In individual psychology, there’s an experience called by different names, but the more poetic and evocative term is “shadow work.” This is a process during which a person begins to face the denied, disowned, rejected, and suppressed parts of her or himself—and integrate them. The psyche cannot be whole or healthy without engaging in this process […]

There is an art form from Japan called kintsugi. Literally, it means repairing with gold. The art form reportedly originates from 15th century Japan when the shogunate Ashigaka Yoshimasa dropped and broke a beloved tea cup. The tea cup was eventually taken to a skilled Japanese ceramic artist who glued the pieces together and highlighted […]

Picture this: You’re sitting around relaxing, scrolling through Instagram, when suddenly you see a post from a writer friend: “So excited! Just signed on with my dream agent! Woo-hoo!!!” Instantly, your stomach drops and you feel slightly nauseous, and then two seconds later you feel guilty as hell. There’s no denying it, you’re jealous, even […]

There is probably nothing more mind-numbing than working on a task that is meaningless, boring, or uninspiring. It is the feeling we get when we are sitting in a lengthy and irrelevant meeting and the one we get when we are revising work that was well-done to meet the demands of an uncaring and capricious […]

Despite what you might believe, you are not the Energizer Bunny – and you will not keep on going and going and going. Even though some of us have a lot of energy, others do not. Those with great energy, still have to take time to recharge, or to rebuild Qi. An abundance means that […]

What is Stagnation? For streams and rivers to flow there must be adequate water and a clear pathway.  When there is too little or the river is blocked with pollution or debris the water will stagnate and fester.  The flow of Qi, Blood and Fluids in our body is very similar.  When we have adequate […]

I was sitting at work the other day and felt a bit thirsty. On my desk I had a bottled water, a cup with a tea packet in it, and a soda. Without hardly thinking, I glanced up and started to reach for one. Then I stopped. I was struck by the power of choice […]

We have all heard it, anything worth doing is worth doing well. We heard it as children and we probably have said it to others as adults. But, is there room to do something badly? According to some people, there is. G. K. Chesterton was a prolific writer and Christian philosopher who lived in the […]

When writers first start out writing they tend to concentrate on all the wrong things. The big question always seems to be: Do I have talent? This is followed closely by: How do I get an agent? When I was a new writer I also agonized quite a bit over these things. It’s very normal. […]

I walked by a mirror and caught the glance of my own eyes. The words that came from my lips without warning surprised me. “I love you.” It stopped me. I turned back to meet my gaze in the mirror. It was the first time in my life that this had ever happened spontaneously. Unlike […]