Tag — Flock
Finding Kind
A while back, one of my Flock members asked for help around the idea of being kind. She works in a field that tends towards the snarky, and the atmosphere of cynicism was wearing her down.
We live in a society where criticism is a major past time. We spend hours serving as armchair critics as we watch competitions on reality TV. A highly polarized political climate has us lobbing our opinions at each other like so many emotive grenades. And as we move further and further away from the “be a good girl” era of the 1950′s housewife, we continue to struggle with the idea of kindness — because we don’t know the difference between being kind and being “nice.”
That’s why we are looking at Kindness as our core value in Flock next month. What is genuine kindness? Is kindess ever a truly altruistic act (and does it matter if it isn’t?) What is the difference between obedient nice-ness and authentic kindness?
While I was researching Kindness for the video lesson I’ll teach on Monday, I got an email from my girl’s middle school. They are screening the indie film Finding Kind. The film asks women to acknowledge that we have all, at some point, been unkind and catty to one another. And it asks young women to let go of the snarky inhieritance they’ve been give and to create a Kind Way.
The film itself is pink and perky, with blonde California Pepperdine co-eds leading the way. Right away the asthetic brought out the catty girl in me. I had to do quick act of soul-wrangling to get back on the Kind wagon. (Sometimes your spiritual practice is also a spiritual discipline.) As I got past the pink and clicked “play, ” I was touched by the passion the filmakers have to create a culture of kindess within girl culture.
I’m curious. What response does this trailer bring out in you? What does it tell you about your realtionship to Kind? And how do you encourage kindess amongst the young people in your life?
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Want to nurture Kindness in your world? Join Flock and practice with a kind crew. Kindness practice begins Monday, February 6th. Click here to join us.
Testify!
Isn’t this a beautiful star, Magpies?
Flock member and in-real-life friend, Leanna Ramsey-Corrales of Which Way is Home Again, made it with my daughters and I around our kitchen table. I love how she’s allowing mystery to draw her into the wild unknown of a new year.
The Flock Year meditation (free) has brought so many insights — from big bright energetic words, to gentle prompts to fuller living. Several Magpie readers have told me the name of their guiding star and they said I could share these beauties with Y.O.U. Here are just a few samples. (I love them all!)
BOLDNESS is most definitely the name of the star that I see in my sky. I’m getting on my camel, ready to follow wherever it leads in 2012. Wish me luck!… My star is hanging right where I’m guaranteed to see it every morning as soon as my eyes are open enough to pay attention. I’ll definitely be seeing you in Flock.” -Karen Coverett, Recreating My World
BOWL. I loved your telling of the story and the yearning it opened in me. I could see that curving path through the desert so clearly. I almost cried when I reached out my hand for my star. Oh please, I thought, because my mind was so wordless this morning and I was suddenly afraid there would be nothing there for me. Oh please. The star landed and I pulled it to me and looked down into the cup of my hand and there it was: bowl. … This is what my star looks like: be the golden bowl, be a vessel of light, and hold it out to the world in offering. -Lisa King, Tell This
SELF says to me that I need to spend time thinking about who I am – authentically – not who I think I should be or who I think I want to be. It’s time for me to understand I understand that I am enough. -Karen B
SERENITY. Thank you so much for that beautiful epiphany reflection. It really spoke to me. My guiding star is Serenity. It’s something I desperately need in my life and it’s a pretty word. :) I’m really excited to join the Flock. And I want to thank you also for making The Flock group so affordable. -Sarah
What is your word? Please come and tell me at my new Magpie Girl Facebook Page. I’d love to hear your unique story.
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Ready for year-round soulcare? We’re saving a seat for you in the Flock. Won’t you join us? Need more information first? Come over, let’s chat.
Magpie Moment: How a ten minute meditation changed my work, my body and my parenting.
What if ten minutes with your eyes closed could flip on a light switch in your life?
What if stepping into a story lead you to an “ah-ha moment”?
What if you could start out your year with a strong guide?
Still with me? Watch this 3.5 minute video to hear how I accessed all of these things. Then click here to do it yourself!
Much Warmth,
Rachelle
P.s. Want this kind of soulcare all year long? Your invitation awaits you here.
A Guided Meditation for New Year’s from Magpie Girl
Hello Magpie!
I so want to give you something sweet for the new year! One of my Flock members, Marie, says Flock emails “are like a piece of caramel. I …*sigh* {with} comfort.” So on Marie’s advice, I’m sending you one of my Flock email lessons as a special gift. Click here now to get your goodies right away, or read on to find out more!
Flock is my experimental relig-ish community. In the past it’s been open to women only. This year we are throwing the doors open wide so everyone we adore can discover their right-fit spiritual practices.
For 2012 we’ll be focusing on The Flock Year — a set of soulcare practices that reflect the changing seasons, and embody a set of core values. My goal is that by the end of this year you will have at least one soulcare practice each season that is 100% authentic to your unique belief system.
The first Monday of each month in The Flock Year you’ll receive:
- a video lesson explaining the history of that month’s practice, and how to engage in the practice.
- an invitation to email me for help adjusting the practice so it’s right-fit for y.o.u.
- space to exchange ideas about creative spirituality on our private Facebook page.
- the option to book individual spiritual direction sessions with me as needed. (This offer is only available to Flock members.)
In February, The Flock Year will begin it’s subscription price of $15 a month. The January lesson is my gift to you.
Find the name of your guiding star for 2012 with a free video lesson (8 min) and guided meditation (10 min). In less than 20 minutes, you’ll have a guide that will help you feel grounded and focused the whole year through. There’s no charge for this lesson, and you won’t get more than a handful of emails from this mailing list.
To receive Epiphany: follow your star please click here.
(This is an updated version of the meditation for 2012, along with a brand spanking new video lesson.)
Thank you so much for being here today. May your new year bring you fresh breezes, soft light, and many unexpected joys.
Much Warmth,
Rachelle Mee-Chapman
*your magpie girl
Flock: ReThink Pink
The April moon is known as the Pink Moon. This Native American name comes from the wild pink moss, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring.
I’m of the generation that eschewed little pink dresses and tried to raise of girls in yellows and greens. But this month, after a long dark winter of wearing black, I decided to give pink a chance.
My Soulcraft collage this month was a study in pinks. (Okay, pinks and oranges. Let a girl convert a little bit at a time!) I can’t say that it’s brought me a huge “ah ha” moment this month, nor that I feel like the energy and symbolism of this collage will be a strong guide during this moon cycle. But I can say that I feel lighter and more joyful when I look at it. I could use more joy in my life — could you?
What about you? How are you nurturing joy in your life during this Spring season? What does joy feel like when it comes to you? Where are some unexpected places you’ve been surprised by joy?
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Every month in Flock, we make a soulcraft collage to guide and inspire our living. Next month moon specialist Amy Palko from Bloom by Moon is joining us as one of our expert Soulcare Providers. We have a limited number of seats available in Flock. Click here to join our private, online community dedicated to “finding a spirituality that fits.”
Relig-ish: A New Tribe
We are a new kind of soul, you and I; determined to live with honesty, hungry to find the truth that dances in a thousand places, and radically dedicated to the gospel of Love.
We are creative, soulful be-ings who want to curate the best of our religious past, while crafting an honest spiritual future. We are the high priestesses of our homes, creating seasonal celebrations that reflect our deepest values. We are the women creating rites and rituals out of art, and movement, and the food on the table. We are the amateur theologians writing creeds that allow us to look people in the eye. We are the people longing for a community built on support and curiosity, not judgment and condemnation. We will find that community. And if we cannot find one, we will create one because we are as wise as we are powerful.
This is what I want to assure you of: You are not alone. There are companions to travel with – withmates for the journey. We can each create our own spiritual path, and we can dance together at the crossroads.
We’ve been homeless for a while — we of the creative mind, we of the wandering soul. I grew tired of this. I also wanted a place to call home. So I created Flock, an online soulcare community where women like us can get advice, share resources, and celebrate our year together. It’s our new nesting place, and we seats are now open.
You’ve been fluttering around for a long time now It’s time to find a landing space. Welcome home.
Alert to Spring
Alert.
Prolific.
On Your Toes.
At the Ready.
There is so much going on in my world right now. So much fecundity.I feel bit buzzy — like these rabbits — all ears and alert, noses twitching. Ready. Watching. Waiting. Able to pivot on moment’s notice, to bolt and leap and scramble.
Every month in Flock we make a Soulcraft collage to help guide us through the next 30 days. As we work through the process, new things are revealed. This month I discovered that I have the kind of energy I need for the tasks at hand this month. That’s big thing for me, because I was sick for a long time–for seven years–and I did not have the energy I needed to live bright, big, and happy. It’s not overly familiar, but I’m enjoying it.
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Flock is an online soulcare community for women dedicated to helping you find a spirituality that fits. We are getting ready to accept new members on April 10th. Click here to learn more about our tribe, and jump on our waiting list to get first dibs on our new spaces.
Flock Sample: Epiphany – find your guiding star.
“The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty’ yes’ to your adventure.”
–Joseph Campbell
Hello Magpies!
Today is the Feast of Epiphany, and over in the Flock we are getting ready to discover the name of our Guiding Star for the year. Would you like to join us? We have a few spaces left before January 15th when we close our membership for the rest of the Winter. Click here for more information.
To give you a sneak peek into our online community, here is a sample of the kind of soulcare I provide there. It’s one part of our Epiphany celebration — a guided meditation to discover your Guiding Star for 2011.
Happy Epiphany,
Rachelle
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Epiphany: find your guiding star.
What stands out for you in the story of Epiphany? What are your plans to celebrate this year? How will you recognize and commemorate your guiding word?
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Would you like to celebrate seasonal celebrations with someone? Are you longing for right-fit spiritual practices? Are you looking for your Soultribe? Join us at Flock: Soulcare with Magpie Girl, a private online women’s group dedicated to “finding a spirituality that fits.” In order to let our community gel, our doors close to new members Jan 15th until the Spring. $27/mo, no minimum monthly limit. Click here to sign up. Welcome home.
Flock Sampler: Good Shabbos
Good Shabbos: Regard Your Home as Sacred
“…regard your home as sacred, as a golden opportunity to experience nowness. Appreciating sacredness begins very simply by taking an interest in all the details of your life.” - Chogyam Trungpa
Darrah Parker is a Seattle-based portrait, family, and “slice of life” photographer. Armed with her camera, she is on a constant search for the joy in everyday life, beauty in the over-looked and under-appreciated, and the magic in simple moments. She lives with her musician husband in Seattle and can be found most days at a coffee shop or farmers market, usually with a camera in hand. She shares her photography on her website and thoughts on living a creative life on her blog. Registration is currently open for the Slice of Life Project, a six-week workshop in which she will provide you with inspiration and photography exercises that will help you sink deeper into your life, your home, and your family, and find the beauty in your life – just the way it is.
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Good Shabbos photography is featured most Sundays at Flock: soulcare with Magpie Girl. Find out more about this inspiring online community here. We’d love to have you join us.
Flock Sampler: A new free series from Magpie Girl.
Hello Magpies!
Did you know that I host an online soulcare commuinty called Flock? That’s where I spend most of my time, being a withmate to people as they “find a spirituality that fits.” Here’s a little video about what goes on there, along with a free sampler series, and a discounted offer. Enjoy!
Sign Up for the free Flock Sampler series:
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Want more soulcare from Magpie Girl? Need some help creating your own mix of spiritual practices? Join us at Flock: Soulcare with Magpie Girl, a private online soultribe dedicated to “finding a spirituality that fits.” Join before December 31, 2010 and get our introductory price for-evah — just $20 a month. Click here to join. We’ll see you in the Flock!
