“Ultimately, no human being can find genuine meaning in her life merely by accepting the meaning handed down from those who have gone before. Personal meaning must be created, not accepted, and the process of creating it requires testing and experimentation. A false self will neither test nor experiment; it is a defense against experimenting.” James F. Masterson, M.D. The Search for the Real Self
When life offers us meaningful or even mystical experiences we often tend to seek other’s help to interpret and understand it. However, since the experience is in the context of your life it is important that you are the primary meaning maker.
So often this ability to make meaning of spiritual circumstances, mystical experiences and significant encounters is taken and even stolen or seduced away from us. Academic teachers often tell our kids what to think rather than how to think for themselves. Religious institutions often push a certain doctrine and insist on how their followers should interpret their experiences. Those in the psychological field too often interpret and diagnosis according to their education and view. By letting others make meaning from our experiences we lose an opportunity to learn and integrate spiritual and psychological occurrences for ourselves. Then we may miss an opportunity to write a great poem or story because our energy is put into searching for meaning outside of our self.
At some point if we are to create the desired movement in our life, we need to make meaning for our self.
Within my Buddhist practice and tradition relying on a qualified teacher for guidance is emphasized. But what makes a teacher truly masterful and qualified is that they lead you to your own inner teacher. They give you the tools for you to make meaning of your experiences. They encourage self-reliance and investigating the truth for your self. The Buddha himself said, “The truth is like my finger pointing to the moon, don’t mistake my finger for the moon.” Good teachers point, while the rest is up to you.
We are the meaning-makers, as Gerald Mohatt writes in his book, The Price of A Gift:
“In Lakota framework everyone is a meaning-maker, everyone must make sense of his or her experience. Woableza has been translated as “realization.” It has always seemed to me that this word acknowledges that each person has a capacity to make meaning; that understanding is very personal, is timed by him or her, and is not predictable; and for woableza to exist, a change in the person should take place.”
I find that people sometimes get stuck in the “meaning” and forget to actually “make” something of their experience. They forget to use the experience to generate movement in their life. That would be like finding a treasure map, understanding where it leads to but not going on the actual adventure of discovery. You make meaning by going on the adventure for your self. When we skillfully make meaning we then take from the meaning to create in the world. The result is a more conscious and active life.
I find that my writing is a central way to make meaning out of my life experiences. It is quite likely that this is what makes writing so appealing. We can take anything from our life and journal about it; make a story, a poem or write an entire book. Both my fiction and nonfiction are ways I become my meaning maker. Spiritual Journaling allows me to consciously agree to make meaning of certain events and circumstances. I can also pull meaning from spiritual teachings I may be reading or attending while I write about them.
Here are some writing prompts and exercises to being your own meaning maker:
Borrowing from a favorite poem, write your own poem using the same theme. Since this is just for your own use, don’t worry about plagiarism. Create your own poem and notice what shifts in perspective arises as you write.
Write about a recent difficulty. Begin with just describing it as best you can. Then read it as if it were a dream you had. How might you interpret this dream? What gets your attention in this dream? As you make meaning of this “dream,” consider what is the call to action? What is the “dream” asking you to acknowledge or do?
Next take the difficulty/”dream” and rewrite it. Reinvent a new circumstance. Include the call to action as you rewrite the dream.
Notice what gets your attention. Write about something that keeps getting your attention. Ask yourself what might be the reason this keeps getting your attention? Intentionally make meaning from this.
Notice how often you complain and change your complaints to requests. You can change your complaints to requests in your journal or verbally.
Write about getting up in the morning and being surprised.
Write about your favorite color using the following words: natural, virtual, sublime, cracked, unveil.
Enjoy!
Winter Writing: Listening to the Bones. An intimate writer’s retreat at Thundering Clouds December 4th. Check out my calendar for details. http://www.julietallardjohnson.com/
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