THE ARTIST WAY COURSE - 1999

In early January 1999, I noticed a flyer for a writing course based on The Artist Way by Julia Cameron. In 1996, I’d completed the three-month course in six months, by myself. I’d experienced writers’ block and I hoped by doing The Artist Way again with other creative people, it would inspire me to continue writing.

I emailed the instructor. She was waiting for more people to register and I bugged her repeatedly as I sensed this would be the perfect course for me. I intuitively felt it would be a go.

Finally, in February after numerous emails, Janet emailed me confirming my intuitive hit that we’d start.

This is the strangest course that I’ve ever taken. One woman whatever she wrote in her journal happened. Janet maintained our group was the strangest she’d ever taught. She credited me with making the course happen with my strong belief that it would.

I introduced Janet to Animal Speak by Ted Andrews. It’s about animal totems that we encounter in waking time and dreamtime. Today, Janet continues to thank me for recommending this book.

One week, I believe three of us bought the same book, Callings, Finding and Following an Authentic Life by Gregg Levoy. All of us, were in the process of reading it.

He writes a chapter on awakening to our dreams. He speaks about wake-up calls that influence us to live an authentic life

“Wake up calls, however, change the bottom line. What seemed important before doesn’t now. You have a new set of priorities. When you get sick, work takes a
backseat.”

Ask anybody who has had a near-death experience and visited heaven, how it changes everything in their life. Ask anybody who has experienced a life-threatening disease how it changes everything in their life. And they’ll tell you.

Are you living an authentic life?

Are you living your dreams? (Dreams are the language of the soul.)

Are you writing the story that only you could tell?

And yes, the course influenced me to continue writing. I have fond memories of it. Thanks Janet.