The Experiment: Day 300 ~ On Creating Safe and Sacred Space For My Students — What That Means…

It has been the hallmark of my teaching for decades. We write together, we read our work to one another (That is not mandatory if you are not comfortable doing so, but it is very helpful for you.), and I make it very clear that “what you hear here, stays here.” It is a sacred trust and one I have held dear for 40 years. My commitment to this was made very clear to me once more last night.

I am getting much deeper into this than I knew I would this soon. I take my teaching very seriously of course, but I had not realized how every little detail would matter so much. Last night it became clear to me after working with dear Suzanne for a few hours that I could not use her platform but would have to pay for my own to have everything just as I want and need it to be. I paid the first of the recurring fees to have my own Zoom account. It is $15 a month for the lowest level platform. With that I can take no more than 100 students. That might sound like a lot but in a few short days with no advertising other than these blog posts 20 people have signed up. What that means is that when we hit 100 there will be a waiting list to get in. As well people who sign up and get on the class list who don’t come will be deleted from the list after several times of not coming if we are at capacity. I don’t expect people to come every time of course, life happens, nor do I expect people to just kind of casually show up whenever. I have realized how important this is to me and I am hoping it will be to others as well.

Then, last night, something happened and I realized how deeply I had returned to teaching in the way that I teach and run my classes which is very different than what many others do. This is not a creative writing class. It is a gentle, healing, almost therapeutic kind of writing. You walk away from the class not just having written but having been given tools for life to take forward from the class and use. And, because of the nature of the writing, and what is shared, I am fiercely protective of my student’s privacy. To that end last night I had to write to two different people, one a very dear friend who has worked with me for some time and will be in the group but has to miss the first class and asked if she could get a recording of the class, and another lovely woman who lives in Europe and because of the time difference won’t be able to attend the Sunday night group so asked if she could get the recorded classes? Last night I wrote to both of them and said, very kindly. no.

The classes will be recorded for my benefit only so I can go back and see how they went to work out the kinks with the technology and figure out how I might better use the platform to teach in the best possible way, but no one else will ever be able to see the recordings. When people write and share their writings in the class they are given the assurance of privacy and to that end only the other people who are present at the time and also putting their heart out there sharing their writings will ever hear what goes on in the classes. It is a very Zen experience. We come together, we write and we read, when the class is over it all disappears. There will not be a lingering record of the work we have shared. We have shared a sacred moment in time, we will carry it with us, we will be changed by this time together, healed, opened, we become aware of pieces of ourselves that may long have been buried, it may hold tremendous awakenings. And then the class ends and we go back into our lives and carry it with us. You may share your own writing if you choose but not what you heard in the group. You will have writing exercises to work with through the week and our secret, private Facebook group where you can talk with the other participants, but each class is a separate, holy moment in time. No writings are collected, gathered, or published. They are yours and yours alone.

It was close to 11 last night when Suzanne and I finished working with Zoom. I then had to get back with the tech guy who had left several security programs running on my computer to clean things up. We worked until almost midnight. I answered mail and did admin things after that. I answered a couple of dear women who had left comments after yesterday’s blog post. At 1:30 in the morning I turned out the light and went to sleep with my sweet pugs. And as I went to sleep I realized that somewhere along the line I turned a corner. I have spent years trying to find my way back to my work. The fire shattered my world and I have not been able to return to and embrace this work of mine but this, too, is the magic of writing. I have shown up here for 300 days now. And writing every day is what brought me home, to myself, to my writing, and deepest of all to my teaching. This is a deeply spiritual commitment for me. I am back now, there is work to do, and I have begun.

Already there is, on the back burner for now to be sure and only if this class reaches capacity, an afternoon class to serve people for whom an evening class, or people in other time zones, might be served. Again, that is down the line, but this is all unfolding like a flower opening. I sit quietly in awe. Not trying to force anything, not trying to make anything happen. I think of so many times in the past when I got something together and tried so hard to promote it, to get people to sign up, and this time people are just showing up, gently flowing into the space. I like this. I think a slowly growing, word of mouth process is what is happening. I think it’s how this thing will grow, organically, and over time. This is perfect. I don’t want to try to push this in any way. I am creating something, I am opening my arms and my heart to welcome people in, and Sunday night we will begin. Jack Kerouac wrote, “Believe in the holy contour of life.” I do, and that is exactly what is happening. I was reminded that while we usually hear the phrase, “When the student is ready the teacher appears.” that the reverse is also true. “When the teacher is ready the students appear.” I think it works both ways at the same time. The holy contour of life. We are coming together as we were meant to, right now, in this moment. It is one of the most incredible things I have ever experienced. And I am so ready.

I am here, we begin Sunday night. If you would like to join us follow the directions below. I would love to have you with us.

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. 

The Experiment ~A 365 Day Search For Truth, Beauty &
Happiness: Day 1 ~ Introduction To The Project
“Do or do not. There is no try.”
Yoda