New Moon | February 19, 2023 | 1 Pisces 22’
“As I create and listen, I will be lead.”
—Julia Cameron
If your life ain’t good, your loving ain’t good. This is what rolled out of my pen into my journal as my higher self’s message to me that day.
I was looking at Tarot Key 6, The Lovers, where the man and woman, representing self-consciousness and subconsciousness, Adam and Eve, are openly naked with no fig leaf covering the “privates.” I saw the serpent on the Tree of Good and Evil, upon which crawls the serpent. The tree is behind the subconsciousness, Eve. I thought of Jesus’ admonition, “Get behind me Satan.”
The disposition of the man and woman is rightly organized in the scene. I thought of my mother’s frequent saying, “The left hand don’t know what the right hand is doing.” She spoke this to express lying to the self. I also understood that the woman had not eaten from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil because it is all good. There is nothing apart from Universal Good.
You want to live better? Love better.
I was talking to my beloved ex recently and he told me that when I started going on Artist’s Dates, a feature of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, he noticed Uranus and Neptune, the higher octave planets of Mind and Universal love going through our 7th house of relationships. He figured I was seeking freedom from him. We were talking about The Artist’s Way because I recently realized that it was 30 years since I did the 12-week program for the first time.
I had not realized that The Artist’s Way was the beginning of the end to him. To me, the Artist’s Way was not a push against him, or the seeking of autonomy from him. I was seeking my own spark of being.
The main result of my experience with The Artist’s Way, and what has remained consistent 30 years later, is that I realized the artist's way was my way. I can say, without hesitation, I am an Artist.
Thirty years ago, I identified as a writer, but a writer was not an artist in my mind. Writing was an art, yes. But I had thought of an artist as one who worked paints and clay, or who performed with one’s body. It seemed a little brazen to declare myself an artist. However, the way of the artist is a spiritual path.
The Artist’s Way is subtitled, “A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity.” Julia has been asked, “How can you teach creativity?” Her reply is, “I can’t. I teach people to let themselves be creative.” Invariably the querent replies, “You mean we’re all creative? You really believe that?”
“Yes.”
We are all creative. I would love it if my ex and everyone I love took up the artist way practice.
This brings us to the New Moon at 1 degree of Pisces, which happens to conjunct Venus in my birth chart. Julia says that she teaches people to let themselves be creative.
“Let” could be the word that speaks of the presence of Neptune at that pivotal point of my life. Neptune corresponds to The Hanged Man in Tarot. Neptune lets and allows—it does not interfere. Neptune is chill. Neptune is also an artist. Neptune is higher love. Neptune represents the universality of feeling that creatives tap into. Julia teaches anyone interested in practicing the art of creative living. Isn’t this you, dear reader?
Practicum
Do Julia’s Morning Pages for at least a week. I highly recommend continuing the practice for the duration of your life.
Julia suggests “Every morning, set your clock one-half hour early; get up and write three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness morning writing. Do not reread these pages or allow anyone else to read them.”
I favor doing morning pages before getting into your day. However, journal whenever you can. When you dedicate and devote yourself to a time to write, the psyche knows and will meet you there more easily.
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I used to buy beautiful books for my journals, but when I could no longer find the journal that made my heart sing, I started enhancing plain ole notebooks. Beautiful journals inspire me to write! —Deborah Singletary
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