WOW Connections

Transforming Pain into Power

TRANSFORM PAIN INTO POWER! © 2007
by Doris Helge, Ph.D.
Author, “Transforming Pain Into Power” and “Joy on the Job”
Excerpted with permission from “Transforming Pain Into Power”
www.TransformingPainIntoPower.com

Most people are hungry for happiness. They're searching for real answers to age-old questions because much of what we've been taught is upside down and backward. For example, when people "put on a happy face" or try to adopt the attitude of "fake it til you make it," even if they gain a brief respite from their anxiety, they have to keep putting on a facade.

This resistance to what exists drains the energy they need in order to resolve an underlying issue that must eventually be faced. When we do this, we’re stalling instead of acknowledging a painful negative emotion like anger or fear so feelings we love, like confidence, peace, and joy, can emerge.

Buried feelings never die. They resurface, usually at a very inconvenient time. Then the person repeats the same uncomfortable emotions and difficult challenges. There is so much happiness available to all of us. There is no need to continue to recycle the same painful events.

Telling someone who is troubled by unhappiness at work, lack of money, or a difficult relationship, "Just think positive thoughts" doesn't provide the tools they need to create genuine change. They may repeat positive affirmations for weeks and still struggle with the same conflicts, such as an unhappy work situation, difficult relationships and problems related to a boss or team members.

Trying to force positive thinking can prolong negative emotions and experiences. We all have billions of unconscious negative beliefs, so traditional positive thinking approaches can do more harm than good. An internal battleground rages when we battle, instead of accept what exists. It takes a lot of energy to hold denial in place. We become fatigued at the very time we need extra energy to take positive action.

Since our beliefs are unconscious, we don't know what the real issues are. That’s why most affirmations don't address what’s keeping us stuck. Plus, we're so much more than our thoughts. Since over 90 percent of what we do and think is based on UNconscious beliefs, I teach people multisensory approaches that people can easily use to create profound positive changes.

Feelings control our thoughts and actions, so I teach people “How to Use Feelings for Healing.” Good news: This doesn't require years of processing negative emotions in psychoanalysis. My clients say they stop feeling victimized by life circumstances because they become empowered to build a life rich in personal fulfillment and productivity.

I help you discover simple, easy ways to deal with negative emotions and experiences the first time they occur. You learn to quickly, easily, and effectively use negative emotions and experiences as TOOLS to build a better life.

Transforming pain into power becomes effortless with experience. We mine the gold nuggets of wisdom and joy available in our most dismal experiences. We also liberate ourselves from the prisons we create when we judge our circumstances and feelings.

Don’t miss out on the most amazing adventures of your life! Reward yourself with loving relationships, enjoyable work, and spectacular spiritual growth. Explore www.TransformingPainIntoPower.com and discover proven, easy-to-apply processes for claiming the happiness you deserve.

Doris Helge, Ph.D. is called The Joy Coach by her clients. She is author of many books, including "Transforming Pain Into Power" and "Joy on the Job." Some have been published in multiple foreign languages. Download sample chapters of her latest books at joyonthejobbook.com and transformingpainintopower.com Visit www.joyonthejob.info and sign up for the only ezine focused on happiness at work, the "Joy on the Job Ezine."

© 2007 All rights reserved. You may reprint this article if it is intact, including the above attribution paragraph.

Intro to WOW Book

Kris Steines offers a glimpse into the WOW book she is writing:

Introduction to the book

Women of Wisdom

Remembering Who You Are

By Kristine Steinnes  © 2007

I am the circle.

I am the center of the circle.

I am the outside looking into the circle.

I am the container holding the boundary of the circle

I am the many rings inside the circle.

I am the pathways that link the circles together.

I am the space between.

As you seek the center, know all paths will lead there.

Wherever you are, you are somewhere in the circle.

You can make no mistakes as long as you are moving.

Some paths are quick and easy, some are long and arduous.

Sometimes you have to back track to redirect yourself.

Sometimes you need to jump forward, past an obstacle.

However your way unfolds, lessons are learned.

You will know when you reach your destiny

Whether it’s in the rim, being the container for all

Or the center, being the source of all.

You are then one with the circle.

Then you will know what it is to be the torchbearer

You will assist others in their path through the labyrinth.

By holding steady, and shining your light.

Enter into Women of Wisdom

I am the woman who answered the call months ago and is eagerly waiting.

I am the woman who sits alone in the sanctuary

      anticipating the door to open.

I am the woman who is led down the staircase to begin this journey.

I am the woman who waits below in the circle for the women to come  through the door.

I am the woman who has been waiting for you to return, having waited for  what seems like for an eternity.

“She’s been waiting, she’s been waiting so long,

waiting for her daughters to remember, to return. 

She’s been waiting, she’s been waiting so long,

waiting for her daughters to remember, to return. 

Blessed Be and Blessed are the lovers of the Lady.

Blessed be and Blessed are the Maiden, Mother, Crone.

Blessed be and Blessed are the ones who dance together.

Blessed be and Blessed are the ones who dance alone!”

                                                Song by Lisa Thiel

The circle is timeless and I will wait as long as it takes you to discover me. I am all of you. I have been with you in every circle that has met around the ancient fires and the candles of today. I am all that is. I am at the center of the divine spark of feminine energy and now with a sense of urgency I call you to the circle to anchor it here on this earth plane.

I am the Weaver of Webs. I spin my web in a circle that contains everything.

It contains the silvery gossamer threads that light our path and it contains the spaces between the threads that open us to our infinite possibilities.

It contains the threads that binds us together, and strengthens our connections to each other. I hold together the concentric circles that surround the center where the circle is cast. We are all in this circle; we are all part of this web.

This web named WOW was created for women to gather, to become a rich tapestry of women, spirit, and community, exploring the divine feminine through our creativity and our connections to one another. This is the story of WOW and I invite you to enter into the circle we cast. The telling of the story will unfold as in a spiral, so enjoy the journey!

Kris Steinnes, Founder and Council Member, WOW, Seattle, WA.

Community on Earth

January 15th ~ I was just out on our land today, walking with my goats.

I go walking with them because I want them to eat wild plants and it
gets me outside.  There is snow and ice covering our little farm, here
on Whidbey Island in Washington State.  Sticking up through this icy
blanket are weeds.  The goats eat decaying rose hips, deep red
blackberry leaves, evergreen needles and if I pick it for them, kale
from the garden.  I like to watch them graze and connect with the
plants.

The quiet of this January late afternoon breathes life into me. 
Staying inside my house is so easy and cozy with my warm fire and fuzzy
wool slippers.  Venturing out onto the land takes me to another place. 
It is the place I feel most at ease and yet I must think of a reason to
go seeking it.  ‘The goats need it’ is what I think.  ‘They need to eat
the wild plants and feel the sun on them everyday.’

Once outside, I feel a subtle calm come over me.  It is the stillness
of the earth that whispers to me.  I only slightly acknowledge it, but
when I return to my cozy house I realize the calming impact on my
spirit.

January 22nd ~ It has since warmed up now as I return to this writing a
week later.   Lunar imbolc has passed and with the thaw of the earth, I
see and feel the green returning.  Amongst the old blackberry leaves, I
see little cleavers emerging.  Leaf buds on many of the trees are
growing plump and the alder catkins are becoming a beautiful burnt red.

Stepping outside, taking note of the transitional play between winter
and spring brings me a delicate gift.  It is here on our land that I am
finding my community.  I have longed and looked for a place to plant
myself for so many years.  I have, at times, grown weary of finding the
right people with which to share my time.  I have thought long and hard
about how to connect to others, to create community on this island
where I live.

And so I went out again with my goats for a walk.  And I sat on a stump
and let the  January sun burn into me.  The subtle calm of the earth’s
spirit whispered again so sweetly.  And I found the community I was
looking for right there on that stump.
A beautiful community on earth.

Community on Earth ~ Shamanic Exercise
You can do this in any natural setting, your garden, your yard, a park
or deep in the woods. Go outside on the Earth. Begin to notice your
breath and breathe in and out a few times with awareness.  Now begin to
notice all that is around you.  What do you see, hear, smell, taste,
feel.  Just notice...bringing awareness back to your breath
occassionally.  Do this as long as you like.  When you are finished,
give thanks for all you witnessed.

May it be in Beauty.

Julie Charette Nunn. Crow’s Daughter is a shamanic herbalist living on
Whidbey Island in Washington State.  She lives with her beloved
consort, Taddeusz, two goats, Scrappy and Fille Luna, the trees,  and
the wild plants and weeds.  She teaches wise woman ways through weekly
and residential shamanic herbal apprenticeships, classes and one to one
teachings. Julie also runs a thriving small business, Crow’s Daughter’s
Earthly Goods where she crafts and sells nourishing herbal creations.
You can visit Julie’s website www.crowsdaughter.com for information and
inspirational writing for your journey.

Julie will be offering an on-line class on Shamanic Herbalism with the
Women of Wisdom Foundation in March 2007.  Visit www.womenofwisdom.org
to register.


Julie Charette Nunn, Crow's Daughter
Nourishment~Common Herbs~Wise Woman Ways
360-579-2319
julie@crowsdaughter.com
www.crowsdaughter.com

15th Annual Women of Wisdom Gathering - "Spirit in Community" 

February 10th, noon to 9 pm - go to www.womenofwisdom.org for details and directions.

Special event offer:  Bring a friend to the Gathering for just $50.

Can't come in person?

Please come in Spirit.  We will be creating a basket of offerings: poetry, prose, photos, and also intentions for WOW in the year ahead.  These will be blessed and energized.  Please email Coleen@ColeenRenee.com any submissions you would like us to include.  We are reaching out to our sisters throughout the world through programs such as WOW Online and WOW Connections.  We'd love to have some part of you there physically as we bless each other for the coming year.  Please forward your submissions by February 7, 2007 for inclusion. 

The Singing of Swans

Mary Saracino, a novelist who lives in Denver, CO. sends us this excerpt from her recent novel, The Singing of Swans.  (Find out more about Mary at the bottom of this post.)

The night sky held no moon as Ziza pushed through the roof of her house and soared into the stark blackness. A gust of wind became her wings, pushing her up and up above the slumbering sounds of her small village, Caneva, in Friuli—a province tucked away in the northeastern corner of a country that would someday be known as Italy .

Far below, beneath an inky darkness, only the occasional stray cat peered up from the cobblestones, twitching its tail in anticipation of a passing mouse. Ziza’s neighbors snored in their beds. Her husband, Aldo DeSante, tossed and turned, unaware that while his wife’s body lay beside him, her spirit traveled elsewhere. She promised to return before the stroke of five to ensure that death would not claim her mortal limbs. Her children were lost in complicated dreams, and her mother, Carmela, nursing a bout of insomnia, sat before the family’s ancestral Lare altar, next to the cold hearth in the corner of their small home. She alone knew that Ziza had been called away on official business.

It was cold that Thursday night in the midst of the Ember days of fasting. A sharp wind howled fiercely down the alleyways that third week of September in the year 1575, foreshadowing a long, frigid winter, but Ziza felt nothing of the chill, for her body was as vaporous as air. Light and porous, she flew past the church steeple, the shops that lined the piazza, and over the well in the center of her village. Dense clouds hovered over the land; no stars shone to guide her, but still Ziza kept on. She levitated above the tiled rooftops, pausing a moment to determine if the others were ready, as well. From the darkened bell tower an owl hooted, signaling for her to proceed.

At the edge of town Ziza joined Lucia, Pietro, Sophia, Antonio, and Filaberta. Without a word, the night riders veered west and south, toward the wheat fields on a stony ridge two miles outside of town. There amid acres of bearded grain the others waited. There, during this time between solstices, this midnight of the autumn Ember Days, they would enact the ritual.

The wind bellowed as the cadre of journeyers sped over roads and rivers, byways and stone fences, olive trees and vineyards. Ziza’s tangle of snaky dark tresses swirled around her face as she raced through the night sky. The night smelled of damp grass and wet soil, for the rain had pummeled the countryside earlier that evening. The omen had been favorable, and Ziza knew in her bones that after midnight the battle would begin. A victory was possible, if their hearts were pure enough and focused on the welfare of their townspeople.

Ziza and her nocturnal fellows were keepers of the blood ways, guardians of justice and compassion, trustees of spirit and breath. They were shamans, healers, seers, midwives, oracles, herbalists, astral travelers, and earthly angels of mercy. Born remembering the Old Ways , the ancient customs and mores of the Dark Mother, they were charged with ensuring bountiful goodness. Their task was not always easy.

At birth each had been marked by the ancient sign of the Streghe—their faces were covered with their birth caul. Word spread among the elder Streghe, who soon gathered and rejoiced, making votive offerings to the Great Mother. Gingerly they removed the afterbirth and baked it under the scorching sun. When it had properly withered, they formed the translucent skin into an amulet. This sacred talisman was worn, like holy lei, around each child’s neck. It served to ward off harm and to remind them always of their special powers, for they could choose to beget good or evil. The difference was not always clear.

© 2006, Mary Saracino

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Author:          Mary Saracino

Title:               The Singing of Swans, Pearlsong Press 2006

Excerpt:         Chapter 1: Night Rider, © 2006 Mary Saracino

Used with permission

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Mary is an independent scholar of the Sacred Feminine. She co-teaches a workshop called Ancient Images/Modern Icons: Art-Making and the Divine Feminine that combines 100s of images of the Sacred Feminine from around the globe with hands-on in-studio art-making (ceramics and mixed media).  Her newest novel, The Singing of Swans (Pearlsong Press 2006) tells the story of a contemporary woman’s spiritual journey to reclaim her life.  The novel weaves magical realism with Divine Feminine lore (other characters include a priestess of Persephone, an herbalist/painter, and a strega (Italian witch/healer).   The book is available from her publisher at www.pearlsong.com or on amazon.com.  For more information about Mary, visit www.marysaracino.com.