On Asking Questions. The Right Ones, in the Right Way...

I asked myself a question: what should my first blog post on this site be about? And before I even finished forming the question, my mind already had an answer: about myself, where I come from, and why I do what I do. But then my heart said it should be about asking questions. The right ones, in the right way.

I'm currently working with the book Living The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. It's a six-week course built around a tool that Julia calls "Guidance." I'm in week two. Every day I either do the exercises assigned by Julia or I ask my own questions. But let me start from the beginning. What is this really about?

For a long time, personal development and various spiritual schools have repeated the idea that "all the answers are within you — you just have to look for them." But how? How do you hear the answer? I tried different methods. I would ask a question and try to feel the response in my body (whether it felt positive, neutral, or negative). I worked with a pendulum, with cards, with little slips of paper on which I wrote down different options (again checking through the body). All of these tools gave yes-or-no answers. Cards sometimes offered an insight (a sentence, a suggestion) that I could use for deeper reflection. But how do you find a qualitative answer? How do you receive guidance that isn't already sitting in your head, ready at the first mental search? Maybe it's deeper in the subconscious (for those who don't believe in "the field" / the universe / God)? Or maybe you can draw the answer from the "ether"? But how?

I am a believer. I believe there is a Power above us, our Creator, who gives us what we ask for. I believe in the immortal Soul, in connection with that Soul, and through it with the whole of existence — with all knowledge. In short, I believe in connection with God. So I ask God my questions. Julia Cameron is also a deeply faithful person who trusts in divine care. But to use this tool you don't have to believe in anything — you can believe you're just a piece of flesh that randomly developed self-awareness and that after death the light simply goes out and eternal nothingness absorbs you...

Just assume that an answer can come to you. No matter from what source.

And this is where it gets interesting. The question must be asked precisely, so that the answer addresses a real problem. The question should be written down. Ideally, written by hand, so that your eyes can see the question in your own handwriting. I once read that asking a question this way and looking at what you've written allows the Soul to see it, creating a chance for an answer that bypasses the ego's noise. Interesting — I don't know if it works exactly like that. But there may be something to it.

An example:

You write by hand: "What about my mom?" Because you see time passing, her health isn't what it used to be, and she complains that you don't have time for her. You feel guilty, but you're also trying to manage your own life... So many things every day — and then there's Mom.

Look at the question and wait. At some point, words will begin to appear in your mind — whole sentences, guidance, comfort, ideas. Different things may arise. Write down everything that comes. Over time, the answers will become clearer and fuller. The guidance will more often feel like insight — ideas will drop in that you wouldn't have come up with just by sitting and thinking. 

Just ask the right question — meaning one that truly matters to you. And ask it in the right way — open, yet clear. In a way that gives the answer space to be something more than YES or NO.

So I'm working with Guidance, unpacking my limitations, fears, and programs I got stuck in years ago. Family relationships, work ideas, the garden, vacations. You can ask about anything. Trust that the more often you use the answers you receive — and the more satisfied you are with the results — the better the answers will become. This is how you learn to trust God (or your subconscious, if you don't believe), and how He gets the chance to take care of you. 

I truly recommend this tool, and of course I recommend Julia's book as well. It's really for everyone — don't let the word "artist" in the title intimidate you. In the end, each of us is an artist — we create our own lives the way Jan Matejko created Battle of Grunwald. 

See you in the next blog post 🙂

Monika