tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44079578760572840922024-03-13T23:32:47.223-04:00LIVING STORYJuliet Bruce, Ph.D.Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-4371277689711450592022-09-03T07:44:00.000-04:002022-09-03T07:44:23.222-04:00ANWERING THE CALL: LESSONS FROM THE THRESHOLD<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8bCzMhaYYWYTuoJb6Vyct8B376DbmoR00h3dLo3msgO3ZIkYHwlQxgFDlFsbZYeaI0y-bvsCPt-ZQOAw23UH3Qod0EABV0MVbJ0IzFi_pURlPgSmhtHq-BZro5Fi_e4P29_t38kViSCO225OeoHymNh1AUH7o_SkUELC56i8OHU83_Ol0HgqEk8d7hQ/s960/falling%20leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8bCzMhaYYWYTuoJb6Vyct8B376DbmoR00h3dLo3msgO3ZIkYHwlQxgFDlFsbZYeaI0y-bvsCPt-ZQOAw23UH3Qod0EABV0MVbJ0IzFi_pURlPgSmhtHq-BZro5Fi_e4P29_t38kViSCO225OeoHymNh1AUH7o_SkUELC56i8OHU83_Ol0HgqEk8d7hQ/s320/falling%20leaves.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">NEXT STORY SANCTUARY</span><p></p><div class="m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf n3t5jt4f" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">"Anwering the Call: Lessons from the Threshold"</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">Sept. 20, 7 pm eastern</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">$30</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">Online</div></div><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><span style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><a style="animation-name: none !important; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>Whether you're starting a project, a school year, a new season, or a new phase of life after grievous loss or disruption, you're at the archetypal Threshold. </div></div><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">This session will focus on the lessons, pitfalls, and possibilities of beginnings. It will be animated by my own living threshold as I prepare to fly to Lisbon Oct. 1 to begin what I hope is my journey to permanent residency in Portugal.</div></div><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">As I will be following the thresholds of my book in progress, "A Write of Passage," for the foreseea<br />ble future, the upcoming sessions may be more "instructional" than the mostly conversational sessions you may be used to, but still with a relevant story or poem and creative prompt, and adequate time to share and be witnessed in your own journey. As always, I'll follow the path as it emerges. </div></div><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">Write me at julietbrucephd@gmail.com if you're interested but want to learn more, or register here: <span style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd ezidihy3" href="http://paypal.me/julietbrucephd?fbclid=IwAR08vXEelCxGcg163NsOlolr7oNj068C533TqMVYr4cn4Z-45EtnR-DUGXI" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; animation-name: none !important; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; transition-property: none !important;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">paypal.me/julietbrucephd</a></span></div></div><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">I'll send the link a few days before and again on the 20th.</div></div>Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-85631481107501812812022-07-08T11:42:00.021-04:002022-07-10T13:13:02.182-04:00HOW TO FIGHT FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS WITH EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT STORYTELLING: A LESSON FROM ZELENSKY<p><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQXcDV0f3KRl77Ke5bp8Eih7TyL5avZY0AHWrVjEi0FwYnocW-NjEwZfaHXptviXgTZ6MohUyOtZmhd7ozdB_5zgL8eME1NdbZH4gyt_bO0TLAj6mEpYnLjZL9c6awT9RPtaWRs5gtwqisg83ZaoyZsI5rVb_qcM6TxeTvLLwOGGVMl-P2H2iFUzz2A/s900/david-and-goliath-dan-craig.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="David Meets Goliath by Dan Craif" border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="900" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQXcDV0f3KRl77Ke5bp8Eih7TyL5avZY0AHWrVjEi0FwYnocW-NjEwZfaHXptviXgTZ6MohUyOtZmhd7ozdB_5zgL8eME1NdbZH4gyt_bO0TLAj6mEpYnLjZL9c6awT9RPtaWRs5gtwqisg83ZaoyZsI5rVb_qcM6TxeTvLLwOGGVMl-P2H2iFUzz2A/w345-h216/david-and-goliath-dan-craig.jpg" width="345" /></a></span></i></div><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is precisely the time when artists go to
work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for
silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how
civilizations heal. </span></i><p></p><p><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I kno</span></i><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">w the world is bruised and bleeding, and
though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to
succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can
lead to knowledge - even wisdom. Like art.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">—Toni Morrison</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">No matter how bad things look, every
story is essentially a call to action.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Whether
implied or direct, the dramatic story arc of crisis, struggle, and
transformation, with its conflicts, knots of tension, and their release, ignites an internal energy that ultimately demands external
manifestation. Often it’s the quietest voices who have the most power, even in
this world where noise often obstructs substance. It’s because they usually
tell authentic stories that may begin in traumatic circumstance, but hold a vision of possibilities. Their story reflects a rising energy that transcends pain.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">I’ve
seen this enlivening pattern replay over and over in my story sanctuaries for the last 29 years. Cancer
patients have entered disconsolate, written and shared their story within the container of
the classic heroine’s journey plot, been compassionately witnessed, and as a
result, moved to take life-affirming actions: a woman held a gratitude dinner for all the
people in her neighborhood and church who supported her family during
treatment, another returned to her first love of being a midwife after working
in a pro-choice clinic for years, yet another learned how strong her marriage
was. In another group, teens with HIV/AIDS bonded as a community, started
holding each other to the ritual of taking their medications, and supported one
another’s new aspirations. One young woman transformed over a period of months
from a drug-addictd prostitute to telling her story at a Magic Johnson event, and applying
for college. There are so man others -- too many to mention here.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">It
happens, I believe, through the process of telling a deeper story about ouselves than the one we constantly hear, based on the old stories, and
through the process of being compassionately witnessed. Held in the container
of story sanctuary, timid voices grow stronger; shattered personalities begin
to knit together, identities begin to transform from victim to a process of becoming
who we really are.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">It’s
in telling our deep story that holds both our shadow reality and our highest
vision that we meet our transformational moment.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">One of the foundational story plots that has the most transformative impact on our lives is the David and Goliath plot, sometimes called Rags to Riches, although its not about material gain. Someone considered small and insignificant meets their moment,
steps up to challenge the evil force oppressing the land, whether literal or metaphorical,
and reveals qualities never before exhibited, slaying the monster and freeing
the land.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Everywhere
in our world are examples of the power of story told by an ordinary person to
help us create a generative world for all beings. Whether through the tale of
the small David slaying the mighty Goliath, a young woman quietly telling her
story to a Congressional committee and destroying the monster, a comedian-turned-president giving voice to
the sovereignty of an invaded nation, or you and I overcoming the obstacles
that present themselves to block our way forward, story holds it all – the
difficult present, the heavy-handed past, and the possibilities for a better future
ready to emerge from the shadows.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">How a comedian called the world to action</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Volodymyr Zelensky was a comedian, film producer, and
champion of Dancing with the Stars when he was elected president of Ukraine in
2019. Elected to fight Ukraine’s tradition of political corruption, he gained
fame early as a neophyte leader who nevertheless stood up to US President
Donald J. Trump’s attempt to force him into lambasting Hunter Biden, when Joe
Biden was on his way to the Democratic candidacy. Besides this momentary event,
Zelensky was a disappointment, and not popular as 2022 began. In addition to everything
else, he downplayed U.S. intelligence reports that Russian demagoge Vladimir Putin was preparing to
invade Ukraine without provocation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">On February 24, the Russian Army invaded eastern
Ukraine <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">With that, Zelensky’s defining moment had arrived. Rather
than doing the expected thing: leaving his country immediately and issuing
patriotic calls to resistance from exile, Zelensky stayed. “I need a weapon,
not a ride,” he declared to U.S. offers to help him escape. With those words, he stepped up to a new role in a new
story. transformed himself into a people's leader. He took off his suit and tie
and donned military fatigues, moved into a Kyiv bunker, and began to tell the
Ukrainian story in grainy self-produced videos from the streets, bombed out
towns, his face reflecting the stress of war. So doing, he captured the heroic
imagination of the world, rallied the Ukrainian people to fight the invaders, and galvanized the support of most of the world. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Here are some of the elements of Zelensky's effective advocacy for his country that have lessons for us in our ordinary lives:</span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He has personalized the war as a family man separated from his family and in danger of assassination. We resonate with him as we do with the protagonist of a meaningful story.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="text-indent: -24px;">His video stories follow the classic story arc of crisis, struggle, and transformation, This archetypal plot is a call to action because it ignites the listeners' internal energy, which demands manifestation in the external world.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">An
actor, he knows how to live into a role. A performer, he knows how to tell a
story. A producer, he knows how to use video to reflect the moment. It’s the
storyteller Zelensky that has captured the world's imagination.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He describes honestly what is happening on the
ground, not flinching from the bloody struggle of the Ukrainian people to persevere
and to protect Europe’s eastern flank from Russian aggression.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">At the same time, he holds out
a vision of a stalwart Ukraine as a member nation of NATO and the EU, which has welcomed its
candidacy, ending most of his videos with a vision of Ukraine rebuilt and functioning as a contemporary world
leader. It's the combination of authentic narration of circumstances, combined with a personalized journey, culminating in an inspired but doable vision that is the call to action.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Speaking to governments, he frames the story to touch their national values and concerns; for example framing the Ukraine situaiton in terms of fighting for liberty and sovereignty in his speech to the US Congress early in the war. To European governments, he captured the fear of Russian aggression and the return of a Hitler-like demagogue. To Africans, he is preparing to speak to the famine now being aggravated by the Russian blockade of Ukraine's ports. </span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; text-underline: none;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px; text-indent: -0.25in;">He adapts his story to not only to the concerns of the audience, but to the need of the moment. As the war drags on, and “Ukraine fatigue” threatens, his message is to continue -- possibly the most enduring quality of heroism. "<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">We are still here,” he said in a video produced on the 100th day of the war.<b> </b></span></span><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us34HFdi0R8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us34HFdi0R8</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us34HFdi0R8">h</a></b></li><li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">To the Ukrainian people, he tells the true stories of their heroism, sacrifice, and determination, which transcend the rubble in which they stand.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Beyond all of these elements, Zelensky is consistent, showing up with a new video every day. </span><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">-</span></span></span> </li></ul><p class="MsoNormal"><!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: Symbol; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"> What can you learn from Zelensky? </span></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Authenticity, vision, consistency -- the elements of powerful, non-violent advocacy.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">What is the situation and the challenge that faces you or your allies? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is the vision or possibility that keeps you going?</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To whom are you telling your story and what are their primary concerns?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What do you need to fulfill your mission, save your or another's life, live to tell a new story?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Footnote:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> Our
lives are shaped by the stories we hear as children. Children’s bedtime stories
in Ukraine are about underdogs and psychologists surmise that they have shaped
the spirit of defiance. On the other hand, Russian fairy tales promote magical
thinking. They often tell of a miracle in which humans eare saved by an external
forcem, such as a magical being that intervenes to save the protagonist, or to guide them to safety.</span><a href="https://theconversation.com/amp/how-fairy-tales-shape-fighting-spirit-ukraines-children-hear-bedtime-stories-of-underdog-heroes-while-russian-children-hear-tales-of-magical-success-179630" style="font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc;"><b>https://theconversation.com/amp/how-fairy-tales-shape-fighting-spirit-ukraines-children-hear-bedtime-stories-of-underdog-heroes-while-russian-children-hear-tales-of-magical-success-179630</b></span></a></span></div>Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-79530285191682880972022-06-14T10:28:00.000-04:002022-06-14T10:28:18.357-04:00THE ENLIGHTENED WARRIOR<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next Story Sanctuary </span></p><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">The Enlightened Warrior – Telling Emotionally Intelligent Stories to Advocate for Yourself and Others <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWT2BFlIrJLu5cK0KjyczZM4T76OIk1x20UgWmhuusgte4Zzqj-5-WkCP2YHth7YBK1jsM8qIiPZ7AVMSMMLd5WC4yIXebNohZ0-VKqKkLfhOwGMIScSZjmjAWUxm1o1qC-v9f-fhOYWKxn6kbOEYuWDXmzzsos4YfxGnkp4vrr7C9t-f-Y4UQ_3n2Q/s618/warrior%20woman%20rising.%20dance%20of%20the%20divine%20feminine%20at%20studio%206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="618" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWT2BFlIrJLu5cK0KjyczZM4T76OIk1x20UgWmhuusgte4Zzqj-5-WkCP2YHth7YBK1jsM8qIiPZ7AVMSMMLd5WC4yIXebNohZ0-VKqKkLfhOwGMIScSZjmjAWUxm1o1qC-v9f-fhOYWKxn6kbOEYuWDXmzzsos4YfxGnkp4vrr7C9t-f-Y4UQ_3n2Q/s320/warrior%20woman%20rising.%20dance%20of%20the%20divine%20feminine%20at%20studio%206.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sunday, June 26, 5-6:30 EDT online</span></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">$25</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">This is small, curated, and interactive session. Come to write or just to listen. Register with a few words about why you’d like to attend and your e-mail address for the Zoom and PayPal links. julietbrucephd@gmail.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">This session builds on Part 1 of the series, “Translating Your Life Experience Into Srory," which focused on the two man qualities of healing story: Truth and Transcendence. This session is intended to help you bring your story to serve your world through constructing a narrative framework that connects personal and collective healing. Following in this series are sessions on the Five Elements of my Write of Passage approach: Time (its many layers), Setting/Emotional Quality (physical and metaphorical), Characters (inner and outer), Situation (conflicts and challenges), and Emerging Plot (possibilities inherent in the present context, giving story its dynamic character).</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">Men (and non-binary folks) most welcome! The Divine Feminine, which propels my Story Sanctuaries, as well as my Living Story practice, is an energy, not a gender.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The combined inspiration for this session is 1) my 29 years of facilitating healing story for people yearning to give voice in a non-harming way to their experience, no matter how difficult; 2) the archetypal tales that served as a scaffold out of depression many years ago toward my passionate purpose in life; and 3) President Volodymyr Zelensky's use of authentic story and scene to rally the world to Ukraine's aid.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;">Image: Warrior Woman Rising: Dance of the Divine Feminine<br /></div></div>Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-45550590171597916232022-05-28T08:13:00.000-04:002022-05-28T08:13:28.267-04:00MAINTAINING BALANCE WITH THE SOFT POWER OF THE MYTHIC IMAGINATION<p><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What is life asking of me now? I ask in the wake of Uvalde.</span></p><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Oh my God! The police waited for backup outside while the shooter remained inside for an hour killing children! Republican officials call for MORE GUNS! Money pours into the NRA after murders of children, and the show goes on this weekend at its convention in Texas. The Russian army may be making a comeback in Eastern Ukraine. The earth continues to die, black and brown people continue to be harrassed and killed. The NYC subways are now scenes of carnage. It's overwhelming to be a witness to life.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I do my best to stay sane and carry on with my good work, as I know you do. We are the ones who know that when institutions fall, people rise. It's on us.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">But how?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What helps me most is to acknowledge the horror in which we are living, remember the quiet voice of Thich Nhat Hanh -- no mud, no lotus, he constantly reminded -- and to come back to the story questions:</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What is trying to emerge here? A new reality.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What is being asked of me? Choose love, do my work, continue to pay attention.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What do I need to do it? Become centered in slow deep breathing, ask for courage, go back to story, carry on.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Standing Firm with a Soft Heart through Healing Story tomorrow, May 29, 5-6:30 pm EDT online, no charge. A quiet moment in a noisy world to bear witness to yourself and others. For the link: </span><a data-attribute-index="0" href="mailto:julietbrucephd@gmail.com" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-link-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); position: relative; text-decoration: var(--artdeco-reset-link-text-decoration-none); touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);">julietbrucephd@gmail.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. To keep the group small and safe, please tell me in a sentence or two why you want to come.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">“Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path, and where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god. And where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves. Where we had thought to travel outward, we will come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone, we will be with all the world."</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces</span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusMT4Z29GmF6KH12bGFM-fW8-zP1scKL1hmS7fr6ERNJBA9OihHxbINCDuwdGcK9_jAR4vE46pshfPx3MPxbwSZsE5yN66rr8O_VuvHpqr2DBEpzS_Xh_23gWCy7EQJZifBPJXVtYrgknWZzRHim9V2azsuwrTVsb4E0lddkgGvAh0wAoa_LekshvIA/s315/stay%20calm%20and%20carry%20on.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="315" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusMT4Z29GmF6KH12bGFM-fW8-zP1scKL1hmS7fr6ERNJBA9OihHxbINCDuwdGcK9_jAR4vE46pshfPx3MPxbwSZsE5yN66rr8O_VuvHpqr2DBEpzS_Xh_23gWCy7EQJZifBPJXVtYrgknWZzRHim9V2azsuwrTVsb4E0lddkgGvAh0wAoa_LekshvIA/w400-h210/stay%20calm%20and%20carry%20on.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-65420247540445353512022-05-25T11:02:00.001-04:002022-05-25T11:02:40.195-04:00STANDING FIRM WITH A SOFT HEART IN THE FACE OF SAVAGERY<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5I3RL7y0zSmamYp976DOpc2RQOV85zXZTzIL3moNXM297jMbvLWrcbM2H3sWJRxbFkYh3BflJkUdtxg0VTz0NfMgcW09iyqwRzZp6aWVt28O06_Ky-gY6kpoxU4zUDApgeEmzG3z8MaowMZR2LnjY4THL6teV0gUFw5R9_bvVBnek8UP4TtDjyVjWg/s720/SCYLLA%20AND%20CHARYBDIS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="720" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5I3RL7y0zSmamYp976DOpc2RQOV85zXZTzIL3moNXM297jMbvLWrcbM2H3sWJRxbFkYh3BflJkUdtxg0VTz0NfMgcW09iyqwRzZp6aWVt28O06_Ky-gY6kpoxU4zUDApgeEmzG3z8MaowMZR2LnjY4THL6teV0gUFw5R9_bvVBnek8UP4TtDjyVjWg/s320/SCYLLA%20AND%20CHARYBDIS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><p>On this Memorial Day week-end, we in the U.S. have fresh sorrows to mourn. Once the immediate shock has</p> passed, grief can be understood as the ground of initiation into a better life, for both individuals and communities.</span><p></p><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I'm going to refocus this previously schedueld Story Sanctuary on Sunday into a refuge for expressing your grief over this latest school shooting in Uvalde, TX in healthy ways. I trust that the healing story process I offer will eventually ripple out through families, classrooms, community centers, churches and temples -- everywhere that we gather.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This experiential workshop is free and online. It's curated to keep it safe for all participants. If you would like to join us, whether to share your own story or just to listen, please write me at </span><a data-attribute-index="6" href="mailto:julietbrucephd@gmail.com" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-link-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); position: relative; text-decoration: var(--artdeco-reset-link-text-decoration-none); touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);">julietbrucephd@gmail.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. In a sentence or two tell me why you're interested.</span><div><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">---</span></div><div><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>STEADY AS SHE GOES</b></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What is healing story and how to apply it to a time of difficult change in life.</span></div><div><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This Story Sanctuary is an introduction to a series on applying the elements of story to threshold times. Following sessions will focus on time, setting and ambiance, characters, situation, and plot.</span></div><div><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Your story matters.</span></div><div><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Sunday, May 29</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">5-6:30 pm eastern</span></div><div><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A free experiential introduction to the power of living life through a story lens</span></div><div><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Write me to register: </span><a data-attribute-index="7" href="mailto:julietbrucephd@gmail.com" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-link-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); position: relative; text-decoration: var(--artdeco-reset-link-text-decoration-none); touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);">julietbrucephd@gmail.com</a></div><br /><div><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Image: steering the mythic passage between Scylla (rage and resentment) and Charybdis (depression and despair) on the way to the Golden Fleece</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><a data-attribute-index="1" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=healingstory&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6934455470153748480" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-link-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); position: relative; text-decoration: var(--artdeco-reset-link-text-decoration-none); touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);">#healingstory</a><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a data-attribute-index="2" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=massshooting&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6934455470153748480" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-link-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); position: relative; text-decoration: var(--artdeco-reset-link-text-decoration-none); touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);">#massshooting</a><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a data-attribute-index="3" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=caringcommunity&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6934455470153748480" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-link-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); position: relative; text-decoration: var(--artdeco-reset-link-text-decoration-none); touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);">#caringcommunity</a><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a data-attribute-index="4" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=therapeuticwriting&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6934455470153748480" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-link-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); position: relative; text-decoration: var(--artdeco-reset-link-text-decoration-none); touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);">#therapeuticwriting</a><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a data-attribute-index="5" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=griefasinitiation&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6934455470153748480" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-link-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); position: relative; text-decoration: var(--artdeco-reset-link-text-decoration-none); touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);">#griefasinitiation</a></div>Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-22838486427112048812022-05-10T14:23:00.005-04:002022-05-13T07:00:10.022-04:00What Makes a Healing Story? Guidance from a Master<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">An experiential teaching</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrXK4ArQ1onJQG7vGHedlbi2xkUeBghVD9tcnjp8JNRDx1tqaikgekaix871JEpic2Wz5dkhD0onxQWR_yXpWeYNb_7xOUPIxTxnZPptNwn3XNyTwWdYxVDuo9YMWituq5cECLj0IbSpIVKgyY1iVZbKgAdM7RtJUBTHNqYshFnND0rFYuiSCVjxjwQ/s576/Isabel%20Allende%20and%20her%20daughter%20Paula.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="389" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrXK4ArQ1onJQG7vGHedlbi2xkUeBghVD9tcnjp8JNRDx1tqaikgekaix871JEpic2Wz5dkhD0onxQWR_yXpWeYNb_7xOUPIxTxnZPptNwn3XNyTwWdYxVDuo9YMWituq5cECLj0IbSpIVKgyY1iVZbKgAdM7RtJUBTHNqYshFnND0rFYuiSCVjxjwQ/w216-h320/Isabel%20Allende%20and%20her%20daughter%20Paula.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><i style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Listen,
Paula, I am going to tell you a story, so that when you wake up you will not
feel so lost."</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: .5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So begins Isabel Allende’s unforgettable
1995 memoir "Paula, A Memoir," written two years after her daughter’s
death. In it, Isabel sits next to the bedside of her daughter Paula in a Madrid
hospital, where Paula lies in a coma from porphyria, a fatal brain disease. The
plot of this book encompasses Isabel’s own metaphorical death and renewal as
she watches her daughter decline over the next year and a half and finally die.
But within this grim plot, a vibrant non-linear collage of a family’s history
emerges -- hilarious, tragic, loving, fighting, giving birth to new
generations, and filled with all the shades and rhythms of life ever-transforming.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The story opens with the visual
image of Isabel sitting alone with her unconscious daughter in the clinical
atmosphere of a strange hospital. This image portrays such a depth of
loneliness that is almost unbearable. If you have found yourself alone and lost
in the wilds of grief you may instinctively feel the loneliness of that mother
at her daughter’s bedside. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What did this master storyteller do?
She began to spin a story in the air over Paula’s bed, the story of their
family<i>. <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the following pages, we sit with
Isabel at the bedside of her comatose daughter as a mesmerizing story unfolds:
that of the Allende family across generations and continents; the story of
Isabel herself -- wife, mother, journalist, human rights advocate, and the
story of a mother's dream that her daughter will take her place once again
among her family against the bleak reality of the bed her child will never
leave.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In <i>Paula</i>, Allende shows us
how to move through devastating loss. She writes not what we commonly think of
as a linear story, but as a swirling depiction of a family's life, held
together not by chronological time but by memories, energetic vibrations, and
metaphorical associations. Her story is a passionate recreation of a world that
holds everything she remembers, fears, and hopes for: past, present, future,
despair, good, evil — creating a whole beyond fragments, a sum greater than its
parts, coherence in a shattered world. And so, rather than leading her daughter
back to life, she helps to guide her to a peaceful death.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The narrative frame that holds this
collage together takes place over a year and a half in human terms, as Isabel
refuses and finally surrenders her daughter to death. Failing to save her
daughter, she writes to sing herself back into life. In these pages, she tells
a story of a love so great that it transcends death. This ultimately is why
human beings tell stories: to overcome death.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Story naturally transforms, like
nature itself. In fact, story gives human voice to an archetypal process that
we witness each year in the death and renewal of nature as it flowers, wilts
and dies, roots more deeply in the earth, and pushes forth again with new sprouts
and new blossoms. Like nature, story takes us though times of real or
metaphorical death to rebirth. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The last page of Allende's memoir
holds the inevitable uplift in the face of life’s awesome realities, which all
good stories contain. Her language has moved from images of enclosure, from
frozen frightened faces and ever more desperate watching and holding into a new
language: slower, spacious, and filled with the freshness of nature, where all
is well and the only thing that can be counted on is change.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"She began to
rise, and I with her, clinging to the cloth of her dress. ... Outside, it was
already dawn; the sky was streaked with gold and the countryside beneath our
feet gleamed, washed by a recent rain. We flew over valleys and hills, and
finally descended into a forest of ancient redwoods, where a breeze rustled
among the branches and a bold bird defied winter with its solitary song. Paula
pointed to the stream; I saw fresh roses lying along its banks and a white
power of calcined bones on the bottom, and I heard the music of thousands of
voices whispering among the trees.... "<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: .5in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When everything in us wants to stand
mute with suffering, if we can give authentic expression to our experience, if
we can write, tell, dance, draw, or sing that story, it will take on its own
voice and teach us how to live again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: .5in;"><b><i><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What if you started a piece of
expressive writing with this? “Listen, friend, I want to tell you a story so
that you won’t feel so lost and alone, and so that you will feel the warmth and
light at the heart of your own being?"<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span><o:p><span>c/ Juliet Bruce, PhD, 2022 -- a sidebar from my book in progress, in the chapter on how to be a healing storyteller </span></o:p></span></i></b></p>Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-17768426246947676902021-12-08T09:55:00.003-05:002021-12-08T09:55:58.915-05:00The Beautiful Thing<p> </p><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full text table-2 middle" id="" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px 20px;"><div class="module text" dir="ltr"><span class="module-2 text-container"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj94b5UOTGE4ljbFF9FYuLwkcDlUpvzLYs0dTU5IeptH5MyTiFYazjJ91U5nXxEqfSLYv-O4X0vc16XOMlrWy2YAlPUFcDxAPy9p_AJaGJr4EFHaI5KMifMsubLfyrM6wLncgnL8qYKWfZWwAm468f1YuzRpkYSQyE6jfMUcAbbsjmsOdYvm1B6CexgYg=s900" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="900" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj94b5UOTGE4ljbFF9FYuLwkcDlUpvzLYs0dTU5IeptH5MyTiFYazjJ91U5nXxEqfSLYv-O4X0vc16XOMlrWy2YAlPUFcDxAPy9p_AJaGJr4EFHaI5KMifMsubLfyrM6wLncgnL8qYKWfZWwAm468f1YuzRpkYSQyE6jfMUcAbbsjmsOdYvm1B6CexgYg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">"Hope is a state of mind, not a state of the world. Hope is not a prognostication; it's an orientation of the spirit and the heart that transcends the world and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons." -- Vaclav Havel</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">To say that 2021 has been a helluva year for me is the understatement of my life. Just in one area -- my health -- I've undergone two surgeries in five months for different issues, with a third to follow in a week or so.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">After picking the pieces of myself up off the floor from an "impossible" but possible diagnosis earlier, I pulled on all my physical, emotional, and spiritual resources to help me get through.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I've upped my qigong practice, gathered my most grounded and compassionate friends around me, and read through the still rough but improved draft of my book, "The Beautiful Thing: A Write of Passage from Shattering Loss to Wholeness in a World that Needs to Hear Your Story."</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm presently revising Part I, "Translate Your Life into the Language of Story," specifically the section on "The Healing Storyteller." This teller doesn't necessarily tell stories with happy endings, although sometimes she does. But throughout, her tales radiate a life-giving spirit that shines with unconditional love for life, no matter what. This is the medicine that heals regardless of outcomes. In stories, the protagonist finds it just when everything seems lost. In life, it can be found in the darkest of places when we surrender completely to reality. Not submit as a victim; but surrender to reality as a potential creator.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Call it hope, the miraculous, or the healing imagination. It doesn't require a specific vision or shape. For me, it's a pure spaciousness. I often envision the color yellow or gold, which introduces a kind of smiling and patient state of mind that embraces all of my life's experiences. In the wise stories to which I have devoted my life, it's called the Grail -- that which heals all wounds.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">For me, this state of mind fits better than optimism about a specific outcome. It's a connection to Great Mind, which holds the All is Well reality beyond my ego or the details of my personal life, and guides me to action that exists for no other reason than that it feels like the right thing to do. This deep love of life -- just as it is -- is truly a beautiful thing to experience, and in my story sanctuaries I try to impart this spirit, this heart, this embrace to my listeners.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">My wish for you as we approach this Solstice in our tormented world is entry into this place of peace.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Art: Mountain top sunrise, Sharon Duguay</p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full text table-3 last" id="" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px;"><div class="module text" dir="ltr"><span class="module-3 text-container"><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">With gratitude,<br />Juliet</p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-4187189307033305102021-07-26T08:48:00.004-04:002021-07-26T09:29:23.680-04:00A CAUTIOUS RETURN IN A NEW SURGE<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpFkt4aB9Tc-W43pe5EdqPIhGwvU7vRQz6psvD6zl5Un_Nfy4HwcAMQpOmsXT4Tm116Erk82-i3YQ9p8o6JBBqRR6QaOVJVdxJSOsD9tIrYGcpm3nE5bXvDuszsvZ_yo89ks6yAHiQmP_/s730/Blue+Rider.+kandinsky.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="730" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpFkt4aB9Tc-W43pe5EdqPIhGwvU7vRQz6psvD6zl5Un_Nfy4HwcAMQpOmsXT4Tm116Erk82-i3YQ9p8o6JBBqRR6QaOVJVdxJSOsD9tIrYGcpm3nE5bXvDuszsvZ_yo89ks6yAHiQmP_/w400-h263/Blue+Rider.+kandinsky.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full text table-1 middle" id="" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px 20px;"><div class="module text" dir="ltr"><span class="module-1 text-container"><h1 align="left" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 530px;">THE COLORS OF SPIRIT: An in-person expressive workshop for New Yorkers</h1></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full text table-2 middle" id="" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px 20px;"><div class="module text" dir="ltr"><span class="module-2 text-container"><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm offering a collage and free-writing session in mid-August. It looks like the rest of summer will be more challenging than usual this year due to the heat and uncertainty we're all feeling about our public health and political situations.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">This gathering will be very small, safe, and intimate, for fully vaccintated folks who want to stay creative and connected during a slow month. My entire office is immaculate, with a new air filtration system to keep us healthy.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Kandinsky wrote, "Colours on the painter's palette evoke a double effect: a purely physical effect on the eye which is charmed by the beauty of colours, similar to the joyful impression when we eat a delicacy. This effect can be much deeper, however, causing a vibration of the soul or an "inner resonance" – a spiritual effect in which the colour touches the soul itself.”</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>The date: Saturday, August 14, 1-3.</strong></p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>In this 2-hour session, we'll be playing with abstract shapes and vibrantly colored onstruction paper, built on the theme and language of the colors of spirit. It will take place in my beautiful, calm, and cool new office at 119 W. 57th St., Suite 1100. $35. Supplies and refreshments included.</strong></p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">This workshop is intended not only to keep our spirits high but also to point the way to an intentional and energetic fall, since we already know exactly what we need to move forward in the coming months. Not necessarily with our rational, left-brain intelligence, of course, that helps us get through our life every day. But with our intuitive, right-brain intelligence, which holds 97% of what we know but are unable to access through ordinary means. The right brain speaks in the language of metaphor; its voice is the imagination. In this session, we'll play with the language of color.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Just as restorative as playing with words and visual images on the page is playing in small, supportive community, which my workshops always elicit.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">If you're interested, please write me at <strong>julietbrucephd@gmail.com</strong>.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">And by the way, what shape or relationship of shapes stands out for you in this abstract piece? Jot down the first words that come to mind and free-write for 10 minutes from there. Give it a title and go forth in joy!</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Art: Kandinsky, "Blue Rider."</p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="full combo-right table-3 last" id="" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: none; clear: both; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 590px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" id="" style="padding: 0px 30px;"><div align="left" class="module caption combo-right" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><table align="right" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="module-3" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; float: right; padding: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 170.012px;"><tbody><tr><td class="combo-image" style="padding: 0px 0px 18px 20px; width: 150.012px;"><div align="center" class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Damien Elwes. imagining the studio of Matisse" height="320" src="https://cascade.madmimi.com/promotion_images/2615/5848/original/Damien_Elwes._imagining_the_studio_of_Matisse.jpg?1627301133" style="border: 0px none; height: auto; width: 150.012px;" width="320" /><p align="left" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">Damien Elwes, "Imagining Matisse's Studio"</p></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="module-3 text-container"><h1 align="left" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 530px;"><strong>COMING BACK FROM A ROUGH PATCH</strong></h1><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">This is my first newsletter in several months, due to painfully witnessing a family member's advanced Alzheimers and death and my own emergency surgery. I'm very resilient, fully recovered from surgery, and eager to get back to work, while taking full precautions in the ongoing pandemic.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm happy to announce the relaunch of Living Story/NYC. My practice supports grounded resilience and re-emergence through difficult change. Using the portals of poetry and mythical tales, I offer a path guided by soul and the healing imagination through improvisational writing, visual art, and sharing the deep story that wants to emerge in the moment.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">My new office is at 119 W. 57th St., Suite 1100. It's 2 blocks south of Central Park at 6th Avenue and accessible to all trains.</p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">I'll be available to see fully vaccinated clients (I'm considered high-risk) for private "Healing Memoir" and "Life through a Story Lens" sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and possibly Fridays starting in the next few weeks, for an introductory rate of $100, based on my online package of 3 sessions for $300. <strong>I'm continuing with all my on-line programs, of course. They're permanent!</strong></p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>I've scheduled the official launch of my practice with an intimate in-person story sanctuary for Oct.16,1-3 pm, for 6-8 people. A light lunch, poetry of the threshold, and a welcoming collective ear await! $35.</strong></p><p align="left" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">Please contact me directly if you're interested in attending or would like to schedule a complimentary half hour phone consultation. I'm at <strong>julietbrucephd@gmail.com</strong>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-27057542575305768752021-04-15T08:09:00.001-04:002021-04-15T08:11:35.209-04:00WHITE SHADOWS<p><span style="font-size: medium;">A Story Sanctuary for Healing the Legacy of White Violence Toward People of Color</span></p><div style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_bf" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px 16px; transition-property: none;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="animation-name: none; display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px; transition-property: none;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px; transition-property: none;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" color="var(--primary-text)" dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; word-break: break-word;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">April 25, 1-3</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">$20</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">Racism and violence against people of color are a white sickness. No one can heal this illness that has permeated white European culture from the beginnings, except white people. Institutional change is necessary, of course, but the ancestral and unconscious contemporary attitudes that are the foundation of prejudice sit in the shadows of our lives must be brought into the light, and detoxified through speaking about them honestly.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5SZSAXjJZ0_zG9DaBOpPLDGyXuiI2sZbJi4BCGC9Sqa1vutcsFgUpL7jks54rXdnZU_W-b2apgjXAg6Za3rb1cwOvA4eZC72BcmbWN7i9NEnPCYJBqhV53hGxFpjnOWQpD-Fk2P56lOZ/s1024/black+and+white+hands+interlocked.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5SZSAXjJZ0_zG9DaBOpPLDGyXuiI2sZbJi4BCGC9Sqa1vutcsFgUpL7jks54rXdnZU_W-b2apgjXAg6Za3rb1cwOvA4eZC72BcmbWN7i9NEnPCYJBqhV53hGxFpjnOWQpD-Fk2P56lOZ/s320/black+and+white+hands+interlocked.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Storytelling, as I practice it, might offer a way to clear this poison from our lives and spirits so that all people can live in peace and thrive. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">This Story Sanctuary is an experiment, an exploration of this area of our lives, where we as people of good will may prefer not to look, but have to if this terrible virus is to be eradicated. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">Folowing my usual program of telling a story as a launchpad into our own hearts, time for private contemplation and writing, and then most important of all, sharing without fear of shame or correction, I am offering this session as a drop of hopefully meaningful medicine for greater healing. Perhaps we will together come up with a practice that we white people who fervently want to be a force for positive change can take into our families and communities.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">If you would be interested in exploring this deep territory in your own ancestral and even personal past with me in a small and safe group setting on Zoom, please write me at julietbrucephd@gmail.com. </div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><div class="stjgntxs ni8dbmo4 l82x9zwi uo3d90p7 h905i5nu monazrh9" data-visualcompletion="ignore-dynamic" style="animation-name: none; border-radius: 0px 0px 8px 8px; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden; transition-property: none;"><div style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><div style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; transition-property: none;"><div style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><div class="l9j0dhe7" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><div class="bp9cbjyn m9osqain j83agx80 jq4qci2q bkfpd7mw a3bd9o3v kvgmc6g5 wkznzc2l oygrvhab dhix69tm jktsbyx5 rz4wbd8a osnr6wyh a8nywdso s1tcr66n" style="align-items: center; animation-name: none; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--divider); color: var(--secondary-text); display: flex; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; justify-content: flex-end; line-height: 1.3333; margin: 0px 16px; padding: 10px 0px; transition-property: none;"><div class="bp9cbjyn j83agx80 pfnyh3mw p1ueia1e" style="align-items: center; animation-name: none; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; height: 22px; transition-property: none;"><div class="gtad4xkn" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; margin-left: 7px; transition-property: none;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; animation-name: none; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; transition-property: none; width: inherit;"><div class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl l9j0dhe7 abiwlrkh gpro0wi8 dwo3fsh8 ow4ym5g4 auili1gw du4w35lb gmql0nx0" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; animation-name: none; appearance: none; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition-property: none; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh m9osqain" color="var(--secondary-text)" dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; word-break: break-word;"><br /></span></div></span></div></div></div></div><div class="ozuftl9m tvfksri0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; margin-left: 12px; margin-right: 12px; transition-property: none;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 pfnyh3mw i1fnvgqd gs1a9yip owycx6da btwxx1t3 ph5uu5jm b3onmgus e5nlhep0 ecm0bbzt nkwizq5d roh60bw9 mysgfdmx hddg9phg" style="align-items: stretch; animation-name: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: space-between; margin: -6px -2px; padding: 4px; position: relative; transition-property: none; z-index: 0;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t g5gj957u d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz rj1gh0hx buofh1pr n8tt0mok hyh9befq iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="animation-name: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 2px; position: relative; transition-property: none; z-index: 0;"><div aria-label="Leave a comment" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 pq6dq46d mg4g778l btwxx1t3 pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb lzcic4wl abiwlrkh p8dawk7l" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; animation-name: none; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition-property: none; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 g5gj957u rj1gh0hx buofh1pr hpfvmrgz taijpn5t bp9cbjyn owycx6da btwxx1t3 d1544ag0 tw6a2znq jb3vyjys dlv3wnog rl04r1d5 mysgfdmx hddg9phg qu8okrzs g0qnabr5" style="align-items: center; animation-name: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex: 1 1 0px; 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transition-property: none; word-break: break-word;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t g5gj957u d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz rj1gh0hx buofh1pr n8tt0mok hyh9befq iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="animation-name: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 2px; position: relative; transition-property: none; z-index: 0;"><div aria-label="Send this to friends or post it on your timeline." class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 pq6dq46d mg4g778l btwxx1t3 pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb lzcic4wl abiwlrkh p8dawk7l" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; animation-name: none; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition-property: none; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 g5gj957u rj1gh0hx buofh1pr hpfvmrgz taijpn5t bp9cbjyn owycx6da btwxx1t3 d1544ag0 tw6a2znq jb3vyjys dlv3wnog rl04r1d5 mysgfdmx hddg9phg qu8okrzs g0qnabr5" style="align-items: center; animation-name: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; height: 44px; justify-content: center; margin: -6px -4px; min-width: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; transition-property: none; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 0;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t pfnyh3mw d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz ph5uu5jm b3onmgus iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="animation-name: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; transition-property: none; z-index: 0;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v lrazzd5p m9osqain" color="var(--secondary-text)" dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; word-break: break-word;"><br /><br /></span><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="cwj9ozl2 tvmbv18p" style="animation-name: none; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 4px; transition-property: none;"></div></div></div></div>Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-73887798897131525122020-12-28T11:19:00.000-05:002020-12-28T11:19:44.388-05:00STORY MAGIC: SUPPORTING RESILIENCE THROUGH WORDS, SENSORY IMAGES, AND PLOT <p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS4sEJklE6_icA7int5nOt0bj_J1wfwIQ9qO93yLtqivx-7cCp3NUBw4DIVQC4vpkYrPfZDEoM4_NAvFA6cLMIhlYgAi6BELkO3hqISxxc2x9_xs2HBcj9JK95DX0JwqLSiqsLV-mE-gM/s2048/pretty-stream-wallpaper-31751-32485-hd-wallpapers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS4sEJklE6_icA7int5nOt0bj_J1wfwIQ9qO93yLtqivx-7cCp3NUBw4DIVQC4vpkYrPfZDEoM4_NAvFA6cLMIhlYgAi6BELkO3hqISxxc2x9_xs2HBcj9JK95DX0JwqLSiqsLV-mE-gM/s320/pretty-stream-wallpaper-31751-32485-hd-wallpapers.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">In telling or listening to fairy tales and myths passed on through thousands of generations, we step across a threshold, out of ordinary reality into a larger, deeper, truer one. We leave the realm of the left brain, reason, conventional reality, and linear cause and effect, and enter into a metaphorical and imaginal reality of the right brain, creativity, intuition, and higher consciousness. </span><p></p><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You could say that we step across the threshold of the corpus callosum, which separates left and right brains, and from the highly evolved pre-frontal cortex, into our ancient and instinctive limbic brain, which is connected to all our physical senses, nervous system, and energy matrix. This is where deep story lives. Everything that has ever happened to us is stored in this crossroad of mind and body. We enter into the ancestral realm of body/mind connectedness, where deep story lives.</span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I call it the story zone.</span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Traditional healers understood that words, images, and cadences affect inner organs, tissues, and brain. They diagnosed illness through whatever image, character, landscape or situation resonated with the suffering person and told a story with the appropriate language that supported the flow of life force to that particular area in the patient’s body, mind and spirit where it was needed. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This ancient tradition of healing story can be as effective today as it was through the ages. The metaphorical places and beings in myth and fairy tale call forth the emotional states we need during a period of transition, when our old world is dead and the new world not yet formed. Just as birds in many tales represent the presence of the Divine and higher consciousness, stories with water and earth evoke nourishment, flow, and groundedness. Story protagonists, in struggling to master their circumstances, awaken heroic resilience within ourselves. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">People whose lives have been shattered by traumatic loss or who are struggling to survive serious illness may find relief, healing, and wholeness here. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An art therapist in Prague wanted creative help with Parkinson’s disease patient who, embittered by the betrayal of her body, sank into a wheelchair in depression and anxiety about the trembling and stiffening of her limbs. My colleague described entering the sunlit apartment filled with family photographs, finely matched old chairs and sofa and a brown upright piano — a story of a happy, engaged but now lost life that made her client’s situation all the more poignant. My colleague said she felt layers of grief permeating this space as well as the woman’s fear and despair. Her client was exhaling and inhaling her own self-defeating stories.</span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I suggested she aim to support fluidity and grace with creative exercises, such as inviting the woman to imagine the two of them as silken parachutes gently floating on the winds and to mirror each other’s floating arms. The woman said the parachute made her think of Sedona, Arizona’s hot air balloons that floated serenely over a long-ago American holiday with her late husband. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I shared over the phone -- a disembodied voice coming from the ethers -- a tale about a small stream as protagonist. This story tells both of life’s impermanence and its continuity, while conveying the sensory experience of flow, which the woman had lost. The tension the woman carried in her rigid limbs like the harsh resistant desert and that the therapist felt in her empathy for her, dissolved into relaxing and caressing rain within their own energy systems. The woman did not leave her wheelchair, but she slightly waved her arms as her caregiver slowly danced the story around her living room like the wind, the stream, and the birds that filled the sky. Together they created a new imaginal reality. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Listening over the phone, I wondered if her body remembering when it was young and she was a dancing thing.</span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This creative healing did not cure the woman’s chronic disease of course; but it softened her fear and opened heart to hope. It also gave the therapist a new treatment path through poetry, myth, and movement. </span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From A Write of Passage: Timeless Lessons for Your Journey from Shattering Loss to Renewed Life, in progress</span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Image: <span style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl py34i1dx gpro0wi8" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.hdwalls.source.com%2F&h=AT2MUB7W9DGmsVAdTfiG8Ztd23zE7cKXIBGV0DViVGAzZNWCSdOcvWDSHzBOaleYS0eauU9VYyekYPwufMRlpBxeMldC71c8PAL2rdvwtz1hVjVIMGCR_ZE7iEt4vuZE-A0idafx0uzDzoQU0g&h=AT2MUB7W9DGmsVAdTfiG8Ztd23zE7cKXIBGV0DViVGAzZNWCSdOcvWDSHzBOaleYS0eauU9VYyekYPwufMRlpBxeMldC71c8PAL2rdvwtz1hVjVIMGCR_ZE7iEt4vuZE-A0idafx0uzDzoQU0g&__tn__=-UK-y-R&c[0]=AT3OWIqrlfrQaduoThjVmcLvtIAAl1oZqcvrSt1lVLYCVlJpK4jejVPTGWNHgf0HHIKuM5hvFnZfI-RS7I8Bj9zqf_licIL24iLuerQHDSidxG5wxM_N27sDoN7lBQzNLomC4YllUcYp38rTna6ZALZtfriaPPsemj6YQkv4jscXMINQ5n5e-Flv8UIJVbkmaKtedIBu" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; animation-name: none; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; transition-property: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">blog.hdwalls.source.com</a></span></span></div></div>Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-10316795470983439072020-11-28T10:36:00.001-05:002020-11-28T10:41:39.458-05:00 HOW ARE WE EVER GOING TO HEAL OUR FRACTURED LAND?<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3i0pUczcBN6bbEBI7G84L78iQW6c1bi6T_PxaDkGHMICGCgGJyzq1xxTAd2ZTGI8F8eYjsSiQmgqbKeMsXH_aVgcpdpiwcK5HkOc6_ajtGNQcRcvWNeMYI8rB8tdtVqhBakXkS4U5ts1F/s500/the+world+tarot+card.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="332" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3i0pUczcBN6bbEBI7G84L78iQW6c1bi6T_PxaDkGHMICGCgGJyzq1xxTAd2ZTGI8F8eYjsSiQmgqbKeMsXH_aVgcpdpiwcK5HkOc6_ajtGNQcRcvWNeMYI8rB8tdtVqhBakXkS4U5ts1F/s320/the+world+tarot+card.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: times;">This is the burning question, the one that
people of good will are asking, and the question most people with whom I work
and I myself carry with me daily. You probably do as we all. The cable TV images
and online articles bearing witness to what our countries are doing in our
name, the cruelty driving official policies and practices, the sufferings being
visited upon the vulnerable, makes us feel powerless and spiritually sick.</span><p></p><span style="color: #050505; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background: white;">Actually, we are unimaginably powerful -- a<span style="font-size: 12pt;">t
least at the grassroots level that is the ground of sustainable change. Our
weapon, our trowel, our medicine is story.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">You see, we live not only within our own
stories; but as well within a greater story: the evolution of human consciousness,
unfolding through the epochs we know as history. This evolution swings
perpetually through cycles of enlightenment, during which humanity progresses
to a higher level, and decline, when it reverts to earlier stages -- much as we
personally take two steps forward and one step back in our personal growth. The
whole story is the over-riding conflict between old and new realities at play
during an epoch. This conflict propels the events of that time and is reflected
in our personal stories.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">This period in which we find ourselves is a time
of regression to the earliest stages of human life, characterized by tribalism,
autocracy, and hatred of the feared Other. Just as we personally can experience
fragmentation, loss of core values, expressive language, and spiritual
orphaning, our collective life is torn by racism, oppression, dislocation, and
whole populations crippled by the shame of being the Outsider. Psychically, we
have all become refugees.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">The impact on the marginalized – as I witnessed
among prisoners in maximum security, homeless women, street teens with
HIV/AIDS, sick people isolated by their illness, and so many others – is a
disconnection from the inner life, soul, home, the hearth where our restorative
power is located, and is especially severe.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">I work within the tradition of Silk Road
storytellers, which laid the foundation for a new multicultural order, and I
view my story sanctuaries as archetypal guest houses where travelers rest for
the night and share their personal journey tales, laying the foundation for a
new culture, a new world.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">I have witnessed this transformation through
many years of welcoming so many people into my guest houses. They include people
grieving the loss of a beloved, survivors and responders of terrorism, families
in newly multicultural neighborhoods fraught with conflict, and perhaps most
profoundly, given the state of our nation in these times, healing professionals
reflecting the political and cultural divide. In every one of these workshops,
rooted in mythic understanding, personal and collective healing have occurred at
the same time. The fact is that political divisions and cultural hatred
dissolve in the face of life’s common experiences – love, death, uncertainty,
and hope.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">My experience in these darkest of places has
proven to me that story, discovered in writing and shared in community, can
restore the life force of soul to our suffering world.</span></span></span>Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-65325680700702373682020-05-16T11:24:00.000-04:002020-05-16T15:44:55.049-04:00LIFE THROUGH A STORY LENS<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrkzO590NlWbjnxBwtrvNll49IdtTefmLfCLQ_LZBig_80RoXE8U8ZCgcgt2EvsI-Ll_JkCYPPyUJOokf9LnILZR36S559J4kDNfAP2KdIVZs0hFlf4B4ESPuNfAzQwprCtEiFJZGd5Xr/s1600/Chauvet+cave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="960" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrkzO590NlWbjnxBwtrvNll49IdtTefmLfCLQ_LZBig_80RoXE8U8ZCgcgt2EvsI-Ll_JkCYPPyUJOokf9LnILZR36S559J4kDNfAP2KdIVZs0hFlf4B4ESPuNfAzQwprCtEiFJZGd5Xr/s400/Chauvet+cave.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chauvet Cave, Southwest France. It is thought that thhese drawings represent <br />a creation taleand were part of a shamanic initiation.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Once there was..." </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">With these words we step into the larger life of the imagination, where what seem to be miracles in ordinary reaity are everyday occurrences in this greater, truer reality. I call it The Story Zone. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I tend to be claustrophic, and I avoid situations that might trigger feelings of being trapped. So you can imagine how challenging lockdown since the beginning of March has been for me. Like you perhaps, I've been through the gamut of emotions, including waves of fear, followed by focused breathing and free-writing that has induced calm, only to be overtaken by despair, and then again, creative and spiritual practices to center myself.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">About two weeks in, I had a panic attack at having no way out, unless I wanted to venture into a dangerous world where the virus circulated freely, invisibly, possibly fatally. No way out and no end date. (Even as I write these words, I can feel rumbles of anxiety!) </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now that the world is opening up again, that same conflict looms between staying safe in what often feels like a prison and risking my health (I'm in a vulnerable group) out in the world. To get to my usual places of work, I have to take the subway, which has been determined to be the main channel of transmission in my city. I'm not ready to chance it!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I feel stuck and without words to express the feelings that are paralyzing me, I go to storyboards -- scribbled cartoons that capture my situation in a lighthearted way. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In early March, the first case of Covid-19 had shown up in New York City. It was a woman who had just returned from Iran. From that one unsuspecting woman, the virus exploded in my city. At the same time, my income and financial security was tanking. To save myself financially, I felt, I had to get "out there." That meant taking the subway. I was frozen. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In my time of fear, I quickly sketched this storyboard. It contains my several "selves" -- the fearful me as well as my higher intuitive and imaginative self, along with the scary context I was trying to navigate. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Playfulness was the key to calm! The lightheartedness, and even the laughter I felt on compassionately drawing this bewildered, frightened woman helped me transcend my immediate situation and I was able to come to a place of trust again. Trust not that I had an answer. Trust that there was an All is Well reality embracing all of epochal event, of which I was an infinitesimal part.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Feeling just a bit better, I remembered Story. Specifically, the "five elements" of story: Time, Setting and Mood; Character; Situation; and Plot. I looked around at my small room, which was sometimes sanctuary and at others a prison </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"What does this feel like?" I asked myelf.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A cave.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Traditionally, caves are archetypal places of initiation. I could now view my situation as an initiatory experience. I was about to be transformed, if I would allow the process to unfold naturally. I began to write....</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The scribbles on my page held the energy of ancient creation tales drawn on the rock walls of a cave 36,000 years ago by forever unknown artists, as in the photograph of Chauvet Cave above.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I wrote, I recreated my reality. In a moment of transformative insight, I realized that something unknown yet expansive could happen for me in this physical and emotional space. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The result? Life opened again. And now I was ready for it. Over and over I have done this simple drawing and writing practice to sustain myself during the time of Covid. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The lockdown continues. But so do I. And not just continue. As I play with my circumstances on the page, I rise up and out from the ashes of this devastated world and I create a new and healthier world in my imagination, on the page, and soon in outside life as well. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So can you.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you would like to schedule private storymaking sessions with me to transform your reality from the inside out, I'm offering a 3-session online package for $300 total. You can find a description of how to work with me on my trusty old website: julietbruce.com, click on Ways to Work with Me. Times are tough, and if you really want to do this, but can't swing the fee right now, let me know and we'll try to work something out that is mutually beneficial. I too have to generate income to pay my expenses. Contact me here or via my website to set up a complimentary half hour exploratory session. </span></div>
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Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-70835539911761006172020-01-02T09:49:00.004-05:002020-01-02T09:49:43.358-05:00HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR LIFE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-A8UCoI5B78LsJQV-2Am1W0gojKquGD0n0_Yqc0KRcWiWkNNFrgsd8Jw1zzDuqTJuHLczeHKlKfezMGN4LeSjOkD166Fiplen8yv-V7dXcAveu61ucp1X5wylZZLNmcitU_ZKU3oMBWe/s1600/cycles+of+creation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-A8UCoI5B78LsJQV-2Am1W0gojKquGD0n0_Yqc0KRcWiWkNNFrgsd8Jw1zzDuqTJuHLczeHKlKfezMGN4LeSjOkD166Fiplen8yv-V7dXcAveu61ucp1X5wylZZLNmcitU_ZKU3oMBWe/s400/cycles+of+creation.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Stories end. New stories begin. It's fascinating -- the great and small adventures of every day. Honor the place where you're rooted. What stories are falling away? What beckons?</span></div>
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<br style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">To explore your living story for deeper understanding of your life's unfolding context, and for greater clarity and courage, write me to set up an appointment, in-person or online. Julietbrucephd@gmail,com</span></div>
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<br />Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-15196634768501751912019-11-03T08:45:00.000-05:002019-11-03T08:46:56.745-05:00HECATE'S DAUGHTER: LISTENING FOR THE CRIES OF THE WORLD<i><span style="font-size: large;">This is from an old 2018 blog post, never more relevant than today.</span></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9q8gaC_7gcVD9NiHFC6IQ1XoXHNohww9yRqVManxHrdo0NNzVlWjLTk4LXu677QbMhoWLB-UhNw4GJ8m03PrXMkmmrTnFe1_zdPsWEvhyphenhyphenFFwWAUTkHp63BSYpfrnAgn083MmCRu_qx1NR/s1600/Hecate.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="383" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9q8gaC_7gcVD9NiHFC6IQ1XoXHNohww9yRqVManxHrdo0NNzVlWjLTk4LXu677QbMhoWLB-UhNw4GJ8m03PrXMkmmrTnFe1_zdPsWEvhyphenhyphenFFwWAUTkHp63BSYpfrnAgn083MmCRu_qx1NR/s320/Hecate.png" width="317" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: large;">Hecate, goddess of thresholds, mystery, magic, and the moon, via Jean Bakula, www.jeanbakula@exemplore.com</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Silence. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Beautiful, deep, alive silence.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">Outside, rattle and roar of wind against windows. Inside, the quiet of a hundred people sitting in meditation, inhaling, exhaling the peace of this space. Dozens of small story fires radiate through candle flames. A carved wooden statue of Avalokitashvara, the Buddhist goddess of compassion, stands on the altar, as loose and graceful as an unfurling wave. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">It's New Year's Eve. Twenty blocks north is Times Square, with its screaming millions. Here, a different plane, one that I've been craving. I have chosen to welcome my new year at the annual New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care sit with other like-minded, softhearted New Yorkers trying to get through these noisy and scary times with equanimity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; line-height: 24px;">Why here? I am attracted to ZenCare's mission of offering solace and companionship to suffering people, including those at the end of their lives. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">During</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">their dharma talks this evening, the two guiding teachers, Robert Chodo Cambell and Koshin Paley Ellison, invite us to lay aside resolutions, which we'd be sure to fall away from by mid-January. Instead, they ask us to consider a quality we want to embody and nourish in our world in 2018. They suggest that embodying is an expression of giving birth, bringing a gift from within ourselves, is a Divine Feminine way of stepping into the new year rather than the conventional patriarchal notion of reaching out or making something happen in the material world</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">I exhale. This is an easy one for me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; line-height: 24px;">Listening. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It is what I do, have always done, since I was a pesky little girl tugging on my father’s pants leg: “Tell me a story, Daddy.” I have been saying virtually the same thing – tell me a story – ever since, as a comparative literature student, a reporter, and since 1994, a healing story counselor. “Tell me your story.”</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; line-height: 24px;">Given this luscious time to remember and visualize listening, I know with certainty that in 2018,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to be able to listen more deeply to the stories life is telling through clients, the places I walk through, environments in which I live, friends, family memories, new adventures, and through through my pen on the page. To listen more deeply to whatever is calling to be born in that moment.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What quality are you embodying this year? Can you give it a visual metaphor?</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mine is Hecate, goddess of thresholds, magic, mystery, and the moon, the one who lives at a crossroads outside of town, listening for the cries of lost souls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">When I first started my Living Story practice in the world's most lost and forgotten places,, I read a lot about myth and fairy tale, because ordinary language was inadequate to contain and express that experience. Two goddesses especially resonated with me, both of them transformational: Aphrodite and Hecate. Transformation through love, and transformation through deep listening and intuition. Lighthearted listening through delight, love, and playfulness, and deep listening to the call of the world's suffering.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">Through the years, as I have listened to more stories, and especially in the last year, as I have faced personal challenges and my country has slid into a sorrowful place, Hecate is the spirit and the energy that most guides my practice. A mature female goddess whose wisdom comes from lived experience, Hecate is the goddess who hears the cries of lost souls and guides them home. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">I found the image at the top of this post on google and followed it to the website that houses writer-astrologer Jean Bakula’s blog, jeanbakula@exemplore.com. Briefly, Bakula notes that Hecate’s three-headed dog represents her ability to see past, present, and future. In my practice, Hecate’s way of knowing comes through story, which creates coherence between the present moment, the past that has led us to this place, and the future possibilities latent in any situation. From my own reading, The serpent head at the top of her staff represents higher consciousness, and broomsticks represent the sweeping away of threshold hindrances. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">Most important to me about the energy of Hecate is that she brings the quality of listening to the world. It was Hecate who could not see but who heard Persephone’s cries from the underworld to which she had been abducted by Hades. It was Hecate who called upon an army of other gods to rescue the buried child, and it was Hecate who remained Persephone’s companion throughout her life, even when she returned every six months to take up her role as Queen of the Underworld, guiding those who had fallen there back to the light. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I want to manifest Hecate's energy ever more fully this year. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">The evening concludes with the ringing of a bell 108 times for the 108 gates of liberation and the 108 hindrances, which in Buddhist tradition are the same. Reverberating with the deep clear tones of the bell and my personal intention, I walk out into the night both grounded and lifted. Struggling against the frigid winds to the subway, past other stragglers going to their midnight destinations, filled with new energy, knowing that my path this year is about bringing forth more deeply the quality of listening – for the story beneath the story, the story that wants to emerge – in my life, yours, my world, yours, ours. </span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you listening to the story your life is telling you?</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In every moment we’re at a crossroads: past and future are right here with us in the present. We’re always being asked to let go of the past by telling its story, and to choose a direction forward. The fact is that we’re given difficult situations to help us grow — not to overcome problems, but to ripen and blossom through them; to look and listen more deeply into ourselves and our experience; to discover strengths, gifts, and a degree of commitment to life that demands more than we knew we possessed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;"><b>Your personal world and its mood.</b> The environments in which we find ourselves or choose to live often mirror our internal landscape. What does your world look and feel like? What features stand out for you? In my own recent life, I’ve lived in a series of rooms that aren’t my home. They reflect the major life transition I’ve been traveling through since my mother’s death five years ago. When I understand my experience this way, I feel not homeless and anxious, but calm and focused on listening for what is trying to come forth and what is being asked of me now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;"><b>Your supporting cast.</b> Who's with you and who matters? I’m sure you’ve heard it said that everyone we meet is a teacher. This is true. The characters who populate our lives affirm and lift us, or denigrate and deplete us. Remembering that all the world’s a stage, and that the people whom we meet outside are often reflections of characters in ourselves, who uplifts and energizes you? Who sabotages you? Understand that we are all made up of light and shadow energy; your hero and your "villain" can be the same person. I have met both companions and adversaries during my life, and I am careful now, as I grow older and want my time to be spent more meaningfully, to identify and travel with the light-bearers who energize and inspire me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">What perplexing situations or yearnings are calling for your attention now?</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">What are they asking of you? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">What do you need?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">NEXT FREE ONLINE STORY FACILITATION TRAINING FOR CHANGE-MAKERS:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">8-9:30 PM EASTERN</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">(FEATURING A TRUE HOLIDAY-THEMED TALE</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">REGISTER AT julietbrucephd@gmail.com</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">All rights reserved, 2019, Juliet Bruce, PhD </span></span><br />
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Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-43842899754239112072019-10-22T10:00:00.003-04:002019-10-22T10:00:52.483-04:00FACILITATING HEALING STORY SANCTUARIES IN AWFUL TIMES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the most effective things we can do as healers, activists, teachers, and individuals who want to make a positive difference is to create sanctuaries for others to gain a fresh perspective on their life, and to find and share their own experience in these times of wild change. We are not afraid to responsibly express our own truth.</span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Please join me on <b>Tuesday, October 29, at 8-9:30 pm eastern</b> for a brief and easy introduction to facilitating healing story sanctuaries. It's free and online. Write to me at <a href="mailto:julietbrucephd@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">julietbrucephd@gmail.com</a> for the <span style="font-family: inherit;">link and to inquire about my availability to help you or your organization become creative facilitators.</span></span></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Please note: my approach is arts-based and experiential rather than clinical or academic It is based on my 27 years work within the oral and literary traditions and is guided by the approaches of artist/therapist Shaun McNiff, author of "Art as Medicine: Creating a Therapy of the Imagination," mythologist Joseph Campbell, and Jungian analyst/storyteller Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Best wishes,</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Juliet Bruce, PhD</span></div>
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Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-18454592285909922372019-09-11T13:04:00.001-04:002019-09-11T13:04:50.318-04:00"PICKING UP THE PIECES OF A BROKEN HEART"<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFre8cELgTvhvYMLy82NKAVsWPdfdBAExPIwgxkg6WsrpWF_EN8RrE7ISMOgxjm8TC836cwhanAWfgabq5rA-BnGUM_AiahtmN-qcUjDFrya26OLczOe8daLqCE1EVymzNlkbiYhuJ0mGj/s1600/image+by+SARK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="424" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFre8cELgTvhvYMLy82NKAVsWPdfdBAExPIwgxkg6WsrpWF_EN8RrE7ISMOgxjm8TC836cwhanAWfgabq5rA-BnGUM_AiahtmN-qcUjDFrya26OLczOe8daLqCE1EVymzNlkbiYhuJ0mGj/s320/image+by+SARK.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fionareilly.co.uk/articles/the-incredible-value-of-women-gathering-in-circle"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.fionareilly.co.uk/articles/the-incredible-value-of-women-gathering-in-circle</span></a></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At a time in my life when I had lost my moorings, I offered a writing group to <span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">homeless
women fresh from the streets in a church-run shelter. Most of the women who
attended this program were coping with addiction and mental illness, as well as
the effects of chronic domestic violence. It was not unusual to have women
sleeping on couches and the floor and coming off crack during our sessions. The
women had named the group, “Home is Where the Heart Is.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">A
woman named Jackee arrived one day, only to sit silently staring out the barred
basement windows at the sidewalk and legs of passersby. Thick tears rolled
slowly down her cheeks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Although it was early in my healing story career, by
this time, I was gathering tales that resonated and that I could authentically
share with others. On this day, I told my rendering of the Iroquois creation tale,
“SkyWoman and the Creation of Earth.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">In this tale, a young wife had been pushed off the cloud of the Sky
People by her jealous husband who believed she had become pregnant from another
man’s breath. Far below, the winged and water creatures gathered in a circle to save her from a terrible end in the vast sea below. She was gently laid on the shell of Great Snapping Turtle, and she awoke to find herself
protected by a community of creatures who wanted only to help her. On taking a small step, she saw the turtle’s shell expand. Another step, another expansion, until walking around the turtle’s
shell, she created a whole new land, an actual continent, which you may know as
North America, but that the People call by its true name, Turtle Island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">"In
the Story Zone, there is never an end to hope" I ended. "There are always helpers. Just be open to them." Most of the women nodded. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">“Stupid,”
said a voice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">“Shut
up,” said another. “It’s a metaphor, that what you call it – metaphor?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">“Yeah,
it means fuck you in Greek.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">But
some of the women took me up on my invitation to write whatever came to mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">I
invited Jackee to write. “I can’t,” she said. She felt too bad about herself to
do anything. A crack addict, she has lost her parental rights and her kids had
been moved to foster care. She was not allowed to see them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">After
a few minutes, Jackee asked for a piece of paper and pen. She wrote and then
ripped the paper into pieces. “What a piece of shit!” she cried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">“If
it’s how you feel, it’s good,” said one of the other women, looking up from her
page. “Just keep writing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Meanwhile,
I kneeled down and gently gathered the torn pieces and handed them to Jackee to
hold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">At
the end of the writing period, when everyone had read their work, they gave me
their poems to type up for our newsletter. Jackee held on to her fragments. But
the group cajoled her into letting someone read all the crumpled pieces. Piece
by piece, Jackee read:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Round
and round I go<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Lost
in a maze<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Trying
to find my way out<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Crying
and crying<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">I
want to stop<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">No
more tears in my heart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Window,
look out<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">See
my life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Go
by so fast<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Time
goes by so fast<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Give
myself time to heal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">One
day at a time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“If I were going to give it a name,” I said, “I’d call it
‘Picking Up the Pieces of a Broken Heart.’” I said I heard a shift from the
despair of the first line to the medicine of the last. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yeah, maybe,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The following week, Jackee appeared on time and sat
quietly off to the side, carefully writing and rewriting on a legal pad.
Halfway through, she asked if she could read something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It was a short poem thanking everyone for their support
and read another poem:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When night falls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I look at stars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I feel hope<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Facing a new day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Every day I try to say a kind word<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To someone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Hold on. Don’t give up on yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Remember, one day at a time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>God loves us all.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The group burst into applause<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“That’s
beautiful, Jackee.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">“Write
one for me,” said another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Thus
began Jackee’s new life as the poetry lady who created birthday cards for the
other women to give to their family members. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Little
things revealed her changing sense of herself. For example, she still sat in
the same chair but she moved it into the center of the circle. She began to
wear lipstick and to carry a small mirror, which she consulted frequently. This
role became the foundation for a new life. Jackee had wanted to be a child
minder, but her history made that impossible. Under the monitoring of the
homeless center, she was able to fill this role. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Jackee
has her good weeks and her bad weeks. For addicts like her, staying off crack
is like trying to climb bare-handed out of an icy pit. What it ultimately comes
down to is a persona’s ability to make healthy choices. Only Jackee has the
power to change her life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">But
the poems and stories are footholds. They bear witness to her struggle and her
progress. “You got this far,” they say. “Keep climbing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">It
was becoming clear to me that my true ground lay within this healing story process.
Whatever was meant to happen with my marriage, however I was supposed to make a
tolerable living as a writer, it would come through this work. I didn’t know
where I was going. But I knew it would be through this process. I had come to
center. I at least had found something I could do with my whole heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-19556342715363050382019-08-21T12:52:00.002-04:002019-08-21T12:52:09.448-04:00HOW WE CAN BEGIN TO HEAL OUR BROKEN WORLD: FOR CHANGE-MAKERS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpwns0b5TyV8MrcH7haHtbMt59V7UEUqBw_Vp4pRT3tR1ABoYLwlPxaGPaQV9BwwNJjKTPNjC1_4YYBiZrROJZhei0K9R4pJjGHlfo3-Ezj-YyEmND20gQLL2b5LsaX2S3x5KJmvwunNp/s1600/story+circle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpwns0b5TyV8MrcH7haHtbMt59V7UEUqBw_Vp4pRT3tR1ABoYLwlPxaGPaQV9BwwNJjKTPNjC1_4YYBiZrROJZhei0K9R4pJjGHlfo3-Ezj-YyEmND20gQLL2b5LsaX2S3x5KJmvwunNp/s400/story+circle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">For more than 26 years, I’ve been helping individuals and communities creatively navigate difficult transitions -- such as loss of a loved one, livelihood, illness, or bursting forth of a life unlived, the collective trauma of community disaster -- through story-making. I’m now finishing a book -- a combination memoir and workbook -- about my healing story approach.</span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Not since 9/11, have I felt such urgency to put my work in service to healing our national culture. For the next year and half, I’m going to be offering more community reconciliation programs to counter-attack the hate and violence-filled narratives that the Administration and its minions are flooding media with. I’m targeting my programs now to change-makers: healers, writers, storytellers, teachers, activists.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Here's the mistake many are making: Focusing on Trump. This only gives energy to his evil and distracts from the fact that millions of citizens support him as a cult – meaning a disregard for facts in favor of allegiance to a leader that makes false promises, but is interested only in expanding his own power and wealth. But how can we pull followers out of this cult? Not by judging, preaching, haranguing.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Rather by listening, engaging, finding non-political common ground, by sharing our stories – not our victim tales, but a deeper story that is always flowing like a river beneath the surface of our lives – where we are one people, one race, one blood.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
On Sept. 10, at 8 pm eastern, I’m going to be offering a free introduction to a 3-step healing story process for people who would like to use story in their community, therapeutic, or classroom programs, but may not know how. That’s Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 8 pm eastern time.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
To register and receive the link, write to me at juIietbrucephd@gmail.com.</div>
</span></div>
Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-86686735599083561672019-06-03T12:57:00.000-04:002019-06-03T15:38:42.108-04:00GETTING TO ITHACA: HOW TO TELL A NEW WORLD INTO BEING, ONE STORY AT A TIME<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieM-RUvW49qtntdOiSEO7Y5AsnJ2oebn6z-MQa6YmWOhd5ZgLHdfo2hxn05lYNo3AGrCCbrl3Q4Len_FPX5t13IJbvHczcWsv-CeTcnS3XgPDik9SXtWwNAc_STiXUbd_QTJfN6XTepQFY/s1600/grandfatherStone2-1000x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieM-RUvW49qtntdOiSEO7Y5AsnJ2oebn6z-MQa6YmWOhd5ZgLHdfo2hxn05lYNo3AGrCCbrl3Q4Len_FPX5t13IJbvHczcWsv-CeTcnS3XgPDik9SXtWwNAc_STiXUbd_QTJfN6XTepQFY/s400/grandfatherStone2-1000x500.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandfather Stone, Seneca Creation Tale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Some
years ago the conflicts in our nation and world had flamed into war at every
level. I see now they were but a foretaste of the calamities taking place in
our country at this writing. Then, in the last weeks of the 2004 presidential
campaign, I facilitated a workshop for trauma counselors who had come to
Washington, D.C., from all parts of the country for a national conference. In
the news that day was a fraudulent attack on one of the candidates that doomed
any chance he might have to win, The </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">nine participants in this workshop reflected the cultures
and biases of their separate regions. They entered as hostile strangers, speaking
emotionally incompatible languages, isolated within their own political
ideologies, fears and prejudices. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
participant, a young man from New York, had come early to sit quietly by the
sunny window and gaze out at the Washington Monument rising like a lonely mast
from the Federal Mall across the street. The sun was dazzling and warmed the
corner of the large conference room where I had set up a small circle of
chairs. He confided to me that he was overwhelmed with the two traumatic
realities affecting his clients (and himself): AIDS and 9/11. He had hoped to
find some comfort by coming to the conference, but so far he had felt only
increased isolation. He did not have much hope for this session, he said, but
since the blurb had mentioned the healing power of story, and it was the last
day, he had figured, what the hell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The tension
was palpable as, one by one, participants introduced themselves, their faces
registering distrust, even distaste, as faith-based counselor from the South
met gay psychotherapist from New York. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I introduced myself and </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">gave
an overview of healing story plot—crisis; the struggle to resolve it; and the
transformation both in circumstances and the heart of the protagonist. The
boredom of my listeners was obvious as they rifled through the handouts I had
so lovingly prepared. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Bored, that is, until I uttered the password to the realm
of magic: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">“Once upon a time...” Doorway to the Path of Creation</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I launched into a brief retelling of a verse
toward the end of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Odyssey, </i>when
Odysseus is found naked and shipwrecked on a lonely beach at the end of an
island belonging to an ancient seafaring people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Once
upon a time there was a great warrior named Odysseus,” I began. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As
it always did, this epic tale of a lost soul transfixed all of us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
told them how after a 10-year war, the Greeks declared victory and set out for
home. But Odysseus had steered his ship of returning warriors into alien waters
and became lost. For 10 more years, they wandered. It wasn’t until he found
himself shipwrecked on an island beach and told his story to his rescuers that
his fortune changed and a new story began to take shape. So moved was the
island king by the sufferings of this brave man that he ordered his sailors to
place him on a ship and return him safely home to his kingdom of Ithaca.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Odyssey</i> is a timeless tale and is
applicable to all our lives, even today, I said to the trauma therapists. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Especially</i> to our lives today, when so
many of us feel adrift and traumatized, yearning for our own Ithaca.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The trauma therapists listened quietly as the narrative
unfolded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">At
the end, I asked my usual question: “What stands out for you?” There were a few
questions about how this related to helping kids who had been sexually abused
and how to separate one trauma from another in a person's life. I explained
that story was not a clinical process aimed at treating symptoms. Rather, it
regenerated the healing life force that no medically based treatment modality
could reach. But the elephant in this room was the toxic distrust that permeated
the group and the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Finally,
the woman from the southern church murmured that she resonated with Odysseus’
long wanderings because she had lost her own daughter to cancer nine years
before. Although she was a woman of faith who had attended many grief workshops
and healing retreats, and even though she helped many others deal with their
sorrows, she herself had remained frozen in the day her daughter died.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
25 years of facilitating healing story workshops among every possible
population, including groups that were in extreme conflict, I have seen what
happens when I tell a mythic tale and people respond with their own stories,
stepping out of their small, anguished realities into a larger one. I have
found that most p</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">eople
are yearning to tell their stories, but they don’t know how. The old tales help
to release their words and bind them together in a common story. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
have learned how to identify the exact moment when this bonding happens: There
is a palpable shift and softening in energy, a deepening quiet, a profound
stillness: “I” becomes “We.” It happened here. The group became deeply quiet
and attentive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In the stillness, the man from New
York spoke: He described the devastation that surrounded his life as a healer,
gay man and New Yorker still struggling many years later to come to grips with
the World Trade Center attacks. A few others joined in, sharing their own
feelings of exhaustion from vicarious trauma, the caregiver’s occupational
hazard. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">After
a brief writing period, I invited them to share what they had written with the
group. The woman read about the moment of her daughter’s death. As she did so,
she raised her eyebrows at the words: “A peace came over Lila's face, and I
knew at that moment she was in the arms of a love greater than even I her
mother could give her.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I
had forgotten that moment,” she wept softly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
young man read his piece describing his desolation without a future, surrounded
by trauma, yet finding moments of peace in sunlight, water and the trees in
Central Park. Held in the embrace of community, their myth-inspired writing
released the healing insights so needed by their souls. The tensions in the
group dissolved, as several others haltingly read their own writings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
have no doubt that we are brought together to release life force in the world
through the healing images and words we have within. From the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Odyssey</i> to grieving woman to frightened
man to group, story generated a moment of wholeness and peace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">After
a long, releasing cry, the woman said that something had broken and that now
she could finally move forward. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">No
words from me were necessary; I let the silence surround them, each finding
what they needed there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">After
a while, I brought the group to a less vulnerable state in preparation for the rest
of the day. “What do you take from this?” I asked. One by one, almost every
person shared how much more relaxed they were, less stressed and feeling that
they had truly connected with other people at a level they rarely got to
experience, even in their families. <i>Something real had happened.</i> Nothing
had actually changed; yet everything had. A larger story, beyond their personal
lives, was being woven; life flowed again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Trauma or loss may have tossed you out of the web of your life. Finding and sharing your deep story is the way back in.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bzwCeM2dl4ZeMRiEsbsQvXSn67xn3ACeLr61tA12ubv9xO-vHF8f1GVQMuDd4gLCJDPemrC_dHs9KBZgMCNcaXL1_toKAwcnOBlbg-3bR-mqCFJnXOveehsrTgwPNO0lIVwXWoNtiJJH/s1600/loveyourstorypodcast.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bzwCeM2dl4ZeMRiEsbsQvXSn67xn3ACeLr61tA12ubv9xO-vHF8f1GVQMuDd4gLCJDPemrC_dHs9KBZgMCNcaXL1_toKAwcnOBlbg-3bR-mqCFJnXOveehsrTgwPNO0lIVwXWoNtiJJH/s400/loveyourstorypodcast.com.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">loveyourstorypodcast.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">You enter a larger field of human energy where
you can find nourishment, light, restoration and resilience based not on hope
but on the community engendered by the merging of our stories into one story:
the longing to feel at home in the world and within ourselves. An image,
character or situation in a story — be it contemporary, fairy tale or myth — makes
a connection with someone that has never been made before or opens a blockage
at a level of a listener's psyche that is inaccessible to their rational mind
and ordinary language. Previously unimaginable transformations in mood,
behavior and life flow from this opening that emerges between you and your
listeners. Story reaches beneath the thinking, judging mind to the feeling one,
where we are all human beings together standing on the common ground called
life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Whether in a prison, a homeless shelter, a hospital
cancer unit or a first responder treatment center — crowded environments filled
with trauma, stress, fear, depression and isolation — we the people relax. Our
voices become stronger; strangers bond intimately; we laugh together; life
force flows and profound healing occurs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> This knowledge is my rock. Story helps
me remain stable and focused in my own life’s rocky places. It will help you,
too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> It's true that storytel</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">lers create the
world. We spin a world with our words and metaphors, plots and yearnings that
ultimately manifest in physical reality. When one world story is created or
dies, we spin a new one. It gives me some small comfort in this dark time when
so much that we hold precious is being destroyed and reminds me that we must
carry on, telling stories and bearing witness to life’s hard beauty as well as
its continuation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">All rights reserved. Jun 3, 2019 Juliet Bruce, PhD. Excerpt from "A Write of Passage," and from a chapter published in the journal of the National Storytelling Network, January 2019.</span></div>
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<br />Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-33965254944173904942019-04-27T12:39:00.000-04:002019-04-27T12:39:37.085-04:00A PLOT FOR OUR TIME<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpuCI6H8cEnFkouRiC5tawM10jAaPZe7G_s4DvSyr5N78-3cJfzcQBz_Fslt2zHW_oyhAH5Hg28zgz1bvfumcB1ulYFKlMA-6ZAgAl0Huaxj4wKR8d0yY5uvJYCF3hx_oozkB6cKT7Q8X/s1600/demagogue+hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpuCI6H8cEnFkouRiC5tawM10jAaPZe7G_s4DvSyr5N78-3cJfzcQBz_Fslt2zHW_oyhAH5Hg28zgz1bvfumcB1ulYFKlMA-6ZAgAl0Huaxj4wKR8d0yY5uvJYCF3hx_oozkB6cKT7Q8X/s320/demagogue+hand.jpg" width="305" /></a>The 2012 film, “The Attack,” directed by Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueri, haunts me still. In fact, it feels entirely relevant in our present explosive times. “The Attack” is an archteypal quest tale in a contemporary setting, and it concerns the painful modern issues with which we are so familiar. The object of this quest is an answer to the questions we routinely ask in the face of terrible acts: Who was this person, how could they do this? And the equally dreaded questions: Am I complicit? What can I do?</div>
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The film’s protagonist, Amin, is a highly successful and assimilated Arab surgeon in a Tel Aviv hospital, well-loved by his Jewish colleagues. Amin’s privileged world is shattered when a suicide bombing kills 17 children at a birthday party in a popular café. Horrifically, the bomber turns out to be his own wife.</div>
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Once released from police interrogation and the shock wears off, he decides to discover the truth about this woman Sihem, with whom he had shared a loving marriage—or so he thought—for 15 years. His quest is a classic heroic journey plot that takes him away from the white buildings and orderly avenues of Tel Aviv to the ancient, teeming village of Nablus on the West Bank. This plot may be re-enacted in our own lives when everything we had assumed to be true is shattered and we must find a new ground in which to locate ourselves.</div>
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Ever deeper and higher Amin climbs through the old stone streets; through shocking conversations with his relatives, who express pride in Sihem’s martyrdom; through being tossed out of a local mosque by men who are enraged with this secular Arab’s violation of their sanctuary, until he ascends the steps of a church where he confronts the radical Christian cleric who was Sihem’s mentor.</div>
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Cold and implacable as he lights candles for the evening service, the priest tells Amin, “Your trip here is a waste of time. I have nothing to say to you. We have nothing to discuss.” The cold refusal to explain or engage in any way with the grief-stricken doctor speaks of a violence deeper even than actions and words—the violence of complete disconnection, sociopathy and contempt for the humanity of another—a violence that is all too familiar in our own daily headlines.</div>
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“The Attack” is not a political film. It is an impassioned but even-handed exploration of what happens when a population is locked away from the resources necessary for life, left powerless, voiceless and in thrall to an evil, charismatic leader who exploits their hatred for the oppressive system.</div>
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Following this encounter, one truth after another emerges as Amin discovers that not only was his own family part of the monstrous plot, but that its Tel Aviv terror cell used his very own apartment for planning sessions during the day while he was performing life-saving surgeries. At the end of this heart-wrenching journey to the Arab village of his childhood, his nephew hands him a video of his wife’s last moments.</div>
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Watching it, Amin sees that Sihem tried to call him before she left on her mission. Unable to speak with him, she wept and called his name. He is left not with a why, but with the knowledge that there was humanity in this woman after all: she betrayed him AND she loved him. Amin becomes a man in possession of a more terrible truth: his unknowing complicity in this crime through his blind self-absorption in his career. Tragically, he ends his quest as a divided soul, belonging nowhere in his bifurcated world. We last see him in flashback, standing at the bus station where he dropped Sihem off for what he thought was an ordinary trip to see her grandfather. “Every time you leave, I die a little,” he says. Amin’s entire life and identity has died.</div>
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The film is built around everything that makes story a powerful vehicle of self-expression and authentic healing in chaotic times: it holds the ambiguity of reality, the both/and over the either/or lens on life, and it holds a through-line to a transformed life.</div>
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Later, after seeing this movie, I sat with a friend at a café across the street from Lincoln Center, New York’s famed cultural complex in a neighborhood much like the bombed-out Tel Aviv streets in the film. We pondered the questions the film does not answer: How could Amin not have sensed that his wife was leading a secret life? Was he therefore complicit? These are the questions we all ask when confronted with a terrible truth about a partner, a child, a job, our country. My friend and I ended our conversation hours later with our personal memories of betrayal and debating our own complicity through blindness in our country’s decline.</div>
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As I walked from the subway to my apartment several long blocks away and up a narrow stairway to the third floor, I thought about my own life in relation to Amin’s, and in particular my journey decades before to the heart of America's darkness in a maximum security unit housing lethal human beings. My intentions were good. My life as an adult had been dedicated to peace and to justice; in my work I created safe environments—I called them “story sanctuaries”—where through writing, sharing and listening, people were able to simultaneously create coherent inner lives and warm, resonant relationships with others.</div>
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Yet, when I sat down on my multi-colored couch banked with large, soft pillows and three equally large and soft cats to write in my journal, and on impulse rewrote Amin’s meeting with the radical cleric, taking the role of the priest, the language of hatred and contempt for the privileged and unconscious visitor who violated my space flowed easily.</div>
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Perhaps it came from my resentment, anger and disgust with the U.S government for which I had spent years writing propaganda to pay my bills, or perhaps from trying to thrive as a member of the <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/metoo?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARB80AkGrSRIcCj0qFnWFceI4nQdJph3dJ2IuAsBYmoEYsuTXX0J2RiPNRzBgFAMnTIb2bh7DpOyWn7LLF5bZRJMABtgwfDh7X0zF5U3LHe2sjZd4qg3Yyy2OA2xFo0otoB7RcwSXQY9-F8ov2by5D0iHmCoHzC0Mg1k_-75-lDDSmRouZZqLXS7dCJEilCL2phOBd7J_sebaTo5WLUUQBKhP6DkGEN1AGuYaqB6bX1bzZmqPQH2vKFqaYCGkXCTeroADNMPFFXAG_2CohSXjSUVAP3pbMTRIbkR7uLc-CMf9woNGLnSgImLjUmuVgOHThMrwwhcQJqyZrCFP-papyA&__tn__=%2ANK-R" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">MeToo</span></span></a> generation and a woman in a male-dominated journalism industry. Perhaps it was rooted in the ghosts of the nursery, or from the forgotten adults who had dismissed me as a girl child—the layers and layers of disgust that had piled up over a lifetime, yet remained suppressed by my “nice girl, warm human being” persona. Whatever its roots, I was surprised at the level of untapped rage I had buried within myself—even with the many years of healing work, especially forgiveness, I had done on myself since a bout of depression in 1990. Succored by the gentle but insistent purring on my chest, my legs and at my side, like refreshing rain, I knew that giving expression to these disenfranchised feelings was important in both my life and my work. Writing within a story context enabled me to journey to the heart of darkness in myself and, unlike Amin, to emerge whole.</div>
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Writing out those walled off feelings opened the channel to a wellspring of emotions and memories that I had erased from conscious memory. Feeling the pain while writing in the buffering metaphor of a terrorist, which I was unable to feel when writing biographically, was a journey through pain to liberation into a deeper vulnerability and love for myself and others. I felt emboldened by my writing, as I always do when I spill the truths that only my writing voice knows and reveals through the metaphors of character, place and plot of story.</div>
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I subsequently became conscious of the almost imperceptible hints of this shadow coldness in my daily life: the aversion I felt so easily and the way I cut off people who I perceived had hurt me, the subtle ways in which I tended to narrow my life to an aloof existence up a long flight of stairs—as disconnected from visceral inner pain as from my neighbors.</div>
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My point in sharing this experience with you is to assure you that you are not alone in harboring unacceptable feelings that often become exposed in the nakedness of grief and transition. Most of us tend to suppress the unwanted figures in our psyche, much like the oppressor country in the film locked up the displaced people in refugee camps outside its declared borders, only to reap in one way or another the unhappy consequences of this denial. For example, we might have a pattern of producing the opposite of our intentions. The truth is, many of us—especially those with trauma or conflict in our histories—cannot move forward wholeheartedly toward a happier future until we make that hard journey to the place of shadows within.</div>
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2019, JULIET BRUCE, PH.D.From my book, A Write of Passage, "Fierce Practice: Facing Up to the Monsters Withut and WithIn."</div>
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Art: <a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="async" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Findialawyers.wordpress.com%2Ftag%2Flaw-commission-of-india" href="https://indialawyers.wordpress.com/tag/law-commission-of-india" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://indialawyers.wordpress.com/…/law-commission-of-india</a></div>
Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-50029477527469512582019-03-05T17:27:00.000-05:002019-03-05T17:28:06.249-05:00MEDITATION FOR CREATORS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The actor, director, and teacher Michael Chekhov described the beginning of a play or other creative project as a deep and meditative gaze upon a sense, a feeling, or an atmosphere that wants to come forth into the world. This is the creative gaze, where the smallest Intuition can become a tug that becomes a passion for expression in physical reality. Living your life with this kind of expansive curiosity transforms you from a victim of circumstance in<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">to the creator of your life.</span></div>
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1.Sit with an attitude of silent and gentle welcome to whatever is here in your life -- physically or narratively -- right now. The story you live or write begins in silence.</div>
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2. Close your eyes. Breathe slowly, deeply into your heart, into whatever part of your body calls for breath.See yourself expanding into the world on your inhalation and dissolving inner clouds on your exhalation. Sit for 5 or 10 minutes in beautiful silence, breathing, paying attention.</div>
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3. In this relaxed and attentive state, you are approaching the zone of clear seeing and generative being. Allow yourself to bathe in the calm waters of this life-giving consciousness. It is called by the Taoists "wu wei" -- doing by doing nothing.</div>
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4. Form an easy question: "What wants to emerge now?" without demanding an immediate answer. I promise: you will learn to trust that life will show you what it wants from you in its own perfect time.</div>
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5. Gently open your eyes, stretch your graceful limbs in all directions, give thanks for the gorgeous opportunity that is your life, for possibility -- whatever presents itself now -- and for the greatest gift of all: compassion for yourself and all living things.</div>
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6. Put pen to paper to sketch or write. Jot the note of a melody that wants to be heard. Move a hand or foot. This is the metaphorical language of the path that wants to be seen. Improvisation is the path of truth.</div>
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Know that you can always find your true path out of the dark forest or the endless sky by being still and letting the world show you the way.</div>
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, JULIET BRUCE, PHD, 2019. From "A Write of Passage: a Storied Path for Yearning Souls," working title for my almost finished book.</div>
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Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-13779899000887911522019-02-23T09:55:00.003-05:002019-02-23T10:03:34.910-05:00LAID BARE<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
In going through old blog posts in search of something else, I found this one from 2012, which seems entirely relevant to our present traumatic times. I hope it offers some encouragement for using story as a scaffold to hope and new beginnings when things look dark.</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Of all the devastating images of wrecked, flooded, and burned out lives from Hurricane Sandy that hit the East Coat last week, this one of a building with its front wall ripped off has been the most awful to me. What happened to the people who lived here? Were they in these rooms when the walls fell away? Where are they now? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was one of the lucky ones who never even lost power, much less my home. Even so, I've been feeling a deep sense of vulnerability -- sadness for the suffering of my neighbors, and a deep anxiety about the hard truth: We work so hard to create homes for ourselves; we do all the right things. And in a moment – be it a historic storm, a diagnosis, or a betrayal revealed -- Home is stripped away. We are face to face with the raw truth of life that everything we hold onto for dear life is impermanent and will leave us. There’s no going back to Monday afternoon before the storm.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><i>Finding the real certainties when the false ones are ripped awa</i></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The First Certainty: Your breath. Become aware of your breathing – in and out. The breath, the beating heart, is the Beginning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Second Certainty: Your body. Become aware of your body. Are you in pain? Where? Are you afraid or sad? Where do you feel it – in your stomach, shoulders, back, neck, or head? Breathe through these sensations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Third Certainty: External crisis may trigger an internal one. Become aware of the inner stories that are triggered by the outer circumstances. Usually they are stories of fear or despair. “This is the end,” The Doors sang in the '60s, when everything familiar was falling apart. Compassionately allow these dark stories to exist. In fact, give them expression: draw them, write, drum, or dance them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The Fourth Certainty: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Self-expression is the channel that allows life to flow again.Follow the words and shapes that appear on the page or in your imagination, the rhythms and movements as they change. They will. It never fails. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The Fifth Certainty: Joining with others is the beginning of community, and community is the grid for a new world. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Share your story and listen to theirs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Sixth Certainty: Forming a vision gives power. Find a pole star, a dream, a beacon, something to aim for, both individually and collectively. Give whatever you can to help each other realize this vision. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Whatever form it takes, the aftermath of disruption or disaster can be for many people a kind of falling out of the flow of human life. After the immediate shock, we can be paralyzed by feelings of helplessness, loss of meaningful language, the ability to connect with other people, and hope in the future. It can feel like this terrible experience is the whole story – or worse, the end of the story. And it is, in a way, the end of the life we have been living. In some ways, the aftermath of disaster can be a spiritual death. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">But what have I learned in all these years of living and working with story? That beneath the fear and grief is the ground of something new. If we can sit with fear, breathe through it, allow it to dissolve like the frail walls we build to protect and separate ourselves from one another and from the unknown, we can find safety in the awareness that we are still here. We are alive. Amazingly, a deep, quiet, inward joy emerges. Life flows again. Ultimately we learn that the only safety is to live in the question, What wants to emerge now? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">In my own life and in all my years of helping others, I always go back to story. Why? Because it is in fact a scaffold for transforming disaster into a field of growth. In story, misfortune -- the inciting event -- propels a character out of their ordinary world into a quest for healing, greater well-being, understanding, whatever it is they need. Along the way, they change, becoming wiser, better, or more courageous; they find dimensions in themselves they never knew they had. In a really good story, they become a hero to themselves and to others. Theychange the story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Human beings used to live with and respect nature. They learned from the patterns of dying and rebirth inherent in seasons how to let go and die and how to resurrect life. They listened to birds and learned to sing a new world into being. This truth is the foundation for every ancient people’s creation stories. And it can be our truth in these times of change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">There’s a native American tale called “Incanchu’s Drum,” about a great volcanic eruption that destroys the whole world. The only survivors are two birds flying over the land that is covered in ash, unable to find their home. Circling and circling, they become exhausted and are on the verge of giving up… until Creator appears and says, “Fly until your middle feathers point down, and follow them. There is your home.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Landing in a field of ash, the birds are in despair; there is no water, no food, no trees. The only thing left is a big block of charred ruin. One of the birds, called Ichanchu, leans against it and falls asleep. When he awakens, not knowing what else to do, he begins to beat it like a drum. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Eventually a song emerges from the primal rhythm, and after a time of singing, a small sapling begins to appear from the ashes. This is the tree of healing and life. From this tree arise other trees, and soon a forest. The animals come back, followed by the people. Life is reborn. The only sign of the world’s destruction is a thin layer of ash on everything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">This is why I keep going back to the old stories. They give us images of rebirth to hold on to in times of death, and they provide roadmaps for creating something meaningful from disaster.</span></div>
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</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">My imagination, optimism, and deep faith are what I have to give you. Slowly, we can build a new world together -- without walls.</span><br />
<ol><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span></ol>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8S4DAX50IhXVFsBgc6hQOjqVt-9AdVeggFj7Q80S1AeNKFA-mGywoh1icvr3nbF6XXhF9yT8v_P0qFnIJOMhTFfFt-tQqGp79SmZxwIrBMdgKR-leibTzo2MKyzuedoIO2Mg96p33gcd/s1600/Sunrise..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #66cc99; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8S4DAX50IhXVFsBgc6hQOjqVt-9AdVeggFj7Q80S1AeNKFA-mGywoh1icvr3nbF6XXhF9yT8v_P0qFnIJOMhTFfFt-tQqGp79SmZxwIrBMdgKR-leibTzo2MKyzuedoIO2Mg96p33gcd/s400/Sunrise..jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="400" /></a></div>
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Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-13171991500867238242019-01-28T09:54:00.000-05:002019-01-28T09:58:36.328-05:00FIERCE PRACTICE: GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO HATE -- ON THE PAGE!<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">A PLOT FOR OUR
TIME</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRSSRvgfRB9fR6bj91vsPAbCLbRgUkr2MFuguhAm2vT3zySmVi-GLi3iGalFOmKjB55vWAsoGSZnkkh9mu0wNZ8ieStuHTOvuWj1EIY1dPD9IySd9LgF7B3oTDkdj6OklxHl4BHXqm0er/s1600/woman-warrior2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRSSRvgfRB9fR6bj91vsPAbCLbRgUkr2MFuguhAm2vT3zySmVi-GLi3iGalFOmKjB55vWAsoGSZnkkh9mu0wNZ8ieStuHTOvuWj1EIY1dPD9IySd9LgF7B3oTDkdj6OklxHl4BHXqm0er/s320/woman-warrior2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LadyGilraen.Wordpress.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;">The
2012 film, “The Attack,” directed by Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueri,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">haunts
me still. In fact, it feels entirely relevant in our present explosive times.
“The Attack” is a tragic quest tale in a contemporary setting, and it concerns
the painful modern issues with which we are so familiar. The object of this
quest is an answer to the questions we routinely ask in the face of terrible
acts: Who was this person, how could they do this? And the equally dreaded
question: Am I complicit?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The film’s protagonist, Amin, is a highly successful and
assimilated Arab surgeon in a Tel Aviv hospital, well-loved by his Jewish
colleagues. Amin’s privileged world is shattered when a suicide bombing kills 17
children at a birthday party in a popular café. Horrifically, the bomber turns
out to be his own wife. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Once
released from police interrogation and the shock wears off, he decides to
discover the truth about this woman Sihem, with whom he had shared a loving
marriage—or so he thought—for 15 years. His quest is a classic heroic journey
plot that takes him away from the white buildings and orderly avenues of Tel
Aviv to the ancient, teeming village of Nablus on the West Bank. This quest is
archetypal and it may be re-enacted in our own lives when everything we had
assumed to be true is shattered and we must find a new ground in which to
locate ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ever deeper and higher Amin climbs through the old stone
streets; through shocking conversations with his relatives, who express pride
in Sihem’s martyrdom; through being tossed out of a local mosque by men who are
enraged with this secular Arab’s violation of their sanctuary, until he ascends
the steps of a church where he confronts the radical Christian cleric who was
Sihem’s mentor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Cold
and implacable as he lights candles for the evening service, the priest tells
Amin, “Your trip here is a waste of time. I have nothing to say to you. We have
nothing to discuss.” The cold refusal to explain or engage in any way with the
grief-stricken doctor speaks of a violence deeper even than actions and
words—the violence of complete disconnection, sociopathy and contempt for the
humanity of another—a violence that is all too familiar in our own daily
headlines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The Attack” is not a political film. It is an impassioned
but even-handed exploration of what happens when a population is locked away
from the resources necessary for life, left powerless, voiceless and in thrall
to an evil, charismatic leader who exploits their hatred for the oppressive
system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Following this encounter, one truth after another emerges
as Amin discovers that not only was his own family part of the monstrous plot,
but that its Tel Aviv terror cell used his very own apartment for planning
sessions during the day while he was performing life-saving surgeries. At the
end of this heart-wrenching journey to the Arab village of his childhood, his
nephew hands him a video of his wife’s last moments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Watching it, Amin sees that Sihem tried to call him
before she left on her mission. Unable to speak with him, she wept and called
his name. He is left not with a why, but with the knowledge that there was
humanity in this woman after all: she betrayed him <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> she loved him. Amin becomes a man in possession of a more
terrible truth: his unknowing complicity in this crime through his blind
self-absorption in his career. Tragically, he ends his quest as a divided soul,
belonging nowhere in his bifurcated world. We last see him in flashback,
standing at the bus station where he dropped Sihem off for what he thought was
an ordinary trip to see her grandfather. “Every time you leave, I die a
little,” he says. Amin’s entire life and identity has died.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
film is built around everything that makes story a powerful vehicle of
self-expression and authentic healing in chaotic times: it holds the ambiguity
of reality, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">both/and</i> over the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">either/or</i> lens on life, and it holds a
through-line to a transformed life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Later,
after seeing this movie, I sat with a friend at a café across the street from
Lincoln Center, New York’s famed cultural complex in a neighborhood much like
the bombed-out Tel Aviv streets in the film. We pondered the questions the film
does not answer: How could Amin not have sensed that his wife was leading a
secret life? Was he therefore complicit? These are the questions we all ask
when confronted with a terrible truth about a partner, a child, a job, our
country. My friend and I ended our conversation hours later with our personal
memories of betrayal and debating our own complicity in our country’s <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="mso-comment-date: 20180813T1418; mso-comment-reference: CF_2;">warmongering</a></span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><a class="msocomanchor" href="file:///C:/Users/julie/Desktop/Totally%20New%20Draft%20Jan.%202019.docx#_msocom_2" id="_anchor_2" language="JavaScript" name="_msoanchor_2">[CF2]</a><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-special-character: comment;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="mso-comment-date: 20180813T1420; mso-comment-reference: CF_3;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As
I walked from the subway to my apartment several long blocks away and up a
narrow stairway to the third floor, I thought about my own life in relation to
Amin’s, and in particular my journey to the heart of darkness in a maximum
security unit housing lethal human beings. My intentions were good. My life as
an adult had been dedicated to peace and to justice; in my work I created safe
environments—I called them “story sanctuaries”—where through writing, sharing
and listening, people were able to simultaneously create coherent inner lives
and warm, resonant relationships with others. </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="mso-comment-date: 20180806T1729; mso-comment-reference: CF_4;">Yet, when I sat down on my multi-colored couch banked with
large, soft pillows and three equally large and soft cats to write in my
journal, and on impulse rewrote Amin’s meeting with the radical cleric, taking
the role of the priest, the language of hatred and contempt for the privileged
and unconscious visitor who violated my space flowed easily. </a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Perhaps
it came from my resentment, anger and disgust with the U.S government for which
I had spent years writing propaganda to pay my bills, or perhaps from trying to
thrive as a member of the #MeToo generation and a woman in a male-dominated
journalism industry. Perhaps it was rooted in the ghosts of the nursery, or
from the forgotten adults who had dismissed me as a girl child—the layers and
layers of disgust that had piled up over a lifetime, yet remained suppressed by
my “nice girl, warm human being” persona. Whatever its roots, I was surprised
at the level of untapped rage I had buried within myself—even with the many
years of healing work, especially forgiveness, I had done on myself since my
depression in 1990. Succored by the gentle but insistent purring on my chest,
my legs and at my side, like refreshing rain, I knew that giving expression to
these disenfranchised feelings was important in both my life and my work.
Writing within a story context enabled me to journey to the heart of darkness
in myself and, unlike Amin, to emerge whole. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2G9-LsEfXHWdwYTsoOnmE67L20QZG4WNBk8MVvswcEOHgTC-TkAG7CmfxowwMmz7gFivU_-ArmPm8Mc6vP7DXP57OYxVxl2-hDIc6FocDWM_gehJ-i105wWZ_n738ElaMaArIiFOy3Jex/s1600/happy+fit+woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2G9-LsEfXHWdwYTsoOnmE67L20QZG4WNBk8MVvswcEOHgTC-TkAG7CmfxowwMmz7gFivU_-ArmPm8Mc6vP7DXP57OYxVxl2-hDIc6FocDWM_gehJ-i105wWZ_n738ElaMaArIiFOy3Jex/s1600/happy+fit+woman.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">crosswalk.com</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Writing out those walled off feelings opened the channel
to a wellspring of emotions and memories that I had erased from conscious
memory. Feeling the pain while writing in the buffering metaphor of a
terrorist, which I was unable to feel when writing biographically, was a
journey through pain to liberation into a deeper vulnerability and love for
myself and others. I felt emboldened by my writing, as I always do when I spill
the truths that only my writing voice knows and reveals through the metaphors
of character, place and plot of story. I subsequently became conscious of the
almost imperceptible hints of this shadow coldness in my daily life: the
aversion I felt so easily and the way I cut off people who I perceived had hurt
me, the subtle ways in which I tended to narrow my life to an aloof existence
up a long flight of stairs—as disconnected from visceral inner pain as from my
neighbors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My point in sharing this experience with you is to assure
you that you are not alone in harboring unacceptable feelings that often become
exposed in the nakedness of grief and transition. Most of us tend to suppress
the unwanted figures in our psyche, much like the oppressor country in the film
locked up the displaced people in refugee camps outside its declared borders,
only to reap in one way or another the unhappy consequences of this denial. For
example, we might have a pattern of producing the opposite of our intentions.
The truth is, many of us—especially those with trauma or conflict in our
histories—cannot move forward wholeheartedly toward a happier future until we
make that hard journey to the place of shadows within. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">WHAT
IS FIERCE PRACTICE?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I first heard the phrase “fierce practice” from
meditation teacher George Pitagorsky at the New York Insight Meditation Center
around the time I saw “The Attack.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/julie/Desktop/Totally%20New%20Draft%20Jan.%202019.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
George defined fierce practice in the Buddhist tradition as the courage to stay
on the meditation cushion no matter what arises, echoing mindfulness teacher <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="mso-comment-date: 20180813T1424; mso-comment-reference: CF_5;">Jon
Kabat-Zinn’s guide to “full catastrophe living.” </a></span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><a class="msocomanchor" href="file:///C:/Users/julie/Desktop/Totally%20New%20Draft%20Jan.%202019.docx#_msocom_5" id="_anchor_5" language="JavaScript" name="_msoanchor_5">[</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
life, fierce practice means to face facts, carry on, make a leap of faith,
admit defeat, surrender, do things we have never done before done, go places we
have never been. Fierce practice is to maintain our unconditional commitment to
life, to truth, to a new vision and to persist to the end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This
is what change demands of us. As you may be experiencing now, as I have, life
after traumatic experience, loss or in the undefined territory of transition,
is a jumble of non-coherent events, fears, hopes, broken dreams, haunting memories,
fragments of old stories and pieces of a fragile new reality appearing like
faint glimmers of starlight in a dark night. We are asked to pick up the pieces
and make a new life while we are feeling most vulnerable and alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="mso-comment-date: 20180813T1425; mso-comment-reference: CF_6;">Writing is my fierce practice</a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">,
especially writing within a story context, in the voice of characters who live
and struggle there—and more specifically, within the story plot of Quest,
referred to as “the hero’s journey” by Campbell, and later simplified for
writers by Christopher Vogler in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers & Screenwriters.<a href="file:///C:/Users/julie/Desktop/Totally%20New%20Draft%20Jan.%202019.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">[2]</span></b></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
power of this story paradigm lies in the protagonist’s yearning for wholeness
in the deep stories of humanity that we all share and their struggle to win it
against all odds. This ancient story plot has been my foundation, my
through-line and my place of calm abiding through the many ups and downs in my
life. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="mso-comment-date: 20180813T1426; mso-comment-reference: CF_7;">It
has given larger context to my own challenges and helped me, like Amin in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Attack</i>,</a><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 7;"> journey to the heart of
darkness in my own life. Unlike that of Amin, my journey leads to wholeness. It
is a story path that you can follow too.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">What is a situation that deeply bothers you?</b></div>
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<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Whom do you hold responsible?</b></div>
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<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Who is or could be the hero who changes the story here?</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Improvise a dialogue between these two characters.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What emerges for you?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">2019, All rights reserved, Juliet Bruce, PhD -- from my book</b></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/julie/Desktop/Totally%20New%20Draft%20Jan.%202019.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.nyimc.org/teachers/george-pitagorsky/">
https://www.nyimc.org/teachers/george-pitagorsky</a></span></span>/<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/julie/Desktop/Totally%20New%20Draft%20Jan.%202019.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Christopher Vogler, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Writer’s Journey:
Mythic Structure for Storytellers & Screenwriters. </i>(Los Angeles:
Michael Weise Productions, 1992).<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/julie/Desktop/Totally%20New%20Draft%20Jan.%202019.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Isabel
Allende, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paula: A Memoir. </i>(New York:
HarperCollins Publishers, 1995).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-41374407082470738492019-01-03T13:04:00.000-05:002019-01-03T13:04:00.232-05:00Tell Your Visual Story: Make a Mandala<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj063hAx2HUfUv3kFa1GucaXz2KYtiXsY-WVpbN3zmcN0xq4CSlSq2Z9KLCP5L7xTav4HoaFP0Xz2FXaYywO-o-KpVTnLa9jMO7r0-19iGejZZqpOXd77_YK2rHnh6SkNDsEFMKDl6VdCeM/s1600/avalokiteshvara+mandala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj063hAx2HUfUv3kFa1GucaXz2KYtiXsY-WVpbN3zmcN0xq4CSlSq2Z9KLCP5L7xTav4HoaFP0Xz2FXaYywO-o-KpVTnLa9jMO7r0-19iGejZZqpOXd77_YK2rHnh6SkNDsEFMKDl6VdCeM/s1600/avalokiteshvara+mandala.jpg" /></a></div>
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Mandala is a sanskrit word meaning "circle." But it's more than a shape. The mandala represents wholeness and is considered by most of the world's peoples to be the basic structure of life -- from our cells, to our world, to the cosmos itself. The life you're living right now is your living mandala. Putting on paper helps you see the totality of your life in a fresh and illuminating way.</div>
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The mandala appears in every culture across all continents and epochs. Sometimes it's used to represent sacred space; at others the moment; increasingly, the mandala is being used to heal deep psychosocial wounds and to support peace within and without. The mandala at the left is the Avaloketeshvara mandala from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. It represents and supports compassion and forgiveness.</div>
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If you google "Mandala images," you'll find hundreds of them, many linked to web sites that discuss their symbolic meaning and offer ideas for making your own mandala. </div>
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When I'm actively engaged on a regular basis in drawing or collaging mandalas, and then writing what I see and feel from them, I'm more centered, focused, and forceful in my life. When I share this practice with my clients, they experience the same cohesiveness and personal power.</div>
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<b>Jung and the Mandala</b></h3>
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At the height of his career in 1913, the psychiatrist Carl Jung went through a severe emotional crisis, in which serious internal conflicts emerged in his life. He broke with Freud, renounced his position as the head of the Zurich Psychiatric Clinic, and went through a deeply introspective 3-year journey during which he separated himself from family and friends. Toward the end of this period, he began drawing mandalas, without knowing what this meant, without knowing that he was following a path cleared by others before him in both East and West.</div>
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It was through the mandala that he found the way to restore himself to wholeness. They became photographs of his daily internal state, and images of what he was in the process of becoming. He sketched in a little notebook every day a circle that seemed to correspond to his interior situation. “Enlightened by these images, I could see day by day the psychic transformations that were operating within me. It was only gradually that I discovered what a mandala really means: ‘Formation, Transformation, Eternal Mind’s eternal creation.’”</div>
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For the next 10 years, he drew circles, labyrinths, and dark and shining centers of all kinds, the unspooling of an internal process of centering and healing the breaks in his personality. He eventually formed his theory that the mandala represented the unity of the soul, an entity much larger than the ego, a Self or atman that was the source of life and guide for its development and total fulfillment of its destiny. </div>
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<b>Make Your Own Mandala</b></h3>
</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6yVeuYbqpc8I_TfewYSN1jvWo9B-J1Zui7Qpr0BZ-MlknMsOP2wY6PcH4yP8aKCFql8FhXw8MK57x2TmKZYKfFidu5crKad6k908DXMz3HR_r2uJq8ZJ_RCVVEOND1mwxBCQ2vSTOaHj/s1600/mandala-tree-of-life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #66cc99; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6yVeuYbqpc8I_TfewYSN1jvWo9B-J1Zui7Qpr0BZ-MlknMsOP2wY6PcH4yP8aKCFql8FhXw8MK57x2TmKZYKfFidu5crKad6k908DXMz3HR_r2uJq8ZJ_RCVVEOND1mwxBCQ2vSTOaHj/s200/mandala-tree-of-life.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="187" /></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
This is a fun and deeply revealing visual arts exercise to do both privately and in groups. The mandala at the right is found at <u><span style="color: black;"><b>http://www.arttherapyblog.com/art-therapy-ideas/healing-with-mandala-art-a-multi-cultural-idea-worth-exploring/#ixzz1zMnR5hN2</b></span></u>.</div>
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Supplies for collage: scissors, white sketch pad paper, multi-colors of construction paper, glue sticks. </div>
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For drawing: pastels or magic markers. Simple!</div>
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Time: 20-25 minutes.</div>
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<b>Instructions:</b> </div>
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1. Leaf through the colored construction paper pages and cut whatever shape in whatever color that most appeals to be your background, representing the Ground of Self, a relationship, organization, creative project, whatever area you want to explore. It can be a circle, rectangle, or free form. </div>
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2. Think of the elements of story. You are the storyteller, artist, director, and witness:</div>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Places: geographical landscape and interiors; their emotional qualities, colors, shapes, and textures.</li>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Loved ones - like-minded fellows who expand you, amplify your strengths, support your quest.</li>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Difficult people, obstacles, and conflicts - within and without. To be authentic, your mandala must contain the Shadow.</li>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Your grail, dream, north star: whatever most symbolizes for you the life force. </li>
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3. Cut whatever shapes or draw figures that want to emerge that represent each of these elements. Quickly, without thinking too much about it, place them in relationship that feels right to you and glue them to the Ground. Give yourself no more than 10 minutes for this. You want to bypass your rational mind.</div>
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4. Now look at your mandala from all perspectives. This is a self-portrait emerging from the depths of your unconscious.</div>
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<strong>What Story Does Your Mandala Tell?</strong> </h3>
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNskwxjgLsl-mmTm7r3VzCRGaF2ueKbXC2T0ZWxfHcWhScPPA8Tv2wKSUf_ZzFrb7BBGQXLhXTcCXKkSQ9BzyCjK2oP77EdldVq0YdyP_Hz4sogVX0wuGh60bQjdmgkHErNNL488502aT/s1600/celestial-mandala-maureen-a-girard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #66cc99; float: left; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNskwxjgLsl-mmTm7r3VzCRGaF2ueKbXC2T0ZWxfHcWhScPPA8Tv2wKSUf_ZzFrb7BBGQXLhXTcCXKkSQ9BzyCjK2oP77EdldVq0YdyP_Hz4sogVX0wuGh60bQjdmgkHErNNL488502aT/s200/celestial-mandala-maureen-a-girard.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
This artful mandala is found at <a href="http://fineartamerica.com/featured/celestial-mandala-maureen-a-girard.html" style="color: #66cc99; text-decoration-line: none;"><b><span style="color: black;">http://fineartamerica.com/featured/celestial-mandala-maureen-a-girard.htm</span></b>l</a>.</div>
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1. What stands out in your mandala? A shape? The relationship of shapes? Colors? Overall impression? "First thought, best thought."</div>
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2. Without intellectualizing the process, quickly write down 5 words that come to you. Working fast releases the imagination, voice of intuition.</div>
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3. Which word has the most energy for you? Or which two elements seem to oppose each other or want to be in dialogue?</div>
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4. Make this the opening word and continue writing for 5 minutes, following the words wherever they lead. This allows your verbal intelligence to transmit the kinetic truth contained in your mandala. </div>
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5. Read it aloud to yourself or to a supportive listener. What does the writing reveal in practical terms? Is there guidance here for what you need most in your life right now? </div>
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</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mandalas are</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> everywhere. Look for them in your life today.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_8dPzzld8cAF43pAbca_4R_vTUpPVv8clNYaSIrZM0zxyMyVayK2HXApfdq-ytbWMMB71ik9myk2kLLcFtJi9c8J6GF5sjveZTx6ZFO2eFBKlwKXdl1QP8MS3BphfV2Ot_YU_F-nt9Rs/s1600/sunflower+mandala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #32ff87; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_8dPzzld8cAF43pAbca_4R_vTUpPVv8clNYaSIrZM0zxyMyVayK2HXApfdq-ytbWMMB71ik9myk2kLLcFtJi9c8J6GF5sjveZTx6ZFO2eFBKlwKXdl1QP8MS3BphfV2Ot_YU_F-nt9Rs/s1600/sunflower+mandala.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a></div>
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Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-80086986415035321042018-10-07T07:37:00.000-04:002018-10-07T07:37:24.713-04:00Follow Your Imagination into the Larger Life!<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
<a href="http://livingstory-ny.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-age-of-play.html" style="color: #66cc99; text-decoration-line: none;">The Age of Play</a></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11.088px; text-align: center;">Paul Klee, "Love"</td></tr>
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HOW TO SET THE STAGE FOR A CREATIVE AND COMPASSIONATE LIFE</h2>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">Living happily and successfully requires a rich fantasy life, the ability to imagine alternative realities, and the capacity to soothe ourselves using internal resources when life is filled with stress and conflict. In other words, <em><strong>fantasy is the key to dealing effectively with reality. </strong></em></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"> Nourishing the imagination, teaching a child about life in the way that child thinks rather than as an adult thinks, creates the foundation for learning, acting effectively, imagining how another person feels, and developing the self-esteem gained by believing in their capacity to handle whatever life brings. </span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;"> According to a paradigm established by developmental psychologist Erik Erikson, every stage of childhood has its own tasks, and each stage is critical to integrated psychological, physical, and capacity development. The age of play could be described, however, as a quantum leap out of infancy into childhood. By the age of three, our personality, with its gifts and needs, is beginning to take shape as we learn to master not just our own bodies, but the world around us. </span><br /><div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"><em><strong></strong></em></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"><em><strong>"Are my gifts valued and worth supporting, </strong></em></span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"><em><strong>or should I </strong></em></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"><em><strong>hide them away?"</strong></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;"> This is the great dramatic question a child must answer, once he or she knows they’re capable of taking care of themselves and are preparing to step forth out of the cocoon of family into the next threshold of life: school. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;"> Can you remember how much courage it took to enter that first day of pre-kindergarten? No, probably not directly. But you may experience that same fear of the unknown, and of your own capacities to deal with it when you try to undertake something new in your adult life: going to a social event for the first time as a widow or widower, getting back into the dating game after a divorce, applying for jobs after losing your previous one, going to networking meetings, giving public presentations, pitching a book to an agent. The root of our confidence or lack of it very likely can be found in this early stage of life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;">The work of a child is play. Play is a child’s vocabulary, a child’s way of figuring out the world, what goes up, what falls down, what is safe, what is not, what is edible. Almost from an infant’s first days, he or she plays. The mobile hanging over the crib, the fuzzy stuffed animals at the foot of the crib, the rubber ball in the mouth, the buttons on mother’s blouse, grabbing, suckling, jingling keys and laughing joyously at the sound they have the power to make.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;">The work of a parent is to gradually create a new kind of holding environment from the ones of earlier phases. Not the physical holding, or even the steadying and protective hovering as a toddler begins to walk. This is the holding environment that allows a child to play, to share with other children, to experience the first manifestations of empathy, the ability to imagine oneself into the life of another.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;">According to Erikson, about the age of three to five we get really serious about our play. During this period we experience a desire to copy the adults around us and take initiative in creating play situations. <em>Note: I’m talking about non-competitive, unstructured play. Not soccer games, ballet lessons, or formal play dates that put pressure on a child to perform well rather than explore with glee.</em> We make up stories with dolls, stuffed animals, toy phones and miniature cars, playing out roles in a trial universe, experimenting with the blueprint for what we believe it means to be an adult. We try out our abilities to dance, draw, make up stories, explore our fantasy life, test it against the reality of our family. We present plays. We also begin to use those critical words for exploring the world—<em>What if? </em>In this pre-school stage, when we are preparing to step into the world of kindergarten, we play out roles in a trial universe, experimenting with the blueprint for what we believe it means to be an older child and even an adult. We are like the emerging butterfly, beginning to pump blood into our wings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;">As we play, we are developing the ability to plan in preparation for rudimentary goal achievement. We’re learning, through play, how to master our world. If we receive the support we need, </span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;">our play evolves naturally into a sense of purpose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;">Unfortunately, this is where all too many children are stuck and their creativity stunted -- when so many people become frozen, their burgeoning individual voice silenced, and their inner life is starved to near death. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;">As we know all too well, if emerging life force is blocked in one direction, it will flow into another. Some years ago, I was shocked by young men in a diversion from incarceration program, who demonstrated no imagination beyond the narrative of their prevailing gang culture. Asked to draw self-portraits, everyone drew either a grave or hands holding onto bars. “I’ll be dead before I’m 21,” said one youth in response to a question about what kind of life he envisioned for himself as an adult. The violent environment of family, plus violent coaching from older uncles, brothers, neighbors, led to their inability to concentrate in school, with its predictable spiraling down and falling out of the rest of the human race.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"><strong>What’s Your Age of Play Story?</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;">Were you told fairy tales as a child? If so, you were lucky. Bruno Bettleheim, author of <i>The Uses of Enchantment</i>, wrote that it’s at this age that fairy tale is most resonant with children. We’re ready to learn about life’s realities, but in a way that matches our vocabulary and the way we as children think. For instance, a child will ask to be told the same fairy tale over and over because it is solving some inner puzzle that the child can’t articulate. When that problem is resolved, the child is ready to hear and absorb a new story.</span></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;">What fairy tales, movies, TV shows stand out for you in childhood? What did you like about them? What character stood out? If you can’t remember, imagine.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: medium;">What dramas did you like to act out as a very young child? A tea party? A pilot? (I was a ballerina, president, pilot (never a flight attendant mind you, but always at the controls of a jet, not a big lumbering passenger plane. Interesting that I fear flying as a grownup!)</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: medium;">What do you do to play now? Do you see patterns in what you did then and how you play now? Did those playful games become a root of passion or were they shut down before they evolved into real gifts and purpose?</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: medium;">What makes you gleeful and how can you bring more of it into your life now? </span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: medium;">Finally, who supports your gifts? What situations say yes, they're valued? Which do not? In reality, we will always be faced with obstacles and individuals who cannot see our gifts or don't want them. Being conscious and making intelligent choices is what is asked of us.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: medium;">The power of expressive modalities--especially metaphor--is in being able to access and fill unmet needs of that inner three-year-old. </span><br /><br /><br /><ol></ol>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAt-38cGIEJbnQLUijAMpL6-kKTzSKOhVajgIgW2eaBH5TAkpSPSxkcRNyAwdx0BJ_P0TCwsd7PmlSm3IBhCmqbwtPlsC-rhiXvJxlxFgpS56RHfchwj1b_36JegKl5HLiUK7S32JAQfrY/s1600/laughing-camel-and-little-girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #66cc99; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAt-38cGIEJbnQLUijAMpL6-kKTzSKOhVajgIgW2eaBH5TAkpSPSxkcRNyAwdx0BJ_P0TCwsd7PmlSm3IBhCmqbwtPlsC-rhiXvJxlxFgpS56RHfchwj1b_36JegKl5HLiUK7S32JAQfrY/s320/laughing-camel-and-little-girl.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11.088px;">It's said that the shortest distance between two beings is a laugh.</td></tr>
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<br /><strong><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">All Rights Reserved. Juliet Bruce, Ph.D. 2018, from my forthcoming book, <em>A Write of Passage, </em>Chapter 4, Reawakening the Magic</span></strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>This is the third question of life. The first, "Am I Safe," is the subject of a May 2011 blog post. The second is found in September 2011: "Finding Your Tribe." The second question of life is "Can I get my needs met?" These questions replay throughout life, as we confront its challenges. When we are stuck in adulthood, chances are we are dealing with an unresolved question from childhood.</strong></span><br /><div class="MsoBodyTextIndent2" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
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Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407957876057284092.post-69416430134107798382018-09-10T08:37:00.000-04:002018-09-10T08:37:32.085-04:00The Firebird: Exploring Depression as Transformational Ground<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm looking forward to presenting this talk and telling one of my favorite tales on Oct.2 at the Jung Foundation/NYC! So powerful to me is the metaphor of the Firebird and the resilience it represents that I've made it my cover photo on Facebook, and it will soon be the image on the home page of my updated website, when I can get to that big job!</span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Depression and anxiety are the twin maladies of our time. The Centers for Disease Control predict that by 2020, over 80% of women will have experienced depression. Beneath the roots of depression and anxiety in our personal lives, many depth psychologists believe these miseries are a reflection of the violence and destruction taking place throughout our nation and world, including to our earth itself and its beautiful peoples.</span></div>
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Traditional cultures understood depression and other non-ordinary mental experiences as states of emergence rather than as disorders. I follow the path of story, as these wise ones did, to transmute sorrow, anger, and fear into life-affirming attitudes and choices in the real world.</div>
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This experiential presentation helps you take a fresh and creative approach to depression through the rich metaphors, visual images, characters, environments, and heroic plot of a famous Russian folk tale.</div>
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To view the announcement on the Jung Foundation website: <a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="async" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cgjungny.org%2Fforums.html%23bruce&h=AT12s-eU81IG4ydNC0XdpNpXgrhw02h5UPGG9xiPv8GDcWbUgE9VeHU0e2EJzksk0pYdTvOkOQwDhI8TumSDtEMcfZmRtJK43oZGJv_eCIdtpaR-_GGO15J4yhIcZBxrDwo0jH1LDOVzkQT2_4VP9vzD4Ooq1ZHgX8V4WA90A1jhwetpYc9zkeVaMpLRcnA6J3GS6yCbMFPNGjU0-9I92zCJ6GNxKEHLbqXkfy_cY5F4dSRDSqLvNDbqjN7y7MBuTbY6oFzyr2tC3PdMTamxsj1dTBlnkFlIXMif7leCgxbFdxyAAx_BoSHlyDPRdUuOlq-KjtMBMvw80wZFBr5Lo0OpaJP4oTHceh6qrDMooI2e_qhztlKsiYS0j54FVop0jovEFbsUYOzGnnZR" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://www.cgjungny.org/forums.html#bruce</a></div>
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"Thank you for your wonderful Firebird presentation. Looking at depression through a story lens was useful. Definitely useful." -- from The Psychotherapy and Spirituality Institute, presented on May 8, 2014.</div>
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Juliet Bruce, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05513946497099329444noreply@blogger.com0