Gratitude

Something I treasure in these days 'between the years' (which is what the week between Christmas and New Year is called in German speaking countries), is reflecting on the year just past, and filling up a couple of pages with things I am grateful for: time with children and grandchildren, health, the Canadian medical system, the newly formed Wild Salmon Circle which I co-founded; the celebratory launch of my new book and the heartwarming praise readers have bestowed on it; for the many positive directions Obama has taken the country and the world...

Then, after basking in this richness, for gratitude is indeed transformative, I enjoy creating a list of goals -- actually more like intentions -- for the coming year. At this point, I like to review last year's lists, and see which intentions have manifested, which are no longer relevant, which I might like to recommit to. For the notes I make at year end do not comprise a 'should' list, but rather are an invitation to the universe, and a declaration of my openness to move in these directions. I don't really look at them as the year unfolds, but find it helpful and interesting to peruse them as I create next year's.

I love this reflective process, this opening to a deeper place, a quiet self, settling in to a receptive mode... simply being...

As we cozy in for some more weeks of short days, and at the same time celebrate the return of the light and the coming of the new year, I offer this shared wish for you: "May the increased sunlight each day help you prepare for the coming year... And throughout the new year may you have new opportunities to love and be loved, to do good for others, and to find happiness in your life." Quote from Jane's brother, Steve :-)

Giving Peace

It can be overwhelming, this season of giving, especially when the issues that face us, economically and environmentally seem as dark as the days.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes says, “Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach.”

As I let that sink in, I find that it invites both relief and responsibility, in matters large and small, personal and universal. One author says she believes "world peace is achieved and sustained by each one of us taking responsibility for the quality of what happens within a five foot radius of our own bodies, in our own lives. If there is peace in my radius and yours and his and hers and theirs—then there is peace in all of ours." (Cited on C. Baldwin's Storycatcher blog)

May this holiday season be filled with joy -- contagious, delicious, bubbling joy; peace -- a peace that resides inside us and radiates luminously to touch all those we meet; and gratitude -- the kind that has no source, but seems to arise from the universal mystery. May these be yours to taste and savor, and to share with ever widening circles. May there be peace on earth and let it begin in and with each of us.

Joy and celebration are life-giving. Shall We Dance?

Not long ago I heard a CBC program that focussed on the importance of celebrations -- music, dance, both alone and together. My heart smiled! Ecstatic dancing has actually been a way communities have helped their members out of depression -- dark periods of withdrawal, melancholy.

Several of the essays in BECOMING explore metaphors for life and living. Shall We Dance? suggests that many of us, consciously or unconsciously, experience and regard life as a struggle. What would happen if we shifted, lifted, and began to experience life as a dance?

Here a brief excerpt from the essay, and a link to the YouTube reading at the book launch:

"Life for me is, on good days, a wild and gently rhythmic dance. Moreover, I believe we are danced by life and are not, as we often pridefully assume, the directors of the dance.

I haven’t always seen it this way. One evening, over twenty years ago, it was getting dark as I was driving home from a workshop with Robert, an acquaintance and fellow student. That drive became a turning point in my life.

The sky was ragged—ominous, black clouds were scudding across the heavens, matching my state of mind. I was talking about my relationship, the communication challenges, the misunderstandings, the hurt. Robert was driving, and without even turning to look at me, said “You see life as a struggle, don’t you, Jill.”

Robert’s words startled me, and I realized that yes, of course, that was often the way I saw and experienced difficult times, and more generally, life itself: as a struggle, a battle, a fight. It seemed obvious to me, and I had never questioned it. Life as a struggle implied working hard, trying your best to survive, to come out on top.

So when Robert said “You can also experience life as a dance, you know, Jill,” something cracked, and through the fracture I could see a pale light.

Driving home with Robert that day, it was still dark, and would get darker, but there was a golden sliver of luminosity on the horizon that evening in Germany: life can be experienced as a dance, rather than a struggle."

Here's how to order BECOMING

Perfect for groups and circles!

Do you belong to a discussion group of any kind -- spiritual, women's, church, book, study, support? Consider Becoming as your next book or topic. The topics touch us all.

it's nice to read by yourself, but the larger potential of the book emerges in groups. Deepening connections, broadening, even therapeutic insights, good fun, laughs and tears -- these can all occur when a group chooses Becoming as its focus. The format, short 3-5 page essays, and the questions for reflection mean it is optimal for your group, and just right, ready to use.

Becoming is available in several convenient modes, on line or in person. Your bookstore may also be able to order the copies for your group.

Check my website for the ordering options. I'd be pleased to hear your comments if your group chooses Becoming for its focus.

Search inside this book :-)

Have you noticed, BECOMING is now available internationally on Amazon, and also at Barnes and Noble? An additional, helpful feature newly on line is that you can 'look inside the book '-- view the back cover, the table of contents, and even page through an essay or two.

What's more, it's now possible to order BECOMING for your local bookstore -- many distributors can supply it. So have a look, then invite your favorite bookstore to order some copies...

I say some copies, because comments and reviews are coming in that BECOMING works splendidly for reading circles, discussion groups, women's or spiritual gatherings...

"Without leaving my home, I know the whole universe." Lau-Tsu

"Could a greater miracle take place than for us to
look through each other's eyes for an instant." Henry Thoreau

This Saturday is International Day of Climate Action. October 24, 2009. Let's all join in and show we care, and that climate change matters to us all. Lily Tomlin said "We're all in this alone, together." Right! Check this site to find an action near you, or do your own thing."

Be inspired by Christina Baldwin's new blogpost on the topic: 350: this number is hugely important for our times.

Reader's comment

Dear friends, spiritual adventurers, fellow travelers on life's journey,

Here is the most recent reader's review of BECOMING. I hope it might pique your interest in delving into the volume!

"Quite wonderful, really. Your style is easy, engaging, alluring. Your language is clean and precise, your form masterfully simple.

It's not easy to use the first person, especially regarding spirituality, without distracting or annoying the reader with traces of ego or pedantry. Your reader is invited to share the journey, and willingly does so, sensing both the truth of the path, and the unconditional invitation. You present yourself as a seeker rather than a master, thus welcoming and disarming other potentially hesitant seekers, and encouraging them by admitting your all-too-frail humanity. All of which is underscored with a deep abiding wisdom. Even famous spiritual leaders may have their writings rejected by publishers; your success with this book is both well-deserved, and all the more outstanding.

As you touch others, as their eyes open, more light spills out, making your own path both more blessed, and all the more easy to follow."

Apropos of touching others, and light spilling out -- you might also like to check out Carla Rieger's blog and Christina Baldwin's Storycatcher. Both authors offer richness, inspiration, and address the possibilities of the transformation through story and circle. You are a story worth telling!

Blessings on you and your journey.

BECOMING is now available on line at Amazon in the US , Canada, and in the UK. Barnes and Nobel carries BECOMING as well.

Inspiration, insights, connections

Last week I was invited to a women's group which had chosen my book, BECOMING, for their evening discussion. It was a rich and beautiful inquiry and sharing, leading to individual insights, provocative questions, warm connections. Such a gathering and format is a perfect place for the book to be useful, provocative and inspiring.

If you know are part of any such gathering, please keep BECOMING in mind!

The book is very easy to get now because it is available on-line: at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and in the UK.

Want to be inspired? Check out this posting about women, writers, activists gathering with synergy and dynamism: Christina Baldwin's Storycatcher blog Read about her conversations with Gloria Steinem, Isabel Allende, Helen Thomas, and dozens of incredible leaders doing great work in the feminist world.

In these challenging times, "Let us try to remember the precious nature of each day." The 14th Dalai Lama.