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Showing posts from January, 2013

Wisdom from Mark Dodich

"It is time to stop worrying about making a wrong decision, because there is no wrong decision – only choices. Make a choice from a place of wisdom, and then act upon it without judging or second-guessing your decision. All of life is just an experience to take back to creation when you leave planet Earth." -- Mark Dodich in  New Connextion magazine Jan/Feb 2013

WRITE YOUR YEAR - SESSION 3 - BEING PRESENT TO YOUR LIFE

In session three, we worked on bringing more presence into our lives. We began with a forty five-minute full body meditation . Taking a few deep breaths and then bringing awareness to each part of our body, starting with our toes. Feeling into each part of our bodies, feeling its structures, its movements, its energy. After the meditation we began to explore the concept of small stones. This exercise was created by Fiona Robyn a writer in England whose website is called Writing Our Way Home .  A small stone is "a very short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment." Writing small stones can help us be more present to our lives and to our writing. We read some examples of small stones from Writing Our Way Home, then we went out and wrote small stones of our own for 15-20 minutes before coming back together to share our experiences and our small stones. HOMEWORK: Write at least one small stone every day. It can be short or long, perfec

Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton

"Of all modern notions, the worst is this: that domesticity is dull. Inside the home, they say, is dead decorum and routine; outside is adventure and variety. But the truth is that the home is the only place of liberty, the only spot on earth where a person can alter arrangements suddenly, make an experiment or indulge in a whim. The home is not the one tame place in a world of adventure; it is the one wild place in a world of set rules and set tasks.” -- G.K. Chesterton from Rob Brezsny's column Free Will Astrology For my fellow moms out there!

WRITE YOUR YEAR - SESSION 2 - RELEASING YOUR STORY

In this session, we started off with the idea that we all have a "story" about who we are. This is not necessarily a bad thing - it is part of being human - but sometimes our "story" no longer fits and we need to let go of it in order to write a new one. So ask yourself this question: WHAT IS MY "STORY?" and WHAT PART OF IT AM I READY TO LET IT GO THIS YEAR? (Some examples might be, "I am the 'good girl,'" or "I am the 'black sheep of the family.'") As a way to let go of the part of the story that no longer fits, we did an exercise from the book, Radical Forgiveness by Colin Tipping called The Three Letters Process . In this exercise you write three letters (that you DO NOT send) to someone who you feel has wronged you or in some way treated you badly. Choose someone who has been significant in your life and whom you feel forgiving might help to release you from your old story. Afterwards we all came ba

Curiosier and Curiosier

"Everything is material for the seed of happiness, if you look into it with inquisitiveness and curiosity. The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment. There always is the potential to create an environment of blame -- or one that is conducive to loving-kindness." --Pema Chodron  I love Pema Chodron , and I think she gives some of the best guidance out there for living life in the moment, but sometimes I find it kind of hard to put into actual practice. At times I find myself wondering if your average seeker (i.e. me) can ever really get it or if you pretty much have to be a Buddhist nun.  Today I got confirmation that eventually these things do sink in and make a difference in ones everyday life. Seven months ago we began a bathroom remodel that was going to take a couple of months.  We decided not to use a general contractor because we wanted to use our favorite plumber , our favorite electrician , our favorite flooring g

WRITE YOUR YEAR - SESSION 1 - Advice to Myself

Thanks to all of you who joined me for Session 1 of WRITE YOUR YEAR last night. While cold winds blew and snow threatened to fall, a diverse and committed group of writers came together in a cozy little nook at East West Bookshop to focus their intentions and write their year. Here's what we did: After introductions, I read the poem, " New Year's Day ," for a bit of inspiration.  Then we got down to the business of writing. The first exercise: to write a letter to an advice columnist about the biggest challenge or problem you are facing this year.  Taking this column from Carolyn Hax as an example, we wrote for twenty minutes.  After a short break we came back together and shared our experience; then spent a few minutes in head-clearing meditation before tackling part two of the exercise. Next it was time to turn the tables on our ego and write some "advice to myself." Striving to be as objective, kind and compassionate as possible - while keeping

WRITE YOUR YEAR - TONIGHT!

"I cannot think of a better portent than this day for you... A clean slate A fresh canvas A pristine and absolutely cloudless dawn Nothing to intervene between you and those potent rays Of the dawn of a new day. It bodes well... May you travel smoothly across these waters through the unerring Guidance from on High, and may all that was best in the year gone by be preserved and all the rest be eclipsed by the best that is to come!" -JM My dear friend Jonathan shared these beautiful words with me in his New Year's Day email. I cannot think of a better way to start the year. If you are ready to start the year right and to make this your best year yet, join me tonight at East West Bookshop in Seattle and WRITE YOUR YEAR! Based on my manifestation writing class WRITE YOUR LIFE , this class is designed to help you create the life you desire, using writing as a tool for manifestation and change. You do not need to be a “writer” to benefit fro

Wisdom from Osho

"This is the Zen approach: nothing is there to be done. There is nothing to do. One has just to be. Have a rest and be ordinary and be natural." -- Osho

WRITE YOUR YEAR IN ONE WEEK!

Are you ready to make 2013 your best year yet? Join me next week (and the following three Wednesdays) at East West Bookshop in Seattle and WRITE YOUR YEAR! Based on my manifestation writing class WRITE YOUR LIFE , this class is designed to help you create the life you desire this year, using writing as a tool for manifestation and change. You do not need to be a “writer” to benefit from this class, but you do need a willingness to look openly and honestly at your life, to forgive and let go, and to put words into action and to take the next step with courage. If you are ready, go here to register. Hope to see you there!