For the love of Gaia...
Solstice thoughts on "Sparking Wonder, Tending Grief and Cultivating Resilience for a Time of Transition"
Greetings, friends, and Happy Solstice!
As the days darken, I have been preparing for this Thursday's online writing workshop in honor of the Winter Solstice, to which I gave the rather weighty title "For the Love of Gaia: Sparking Wonder, Tending Grief and Cultivating Resilience for a Time of Transition."
Each phrase of that title resonates with deep meaning for me.
"For the Love of Gaia" is a huge concept because Gaia encompasses every element of this planet, connected at the energetic level and animated by the light of our Star, the Sun. In loving Gaia, we love ourselves and bring ourselves energetically into alignment with the Love that powers this universe, the great creative forces that impel us to keep growing and seeking the highest forms of flourishing for each part of our Gaian whole.
With "Sparking Wonder," I am thinking about Love as the most wondrous creative force on Earth, and the awe we feel when we open our hearts with love to the beauty that surrounds us. As we bring our love and wonder into words, we extend and enliven it anew, contributing our own piece to the great work of art that is Gaia.
The Winter Solstice reminds us that all Gaian life is cyclical: darkness follows light, death follows life, and there can be no love without the possibility of grief.
In "Tending Grief," we honor the grief we feel for individuals we have loved and lost, as well as the grief we may feel as we become aware of how much is in transition now, in our societies and on our planet. Re-membering through language, we express our love in a way that tends our grief.
To love Gaia in this time of transition it is essential to "Cultivate Resilience," understanding that as we ourselves flourish and grow strong, we send out positive energy that strengthens the social and environmental webs of life to which we are inextricably connected.
I like to imagine myself as the current living tip of eons of growth, all fed by starlight, my physical body composed of the molecules that created all of Gaia in the birth of the Cosmos. Sometimes I can feel the star power running through me, lighting me up, as though my veins, arteries and meridians were ley lines of starfire.
To remember and affirm my connection to Gaia and the Cosmos is to understand that the Light I send out into the world through my heart, mind, body, and spirit, contributes to the wonder of being gloriously alive in this remarkable time of societal and planetary transition.
I close with an excerpt from "The Breath of the Universe," a poem by Mark Nepo:
Today—the best of us cracked its seed way underground,
under all the trouble, under all the things falling apart.Today—all the tears in the world watered that seed.
Today—the breath of the Universe
arrived as wind to awaken the Earth,
making everything possible again.
Friends, may your Solstice be bright with the promise of the Return to Light!
I would love to celebrate with some of you at this Thursday’s online writing workshop, 4 - 5:30 pm Eastern. Register here.
Yours in the potentiality of the seedpod,
Jennifer
Come with me to Tuscany next spring!
I’ll be leading another fabulous Il Chiostro writing workshop May 25 - June 1, 2024 at the luxurious Borgo San Fedele, a meticulously restored monastery set in exquisite gardens amid a classic Tuscan landscape of olive groves and vineyards.
Our days will unfold in a perfect balance of guided writing and productive sharing; excursions guided by our Il Chiostro hosts to nearby picturesque medieval towns; coming home to San Fedele to relax by the pools and gardens, eat delicious meals and visit with new friends; and taking time for your own contemplative writing and thinking.
You’ll come away from this magical sojourn simultaneously enlivened and relaxed, with a deeper understanding of your purpose in writing memoir, along with many pages of new writing providing a plethora of potential doorways into the story of your life.
More information (and beautiful photos) here.
Ready to book? Click here.
Come Riding & Writing with me in Iceland next June!
Come along with me for an all-inclusive week of RIDING and WRITING in the spectacular Icelandic countryside, in the height of the bright summer season, June 10 – 16, 2024.
Every day we’ll ride out on sturdy, sweet Icelandic horses through the expansive rolling vistas of western Iceland, led by our experienced guides from Hestaland. Once you’ve experienced the exhilaration of the fast, smooth tolt, a gait unique to Icelandic horses, you may not want to go back to the trot!
We’ll eat delicious meals together at the beautiful Hestaland Guesthouse and participate in thoughtful, open-hearted guided writing sessions.
There will also be plenty of time for sharing and discussing your writing projects and visiting the nearby hot spring spa at Krauma.
Learn more about costs and accommodations on the application form.Â
Whether you’ve been to Iceland many times, or this will be your first experience there, this trip is sure to be transformative!
More information (and beautiful photos) here. Email me with any questions!
Friends, it’s my pleasure and my passion to support you as we stretch towards living our lives creatively and to the fullest.
Are you ready? Let’s go!
