Coming home to the work of one’s heart

“Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” Rumi

And so last night we began. A group of open-hearted women came together to write, to share, to come together in community. I came with the work of decades held close to my heart, greeted people as they arrived, and finally stepped forward and began. I was amazed. It went beautifully. I have come home.

As much as I have loved teaching my whole adult life I had forgotten how deep this work is, how holy, how sacred. It is not “creative writing,” it is soul work. We dive in deep, we write, and write, and write, 3 times, and then we read. Sometimes people are shy and afraid to read and it is never mandatory but is a very important part of the process. These women dove in, they did the writing and almost, without exception, everyone read. It was magic.

Today I went into our private Facebook group and spoke to them live. I talked about things I realized after teaching the class last night. I answered many people there and thought deeply about what had transpired and things came up for me that were so important I have been working on this all day.

First, while I am offering this class “for free” on a donation only basis, don’t let the free fool you. This is not a casual class. It is structured and hard working. It is not okay for people to drift in casually, or late. To that end henceforth I will be “locking the room” at 8:05. If it matters to you you will need to show up on time. In the internet world where people float freely in and out of so many things this may be an adjustment for some people but the people who were there last night really appreciated feeling safe. I do everything I can to facilitate safe and sacred space, an absolute certainty of privacy and respect for the work that people have shown up to do. The class may be free, but it is a commitment. I feel really good about that.

The more I move into this new space the more I become unafraid to assert what I know to be true in what I offer and how I offer it. This kind of writing is not for fun, it is deep, transformative writing, it is the kind of writing that opens your heart up a little further than it was when you walked in the class, it is designed to help you see things you’ve needed to see and didn’t know, perhaps, how to access. And the sets of exercises are designed to be of use after you leave the class. You write in class and then take what you’ve been given forward to use as tools in your toolbox for life. We write, we read, when we leave we are opened, and changed, and we have tools to use as we move back into our lives. Also the private Facebook group is there for further support after the class and through the week.

It is the integration of multiple platforms that makes this work so well, I am seeing that already. I have worked hard to bring this together and I am already seeing the magic of being in community with committed people who care deeply, who show up and do the work, and who care about one another. I am in awe of these truly amazing women. They are a gift in my life. The response has been absolutely wonderful and deeply touching.

We are just at the beginning of this journey together. These are early days. But it only took one class to see, and feel, how right this is. This is the work of my heart. I have come home. And now it is deeper than it ever was. I have grown so much as a woman, been through so much, survived and triumphed over so much, all of the material is deeper than it has ever been. And these amazing brave women are stepping up to the plate with me. And this is the thing, finally, it is time for us all, to do the work, to commit to our future lives by doing the work today to get to where we want, in our deepest hearts, to go.

I feel so privileged to have these women to write with each week, more are signed up, more will be coming. I am writing new material every single week. It is flowing like a waterfall into my life, it is full of grace, there is magic here.

If you would like to join us follow the instructions below to register…

If you are interested in joining us on Sunday nights please send me an email to: TheSundayNightWritingGroup@gmail.com. I am going to be using a MailChimp list to send out information about the group and I must have your written permission to add you to the list. Simply say “Please add me to the list” and give me the email address you would like to use plus tell me why you would like to join the group. This extra step is a security measure. For more information about The Sunday Night Writing Group click on the link herein.