~
Surprising ourselves…
trying something new, shifting perspectives,
exploring, experimenting…
taking chances
~
~
A friend and I are going somewhere new…somewhere different…
Bev…. an adventuresome spirit… and I just signed up for
“Mystery School”…
“The Holographic Butterfly”
a seminar/retreat by Jean Houston
~
Bev, now 77 years old,
(and just “retired” from a demanding career)
was a marvelously adventuresome little girl…
“Bevie”
a wanderer…an explorer…a seeker
a 4 year old who loved to hop on the milk truck for adventures about town,
who wandered by herself to the nearby ocean beaches,
charmed the Quincy clam diggers and arrived home with buckets of clams…
much to the displeasure and chagrin of her parents and family,
a true adventurer…an independent thinker… a free spirit
~
“Bo”
that’s me…Kathy… “Bo”…Pocket Perspectives
(also just “retired”… from 40 amazing years of teaching school
and shifting into…ummm….??????…not sure what…that’s what I’d like to figure out)
a lover, as a little girl, of standing suspended in time and space,
leaping off my magical “jumping rock”
dreams of flying,
joys of butterflies,
“dancing brightly”
filled with inspiration and a sense of wonder
~
Bevie and Bo….
off to Mystery School…
…. this coming weekend…
exploring caterpillars, the chrysalis….butterflies
~
For any of you young ‘uns out there,
that might included anyone younger than 60… 😀
or mature ones…whatever that number might be… 😀
to remember the value, no matter what your “age”…
of…
exploring…experimenting…adventuring,
exploring “possibilities”
As I was trying to decide whether to sign up for this seminar,
I remembered some words from Mark Twain…
used in a previous image and post, Explore, Dream, Discover…
~
perhaps finding ways to, in Nkosi Johnson’s words,
“do what we can with what we have, in the time that we have, in the place where we are”
holding true
…seeking…
“We are a process…the ‘lure of becoming’ keeps us going on…”
(a quote from Jean Houston)
As Rick Hanson says…a paraphrase…
“One of our greatest sources of suffering
is from a sense of thwarted contribution dammed up in our hearts”
how to move beyond that blocked up, restricted sense…
to learn to break those chains that might be holding us
to offer, to share, to contribute
~
Some quotes from a wonderful interview with Jean Houston
Link to video of interview: Jean Houston on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday show
~
~
A description from the Jean Houston website
“The Mystery School”
exploring possibilities
“Holographic Butterflies”
~
~
An so….
may we all explore with
curiosity, intention, enthusiasm, courage, strength, good-heartedness
perhaps even…
surprising ourselves!
exploring potential ways to use what we have…
~
and hopefully, to discover ways to use those positive qualities or abilities
to benefit others in our world
~
~
~
Bevie and Bo….away we go!
~
Pocket Perspectives 
This sounds like a great retreat! And thank you for making me feel young because I am under 60, even if I am not too far from reaching that age. 😀
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We’re both looking forward to it…and yes…you are just a “spring chicken”… 😀
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Enjoy yourselves, Bo and Bevie! 😀
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“Bo and Bevie….Chevie to the levee?”…a dynamic duo…. we’re happy and anticipating! 😀
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Have a wonderful time! You have such a youthful spirit and good attitude overall, I think you can’t miss! I hope your adventure is just spectacular!
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thanks, Debra….we hope so, too… it’s not my typical weekend…a bit of a shift and within the range of “surprising myself”… 😀
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What a positive and encouraging post! Thanks…butterflies are awe-inspiring for sure–beautiful, quiet, fluttering @ going from flower to flower, using the time they have doing positive things in life! 🙂
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Thank you Jonri…I hope others will continue to “explore, dream, discover”…
I just returned from the weekend and it was amazing!…a weekend of exploration, inspiration, encouragement, nurturing, incredible people and a sense of wonder!…all about developing and using those qualities for creating positives in one’s life and extending out into the world to benefit others… a wonderful 5 days! 😀
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Oh Kathy (Bo) I love this post! Everything about it. I love that you have this friendship with your friend Bevie. Most of all I love the concept of the class you are taking and that you are going for it! A wonderful way to celebrate retirement and reassessments.
I visited a Live Butterfly exhibit when I lived in Seattle Washington. (US ) .It was one the most life affirming experiences of my life to date..Because of the humidity needed for the Butterfly’s they could feel the moisture on our skin and dozens would land on outstretched arms. It was thrilling!.
.
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What an inspiring experience you had with the butterflies….what a gift to stand with them on your outstretched arms!
And the weekend retreat/mystery school was amazing… I would go so far as to say it was “transformational”….the activities, thoughts, ideas…. to be with so many kind, creative, nurturing and loving people (from all over the United States and Canada, plus France, Switzerland and England, too)… exploring, innovating, searching, healing and expressing…truly remarkable! It was “wondrous”…. remarkable!
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I got to thinking about this and you might be able to find an exhibit in your area. The one I went to In Seattle was at a Natural history museum and I know my local town had one here at our High Desert Museum as in Feb 2011. I was sadly unable to see this one.
I thought I would send you an image (link below) to tickle your mind and maybe inspire you to look for an exhibit. Was the phenomenal thing. I know Kathy you would love it. I am looking into your mystery school
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2011/apr/07/sensational-butterflies-natural-history-museum#/?picture=373381800&index=2
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Oh, those photos are wonderful! I especially love #7 and the one with a butterfly on the girl’s nose! 😀 There are butterflies at the museum in Golden Gate Park in SanFrancisco, but I didn’t see any light onto people….now THAT would be magical! I’ll go back on a weekday when it isn’t so crowded..maybe they’ll be more trusting then.
Some of Jean Houston’s books present many of her ideas and amazing, imaginative, guided meditations…A Passion for the Possible and The Wizard of Us…I got both on Kindle, but then also got that first one in paperback, so that I can read/underline, highlight etc. My husband watched the first part of a online seminar Jean is doing and said it seemed very good. Discovering Your Divine Purpose: http://www.mailermailer.com/x?function=view&c=163153824i-bdb19742*958414f-5cbd1347 There was also a very warm, interesting and competent seeming woman, Lauren Jinshil Oliver, who stopped by our retreat….she does tele-cirlces and they sounded excellent: Circles Work http://www.circleswork.net/ There was another very competent and encouraging woman, Carol Walker, there from NewJersey who does very interesting sounding online writing groups: The Dragon Writer http://www.thedragonwriter.com/ The women and men there were amazing! and doing amazing things too! It was an inspiring weekend! There was concern expressed in the last session about how important it is to be providing opportunities for online connections for women (and men) who can’t get to seminars due to limited mobility, health limitations, finances or age… I think that’s one place that online circles, seminars and blogging have positive potential! What do you think? I have more names etc, but can’t find them right now…maybe I’ll create a post with the few that I can find.
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My Dearest Kathy, Thank you and your generous heart once again for passing forward the wisdom’s you shared with me I signed up yesterday for last nights Cirlce and then had unexpected company show up which then caused me to forget the time, before ai knew it was 6:19 pm. I was too late.
So my commitment will be made foe the next one in advance/ I
I have been feeling empowered just by the thoughts and my ideas about participating in circles for a long time and as you mentioned getting there is not always a possibility for many reasons.I was just sharing with a friend about how last year I and my support group had a Regret Burning Ceremony, After we had for months been processing and reflecting to get to the point when you need the finality of it all for me.Sadly though this group of women have left this circle and have moved on.All the work we did, I did has stayed very much with me,
I am most grateful Kathy for all the links &, the details, but most of all for you. Who knew that our beliefs are parallel to one another? I love it!
Thanks again~ sending you some love & hugs from Onegon’s High Desert. ~ BB
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I do believe that cyber circles may be the way for women to connect with one another. We can see and hear one another that way and share the sacredness of circle. I’ve felt for many years that this is one thing lacking in our western society – this meeting of women at the well and sharing our journey with one another. It’s something I’m exploring and longing for, now more than ever. Only one member of a group needs to have a Skype Premium account to welcome nine others into circle via video and audio!
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Thank you Joss…I agree. I’m going to get/read several of those books about circles, to help myself clarify how they might best “flourish” and what my own intentions etc might be. Any other book recommendations? And I’ll look into Skype Premium too…such supportive and intriguing possibilities for technology.
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I think you’re on the right track with the books you know about already. and of course, with following your heart!
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