Poetry Dowsing Week Eight: Uncovering a Sense of Truth

This is a weekly exercise for a 12 week program for creative exploration and self care. A new exercise will be posted each week for the duration of the program. All post titles are matched up to the chapter names in Julia Cameron’s book “Finding Water”, which is our source text. Please read Poetry Dowsing: A Path to Your Creative Well for more information.

Week Eight Intentions

This week we are re-centering our internal compass. In order to do that we have to get our bearings and find out how to position ourselves for the journey. This will require more quiet moments of introspection and consideration about how to ground yourself. Whenever you feel yourself veering off course, take a deep breath, point your compass north and keep moving.

A personal note about truth

I studied Geology at University. As part of our lab one day, we were instructed to take a compass and find our way to an undisclosed location. Ideally, we would all end up at the same spot. Enter a large magnetic sculpture just a few paces outside the Geology lab. Needless to say, my group never made it to the meeting point.

It’s easy for things to pull us off a path we are determined to take. Often, I’m reminded of this during interviews. The interviewer asks me to describe my path to publication. That usually starts out with a question about when I started writing. My path to publication resembled something like a ball in a pin ball machine.

Life is complicated, even without a magnetic sculpture in your way.

However, I find my way back to the path. Sometimes that journey is painful and confusing. Sometimes the detours can be delightful and additive. What is certain is that there is this internal compass that always tries to pull me into my ‘true north’. I just haven’t always been able to decipher the directions.

In the past few weeks I’ve talked about resilience and resolve. Both of these qualities can guide me onto the path and help me stick to it when things threaten to sidetrack me. Do you see the themes building? All of these senses we are uncovering will take us to our respective creative wells.

There is water waiting for us.

I promise.

This week’s dowsing exercise

It’s time to ground yourself in sensory ritual. Journeys are unpredictable. They incite change and all of the things we have been working on creatively encourage change. It’s important to have rituals you can turn to for grounding. These are the spaces where you breathe a little easier and steady yourself. These activities provide comfort and can make you feel like you are on solid ground.

I like to sew cross stitch patterns. All I have to do is follow the pattern and all turns out well, one stitch at a time. The pull of the needle through fabric becomes a hypnotic sensory rhythm for me. Julia Cameron says that she makes a big pot of soup to ground herself. She mentions that friends of hers might burn incense or bake bread. The point is these activities engage one of your senses and they are comforting to you.

This week make a list of five sensory rituals you find comforting. Choose one of them and execute it.

It’s all going to be okay.

I promise.

This week’s quote:

“You could not step twice into the same rivers; for other waters are ever flowing onto you.”

-Heraclitis

Important reminders

• This process centers on recovery and self care in regard to your creative self. Be gentle!
• Make adjustments as needed, you know yourself best and your positive mental health is paramount.
• Commit to using your basic tools of Morning Pages, Artist Dates and Walks.
• Sharing is not mandatory, but we’d love to share the journey with you! Tag all posts regarding these exercises as #PoetryDowsing so we can support you within the Twitter community.