Writing is a powerful way to create space between your thoughts and actions and spark creativity. Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages, or early morning stream-of-consciousness writing, is an amazing way to clear your mind and bring forward inspiration and focus.
What are Morning Pages, you ask? Put it simply (in the words of Julia Cameron):
“Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing,
done first thing in the morning. *There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages*–
they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about
anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes
only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and
synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put
three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow.”
In a nut shell, wake up and write! Before your mind is fully awake, before you’ve stumbled downstairs for your coffee.
There’s a time every morning when we are half awake, half asleep and not quite fully conscious. Those moments right after your alarm brings you our of your nighttime slumber. At those early moments, we have access to our unconscious mind and our inner thoughts. But like warm chocolate chip cookies and a house full of teenager boys, it will soon be gone without a trace. Listening to these delicate early morning thoughts allows us to reach into our innermost world, the deeper part of ourselves that most of us often ignore, or forget about. It helps guide us on our path of transformation.
Early morning pages are a free-flowing stream of inner thoughts in a journal first thing in the morning.
Keep your journal by your bed and reach for it while you are still half asleep. Begin by writing down any memories you may have of your dreams. At first there may be nothing, or simply minor recollections, but as you do this over and over you will build the muscle that helps you remember this subconscious thoughts. You’ll send a powerful message to your brain that says that you are prepared to accept your unconscious thoughts and feelings. That you are willing to accept more. Over time, your brain will show you more and more. You will begin to build a deeper relationship with your subconscious inner self, allowing you to learn, grow and thrive.
Once you finish writing what you can recall about your dreams, write 10 things you are grateful for from yesterday. Yes, 10. As a society, we tend to focus on what is not going well, where we are struggling, what we are worried about etc. We forget to remember those things that are good. We often forget that we have great friends, plenty of food, clean water, access to education, jobs and freedom. Take some time to be thankful for what was good about yesterday!
Once you finish with those things that you are thankful for, your brain is more awake and you can start thinking and writing more consciously. Take some time to write at least a page, or two, depending on where your thoughts take you. Write whatever crosses your mind. Don’t think about what you are writing, just write. Nothing is too bad or too silly to write down. Remember, nobody else will bereading this, so write it all. No censoring. No erasing. You will be amazed at what comes out of your sweet, innocent mind. Write quickly or write slowly. As the thoughts come, write them down. There is no need to worry about proper punctuation or grammar. Just let the thoughts flow from your inner self to the paper. All the angry, ugly stuff that you write in the morning would otherwise stand in the way of you being your best you. By doing early morning pages, you get all those repressed thoughts out of your system so you can live your life and realize that you are not defined by your mind or thoughts. You are an amazing spiritual being in a material and sometimes crazy world, moving forward toward the life you deserve, which is the life you truly are destined to live.
In a sense, this can be looked at as another form of meditation. Stop and take the time to breathe and connect with your inner self. Let the words flow from deep inside, let the negativity and stress go as the words are transferred to your paper.
Now that you are done with your 3 pages, you are ready to start your day!
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I love the idea of this!
Give it a try! I need to get back to doing it more on a regular basis myself!
I have never heard of this! I am intrigued wonder if I could do it? What would I write?!
I know you could do it! That is the beauty of this! You are just writing. What you are thankful for, whatever comes to your mind. There are no right or wrong answers and no one else is even going to see it (unless you opt to share it, but that’s not the point of this exercise)
Yes, Morning Pages! I used to do them, and they are really eye-opening. Also, I love Julia Cameron. I used to keep a notebook by my bedside. Not sure why I don’t anymore… should change that!