Rigorous State

I'm such a girl for the living room.  I really like to stay in my nest and not move.  I travel in my mind, and that that's a rigorous state of journeying for me.  My body isn't that interested in moving from place to place.

Bell Hooks




Maintaining a positive outlook and creating a clear visual of our desires is vital in seeing our dreams come true.    With energy to better our life, and to master challenges we move through life with a healthy balance.  Life will not pass us by if we are awake, alert, and flexible to change.

Timing is never our own, so we must be open to the flow of life and trust in the higher powers.

We will avoid drama by not resisting change.  Change is not necessarily comfortable, but this does not make it bad or wrong.  We cannot achieve our dreams by standing still avoiding opportunities or small steps that will lead us closer to our desires.

If we create a vision or picture of how we will look, feel, and act when we bring happiness into our lives, it will be of great support throughout our day.  When we keep this image of our self close by, rather than thinking negative thoughts, we can flash our picture in our mind.  Picturing every detail helps the mind to re-frame non-stop  self-criticism.  We begin to automatically focus on a positive images minimizing self-sabotage.

After awhile, our vision of happiness becomes part of our day.  Our outlook is brighter, we walk with a bounce in our step, and we find ourselves anticipating good to happen rather than defeat.  We begin to feel better about ourselves, family, friends, and the future.

We begin living our dream in an emotional state, attracting parts of our dream from the physical.  We notice opportunities, create unexpected openings, and move forward towards our goals. There will be times of sadness or pain, but simply put, that is part of life and there is no avoiding it all together. 

Our attitude and determination will carry us through difficult times.  It is in these difficult times we are shaped and formed into better human beings.  We gather compassion and empathy for our selves and for others.  Carrying our vision with us all of the time, we will not be easily deterred.  As we stay engaged with our surroundings, we feel a part of and not separate from others. 

The next time we find our self settling into our nest, get creative and begin to visualize. Imagine 
how we will look wearing confidence, laughter, and a happy-go-lucky smile! Freeze frame that shot and review it throughout the day.



The Dark Knight of the Soul

Save me , O God, 

for the waters have come up

to my neck.

I am stuck in the mire of the deep,

and there is no where to set my foot.

I have come into deep waters,

and the waves overwhelm me.

I have grown weary from crying,

my throat has become hoarse;

my eyes have failed while

I await my God.

~Ann Rice

Harvesting journals can be an emotional, but insightful task.  By harvesting, I mean sifting through writings and highlighting dreams, challenges, insights, and words having significant meaning ... even when you don't remember recording them.  Reading personal inscriptions can be inspiring and reflective of challenges finally overcome.  It is like an emotional tracking system.  

Depression is a normal part of a cycle humans rotate through.  I do not mean clinical depression, but depression in general.  It can be referred to as PMS or menopause, or mood swings, but all people cycle through normal levels of depression.  There are varying degrees, such as: monthly, seasonal, or a one time life experience, etc ...

Several years ago, I spent months enduring an extreme sense of loss.  Loss of my self and of all things I believed.  While reading Carolyn Myss, I came across the phrase, "dark night of the soul".  It was originated as a title of a poem, DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL written by St. John of the Cross, a 16th Century poet and Roman Catholic Mystic.  In addition to his own thoughts, the poet reflected ideas of St. Thomas Aquinas and in part, Aristotle.

The poem written by St. John of the Cross, a Spanish Carmelite 

priest, narrates a journey usually traveled during the night, in search of the light of the Creator.  The poem was written while the priest had been imprisoned. A painful experience of abandonment enables a person to grow in spirituality and union with the Divine. 

My experience in the "dark night of the soul" was most unpleasant.  I felt entirely detached from all things holy, and harshly abandoned spiritually.  My mind was riddled with confusion and doubt.  Hindsight shows this was a gift of purification.  I aimlessly wandered through concepts and beliefs, discarding much of what I once held dear.  Issues from my past surfaced, raged with emotion, and eventually were processed. What remained shined brightly and there was plenty of room to welcome the new.  I felt a more personalized, and yet broadened perspective of the connection between us all.  I had lost rigid concepts and gained a spiritual union.  It was during this time my energy work became more pronounced and a sincere spiritual awareness of others became prevalent.

Spirituality can be very challenging, but always rewarding.  It is a path walked in solitude strengthening personal gifts, insights, and awareness.  Ultimately, oneness with nature and all people grows obvious, as well as the sense of oneness with Divine Spirit ... never abandoned and always empowered.

A Mindful Walk Through Autumn

Journaling the Labyrinth:

A mindful walk through Autumn

On October 15, 2011, a special event was held at Penuel Ridge Retreat Center in Tennessee.  Sarah Cherry, MMQ, Veriditas-Trained Labyrinth Facilitator and Ellen Rust, Certified Poetry Therapist/Writing Group Facilitator conducted a wonderful day of nurturing, through meditations, journaling and enjoying the natural environment.  The beautiful 11-circuit Chatres Labyrinth, a sacred path,  and guided journaling experiences led to inspirational discoveries.


Pen to Paper

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.. 

~Norbet Platt


When I was studying psychology, my professor was very clear that there were no such things as bad feelings.  He emphasized that the attached or follow up behavior from our feelings is what could be defined as good or bad.  These statements always led to discussions on exploring our feelings to learn the truth of our whole being.  Our written assignments always led to valuable self-discovery.

OPENING UP, The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions, by James W. Pennebaker, Ph.D. is an engaging book on  "how putting emotionally upsetting experiences into words can affect your thoughts, feelings, and physical health."  In addition to therapeutic sessions, using a journal can assist and deepen the journey to self-discovery and acceptance.

Years ago, while listening to the stories of senior women, I quickly realized that any kind of trauma or emotional experience was rarely discussed.  They were not eager to report incidences as they falsely assumed personal shame and guilt instead of placing responsibility on the person inflicting the action.  The word 'sex' was never spoken out loud in the home, and any subject on feelings was never discussed, so these women carried the burden of their experiences without any healthy outlet.

In our current life styles, we have access to a variety of people whom we may deem trustworthy, such as:  best friend, relative, therapist, doctor, minister, or mentor.  Even so, there are many individuals wandering through their lives as wounded children.  They have repressed their experiences, ignoring them through over working, excessive sports or drinking, or other inappropriate behavior.  These negative behaviors impact our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of healthy living.

Dr. James W. Pennebaker has researched the end results of writing for well being.  He suggests that "writing clears the mind, helps resolve trauma, helps in acquiring and remembering new information and fosters problem solving." 

Some people have the impression that we need to let 'sleeping dogs lie' but research is showing the correlation between our mind, body and spirit.  When our thoughts are being repressed, they are a distraction or a mental block to clear thinking.   If we 'stuff our feelings' our bodies begin to be impacted producing poor health and medical issues.  Lastly, we can become depressed, breaking our authentic spiritual self, losing our connectedness with others.  In each of these stages, writing can be used as a successful coping technique.  It is affordable, easily accessible, and confidential.

There is great reward in having a trusted individual in our life to listen as we voice our words as our stories need to be told.  Listeners can offer support, encouragement, and guidance.  It is important to have those who can stand present in our life.  There are also times, however, when we cannot yet speak our truth out loud.  It is during these episodes that writing can be invaluable.

Keeping a journal is not just for trauma or negative experiences.  Writing can help keep a balance in our daily life.  It can help organize our emotional make up.  Recordings can reflect gratitude and a thankful heart that will be encouraging and supportive when re-read later when life is not running quite so smoothly. Jotting down favorite prayers can be uplifting at a later time when rediscovered.  Writing can be considered a vital tool in maintaining a healthy mind, body, and spirit. 

Journals are all different and writers are unique as well.  It doesn't matter if we write daily or only when we are struggling.  The importance is having an arena to express unfiltered thoughts and words that can lead to insights and discovery. 

Validation and Clarity

The events in our lives happen

in a sequence in time,

but in their significance  to ourselves

they find their own order.

Eudora Welty

In early grade school, I was given a three year diary and then eventually a five year diary.  By the summer between seventh and eighth grade, I had written one novel and was working on another.  All of my writings in high school seemed to be penned during very negative episodes and accumulated faster than one would expect.   All of these writings were burned the summer after my junior year in college and to this day, I regret this unnecessary event.  

My writing has always been rather private, never sharing it with any one, until I was able to find comfort and joy in the actual experience of writing.  Classes in English, Literature, and Journalism helped me to fine tune my skills.  Being an avid reader increased my sense of rhythm with words.

After years of baby books, quick notes jotted down when being a full time mother of four allowed, I did find time to return to my writing.  Fancy journals were eventually replaced by the ease of writing on a computer, but I continued to keep notebooks on dreams, events, and feelings. 

There is quite an accumulation of what I have written and it is with great interest I wander through them at will.  Sometimes I want to rip a page out, while other times I can hardly believe my hand has written such wisdom.  My best work is when I find myself 'in the flow' and words just stream from somewhere unbeknown to me. 

THE WOMAN'S COMFORT BOOK, A Self-Nurturing Guide for Restoring Balance in Your Life, by Jennifer Louden is an excellent book.  The author wrote this book after her life had been greatly challenged and she realized how badly she needed to nurture herself.  She composed this book, filling it with endless 'how to' chapters.  The chapters range from discerning personal comfort, soothing sounds, developing voice, bathing pleasures, solitude ... the list goes on.  There is no particular order, so you can pick and choose the subject at will.  Each chapter leads the reader through a hands on experience to encourage self-discovery.  Although not required, journaling can be a very important piece to this experience.

When we document the transitions in our lives, it adds substance and insight.  At the time of our writing, we may not be aware of the importance of what is recorded, but as time passes, validation and clarity clearly stand out.  We become aware of events being related although not noticed at the time.

Journaling is not about perfect grammar or punctuation.  Some women will sketch or cut out pictures.  Many will jot down phrases before bed.  Others carry a small notebook in their purse to record interesting comments or happenings during the day.  There is no set rule. We can find expensive journals on line or use a black and white composition book.  It is for each of us to decide.  Why not give it a try!