Magic happens when we sit in the driver’s seat
SPEAKING UP
- voice what’s been hidden
- firmly own your worth and value
- speak your truth with self-confidence, grace and ease
- allow your voice be heard above the din and noise
Many years ago I sat on a stool in the Art barn at Esalen Institute painting a paper mache mask. I’d originally signed up for some sort of contemplative workshop, but found it too cerebral and ended up here. I painted the mask magenta and then decided to paint a vine of flowers on the…
Several years ago I attended a Christmas Eve church service where the female pastor (who was clearly a beginner) played Silent Night for the audience on her harp. I have never forgotten that moment, nor her profound vulnerability. The tenderness of it, risking our judgment and ridicule… The educator Maxine Green said, “When we are…
My very first teaching gig was in the Adult and Vocational Ed teacher credentialing program at UC Berkeley. I taught there for two years, before moving on to other things. Those classes were so inspirational for me… my students were working teachers of all ages who taught all over the Bay Area. They taught in…
The philosopher Jacob Needleman once wrote, “I believe that the group is the art form of the future. In our present culture the main need is for a form that can enable human beings to share their perceptions…and through that sharing, to become a conduit for the appearance of spiritual intelligence.” I love that. When…
In yesterday’s class, I gave students the task of going out into the University community and finding: a) something visual that catches your eye (it can be as simple as a color), and b) some piece of writing or a phrase (such as an EXIT sign). A couple students came back with the phrase Seeing…
When I teach, I work with something I call “third space.” Third space is that creative place of openness, when new possibilities have space to come in. But in order to get to third space, I have to take off the “expert” cap and simply be present and open to what wants to happen. When…