1. INTER-SPIRITUAL
“Words are the bones. Writing is the lungs. Reading is like breathing.”
― T.L. Crain
Ask yourself: What does this say to me as a writer? What does it say about the role of spirit?
2. EXPERIENTIAL
Print out the finger labyrinth attached here.
What word in the above quote from T.L. Crain most stirs you. Using the pointer finger of your non-dominant hand, start at the entrance to the labyrinth, silently saying your word.
Say it over and over to yourself as you slowly make your way to the center. When was the first time you remember hearing the word? If you can't remember, when do you suppose it was? Where do you hear the word in your body? How does it feel to say it? What other words does it give birth to?
Give thanks for and to this word. Leave it at the center of the labyrinth as an offering to other word lovers who follow this path. Think about sharing your word with the world as you point your way back out of the circle.
Words have power. They break hearts. They divide nations. They heal ancestors. They help us to find our way in life with the footprints they leave along our labyrinth.
3. PRACTICAL
Altar versus alter
Sometimes we become so reliant on spellcheck we put our own proofreading skills on autopilot. It isn't always important, except when it is, like posting your first blog after telling all your friends to read it, and realizing as soon as you hit send that your first sentence says:
"To altar the status and tradition of alters is their work's mission."
Altar, a noun refers to a an area or structure where sacrifices are offered. Alter is usually a verb; it means to change or modify something. In the above sentence, "alter" is used a noun; and "altar" is used as a verb.
The word bones stirs me. The first time I remember hearing the word is when my brother got his hand caught in my grandmothers old fashion ringer washing machine and broke a bone in his hand. I feel this word in my feet where I've had multiple bone surgeries. This word gives birth to another word "manifest." Or the word became flesh or in this case bones.