ARTICLES OF ASTROLOGERS
DONNA CUNNINGHAM
If you go to the website of Donna Cunningham , you will see immediately this funny entry :
« Hi , I ’ m Donna Cunningham , the astrologer and author . Not Donna Cunningham , the Christian musician . Or Donna Cunningham , the New England math professor . Or Donna Cunningham , the Florida realtor
…. although I do listen to the music of the spheres , calculate the angles between the planets , and try to help people find their true home in this ever-shifting world of ours ». Donna Cunningham is an excellent astrologer and a talented writer , she shares the secrets of literary writing , helps everyone who wants to be a writer .
The following is an excerpt from Donna ' s booklet of advice for the writer who wants to be more productive : " So You Want to Write — Techniques and Tips from Miss Prolific ." The 28-page booklet also includes astrological insights and hints for timing your work to be more effective . To share this method with others , Donna is now teaching writing seminars online and publishing a free newsletter , " The Metaphysical Writer ' s Tip Sheet ". See details at www . moonmavenpublications . com
So many astrologers with a wealth of experience and knowledge have told me that they want to write , but just can ' t get going . Here are some points in the system I ' ve developed over the past 35 years of writing books , articles , and columns .
Give Your Best Time of the Day to Writing . We all have different biorhythms , but most of us can identify a part of the day when we are functioning most effectively — at our peak mentally , communicating fluently , and full of energy . Perhaps in the past , you used that time for clients or other important activities . To finish a book , you need to assign new priorities , so that you give your prime time to writing . A monthly biorhythm chart can help , too , in knowing which dates are your mental peaks and scheduling writing activities on those dates .
One prominent speaker wanted to know how he could write a book , so I asked what he did with the best hours of his day , which he said were the morning hours . He reserved it for client consultations , as his mind was fresher then — he had always done so throughout his long career . I suggested that perhaps he had gotten into that habit in the early years of his practice because he was still learning the complexities of integrating all the pieces of an astrology chart . By now , he was a master at it , so perhaps he could schedule his appointments a bit later and give his first hour or two in the office to the book .
Hold that Time Sacred . Regularly set aside time to write and don ' t allow anything to interfere . Put the phone on the machine , hang a Don ' t Disturb sign on the office door , and make the people you live with understand that nothing but fire alarms or cuts needing stitches is allowed to intrude . Don ' t succumb to the temptation to open your emails until you ' ve finished your stint at the book for the day .
When we want to avoid writing , a myriad of temptations can arise .
Significant others may manipulate to make us feel guilty . Unless you are the primary caretaker of a bedridden invalid or a child under two , a relationship that can ' t wait for an hour or two for you to pay attention to it might just be an overly codependent one that ' needs work .
Create an Information-Storing Structure . For each chapter or section , make both a manila file folder and a word processing file . As you come across newspaper or magazine articles , websites on the internet , and case or chart examples , add them to those files . Carry a notebook or blank book at all times , and jot down inspirations or make notes about experiences pertaining to that section , and tuck them into the files as well . If you engage in email , chat room , or news list exchanges related to the topic , create a folder in your email program to store them , or save them directly to the book ' s folder on your hard drive . By the time you are ready to write a particular piece , you have plenty of information at your fingertips without having to hunt for it .
Put Serendipity to Work for You . Because your outline clarifies the areas you will cover , by a mysterious principle , you will magnetize clients , experiences , and information that pertain to what you are working on . That principle is the well-known Power of Intention . You may be sitting in a waiting room and idly pick up a magazine , only to find an article that has important details on the subject and that tells you where to do further research . You may be procrastinating on writing and flip on the television to a talk show where an expert on the subject is today ' s guest . Many times , I ' ve been doing research at the library and gone for a stroll to stretch , only to pass a cartload of books that held a book I needed but didn ' t know existed . Serendipity is the law of my life — and of my writing — and you can train yourself to use it effectively in your own research . Be receptive to the flow of information , for the Universe may very well be feeding you valuable clues .
34 КАРЬЕРА АСТРОЛОГА | 4 2013