33 days and counting down … NaNoWriMo begins November 1.

30 days and nights of “Literary Abandon” … a 50 000 word story/novel end result.

The last week I have been ‘plotting’.  David and I had a ‘breakfast meeting’ to discuss life and living (a very relaxing and harmonious process) which became a ‘plot’ planning opportunity.

I have been a little anxious about the writing challenge after last year’s efforts.  That was a HUGE process and journey writing about myself and working through a lot of healing on the way to understanding.  So, my memory of the only writing challenge I’ve completed is ‘battered’.

I kind of like the idea of writing a ‘story’ that is purely fictional.  Not sure I can, but have had success over the years with my peers enJOYing what I have concocted.   The last couple of years, Lovely Beverly, has been able to produce wonderful stories that have had me totally involved.  And, they have been part of a trilogy.  Part 3 may be the one written for this year.

Going with that positive role model and the wisdom and clarity gained by exploring the options with David, I have a rough plot.  It’s enough to give me a bit of an outline of what is going to happen although I haven’t got any clear idea of the climax.

I have, however, had a ‘moment’ – a little light bulb went off it my head one night while I was making dinner – and am now ‘creating’ my leading man character.

I found, last year, that having images of things/people that represented what I was feeling and writing about helped keep my focus.  The same process is in action, this year.  I am creating a composite of personality and looks and drifting through potential story lines and conflicts, sorting out a clear story line for my leading characters.

This is Fun!

I like the concept of, or commitment to, writing about the experiences I have had, over the last week, and Expressing Gratitude for them.

The early part of last week involved LOTS of tiredness.  I had had the most amazing weekend of workshops: the Past Lives One Day Workshop and the first session of Girlfriend Club (kids’ stamping with Kels and her friends from primary school).

My Gratitude knows no bounds for those 2 events!  I am Grateful for …

• The wonderful participants
• The learning we experienced as individuals and as a group
• The opportunity to share what I love
• The access to great information and projects on the internet
• The income which helps me continue my learning and commitments to the journeys
• The awareness of the gratitude effect: the more I am grateful for the more I receive.

From then, my life was filled with All Things NEWSLETTER!  Wow!  What a HUGE couple of days!!  I LOVE creating The JOYful Warrior!  I am Grateful for …

• My co-editors: Mark, Peter and Amalia
• The opportunity to indulge in All Things JOYful via a creative and colourful presentation which is shared with so many wonderful people
• The fabulous feedback received by our readers
• The awesome ‘wings’ pictures which are coming through from our readers who are interested in the same things I am interested in
• My computer skills
• The amazing people I have met through The JOYful Warrior
• The opportunity to expand ~ our thinking, the design, taking up a plot in cyberspace, the potential …
• The learning.

The rest of the week was spent ‘doing Angels’; hanging out in Angel Space and Energy with New Friends and Old.  I am Grateful for …

• Learning more about my Dragon Family
• Gathering with like-minded people to Talk Angels
• Sharing the journey with others who have wonderful stories and experiences to share
• Learning how to move from ‘student’ to ‘teacher’ with ease
• Being able to nurture those who cross my path
• The enthusiasm of those who share similar interests.

And, now we are travelling.  What a journey!  I am Grateful for …

• Our hire car ~ comfortable and reliable, if not so easy to see out from
• David’s organisational skills
• David’s incredible ability to drive for extended hours and through horrendous weather conditions
• Hot food available when we arrive at family
• The easy travelling which occurs with older children
• Time to relax and live without the pressure of deadlines
• Warmer weather ~ even when it’s damp.

“Genuine gratitude from the heart is one of the most powerful of energies which literally moves the universe in response.”

Discover Atlantis by Diana Cooper & Shaaron Hutton, p 67.

After all the rain over the last 12 months our garden has grown in unimaginable ways.  In fact, there has been more growth than in all the years we’ve lived at this address.  All those ‘dreams’ of how our garden would look – eventually – have come to pass.  What a JOY!

One of the gorgeous surprises the extra water has brought is the appearance of some of my most favourite ‘annuals’, around the garden.  I LOVE Primula season.  And I  LOVE Johnny Jump Ups.  Actually, I love most annual flowers.

This year, we have primulas popping up in the fernery and the garden bed in front of our deck.  Most Unusual!  I can only assume that they have ‘self-sown’ from the hanging baskets and potted colour … how magical.

It makes me think about what other things have been ‘self-seeding’?

I am experiencing the most prosperity and abundance I’ve ever had.  I have income to use for travel and attending courses; I have a fabulous team of co-editors who Share my JOY of writing a newsletter; and I have many, many opportunities for learning and creating and sharing and indulging.  In fact, I sometimes wonder how exactly I became so Abundant?

Self-seeding.

No, not in the way of reproducing and having children.

In the sense of discovering what I am passionate about and then sharing that passion.

I have learned a lot about Happiness.  I have also learned that a lot of people are completely unaware of what makes them happy; sometimes even that they are ‘allowed’ to be happy.

Back at the beginning of my ‘Happiness Journey’ I decided that I would rather be lonely than spend my time with people who weren’t interested in the things I was interested in.  That was a fabulous opportunity to ‘move on’ from relationships, and behaviours, which no longer served me.  And, once I started setting clear intentions of what I wanted, I began attracting those people and experiences into my life.

Sharing about Angels brought a whole new world of people into my life.

Most recently, sharing about ‘Wings’ has allowed me to connect with some Very Special People who ‘get’ me.  My Soul Family.  In fact, that would be a ‘Soul Community’!  Not everyone in my Community has the same kind of Wings as I do, but a lot of them have similar attitude and commitment to Being Happy and Sharing JOY, that I do.

I hung baskets of primulas out the front of my craft room window and I now have clusters of primulas in my garden bed.

I shared my love of Angels and I now have an extensive Angel Family.

I asked people what kind of Wings they have and I have found 2 ‘sisters’ and a ‘cousin’, with Wings like mine, who all have experiences and attitudes similar to mine.

Self-seeding.

Taking time to work out Who You Are and What’s Important to You … and Sharing Your JOY.

… Spring Flowers

… warm and windy days ~ fabulous for getting washing dried and clearing stagnant energies from the house

… calling on Angels when ‘in a jam’

… helpful people at car service places who help immediately and don’t charge ~ thank you

… writing The JOYful Warrior!  Edition 2 Available TODAY at Gentle Warriors!

… Angel Gatherings!

… supportive friends who remind you of what’s important

… exploring situations you experience for the ‘hidden gems’ of learning

… visits from echidnas!

… free time

… travel plans

… car hire

… creative projects for sheer pleasure

… blogging about JOY!

Honouring the Trust Your Vibes message today (check out Gentle Warriors Facebook page) I have spent some time ‘seeking solitude’ by doing something just for me: creating my Soul Coaching Medicine Wheel Layout Vision Board for September ~ Wisdom.

I have been paying attention to the Wisdom I have gathered over lifetimes, a lot this month.  Possibly one of the best messages or reminders has been the affirmation Denise Linn shares in the Soul Coaching Oracle Cards Guidebook ~ “All I Truly Need Is Within Me.”  Remembering that has been the greatest source of comfort … honouring the Wisdom within keeps me on the ‘right’ path for Me.

“All my needs are met above and beyond my greatest expectations!”

Yesterday, I finished the next edition of The JOYful Warrior newsletter.  It was a 2 day commitment which was long and involved and I felt like a ‘mole’living in the dark world of being enclosed by my computer and lots of clip art … … but I really LOVED it!

I LOVE Writing!

I love the challenge of getting thoughts out of my head and down on paper.  I love the meanderings ‘articles’ take during the process of gathering, and collecting relevant things to share.  I love the creative aspect of presenting those thoughts and musings, whether in my blog, the newsletter or in story format.

Some things I have learned during the last couple of days …

~  certain practical considerations must be observed: too much time at the computer makes it hard for my eyes to adjust to the ‘normal’ world; and the ‘normal’ world still exists after the magical world of writing fades away.  That is – chores, evening meals, everyday issues …

~  magical experiences happen when writing: an echidna walked past my window.  Wow!  We do live on the country side of the suburbs but I have never seen an echidna in our neighbourhood – and I’ve been here for many years!

~  a byproduct of writing is a ‘new voice’.  As I was creating The JOYful Warrior, I was adding in an article (about writing ) from Lovely Mark in Spain.  Re-reading the article, I noticed that Mark’s ‘voice’ had changed.  It had a different tone and ‘lilt’ and there was a maturity about it.  When I mentioned this to him, Mark said that he had noticed the same thing.  My theory is that once you’ve written more than 50 000 words your ‘inner writer’ comes through!   I noticed my writing voice was different from my speaking voice, after last year’s writing challenge.

~  life learning continues no matter what you are doing.  I am passionate about Sharing JOY.  I am passionate about Being Heard.  I am passionate about Freedom – I do not like being ‘caged’ or ‘contained’.  Fear-based thinking frustrates me … something I’ve indulged in a LOT over the years and worked really hard to change … so when several people cross my path, in the space of 24 hours, sharing their ‘fears’ for me and/or my current practices, I get a bit upset.  Ok.  Quite a lot upset, really.

The learning from this is quite profound – for me, anyway.  My lesson, during this writing process, is about learning to Deflect other people’s issues.  I spend, and have spent, many hours/days/years Reflecting on what people have said to me.  After all, I believed I was underdeveloped in understanding human nature as I could never seem to do anything ‘right’ when I was a kid.  Now, I am learning that following on from years of reflecting on what people have said to me, I am now well educated and can choose to deflect – not take on board their comments/suggestions/fears.

And, this is pretty big learning for me.

So, as I am writing about this new learning, I realise that every time I ‘write’ – my story last year, especially – fearful thinking raises its head.  In fact, when Kels wrote her story, last year, she also opened herself to ‘attack’ from people expressing their ‘fears’ about the writing she was doing.

The lesson here is that if I have something to say then I will say it.  If that takes extra ‘pages’ in the newsletter or ‘words’ in my story, that’s ok.  This is MY story.  I focus on the JOY of Sharing, and Abundance.

Reflecting … Deflecting … and Believing.

That’s what the Writing Process is teaching me, at the moment.

Yesterday afternoon I had an unusual visitor … an Echidna!

I was sitting at the computer, in front of the window, when I heard a really loud rustling – most unusual – so I cautiously stood up and peered down through the glass and saw this beautiful creature.

Kels and I spent a few minutes watching where Mrs Echidna travelled … along the window … across to the bucket under the rain trolley … across the step and in front of the deck … and through the neighbour’s fence to their back yard.

What an incredible experience!

I got out my Animal Dreaming Oracle Card Deck and looked up the guide book about Echidna:

“If Echidna has shuffled into your cards today, you are being asked to open your heart to the needs of those around you and the nurturing they can offer.  Stop shutting people out.  You need to let down your guard, relax your sense of personal protection, develop tolerance and begin to trust.  Shunning anything (or anyone) that may divert you from your path is great if you want to live an independent life, but Echidna warns against protecting yourself to the point that your heart becomes inpenetrable.” Animal Dreaming Oracle Cards Guide Book by Scott Alexander King, p 99.

The part of Echidna’s message which resonates most strongly with me is “nurture” … I have been really busy and under pressure (from myself ) to have the second edition of The JOYful Warrior completed, today.  So, I will take on board Echidna’s message and make sure I indulge in some nurturing, too.

Hmm.  What will I do?

I know, a Sea Salt and Lavender Bath!  Take away Coffee!  Creative Time.

Thanks, Echidna!

I am Grateful for …

~ Home Cooked Food … David makes fabulous ‘Michelle-friendly’ meals on weekends which meet all my needs after busy workshops.  Thank You!

~ taking the time to create Home Made Food for the Past Lives Workshop … we really needed the love and nurturing.

~ being clairvoyant … seeing other people’s Past Lives is such a natural process.  I am Grateful.

~ the 10 wonderful people who attended my workshops over the weekend.  Thank You!

~  the people I have met recently who have become extended family.  Thank You!

~ my co-editors on The JOYful Warrior Newsletter!  LOVE working with you!

~ the enthusiasm people are expressing for the JOY-filled articles and awarenesses we are sharing in The JOYful Warrior!  Thank You!

~  how JOY spreads … so easily … even to Cupcake Decoration!

~ how much children laugh.

~ the people who are sharing my journey with Gentle Warriors and Six Sensory Living.  Thank You!

~ the sun rising earlier … daylight while blogging is such a JOY!

Today is the first “Girlfriend Club“, another Stampin’ Kids group which is focused on Kels and her friends from primary school.  The girls attend 4 different high schools and as the Stampin’ Kids group was growing to an ‘unwieldy’ size (meaning I was really stretched to support everyone) we decided to divide into 2 different groups.  Our workshop process will be a little different as these girls are more experienced with stamping and creating … today’s project is to make Becky Roberts’ Mini Pocket Book from her tutorial.

I made up a sample using the NEW “Letters to Santa” Designer Series Paper and it’s really cute!  I enJOYed the different colour palette for Christmas: Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Marina Mist, Early Espresso, Blushing Bride and Whisper White.

After completing this project, the girls will have free time to create whatever takes their fancy … I’ve invested in a Scor Pal (how did I survive for so long without one???) and a decent paper cutter so they will be able to work much more independently. 

A week on from the Sonia Choquette Six Sensory Learning process and I am wondering how much this ‘new’ way of approaching life has influenced me … what changes have happened since attending the workshop?  How have I used the information I learned?

First thing jumping into my mind is the Chakra Reading.  We had an awesome experience with this process!  Lovely Elissa and I met for the first time and engaged in non-personal readings of each other’s chakras (energy centres in the body).  Apart from the sheer JOY and excitement Elissa experienced with her success, I loved exploring a new technique which is more personally relevant to the client.  All the things we shared with each other made sense!

I have used this process 3 times this week, with friends and clients, each one experiencing understanding in a way they hadn’t before.  I really like the approach to readings which gives the client the skills to manage her own life with success.

On the same topic, I enJOYed learning about other people’s styles of readings.  We were encouraged to NOT give feedback to our ‘reader’ in the very first reading we completed (So Hard!!) about what they had ‘seen’.  We were asked to give feedback about what we had noticed about their ‘way’ of reading and how they seemed to receive and communicate the information they received.

I worked with Lovely Philip in this exercise, then Lovely Sally … I found it most intriguing to have to think about how Philip ‘presented’ his information.  It was even more interesting when he confirmed what I felt had happened in this process – it gave us both really good insight into how intuition is used and accessed.  Sally surprised me a little with her comments because I thought I had paid careful attention to the  way I was communicating and Sally ‘heard’ it differently.  Fabulous awareness for us all!  Thanks to Philip and Sally for all they helped me to learn.

The other 2 main ‘learnings’ which have jumped on board with me are the concept of Boundaries and the process of Breath.  We were all so much more aware of how often we ‘stopped breathing’ during the weekend … when we were doing readings, thinking about what Sonia was sharing, listening to Spirit Poems … many, many times each day Sonia would remind us to Breathe.

I have found myself taking deliberate breaths each day, especially when I have felt pressured by the amount of things to get through before this weekend.  Thank you, Sonia!

The other really key concept for me was reacquainting myself with ‘boundaries’.  I am pretty good with setting clear boundaries but I have realised that I can do much better.  For me, setting really clear boundaries helps me feel grounded (thanks, Elissa, for helping me realise that!) and that’s something which seems a little elusive at times.

As always, what I am learning is something I am teaching, too.  My clients, this week, have all been indulged with the ‘set clear boundaries’ talk.

We have been working on our Kingdoms and our Playgrounds ~ the Solar Plexus Chakra and the Sacral Chakra ~ and discovering that if either one is ‘needing maintenance’ the other chakras are affected … so “Who is Sitting on the Throne in Your Kingdom” is my favourite question, this week.  And, it’s amazing how many of us are not actually in charge of our personal power …

Today’s Past Lives One Day Workshop will incorporate a lot of what I learned with Sonia Choquette at the Six Sensory Training Course and we will have an even more successful event because we are all going to have clear understanding of Connecting with Spirit, Ruling our own Kingdoms, and Dance Parties!