Mindful Writers Weekend Retreat
[caption id="attachment_1164" align="alignnone" width="340"] Mindful Writers Weekend Retreat[/caption]...
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Writings and Readings Blog
Madhu Bazaz Wangu
A TOOTH FELL # 4; WHO AM I? # 5
A Tooth FellPoem #4 A tooth fell…A milk tooth from a five year old. A tooth cracked…A hollow tooth from an eighty-five year old. The first one blossoming to life,The second withering away from it. The first one learning about the elements.The second merging back into them. A fender falls here, a tire there. The one who identifies only with the body,disintegrates like an old car. Become self-aware; identify with consciousness.And merge back into Consciousness. ***** Who Am I?Poem # 5 Who am I? By paying attention to one personal thoughtI come to know all my thoughts. By attending to one honest feelingI come to experience what flows within me. By doing one genuine act, uttering one truthI know what my actions are aimed at. I make invisible, visible. By attending withinI get to know my authentic Self. That’s who I really am!...
Read MoreTwo Poems
One March Morning Outside my window this morning, I heard a red robin sing. Did I see the song?Did I smell the song?Did I taste the song?Did I touch the song? I wore the red song.Spread my wings, andsoared the sky. I saw the seas and the land,against the blue sky.I saw the fragile earth. Back on the firm ground.I felt “more than” a woman—a human. Writing Pleasure Simply write!Do not speak of writing.Do not speak of publishing.Do not speak of other people’s writing. Read ravenously, voraciously.Unravel your knots in spontaneous words.Move your senses inwards by sitting still.When body, heart and mind are one,flow streams smoothly. Other writer’s success or failure does not affect you.Profit or loss does not touch you.Praise or criticism does not ruffle you. Derive pleasure solely from writing.Feel admired and honored by the Self.Write, simply write!...
Read MoreInspiration and Stillness
Dear Readers, My illness though banal left me in no mood or strength to post New Year Greetings. So today, please let me wish you a belated Happy New Year! The months of January and February passed by in a flash. I was neither quite sick nor wholly well. Watery eyes. Runny nose. Dripping fluids weakened my sense, made my thought process incoherent No fever. But the dry cough refused to leave me until the end of the second month. After four weeks of cough syrups, nose spray, cold tablets and inhaling steam three times a day I got my normal health back. But looking back I would rather not complain about two months of common cold. Many things were revealed to me during my illness that I could not have envisioned in health. (Except...
Read MoreDEFINING MOMENTS & LESSONS LEARNT by James Robinson
A number of defining moments have shaped my life such as my marriage, the births of my children and grandchildren. Equally important are the defining moments of my writing life. The moments that "I chose (this path) and that's what's made all the difference." (Robert Frost) One such moment happened when-after our family's annual trek to Hilton Head Island in 1994. I promised myself to begin writing in earnest. I began by writing about mid-life. I had a lot to write about. My body, at the tender age of 40, was starting to betray me. My buttocks sagged. My favorite pair of jeans became ill fitting overnight and so on. I had a book's worth of material. I tentatively titled the book Fighting Mr. Gravity. Pretty silly, right? I queried to agents...
Read MoreYou Are Never Too Old to Write
As we grow older our writing process may slow down. Our short-term memory may not be as sharp. Spelling may elude us at times. But we are constantly aware if we want to complete a book of our dreams we must write daily. We cannot procrastinate. And when we finish a piece and see our work in print what an exhilarating experience that is! James Robinson, this month's guest writer shares his experience of starting to write rather late in life in his piece, "Defining Moments and Lesson Learnt." (See Writing & Meditation Page) You are never too old to start practicing mindful writing. Those moments when your heart is overflowing with feelings and thoughts simply bring out your notebook or laptop and begin. Write as long as you can keep...
Read MoreFINDING A SAFE PLACE by Eileen Enwright Hodgetts
"Wisdom is like a fire; people take it from others" (East African proverb) I joined the Mindful Writers Group in 2012 just before the group went on its three months winter hiatus. I had attended only three meetings and looked forward to the Spring 2013 when the yearly session was to start. I had no idea if I would really feel at home writing in a room full of people and food (although the food was definitely a bonus). But now that I know and understand the group mindset I find it a very fulfilling experience. The Group is an interesting exercise in trust and acceptance. Perhaps some of the writers know each other outside of the group but I do not. Yet I come eagerly every week to sit...
Read MoreAnother Mindful Writer
It is my pleasure to post the mindful meditation and writing experience of yet another Mindful Writer, Eileen Enwright Hodgetts. She joined our Wednesday meetings more than a year ago. (Please see "Finding A Safe Place" on Writing and Meditation Page) Eileen says, 'as far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a writer.' When she worked part-time (1985 to 1999), Eileen wrote plays such as Titanic to All Ships, Phoebe and the Steel City Vampires, Whirlpool the Musical, For all the Saints and a number of one-act plays. As a playwright she won the Pittsburgh New Works Festival Award, and numerous national awards including Best New Play from Theatre Americana. The latter was awarded to her for Titanic to All Ships about the senate hearings into the...
Read MoreIndia: A Wonderful Weave
It has been two weeks since I returned from my trip to India. Distance of a decade from the country of my birth made it possible for me to observe it as an outsider. I wondered, was I born and brought up here? So I just looked and breathed it all in. Years of my previous experiences as a young woman resurfaced as I soaked in the sights, sounds, smells and local foods. I felt saturated with the sensuousness, consumed with warmth of the people, their love. The colors, the art, the music, the ethnic food bursting with flavors revived my senses, made me feel alive. So hard to describe the experience! The month divided itself into three segments. First, the research for my second novel in the villages of Deorala...
Read MoreCANDY By Gwyn Cready
My grandmother used to read me a story about a girl who was given a magical box of candy. As long as the girl ate no more than two pieces each day, when she woke up the next morning, the box would be full again. But if the girl got greedy and ate more than she needed, which of course she did, the box would lose its magic and never refill itself again. I can think of no better metaphor for the joys of this world. If we can give up our need to dictate the terms of our joy-the amount, the timing, the flavor-we will find all the joy we could want without even looking for it. We need the red leather sandals with silver buckles, but we find unexpected joy...
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