Balance the Skeptic

Week 2, Day 5 of The Artist's Way

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Today, let's set skepticism aside to further examine beliefs that keep us stuck and imbalanced.

SKEPTICISM

One of the things most worth noting in a creative recovery is our reluctance to take seriously the possibility that the universe just might be cooperating with our new and expanded plans.

We've gotten brave enough to try recovery, but we don't want the universe to really pay attention. We still feel too much like frauds to handle some success. When it comes, we want to go.

Of course we do! Any little bit of experimenting and self-nurturance is very frightening for most of us. When our little experiment provokes the universe to open a door or two, we start shying away. “Hey! You! Whatever you are! Not so fast!”

Setting skepticism aside, even briefly, can make for very interesting explorations. In creative recovery, it is not necessary that we change any of our beliefs. It is necessary that we examine them.

More than anything else, creative recovery is an exercise in open-mindedness. Begin, this week, to consciously practice opening your mind.

(The Artist's Way, 2016, p. 50 – 52)

In the act of paying attention, healing begins.

download printable affirmation card

Create a Life Pie.

Draw a circle. Divided into six pieces of pie. Label one piece spirituality, another exercise, another play, and so on with work, friends, and romance/adventure.

Place a dot in each slice at the degree to which you are fulfilled in that area (outer rim indicates great; inner circle, not so great). Connect the dots. This will show you where you are lopsided.

As you begin the course, it is not uncommon for your life pie to look like a tarantula. As recovery progresses, your tarantula may become a mandala. Working with this tool, you will notice that there are areas of your life that feel impoverished and on which you spend little or no time. Use the time tidbits you are finding to alter this.

If your spiritual life is minimal, even a five-minute pitstop to a synagogue or cathedral can restore a sense of wonder. Many of us find that five minutes of drum music and put us in touch with our spiritual core. For others, it's a trip to a greenhouse. The point is that even the slightest attention to our impoverished areas can nurture them.

“No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer It has chosen.”

– Henry Miller

When you set skepticism aside, what is one thing that you're interested in exploring?

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