If you could become more courageous . . .
Our stories change every day, and every week in my newsletter. Come in and be hypnotized-- in a good way! This May and October, join us for The Olive Grove Retreat in Greece. In the summer, write with us during the (amazing) Courageous Writers' Online Retreat.
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Courage Words, from Orwell: "Every joke is a tiny revolution."
Dear Reader As we swirl through the early months of this new year, the whirlwind of wild and passionate human emotions also gathers momentum: about the state of The Body Politic, and the States, and the Supreme Leader, sorry, I mean, the Emperor, oh, no, I meant Elon – NO, wait, how did he get in here?--you know who I mean. I know it’s no joke. And yet . . . Like someone laughing at a funeral (a strangely common stress-related response) I DO feel myself diving into jokes these days. Humour is...
READ POSTCan We Escape The Trumpocalypse?
Dear Reader Snow storms. Work and family and first world problems. Must I actually do the vaccuuming AGAIN? even though I have a sore back from shovelling massive amounts of SNOW? And, last and very fucking most: the Trumpocalypse is upon us! You already know the answer to the question and the hope posed in the subject line: There is no escape. Life is what it is. To live authentically, sanely, we must (in fact) live in reality. I think about the nature of reality a lot. As most creative...
READ POSTCourage Words This Week: Kaleidoscope.Sojourn.Svaha. Where do they take you?
Dear Reader, I hope this email finds you well and warm. I'm reaching out to say hello! It's February, but we'll keep going (I hope) into spring. Here in Toronto, winter keeps coming: I’m gazing out through a slowly falling veil of snow. It’s Feb. 3rd. Such sweet news for me: we now have four people signed up for The Olive Grove Retreat! (And maybe five . . .) If you are still INTERESTED in joining us for the Olive Grove Retreat in Greece in May, please jump down or read through this...
READ POSTInvent the Possibility of Burning that Shit UP!
Dear you, Isn’t it crazy-making to feel stuck? Or (a crafty variation on stuckness) to do the same thing over and over again, hoping for a big change, and instead . . . getting the same result? Ah, imagine lifting, or slipping or springing gracefully out of that stuck state—what a dream! Or is it a fantasy? The question is, How to turn such a dream or fantasy into reality? Slipping through. Lifting, lightly, springing free. Hmm. I invite you to think about ONE habitual state of stuckness....
READ POSTHow The Spiral of Trauma Turns To Healing
Hello you, Courage Words for the week to come: collective trauma, collective healing. ** Come with me, courageous one, I promise it'll come around in a good way. ** Did you ever go to camp as a child? How was it? Or, how was/is the absence of that experience in your life? I did not go to camp when I was a kid. We didn’t really have many ‘kids' camps’ in Alberta when I was growing up, at least not that I knew about. I went out into the bush sometimes with my dad and siblings (sometimes...
READ POSTBlind But Now I See: Island Visions and Betrayal Trauma
Dear Courageous One, In this letter, I offer up a shift. The first part involves news and announcements. The PS at the end contains our Courage Words for this next week: Betrayal Trauma and Betrayal Blindness. For those interested in that subject and how it relates to abuse and narcissism, scroll on down . . . We've all been betrayed. It's a painful human experience that often leaves the victim feeling shame and confusion. "Why me? What did I do?" Writing /talking/ thinking about helps to...
READ POSTHappy New Life! (Kali Anastasi!)
Dear Courageous One, With a special welcome to everyone who recently signed up for Courage Words: thank you! It’s a pleasure to write to people who know me already and heartwarming to connect with new members of community: people who are cultivating courage in many different ways, or hoping to find the inspiration to do so. Give yourself some praise for that—small or large acts of courage you’ve done recently, or wish to do, or even did long time ago . . . Call it up now and carry it over . ....
READ POSTTo Give, To Receive, Many Gifts: Your free ticket to the Healing Through Writing Festival!
Dear Courageous One, Thank you for reading my last newsletter . . . I appreciated the responses, and the abiding silence. Abiding: when we know that a listener has heard or read our words. We, and our words, have been received. It's a very alive and juicy sensation. Call it what you will: the quantum field, telepathy, indigestion. I know you’re reading, at least sometimes, and I’m very grateful to be received. Lately I’ve been talking and thinking a lot about that feeling of being received, a...
READ POSTOverdue and over-revealing letter: PLUS, a self-care workshop from the bathtub of my mind
Dear Courageous One, Oh, I hope you are finding and keeping your courage! Before I forget, and continue this Too-Much-Information letter below, let me share this: I’m hosting a (hopefully) enjoyable and edgy Self-Care workshop for writers and other creative types on WEDNESDAY, Feb. 21st, yes--tomorrow--at 1 pm EST. That's right, DURING THE DAY. You are invited. It comes with a price tag $25 C., unless you are a member of the CNFC, the Creative Nonfiction Collective—it’s free for members. If...
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