Nessa McCasey - Writing Our Hearts Out - A Monthly Column on Journaling, Writing and Poetry Therapy

We are very pleased to welcome Nessa McCasey back to SoulfulLiving.com! With each new issue, Nessa will offer a poem or short writing based on our magazine's theme and will provide techniques for creative expression that you can use to explore the topic yourself.

Conscious Life Change

Does it seem to you that life keeps changing and that we don’t have any power to control it? So many people I know have been affected by job loss and illness and I see the resulting despair or frustration. In my own life, time has wrought changes that I wasn’t prepared for, including my own aging process, and here I want to share my own plan for creating life change. Hopefully, this will give you a model that you might try for yourself, using writing as an exploratory tool to guide you, learning from your own best advisor — your inner voice of wisdom. I tend to call my writing practice a spiritual meditation, where I put the focus on learning about myself and not on publishing my writings. When I lead writing groups, I also emphasize this and it just so happens that great writing results. So, here goes, my own writing about this topic of life change. See what you think and use any of these prompts/ideas for your own writings.

Building up the life I want.
Tearing down what doesn’t work anymore.

Building up / Tearing down

What comes first, I ask?
Self tells me: Already you divert.
Tear down and replace or
Build up new and then tear down what
No longer fits or works.
Either way will work.

The exercise: Next you will find a list of characteristics. Choose several that relate to your life now. Then make a second list, with several new characteristics that you would like to incorporate into your life. Feel free to add in any additional qualities that work better for you.

Able
Accurate
Adaptable
Adventurous
Alert
Ambitious
Attentive
Analytical
Appreciative
Benevolent
Bold
Bright
Caring
Cautious
Charming
Compassionate
Conscientious
Considerate
Cooperative
Content
Courageous
Creative
Decisive
Dependable
Determined
Diligent
Discerning
Dynamic
Easy-Going
Enduring
Enthusiastic
Faithful
Flexible
Flourishing
Focused
Forgiving
Generous
Gentle
Grateful
Honorable
Hospitable
Humble
Imaginative
Independent
Intelligent
Interesting
Joyful
Just
Loyal
Meek
Obedient
Open-Minded
Orderly
Original
Outgoing
Passionate
Patient
Persevering
Persuasive
Practical
Precise
Professional
Progressive
Punctual
Quiet
Reliable
Resourceful
Respectful
Responsible
Secure
Self-Confident
Sensitive
Sincere
Spontaneous
Strong
Supportive
Sympathetic
Tactful
Tenacious
Thorough
Thoughtful
Thrifty
Tolerant
Trusting
Trustworthy
Truthful
Unassuming
Understanding
Unwavering
Virtuous
Willing
Wise

Play with these words in combination or in opposition to each other. Use my example, below, as a guide, but always go off in the direction of your own muse’s calling, too. Wordplay could look like a journal entry, a poem, a story, or a paragraph. It is the goal of this particular prescription to write your own quandaries into resolution, but you may need to try writing this same exercise a few times. Or, on the other hand, you might write a haiku that sums it all up succinctly. There is not one “right answer.” There is only your own process, of noting your own path, choosing your own destiny, knowing your own wisdom, knowing yourself.

I chose these words for (mostly) where I am now:

I have been a gentle and patient mom, woman, and community member. Usually quiet, I have also been super alert to my son’s needs and probably overly attentive to others’ reactions to our being in the world.

As soon as I wrote this down, above, I was able to see why I had became attentive/alert (and even saw more clearly how this was contributing to stress for me), and then this led to a clearer view for me about how these characteristics do not support my desired life changes.

I chose the quality of initiating to replace gentle (or maybe added on top of it). I don’t want to be aggressive, but rather I’ll be putting my ideas out more, such as writing more often on my blog or even making podcasts, for instance. Coming out into the world as me, with my own voice, unapologetically. Responsibly, with less meekness or fear.

Faithful emerges above patience. Patience without faith, after all, can be taken advantage of. Faith affects my sense of purpose, which could mean a limit of patience when action is called for. Faith brings my love of self, others, and the world into daily action. Putting resolve into my beliefs — they become more visible, more colorful, more vibrant with energy. This is a life of doing that I define for myself!

Being bold and creative instead of quiet and alert/attentive. Being bold, choosing my actions, such as what to keep and what to give or throw away. What to share freely and what to charge for. For me, creative involves generosity, as in the oiling of mental synapses, allowing them to move more freely: more and more will result. Opening the doors of life, I let all the rooms of my brain have an airing out!!

Initiating faith, by using bold creativity inspires me to fulfill ideas that I have been mulling over. One day at a time, I’ll look at how these (and perhaps other) qualities can keep moving me forward, creating life changes I am ready for as I continue becoming the me that I am always; always becoming me.

I am she with bold creative markings.
When all is said and done,
I want to see the lines drawn on pages
making meaning, bringing joy,
knowing calm peace.

What kind of a life change might you create for yourself? Feel free to share with me your results of this exercise. Honestly, I practice this profession of mine (Poetry Therapy) because I want to create change in the world, one person at a time. I get a tingle up and down my spine when I think about what kind of a world we would have if everyone was able to create the changes they desire; to live the life that they want to live, that which they freely choose and then work hard to create. What an empowered world we would have, perhaps the best world possible!!

Nessa will be offering an online writing course entitled “Poetic Writings for Our Lives,” starting September 15, 2009. Details are available on her website: www.writersofwrongs.com.

Nessa McCasey is a Certified Poetry Therapist who leads expressive writing groups in Michigan and online. Contact her at poetnessa@writersofwrongs.com for more information.