
courage unparalleled,
opened her utterly.
Have a creative and courageous day!
First, I walk away for a time, fins another means to activity and imagination whether movie or book, drawing or singing (activities that for me never are shared or see the light of day, but inspire me nonetheless), knitting or baking, etc. Sometimes I even step back into my research for the book I writing.
ReplyDeleteWhen I am ready to go back to my story I am writing, I have the self-talk that this is about this being my story to be told my way, no right or wrong, no a character must be this way or that...this is MY story, the one only I can tell. Once all the voices are silenced in my head, I find I can write again. For me, it is those nay-saying voices that got in the way in the first place.
Sounds wise too! I read "On Writing" by Stephen King - an excellent and entertaining read btw! Like you Kiki, he tells himself to just get the first draft out! Just lay it out... Then you can edit, expound, recreate anything you want - just write and know it doesn't need to be perfect. Thanks for writing in...
ReplyDeleteI learned to accept my own mistakes and that I would never be perfect and when I did that I was able to move forward and continue writing. When my family gave me negative feedback about my writing I ignored that. When my husband told me I wasn't a writer until I was published I persisted. I am happy to say that my first novel, the one rejected seven times. The one I continued to try to publish for five years is now being published in September. It took me a long time to accept this was happening and I was truly going to be a published author. Now a few months later I see my path is clear and have begun to think of myself as an author. My dream is happening and I think it's because I never gave up and did what one of my favorite poets, Denise Levertov said to do, I allowed myself to feel the hurt and then moved on to revise and continued to submit it. Allowing the pain is like mourning. You do it and the way is clear to move forward.
ReplyDeleteI think, many loose perception when we have the goal of doing what we love professionally , or at least I do. When I get tied up in thinking about the submission process, or if an agent will ever accept my work, I loose focus and the writing doesn't come.
ReplyDeleteWhen that happens, I take a step back and try to write something different. Something silly, something fun to remind myself, writing is a creative FUN act.
My silent space comes when I'm not anywhere near my desk--a forest trail, a long and empty beach--those are the best places, but my garden works as well if I can resist digging in the dirt.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find is that when I take myself away from what I'm "stuck" on and set my brain on autopilot, I return to my writing with so much to set down on the page--so much that I'm not aware of until I see the words flow across the screen.
I love this feature! What a great writing prompt. I do not have a quick reply but I do think it is important to slow down to listen to that muse and I actually try to start my mornings doing just that, in a couple of moments of mediation.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to next week's installment!
Thank you Casey, and all of you who wrote in since I last checked. How exciting to have so many new posts! It sounds like most of us need to find a way around the negative voice, and whether it is being or doing something silly, moving away for a bit, or being in nature ( a personal favorite of mine) it is the intentional moving away that allows us to return fresh and cleansed of that negative mentality! Thank you all so much for writing in! You're giving me some ideas for the next installment... stay tuned!
ReplyDelete