The Creative Soul: Unlock your Mind & Body
There’s still room in the one-day workshop I am offering with Carolyn Pogue. We will lead you through creative exercises, free fall writing, colour play, Tai Chi, visualization and mind/body work to help unleash your creative energy. Carolyn and I offered this workshop in March at Knox United Church. The feedback received from the ten participants was very complimentary, and we are eager to share the process with other people. Registration is through the Alexandra Writers Centre, and it will be held at the Alexandra Centre (922 9 Ave. SE) on Saturday, November 19. Fee is $100 for members, $120 for non-members. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a lunch. If you wish to know more about it, email me at shmontgo@telus.net or phone 403-246-2508. Register through www.alexandrawriters.org.
The premise of the workshop is that the more centered we are in our bodies, the more creative we can be in our writing. Carolyn is a walker, and is outdoors every day as part of her centering ritual. I do Tai Chi daily, outdoors preferably. We both use prayer and meditation practices to center, and have found many other commonalities. It’s a privilege for me to work with Carolyn, whom I have long admired as an author and activist. If you wish to be re-inspired, and want to learn techniques that can break through writer’s block in the future, COME!
Status of book update
My graphic designer Lisa Arsenault is working on adding colour to the images in the book, prior to sending it to a printer for a third run. The process is taking longer than I expected. Meanwhile I have no copies left of the first two printings. Anyone wishing to order can wait until the end of November, then check back again. I have copies of the CD with the power-point version of Your Invisible Bodies available. Click on the CD under the Purchase page to get your copy mailed to you. You can pay via PayPal.
I apologize for the delay. You could contact Divine Mind in Calgary to see if they have any copies of the second printing left on their bookshelves.
Keeping it Simple
Greg Habstritt emphasized in his first free video about becoming a successful entrepreneur, that you had to KEEP IT SIMPLE. The most frequently used word from readers of my book Your Invisible Bodies is that it is SIMPLE. That will become part of my new brand when the third printing comes out.
The Star Inside An Apple
Since my book is being prepared for another print run, I have the opportunity to update it. Lisa Arsenault, my current graphic designer, has located a great photograph of an apple with the cut showing the star-shaped core. She suggested I add text to the page. After <30 hours of reflection, here is the new text.
The first time I saw the star inside an apple, I was surprised. I was an adult and had always sliced an apple from the stem down. I had no idea that if you cut an apple across the middle, you would see the core in the shape of a star.
This showed me that when I do the same action over and over again, without thinking of other possibilities, I don’t learn anything new. To cut the apple crossways is to think differently. Testing a different possibility always brings new learning.
Besides, the beauty of an apple is not its outer appearance. You have to bite into it and eat it to receive its goodness. What is inside a living thing matters more than its outside. It is the whole apple that feeds us. The next time you eat an apple, pay attention to it and be grateful.
Finalist in International Book Awards!
What a great surprise today! My book Your Invisible Bodies was selected as a finalist in the Children’s Mind/Body/Spirit category of the International Book Awards. I’m thrilled. I might have missed it, but colleague Susanne Alexander-Heaton emailed me congrats this a.m. so I checked it out. It’s perfect timing. The print order for the next printing with Lightning Source Inc. has not been finalized. If I can get a download of the sticker, my graphic designer Kathy Lycka can add it to the back cover. Life is good.
Off for a Third Printing … yeay!
My graphic designer, Kathy Lycka, has worked long and hard preparing Your Invisible Bodies for a third printing. On Friday I sent the files to Lightning Source Inc., a print-on-demand publishing company in Tennesee. It is connected with Ingram Books, and will arrange distribution plus uploading the book to Amazon, either hard copy or e-book. So I’m excited to take this next step.
I visited Wild Rose United Church last Sunday, meeting with parents of pre-schoolers after church. They were curious about energetic healing, and asked a lot of questions. I used a few exercises from my workshop so they could experience energy, and read parts of Your Invisible Bodies to them. Fortunately I had a few copies of the second printing. Betsy Young, the minister who invited me to speak, had the first edition of the book, so she was surprised to see how much more thorough the second edition is. She and Linda Hunter, the other minister, joined in the discussion and shared some of their experiences sensing energy fields.
When two mothers asked about buying copies, I suggested they wait until the third printing. It should be completed soon, hopefully in time for the Healing Touch Association conference in Whitehorse at the end of the month. We’ll see. I have fewer than 20 copies left of the second edition, so it’s definitely time for more.
Feedback on “Our Bodies As Energy 101″
I really enjoyed the workshop on March 12! There were ten of us, and the discussions were fabulous. I promised the participants I would type up the charts we created and email them. The handouts were primarily based on my book Your Invisible Bodies, so didn’t include some of the more adult information. Having Hali present to talk about what it’s like to see auras, and how she dealt with that gift as a teen, was so important. I have received a testimonial from Elizabeth Campbell, who attended and also set out the food and drink for the breaks and for lunch. Here is what she said:
The content of the course was well suited to those new to energetic healing, but there was also new information for those who have had some experience. This showed a great deal of preparation on the part of the presenter. The teaching methods were varied and effective: lecture, discussion, group interaction, visual aids. The interaction among the members of the group was encouraged and integral to the experience. The physical activity in “wakening the body” was an excellent opener. In conclusion, this was a wonderful workshop engaging the body, mind and spirit in investigating and embracing the concept of Energetic Healing.
Upcoming Workshops
On Sunday, Jan. 16, I’ll be at Self Connection Books on Bowness Road, to present a 4-hour workshop. Understanding Ourselves as Energy Fields will incorporate ideas from my book Your Invisible Bodies and from Vicki Slater’s workshop on Physics for Spiritual Healers. You can find out more at www.selfconnection.com or by emailing me. This is a very low-cost event, $30 for individuals, $45 for couples, and children accompanied by an adult are free. We will try various activities to experience energy and play with magnets. Discussion and questions are what it’s about. To register email me at shmontgo@telus.net.
The second workshop I’m doing is an 8-hour one with Carolyn Pogue on Jan. 29 and Feb. 5, from 9:30 – 1:30 each Saturday. We call this Your Creative Soul and will present writing exercises interspersed with energy activities and sensory experiences. Our intended audience is anyone who wishes to unblock their creative juices. This will be fun and stimulating. This will be held at Knox United Church and is under the auspices of Knox Centre. To register, visit www.knoxunited.ab.ca and click on the Knox Centre links. This is a low-cost course too, only $50. Part of the proceeds go to Knox Centre.
‘Up Close and Spiritual’ at Our Angels
Four of us will be at Our Angels Centre for Well-Being this Sunday, November 14, from 1-4. Roger Joyeux, Helena Kalivoda, Tina Thrussell and myself will read from our books. We’ll be open to any and all questions about our books, our process as writers, how we came to publish these books, and what do we really believe – ACTUALLY. When we held a similar reading at the Nan Boothby library in Cochrane, we had a great night. It’s always good when I hear my colleagues read from their books and express their thoughts in such an intimate setting. Quite inspirational in fact.
Our Angels is at 2009 33rd Avenue S.W., in Marda Loop. The store has lovely gifts including special treasures for your friend who adores angels. They also serve a wide selection of herbal teas, so come. Sip, listen, muse and respond. We would love to see you. FREE!
One Way that Human Beings are like Electro-Magnets
My mind has been whirling ever since taking Vicki Slater’s course Physics and Spiritual Healing for Healers. It has been so helpful to think of human beings as electro-magnets. This makes total sense. In experimenting with small round magnets, I noticed this principle: when magnet A is repelling magnet B, the field holds steady for a time, but when B moves closer in, then A’s field dissolves and she clings very strongly to B. Forgive me for anthropomorphising these magnets with a gender. But it did make me think about how often a woman A will push B away for a time, but then changes when B moves closer. What is that about, do you think? Is it just that A isn’t strong enough? Or does she need to maintain her space and distance to keep her strength? A magnet is not a person so doesn’t have the emotions to belong — does it? I’m pondering this phenomenon. Any comments?
