From journaling to automatic writing

I have been an avid writer ever since I was able to hold a pen – as a child I would make the silent little book with empty lines my secret friend: The only one I could and would confess all my troubles and fantasies to. No judgement what so ever would be the echo. Unless someone found it – so I made sure to hide it well.  

Later, on my travels around the world I jotted down the experiences and situations I encountered. Here I also noted Lyrics and song fragments that would have otherwise gotten lost. (This was pre mobile phone and the diversity of apps, mind you)

My diary was my go to choice when I needed to gain clarity on my thoughts, feelings and emotions. Journaling as a daily habit – something that is now commonly known as “morning pages”, gifted me often with gems of insights that clearly were not coming from my often troubled mind, but from some more evolved and far wiser aspect. On researching this phenomenon, I came across the concept of  “automatic writing”.

Automatic writing is a practice in which a person allows their subconscious mind or a spiritual guide to take control of their hand or fingers, enabling them to write without conscious thought or intention. This process is often used as a tool for self-discovery, creative expression, or spiritual communication.

This way of allowing the pen form words and sentences, bypasses the filters and limitations of conscious thought.

The subconscious mind expresses itself freely, which really helps when you find yourself in a feedback loop of constant overthinking. It helps to access and process deeply buried emotions or experiences.

The practice of automatic writing has a long history and has been applied by various cultures and spiritual traditions for centuries. It gained popularity during the Spiritualist movement in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The concept of receiving messages or insights through a form of trance-induced writing has appeared in different cultures and spiritual traditions for centuries.

In the modern context, automatic writing gained prominence during the Spiritualist movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries. This movement, which emerged primarily in the United States and Europe, focused on communicating with spirits and exploring the afterlife. Practitioners of Spiritualism often used automatic writing as a means to receive messages from the spirit world.

• Helena Blavatsky: The co-founder of Theosophy, a spiritual movement, mentioned automatic writing as one of the methods used to receive esoteric knowledge.
• Stainton Moses: A British clergyman and medium who claimed to receive spiritual messages through automatic writing.
• Pearl Curran: An American medium who claimed to channel a spirit named Patience Worth through automatic writing. Curran’s case gained attention in the early 20th century.
• Alice Bailey: An influential writer and theosophist, Bailey claimed to receive teachings from a spiritual entity known as Djwhal Khul through a form of automatic writing.

Some practitioners believe that automatic writing can be a means of communicating with spirits, guides, or higher consciousness entities. Practitioners often enter a meditative or trance-like state to facilitate the process, which can help them relax and allow the flow of thoughts without conscious interference. For some this is the first step to mediumship and channeling. Read more on channeling and mediumship below.