Julia Cameron has been an active artist for more than 30 years. She is the author of 28 books, fiction and non-fiction, including her bestselling works on the creative process. A novelist, playwright, songwriter, and poet, she has multiple credits in theatre, film, and television. Julia Cameron is one of our Living Spiritual Teachers.
"We are all looking for God, looking for a connection that will feel real enough to get us through the day," writes the author in this exploration of her combination midlife crisis and "dark night of the soul." Cameron writes her morning pages, daily entries in her journal, and tries to stay on course in her life but comes to the conclusion that she has misplaced her faith. Even though she marvels at the statement "God is your new employer" in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, she finds it hard it is to surrender to this ideal.
Cameron shares how in her middle-age she wanted to be known for her creativity yet God had another plan: the success of The Artist's Way (1992) set her up as a master teacher "aiding and abetting the creativity of others." It takes her a while, but the author eventually comes to see the freedom that comes when she moves herself "out of the driver's seat and into the passenger's seat." Faith means letting God call the shots. It is fortified by gratitude for being able to collaborate with the divine in the unfolding of our lives. Faith also involves trusting that the Creator will guide, direct, and sustain us even during rough patches.
Cameron concludes that no adversity is too great to be transformed. She quotes one of her favorite spiritual teachers, Ernest Holmes, who said: "All things are possible to the Spirit, therefore everything is possible to you in such a degree as you can believe in and accept the operation of Spirit in your life."
