Week 43 | Imagine Yourself Magic | Conjure Up Something You Want to Invite into Your Life

I first discovered this poster during my first visit to a campus bookstore. I was attending a basketball camp at Bradley University in 1990. It's so funny now, but walking into that bookstore was a mind-opening experience. Growing up in Peoria, Illinois, disconnected from the kind of artsy, magical, progressive kinds of things I've always been drawn to, I was psyched to discover that one could find such cool things on a university campus. And we had one of those in our town! Anyway, I hung this very poster with love in every single room I lived in from 8th grade through grad school. Over the years, I also followed the artist/author who made it, SARK, reading many of her books, and then actually got to meet her (with Mere!) in San Francisco 10 years after my discovery of her poster. I have the thing memorized and I find myself over and over thinking of lines from this poster. One that I often find myself mentalizing is "Imagine Yourself Magic." 

And then I was jogging at Palmer Square the other day and I literally ran across this written in the golden leaves of this beautiful season:

I love it when things like that happen. I feel as though the universe just opens up and sends me messages straight from the cosmos. "Yes, universe," I say, "I have not been imagining myself magic enough lately. Thank you."

Week 43
Mantra | Imagine Yourself Magic

Action | Conjure Up Something You Want to Invite into Your Life

You can call SARK's "inspiration line" to listen to an uplifting message, if you'd like:

415 546 3742

(Don't worry. It's just a regular voice mail.)

Here are some of my favorite bits from her current message:

Little by little, you will turn into stars.

Question to ask yourself: Am I resisting this? Or allowing this?

There are more things to learn about than feeling good. So many good things grow in the dark.

"If you don't become the ocean, you'll be seasick every day." -Leonard Cohen

Week 41 | Practice Silence | Make an Effort to Stop Talking and Just Listen

Sorry I missed a week. I've been in a blog rut. 

As a therapist, I learned in school about the magic of silence. I can remember how hard it was when I was green to sit and listen and refrain from responding immediately, the way we do in conversation. Over time, I have gotten better and more comfortable with sitting in silence with someone. It is sometimes magical when you are comfortable in your silence, and you can allow someone the space to say what they really need to express. In sessions, I often talk myself through the silence in my mind, saying "wait.. just take a deep breath and wait.." and I've stretched my silent comfort zone a bit farther, only to hear my client start sharing a little more.

I have been sort of practicing more silence in non-therapy conversations lately, but I'd like to be extra mindful of it this week as we head to Arizona for my sister's wedding, which will provide many opportunities for conversation.

Week 41

Mantra: Practice Silence

Action: Make an Effort to Stop Talking and Just Listen