Questions leading to more questions and ultimately, wisdom

There is not only an epidemic/pandemic of virus out there.

There’s an epidemic of everyone asking questions, mostly questions along these lines, 

• “WHY is this happening?”
• “WHEN can we safely leave our homes?”
• “WHEN can I go back to work/school/coffeeeeeee with friends?”
• “WHAT am I supposed to do?!?”

And yes, I’ve been asking them too. Especially on the page. 

Since mid-March, I’ve written my soul pages daily, and when this shelter in place started, I whined (and bitched and moaned and worried on the page) about the entire situation.

I asked ALL the when and what questions and got…nothing. No answers, no insight, just nothing but more annoyed whining. 

That should have been reminder/clue #1, but nope, I missed it.

Then, a book called The Wisdom of Not Knowing came up in a Book Bub sale, so I grabbed it thinking, hmmm, wisdom? In NOT knowing? How can that be?

Aren’t wise people those who know things?

I’m only about halfway through and WOAH, it’s been an eye-opener into the spiritual history and wisdom gained from leaning into the unknown and trusting it.

Hmmmm…okay. So, trust in the not knowing? But, but…but…WHEN will we be able to leave the house and….

Then, I interviewed my mentor and friend Janet Conner, who also happened to write one of my all-time favorite books EVER, Writing Down Your Soul. It was THIS book that introduced me to the power of a daily soul writing practice, of opening up onto the page and getting answers from our inner wisdom, the same practice I (re)committed to last month.

And Janet reminded me that our soul will laugh at us when we ask what or when questions, especially on the page. It’s like slamming the door to our inner wisdom because our wisdom embraces the unknown and doesn’t care so much about the timeline.

Okay…that was reminder #3. 

There’s actually a way to ask questions on the page during soul writing sessions that will get us into the wisdom of not knowing, and where we’ll, somewhat miraculously, find the answers we’re seeking as well as a sense of peace.

And if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The word “question” holds within it the word “quest” and that’s what we’re all on right now, a quest into the unknown.

And the only way I know how to get through this is to embrace it, explore it on the page, and to trust that even if I don’t have all the answers, we’ll get through this. Already, though there is death and sadness and great economic hardship, mother earth has sighed a breath of relief as waters are clearing and mountains are seen through clear skies for the first time in decades.

In our interview, Janet shared several questions to help get you started on your own quest, to connect with your inner wisdom. For example, rather than asking, “Why me?” ask, “What have I been unwilling to see in this situation?” or “Why is being stuck here bothering me so much?”

Now, let me clarify, sitting down one time for ten minutes with a journal and asking deep questions might not get you the answers you’re seeking. Soul writing is a committed, intentional practice that starts with a journal and a pen, is open to everyone, but goes quite a bit deeper than a single journal session.

If you’re interested in going deeper, I invite you to first listen to the interview with Janet. Then in May, I’ll be offering a three week Soulful Creativity: Soul Writing Experience. 

To stepping into the unknown!

xo,

Amy