To me, spiritual practice is a daily closet cleaning. *Morning Pages is the swift messy act of putting the clutter in a big pile, a messy storm of thoughts. Specific Gratitude and Beneficial Regret are the sorting into piles of what to let go and what to keep. The *Awareness Examen is a mid-day and nightly scan of what came to my closet today.

Did I notice?
How did I sort it?
What did I take on?
What did I dismiss?
How will I do better tomorrow?
Can I sort the items as they come to me tomorrow?
Will I be aware of what I pile in my closet?

What is being handed to me?

What am I mindlessly stashing in the shadowy depths?
What am I choosing to put in the light?

Let your closet be cleaned

Let the clutter be drained

Let it RAIN

Let love reign

For more on RAIN, visit this page for Tara Brach’s instructive post.

For more on the Daily Examen as in the Jesuit tradition, visit Ignatian Spirituality’s page.

For more on Morning Pages, look into Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.

“Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing,
done first thing in the morning. *There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages*–
they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about
anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes
only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and
synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put
three pages of anything on the page...and then do three more pages tomorrow.”