MA-moore

I asked the women in the Writing Life circle, what’s in the middle? It was the first writing circle of a six-week series with the theme of “Piecing Our Stories from Life.” I had quilts in mind when I came up with the theme of “piecing” and quilts always start in the middle.

The women in the Writing Life circle have written together, in the past, for weeks and some for years. I wondered what  they thought was in the middle of the writing they had done in the past. What did they think was a recurring theme.

As I write along with the other writers, I thought of the “middle” of my own writing. It’s interesting to approach the question by answering it in the third person as then you can have some distance and some insight about this particular writer whose work you have read (who just happens to be you).

I wrote: Mary Ann Moore writes about peonies in her grandparents’ garden, her first grade school teacher, a fresh radish from the vegetable patch. It’s life’s ordinary pleasures that appear to bring her joy. Even while travelling in Greece or Turkey, Mary Ann notes the oregano on feta, a circle of women telling stories. There is a spiritual aspect – the muezzin’s call to prayer, the sanctity of the Hagia Sophia, the sarcophagus of the poet Rumi with its gold Arabic calligraphy. [Photo of crewel work by my mother, Billie, with cover of poem called “Women’s Hands.”]

Planting seeds in the field of a Turkish eco-farm takes her back to sitting by the cucumber patch with her grandfather, his cutting of a fresh cucumber slice with his pocket knife.

Mary Ann links the Ottawa Valley to […]

Sarah and I have never lived anywhere for seventeen years, in the same house that is, together or apart, before the house in which we’ve lived in Nanaimo.

Now we’re on the move to another home in Nanaimo, about fifteen minutes south of downtown,  and I’m thinking of all I’m appreciating about our current home – for just one more day.

We arrived in Nanaimo, B.C. from Guelph, Ontario with our four cats in May of 2005. We had a few suitcases with us but that was it until our furniture and other belongings arrived about a week later. Life was very simple with so few belongings. Our landlord Peter loaned us laundry baskets full of linens, a mattress, a lamp, dishes and cutlery. I can’t imagine now being without my computer for a week! Sarah painted the bedrooms and we’d take little jaunts out to get to know our new city. Neck Point, just seven minutes from our home, was a favourite spot where we looked towards the Sunshine Coast of the mainland.

Our rental was to be temporary as we looked for a house to buy. I don’t remember ever looking for a house once we landed here. Or perhaps, we did occasionally. We got very comfortable and were treated very well in our rental home.

Our rent was affordable. Buying a house with its upkeep would mean “jobs” and why spend time elsewhere to buy a house that you can’t spend much time in? We stayed with our art making and graphic design, in Sarah’s case, and freelance writing, poetry and writing circles, in mine. Besides, Peter has been a landlord extraordinaire. He continued to work in his wonderful garden that is terraced with three […]

I look forward to Rachel Lang’s astrology newsletters with her readings for the month ahead so was delighted to hear of her new book: Modern Day Magic: (Hardie Grant Books, 2021).

The book is beautifully designed with illustrations throughout and contains “ 8 Simple Rules” to “realize your power and shape your life.”  Modern Day Magic isn’t about witchcraft as Rachel points out through she does include ideas, rituals and spells from her past experience as a practising witch. It’s a comprehensive book with all sorts of inspiration and possibilities for exploring our own magical power.

“Magic is not about getting something you want,” Rachel points out. “It’s about embodying your prime creative potential.” She describes how the word “magic” dating back to the 5th century BCE, was used as a derogatory term.

“The Goddess” is included in one of the sections of the book which Rachel describes as the Divine Feminine. We have come to know her by various names. Rachel doesn’t want readers to “limit Her to any one of these images or icons” (such as Diana, Demeter, Quan Yin, Aphrodite, Athena or Hera). “The Divine Feminine, the Goddess, is the presence of the Divine that’s alive and palpable in our world – in nature, humans, and even the stars. She’s the connecting force between energy and matter.”

Each of the chapters has journal prompts and in Chapter 1, readers are prompted to write a letter to the Goddess “stating your intention.”  And, readers are invited to write a letter back to themselves as if she’s writing to you.

As I first read the book, I did write down my intention and didn’t write the letter back which I’m feeling the need of now. In fact, my […]

There are many benefits to journaling as the editors and writers of this new, comprehensive collection, Transformational Journaling for Coaches, Therapists, and Clients (Routledge, 2021) illustrate. Among them are gaining perspective, increasing clarity with life decisions, tapping into inner ways of knowing, noticing and clearing limiting beliefs and patterns, and writing the story one wants for their life.  As a journal keeper since I learned to write, I can agree with and affirm all of those benefits of personal writing. “Our life narratives . . . hold the thread of our values and desires, while also weaving us into connection with others and the world we live in,” say the co-editors Lynda Monk and Eric Maisel.

Among the coaches and therapists who have contributed to Transformational Journaling are some who describe their early days of keeping a journal. Now they’ve become counsellors advising others to do the same. Nicolle Nattrass for instance who has contributed “Creative Journaling for Self-Care,” remembers a diary with a key where she found “journaling was a soft place for me to land.”  Nicolle is a Certified Addiction Counselor, playwright, professional actress and workshop facilitator who lives on Vancouver Island, B.C.

Lynda Monk who is co-editor of the book and director of the International Association for Journal Writing (IAJW) also remembers a personal diary with lock and key, realizing during adolescence, “Journaling emerged as something that I did to solve problems, express my feelings, and capture my special memories of daily life.”

Following her career as s a social worker, Lynda began a training and coaching business specializing in burnout prevention for helpers, healers, and leaders. Her contribution to the collection, “Journaling for Coach and Therapist Self-Care,” has  five tips for helping professionals […]