Karen Emslie at Aeon Magazine explores why broken sleep is a golden time for creativity. I’ve discovered for myself the truth of this. It’s been a lovely mysterious part of my healing journey. The loveliness of night. We’re primed to distrust and fear sleeplessness and yet once I let myself go into those wakeful times I found access to part of my consciousness that I would not have otherwise found. This is yet another way we need to forget what we’ve been told. And in so doing shed some of our fear. I've experimented further with these wakeful hours in the middle of the night and now I often spend 2 to 4 hours in the middle of the night meditating or writing. On occasion I also do gentle yoga. I do whatever my creative guide suggests I need and it's been a lovely part of my healing experience. Lately the time is used mostly for deep contemplation and meditation. It is a very special time that I very much love to have in my life. I no longer stress not sleeping but go with what it is my body leads me to do. … [click on title for the rest of the post]