Julie Tallard Johnson
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Julie's Blog

The Labyrinth & Clue of the Red Thread

1/20/2021

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In celebration of a new day for our nation, as citizens, we are called to cross this threshold in ways that heal the heart of our democracy. I believe to bring about continued positive transformation, the success of this comes from an individual who knows that our outwardness is dependent upon our inwardness. 
​
Our Myth
The Labyrinth and Clue of the Red Thread,
  excerpt from my upcoming book.  (Available for purchase on January 26th, 2021.) 


Imagine young men and women in your country and neighborhood being routinely sent to war, working in hospitals to deal with a pandemic without safety masks, or confronting such daily horrors as hate crimes, gun violence, and sexual assault. Imagine further that those in power expect their citizens to sacrifice themselves on the altar of the economy, false patriotism, and revenge at a time when guns, money, and autonomy outrank dignity, community, and justice. Imagine further that you choose to act against these injustices to serve your people as best you can and defend humanity and democracy.

In Greek mythology, the king’s daughter Ariadne lived in the palace of Knossos on Crete where she was put in charge of its many mazes and labyrinths. Crete was known as a place of “extremes and contradictions.” Underneath the Knossos palace was a complex and deadly maze built by the master designer Daedalus to house the Minotaur. Daedalus himself got lost in this maze, almost to die there.
Young men and women from Athens were routinely sent into the maze to be devoured by the Minotaur in a sacrificial rite of revenge. Theseus, an Athenian prince, came to free Athens from 

its commitment of sacrifice and vowed to enter the maze and kill the Minotaur. Ariadne fell in love with Theseus, and because she loved him, she resolved to come to his aid. She gave Theseus her ball of red thread so he might fasten it to the labyrinth’s entrance, then unravel it to mark his passage into its center. When Theseus initially took hold of the ball of red thread, the deadly maze was instantly transformed into a negotiable labyrinth—though still with its challenges and deceptions—which he was then able to enter, confront the Minotaur, and safely return out.
 
Ariadne’s thread was a guiding device. As there was not an easy way to memorize the paths of the labyrinth, the thread helped overcome the difficulties and limitations of memory. Even when someone successfully met up with the Minotaur, they never found their way out and died trapped inside the maze. The ball of thread is known as a clew (or clue) to solving the labyrinth, which had countless paths, some of which were treacherous.

Theseus represents that part of us that can be forgetful and too often sacrificed on the platform of someone else’s aspirations and plans. He is also the heroic part of us that is altruistically motivated and willing to break agreements with those in authority in order to serve humanity.
Courageous people who have gone before or are beside us now hand us the red thread of their wisdom to help transform us into heroic figures. All teachings and teachers come to us as part of a lineage. The red thread in this book represents the lineage of my teachers’ teachings, including that of Parker J. Palmer, handed over to us here as an expression of their and my love.

Because our lives are full of forked paths, contradictory twists and turns, and frequent dead ends, and because we can sometimes forget who we are, we often need a guiding thread, a clue to help us successfully navigate our own particular labyrinths. Taking the thread of teachings gives us the confidence to reach our internal center as well as face our Minotaur, and then safely find our way back home to self, purpose, and community once more. This is what the everyday heroine looks like.
​

Just as with Theseus in the myth, our assumptions, emotions, memories, and beliefs may be unreliable and thus lead us astray. Ultimately, they become the constructs of our mazes. Other people, too, may try to manipulate us into following their agenda for our lives. Once we firmly take hold of the red thread of teachings, however, we are wholly capable of traversing the many twists and turns in our lives for ourselves. We do not have to be sacrificed to appease anyone, nor do we have to live life lost in a maze constructed by us or someone else.

At each turn in our metaphorical labyrinth (and very real life!), we unravel more of the red thread, revealing some promise and tangible hope contained in each teaching. Each time we place the red thread on the ground to mark a clear path back out, we also “place down” inside of us an understanding and realization that we will continue to carry within us. The thread may unwind and weave as we make our way through the labyrinth of our lives, but it can never break. This red thread, unlike breadcrumbs, will not be devoured by some hungry bird, but remain within us always as lasting nourishment for our souls and communities. 
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The Initiated Writer

1/13/2021

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I had been offering the Initiation Course for over 10 years and later put together a book proposal based on this year-long course. A publisher accepted it, so then I had to get to work translating this material into a book. A book that people could use as a personal transformative experience. I wanted  them to sense me there with them as they read and took their own personal initiatory journey. I also encouraged my readers to use the material to facilitate their own circles, which many have. The challenge for me became HOW to put a year-long course down in a book. I couldn’t just lift from my notes. So, I came up with a template, the medicine wheel, the Initiation wheel, where people enter in the south. I placed in the wheel's directions the course teachings and its explorations and practices.

As a writer I used the template of the Wheel to write the book.  

This worked so well (and I have done similar practices to write all my books, (The Wheel of Initiation being my 8th book); I designed an on-line course to help writers find their personal templates and 
myths so as to write from their stories, experiences and teachings. I created the The Initiated Writer on line course. With this course, along with my personal help, you can take your personal experiences and knowledge and translate it into something meaningful to writers.

Using this on-line class, The Initiated Writer you will discover a way and place for all your stories, and with ease move through the resistances that arise along the writer's path. You will write and complete your book. Whether or not the template and symbolism is a strong narrative in the book itself is a decision you make as you write.  The intent and outcome of this Initiation process is to use these templates and symbols to successfully write. 

You will initiate yourself as a writer. 


Truth is within ourselves, it takes no rise
from outward things; whate’er you may believe there is an inmost center in us all
where truth abides in fullness; and around, wall upon wall, the gross flesh hems it in,
this perfect, clear perception which is Truth.
A baffling and perverting carnal mesh
Binds it and makes all error; and to know rather consists in opening out a way
whence the imprisoned splendor may escape than in effecting entry for a light
supposed to be without.

Robert Browning, from “Paracelsus” 

To sign up or explore this more: The Initiated Writer 



Coming soon: My next book, where I used the labyrinth and the myth of the red thread to write: 


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Surrender Dorothy

1/6/2021

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This

Surrender is a sure pathway to our imagination.  When we have our imaginations we are free to invite, create and manifest what is possible in any given situation.

But, what does it mean to surrender?

To surrender means to open, to release and allow space for what you want to create and experience. To surrender means to surrender our negative states, to surrender our resistance in a given area so that our creativity and naturalness can manifest without the severity of any inner opposition. To be free of inner conflict and expectations is to give ourselves (and others) a great freedom. A freedom to experience the basic nature of the universe, which, it will be discovered, is to manifest the greatest good possible in a situation. 

What do you believe is possible?  Write about that.


Religious fanatics, abusive bosses, tyrants, fake shamans, angry atheists, controlling partners, or cultists, are out to curb and control your imagination. This is because inherently we all know that our greatest power is our imagination. If someone controls your imagination, they control you. 

Who or what is trying to control you?  Write about that.

What did you once believe but find hard to imagine now?   Write about that.

Write about what was outside your childhood window.

Write a letter to your future self and what you hope and imagine she will be experiencing. 


"The imagination is the creative force in the individual. It always negotiates different thresholds and releases possibilities of recognition and creativity that the linear, controlling, external mind will never even glimpse. The imagination works on the threshold that runs between light and dark, visible and invisible, quest and question, possibility and fact. The imagination is the great friend of possibility. Where the imagination is awake and alive, fact never hardens or closes but remains open, inviting you to new thresholds of possibility and creativity."  –O'Donohue, John. Anam Cara (p. 145). HarperCollins

A good teacher, Writing Sherpa, friend, or leader will encourage and support you in your own explorations. And when we are a good friend to ourselves we nurture and are nurtured by our own imaginings. 
​
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The Hearth of Kinship

12/30/2020

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Black Sheba
In Buddhist philosophy we understand that there is no singular, independent self. That everything and everyone is connected to everything else.  We would not exist in isolation. Even the soul is dependent up on the body. (and perhaps the body on the soul). What is possible is dependent upon countless known and unknown factors and Beings. 
 
Write about that.
 
What beliefs or assumptions do you have about what makes us human?  Write a scene were you (or a character) discovers something that challenges a core belief that you (or they) hold.
 
“Individuality is never simple or one-dimensional. Often it seems as if there is a crowd within the individual heart. The Greeks believed that when you dreamed at night, the figures of your dreams were characters who left your body, went out into the world, and undertook their own adventures; they then returned before you awoke. At the deepest level of the human heart, there is no simple, singular self. Deep within, there is a gallery of different selves. Each one of these figures expresses a different part of your nature. Sometimes they will come into contradiction and conflict with each other. If you meet these contradictions only on the surface level, this can start an inner feud that could haunt you all the days of your life. Frequently, you see people who are sorely divided. They are in a permanent war zone and have never managed to go deeper to the hearth of kinship, where the two forces are not enemies but reveal themselves as different sides of the one belonging.  O'Donohue, John. Anam Cara (p. 113). HarperCollins e-books. Kindle Edition.

 
What crowd occupies your heart?  Write about that.
 
What characters are showing up in your dreams?  Write about that.
 
The hearth of kinship is here within us and surrounds us. This moment, even during these times of separation, faces hidden behind masks, and social distancing, we belong to one another.  We do not have to feel divided.
 
Everything (and everyone, no exceptions) is an expression to our one belonging.  Write about how that is true (or feels not so true) in your life.
 
You dear Reader are part of my kinship, my tribe, and an expression of my belonging. Just so!, all your present and future Readers will be that for you.
 
May what you want continue to come toward you in this New Year. May you be an invitation to these new arrivals, welcoming them into your inner and outer hearth.  May you find yourself at the hearth of the page as writer and reader. Happy New Year Friend.
 
Julie
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Imagine, what is hard to believe

12/23/2020

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"It is always hard to believe that the courageous step is so close to us, that it is closer than we ever could imagine, that in fact, we already know what it is, and that the step is simpler, more radical than we had thought: which is why we so often prefer the story to be more elaborate, our identities clouded by fear, the horizon safely in the distance, the essay longer than it needs to be and the answer safely in the realm of impossibility." 
― 
David Whyte, Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words

What do you imagine is a close in step to take?  Write about that.

What are three things you can try that you have never tried? (keep it simple).  Write about that.

Who were you when you were born? Write a poem about that.

What is on your horizon?  Write about that. 

How can you help yourself imagine all that is possible? To open to what we truly want for ourselves and our communities? Like a prayer we may say on our walks or waking: Give me the view of an explorer; help me open to what is possible and be of real benefit to myself and others. 


Start close in,
don’t take the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.


Start with
the ground
you know,
the pale ground
beneath your feet,
your own
way to begin
the conversation.

Start with your own
question,
give up on other
people’s questions,
don’t let them
smother something
simple.


To hear
another’s voice,
follow
your own voice,
wait until
that voice
becomes an
intimate
private ear
that can
then
really listen
to another.


Start right now
take a small step
you can call your own
don’t follow
someone else’s
heroics, be humble
and focused,
start close in,
don’t mistake
that other
for your own.


Start close in,
don’t take
the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.

​

From ‘Start Close In’ in ‘River Flow:
New and Selected Poems’
Many Rivers Press © David Whyte

Book Release!! the Clue of the Red Thread:  discovering fearlessness and compassion in uncertain times, released JANUARY 12th, 2021 by  Nine Rivers, an imprint of Shanti Arts. ​

​
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​The Art (and Necessity) of Simple Disciplines

12/16/2020

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There is so much that is offered to the imagination. So many practices to consider in our vocation of writing. So many paths that can be taken (and made) in our spiritual lives. And there are so many reasons to feel despair due to all the difficulties, divisions and sufferings in the world today. So much that is out of our control. But it is through our intentions and disciplines, in following what we long for, that will help us arrive at a more unified, meaningful place.
 
Even how we awake can be a small , meaningful discipline. 
 
“Waking up into even the most ordinary day is a discipline, a test of our ability to hold the interior world, where we have just been re-imagined and revolutionized, with the moving, tidal, seasonal, not to be controlled, physical world we are just about to enter.”  David Whyte: Essentials . Many Rivers Press. 

 
I wake as slow as possible, then I recite a vow aloud. These vows evolve as I age. Some I have created myself and some I have borrowed from my spiritual teachings.  But waking in a way that is more of a welcome than a chore is a great discipline. How do you greet yourself, your day?
 
Each day offers up an invitation to listen and follow our longings, but each path will be made with a recognition for the necessity of discipline.
 
How is listening to what you love a discipline?  Write about that.
 
Discipline is purely cognitive. All discipline is interior. The result  of inner disciplines is physical and emotional. Getting my boots and winter pants on to go for my daily walk is a mental process of preparedness. (One I can talk myself out of!) Once I am dressed and ready, the walk is a joy. I often set the discipline of going to a certain destination, only then having to return if I want to get back home. Getting to the meditation cushion or empty page is the simple discipline of arrival. The discipline of showing up. More often than not, once we arrive, we will meditate or write. Best to make the time commitment reasonable, small, with a possibility of more time dedicated to our creative callings. 8 minutes of meditation every day is better than an hour once in a while. Writing for 15 golden minutes every day is better than sporadic, long sits with weeks, or years in between.
 
Think small. Set a destination point and get your pants on.
 
Again, the mind is what will bring you to the page or cushion. The disciplines of thought. The discipline of training our minds is the path. One of our necessary disciplines is the ability to stay close to what is still hidden and unknown in us, the interior world of our curiosities and questions, out of which our new and meaningful future will arrive.

What is a first or next step toward what you long for? Write about that.
 
Consider your disciplines to be an act of self-compassion. Contemplate that.
 
A small discipline comes into what we say no to.   Write about that.
 
These small disciplines are not ones dictated to us by religious figures or established authors, or your mother. These are invitations of self-love, a way that we follow what we love to some future destination.
 
What do you love?  Write about that.

Where do you find yourself wanting to be, but resisting the arrival?  Write about that. 

What interior discipline is needed to better show up in your life?  Write about that. 
 
As with all manner of discipline, we gain most when we are willing to freely choose what seems difficult.  An invitation to choose something that calls to us but takes a courage and an interior insistence to show up for.
 
“The intention of an ascetical discipline is not to turn you into a spiritual warrior, but to free you for compassion and love towards others and towards yourself.” O'Donohue, John. Eternal Echoes HarperCollins
 
“Meanwhile, Leopold’s study of birds became more disciplined. He first began to keep systematic records of his observations in 1902. As the migrations began in the early months of 1903, Aldo was up before the sun, out on the blufftop with his notebook in one hand and his grandmother’s opera glasses in the other, gazing up into the trees.” Meine, Curt D.. Aldo Leopold. University of Wisconsin Press.
 
“Anyone even vaguely familiar with Buddhism will understand that it places greater emphasis on the mind as the principal means for salvation than it does on an external deity. While this general assumption is certainly correct, the Buddhist canon, as preserved in several Asian languages, contributes a vast literature on the purification, discipline, and transformation of the mind. The lojong teachings have been extracted from the most essential and fundamental aspects of these teachings and practices.”   Kyabgon, Traleg. The Practice of Lojong: Cultivating Compassion through Training the Mind. Shambhala.
 
“People wonder, “How does one reach this state of awareness,” but few follow the steps because they are so simple. First, the desire to reach that state was intense. Then began the discipline to act with constant and universal forgiveness and gentleness, without exception. One”. Hawkins, David R.. Letting Go (p. 348). Hay House. 
 
RISE!: Transformational Writing and Yoga: 
​Restorative•Integrative•Soulful•Empowering.  An upcoming WINTER retreat by Molly Chanson and Julie Tallard Johnson.   Save the dates:  February 19th, 20th & 21st .  REGISTER HERE: RISE! Join Molly and me for a unique experience of writing, contemplation & yoga. 
 
 

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​The Death of Creativity

12/2/2020

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Another Walk in the Park
Comparing ourselves to others is a certain death to our confidence.  Comparing ourselves to others is a form of separation and division. When we compare ourselves, we typically see ourselves in a diminished light. (Oh, I’m not as good a writer as the others in this circle). At times we may see ourselves as better than others. (Oh, I can do better than that.) Both divide you from within and without.  From within you are divided from your creative and vulnerable self. From without, you have put an invisible wall between you and others.
 
Comparison is always a death roll. It will always diminish you.  Write about that.
 
Instead,  consider the beauty of contrast. Seeing and creating from contrast is an invitation to celebrate differences. An invitation to stay in the conversation and learn from one another or from our surroundings. Contrast is a display of variation and how differences interact and effect each other; like how light contrasts with the dark. Or how your writing contrasts with mine.
 
As I walked through Stewart Park yesterday, I witnessed the shadow of the trees appearing on other trees. The hoarfrost sparkled on the green and browning path. The contrasts of light and dark and shadow made my walk spellbinding.
 
The shadows gave character to the light. Recognizing differences from a contrasting point of view rather than a comparison point of view, will offer up more to the creative mind.  If I had been comparing yesterday’s walk with the day’s before I may have missed the grandeur of this walk.
 
In our writing and life how can we transform our drive to compare into a beautiful contrast?  Write about that?
 
What are the contrasts in your life and stories?  Write about that.
 
How have you compared your present day self to the past or future self? Write about that.
 
How has your comparisons separated you from others? From your creative self?  Write about that.
 
What and to whom do you compare yourself? Write about that.
 
How can you transform all your comparisons into a beautiful, invitational contrasts? Write about that.


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Contrast
Join me and other writers for my three free FIRST FRIDAYS to retreat, write, connect.  First Friday's of December, January & February.  On January 1st I will take you through the process of creating a writer's VISION BOARD, scripting & writing first paragraphs of your stories! Email me to sign up (room for 3 more): julie@julietallardjohnson.com.  (Free but a donation will be welcomed.) 

RISE!: Transformational Writing and Yoga: 
​Restorative•Integrative•Soulful•Empowering.  
An upcoming WINTER retreat by Molly Chanson and Julie Tallard Johnson.   Save the dates:  February 19th, 20th & 21st .  REGISTER HERE: RISE! Join Molly and me for a unique experience of writing, contemplation & yoga. ​
​

As many of you know the writing program though the UW, Madison Continuing Studies is closing June, 2021.  My FINAL CLASS offering through that program is coming up in February: The Vulnerability of Writing Nonfiction: The Threads of Autobiographical Writing  Each session will have lessons on the journey and the craft of writing nonfiction. This is for those working on a nonfiction project, be it an essay, a memoir, or a blog series or spiritual teaching memoir. Each student will have their subject and theme defined along with a path to creating and developing their ideas. In Option 2, you’ll send in up to ten pages of your work for consultation and guidance and receive a 20-minute one-on-one Zoom session about your pages. ​6 sessions; Feb 1, 8-9, 15, 22-23. 

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Before I Knew Your Name

11/25/2020

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​Before I knew your name
 
Oh Beloved! I have darted over bear grass
Fields in thunderstorms
Dancing, rejoicing your
Name before I knew your
Words on my lips.
 
I knew you then as that
Tension in the air
Before it storms
The swift movement
 
My fishers cap caught
In the wind
And those quiet evenings
With the young British Soldier
On the porch
Of the hut with frosty windows-
Them inside, us outside
My companions playing cards
Drinking constant comment tea
Courtney circling her hand
On the window
To peek at us on the deck
This glacial night
Me on tiptoe
Leaning over to brush his
Lips with mine.
 
During this time of my life,
I knew you only as
The loons knew you-
My eyes too tired to open,
The smell of the musty green
Tent and last night’s bug spray
And hot coco on my lips.
 
But still I would rise;
Walk to the water’s edge
The stillness like solitude
In prayer
Although my lips did not yet
Utter creeds
But songs
 
Welcoming the dawn light
The launch of my solo canoe
Wood gliding though water,
My paddle careful to carry me to
The ridge where I would
Greet the day.
 
Before I knew prayer
My body moved
In your name.
A dance of rejoicing
With your creation.
 
Now I read from script
Now I utter creeds and promises,
My ankles thick and
Aching
For the temple of
Pine needles and hot coco
And thunderstorms,
My simple
Breath
In a canoe
At dawn.        –Frances Corry 


Frances Corry lives and writes in Madison Wisconsin. She has a BA. from University of Wisconsin- Madison in English/Creative Writing, and an MSW from University of Chicago. Combining these backgrounds, she works with groups of older adults to help them write their life stories.  She can be contacted at franciecorry@gmail.com . She has been in Julie Tallard Johnson's Writing circles, and is in the Mentorship Program that Julie offers. "Writing is a deeply personal, vulnerable and spiritual endeavor for me.  Julie has been instrumental in helping me explore and put to the page the little and big miracles in life. " (Frances) 

Join Frances and other writers for my three free FIRST FRIDAYS to retreat, write, connect.  First Friday's of December, January & February.  On January 1st I will take you through the process of creating a writer's VISION BOARD, scripting & writing first paragraphs of your stories! Email me to sign up (room for 5 more): julie@julietallardjohnson.com.  (Free but a donation will be welcomed.) 

As many of you know the writing program though the UW, Madison Continuing Studies is closing June, 2021.  My FINAL CLASS offering through that program is coming up in February: The Vulnerability of Writing Nonfiction: The Threads of Autobiographical Writing  Each session will have lessons on the journey and the craft of writing nonfiction. This is for those working on a nonfiction project, be it an essay, a memoir, or a blog series or spiritual teaching memoir. Each student will have their subject and theme defined along with a path to creating and developing their ideas. In Option 2, you’ll send in up to ten pages of your work for consultation and guidance and receive a 20-minute one-on-one Zoom session about your pages. ​6 sessions; Feb 1, 8-9, 15, 22-23.  
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Rise! a live online Yoga and Writing Retreat

11/18/2020

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February 19, 20, and 21
RISE! a live online Yoga and Writing Retreat
Experience Freedom and Transformation
12pm CST on Friday, February 19 to 12pm on Sunday, February 21
During this restorative and empowering retreat, come back to your true self on the mat and the page. We’ll combine yoga, breath, meditation, and writing prompts to explore and access our pain stories in order to live our most authentic and fulfilled life. 

This Yoga and Writing Retreat is about listening to your body and using your voice. We tend to the pain story or emotion to free our mind, body, and soul. 
During this retreat you will:
  • move, breathe, and write to access and address parts of your inner Self
  • learn radical acceptance and self-compassion
  • eliminate guilt, shame, and fear as they relate to your past and pain stories
  • learn to trust your inner teacher through yoga
  • increase resilience and calm the Central Nervous System with breath
  • increase your body’s balance and flow
  • use writing and sharing circles to rewrite core beliefs and heal from trauma
  • use meditation to heal the brain and free stuck energy
  • cultivate a better understanding of your authentic Self

REGISTER!Testimonials from attendees
“Life changing. Loved the pairing of yoga and writing. I feel so fortunate to have worked with 2 masters, Julie and Molly. Absolutely blessed!” – Jeannette
“The combination of yoga and writing was fantastic. It made me explore my writing at a much deeper level.” - Jean
“The blend of yoga and writing moments was comfortable and empowering. I loved the ease of the weekend.” – Patricia
“This was amazing. The combination of yoga and writing has been very powerful and enlightening! Very transforming. So glad I came.” – Dona
“I loved it being on zoom. I loved being in my home. I love being in that studio room now where this retreat took place for me. It holds the energy. I was so comfortable here. There were no awkward transitions. No mindless chatter. Focus all the way.  Online is my new favorite way to be on retreat!” - Carla
“The beautiful serendipity of the whole thing.” – Maria
“The two of you brought me to tears so many times this weekend. Keep shining your lights.” – Liz


REGISTER!
Daily Schedule:
Friday, February 19
12:00pm CST – Join video chat, Welcome, Engage
1-2:15 p.m. – Centering Meditation and Yoga Practice with Molly – Yoga as a Path of Inquiry
2:30-4:30 p.m. – Writing Time with Julie: Opening up on the Page: The Inner Labyrinth of Transformation and Realization
4:30-6:00 p.m. – Dinner break and writing & Exploration time
6:00-7:00 p.m. – Writing prompt: Writing Our Personal Experiences (Pivotal Moments) Writing toward Understanding
7:00-8:00 Restorative Yoga Practice: The Body as an entrance to our emotional Self.


Saturday, February 20
8-9 a.m. — Yoga with Molly – Allowing all things to be present at once
9-10 a.m. — Breakfast break
10-11:00 a.m. — Introduction to Samskara
11:00 – 12:30 — Writing Practice with Julie. Transformational Writing: Heart Centered Practices that lead to Transformation.
12:30 p.m. — Lunch break and Individual Writing Time & explorations
3-4 p.m. — Afternoon yoga and Pranayama – Engage in the Joy and the Challenge - the path to Self
4 p.m. — Writing circle with time to share and listen. Led by Julie.  
5:30-7 p.m. — Dinner break and open writing time
7-8 p.m. – Restorative Yoga Practice – To move from an integrated core; Trust in oneself


Sunday, February 21
8-9 a.m. – Yoga with Molly – Powerlessness and its connection to nonviolence 
9-10:00 a.m. — Breakfast break
10:00-11:00 –  Dharma and. writing prompts for the road
11 a.m.- 12:00pm — Closing Circle

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It works if you work it

11/11/2020

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on the trail
On my recent bike ride on Military Trail I stopped at the Wishing Tree.  I stopped because I am practicing bringing an attitude of youthfulness to my experiences and choices.   I have past this tree for 3 years now.

I'm attending another Sunday Series with David Whyte, and a microdiscipline for this week is: "Growing younger toward our death."  Or, How can we bring a youthfulness to the threshold we stand on now?  So, I stopped at the Wishing Tree (picture below). Each day I open up to a more youthful approach to something that arises at my doorstep. 

Another microdiscipline is to ask ourselves upon rising: What is the invitation being made to me?"  This of course can be brought into any circumstance or conversation. 

What is the invitation here? Write about that. 

How can I make this winter of COVID and uncertainty more invitational? How can I grow younger into my aging?Mostly I am keeping the questions active in my heart as I write, as I wake, as I move through my day. He points out too that those places that are not invitational or conversational are dangerous, and need to be left behind.

How can you grow younger toward your death?  Write about that.

What invitations are here for you?  Write about that. 

Am I in a place that is not invitational for me?  Write about that.

We end our Al Anon meetings with: "Keep coming back, it works if you work it, and you're worth it!"   And we are. We are worth it.  Keep coming back to the page. Keep coming back to what nourishes you. (Write about that). Express your worth and youth by showing up and coming back to what is meaningful to you.

What is meaningful to you today?  Write about that.

Join us. the Yogi & the Writer for a truly transformative 3 days in February: 

RISE!: Transformational Writing andYoga: 
Restorative•Integrative•Soulful•Empowering.  An upcoming WINTER retreat by Molly Chanson and Julie Tallard Johnson.   Save the dates:  February 19th, 20th & 21st .  REGISTER HERE: RISE! Join Molly and I for a unique experience of writing, contemplation & yoga. ​

Join me for the FIRST FRIDAY'S in December, February & March.  A day of gathering live (on-line) with me, guiding you with some writing prompts, holding space to write and ending with a writing circle. 9 am till 5:00.  A love offering is welcomed but not necessary.  Limited to 15. Email me for more details & to register. 

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    All Write Wednesdays: World into Word

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    Author and counselor Julie Tallard Johnson
    I live in Mount Horeb WI where I walk (snow shoe in the winter) my dogs through Stewart Park, garden my corner lot, wear a mask in public (and a cape at night). I love to write & connect to writers. My book The Zero Point Agreement  is my latest of ten. I do love to write! My up coming book:  the Clue of the Red Thread: Discovering Fearlessness & Compassion in uncertain times  comes out this January 26th, 2021 through Shanti Arts, Nine Rivers Imprint. 

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