Monthly writing prompt ~ to the depths

Feed your creativity & expand your sense of possibility with writing & imagination

Artwork: Bill Viola

Writing, to me, is like swimming underwater. At the outset, I often find myself stiffening with resistance but the further I push out from the shores of the familiar towards what I don’t know, the more I get a strange, intoxicating feeling of coming into contact with the infinite vastness of something bigger and wider and deeper than me - and that’s usually when things start to get interesting.

In her brilliant book Three Steps on the Ladder of Writing, Hélène Cixous says one of the magical things about writing is the way it can propel us toward;

‘what you cannot know before you have written; it is the pre-knowing and not knowing, blindly, with words. It occurs at the point where blindness and light meet. Franz Kafka says – one very small line lost in his writing – ‘to the depths, to the depths’.

It’s in this place ‘where blindness and light meet’, that we can touch the depths of what Carl Jung calls the creative psyche where the dark light of the transpersonal breaks into the personal through words coming to life on the page.

At the same time, ego-centric Western capitalism privileges surface over depth, quick fix hacks over swimming in the dark and having the ‘right’ answers over asking the right questions. It turns out that even as we attempt to swim towards the depths it can feel like the tide is against us. But perhaps it’s precisely through our perseverance in swimming the opposite way that we can also play a part in turning it?

Read more on the depths and the cosmic wisdom of Carl Jung here

You can interpret the prompts below in any way that feels right for you. You might want to do them now or when you have a quiet moment later on. You can do them on your own or with a friend. Or you can come along to the monthly depth writing pod on Monday June 23rd 7pm - 8pm GMT to do the prompts in a dedicated online space (see below for more information). Paid subscribers - keep an eye on your email inbox for the link to join.

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• Carl Jung said ‘only down below can we find the fiery source’ of the animating life force that’s our innate creativity. What does going down below mean to you? Where is depth present in your life and where is it missing? When, where and how do you stay on the surface of things and when, where and how do you experience touching your depths? How does your experience of both feel? What thoughts, images and associations come to mind? What can you do to cultivate this fiery source in the depths more?

• To aid his explorations of the depths, Jung would visualise himself digging a hole. Down this hole, he would voyage with imagination to otherworldly places where he would meet otherworldly beings. Write about going down a deep hole. Where does imagination take you? What does this place look, smell, feel, sound and taste like? Who or what do you meet? You might want to take a rope so you can climb out if you need.

• Imagine descending into the Chalice Well at Glastonbury (pictured below) which legend says is the final resting place of the Holy Grail. What happens next?

• If you enjoyed these prompts, do ‘heart’ & share so others can find them

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  Join a depth writing pod on Monday June 23rd, 7pm - 8pm London time to do the prompts in a dedicated online space.

  Who are the pods for? The monthly depth writing pods are for writers, creative practitioners, seekers, thinkers & inner explorers who are on a journey of self-discovery and who are comfortable with diving deeper.

  What to expect? This 60-minute pod will be an opportunity to have time just for yourself to write in response to the above prompts. It will include 2 x 15-20 minute (approx.) writing slots and a chance to share at the end.

  • Paid subscribers - use the zoom link in the email footer to join the pod. If you’re reading this in the app, keep an eye on your email inbox for the zoom link to join.

  • Not a paid subscriber but would like to join? No problem book your place here

  Community guidelines

  • Take responsibility for your own experience by working with the material at a level that feels right for you

  • Avoid over-disclosing any matter that is particularly private or painful

  • Consider seeking support if anything particularly difficult comes up

  • Practice CARE - Confidentiality, Attention, Respect & Empathy - with others

  • Go in peace if the space is not serving you

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    Fire Your Wild Imagination, Portugal depth writing retreat, October 1st - 5th. Rooms from 750 Euros, inclusive of meals.

    Enjoying these depth writing prompts & would love to do more in the sunny climes of Portugal? If that’s you, you can join Fire Your Wild Imagination, a 5 day depth writing retreat this October in the rural region of Alentejo, South Portugal, where you’ll have the chance to write, reflect and connect with others surrounded by beautiful cork woods. Find out more here or send me a message