A Dangerous Old Woman (with some prompts)

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Two Dangerous Old Women

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“If you are not free to be who you are, you are not free,” says Dr. Estés.

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When I claim that I am a dangerous old woman, I am free to be dangerous in ways that only free old women like me can be.  What makes me a dangerous old woman is that I can take the wildness and imagination of my youth and bring it to full bloom here and now. I don’t stress about what others think of me. I have the experience of being a misfit with a purpose. 

I have never felt invisible. So many women bring this up: how they feel invisible. Indivisible is more like it! Unable to be divided from within. Perhaps there are those who can't see us.  That’s on them. The dangerous old woman uses this invisibility to her and others’ benefit.  That is one thing that makes us so very dangerous. We don’t take action for recognition; we act to make a difference, to influence the world around us. We use our invisibility to enter rooms undetected where we might not otherwise have access.

We are also dangerous in other ways. We can go where we want, say what we want, and speak our minds. We are afraid of no one while we resist dogma and rules. But we are masterful at listening to and acting on our decades of wisdom and experience.  

Here are some contemplations and writing prompts for and from the Dangerous Old Woman (and for those dangerous old men, too): 

What dogma have you freed yourself from?  Write and contemplate that. 

When did you last write a blessing or a poem for a friend? 

What are the daily choices that most empower you?  

Where do you find it necessary to persevere, to keep at it? 

Where do you need to let go, to release? 

Write about times when perseverance, keeping at it, is held in the same place as releasing and letting go. (Yoga comes to mind. Hold the posture and let go of the outcome. Let go and let the body do its healing.) 

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Join me and other writers and spiritual friends in this upcoming series of live sessions: 
Explorations into Mindfulness and Breath for Writers & Creatives 

Explore the joy of mindfulness and breath to enhance and deepen your writing practice and creative awareness. Mindfulness of breath, of our physical and emotional body, and of the world around us awakens us to our greatest imaginations and joy.  Such practices invite creative breakthroughs.

A 6 month commitment to advance your writing, your mindfulness practices, and your creative awareness.  We will come together two times a month as a practice community. 

COMING UP IN OCTOBER, 2024
We will meet each month on the 2nd Thursday at 7:00 PM CST (for community, lessons and prompts for the month) and the 4th Wednesday at 7:00 AM CST for meditation (these will be recorded) through March, 2025. 

Click here to REGISTER or discover more about this unique opportunity.