This morning, while walking the dogs along the autumn roadside, I thought of my son. Last night the air was fierce with wild wind and rain, and I was walking through the aftermath of a storm. Maple leaves and golden pine needles carpeted my path, and the words of my son when he was 2 years old returned to me.  “Look, Mom,” he had once exclaimed with delight, while pointing to the ground beneath his feet “It’s Halloween Hair.”

We had been walking together in October, near our former home in Hudson, NH. The ground, much like it is today, was littered with pine needles, making it look like the scatterings of clipped, orange hair. My son had seen a poetic beauty in a scene many adults might have missed.

On another day, also when my son was 2, we were playing in a park and he pointed up to a maple tree with dark purple leaves (I believe they’re called Crimson Maples). “Look, Mom,” he said that day, “It’s a chocolate tree.” I thought for sure I had given birth to a little poet. You can imagine my delight!

Perhaps I had, we’ll see, but my son’s words were not in the realm of extraordinary. Have you ever listened to the language of a young child? Mixed with the stumble of syntax, you will often find incredible beauty and wisdom. A young child still holds onto the secrets of the soul, a young child is still an open channel to the world of Spirit.

This is why young children see colors, or auras, around people, play with “imaginary” friends (fairies, spirit guides, etc.) and live blissfully in the moment. Many of us spend our lives trying to retrieve this connection to source. Fear has a (not so) funny way of shutting off the light-switch.

You have probably heard some of the stories of “genius.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem  “Kubla Khan” coming to him in dreamy lyrics while he slept, and which he recovered hastily the next day onto the safe permanence of the page. The invention of the sewing machine, again emerging from a “dream” in the night. There are countless more.

I have a friend who channels messages from Ascended Masters during the night. She wakes to their words, grabs a pen and paper, and retrieves their messages in the fog of not being fully “awake.”

When I write, my best words emerge from an uncluttered mind. When I practice energy healing, the strongest effects occur when I let go of my fear. When we strip away the trappings of our fears and close off the chattering voice of our ego, Spirit comes through in that open channel of light. This is how masterpieces are formed, great inventions are made, and “miracles” occur.

One way to practice being an “open-channel,” is automatic, or channeled writing. I do this sometimes when I am experiencing writer’s block, or need an answer to a life-question that is troubling me. No doubt there are many ways to practice this form of communication, but it really is quite simple.

The key to channeled writing is to let the mind drift into a meditative-like state, where one is conscious, but not actively thinking. I like to use the computer to write, as my hands work faster on the keyboard. You might prefer to go outside with a pen and pad of paper, where the energy of nature will help you clear the clutter of your thoughts.

Once you feel relaxed and “open,” write, or mentally think your question. I suggest writing it, this starts the flow of writing that you will not stop until you feel finished. You can pause after your question, or you can simply start writing and see what comes up. Again, the key is not to let your ego’s thoughts enter into the space, which they might initially (the ego can be very stubborn). Don’t worry, you will see what is ego when you are done, and you can simply erase, delete or scratch out those early words. Think of it like clearing away the dustballs under the couch. It’s a necessary step to achieving a clean space.

Then write. Simply write. Without stopping, write whatever comes through your hand. Since I am empathic, I feel the energy of Source, or Spirit, come though as a tingling sensation in my hands. You might too, or you may see images, hear the voice of Spirit,  have a heightened sense of smell, or some other sense, while you write.

While you write, don’t worry about grammar or syntax, don’t worry about a coherent sentence, you can edit later. Stop when you feel ready. Again, there are no “rules” or right way to do this. I like to thank the source of the words after I feel finished, then I read through what I have written.

If you get discouraged and cannot seem to open the flow of communication, don’t worry. Try again later. Change your scene and method. Try it immediately after waking, or right before sleep. Find what works best for you. Perhaps you will only have a few lines, or a paragraph at first, don’t get discouraged. I find automatic writing to be fun and healing, and it often leaves me joy-filled, as I have connected to that energy of source, which is also referred to sometimes as “bliss.” Like anything else, the more you “practice” channeled writing, the easier it gets.