too good to keep to myself!
Happy Monday; Happy Thanksgiving week.
As I strive to be conscious about what comes into my life, I hope what I put out reflects this discernment. If we're all connected, let me be a signal repeater for light and glory!
So, last week I shared about the free showing of Origins, Now there's a mini-telesummit adjunct to the movie playing for the next three days, with 36--thirty-six--interviews with experts featured in the movie as well as others, exploring how we can do better as a species in all areas of life.
Almost all the experts are people I already enjoy listening to and feel that I learn from, and there are some that are new to me from whom I'm glad to learn. I'll write sometime about the benefits of benign brainwashing/positive self-hypnosis, although "being conscious about what I allow in" is really the long and short of it.
Bearing in mind I expose myself to a lot of this stuff, there was one expert I hadn't heard from in a while whose presence I appreciated in the movie, and the "deep dive" interview with him is what spurred me to write another post about this--it's worth far more than the price (free!) of admission.
Written by Ela Harrison
on Monday, 24 November 2014.
Posted in WholeHealth, Ela Recommends
--by Hazrat Inayat Khan, and by Robert Greene
Two books, both titled Mastery. One was written recently, by an American author in his 50s. The other (which I can't find anywhere in the format I own) was written by an Indian Sufi who died in 1926, before he even made 50 years old. One would be classed as "personal development." The other would be shelved in the religious section.
One I've never owned but have borrowed from the library both as audio and print books. The other, I've carried around with me my whole adult life, through all the many places I've lived, starting well before the newer "Mastery" was even written.
Written by Ela Harrison
on Friday, 14 November 2014.
Posted in Literary Citizenship, Mindfulness
It Really IS How You Look At It
There were so many things I wanted to write about today.
I wanted to talk about words, and specific words: hormesis, discrimination, that I expect to talk about over and over.
And about colors, and about sleep, and literary citizenship, and doing things for other people.
I spilled some water on my computer this morning. Everything seemed fine until two hours later, when the screen went dark.
But guess what? It was a good thing!
Written by Ela Harrison
on Thursday, 13 November 2014.
Posted in Literary Citizenship, Mindfulness
"syn" + "chronos" -- "timed together"
Synchronicity is something I mean to write about regularly--weekly--on this blog. Events that happen "timed together," which also means "spaced together" which also means "in the eye of this beholder at this time together" are messages as subtle and emergent as the appearance of an eye in a peacock feather. Yes, I see it because I'm looking for it... but that's always true! What I see is a reflection of who I am. My belief is that the more aware we can be of the lenses through which we look and see, the more intentional we can be about the kind of world we experience.
I like today's synchronicity because not only does it involve a confluence of ancient wisdom and modern science; it has to do with something I already wrote about on this still-quite-new blog!
Written by Ela Harrison
on Wednesday, 12 November 2014.
Posted in Mindfulness
peacefully, in her sleep, 11/6/2014
As a person who talks to dead people and who has tended toward disembodiment herself, I have some different words to add to the celebration and mourning pouring out for Judith Kitchen --
- Wife, mother, grandmother.
- Cofounder, with her husband, poet Stan Sanvel Rubin, of the Rainier Writing Workshop (the MFA program from which I graduated).
- Writer in every genre, with a style both limpidly readable and fiercely intelligent.
- Superbly influential critic, mentor, editor
- Supernaturally gifted "matchmaker" of mentors and students, and so inaugurator of many valuable and productive literary relationships
- Founder of Ovenbird Press; champion of fine writing in a changing literary culture
- Someone who never suffered folly gladly, but who never made a fool out of anyone
Written by Ela Harrison
on Tuesday, 11 November 2014.
Posted in Literary Citizenship
"there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." (Hamlet, Shakespeare)
I create this to be a writer-friendly and writing-friendly blog. I hold space for interest in writers and what they write, and in all aspects of the writerly life. And from the get-go, I intend this to be a writer-positive blog.
I run into the same challenges as any other writer. And rather than commiserate-commensurate, I take the above-mentioned advice from Shakespeare and reframe--how am I looking at it? Can a challenge be exciting instead of disheartening? YES!
Written by Ela Harrison
on Friday, 07 November 2014.
Posted in Literary Citizenship