Angela Varga: Turner and Flow

Turner writes about this idea of flow. Flow is “the holistic sensation present when we act with total involvement” (254). I’ve never experienced this before in a spiritual manner, but I’ve definitely experienced it when writing. I’m trying to major in creative writing so I practice writing short stories quite often. There are times when I struggle to get what I want written down and there are other times when I can get down 10,000 words or more of plot and dialogue in one sitting. I suppose there is a certain spirituality I’m experiencing when I get into this state of flow. I’m in tune with what I’m trying to do and I’m focused on my capabilities and I try and surpass them so I can do something greater than I had originally intended. My experience with flow in writing helped me understand the idea of flow within pilgrimage, though. It’s not hard to understand that pilgrimages are difficult; one must walk great distances and figure out how they’re going to survive on limited supplies. Flow during pilgrimage allows pilgrims to forget about their bodily worries and focus on their journey, on what their spirit needs instead of their muscles. It allows for pilgrims to liberate their spirit from the confines of its bodily restraints.