It’s a rare writer who doesn’t have strong spiritual beliefs. I don’t mean beliefs related to a specific religion but those involving the Creator—call it God, Source, the Universe, or something else—playing an essential part in their writing process. That’s why I find it so interesting that writers who complain of writer’s block don’t immediately turn to their spiritual practice to get unstuck. Instead, they just stare at the computer screen and wring their hands rather than meditating, praying, or invoking spiritual guidance.

If you’ve ever struggled to write, you can use your spiritual practices to kickstart your writing. And you can use your spiritual beliefs to “get in the flow” of spiritual energy and find yourself writing easily—almost effortlessly—once again.

But suppose you have no spiritual practice despite your spiritual beliefs. In that case, you must turn to personal and spiritual growth to help you develop them. After all, spiritual practices are not just rituals but habits. And while spiritual practices grow out of your spiritual journey, habits form as a result of personal development.

Plus, personal growth removes some of the biggest obstacles to writing. For example, more often than not, writer’s block is caused by fear, unsupportive self-talk, negative beliefs, and lack of confidence. These can be cured with personal growth strategies.

My Case of Writer’s Block

I used to be quick to declare that I had never struggled to write…ever. Unfortunately, I can’t say that any longer, since I’ve definitely had a case of writer’s block.

About eight years ago, after much interest in my work, a publisher turned down not one but two book proposals I was asked to submit. When they rejected them, I felt enormously disappointed.

I went to work on a different book project that seemed my logical next step. However, discouragement, low levels of passion for the project, and negative feedback from my agent made writing challenging for the first time in my life. Still, I plugged away at the manuscript and book proposal for over a year and sent it to my agent. But after two years without a publisher opting to purchase it and my increasing unhappiness with the focus of my writing career, I fell into a profound writing slump.

I continued to write blog posts, but even that activity felt difficult. I stopped querying magazines or writing guest posts for other sites because I was afraid I’d struggle to write these pieces.

Before that time, I put my personal and spiritual growth on the back burner due to issues in my marriage. And, with increasing pressure to “earn a living,” I moved my writing career there as well, where it barely simmered. I turned my attention to becoming an authorpreneur and earning a living based on my expertise as an author rather than writing more books.

Getting Back on the Path

Eight years later, my writing career had stalled out. And I couldn’t seem to find the flow of words that once came to me so easily. And I lacked any desire to risk another failed attempt at getting published.

When I realized how stuck I was—especially in my writing career, I knew I had to get back on the personal and spiritual growth path. So, in the fall of 2020, I plunked down a considerable sum of money for a transformational program much like the one I had created.

I suppose that’s ironic. I was running a program that featured a world-class personal growth curriculum—Certified High Performance Coaching—and my unique brand of spiritual growth coaching—Inspired Results Coaching. Yet, I needed exactly the same type of support.

But I couldn’t coach myself, so I joined this program. And it was the best thing I could have done.

I’m still in the program almost a year and a half later. I’ve also worked with three additional coaches, and slowly but surely, I’m beginning to write again. However, getting to this point required focusing on my personal and spiritual growth rather than on writer’s block per se.

Personal Growth Comes First

If I was going to continue saying I was a writer, I had to be a writer. And, as you likely know, writers write. That is a habit they possess.

Some writers have the habit of writing during a specific time each day. Others produce a certain number of pages or words daily. But they are in the habit of writing.

Of course, that habit aligns with their identity. So, I had to choose to be a writer again and align my habits with that identity. Once I did that, I began writing again. And little by little, writing is becoming a habit once again.

However, I continue to dig deeply into my own psychology to release old fears, stories, and beliefs around my writing ability and success as an author. After all, these mental constructs become the biggest obstacles to writing.

The personal growth work I committed to doing has transformed me on many levels, impacting every area of my life—not just my writing. Indeed, it also created changes in my spiritual practices.

Spiritual Growth Comes Second

Actually, it had been a long time since I had spiritual practices. Even my old rituals had fallen by the wayside.

But as I worked on myself, I realized that I’d forgotten the other side of myself—the woman passionate about spirituality, metaphysics, esoteric wisdom, and Kabbalah. And these were the topics I set out to write about more than two decades prior.

When I realized this, I knew I also had to embrace that identity—the one I jokingly referred to as The Woo-Woo Lady. And as I got reacquainted with her and  embodied this identity, I got back in the habit of using rituals, meditation, and prayer in my life—and writing.

These days, before I write, I take time to go through a ritual of lighting a candle and incense and smudging. As I do so, I ask all my guides, angels, and ancestors, as well as any ascended masters or astral beings, to join me as I write.

Then, I meditate…even if only for five or ten minutes. I get quiet and imagine I am becoming a channel for Divine Intelligence. (Many writers believe they have channeled their written work.) I see and feel myself in the flow of universal energy.

By doing this every day, I am creating a vortex of spiritual energy in my office. Think of it as an ancient church…as soon as you walk through the door, you feel the spiritual energy created by millions of people praying in that building. That’s what I want my office to feel like, too.

Then Write!

And then I write. I allow spiritual guidance to come through me. I affirm that I am a conduit for Divine Intelligence, directing it through my consciousness to my fingers on the keyboard and from there onto the computer screen.

Also, I keep in mind that going through this process helps me fulfill my purpose. I tap into the heart of who I am and what I am meant to do this lifetime, which is to make a positive and meaningful difference with my written words. I’m making my nonfiction writing a spiritual practice.

If I feel blocked, uninspired, or unable to write, I simply go back to my spiritual practice. I open myself again to the flow. Then I put my hands back on the keyboard. I make spiritual practice and writing habitual.

Am I now writing as consistently or with as much confidence and ease as I’d like? No…not yet. But I don’t have writer’s block.

I also know I will find writing challenging unless I continue to focus on my personal and spiritual growth. By showing up daily as a writer and as a human having a spiritual experience, writing will come naturally again, and the words will flow as if heaven-sent.

Do you use personal or spiritual growth to help you overcome writer’s block or other challenges to writing? Tell me in a comment below, and please share this post with another writer.

Photo courtesy of evgenyatamanenko.