Guided writing exercise - leading silence

Guided writing exercise:

We are going to do another guided writing exercise today, similar to what we did last week if you were here. So just listen first… you can close your eyes if that helps; whatever seems comfortable-- but let your mind wander until you find yourself in a place and time somewhere vivid enough that you feel called to capture in words.

You can start to write at any point during this exercise but try not to force it and don’t worry about how it sounds…. Just focus on describing whatever it is that has been brought to the surface of your mind organically. And at whatever point, if you do happen to get caught up in the act of writing, you are welcome to stop listening to me entirely, and just listen to the thoughts bubbling up in your own head.

Since we are all deeply complex beings—

Imagine that there is an entire ocean just beneath your skin… expansive and rolling… Imagine that each of us, at every moment in time, is learning to swim through an ocean of our own; learning to navigate the uncharted waters alone--

What is the weather like when you are lost in this sea? Is it dark and storming? Is it calm and peaceful? 

Imagine feeling the pull of an undercurrent now… where is it taking you? What thoughts wash up from depths, like seashells on the shoreline? Write them down if you feel inclined, or toss them back, but hold them for that moment, watch the way they glimmer in the light of recognition.

What memories continue to wash up at your feet? 

What does a memory look like when you hold it up in the light? 

Maybe it is a brightly colored stain, or the ticking of a clock, or the smell of August, or the taste of a sugar cookie.

Maybe it happened last week.

Maybe, it is a word-- something said to you— Can you remember who said it?

Can you remember the sound of it in that first utterance, and the shape of the speaker’s mouth in the act of pronunciation? Can you remember how you felt upon hearing it?

Have you ever wondered why certain moments refuse to leave you alone, ebbing back and forth like the tide, and why others seem lost in the depths…? 

What causes a thing to resonate? 

What forms the elastic bond between a memory and the present day, expanding until it is seemingly unknowable, only to be recalled in the next moment, snapping back into focus? Where do forgotten things go? 

What if you were to imagine dawning an oxygen tank over your back; stretching mask over your eyes; and diving down into the deep until you have found a place where forgotten memories live--

What kinds of treasures do you think you might recover? What wreckage lies on that ocean floor, hidden under miles of blue, the decaying structure becoming home for creatures you have never heard of but live inside you all the same?

Take the next few moments to continue exploring your thoughts...

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Guided writing exercise:

We are going to do another guided writing exercise today, similar to what we did last week if you were here. So just listen first… you can close your eyes if that helps; whatever seems comfortable-- but let your mind wander until you find yourself in a place and time somewhere vivid enough that you feel called to capture in words.

You can start to write at any point during this exercise but try not to force it and don’t worry about how it sounds…. Just focus on describing whatever it is that has been brought to the surface of your mind organically. And at whatever point, if you do happen to get caught up in the act of writing, you are welcome to stop listening to me entirely, and just listen to the thoughts bubbling up in your own head.

Since we are all deeply complex beings—

Imagine that there is an entire ocean just beneath your skin… expansive and rolling… Imagine that each of us, at every moment in time, is learning to swim through an ocean of our own; learning to navigate the uncharted waters alone--

What is the weather like when you are lost in this sea? Is it dark and storming? Is it calm and peaceful? 

Imagine feeling the pull of an undercurrent now… where is it taking you? What thoughts wash up from depths, like seashells on the shoreline? Write them down if you feel inclined, or toss them back, but hold them for that moment, watch the way they glimmer in the light of recognition.

What memories continue to wash up at your feet? 

What does a memory look like when you hold it up in the light? 

Maybe it is a brightly colored stain, or the ticking of a clock, or the smell of August, or the taste of a sugar cookie.

Maybe it happened last week.

Maybe, it is a word-- something said to you— Can you remember who said it?

Can you remember the sound of it in that first utterance, and the shape of the speaker’s mouth in the act of pronunciation? Can you remember how you felt upon hearing it?

Have you ever wondered why certain moments refuse to leave you alone, ebbing back and forth like the tide, and why others seem lost in the depths…? 

What causes a thing to resonate? 

What forms the elastic bond between a memory and the present day, expanding until it is seemingly unknowable, only to be recalled in the next moment, snapping back into focus? Where do forgotten things go? 

What if you were to imagine dawning an oxygen tank over your back; stretching mask over your eyes; and diving down into the deep until you have found a place where forgotten memories live--

What kinds of treasures do you think you might recover? What wreckage lies on that ocean floor, hidden under miles of blue, the decaying structure becoming home for creatures you have never heard of but live inside you all the same?

Take the next few moments to continue exploring your thoughts...