Jan 18 2010
Remembering to see the world anew
Mid-January and I have emerged from the moment between the years when I rest: two weeks—from Winter Solstice to the first Monday in January. The small educational company of PeerSpirit, Inc. lies dormant for 14 days. The books Ann Linnea and I have written this past year are off to the printers after the final, final edits and proofreading, along with a lot of our hopes and dreams.
I entered these two weeks of annual retreat tired, satisfied, and sorrowful…an interesting combination of emotions. Tired makes the most sense—looking back at our workload and how the teaching, coaching, quest guiding, consulting and writing all require intense presence, creativity, and stamina. Satisfied also makes sense—looking back at the same year through the lens of output, interaction, the legacy of our work being captured on the page, and through opportunities to meet hundreds of incredible, wonderful, extraordinary people doing their best to live good lives in challenging times. And sorrowful when I look into the wider scope of things and ask questions like:
Why are we escalating the war in Afghanistan—when we could practically rebuild the country for what it’s costing us to further destroy it?
And if it costs a million dollars a year to support a US soldier, and much of our military consists of young men and women who can’t find jobs in their local civilian economies, couldn’t we more readily support them through bringing work to them that isn’t likely to maim them in body, mind, or spirit?
And why can’t we have universal health care in the US when every other country we measure ourselves against already has it?
So, what actually happened in Copenhagen—and why are the outcomes so ambiguous when the crises are so concrete?
You get the idea—I finally have time to ruminate on all those things that I have been counting on the international world to resolve while I’ve been so involved in the interpersonal world. Sorrow is ultimately restorative—like filling up the water table, not visible on the surface, yet deeply sustaining. After a week or so, I feel the shift into restfulness and after a week of rest, a shift back into willingness. That’s where I am now—in the willingness.
Part of the willingness is that I have had time to re-evaluate and rearrange my story—the way I carry forward tasks, accomplishments, work and play, relationships, and questions of my life. I step over the threshold of the New Year as though it has been freshly painted.
So here’s my story now: I remain committed to legacy transmission in what I love about story and storycatching, in circle process and transformative presence with each other, and in earth stewardship, especially supporting Ann’s book on trees. I expect this year to change radically as we go along, as the books come out, and people respond. There are indicators of this in the first pieces of work we’ve done on the road: we have integrated something through the act of writing. We stand resiliently in our bodies of work, we talk differently, people respond even more readily—and we sense that the shift happening in the room is happening in the world.
And that is the point where your stories and mine intersect: what is happening in the rooms of our lives is happening in the world. What are you noticing is different as you enter the world of your work this January?
Copyright ©2009 Christina Baldwin. All rights reserved.
Every new year I meditate to find spiritual focus for the new year coming. For 2010 I conjured up: I am using my creative spirit to celebrate my Indwelling Living Light.
I am radiant with all of the good ju-ju stuff I believe.
This new year I am trying to nurture and nourish my creativity and writing skills so I use the following tools:
Danaan Parry’s ESSENE BOOK OF DAYS 2010
Jennifer Louden’s THE LIFE ORGANIZER: A WOMAN’S GUIDE TO A MINDFUL YEAR
Barbara R. Call’s CRAFTER’S DEVOTIONAL: 365 DAYS OF TIPS, TRICKS, & TECHNIQUES FOR UNLOCKING YOUR CREATIVE SPIRIT
Judy Reeves’ A WRITER’S BOOK OF DAYS: A SPIRITED COMPANION & LIVELY MUSE FOR THE WRITING LIFE
Patti Digh’s LIFE IS A VERB: 37 DAYS TO WAKE UP, BE MINDFUL AND LIVE INTENTIONALLY
Deena Metzger’s WRITING FOR YOUR LIFE: A GUIDE AND COMPANION TO THE INNER WORLDS
Joyce Chapman’s JOURNALING FOR JOY: THE WORKBOOK: WRITING YOUR WAY TO PERSONAL GROWTH AND FREEDOM
Cheryl Thiele’s THE SACRED JOURNEY: DAILY JOURNAL FOR YOUR SOUL 2010
The new year comes and groups I am in are changing the books they want to share and study. The Search For God @ Fish River group is reading Bruce Lipton’s BIOLOGY OF BELIEF. In March we want to read and study Gregg Braden’s FRACTAL TIME: THE SECRET OF 2012 AND A NEW WORLD AGE. My Monday night Love & Ladies Group is going to dive into Kala Ambrose’s 9 LIFE ALTERING LESSONS: SECRETS OF THE MYSTERY SCHOOLS.
Everyday brings many blessings I can write in my gratitude and pondering’s journal. What are you finding to do in this new year?
Happy Trails to you as you follow your path with heart!
Dear Christina~ In the hurry of my present world, I have sometimes missed quietly sitting down and reading your postings. It felt so good to do so today. Meeting you and Anne in Loveland at Kathleen Adams conference in July 2008 will always be a high point in my life.
Thank you for being faithful to your calling.
Kathy Ulrich
Phoenix, AZ
Thanks for your perspective, for reminding me to be aware of how my story fits into the world’s story. And for your simple but profound “why’s,” so perfect when conversations call for gentle nudges.
A friend said to me as a greeting on New Year’s “This year I’m going to approach everything I do with Joy.” I was so struck with the idea and possibility that it carried with it that I, too, adopted it, especially in my work with the unemployed, underemployed and unemployable. Now when I listen to their sad stories I do so with a lot more positive energy than I did last year and the year before and the year before that. I can’t say I am joyful all the time but I can say this year has been a whole lot happier than other years and I have been able to take that happiness and help others to see their potential and possibility. I always feel intimidated by the term “legacy” but as I work with these folks I am beginning to understand that perhaps this is indeed part of my legacy.
Happy New Year!
Christina, your words profoundly mirror my own story. Raising funds this past year to restore and protect Puget Sound left me exhausted and feeling somewhat hopeless in the face of so many climate and world issues. Then I found something. Just an encouragement that said “I will receive what I need from the universe to sustain me and bring me joy from my past burdens.” I hung it on my office wall and I let this challenge me every day to regain my joy in this new year. I must remember that my story is an important contribution to the world story. My time in circle with my eldersisters is always fulfilling and I look forward to it again this year. Ho and Prosperous new year.
What I notice in the world of my work — tarot counselling, offering circle process, reiki teaching, and journal writing coaching — is that people want to go deeper, to know that their own story and situation is not wasted, that it’s woven with what’s going on in the perceived “out there”. Clients and event participants are becoming more aware that what’s happening on their skin is happening to Earth’s soil, that what gives them joy or sorrow is a medicine that they carry for a group or species beyond themselves. And I notice that spilling over into social time. I was at a dinner party of ten people earlier this month and the hostess called for a question that would make our conversation more of a council, not just chit-chat. What emerged was as luscious as the chocolate dessert — a real sense of hearts connecting, vulnerability, and hope. All voices — female, male, gay, straight, older, younger — were heard. We became better friends that evening. And my practice is becoming more of what it really is. Thanks, Christina, for this blog entry. Blessings to you and Ann in this Empress-rich year (2 + 0 + 1 + 0 = 3, the third tarot Trump, the Empress).
Hugs,
James
I enjoy your blogs, Christina, and am with you in the re-evaluation, grateful for the resilience, and landing again in the willingness.
In my work with stories and circles, I am reaching out to the community of therapists and counsellors. And also to those with an interest in personal therapy, and using journaling in a therapeutic and spiritual way. There is a new tab on my website that outlines how and why my book BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity, is an effective tool for personal transformation and healing. I’d be pleased if you have a chance to check it out, and spread the word in any ways you see fit. Here’s the link: http://www.becomingthejourney.com/Therapy_and_Counselling.html
Warmest regards, blessings and joy, love and godspeed for your and Ann’s work and new books, ah ho,
Jill
I started out 2010 being approved for disability and receiving my first check. It helps - it’s been a long time since any good news came to town. I have been out of work two years. I have just started reading Storycatcher - and realized one of the things I also lost the past two years is my journaling. So it’s time to catch up. I’ve journals going back to age 15 and I am now 54. Thank you for this website - I am hoping to learn how to write my stories more positively. And perhaps figure out what the purpose of some of them were. Not to mention my purpose as well - I leave no legacy in terms of children or family.
Regards, Ellen