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The language of community
“When we love people, we share things with words. We share poems. We share songs. We share our favorite books. Because if we can make enough language bridges between the two of us, our hearts and minds will begin to know each other better.” ~Martha Beck This busy week has been all about sharing good books. On Tuesday night, I hosted our neighborhood book club, and last night I hosted a discussion of The Let Them Theory at the Blair Memorial Library’s “Self-Help Book Club.” Both book discussions were lively and thought-provoking. Best of all, I learned such interesting things about each person who reflected on what she had read.…
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Creative cycles
“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks. Its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” ~Cynthia Occelli Nature often reminds us that growth and creativity are preceded by change or “complete destruction.” It’s a dynamic, powerful process — especially in the fall. Here in the Midwest, our trees drop their seeds, then stage a brilliant color show before completely shedding their leaves. Likewise, the best way through a creative block — or any sort of problem — is to scale back or remove what’s getting in the way. Sometimes we…
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Unexplained mysteries
“There are no coincidences. Every event we experience and every person we meet has intentionally been put in our path to help raise our level of consciousness.” ~Cheryl Richardson The closer we get to Halloween, the more attuned we are to all things mysterious and magical. If we’re paying attention, every day is full of unexpected events and near-magical “coincidences” that work to our advantage. Out of the blue, for instance, a card arrives in the mail from an old friend you’ve been missing and meaning to contact. Or you meet a stranger in a waiting room who gives you a tip that helps you solve a problem or leads…
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Season of the witch
“Witches are outsiders, and those among us who have been bullied and ostracized can relate to their plight. Part of our fascination with witches is that they are the only female mythic figures with power. These are women who don’t need to be rescued by a prince or a king, but, instead, can save themselves.” ~Alice Hoffman, from the 25th anniversary edition of Practical Magic The spooky season is here. Several homes around my neighborhood are decorated with life-sized witch figures, some flying on their brooms in the trees or circling plastic cauldrons on front lawns. My fascination with the history of “witches” began early. Indulging their interests in early…
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Celebrating October
“October is the month of painted leaves.Their rich glow now flashes round the world.As fruits and leaves and the day itselfacquire a bright tint just before they fall,so the year near its setting.October is its sunset sky;November the later twilight.” ~Henry David Thoreau, Autumnal Tints I copied today’s quote in my journal, years ago, after reading Thoreau’s Autumnal Tints during my first fall semester at college. Today, it’s still my favorite tribute to October. As Thoreau observed, this beautiful month begins the end of the year and reminds us to take stock of our previous seasons. October is the soul of autumn, a harvest of remembering. It inspires fall color…
