What is Automatic Writing
Automatic writing is a form of journaling that helps you access your subconscious without any expectation of how or what will transpire during the process. Putting pen to paper, setting a timer for 20 minutes, and letting yourself travel into the world of your subconscious, is one of the best ways to unlock your inner world and literally see what you are feeling.
How to set yourself up
Clear some time in your schedule, 30 minutes is perfect. Take a few minutes to align yourself with your breath. Find a comfortable seat and have everything you need beside you already (water, tea, pen, journal, relaxing music is an option, a quiet space, phone turned off, etc.).
As you sit comfortably on your bed, in a chair or on the floor, lengthen your spine and keep your chin parallel to the floor. Begin by placing one hand on your belly and the other hand on the centre of your chest. Breathe normally, and invite a wavelike pattern to your breath, as if you are inhaling from your bottom hand to your top hand and then reverse for the exhalation, from your top hand to your bottom hand. Breathe in this wave form for 2-3 minutes.
Then, place both hands to your belly and begin to breathe even more deeply, focusing on inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth as you are aware of a gentle pressure on your exhalation, cleansing the belly of as much air as possible, pressing your navel in towards you. Once you feel empty, inhale again through your nose, gently allowing your belly to expand. Repeat this process for another 2-3 minutes.
When you are finished, place both hands over your heart centre and breathe calmly, in what feels like a normal and natural rhythm for you. Soften all the muscles in and around your face. Soften the muscles in your neck and shoulders. Let your shoulders drop further down, relaxing your arms, your hands and your fingers. Relax. Relax your chest and your back muscles. Relax all the muscles along your spine. Relax your abdomen. Fully relax your abdomen. Relax your legs and your feet.
From this place of calm serenity, set your timer for 20 minutes, press play on some relaxing music if you wish, pick up your pen and put pen to paper. Keep your pen touching the paper for twenty minutes straight. Write down everything and anything that comes to your mind. All is welcome here.
All of you is welcome here.
You will see that even if you feel that you have nothing to write, the act of writing “I have nothing to write about…” will likely bring on another thought or feeling that accompanies it and flows into a free expression of your subconscious mind.
Allow for anything and everything to come through you. Feel free to swear, to express yourself in any way that needs to pour out of you. This is your time. This is your private journaling space. This is your fertile ground to place any such thing that needs to be released from you.
What about other voices?
Sometimes, in your automatic writing experience, you will begin to feel another voice or presence come through you. Do not be afraid. You may be channeling through you for your highest self, an angel, or another presence, that feels safe to come through you and share knowledge and wisdom from your pen to your paper. This can remain for your eyes only if you so wish. Or, you may wish to share it with a trusted source that can guide you in the area of channeling.
Channeling can come in many forms, and one of those forms is automatic writing. I will write in more detail about channeling another day. For now, know that your body acts like a vessel, and once you learn how to attune and align yourself to the highest source, you are able to access information and knowledge that comes from a universal plane. More on this in the future.
For now, see if you can adopt an automatic writing practice once a month or even once a week. A great time is after a meditation, yoga, or any bodywork or breath work practice, as your channels are already open and you can be a much clearer conduit for information and inspiration to flow through.
I’d love to hear how your practice goes. The last time I did this practice was about two weeks ago, and I wrote with my opposite (non-dominant) hand, and what came through was truly eye opening for me. I’ll keep you in suspense and share more on this extra-dimensional experience another time.
Until then, blessings,
Donna PranaLakshmi