What's your Road? By Charyn Gant

 **Welcome to the She-Tribe Project's first round of six month guest bloggers, an opportunity for women's voices to inspire, share and create community through the written word. Please be sure to stop by our guest blogger's links to their websites/blogs etc. You won't be disappointed! Xo - Sarah**


 

Photo by Sarah McMurray

At the heart of all that hides our light is us: a multifaceted, multidimensional diamond. Just as much as we have issues stuffed inside, we also have the false identities and labels we have used to cover us up on the outside. If you are a seeking woman, you probably spend quite a bit of your life essentially cleaning house and uncovering your light. Not for ourselves, rather for the work we are to do in the world. Yet in order to do that work, we have to meet the truth of who we really are rather than who we think we are. “Think” you already know? Think again.

Surrendering a preconceived view of ourselves is a difficult task to undertake because we have accrued so many identities and labels. Some of us see a stranger in the mirror. I’ve had more than a few instances over the years of not recognizing myself and wondering why at times I looked so strange. It would be years before the voice emerged to help me figure it out. Just recently, in fact. I would have to go on journey. Again. Shit. The heavens laugh.

Innocently we embark upon journeys in our lives without full awareness of what’s in store for us. Again, we “think” we might be able to figure it. And yet, have no idea what our souls have in store for us! When we start the journey, we become the seeker or the fool; the “0” card in the Major Arcana of any tarot deck.

We, by default, embark upon a new road to meet the woman we may need to become in order to fulfill our work on the planet. We must give up control, perfectionism, resentment, anger, bitterness and everything else that has created weight in our life journey so far.

Some of us are already traveling, have traveled, or are standing at the beginning.  And still others are

contemplating whether or not to go through with it. You must dump all expectations, controlling the outcome or how the journey will proceed. You don’t get to determine the process. You must be willing to reposition your perception of who you thought you were or even release the life you are currently living in order to switch roads.

For example, when she started thinking about writing The Color Purple, author Alice Walker knew she had to change everything in her life to write it. She left her husband, sold her house in New York, and moved across the country. She ended up in Northern California to have the quiet and solitude needed to write that book. Now, this may not be your fate; however, you must heed the clarion calls that come. To do less would be to thumb your nose at the universe. Keep in mind: your Soul will win in the end. As a Trekie, I totally have to quote: “Resistance is Futile”.

How many of us are willing to truly surrender to a higher purpose that is seeking to push forth from

within? It can be an awesome or absolutely frightening prospect. As I write these words, I am struggling to let go of a path I thought I “was supposed” to follow. This was an unexpected revelation; a fast pitch to the head I didn’t see coming. I honestly didn’t know what to feel. When I look back on it, just a couple of weeks ago, I wondered why I didn’t throw a tantrum. Relief perhaps? And an unexpected bonus graced me after being dormant for years: my poetry muse came back. What was happening? I was beginning to clear away the layers of false identities that covered me. I was giving my diamond light an opportunity to reemerge. The journey is producing unexpected gems.

So where are you? Are you contemplating? Are you at the beginning of the path or already on the road? Have you already traveled and are taking a break before you begin again? No matter where you are, know that you are in the place you need to be in this moment. If the road is beckoning you, heed the call and let it tempt you on to the path.

Charyn Gant is the founder of the blog/site When We Listen to Trees: a platform to share information, stories and tolls of how we can improve our quality of life, especially our emotional health as it relates to our physical health. Charyn has been in the alternative healing arena for more than a decade. You can also find her on Pinterest and LinkedIn.

A Manifesto for Living A Life Worth Writing About

Today I had my first article published on Elephant Journal, a publication I've admired for some time.  I wrote a manifesto for living a life worth writing about - it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately. Writing is only as good as the life of the writer. Living well is what provides the inspiration for writing, to inspire the reader to pick up your project and share the adventure with you. Without the gumption to create a life full of experiences and adventures, relationships and community, what does one write about?

It's easy to fall into the routine of our lives, of going to work, being a regular at the local coffee shop or bar and doing the same thing on the weekends. But what if we challenged ourselves to try more new things - new events, meet new people, try new foods and explore new groups? Boom! The creative muses have something to stir in your mind into a new article, book, song, piece of art, or community builder.

We are a voyeuristic culture - we watch celebrities and successful business people's lives in awe of their habits, routines and the seemingly effortless way their lives appear more magical than our own, when in reality, our own lives could be just as fascinating if we wanted. Think about it - it comes down to living with intention and knowing what you want. For me, if I wake up everyday meditating on the fact that I want to develop and grow as a writer, that means I'm intentional about how I spend my time - where do I go, what people I hang out with and what I read (a girl needs inspiration, you know) and I'm intentional about getting my butt in the chair everyday to write - whether good or bad, but simply to practice the habits I want.

In my small city of 85,000, I could go to different coffee shops every day of the week, if I wanted. I could walk a new trail just as often and I could find new people to chat with about their lives no problem. How adventurous are you?

Will join me in this week's adventure of trying new things all week and being intentional about it? Share your latest adventures!!

Earth & Creativity...(My working retreat in the mountains)

The view from my resting place...

Week two of freelancing and dreaming. I took myself to the lake in the high Cascade mountains for solitude and a working retreat to writing for my upcoming deadlines without distraction.

 From the moment I set-up camp I noticed the earth was humming. I couldn't figure it out. There were no motor boats on the lake, and I wouldn't be hearing engines from other lakes this far into the mountains. The humming continued.

The first night I slept hard. Dreams were vivid. In the morning I took my journal, camera and chair up the path to a tiny patch of sand below a large tree. I moved my chair from the edge of the woods onto the sand and suddenly noticed the earth was vibrating ever so slightly beneath my feet, and the humming was louder. It didn't worry me, and I headed into the water for a swim - only to be disappointed by the shallowness of the lake as I walked the length of it, only ever getting hip deep in the warm water.

I noticed wild blueberries lining the shore around the lake, clear waters and soft clouds reflecting in the still lake knee deep.

Upon returning to my chair, and feeling the earth still trembling, I couldn't help but think of Pele, goddess of fire and volcanoes, although the high Cascades are far from the Pacific Ocean, the earth here is similar, built on relics of volcanoes and lava. But the energy of the earth below my feet was more than that....ground bees.

Finally I saw a few yellow bees come spilling out of the rocks lining the edge of the lake where I was sitting. There must be thousands of them to create such a rumble in the earth! They never bothered me and I went about my day shooting images for the article I have due next week.

I toured a few lakes in the past few days, capturing sunsets and sunrises, clouds and landscapes all with the goal of being able to articulate the magic that occurs when creativity is inspired by nature. In the past few weeks my dream of creative freelancing has evolved bigger and wilder than I ever imagined! I'm working on some exciting projects that I'll share in the months ahead...all geared toward writing!

It never ceases to amaze me how dreams evolve, change and push us past the boundaries of ourselves. What dreams are you watching evolve right now? I'll give you a hint...mine involves publishing. ;-)

Money & Value vs. Guilt & Shame by Elinor Predota

Artwork by Sarah McMurray

 **Welcome to the She-Tribe Project's first round of six month guest bloggers, an opportunity for women's voices to inspire, share and create community through the written word. Please be sure to stop by our guest blogger's links to their websites/blogs etc. You won't be disappointed! Xo - Sarah**

Last week the ever awesome Rhiannon Llewellyn (she of the many f-words) was talking about love offerings in her Love & Money Revolution community. Love offerings are services that would normally have a fee attached, but are offered instead on a pay-what-you-can or pay-it-forward basis.   In theory, I love love offerings. It's such a beautiful expression of generosity and overflowing gratitude, right? I've offered them in the past in my own business,  but faced with taking up such an offer for myself, as a paying (or rather, non-paying) client, I hit a huge block. 

As beautiful as love offerings are, I feel weird about asking for a service on the basis of paying it forward, or offering a non-monetary exchange, or receiving it as a gift.   There's a great deal of complex and sticky emotion bound up in it. It feels vulnerable. The lack of equal or equitable exchange means that I am, in my mind, in the giver's debt, and thus they have power over me.  It feels shameful, too, to get something for nothing. It triggers beliefs that I have nothing of value to offer, and that my own pay-it-forward gifts will inevitably be worthless in comparison. And how, if there's no monetary value attached, could I possibly know if or when I'd done 'enough' to pay-it-forward 'properly'?  

These are the kind of hamster wheel tracks my mind gets stuck in around money and value. I know, in my heart, that money and value are different things, but I get so confused in the relationship between my heart and the world. That's why business is my soul's training ground right now.  When I step back and look at the big picture, I realize that all my life I have received and appeared to accept what is offered me, but that apparent acceptance has always been accompanied by guilt and shame.   

It goes deep, right down to the original gift, the gift of life which I received from my mother's body and will, and from Life Herself. Deep down, I hold a fear that I can never do enough to justify my existence.  Isn't that ridiculous? As if such a thing were even possible.   Fear and guilt and shame are ridiculous. They have an important role to play in our lives, as alarm signals and pointers that something's not right. But when the same fear and guilt and shame come up, in non-life-threatening situations, again and again and again, no matter what we do, it's time to call a halt.  So how can we do that?    

In the area of my own fear and guilt and shame around money and value, those feelings are pointing to a lack of trust. The fearful part of me doesn't trust someone offering pay-what-you-can, or pay-it-forward, not to hold the power of debt over me. It doesn't trust me to have sufficient value within me to be able to pay-it-forward sufficiently, ever. And at base, it doesn't trust Life to support me and my existence unconditionally.  So what can I do to turn this fearful part of me around, to enable it to trust? I could dig around in my past, excavate the source of those fears, guilt and shame. I'll do a bit of that, certainly; it can help to know which part of me is holding onto things.  But excavation of the past won't change anything by itself. 

There are two things, both aspects of love, which I find, together, help me to navigate and melt these issues when they inevitably arise.  First is tenderness. Facing myself, my past, my fears and my unloving beliefs about myself and others with tenderness and acceptance is deeply transformative. Healing tears flow. What was tightly held gently dissipates. I can breathe again and see more clearly.  Second is gratitude. Opening to gifts and those who offer them to me with a heart full of thank yous enables me to receive without fear, guilt or shame. It enables deep connection with others, and between the parts of myself.   

How about you? Can you relate to these issues of money and value, in your life or your business?

Elinor Predota is a heart-centred rebel who teaches people to find the sparkle in ordinary life and to embark on a new adventure every day. She's intuitive, nurturing, incisive, and lots of fun :-) She loves animals, chocolate, hugging, dancing, singing, laughing, nature, music, making stuff, vibrant food, breathing, magic(k), science fiction and fantasy,  and awesome people. You can also connect with her on Facebook and Pinterest.

Inspired By Creatives...

In my new freelancing world I get to work with highly creative people in The Old Ironworks Arts District of Bend. This part of town is home to many artists, creatives and a unique community of entrepreneurs and dreamers - the kind of people who can take empty buildings by the railroad tracks and turn it into the local art hot spot. Earlier this year I had a studio in The Workhouse, a creative collaborative space of makers, doers and inspirers.

I'm also freelancing for Stuart's of Bend, an artist, jewelry-maker and recent retro swimwear designer.

Being around so many creative and inspiring people helps me get my butt in the chair everyday to create. Last night I submitted a piece to an online publication I've admired for a long time and spent the evening redesigning my home studio after finding a beautiful metal industrial style shelf at a flea market yesterday (pictures coming soon).

Creativity stems from amazing places, including kayaking on the lake, or being part of a creative community. How are you nurturing your creative self lately??

I Choose You, A Poem

I want to sit with you
and free write our thoughts across night skies
to share our memories until wee hours of the morning
and stay awake to watch the sun crest over the horizon
all dewy, like fresh melons dripping, juicy and lush on the mountains

I want to sail the ocean of your body until I know your tides,
your ebbs and flows
the way your body reacts to the first snow of winter
and the thawing of spring earth

I want to stand completely naked with you
our hands caressing each others skin,
tiny boundaries between souls
and laugh wild belly laughs that stir from the ground up
until they reach the heavens with joy

I want to hold your hand until we turn 92 years old (or more)
to race in our wheelchairs down hospital corridors
because we know that happiness and love are a choice
and I choose you

Give Yourself Permission by Ana Campos

**Welcome to the She-Tribe Project's first round of six month guest bloggers, an opportunity for women's voices to inspire, share and create community through the written word. Please be sure to stop by our guest blogger's links to their websites/blogs etc. You won't be disappointed! Xo - Sarah**

Squam 5 Photo by Ana, via Flickr

One of the most important moments in the last year was when I packed my bags and headed off into the woods for my first Squam Art Workshop. This was very hard for me - and if you've heard of "Squam," I know you're thinking to yourself that hanging out by a lake for four days making art doesn't sound scary. But to me, it was much more than that. 

I am a homebody, an introvert, and a cynic. It was a big leap for me to leave my home to spend four days living in the woods with a rather large group of unfamiliar women. Frankly, it sounded downright terrifying because it was so far out of my comfort zone. But I felt inexplicably drawn to it, so I signed up. When the day came to drive up to New Hampshire, I procrastinated. I took forever to pack my bags. I called my husband at work a bunch of times. Then I ran out of excuses, took a deep breath, and got in the car. I'm so glad I did.

I could go on and on about the many wonders of Squam, but in this post, I want to talk about the biggest lesson I learned there: giving yourself permission. This past June, I went back for my second Squam retreat. I stayed in a cabins with nine other women (a truly petrifying idea to this introvert, trust me) who have become wonderful friends. It's easy to bond at Squam because it draws a like-minded crowd, and it breaks down even the biggest of introverts. Now, we email each other reminders to stay "Squam Calm."

I recently found myself wondering, what is the essence of Squam Calm? Obviously being at a gorgeous lake taking creative classes all day produces a wonderful state of well-being, but it's more than that. It dawned on me that it's about giving yourself permission. Taking the time, and making the investment to go to an art retreat is a big act of giving yourself permission to do something for yourself. It's a chance to nurture yourself, and do exactly what you want. You can take your classes, or not. You can skip breakfast. You can go to the night events, or stay in your cabin by the fire. The whole time, you're encouraged to do exactly what pleases you and not feel guilty about it.

Photo by Ana, via Flickr

When you get back to the real world, there's a sense of guilt that creeps back in. You could spend an hour painting, but shouldn't you be doing the laundry, or balancing your checkbook or something? We get caught up in having to be "productive" or "responsible," and we stop giving ourselves permission to do the things we want to do, just for the sake of doing them.

So I am bringing Squam Calm into my life by continuing to give myself permission - to skip the laundry sometimes, to sit around watching bad movies while knitting myself another shawl, to sign up for a painting class, to take on too many sewing projects. I am giving myself permission to bring creativity for the sake of creativity back into my daily routine. And you know what? Every act of giving myself permission is completely energizing. It infuses me with new inspiration, and maybe I'm even a little less cynical. Calmer. Squam Calm.

What are you going to give yourself permission to do?   

Ana is a pie-loving dream chaser. She owns a small creative business, Toil & Trouble, where she hand-dyes yarn and designs knitwear. Currently, Ana is embarking on a new journey as a Studio Manager, working to develop a creative hub and empower artists to pursue their craft.  She was born in Brazil and traveled the world before settling in New England with her husband and two cats. Read more about her on her blog: toiltroublemade.blogspot.com.