Quote:
Originally Posted by rosegold  Solitude requires that you sit quietly, perfectly still, back and head erect, eyes open, without cigarettes, candy, writing materials, music or any interruptions whatsoever for at least 30 minutes. An hour is better. |
I disagree with the "just sitting" requirement. I use intensive, spontaneous, uninterrupted writing to reach the exact same kinds of realizations, and these days they usually come in a lot less time (more like 10-15 minutes).
That said, there's nothing wrong with the practice Tracy describes; it's a lot like sitting zazen. If you want to try it, I say go for it. But to say that solitude
requires this? No. There are other means of slowing down your racing mind and clearing away mental clutter that stands in the way of The Answer, and what may work for one person does not (and need not) work for all.
Quote:
Quote: |
Whatever it is, when you follow the guidance that you received in solitude, it will turn out to be exactly the right thing to do.
| Can anybody confirm this claim?
|
I've found it to be true, in my own experience with writing (as well as walking meditation). Eventually, The Answer comes. And sometimes it seems weird, or it's not what I wanted, and sometimes I resist doing it because it touches on something uncomfortable for me--but at the same time The Answer has so much
weight (for lack of a better way of describing it) that I know it's the right thing to do.
(And a lot of the time, The Answer doesn't "emerge quietly and clearly" for me--it hits me like a lightning bolt.
My hand is moving across the page, and the next thing I know, BAM! There it is!)