Why Just show you God's menu? Hell, we are all Starving-- Let's Eat! - Hafiz
Write in Beauty: an online journey Yaay! You are here. Welcome, welcome. There is a crispness to a new endeavor, like the fresh pages of a new school book - the potential of it all has its own scent. As in any journey the beginning is easy and anticipated - it is near the middle we begin to wonder: Do I need to keep going? I have gone so far, isn't that enough? It is -- and just past that is more.
This is an experiment and you are the creator, the alchemist and the receiver.
Time is a precious and finite commodity. Yet we are giving it away all the time (pun intended) instead of investing it: in ourselves, in our relationships, in our bodies, in information that feeds us rather than frightens us.
The goal is to create more spaciousness by infiltrating your time with more : Beauty Inspiration Enjoyment Appreciation and noticing what arises within and without.
Today’s compact life could use a little more space for the precious. Space from responsibilities, space to find solutions, space for silence. I equate space with possibility. Space reduces constriction and allows another way to emerge. In order to find that space, we need to make room, be vulnerable + admit there can be another way up the mountain (or down).
In this creative container we: Empty our minds of the stuff we don’t need through committed practices. Fill our minds with nutritive enjoyment. Water the moment with a developed sense of appreciation and beauty— and we watch the our story grow and bloom from this attention.
Welcome to What’s Your Story? I am thrilled you are here with us, Kate
The Logistics
Every Sunday the new week's content will be available. Wednesday + Friday I will post in the FB group to encourage you to share a little of what you have created or excavated.
Do you have to post in Facebook? No. It is a private account though, and so it can be fun to share. Up to you.
There will be ample resources available for you - how much time you have for them is whatever works for you. There is no right or wrong - you are being invited to reestablish what works for you. For example, I am going to suggest a morning routine - but you may find that space in mid-afternoon and that is fine.
The idea is to infiltrate your time, not add another to-do. You can listen to podcasts while driving, make a poem before addressing tedium, or make the poetry with your kids -- the suggestions you will receive are suggestions, inspiration to reignite your creative-side. We all have one. I was a slow believer, and it ends up being true: We are all artists and we are creating our lives.
One last thing, you are going to be encouraged to go outside + move your body. Don't dismiss this. Your body needs nourishment too. Let's use our online connectivity to get us back into our lives and feet. Some of you have signed up with a friend - I love this. Make a cup of tea, walk in the woods, together, call a friend not in our class and share what you are thinking. Use the Inspiration and spread it. "How we spend our days is how we spend our lives." - Annie Dillard
What do I do now?
“Spoken words are constantly creating our Universes because we are essences of perpetuity. Everything on the Earth since the beginning of time has been and is being created by the sounds of words as they are spoken.” Joseph Rael. 1. Sit with your Intention. Why are you here? There is not one reason to be here. And there is not one way to get to wherever you are going (even going within). This is an invitation to the curious; It is good to reflect and write out your why.
Finish this sentence: I commit to _________________________(and see what comes out, refine it as needed). Write it down, make it an action you can feel, not a want or a wish, not a disassociation. Tiny is huge. Tangible works. Use words that feel good, open + horizon expanding. Need help? Ask for it here. Or look here at Alexandra Franzen's awesome + easily structured way to write a mission statement / intention. It is really powerful to write things out. 2. Get a journal. Did you know that writing by hand taps into other parts of the brain? “When we write, a unique neural circuit is automatically activated,” said Stanislas Dehaene, a psychologist at the Collège de France in Paris. “There is a core recognition of the gesture in the written word, a sort of recognition by mental simulation in your brain. “And it seems that this circuit is contributing in unique ways we didn’t realize,” he continued. “Learning is made easier.”You are invited + encouraged to journal.
3. Join our private Facebook Group Join Here. The intention of this class is to create a supportive community and get us re-enagaged. To that end, you don't have to spend a lot of time on FB but a little check-in + sharing can go a looong way.
4. 4 thank you cards + necessary stamps Because.
5. Pick up some art supplies: You will need: - Black sharpie for Blackout Poetry 2 newspapers save them, or pick up 2, dates or relevance don't matter, but actual articles and print is what you will need.
You may choose to additionally use absolutely anything; here are suggestions: Colored Markers Watercolors Whatever is around the house. Or a form of expression you enjoy for art — and if you don’t know what that is, don’t worry. That is why you are here!
What else? For now, enjoy your day and see you soon!