Last week when I was writing about the hallway of transition an unexpected visitor arrived at my imagination’s door, unbidden. Without calling ahead, Blanche Dubois aimlessly wandered across my visual landscape in her rhinestone tiara and yellowing ball gown, looking forlorn and rather lost. And then, back in the real world, I serendipitously discovered that … Continue reading
Filed under Deep Reflection …
Meaning Mondays: The Mask Edition
A person is least of all himself when he talks as himself. Give him a mask and he will tell the truth. -Oscar Wilde I stumbled upon mask making quite by accident. Early in my career, I was fascinated by the intersection of creativity and personal growth. (Still am, actually.) And since I had a … Continue reading
In the Hallway of Transition
When one door closes another opens but all too often there is a long hallway in between. -Rick Jarow It was a welcome surprise. The unexpected email arrived in my inbox earlier this week, from two former students. I haven’t seen them in well over a year, and in that time they’ve graduated and moved … Continue reading
Big Questions
…Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is … Continue reading
The House of Belonging
What is home? Clearly it’s a place. A spot on the map. The door opening. A warm bed. Somewhere we can retreat to and find sanctuary. For some, of course, home is meant to be left, gotten away from. As soon as possible. A repository of pain and difficult times. But whatever our first experiences … Continue reading
13 Creative Tips to Transform the Fear Story
Earlier this week I wrote about fear and a common story that often gives it juice: The Orphan story. If this is your first time here and you’re in a rush (gearing up for Thanksgiving and all), you don’t need to go back and read my last piece. Nope, you can think about the story … Continue reading
A Large State of Fear
Loads of words have been written about fear. Enough to fill pages and pages. In fact, I suspect that if you laid all those pages end to end, they would span the highways and byways of a small state. Like Rhode Island. Maybe even a really big state. Texas perhaps. I don’t know. Geography aside, … Continue reading
Dark Magic and the $97 Book
First, a disclaimer: if you’re the author of a $97 book, the title of this post is not meant to imply that you practice voodoo or are the next incarnation of Voldemort. No, not at all. It’s merely a catchy phrase to illustrate that when an archetype is active in our lives, we meet up … Continue reading
Your Inner Magician and the Power of Naming
WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THESE WORDS? Abracadabra! Click your heels three times! Open sesame! Expelliarmus! Double double toil and trouble! I’m betting that you recognize we’re in the realm of sorcery. And you immediately know we’re talking about someone with supernatural powers. Because whether it’s a witch or wizard, an illusionist or … Continue reading
Welcome to the Party Called Life
Guest House This being human is a guest house Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still treat each guest honorably. … Continue reading