Mark Nepo's Blog, page 26

Michele's vlog: The Power of Heart Intelligence

Our hearts are the meaning maker in our lives and if we are to be genuinely engaged and motivated, we must listen to our hearts.

Those Who've Fallen Through

Lyn Hartley is an independent educator who lives in the wilds of the Yukon. She tells the story of two skiers crossing a frozen lake at night. Sliding through the snow with flashlights, they came upon a moose fallen through the ice. The enormous creature was stuck shoulder high. It was clear the moose couldn't get out and they alone couldn't pull it out. The temperature was dropping. So they stayed through the night and, though the moose resisted, they covered it with their tent; settling in to shine their small lights on its face and on the edges of broken ice, to keep the ice from freezing into shards that would cut the moose. In the morning, when the sun reappeared, they went for help. Together they roped the moose and slowly pulled it to the edge till it could find its own way out.

This is a powerful metaphor for how to listen to and be with those who have fallen through: stay close and keep them warm, resisting the urge to prematurely solve the situation. If nothing can be done, sit with them, resisting the urge to abandon those who seem stuck. Offer your tent and stay with them long enough till the way out presents itself, not forcing a rescue. How I need to hear this. For life is long enough that we will have our turn at falling through and being stuck, and at coming upon the fallen not knowing what to do.

I love how we root in the earth and sprout in the world. I love how I learn from others as we find our original face. I admit that I need everyone when I fall through. I confess that I need to hold nothing back when I come upon you struggling in the hole of your own making. How I need the skill of heart that lets love meet truth like small lights on ice. In the truth of each other, there is a way out.

Living as a Life Artist Teleclass, with MICHELE MCHALL

In this teleclass you will learn to partner with your Spirit, Heart, Mind, and Body intelligences through learning what supports each intelligence to thrive and express yourself more fully. As Life Artists, we are ready to tap into our innate potential and to offer our gifts.

This class will be held on three Mondays: October 3rd, 10th, and 24th, from 5:00-6:15pm PST

Contact Michele@wholeiq.com to register

Soul's Dream Seminar: Live Passionately Now! with MICHELE MCHALL

In this in-person seminar and follow-up call with Michele, she will guide you to intentionally transform a limiting belief that is holding you back in your life and activate your passion to create more of what you want. Yes, yes, yes! This seminar gives you the resources to remember that the meaning and value of your unique gifts matter now.

Class size is limited to 8 for personalized attention.

Contact Michele@wholeiq.com to register

Waiting

How do they do it?

The ones washed ashore.

Who in a broken pile put

themselves together. Who

after the hurricane sort the

rubble for the nails that still

can hold. Who after being cut

dream of stitches. They are the

heroes. The ones who like an

old tree grow around anything.

The ones who grow another

arm, another leg, another way.

And what starts the growing?

Is it the rain on the turtle's

back as she never waivers? Is

it the look of the fox before

he disappears in the woods?

At what instant does the break

in the bone realize it must

join its other half?

The Possibility

The early sun is spilling up

the thin March trees. Through

the barky silhouette, steam un-

furls from a neighbor's roof.

Diffused by light, it belongs

to everyone. It seems to rise

from the center of the earth,

seeping enough of the fire that

never goes out to keep the day

going.

This is how I view Art, as a small

taproot into the center of things

that lets a flare of what matters

back into the air to keep us

going.

For some reason, artists and

lovers drill for this, never sure

where it might be. This is the

lineage we seek, the one

we're already a part

of.

As Far As the Heart Can See audio sample

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There

Whenever I try to say what matters,

what matters pulls back, slips out of

view. But it is there. I felt it in the

Jewish Cemetery in Prague, between

the wet leaf and the broken stone.

There, in the still breathing of the

painted mime in Barcelona. In the

jaw of Table Mountain overlooking

Cape Town. In the shadowy trees

lacing the face of Paris. There, in

our open mouths when we make

love. And in John's last smile as he

stared out the window at something

we couldn't see. I see it in the quiver

of my father at ninety, now that he

can't hide. It waits in the center of

clouds and escapes as rain. I've tried

so hard to stay near it. When I think

I've touched it, it leaves. And I drift.

Until great loss or great wonder

sweeps me to my knees. When

I give up, it lifts my face.

Waking Up to the Poetry of Your Practice: Discovering Your Soul Poem, with ROBERT McDOWELL

Each of us is born with an authentic voice, a soul poem. As we swim in the womb, we listen to and absorb our first compelling poem, the beating of our mother's heart. Born into a world that often disregards poetry, we must make our way back in spiritual practice to that unique, root language of devotion.

Whether you've been writing for a long time or are just beginning, "Waking Up to the Poetry of Your Practice" will bring you home. Through meditation, Poem Talks, and playful and collaborative writing exercises, we'll reconnect with the sacred land and our important place on it. We'll embrace the joy of writing and make spiritual discoveries that will deepen our practices, whatever they may be.

Participants will:

•Reconnect with their root wisdom language

•Engage deeply in the conversation-­‐through-­‐writing with oneself

•Enhance deep listening skills

•Learn more about the diverse forms of poetry

•Improve writing and communication skills

•Strengthen self-­confidence and spiritual practice

•Discover a compassionate community of fellow travelers

•Remember how to have fun in writing and practice

•Become a better storyteller

Fee includes freshly prepared meals Friday evening thru Sunday lunch. Lodging is extra.

For more information and to register visit EarthRiseIONS.org under Conscious Living Workshops

Second Sight

My father's developing cataracts at 87.

The doctor gave him drops. Now he

swears he doesn't need glasses. It's a

second sight that people his age get.

It doesn't last too long. I want to ask,

"What will you look at with your one

fresh eye?" If only seeing this way would

let him know me. At night, I dream of

something clear and potent to burn the

film I carry. Today, a scuffle between a

homeless man and a clerk at the drug-

store and I sit in my car thinking, "Is it

our wounds—like the one that grips

me now—that hold our lies open

till our weeping lets us see?