Hot Pen

By Kaye Cooper and the Adventures in Spiritual Living Retreat Team.

This article is one of many techniques developed by Adventures in Spiritual Living to encourage and support your personal spiritual experience. It can be used by individuals or enjoyed as a group activity and sharing.

Introduction

The hot pen technique is a useful style of writing to explore your thoughts on any subject you choose. What is different about this style of writing is that you do not think about the subject before you write.

Ask for spiritual assistance before you start writing. Open your mind to spirit. Then, simply start writing. Write rapidly and continuously for the period of time you allot to your topic. Let all of your thoughts spill out on paper. Do not hold back.

When you write in this continuous, unbroken manner, you keep your thoughts flowing, the momentum going, and hopefully fresh new insights coming to further illuminate your understanding. When you read what you have written, use your own best judgment to determine the worth of what you have written.

Try Hot Pen

1. Have a pen and paper or journal to write in. Choose the length of time to write. You may want to try 10 minutes.
2. Choose a topic on which to write. You can write about almost anything you care to explore. Here are some categories of topics:

• Your goals and spiritual aspirations.
• Relationships with family and friends.
• Work-related situations.
• Prayers for yourself or others.
• Illumination on spiritual concepts.

You can also ask a question. Here are examples of questions:

• How do I feel about sharing my inner life more fully with God?
• What is truly important in the situation I am dealing with?
• How do I feel about having friends with whom to share my spiritual journey?
• How do I feel about Jesus’ promise to go with me through all troubles?
• How do I feel about forgiving someone who obviously neither deserves my forgiveness nor values it?

3. Ask for spiritual assistance.
4. If nothing comes, just write something like, “I feel awkward being asked to do this exercise, but I want to put down my feelings on this topic… ” Get your pen moving and your thoughts flowing through your pen. Do not wait until something worthwhile comes into your mind. Just write. Soon your flow of thoughts will take over and you will be on your way. As you write, do not analyze or criticize what you write. Do not correct. Do not spend your time editing.
5. When the time is up, enjoy reading over what you have written. Reflect on it and learn from it. You may want to write more thoughts that occur to you as you reflect on the hot pen writing. Have fun.

Benefits

Using the hot pen technique has many benefits:

• It will frequently give you fresh new ideas, insights and understandings that you would not normally think of.
• It is a method that will help open your mind to creativity and spontaneity.
• It is a request to receive spiritual help through your writing.
• It is a way to keep those wonderful ideas which may get away from you if you do not get them down on paper.
• It is a method to bring to our consciousness ideas and concepts that have been formulating in your subconscious or in your superconscious.
• It is a problem-solving method incorporating spiritual assistance.
• It may bring to your attention feelings about the matter being considered that you did not realized you had.

Group experience:

 If you are fortunate enough to have a group who will share their experiences with each other, discuss beforehand the need to create a safe place for each person to share his or her inner thoughts and feelings without criticism or advice.

Suggestions to create a safe place within a group:

• Slow down and relax your body and mind.
• Express genuine interest in others.
• Accept their sharing with appreciation.

The Hot Pen technique can be used individually or in groups. It can also be used for a group worship. Experiencing the writing is nice, but sharing with friends is even better. It gives you the opportunity to observe the similarity of everyone’s experience.

Once the group has written their individual hot pens, each person can read over what she or he has written. Share what you have written or your response to the experience.

If you do not want to share anything, that is fine. But if you do find that you can share part or all of what you have written, please do so. One person’s writing may have a great deal of meaning to someone else. Developing friendships are greatly enriched by hearing what others have written.

Take a few minutes to read what you have written.

[The group shares.]

(Hand out for group exercise)

HOT PEN Question and Instructions

How do you feel about having God for a friend?

Reminders:

1. Ask for spiritual assistance as you write.
2. Begin writing right away. Don’t wait for inspiration. If necessary, simply begin writing something like this: “I don’t know quite what to say, but I want to explore my feelings on this topic. I’ve been told I should just begin to write, so here I go… ” Your feelings and thoughts will begin to take over.
3. Keep writing until the time limit is reached.
4. Then read over what you have written. You may want to read some or all of it to the group. And/or you may want to comment on your experience with this technique.