Writing
Tuesday, September 24th, 2013
The Mindful Writer, Coach & Practitioner: Free Talk
Mindfulness extends into many areas of our personal and professional development as coaches. In today’s talk Executive Coach, speaker, trainer and creative writing tutor Jackee Holder shares a series of writing approaches and practices that will cultivate mindfulness in our work as coaches both on and off the page.
Drawing from sound research from her latest book 49 Ways Ways To Write Yourself Well: The Science and Wisdom of Writing and journaling you will learn about:
- The many therapeutic benefits creative writing about our work and ourselves contributes to your health and well being
- How to heal yourself with Mindful writing
- How writing regularly is a form of mindfulness practice and for many extends into a spiritual practice that enhances who we are which further impacts on the quality and engagement of how we coach.
- How writing mindfully invokes stillness, the art and heart of being and deepens our connection to our intuition, creativity, inner wisdom and resourcefulness.
- How writing mindfully activates the wisdom and resourcefulness of your “inner coach”
- The research that underpins and supports the therapeutic benefits of expressive writing and how this can be incorporated into our one to one coaching work and our work with teams and organizations.
Jackee is passionate about writing and reading as mindfulness practices and believes that through mindfulness practices we can grow and development ourselves holistically as coaches both on and off the page.
FREE TALK on 12 November 2013
Click here to register via Eventbrite
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Thursday, September 12th, 2013
I wanted to share with you this letter from Nehanda who attended my book launch for 49 Ways To Write Yourself Well on 9 August.
I met Jackee in 2001 in my place of employment where she worked alongside a positive male trainer Omowale in Hammersmith and Fulham. It was an excellent combination. It was a period in my life when you know the right people showed up at the right time. This meeting in more ways than one turned out to be and will remain one of the most spiritually awakening, personal uplifting time in my life. I truly mean that.
Fast forward to 2013, 12 years since that time and I am sitting in Brixton Library in Lambeth, the borough of my birth and where so many positives have happened in my life. It is Friday 9th August in the evening and one would think what would you be doing in a library in the children’s section on a Friday night? when there are bars to go to; places to dance, theatre productions to view; any amount of entertainment. Here I was in a place that reminded me of my youthful years doing a summer vacation job; reading stories to children across the Libraries in Lambeth in the 80’s again how time flies.
I had after receiving Jackee’s newsletter in my email about this event wondered whether I really wanted to attend yet another workshop, book, launch. I have been to so many in the last couple of years and many where I would bump into Jackee either leading, contributing or just attending the event. It was not until two days before the event that I decided to send my confirmation that I would attend. I let spirit guide me and anyway I did not have that date signed up where I would put on my slinky dress and killer heels so I decided Brixton Library it was, minus the slinky dress but I wore my heels; interestingly Jackee mentioned how she did not wear heels usually (neither do I) but she wore a pair of beautiful textile, richly coloured heels and strutted onto the stage with confidence, style and an air of promising delight that confirmed for me that I had chosen the right (write) event tonight. Jackee was here to promote her new book “49 Ways to Write Yourself Well”
I looked at the title and I realised that I had started writing a blog in November. I was indeed writing myself well. I also realised that in the last few months that had been what I would say been unfulfilling” I had hit a writer’s block, the words that had flowed so easily in the first few months of starting my blog were now like stagnant water and were not flowing yet I had so much in my head that I wanted to write about.
The evening was introduced by Joy Francis, Journalist and Broadcaster with Malika Booker interviewer for Jackee; for me this was a showcase of talented women particularly African-Caribbean women in the U.K. I loved Malika’s poem “Pain” so much resonated with many of the women in the room , she got us joining in the poem to make the poem come alive.
Friday evening in Brixton Library, well who would have thought; probably more than 70 people in the room mainly African-Caribbean women but I was glad to see that an event like this has no ethnic, class, age, gender or disability divide, so I was glad to see the array of diverse people at this event. We all need to write ourselves well.
I did buy the book and I know it won’t be one of those that end up on my bookshelf gathering dust. Jackee always writes a personal dedication in her sign up for copies of her books with a very vibrant orange felt tip pen. It is the 2nd book I have bought of Jackee’s and signed this was How to become your own Life Coach, she has a first publication Soul Purpose which I knew of but have to admit I have never read.
In my signed copy Jackee wrote” Dear Nehanda close your eyes, open a page a write yourself well, with much love Jackee 09/08/13”
During the evening we participated in an NLP exercise from the book which was fun and very enlightening on beginning to understand the outer image we often portray and who we are in our inner world “the true self”
What I could see in Jackee on this night, a woman I have connected with on many occasions was her holding her own with such fun and joy in herself now that she is a woman in her 50’s.
It was inspiring for me a 50 something woman to see that she had made her own journeys as we all have in our own unique and special ways. I left the library quietly on a high and decided to take an hour long journey back to North London rather than take the tube with my new book, journal and pen in hand. I passed familiar places of my youth a South London Girl at heart I remembered my past and thought about my present a 50 plus mother of three and now grandmother sitting on a bus travelling through London writing herself well. I closed my eyes and opened up the page as Jackee had suggested and came to page 78 Way 24 Intuition your inner wisdom and I thought it was intuition that made me attend this event tonight and I was glad I followed it.
I have since used the book and this it has assisted me in writing this piece I am writing now. I opened up the page for the 2nd time and came to page 110 Way 37 – The F Word, which I rarely use I should add not the one you are thinking anyway. The F Word here was FAILURE which sometimes I do use and often feel.
Jackee I want to say thank you for this gift. After this exercise , tears flowed they had been waiting for a long time, the recent showers in London and across the country could not match the flow that was coming out of my body and soul; they were so healing and I did give myself a big hug in fact a massive hug. I had followed my intuition which I sometimes ignore to my detriment. I had walked the journey on my own to that event and felt totally inspired and full of gratitude for sharing the evening with such a wonderful group of souls. It was not just not another workshop or book launch; but an highly interactive programme of writing wellness into our lives.
Thank you again, Jackee you are well onto what you expressed is your desire to have a programme where people are fully engaged in writing themselves well. I wish you well on that journey. Be continually blessed in what you do. I feel blessed in the Journey I decided to take to Join others in Brixton Library on a Friday evening.
Love always Nehanda
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Sunday, September 1st, 2013
Here’s another of our retreat attendee’s Tamya Bustamante’s write up of their time on our Writing For Our Lives Writers Retreat held in Glastonbury in July. We left it to her to tell her story in her own words.
You know when you go somewhere thinking you know what to expect and then you get something completely different?
As a volunteer for Alternatives who had organised the retreat, I often find myself reflecting like this and once again the thought reoccurred during the Writing For Our Lives retreat led by Jackee.
I feel I had quite a 2D perception of writing as a form of personal creative expression. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the art of writing, I love poetry, scriptwriting and verse, in particular, but I hadn’t extended the love to my own writing. It’s something I had put away in a box of things I wasn’t good at, along with maths & science, after some years of depressing feedback at school.
Nevertheless I went to the retreat believing that although I was no writer, (as writing was something that I did enjoy once upon a time) still, the holistic side of writing was something that definitely appealed to me.
The first day was all about settling into the beautiful Abbey House Retreat. What an incredible space to be in and go within. Jackee’s warm, open welcome made my soul feel re-acquainted with an old soul sister. She opened the space allowing each of us to tune into what we were there for, as individuals and sharing this collectively helped shape our collective aims for the weekend.
Jackee held us in a beautiful opening ceremony where we sat out in the grounds under a big tree and lit candles to represent our commitment to our aims for the weekend.
Jackee’s presence immediately facilitated peer to peer support and made our group feel more intimate. At one point a badger showed up at our opening ceremony, which I was told was very rare as they are shy creatures, but also very poignant as they represent courage.
I felt the badger was one of my guides throughout the weekend, reminding me to have courage and be open and in fact to extend that message into my current life. That was what really struck me about this writing retreat, it wasn’t just tools and exercises to practices whilst we were there, it was tools to use throughout ones life, to explore in wider areas.
The second day we got deep into writing. Each of our sessions were usually held indoors, but Jackee’s creative coaching encouraged us to go outside and use our environment to enrich our writing.
Tamya with one of the Journal cards she worked with on day 2 of the retreat.
After a very productive morning we walked to Challis Wells Gardens in the afternoon, found quite writing spots around the gardens and relished in drinking the pure water that sprung from the well. They said the water comes from so deep in the earth, they are unable to locate its exact source.
After we eagerly ate a deliciously prepared dinner, our silent ritual began. I feel this was one of the most important lessons, for all of us on the retreat. It cut out all the usual noise that distracts us from our inner voice and allowed us each to hold a sacred space of silence for ourselves and as a collective.
We woke at 4am on the third day and we greeted the morning with a walk to Glastonbury Tor, continuing our silent ritual. This was absolutely beautiful. The view, the sunrise, the huge Tor, the history of the place. I meditated and took many a deep mindful breath so as to lock this feeling securely in my life memories.
After another tasty breakfast, we broke our silence. It was like a soft awakening. We had a lot to share and write about that evening and we closed the night with a celebration with reading samples of what we had discovered, created and achieved over the past few days.
We couldn’t believe it when the last day arrived. It was difficult to think of leaving the beautiful place and going back to our usual lives. All that we had learnt, shared and received on this course.
We had a last couple of sessions before we had a closing ritual. It was difficult to say goodbye to the space, the retreat, Jackee and the other participants, but we all exchanged contacts and said we would continue to support each other with writing and attend Jackee’s retreat next year.
The last part I would like to share is a little more of my experiences of the sessions that Jackee held at the retreat. The sessions opened up the space for my quiet creative writing voice to emerge and for me personally, to be heard for the first time since the dreaded days of English language at school.
Jackee’s excellent facilitation of the sessions subtly held our group, as well as us individually in a way that made everyone feel secure and have the courage connect to our vulnerability and through it connect to our soul’s creativity.
Jackee encouraged us to ask ourselves the right questions, sit with them, breath with them and give time to allow the answers to come into our consciousness. Through her support we were able to uncover inner gems and be open with them and yet keep the newly uncovered gems close to ourselves. It was like revealing yourself to you.
I especially loved the different mediums we used to express and develop our creative writing. Through art, nature, music and using writing prompts, which touched different sides of our creativity my inspiration flowed out.
Jackee makes writing an easy and necessary thing to add to your life. She combines writing with many different aspects of wellbeing. This experience rejuvenated my passion for writing and I would recommend this retreat to everyone, especially those who do not feel they are writers.
Tamya Bustamante August 2013
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Friday, August 30th, 2013
Recently I’ve been on the receiving end of lot’s of No’s and a stream of disappointment’s.
No I don’t have time be involved in the project you’ve invited me to be part of …….
No I can’t do this interview for your website ………
A close friend didn’t make it to my birthday party in May and it hurt.
Last year I had a fierce conference with the organizer of a conference I was part of. I wasn’t convinced that our conversation came from the heart. I left the conversation still feeling sludgy. Something just didn’t feel right. It felt like the professional veneer was in operation, a bit like, ‘we need to have this conversation, but we are not really having the ‘real’ conversation.’ A reminder from Susan Scott author of Fierce Conversations who writes about the seven principles of Fierce Conversations which includes, ‘Come out from behind yoursself into the conversation and make it real.’ Obviously I had my part to play in our professional niceness.
Month’s later I found out that the same conference has a new international location with pretty much a repeat line up of the same presenters and I was not invited.
I’m guessing our conversation did not go so well.
Since the publication of my new book I sent out copies to a long list of respected colleagues and authors. Not one person sent back an email commenting on the book or it’s content. The question is what do I make of the silence? What is the conversation or conversations I have in my head?
After several not going so well conversations in my head I plucked up the courage to ask one of those people who had been sent a copy of my book why they hadn’t responded. I was surprised by the feedback. In this person’s view unless I specifically asked for feedback they were under the conclusion that it wasn’t required or expected. Hey, it helps to check things out before jumping to conclusions.
This is one of the many reasons we protect ourselves from having that difficult conversation in the first place or going that extra mile, or taking that leap of faith. We’re afraid of rejection, of being refused or not hearing anything at all. It feels far too risky and scary. This is the icky stuff we avoid at all costs.
I see it all the time in organizations. People protect and fiercely defend themselves against any possibility of being made to feel vulnerable because they’re so afraid of feeling vulnerable, humiliated or even the slight amount of discomfort.
But on closer examination No’s are often in our favour .
Looking back I needed to have the conversation with the conference organizer. It was part of my learning curve, a part of me being assertive, of not swallowing my feelings, of having the courage to speak out and making a stand for how I felt I had been treated. It was better to have had the conversation even in the likelihood of the outcome than not to have had it at all. The cost to my emotional and mental well-being had I not spoken out would have been to my detriment. A cost that is not always obviously visible, but can be silently depleting ad harmful.
In an organisational context Susan Scott reminds us in her Fierce Conversations Training that, ‘ it is the unreal and missing conversations that are costly – in terms of morale, engagement and performance.’ Read more about Fierce Conversations and the work of Susan Scott at http://www.fierceinc.com
Would it have been better to have not sent out all those books? No, I genuinely sent out books to teachers and writers whose work I love and respect as a gift. Once I returned and reconnected to my original intention of sharing my work without expectation my anxiety and angst about the silence evaporated. It was no longer an issue.
It made the way for me to clearly see how many people have come back to me from different places than the sources I was trying to push. You could say the minute I became unattached to acknowledgement from my peers, my tribe of readers who appreciated and validated the work appeared.
One could say that the No’s and silences have paved the way for a lot more Yes’s.
Since the experience of being on the receiving end of a string of No’s several things have happened.
I’ve treasured and deepened my appreciation of my own work and writing
I’ve gathered a range of connections and ideas for workshops and retreats based on the books content which I am really excited about
I’ve become more aware of my personal impact and how my own presence and power can sometimes not be perceived in the best light.
I’ve accepted that the international conference was not to be a part of my journey and that I could let it go. As soon as I did this so many new writing opportunities and events presented themselves.
I showered myself with compassion and forgave myself for how hard I am on myself. I made re-committed to walking my talk.
I was reminded to go where the energy feels right and where I’m wanted. How often do we waste our good energy and time trying to make other people like us or squeezing ourselves into places and events that are clearly not the right fit.?
Easier said than done when working in an organization and that person just happens to be your boss.
We worry and get anxious that these difficult and sticky conversations will be held against us.
And sometimes they are (but we can manage how we respond and live through these times) and sometimes they’re not.
But we can find a way through when they are….
It helps when thought leaders like Brene Brown words express exactly what we feel. Her research on vulnerability expresses many of the complex emotions that exist in the different layers of our daily interactions and rejections of each other which vulnerability is made up of,
“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” Check out her website at http://wwwbrenebrown.com
Then there’s the other end of the spectrum.
Recently I had the most gorgeous conversation with someone who said No to a work proposal but said it with compassion, who took time out to make an appointment to speak with me. Who made notes and observations about what worked about what I was presenting and what was missing. It felt clean, clear and felt like our conversation had no load.
I bounced out of her office feeling like I had been given a gift. Evidence that No’s can be said gracefully and leave the other person feeling energized and inspired.
I often say to writers, that for every ‘No’ they receive from a publisher means they are getting closer to a Yes. You’re getting closer to that publishing company who has your name on it.
Oh did I not mention that in the last month I’ve also had an avalanche of Yes’s and requests all from unexpected places and sources. They’ve been coming out of the woodwork hard and fast. And they’re all on point. Interested in my work, interested in me, and the energy feels way, way different.
I know that when we trust the process no matter how hard we push if we just relax our grip the right doors open.
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Saturday, August 17th, 2013
I asked some of the participants from our July 2013 Writing For Our Lives Retreat in Glastonbury to share their experience of our recent retreat.
It’s hard for me to sometimes capture what it is we do on our workshops and retreats that makes the experience what it is.
Here’s what Lynne Philp one of our retreat participants had to say about her time on the retreat:
I definitely don’t have a reputation of being great at baking cakes, but I do have a reputation of knowing a great cake when I see one! I would imagine that anybody who does know how to bake, would say that it’s the combination of ingredients when mixed together which creates something so delicious, that its hard for anyone to resist.
The Writing for our Lives retreat in Glastonbury with Jackee Holder, was full of such wonderful, natural ingredients, when blended together, created such a delicious experience, that I definitely will be hungry for more…. and more.
This workshop was definitely up on my list of one of the best training sessions I have ever been on and I was thrilled and so lucky to have had the chance to get a taste.
Jackee chose her ingredients with immaculate care………..the wonderful Abbey House, with its peaceful and so beautifully inspiring grounds, nestling right next to the old Abbey; the charming staff who worked so hard to care for us and the writing activities which magically tapped into our creativity and our hearts and souls. Now, that was a bonus. Added to the mix, were silent moments in the world-renowned Chalice Gardens, walking the Tor at sunset and food, which tasted so, so good! Hmmmmm.
Jackee blended her ingredients with her world-class style – a style which is so colourful, kind, fun, and insightful, that she creates something so wonderful, you just have to have a slice ……..a large slice!
A beautifully, created retreat. Simply delicious!
Our next retreat is scheduled for April 2014. I hope you will come join us.
Photo credits Lynne Philp July 2013
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Friday, August 16th, 2013
Our Writing For Our Lives Retreat in July 2013 in mystical Glastonbury was magical
Glastonbury was the perfect writing spot. The sun stayed out and played with us
The trees waved and held the space whilst the breeze danced and swirled offering a comforting breeze against the sun’s heat
On the first night as we got acquainted under the branches of a great tree, Badger came
We wrote, walked, wrote, walked and talked and wrote and wrote
We played, rested, ate well, shared, deepened and unbuttoned
The Wild self came out to play on and off the page
We fed our writing and creativity in a space of ceremony, ritual, inner reflection and emptying on the page
We entered silence and many did not want to break the sweet territory of silence once the time was up
We woke at 4am and did a silent walk up the Tor and greeted the day with the Rising Sun, the howling wind and the crows
It was a natural high, the body sang and rejoiced
We walked to Chalice Wells Gardens and wrote and Dee found her sacred writing spot
We read and shared with each other
Wrote each other affirmations and word gifts
When the time came to leave we did not want to return home
We’re doing it all again next year April 2014
Don’t leave it too late to join us next year
It’s too good a writing retreat to miss
It’s more than a writing retreat so come find out
Your writing self will hug and be delighted for you.
In the meantime enjoy some of the photos and video testimonials from our 2013 Writing For Our Lives retreat
Photo credits Lynne Philp & Jackee Holder July 2013
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Friday, August 2nd, 2013
My third creative adventure this week happened yesterday again in the evening. I had purchased myself a ticket for an event, which was part of the local Nunhead Cemetery in South London and described as, “ a surreal performance at dusk in the trees, chapel and avenues of Nunhead cemetery.”
Organised by Arbonauts performance collective, Biped Monitor is experiential theatre including a cast of physical performers, a choir of 20+ local singers, classical musicians, soloists and operatic works inspired by William Blake and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
A cemetery is an unusual setting for a play but given that it is the home of so many who onced lived, a perfect setting for stored stories in one place.
I find it rewarding to have something creative to do in the evenings that drags me from collapsing on my sofa or reminding myself of how much work I still have to do.
The whole atmosphere around the event means that as a spectator one is invited to be present and to be really there. From the start we were asked to switch off mobile phones and not to take any photo’s to distract the actor.
We arrived and were instructed to stand behind a green line. Then in batches of seven or eight we were invited one by one to slowly walk the gravel path that leads to the ruined chapel in the centre of the cemetery. Lining the path from top to bottom were the choir draped in whote robes.
Our walk along the path was accompanied by choral singing, chanting and reciting imitations of animal noises. It was enchanting and at moments haunting.
I liked the fact we had to walk on our own without speaking even though the woman behind me overtook me and walked briskly forward overtaking several others. Her fast walking, despite being invited to slow it down reminded of a conversation in a DVD I watched last week entitled The Way where a father (Martin Sheen) is walking the pilgrimage of The Camino de Santiago, a Catholic pilgrimage route to the Catholic cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain following the death of his son whilst walking the pilgrimage. One of Sheen’s companions along the way comments that he is walking so fast he is missing everything.
I won’t go into everything about the Biped Monitor production, lets’ just say it was haunting, evocative and bizarre in places and I am still unsure about what I was watching. But it was captivating and a sensual experience to watch dusk fall and to see the actors shadows lengthen against the backdrop of the walls of the chapel ruins. The light was superb as dusk fell. I just wished we had been allowed to use our camera’s more at that point (I did steal a few shots, albeit on the iphone, not very good though) towards the end).
Following the performance what I really connected with is the value and the importance of slowing down. The mindful walk along the gravel path at the start of the performance reminded me of how many times during my day I could do with slowing myself right down, taking a breath and becoming more mindful. So many of my coaching conversations are about slowing down. Of making time to breathe and smell the roses as a way of really fine tuning our awareness and capacity to make better, more informed choices rather than rush to make quick and hasty decisions that have not been thought through.
Yesterday morning on my way to a coaching session in central London I was shoved several times by individuals whose whole bodies were contorted signaling a non-verbal message, “Get out of my way. I’m in a hurry.” I kept stopping noticing and breathing and using each moment to return if even for a few seconds into my own body.
My creative adventures this week has made me remember how important it is to make this time to feed my own creativity and what it does for the thinking quality of my own thoughts and how this enables me to deepen into my work as a coach and a writer on many levels in a way that makes me more alive and helps me create work and words that have meaning.
I plan to create an Autumn/Winter 2013 Creativity Curriculum Class for the next six months to continue this creative input. I have an eclectic taste culturally so I am open to being fed creatively from many sources.
Why not join me by creating your own CCC. I will be posting more events as I complete between now and December 2013.
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Friday, August 2nd, 2013
My creative adventure on Tuesday evening took me across the river from South to North to the Hampstead area of London.
I had signed up for another School Of Life event: Drinks with Virginia Woolf.
The rain held off and the sun wavered in and out of the clouds as around 70 gathered to hear a collection of interesting facts and stories about the writer Virginia Woolf.
I am no great reader of Woolf’s work but her name pops up everywhere in literary circles and is often a common quote in books on creative writing.
I have on several occasions written about the need for one’s own space something that I feel strongly about and live by inspired by the title of one of her books: A Room Of One’s Own.
The School of Life continue to take learning outside of the usual class room environment and take it out into the natural world in a way that to me is engaging and stimulating.
So our setting for the evening was amongst the stunning grounds of Fenton House a historic gem tucked away in the lush and lavish, leafy lanes of Hampstead.
The air of money hangs in the air as you pace yourself up steep hill towards Fenton House passing the former homes of the likes such as celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. This was the house and garden that was recently featured in the excellent BBC drama series, Dancing On The Edge a true story about a black Jazz band in London in the early 30’s.
Fenton House is a 17th century Merchants house with a walled garden which includes a rose and vegetables garden and a delightful Apple orchard. Plenty of time was given to roaming the gardens whilst having conversations revolving around themes emerging from Woolf’s work.
Alexandra Harris, author of Virginia Woolf, passionately presented the evening. I really enjoyed the way in which she shared some great stories and lesser, known facts about Woolf, her work and her writing. For example many photographs of Virginia Woolf are often showing her rather grim faced when in fact Woolf had at times a real love of life.
In one particular photograph Woolf is getting ready to go for a walk and has an appointment and needs to get out of the house. Perhaps this is reflected in the seriousness and purposefulness in her look.
I came away really keen to read more of Woolf’s work based on a more intimate understand of her and her writing.
Find out more about the School Of Life and their series of Nights Out events and other classroom and sermon activities: http://www.theschooloflife.com/shop/eurekatouroflondon-912/
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Monday, July 29th, 2013
Thought I would share some of the ways in which I am getting creatively fed this week. I am getting re-sourced through a combination of creative excursions and Artist dates. I love August as it’s the one month of the year I take scheduled time off and have time to kick back, carry out new research, complete or scrap old projects and bring things together for what is now being referred to as the new January – September.
My creative nights out this week include:
A visit tonight to watch the theatre production of Amen’s Corner by African American playwright and author James Baldwin at the National Theatre
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/the-amen-cornerat
Tomorrow night it’s an evening attending Nights Out: Drinks With Virginia Woolf organised by The School Of Life. I love the outdoor events scheduled by the School Of Life. This event is described as being guided through a menu of conversation topics designed specifically around the work of Virginia Woolf around the grounds of Fenton House, Hampstead Heath.
http://www.theschooloflife.com/shop/drinkswithvirginiawoolf/
And on Thursday evening billed as the hottest day this week I’ll be in attendance at what seems like an amazing local event close to where I live in Nunhead Cemetery as part of the Nunhead Festival.
Biped’s Monitor is described as a surreal performance at dusk in the trees, chapels and avenues of Nunhead cemetery. Can’t wait.
http://www.lovenunhead.co.uk/events/bipeds-monitor/
I guess the Muses are busy at work this week.
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Saturday, July 27th, 2013
This time last week I was half way through leading our second annual writing for our lives retreat at Glastonbury. Our wonderful writing family, as I now refer to them as, were everything a retreat leader could have asked for. They were inspiring, energising, so full of wisdom and commitment to the writing and creative process we just had a ball.
On our first night as we sat under a huge Oak surrounded by candles sharing our writing commitments for the weekend a badger streaked by behind the group. I was the only one to see her speed run but she was a welcome sign that we had arrived and that were in the right place.
The Silent space set up as part of our time together has proven to be one of the most valuable parts of our retreat time together. It’s where we have permission to be with ourselves, to sleep, to walk, to eat or write or just simply be. When we broke silence on the Saturday mid morning some people wished that our time in silence could have gone on for longer. Silent space is one of my favourite parts of retreats whether ‘m in the position of running a retreat or a participant I always welcome and embrace the silence.
Our 4.30am walk to the top of Glastonbury Tor on the Saturday morning to watch the sunset was the perfect start to our day. The howling wind beat against our bodies and faces as crows circled the Tor and the sun slowly edged her way up the skyline and greeted us full force.
The Abbey House in Glastonbury was the perfect location, with so many delightful writing spots to choose from we spent most of our weekend writing outside in nature, underneath the shade of some of the great trees on the grounds or reading our work aloud to one of the many trees.
The annual retreat is where writers come to replenish. There is a packed programme of writing exercises, with spots and time for feedback and discussion on our writing as well as teaching and tips from me. But our time is also perfectly balanced with time and space to breathe and walk and nourish our bodies and souls in different ways
Our time together was full of laughter, connection, love, warmth, healing, and transformation and was over all a spiritual experience for us as a group and community of writers.
We get to do this all again next year but this time in June 2014. Dates will soon be loaded up onto the website and on the Alternatives website at www.alternatives.org,uk
I will also share some of the video testimonials of our time together in a later blog post, so more to come. In the meantime enjoy some of the images shared with permission of our time together.
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