The Artist's Way Acrostics

In response to prompt #26, I have reworked and/or created acrostic poems for the Chapter headings from Julia Cameron's the Artist's Way. Over the past eleven weeks, the journey TAW has led me through has caused some important shifts in my mindset--some subtle, some noticeable, some so strong I can feel the ground move beneath me and the sky open up above me.

SAFETY

Sensibility seems to keep us safe,
Allowing us to live a quiet life, but its
Fetters don't permit movement, fail to
Encourage growth,
Tying us to one place, leaving us
Yearning for just a little chaos.

IDENTITY

Individuality gets lost
Deep in our pursuit of the
Enterprises of others, living
Not our dream, but the desires of
Those who surround us. We
Internalize the
Thoughts and ideas poured into us, their
Yammering drowning out our authentic voice.

POWER (an antithesis)

Perhaps our
Optimism
Works against us. Our
Enthusiasm
Renders us defenseless.

INTEGRITY
(This is a backwards acrostic; please read from the bottom up first, then from the top down.)

Indulge your inner child,
Necessary for your growth,
Thrown to the wind--
Expectations of bygone times,
Greet the day with fresh eyes,
Respecting the lessons of the past.
Involve yourself with the present,
Today is before you.
Yesterday is over.

POSSIBILITY

Powerful are the
Opportunities that are
Spread out before us,
Serendipity ours to discover.
Instead, we often
Bind ourselves by lack of
Imagination,
Lie to ourselves that our crazy
Ideas will destroy us, so we
Trade them in for the safety of
Yesterday's successes.

ABUNDANCE

Always
Believe that an
Upswing is
Near.
Determine to
Accept the
Nurturing
Creativity from God,
Embrace His charity.

CONNECTION 1

Consider the possibilities;
Open yourself up to
Novel pursuits,
New adventures,
Exciting experiences.
Consider connections
To nature
Integral
Opportunities to
Nurture your starving soul.

CONNECTION 2 (an antithesis)

Constantly searching for approval from
Others,
Neglecting to search within,
Needing validation for
Each move,
Creating an environment of
Tension,
Interested in listening to
Only the messages you think you
Need to hear.

STRENGTH

Sabotage comes in many forms,
Tip-toeing in unnoticed--until the
Ripples of discontent run through
Every aspect of your life.
Now is the time to trust your
Gut feelings, listen to your intuition;
That is where the power lies,
Hidden away but ready to rise again.

COMPASSION

Considering the vulnerability of others, the exact
Opposite of
Malice, compassion requires a
Purposeful determination to
Accept people and
Situations for what they are, to
Stop blaming
Individuals for the
Outcomes
None of us can really control.

SELF-PROTECTION

Swords drawn against the insidious
Enemy, the One who threatens to ruin your
Life. She charges at you with a
Fury you have been blind to for so long.
-
Provoked by a new bravery, a
Realization that your thoughts and
Opinions do matter, that your
Theories have a place in this world.
Egocentric as it may seem to others, you
Carve out much-needed and much-deserved
Time for yourself--defending it to the death--to reclaim your
Identity--whether they like it or not.
Oppressed no more, you greet and nurture your
New existence like the newborn you once held lovingly in your arms.

AUTONOMY

Angst builds and threatens to
Unravel us thread by thread.
Taking full responsibility for
Our own destiny becomes a
Nagging desire that too
Often gets buried under the seemingly
Magnanimous philosophy of someone else's creation, one we
Yield to in our moment of weakness.

FAITH

Forget all that you thought you knew, for
Although their well-meaning
Intentions were not designed to harm you,
The only true path to belief requires you to
Harness the power of the Great Creator for yourself.