Author Mark Matousek joins Francesca Maximé for a conversation about using writing as a pathway for personal exploration and awakening.
Mark Matousek is a bestselling author, teacher, and speaker whose work focuses on personal awakening and creative excellence through transformational writing and self-inquiry. His workshops, classes, and mentoring have inspired thousands of people around the world to reach their artistic and personal goals. The essence of Mark’s philosophy is that “When you tell the truth, your story changes. When your story changes, your life is transformed.” Only by dispelling life myths and revealing your authentic truth can transformation begin. Learn more about Marks offerings at markmatousek.com.
Show Notes
Writing to Awaken (Opening) – Mark shares his moment of realization as a journalist that writing about his own life, as opposed to only documenting the experiences of others, could introduce countless opportunities for self-exploration and profound connection with others. He and Francesca look at the redemption that can come from sharing the rawest aspects of ourselves through writing.
“When I discovered the first-person pronoun, and I actually allowed myself to write about my life; it changed my work completely, it brought me to my practice of writing to awaken and it has made me a more honest and transparent writer. Whatever it is that I am doing, or teaching, I am on the line as well.” – Mark Matousek
A New Path of Practice (10:45) – We look at the way that writing from the first person introduces us to deeper levels of introspection and contemplation. Mark and Francesca discuss the correlations between this form of writing and traditional contemplative practices like mindfulness and meditation. How can writing honestly about ourselves break cycles of fear and trauma that we get stuck in?
“As in meditation, it is the ability to observe our own minds, feelings and our thoughts that gives us insight. By externalizing the thoughts that are going on in our minds onto the page and really seeing what it is that we believe in black and white, at a distance, that is what touches us into that part of ourselves that actually knows much more than we are aware of. That witness self is the seat of knowledge, it is the source.” – Mark Matousek
Listen to reflections from Ram Dass about on operating from place of the witness and living through our creativity on Ep. 135 of the Here and Now Podcast
Your Wound is a Vein of Gold (28:45) – When we recognize our innate inner dignity and worth, it enables us to find value in our wounds that can be used for profound inner transformation. In this part of the episode we look at the transformative power that comes when we honor our traumatic past or current reality. Francesca and Mark also discuss how cultural norms and unseen bias – in all forms – cause harm and prevent healing.
“We are standing on our experience. Until we understand what that experience has been, we are not going to be able to connect with other people and we are not going to be able to connect with our lives and the greater world.” – Mark Matousek