If you are on a journey to connect more deeply with your Soul, The Morning Pages might be one of the most powerful tools you can add to your practice. Created by Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way, The Morning Pages is a simple yet transformative exercise that brings clarity and lets your Soul’s voice come through.
So, What Are The Morning Pages??
At its core, The Morning Pages is a daily writing ritual. Every morning, preferably straight after waking up, you write three pages by hand, filling them with whatever comes to mind. There are no rules, no grammar checks, no editing, no restrictions. You’re not writing for anyone else, you’re simply letting the words flow on the pages. It’s a space where you’re free to express every thought, emotion and even the messiest parts of yourself without judgment.
The beauty of The Morning Pages is in its simplicity. The aim is not to write something profound or polished. It’s simply to clear your mind and let whatever needs to come out find its way onto the page. As you write you start to release the mental clutter, the fears, the worries, the repetitive thoughts and even the resistance you may not know you’re carrying.
Why Do The Morning Pages Matter?
When you make this ritual part of your life, you’re opening a direct line of communication with your Soul. The Morning Pages allow you to see beyond your surface thoughts and uncover the hidden patterns, desires and things holding you back. Over time, they become a mirror, revealing what’s truly going on inside you, giving you a clearer sense of direction and a deeper connection to your authentic self.
How To Begin Your Morning Pages Practice
Starting the Morning Pages is simple, but consistency is key! It all comes down to the following steps:
- Commit to writing three pages daily as soon as you wake up
Every morning, before your day truly begins, take out a pen and a journal and write three pages by hand. There is something magical about those first moments of the day, when the stream of consciousness that’s meant to pour out on the page is most uninterrupted and therefore most pure.
Besides a quick visit to the toilet and maybe a glass of water, there is nothing you should do before writing. Especially not looking at your phone!
- Let It Flow
Write whatever comes to mind. It could be your dreams, worries or simply what’s happening in your life. If you feel stuck, even writing: “I don’t know what to write” can be a way to begin. Just keep on writing.
- Stay Consistent
The true magic comes with consistency. The book The Artist Way uses a time frame of twelve weeks, and I think that is a perfect amount of time to get results.
- Read all the pages at once
This is a very important step that will uncover insights you didn’t know were there.
After twelve weeks of consistent writing, you’ll have a full journal packed with valuable reflections.
Set aside a morning or afternoon when you won’t be disturbed, put away your phone, get comfortable and start reading. What you read will likely reveal what you need to know to transform your life. The pages may confront you with repetitive patterns, habits and choices that no longer serve you. They’ll also reveal your Soul’s deepest hopes and visions for your future.
How The Morning Pages Changed My Life
When I found myself feeling lost and desperate for change, The Artist Way found its way to me. The first exercise in the book was to start The Morning Pages, so I did immediately.
Each morning, I’d set my alarm for 5 AM, certain the house would still be asleep, and I’d have this quiet time to write. My journal was right there by my bed, ready for me to begin as soon as I opened my eyes.
At first, the words didn’t flow easily, and I wrote “I don’t know what to write” more than once. But over time, the words started pouring out, sometimes beyond the three-page limit, and I let them flow.
Writing each morning felt refreshing, like clearing out my mind before the day began. All the thoughts and emotions I woke up with, found their way onto the page, leaving me with a sense of lightness, clarity and focus.
Time To Face The Truth
When the twelve weeks were up, it was time to face the truth on the pages. I vaguely remembered certain themes, but I hadn’t read a single entry since I started. Now, I was curious, and a bit nervous, to see what had surfaced over those weeks.
One Friday, my day off, I had the house to myself. I made coffee, closed the curtains, curled up on the couch, ready to dive in.
What I found caught me off guard: a hard truth I had been avoiding. The pages revealed, in no uncertain terms, that if I wanted to grow, I had to stop drinking alcohol. Alcohol had been my companion since I was 15, woven into nearly every social moment. I believed it made life more fun, but my journal told a different story. Over and over I’d written about how low I felt after a boozy brunch or wine-fueled dinner, how it affected my self worth, my energy, my zest for life. “Why do I keep doing this to myself?” appeared again and again.
The question was clear: Why was I sabotaging myself?
I had heard the same message in my meditations, a quiet voice that kept saying, “Quit drinking alcohol and your life will transform.” Reading that message in my own words, over so many pages, left no room for doubt. Letting go of alcohol was essential for my journey forward.
It took me another year and a half to fully quit, but that moment, sitting there reading those words, set everything in motion.
I am grateful every day for this realization. I wouldn’t be living the life I am living now if I hadn’t embraced this truth and acted on it.
Final Thoughts
That’s why I believe that anyone seeking change, or wanting to connect more deeply with their Soul, should give The Morning Pages a try.
Let me know your experiences with this journal method. Would love to connect!
