Arrange Flowers While Honoring the Present Season: A Guided Practice for Writers, Journalers, and Creative Souls
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 45 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
“Writing is a deeply human endeavor, and connecting with the natural world reminds us of our place in the more extensive web of life. Being with trees, flowers, or a babbling brook grounds you, brings a sense of calm, and fosters a stronger connection to this wide world. Plants and bodies of water and even piles of dirt can be a source of solace, inspiration, and even metaphorical richness for your writing, as well as a nice break from any depleting difficulties or stressors.”
-Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life
Pause.
Sit in silence while taking four deep breaths. Use the words below for a breath prayer or breath meditation on each of the inhales and exhales:
Inhale: Embrace this season.
Exhale.
Inhale: Be here now.
Exhale.
Inhale: Embrace this season.
Exhale.
Inhale: Be here now.
Exhale.
Repeat as many times as you like.
Prompt.
“Floral designer Holly Carlisle has a practice she calls Seasonal Sketches that’s a great way to engage with the natural world and nurture your creative spirit. Here are some instructions for a simplified version: Start with a walk around your yard, neighborhood, or other outdoor space in which you can cut about fifteen stems of growing things—flowers, grasses, bamboo, shrubbery. Then bring your stems inside and place them in a bucket of water to keep them hydrated. Take fifteen to twenty minutes to play with your stems by creating an arrangement in a vase or other vessel. Experiment with different shapes and modify the energy of your arrangement by clipping stems, rearranging them, adding more stems to the arrangement, or taking some away.”
Here’s a seasonal sketch I made while staying at the hermitage last week.
Learn more about Holly Carlisle and her work at https://www.hollycarlisle.com/ and at https://www.instagram.com/hollymcarlisle/.
-Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life
Practice.
Take 10 minutes to gather 10-15 stems of whatever is growing around your home then arrange them in a vessel.
Then re-read the words above and take notes or journal about choosing the stems and arranging them and what you noticed throughout the practice.
Want More?
Read Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life.
Learn more about Holly Carlisle and her work at hollycarlisle.com and at instagram.com/hollymcarlisle.
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Flourish Anyway with Rhythms, Rituals, & Retreats
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
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