Workshop Incubation

Light Reading & Deepening Practice

"Being With"

I recently went to an almost 3 week training on attachment. For a really inspirational summation of some of the things I learned check out Kent Hoffman's website eightysevenminutes.com , that's basically how long it will take you to read if you do so in one sitting. One of the central themes of the methodology presented was the idea of "being with." Being with is such a core component of my practice for myself and for my work with others. It is the idea of presence. An idea of what is truly healing. A parent's presence is the basic component of what creates a secure attachment. And presence and connection is what so many of us crave and what ultimately can create something called "earned attachment." It is why mindfulness and mindfulness based processes work! In my personal healing journey I know it is the folks who were able to hold me and all my feelings and behaviors in presence. In other words, Being with = presence = LOVE. In "being with" me, others provided with an opportunity to be with myself. In "being with" I could be present, I could love. 

In the Arms of the Blessed Mother

This morning I am listening to this beautiful offering from Donald Kalsched. He is speaking on trauma, the body, healing and so much more. In describing a client in her moment of survival he describes her as leaving her body and being held in the arms of the blessed mother.

And I remembered a drawing I made during a supervision directive to create the architecture of loving. The place where you can bring everything into loving. This was such a powerful directive and I was amazed at what I created.

She is me. She is holding the place in her body and aligning her mind, heart and solar plexus for ultimate loving and power.

Flourish Wildly - Word of the Year

I love Susannah Conway and her generous offering of Unraveling the Year Ahead  I completed her 5 day course for discovering my word and I loved the process. I can't wait to complete the booklet. 

Rage & Compassion

My anger rage is like a boiling sea river pond. It is on fire gaseous heavy ephemeral hot huge vast wide and deep. It cannot be held in my hands it is too much to hold and spills over into grief. It makes a sizzling quiet sound that is just beneath the surface I would like it to scream deep and rumble and beat like the sound of a large sacred drum. If it could speak it would say, "HONOR me, RESPECT me, FEEL me, FEEL me and do not fear and ignore me. It can be found in the silence of deep woods at the edge of the earth. In plain sight it can be created and ritualized at any body of water. It moves and cleanses and it teaches in moments and movements. It flows and it rises and transforms into something sacred. It is fast, slow, adaptive a part of the matter it lives inside of.  It is graceful, it is messy, it is chaotic, it is unconscious, it comes to the surface, it hides. 

It is cracked and bubbling, sometimes unable to express itself in conscious ways. It is part of life, of everything. Self care using tools, feeling, feeling, fear and insecurity, wisdom, mystery of life, dance, move, make art, move through, do not deny, value self, respect self, be true to self, anger channeled into boundaries - grounding into earth ritual, lead to greater power, wholeness, confidence in self, real self, true self, actualization. Hold for other, take on healing journey into depths. Feel, feel, feel. Power & Rage. Channel, read, express, move through with respect, find support, like minded, touch with the feather of love, gentle moves, make sounds, bring forth. 

Compassion comes up from the depth of rage. Compassion grows. Compassion softens. Compassion is gentle. Compassion does not try to fix or make rage try to go away. Compassion sits. Compassion is not afraid. Compassion comes from sitting in the deep, seemingly chaotic mystery and wild aliveness of destroyer, big emotion rage. Compassion - sit with, feel, move through, soften, moisten, cope, feel aliveness of emotion delicateness of life, gratitude, grace, spirit, strength, beauty, mystery, depth, being in respect of. Natural tears that drip and make land fertile, make land grow, turn fire smoky. 

Playing with Cards & the Folding of Time

I have had these cards for a long time and recently cleansing my space decided to put them out like I would for a workshop. Creating sanctuary in my home like I'm living in this workshop every day because this life is a journey of learning and navigating. I'm experiencing the folding of time. Every day I drive through beautiful New Mexico I'm remembering when I first got here and the shifts that took place in my life... and I'm also thinking of the dreams and the longing to share with others. I haven't always had the patience to let the pieces of the puzzle come together. I feel the pieces coming together. They still require some tweaking, belief and magic. Dear sweet universe and highest selves come together one exquisite moment at a time. Let it be imperfect and radiant.