Creative Soulful Woman

What does it mean to be a Creative Soulful Woman?

Creative:

Your playful child-spirit is alive and well

You get excited when you're in discovery mode
You have an openness to new ways of seeing

Flow is your optimal condition, where you lose track of time

You are unafraid to try new things

If you are afraid, you gently push past fear

You are willing to learn

You are not rigid, not pinned down, you go with the flow

Making & sharing your art makes you happy!
Expressive arts feed and nourish your Joy.

Soulful:

Your child-like heart sees the wonder in the world

You feel things deeply, intensely

You are gifted with a big heart and a way of being 
   that respects others

Intuitive, you listen to the deeper, inner call

You are highly sensitive and open to receive

You seek the light while allowing the shadows to be

    illuminated: growing in self-acceptance

You are drawn to mystery like a sunflower to the sun

You are learning to be comfortable with not knowing, uncertainty

You allow your senses to be activated in creative ways

You want to learn to practice self-nurturing
You allow time for pleasure in little things: blue sky, red cardinals, green moss, the natural beauty of the world
Music, poetry, art, dance: feed your soul

Soulfulness means coming from a place of balance and harmony – an equilibrium or alignment between what we think, fell, say and do. And taking an inner approach to prioritizing our life – work life, family life, personal life – in the pursuit of activities that nourish and enrich every aspect of our life.” – Peter G. Vajda, Ph.D., www.truenorthpartnering.com

You are a creative soulful woman!

Creative soulfulness for Women

How does one begin to be creatively soulful? And why does it seem so imperative at mid-life to find our creative flow?

I use the word soul the way I've heard it used in Jungian texts and psycho-spiritual books I've read to mean the animated, inner essence of a human being that appears to feed us, and also need nurturance.

What feeds the soul? Contact with nature, according to Carl Jung. Getting our hands in the dirt and gardening, for instance. Letting our love of the night sky draw us outside to stare at the myriad little dust particles of light in the dark. Swimming at midnight on a quiet lake listening to loons. All these simple and yet magical experiences touch a part of us that is non-rational, non-business like, unconcerned with the bottom line, rent due and bills to pay. It brings us a deep feeling of satisfaction, of awe and wonder. It brings us back into a conversation or contact with our feeling 'soul'.

What else feeds the soul? Beauty in whatever form appeals to you. Beautiful colours at sunset, patterns and textiles, wallpaper and carpets can feed my daughter's designer soul. My artist soul likes to play with images and photos and make collages. My poet's soul likes to play with rhyme, metaphor and juxtapositions of neat sounding words. My musician's soul loves to sing harmonies, listen to soothing music, go to Blues concerts and lose myself in the rhythms of djembe classes.

There are so many ways to feel a connection with the soul. Seeing any human being smile touches something in my soul, but newborn babies especially so. having someone on the street stop and notice me long enough to smile and say Hello is also soul nurturing, especially in the city where we tend to walk on by, striding purposefully to our next appointment.

Creative soulfulness therefore is something I am developing as a way to offer space and sanctuary for classes and retreats, so that in your busy schedule, your over-filled days and weeks, you can pencil in a little hour or two, or maybe a whole day or weekend, to feed your need for Soul Food.

the tools I use have not changed, but I am expanding my learning this summer. So far I have taken a Creative Journaling class with le journal creatif teacher Alexandra Leroux, filling up my art journal with doodles, collages, drawings and poetry; a mandala class at the Musee des Beaux Arts de Montreal with my daughter, using compass and ruler and paint and coloured crayons to find the still center in the middle of a circle; and later this summer I'm headed to Colorado to study with the author of Women Who Run With the Wolves, Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes in a facilitator training called Singing over the Bones. I'm very excited about that, to integrate her teachings and storytelling techniques into my creative soulfulness.

Stay tuned for a website tune-up in the late summer, and new class offerings for September 2015 as well as details on a winter retreat in Costa Rica in February with myself and yoga/chi gong/shamanistic leader Brigitte Bauhart.

Namaste, and have a great summer
Jennifer
xxx aka Musemother

The Art of Finding Yourself Through Journaling

“Wonder occurs when you decide to live, to endure and assign meaning to your experiences.” Christina Baldwin, Life’s Companion, Journal Writing as a Spiritual Practice.

Summer is still with us - yes - but in my mind and heart I am turning towards fall, preparing classes and defining just what it is I am offering through the Creative Circle class: creative journaling with SoulCollage®.    

Some of the benefits of journal writing have been explored in books, studies and you can certainly google them on-line. Everyone has a slightly different focus or purpose for journaling. Here are some of the things this class incorporates:

·           Learn 7 different journaling techniques  (free writing, poetic writing, affirmations, gratitude lists, soul dialogue, creative doodling/ visual journaling)

·           Delight in discovering your own story, patterns and meaning through journal prompts

·           Learn SoulCollage®,  an excellent right-brain activity: creative, intuitive & fun

·           Use mindfulness, body presence and relaxation exercises including guided visualizations to enhance your journaling and  over-all well-being

·           Get in touch with and develop your intuition through journaling

·           Discover your Inner Feminine: lineage, family stories, inherited myths

·           Make connections with other like-minded, caring women in the Creative Circle

“Journal-keeping is a means of documenting the spontaneous flow of your life and growth. It is a vehicle for experiencing the present more fully and also witnessing past patterns and setting goals for the future. Lucia Capacchione, The Creative Journal, the Art of Finding Yourself

see my website for Registration Details in mid-August