Writing Home: A Whole Life Practice is a mentoring program I’ve worked on for nine years. I know the length of time as I began writing it when we moved to Nanaimo in 2005. I did have a framework or outline for it as I had offered monthly writing circles, called Writing Home, in Guelph. It was, and still is, a seven-step writing pilgrimage to find the meaning of home.

I created a big chart of the stages and saw how they related to the chakras. I envisioned a vibrational flower essence as Nature’s support for each stage of the writing journey. Ann-Marie Boudreau, multi-talented musician and sound practitioner, spoke with me about creating a meditation CD to go along with the book.

Yes, it was imagined as a book and I did send out proposals and even a senior editor at New World Library turned it down. I say “even” meaning I was able to send my manuscript directly to an editor rather than over the transom as they say, to end up in the slush pile. (NWL publishes lots of books on writing but I think they require their authors to already have a huge following.)

Women supported the project by buying sessions or chapters as they were ready. When Writing Home was complete, I had it edited and went through the manuscript making most of the suggested changes. More recently I went through it all again to create an index.

Ten women have followed the program which includes a personal flower essence combination, in-person or on-the-phone mentoring, chapters sent monthly by mail and weekly inspirational emails. One of them, Margaret McCoy, told me recently: “My experience with your writing home program was a definite springboard for me to even gather the courage to apply to [the Humber School of Writing in Toronto] and I thank you for that too.”

I’m so pleased the program has been of value and all along, I kept envisioning the book. Someone once said to me: “It’s another The Artist’s Way.” That got me excited. Someone else envisioned the book with a blank journal, flower essence, CD and writing prompt cards.  I was imagining how beautiful that creativity tool kit would be.

At this stage the format and design have been created by Sarah Clark with the book in mind. The cover has been designed by Sarah as well. I’m reluctant though. It’s costly to produce a book on my own and isn’t this an ever-evolving thing, not meant to be captured and static between two covers?

Stephen Cope, in his book The Great Work of Your Life, said a book has its own dharma or path. “You can choose the book’s dharma or you can choose your idea of what the book should be.”

As I work with nature devas I know Writing Home has its own deva which means there’s a blueprint for Writing Home. (See my blog about creating the Camellia Flower Essence where I’ve included some information about nature devas.) I just need to tap into that blueprint. I may want a book even while I find excuses and reasons not to follow through. That’s another thing – my resistance could be my vulnerability in the world. And it could be, it just isn’t meant to be a book.

What does the deva of Writing Home say? Muscle testing is one way to get a yes or no answer. A pendulum is another. The answer is No. No book.

My plan now is to offer Writing Home: A Whole Life Practice as monthly instalments (or as often as someone wants  the chapters sent to them). The whole program is still possible but giving people the opportunity to order the materials only will make it more accessible to more people.

I’ve lived with the questions surrounding this project for a year or longer. As for it being my life’s work, the material in Writing Home is my story along with practices for others to follow for the writing of their own story. That is my life’s work. And it has informed everything else I do.

So many ideas in Writing Home have help me lead the Writing Life Circles I offer weekly and the eight-week circle I led in the fall of 2013 called Remembering Our Earth Mother: Remembering Ourselves.

If you’d like to read about Writing Home: A Whole Practice, the complete program, you can find the details here. If you would like to have the printed materials only, sent to you as a PDF or through the mail, please get in touch.