The Love of Something

Spend the day with yourself.

Let nothing distract you.

A poem emerges so young and so old

You can’t know how long

It has lived in you.

~ Sophia Del Mello Breynor

I wish to thank everyone who took part in our Green Phoenix Creative Writing Workshop on 2^nd March at Bulliondale Cottage in Avonbridge.  In every way it was a very special day for me --- to be giving the workshop in Jenny & Colin’s lovely setting that is so nurturing, peaceful, cozy and yet spacious (allowing thoughts to fly like birds to the ceiling).  

To have both old friends and new ones gathered around to help me “de-rust” my workshop tools.  

To reclaim some parts of my creative self that had been languishing.  

To renew my faith in creativity, that healing and regenerating tool, by watching it work its magic in those present.  

To share in the warm excitement in the eyes of each who attended, as they opened doors that may have been stuck.  

Or who simply used the day as a safe haven to play with words.  (Very powerful toys!)

It was clear from the interesting dialogue during the afternoon that everyone present had a love of the creative process, a need for it in their lives or, at the very least, a respect and acknowledgement of its importance.

“It is the love of something, having so much love for something—whether a person, a word, an image, an idea, the land, or humanity—that all that can be done with the overflow is to create,” writes Clarissa Pinkola-Estes in Women Who Run With the Wolves.  “It is not a matter of wanting to, not a singular act of will; one solely must.”

Gathering around a fire on the cozy sofas and chairs at Bulliondale Cottage was the absolutely right intimate setting for our day’s tasks.  I also acknowledge the powerful work of Dr Jeffrey Thompson who created the Alpha Relaxation System from The Relaxation Company (www.relaxationco.com).  We used his Alpha Program 1, “Deep Relaxation” during our “Muse in the Forest” guided meditation, and some of the comments after the workshop were that they would have been happy to have his CD playing in the background the whole afternoon, not just for the meditation.  Duly noted!  I agree, what he has created really does work to both relax and energize you at the same time. Magic!  Well, psycho-acoustics actually, but…still magic.

And speaking of magic, there is nothing so powerful as a room full of creative minds, working together and in solitude with the written word.  I loved a moment when I looked around and saw/heard the focused scratching of pens and tapping of keys.  Sadly, working within a time frame, we had to stop writing at the end and most everyone said “awwwww!” as they wanted to keep on writing.  Judging by the comments and feedback, the idea of a future retreat (perhaps a Friday overnight and Saturday, or a weekend) where we can mix it up with trainings, tai chi, workshops and more extended solo writing time is a good idea.  We are certainly putting our minds to work on that and will let you know when we come up with a definite plan and next event.

Thank you, Jenny, for talking with us about “listening”, thank everyone who attended for being open and sharing your experiences and thoughts…and  thanks to Jenny, Colin and Kim for the three hour (!) debrief babble after the workshop!   

If anyone would like to discuss the possibility of hosting a Green Phoenix Creative Writing Workshop elsewhere in Scotland, please get in touch so we can see what’s possible.    

HAPPY WRITING EVERYONE!