THE WAY OF THE MYSTIC

+
Recently I took a break from life as it once was. I was uninspired. I stopped writing. Sometimes this happens to writers. During the “barren times” we often feel guilt for not writing, relief for not having to write, and yes…sadness for the loss of inspiration. This is a pattern that writers can and do face occasionally. I have encountered it before, but never for this long.

One day, I came upon a book about the experience. The author mentioned a time of silence in which “the soul is engaged” and “the ego is upset.” Aha I said to myself. I know I have a strong ego and it will not like this at all. This is the time I must remember Who’s in charge here and allow my heart to rule. It's OK to be wordless. Perhaps what comes next will be new and exciting if I take the time to just be with me.

For the past two months the only writing I have done is in a daily journal. Guess What? I did not write every day. I know that to write we must tap into places that we often do not want to go. It is true. I realized that I had to face those places before I could resume writing anything at all.

During this dry spell, I’ve learned that there have been changes in my life that I had to face. Of course, I went kicking a screaming into the places that I didn’t want to go. Today though, I feel as if I have been reborn.

What will become of Mystical Reflections? I don’t know, but my soul of imagination is ready to go with it and see what's next. That is the Way of the Mystic.


And so it is…

Barbara Rasp


“… During the silent times, the soul is engaged. It knows this is a time of immersion in awareness, in observation, in the company of the hidden. The ego feels left out; it wants action and products for its identity. We’re greedy and want as much of the good stuff as we can get. But it simply doesn’t work that way with a creative process that is grounded in the spiritual…

“If you rush your way through, your impatience will show in the work, and you’ll probably not write well…The soul of imagination won’t be whipped into control”

From: Writing and the Spiritual Life, by Patrice Vecchione.