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.

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.

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.

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

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.”

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.
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.

“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.

“…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.

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!

Flock is regularly priced at $45/month. With all the expert advice and friendly support, that’s a fair price and a good value. But in this economy it is proving to be a hardship.

So I’m offering you Flock at $20/month. 

I’m not going to lie to you. I’m nervous about reducing the price. Will I continue to break even? Is this going to work? But I am THAT dedicated to getting the people who need us the most through the doors. So hold onto your hats kids, here we go!

Register now to get the reduced price through the end of the year.

In January the introductory offer will end and the original price will go into back into effect. As always, I am dedicated to helping you find a spirituality that fits. If Flock isn’t scratching where it itches, you can cancel at anytime. No Worries.

In order to make sure Flock doesn’t get flooded with too many new members all at once, we limit the number of people who can join each month. We are also capping the total number of Flock memberships at 150.

This month we  have just 20  15 12 10 8 spaces open. Once these are full, we will close our doors for awhile to let people get to know each other.

Click here to subscribe and reserve your space.

If you like what you’ve read here at Magpie Girl, you’ll love the creative, supportive community in Flock. Check out our current course offerings and meet our staff of expert soulcare providers. (Flock has it’s very own Life Coach, Sexologist, Spiritual Director, Therapist, Dream Counselor, Personal Chef, and Wealth Coach!) 

You’ve be flying around for a long time now. It’s time you come in for a landing. Flock is ready to welcome you home. See you there!

-Rachelle

Update 5/18/2010: The discount offer below is now full. Click here for more information.

I’m working through an excellent free series right now from Sonia Simone about creating Remarkable Communication products. One of the first assignments was to write about your ideal client, and then to write only for her.  The premise is that writing for a highly focused audience will focus your energy and create solid content that really scratches where it itches.

This is my description of my ideal client for Flock. Maybe you recognizer her? If so, we have a special treat waiting for you below. (Hello, you!)

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My ideal client for Flock is interested in standing in her own power to create her own spiritual path. She probably has some sort of religious background, but has already stepped away somewhat from the Institution. If she still attends it is on her own terms. She probably has secret beliefs she does not share with her religious community; or she stands out as an outspoken outlier.

She is not afraid of a little bit of “woo woo,” but probably does not think Burning Man is the end-all-be-all of spiritual experience.

She communicates well and on-topic and writes with emotion. She can self-edit her writing in order to make it accessible to others in the Flock.

She looks for places to “connect the dots” between ideas and topics. She likes to “dance in the overlap.” She is more concerned about finding places of commonality then shinning a spotlight on places of disagreement.

She has committed to make time to practice her spirituality and is willing to give stuff up (time, institutions, status) in order to create a spirituality that fits.

She does not give up at the first thing that doesn’t work, and can see failure as progress.

She is willing to invest in the process. She understands why paying for services is valuable and honorable.

She is willing to share her ideas and talents with others in ways that are healthy and not overly taxing for her. She looks for opportunities to collaborate. She offers support to others and to the community in small but meaningful ways.

While she is not interested in an all-consuming, time-intensive community, she is willing to notice and support her peers. When asked a question she tries to answer. She is free with compliments to those around her and eager to ask for input.

She’s okay with a diversity of beliefs and practices and likes learning from other’s traditions and perspectives. She is curious.
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Update 5/18/2010: The discount offer below is now full. Click here for more information.

Did you hear a little (or a lot) of yourself in that description?  We have a few $5 introductory offers available. Click here  for more info.  Flock is a private membership site dedicated to “finding a spirituality that fits.” Like a spa for the soul, Flock offers conversations, learning opportunities, and ways to practice your unique brand of spirituality.We can’t wait to welcome you home!

Did you know Flock has a personal chef? JRenee comes to us the first Saturday of the month with a delicious, health-filled, gluten-free recipe. She serves it up with a lovely table blessing, suitable to most spiritual persuasions. It’s food for the soul. Here’s an example…eat up!

Late Winter Warmth in Shades of Gold and Green.
originally posted in the Flock 03/06/10
By J. Renee

I don’t know about you guys, but the winter, as mild as we have had in Seattle, has really worn on my strength. Classes and commitments have been overwhelming me. I’ve been wondering where to turn for the peace I’ve needed. The obvious place for me is always the kitchen. It’s a place where I can create something and then enjoy it and hopefully watch others enjoy it as well.

This week a group of us got together to discuss the neighborhood pea patch and what we should plant in our part of the garden. What better way to discuss planting produce than by eating produce? So I settled on one of my earthiest dishes. It’s full of life and warmth and color and usually involves silence during the first few bites (that’s always my favorite part…).

It counteracts all the stress I’ve been feeling by restoring my body and mind. In fact, I’m pretty sure this Irish meal blessing describes it perfectly.

Irish Grace

May this food restore our strength,
giving new energy to tired limbs,
new thoughts to weary minds.

May this drink restore our souls,
giving new vision to dry spirits,
new warmth to cold hearts.

And once refreshed,
may we give new pleasure to You,
who gives to us all.

From dinner blessings

Broccoli Beet De-lish.

2 tbls Olive Oil
1 Shallot, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 strips of bacon, crumbled (optional)
1 large golden beet, cut in ¼ inch slices
1 Large head of broccoli, chopped including the stem
a handful of pine nuts
salt and pepper

Peel and slice beet, boil until soft. Drain and set aside.
Bake bacon in the oven on 375 until crispy, let cool and crumble.
In a frying pan, heat oil on med heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté for about three minutes.
Add broccoli and sauté until bright green, about 4-5 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
Add beets bacon and pine nuts and sauté for another 3-5 minutes.
Remove from heat and enjoy.

Might we suggest that you celebrate your bountiful table today by making a donation to our sisters? BEST is a good place to start — they help women in Tanzania with seed capital and business support. See a beautiful image of the results here, as Praise stands in her rice paddy, which is now providing for her family. Or click here to donate directly.

 
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Flock: Soulcare with Magpie Girl is an online soulspa full of support, guidance, inspiration and community. This private membership site creates a safe haven dedicated to “finding a spirituality that fits.” Please stop by to learn more about our current offerings, meet our professional soulcare providers, or to join us in the Flock.

What kind of questions do the Flock experts answer? When you have a Life Coach, a Sexologist, a Mental Health Counselor, a Dream Counselor, and a Money Healer on staff, the answer is almost anything. Here’s an example…

Originally posted in the Flock, February 3 2010.

Hello, Flock! Welcome to our first dream session with Karen Mori Bonner, MS, LPC. This month, a Flock Dreamer sends this dream:

It’s a recurring dream I’ve had for as long as I can remember and it always involves being in a big, dark, warm and comforting house full of rich wood and soft lamplight, lots of windy corridors and nooks and crannies for curling up and reading. I know it’s my house and I always marvel as how I can afford such a gorgeous, large home. But…at some point there’s a party happening downstairs and I go along and try to join in. It’s a work-related party with people I hate and I can’t figure out whether I’ve invited them or they’ve just turned up. I think from the conversation (which I can never remember) that they’re all much more intelligent than I am. I get really annoyed that they’re in my house and I can’t work out why. At some point then the house disappears and we’re in some kind of open-air venue that feels alien to me. Then I wake up!

Karen Replies:

Thank you, Dreamer! First, a reminder: I can’t (won’t) interpret the dream; I will make suggestions and comment on themes and larger symbolism found in the dream. It’s the responsibility of our Dear Dreamer to try these on and discard anything that doesn’t fit and produce that “a-HA!” moment.

Recurring dreams – Dreams come as pictures or little plays from our unconscious to tell us something about ourselves we do not already know. Think of a recurring dream as a blinking neon sign – you haven’t got the message yet.

Big dark warm comforting house – Often (not always) houses represent the psyche itself – where we live in our heads. This is especially true about “dream” houses that we don’t know from waking life like this one. A common theme is to discover a downstairs or an upstairs or more rooms than we thought – our psyche is bigger than we think and we’re only conscious of a limited area.

Party/downstairs – There is always a party going on in the unconscious! References to downstairs, underground, under water can be about deeper, not yet conscious places in our psyche. The party may refer to the dynamic elements in our psyche – our complexes. Don’t get excited about complexes. They are not necessarily positive or negative – they are just constellations of psychological energies that make up who we are based on our experiences and the emotions that accompanied them. (Say that three times fast!)

Work-related – the dream may be a comment on your work life, Dreamer – but not necessarily. However, that’s what I’d consider first if it were my dream.

People I hate – Ahhhh…. Here it is. Remember! Every thing and every one in our dreams are parts of us. Oh, NO! These “people I hate” are our Shadow. Parts of ourselves we’ve disowned, disavowed, devalued. Yet Psyche is always moving to reunite us with our split off selves so we can become conscious of them. Why? So we don’t project that shadowy stuff onto other people! The work for this Dreamer is to examine carefully the “people I hate” and come to see what part of that is her. We are selectively blind about ourselves but greater consciousness is called for in the world and it starts with us. Yikes! No wonder Dreamer (dream ego) is annoyed! Such an examination and call to consciousness may call for – brace yourselves! Change!
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Flock: Soulcare with Magpie Girl is an online soulspa full of support, guidance, inspiration and community. This private membership site creates a safe haven dedicated to “finding a spirituality that fits.” Please stop by to learn more about our current offerings, meet our professional soulcare providers, or to join us in the Flock.

A few months back I was honored to give an interview at Kristin Tennant’s excellent blog, Halfway to Normal. (I LOVE being interviewed!) Kristin asked such good questions, I thought I’d run it again here for folks who want to know more about the process behind Flock: Soulcare with Magpie Girl. I hope you enjoy it. And do stop by Halfway to Normal, where Kristin is  ”Daily defying what it means to be a divorced-Christian-liberal-remarried-Midwestern-mommy-writer.”

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How did you come up with the idea for Flock?

I’ve been a soulcare provider and community builder for many, many years. Two years ago we moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, and a consistent community base has been hard to come by. I miss having a physical soultribe to turn to, and in its absence I am grateful for the online tribe that has formed around me while I lived abroad. I am fan of Ecourses, but wanted something that was more ongoing, something where we could all sink a little deeper into relationship with others. So I decided to try forming an online soultribe.

Flock has several components. Did they all come to you at once, or did the idea begin as a specific component and then grew from there?

Everything I offer in the Flock has emerged organically from topics and practices that have been in embryo at Magpie Girl. I wanted to start with the High Holy Days, to provide an anchoring rhythm to our seasons. The Ask an Expert feature emerged out of the guest interviews I’d been organizing at Magpie Girl. The rites and rituals in Priestessy Things are part of the work I’ve done ever since my days as the Urban Abbess. And the Read-a-Longs…well, who amongst us doesn’t have a stack of books they’d like to talk about with their friends? You know that saying, “Nothing is ever wasted”? I’m finally seeing the truth of that as my seemingly random blogging matures into what is now being offered at Flock. Someone recently said to me, “At Magpie Girl, you feed us great stuff, but the Flock is where the real meat and potatoes happen.”

You have been blogging and interacting with readers for a long time. Are you able to pick up on certain questions and needs that lots of people seem to have? How did those themes translate to the creation of Flock?

Oh yes! The more I live in the blogosphere the more I notice recurring themes and questions among the women I read and follow, and who read and follow me. There’s a deep longing for a non-institutionalized expressing of spirituality. There’s also this intuitive need to tell our stories, which I think is intertwined with the outpouring of photography, mixed media art, fabric art, and poetry that is flooding the web. And there is a desire to have withmates on the journey. Perhaps that is the deepest felt need of all. I truly feel that is why the Flock has come into being.

Language around spirituality can be so confining, and can easily box us in. Was it difficult to find the right way to talk and write about what Flock is?

Flock is a pretty unique approach and concept, so we are letting the language around it develop as we go. I’m guessing that our description of Flock will remain fluid and evolve as we live out a life together. That’s why I didn’t include a tagline in the header. Right now we are using “soulcare spa” because it expresses nurture. And the “nesting place” concept is because so many of my Magpie Girl readers kept expressing the need to find a place to call home. Hospitality and a generous spirit are dominate values for me, and that’s what “soulcare” and “nesting” communicate to me.

Why do you believe things like rituals and creativity are integral to spirituality?

Mmmm. I couldn’t get by without rituals! To me, rituals access an un-seeable reality and make it physical, tangible.This helps us process and experience numinous things in a more full-bodied way. I also think rituals help us embed positive messages into our be-ings. They integrate important truths about ourselves and our living into our bodies and minds.

Creativity, to me, is at the heart of the Divine. In the Jewish and Christian tradition, it is the first thing we learn about God: “In the beginning, God created…” When we access our creative selves, we touch the Divine within us and reach out to the Divine beyond us. It’s also a HUGE part of accessing the Feminine Divine, or womanly aspects of God, because birth and procreation is so heavily weighted towards the feminine. (Plus being creative is fun. Don’t you think? “Why so serious?” I like fun!)

Why do you think people end up leaving churches/more organized forms of religion?

Often it is because they cannot be their fullest, truest selves within an organization that demands acquiescence to a creed. It’s hard to sign on 100 percent to someone else’s charter for living. In many organized religions there is a lot of assessing one’s “walk” and judging one’s practices. That’s hard to live under. And if you disagree with your pastor or small group leader, you have to remain silent or your belonging is jeopardized. If you cannot live your most open, truest self, you do damage to your soul. Some organized religious bodies avoid this. But it can be very hard to find.

Is Flock very flexible and customizable? What if a person doesn’t have lots of time, or doesn’t know for sure what they believe about God, or doesn’t see themselves as particularly creative?

Flock is very flexible in regards to time. There are several practices—and even variations on each practice—each month. There’s no pressure to do all of them. Think of yourself as a kid in a candy shop. You get to choose! You can stop by every day and visit in the chat rooms, read an article, listen to a podcast, or write about some concept you are chewing on. Or you could just visit on the weekends and get some nurture for the week ahead.

Some of the things we offer do involve the concept of God in a general way. And we also work with the idea of spirituality in general, and with the idea of connecting with the power of the Universe, or the created Order. And there is no guilt-based teaching or “bad sinner” ideology.

I love art-based spiritual practices, and there will be quite a bit of that in the Flock. But you don’t have to be an artist, or even be particularly creative to get involved. Honest.

You say Flock is “dedicated to finding a spirituality that fits.” What is your philosophy on this, and why is helping others in this area so important to you?

I spent a lot of years wearing religious clothes that didn’t really fit me. I kept trying to hitch them up with a belt, squeeze into them sideways, or hold them together with safety pins. But ultimately, I realized I had outgrown some of them, and that my style had also changed. Deconstructing my religious and spiritual beliefs was a challenging, brave, and sometimes scary task.

I see a lot of people (men and women) doing that same deconstruction process. Often they get stuck at the deconstruction stage and never manage to reconstruct something that suits them better.They remain hungry for some sort of spiritual practice, disillusioned and discouraged. I think that if we as ministers, spiritual directors, and soulcare providers are going to encourage people to think creatively about their beliefs, and possibly deconstruct them, then we are responsible for helping people reconstruct them as well. I have a passion for walking with the people who are in that process. It really stirs my soul.

After much hinting and scheming, dreaming and hard work….I’m happy to announce that Flock with Magpie Girl is now open for registration!

Flock is an on-line soulcare spa dedicated to ”finding a spirituality that fits.”  On our private pages, Flock members can participate in  soulcare courses, make monthly soulcraft projects,  join book clubs, and ask advice from a team of professional soulcare specialists.

Unlike short-term Ecourses, the Flock is open all year long, allowing you to form ongoing connections with your virtual soultribe. Participate a little, or come by every day — it’s totally up to you.

Here’s what soulsister Jen Lemen of Mondo Beyondo & Picture Hope has to say about the Flock:

“Few people know how to tend the soul like Rachelle Mee Chapman.   A curator of everything exquisite and salvageable from the spiritual traditions, Rachelle understands how to craft a nest where comfort gives way to calling, where self-care reveals with compassion your finest, truest self.  I am honored to say I know first hand what it means to be in Rachelle’s circle of concern and care, and I can only imagine what good things await those who will join the amazing community of learners ready to fly in the Flock.” 

This is a novel approach to soulcare, so please feel free to stop by. Our doors officially open January 1st, but our lobby is open now for visitors! (I’m especially excited about our great collection of soulcare providers.)

In effort to balance fair-pay with accessibility, all this soul-spa goodness is offered to you for $45 a month — or about the cost of  just one yoga classes a week. (Ready to jump in? Join here.)

I know you’ve been searching for your place for a long time. Now you can flutter in for a landing. You’ve finally found your Flock.

Welcome Home,

Rachelle Mee-Chapman
Soulcare Specialist, Flock

The publishing and writing schedule for Magpie Girl and Flock…as scribbled out during the kid’s gospel choir rehearsal last night. (Work where you can.)

I am on pins and needles waiting for my designer to upload the finalized version of our new endeavor – Flock with Magpie Girl. Flock is “a nesting place for restless souls” with lots of courses for spiritual nurture, all offered at one monthly price. Think of it as a spa for your soul! The bonus to this method is that it creates an on-going place for a soultribe to gather, and it allows for the kind of teaching-learning process I so adore. We can really fill up the giant pool of wisdom with the Flock!

I like knowing how artists and other creative people work. If you are intrigued by that too, here’s a peek into the process of starting our Flock.

Initially Flock started out as an idea for two Ecourses. But as I worked through 31 Days to A Better Blog and started on the elevator pitches for my Ecourses, I realized what I really wanted was an ongoing on-line soultribe. I’d already done some vocational work with my amazing life coach, Jena Strong, and knew that community building was a skill I’d been practicing for a long time. The short-term nature of Ecourses wouldn’t scratch my community building itch. Since reading Chris Guillebeau’s Art + Money, I had been thinking about opening a membership site. But I had allowed  the outside voices of Conventional Wisdom and Fear to negate my intuitive pull towards that option. As I embraced the membership site as a viable choice, things started moving into place.

Jennifer McGuiggan helped me move through the wheel of work, which made me realize I needed a partner to get through the bottom half of the wheel – the execution half. So I scraped my money together and hired Neil Sittler of Stickflower Design to help me get a website ready. This was important because my work with Jena had already shown me that “beauty” was high on my list of guiding values, and that if I didn’t have a esthetically pleasing site, I wouldn’t be able to tap into the right energy to sustain a long-term project such as an online soulcare community.

While Neil worked on the site, soulsisters Lisa Alexander and Jamie Ridler coached me on values-based pricing, so that I would not consider my pattern of chronically under-charging. I was still struggling with setting a price that truly reflected the value of my work, when Jen Lemen suggested I do muscle testing to connect with my inner wisdom on the matter. After a truly amazing round of muscle testing with my daughter Eden, I finally came to a place of  confidence with my pricing choices.

I also decided to face my fear of asking for help so I asked a few soulcare providers I know and adore to come on board as expert advisers for Flock. And while I cannot announce who quite yet, I’m happy to say that my dream team of (therapist, life coach, and dream analyst and more) is starting to come together for our “Ask the Experts” column.

Finally, yesterday I sat down and wrote out a schedule of what I’m going to be posting each day both at Magpie Girl and at Flock, and what day I’d have to write it in order to get it posted professionally, on time, and well-edited. Because my health is a bit of a crap shoot, I included a day to write “stockpiled” posts so I have something to keep the goodness flowing when chronic pain sets me back for awhile.

Now I’m just waiting for the last odds and ends to get done on the website, and before Christmas we will have sign ups ready for our New Year’s launch! (Join my mailing list for a grand opening discount.)

As I write this post I realize once again how blessed I am to have this (almost entirely virtual) community around me. Those mentioned here, and others as well, helped me get past my sticking points and uncover the “ah ha” moments I needed to get through this process. I’m also struck by how Jen Lemen’s advice to “write to the tribe you’re starting to form”; and my mentor Ed Cook’s adage “you always preach the sermons you need to hear,” have both been proven true. All of the links embeded in this story were written by myself, or by Magpie Girl guests,  because I needed to hear them, and so did my tribe. Now I can see them as the work The Muse and The Universe were doing to get us where we need to be — that is,  together.

So thanks you so much, dear Magpie Girl reader, for being a part of this process. Your comments and visits have encouraged me more than I can say. I cannot wait until we are all gathered together in our Flock! Thanks for being here.

Much Warmth,

Rachelle

It’s been a good couple of days over here in Magpie Girl world.

Monday Cate and I went through all our rooms cleansing and blessing the space we live in. Suzie Ridler gave us some ideas, and we picked the ones we liked best: holy water, a blessing of light involving a candle, and making little amulet bags to hold our intentions for each of the rooms in our home. It was really meaningful to me and I definitely felt the energy shift within myself and within our house, bringing in fresh hope and inspiration.

The night of the cleanse I woke up with a start, and free-wrote an entire plan for how I want my ecourses to work. Oh friends, I am so excited about this! I really think it’s coming together. Instead of short-term ecourses, my new offerings from Magpie Girl will be offered at a sister-site, Flock: a soul spa, with magpie Girl
(What do you think? Something like that? Other ideas?)

Flockwill be a membership site, with one price covering the cost of a number of soulcare options. Sort of like a spa health club with one membership fee, but lots of services and classes. Both of the soultribes I’ve been working on– the High Holy Days series and the Soulcraft Circle — will be there, along with a collection of Priestessy Things to do alone or in a group, and once we get rolling I hope to add something for the DO LESS Revolutionaries, and a book club. Oh, the possibilities are so inspiring!

The creator of the SoulFood layout, Neil Sittler of Stickflower Design, is working on the Flock site now and it will be ready in December for sign-ups and a January start.  I’m wildly curious to see how Flock’s on-going groups will help create lasting Soultribes for spiritual misfits like us! Can you feel it? It’s got good mojo.

Now don’t worry. There will still be great stuff, FOR FREE, here at Magpie Girl. I plan to continue Monday’s guest post series with fascinating artists and coaches.( In fact, I’m booked through January!) *8Things will defintely be featured at both sites. And all the choice little tidbits and “ah ha” moments that don’t fit into the on-going offerings at Flock will still be incubating at Magpie Girl. I’m also cooking up a way to offer a few reduced-price memberships, and of course, I’m always open to trades and swaps and all kinds of creativity.

Keep in mind that I offer discounts and special treats to people on my mailing list. So with the SoulRetreats book this close to being done, and Flock on it’s way, you really should hop on the mailing list so you don’t miss a thing.

Alright lovelies, give me all your feedback and ideas! I’m off to work on a delightful joint project with Rowena Murillo for awhile and then it’s time to draft an essay for Jennifer McGuiggan’s holiday collection. Oooh…I love do so love it when like-minded souls come together!

Much Warmth!

Rachelle