In modern practice, automatic writing is generating written words that originate from a place outside of conscious awareness. In other words, you write without thinking about it. Whatever you may believe the source to be, it is a great way to gain personal insight or guidance about your spiritual path. Most people believe they can’t do automatic writing, but the process itself is simpler than you may think. All you need is lots of paper, something to write with, and a place where you won’t be disturbed while you are doing it.

Sit down in your spot, get comfortable, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Now open your eyes and begin writing. You can start out by writing down a question about your practice and going from there. Don’t consider if your writing makes sense right now; just get it all down on the paper. Throw spelling and grammar out the window. Just write until you feel you are done.

Now leave what you wrote alone for at least 30 minutes; this is the really hard part because it is tempting to start analyzing what you wrote right away. Take a shower, eat something, place a game on your phone, anything that you can use to distract yourself temporarily. Afterwards, read what you wrote and see if there are any common themes running through it or if you really did know the answer to your question.

For many people, the first time they try this process, it is difficult to let go of being in control and just write. Others find the first time works really well, but when they try to duplicate the experience, they get stuck. Automatic writing gets easier with practice; there are going to be times it works really well and other times when it won’t work at all.

Keep trying if you find it is something you feel might be beneficial for gaining insight or focus