Sunday 20 February 2022

Lorna Hill Water Story 12th February 2022

Lorna's session today was a memorable lesson in self care that cast us into the weekend on a warm sea of calm. Her RAW method calls us to

Read     Assess and be Aware     Write

Here prompt for the writing session was: 
Write about something you want to do 
and describe what it is and how it makes you feel
 











She drew on the wisdom of Mexican healer and poet Maria Sabina who would, I believe, have thoroughly approved:  

You are the medicine

Cure yourself with the light of the sun and the rays of the moon.
With the sound of the river and the waterfall.
With the swaying of the sea and the fluttering of birds.

Heal yourself with mint, with neem and eucalyptus.

Sweeten yourself with lavender, rosemary, and chamomile.

Hug yourself with the cocoa bean and a touch of cinnamon.

Put love in tea instead of sugar, and take it looking at the stars.

Heal yourself with the kisses that the wind gives you and the hugs of the rain.

Get strong with bare feet on the ground and with everything that is born from it.

Get smarter every day by listening to your intuition, looking at the world with the eye of your forehead.

Jump, dance, sing, so that you live happier.



Heal yourself, with beautiful love, and always remember: you are the medicine.




You can find more of this "Hot Soul Soup" and the Caribbean Housewife


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SHARING RESOURCES:

Among the sharing and feedback today there were some several recommendations:


Lynnda: Am listening to a wonderful book by Irish author Sinead Gleeson - 'Constellations'  Essays about the body - her experience of chronic pain, giving birth, cutting hair, having cancer and this poem 

Doreen and Lynnda recommended free courses at WEA Scotland

And as Lorna's prompt took many of us out for a cycle Lynnda suggested that the more wobbly among us might benefit from Free Wheel North

All of our guests in this series are in the process of contributing to the Lapidus Scotland Toolkit; do feel free to use this free resource either for your own practice or in group work.

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Thanks to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always!

Catrice: Good morning, everyone! 🌿🌷🌿🌳
Karen: Hello lovely people
Lorna Hill: Good morning Catrice!
Kay: good morning catrice    lovely to see you  kx
Catrice: Hi Jo!!!
Catrice: Sheila πŸ’š
Lynnda: Sounds like amazing therapy Sheila : )
Doreen: What do the A and W stand for in R.A.W. if R = Read? Please.
Lorna Hill: Read, Assess and aware and write
Lorna Hill: Write about something you want to do and describe what it is and how it makes you feel
Lorna Hill: Patricia let me know if this makes sense
Bev: nest in my chest!
Karen: That’s not depressing, it’s uplifting!
Lynnda: So good to have that experience and to have that feeling to hold onto Giovanna!
Doreen: I agree with Aileen
Bev: https: //giovannamackenna.com/
Catrice: Such peace Sheila.
Giovanna: “let the ashes of me loose” and how you continued the fire images in this
Lynnda: I want lose the parts of me that have done their job - such a powerful line
Bev Schofield: my head says no! diet, my tum says yum yum yum, between them my heart groans "oh good grief, not this again"
Lynnda: Am listening to a wonderful book by Irish author Sinead Gleeson - 'Constellations'  Essays about the body - her experience of chronic pain, giving birth, cutting hair, having cancer and this poem reminded me of these - such beautiful embodied writing
Catrice: Thank you, Lynnda.  I must check that out too.  Thanks for sharing this suggestion.
Doreen: I have just remember breakfast. Sorry
Lynnda: I love Aldis. Go in to buy carrots and come home with a cat play apparatus and I don't even have a cat!!
Catrice: Lol!
Giovanna: πŸ˜‚
Aileen Paterson: yeah I can't go to Aldi's for that reason
Giovanna: that’s the best bit!
Giovanna: “I want to switch off the past” ❤️
Giovanna: “I want to live like today is the only moment I have in this world”
Lynnda: I want to find Patricia, who I am and where I'm going - so powerful xx
Aileen Paterson: beautiful
Catrice: So beautiful.  Heartfelt.
Lynnda: I heard a manifesto too!
Lynnda: A declaration!
Bev Schofield: https: //www.wea.org.uk/
Lynnda: https: //www.weascotland.org.uk/Project/creative-writing
Doreen: I might want to share but I felt that I was too brave last time and my piece didn't fulfil Kenneth's task. Also I wrote for longer than 7 minutes this time, it just kept flowing.
Lynnda: So great! I have just recently re-discovered cycling!!
Lorna Hill: Great thanks Lynnda
Lynnda: https: //www.freewheelnorth.org.uk/led-rides
Giovanna: So much generosity and loving observation of others in there Doreen, just beautiful. I hope you are able to give as much kindness to yourself in some way. ❤️
Karen: So heartfelt and moving. Thankyou for sharing x
Louise: Lovely gentle morning of self care in words and care for others in support - thank you Lorna
Lynnda: I loved the way they are shocked to be outside!!
Catrice: “Salt splashing my lips”. — Loved that line - Lesley!
Giovanna: “I want to just be me again, now” ❤️
Kay: what a wonderful session today   thankyou lorna and thankyou to everyone for sharing so generously   kx
Doreen: πŸ₯°
Giovanna: Huge thanks to Bev, Lorna, and everyone for the generosity, support and inspiration I’ve found here today. πŸ₯°
Sheila Buchanan: Thanks for everyone exposing truth and honesty and commonality of lives.
Doreen: Lovely Aileen. I feel so calm now
Giovanna: “earth scents and green things growing” another for the collection Aileen
Catrice: What an inspiring piece, Aileen.
Lorna Hill: https: //thecaribbeanhousewife.com/you-are-the-medicine/
Doreen: πŸ₯°
Lesley O'Brien: loved that Aileen..'trees beneath my fingertips' and the image of your cat curled up beside you. x
Patricia: Thank you for having me today. I really appreciate everyone and I want you all to know that I feel happy to be part of the amazing ladies. I am moved by everyone's story and you gave me a feeling I thought I lost for a long time. Thank you!
Lynnda: Such a healing poem … Thank you everyone - such an encouraging, uplifting session! I found hope and joy in this time with you all. Came into the room feeling a bit sad today but have cheered up considerably!! Thanks Lorna for holding the space so wonderfully well
Giovanna: It was wonderful to hear you Patricia, I hope to find you hear again
Jo Beth Gray: Thank you lorna and thank you everyone.
Yvonne: Thank you all for sharing - you’ve all given me the courage to share today and that has given me strength  love to all xxx
Jo: Thanks all, especially Bev and Lorna,
Doreen: Thank you
Karen: Wonderful morning. Thank you all so much πŸ’–
Sheila Buchanan: Thanks Lorna and everyone



 
Thanks to funders
Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Scottish Book Trust,
Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership's "Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund" (managed by Impact Funding Partners).


 

Tuesday 8 February 2022

Kenneth Steven Water Story 29th Jan 2022







































The gentle voice of Kenneth Steven led us through a winter morning. As storms battered the west coast of Scotland, winds of up to 80mph howling about our rooves, we sank ever more contemplatively into the minute detail of life, the simplicity of being.

From his poem "Winter Light" he prompted some timed writing with

writing through the dark

and what astonishing insights came out of the shared writing.

Huge thanks to Ken and our other facilitators will be contributing to the 
Please feel free to use the wealth of experience shared free on this website if you are ever gathering a group of writers.

You can keep abreast of Ken's publications at his website
The BBC regularly repeats episodes that he has made or contributed to and you can immerse yourself in Scotland (or the arctic!) with that voice any time by searching the BBC Sounds. Unfortunately the 
Something Understood: The Poetry of Healing episode is no longer available but try the link - I'm sure it will probably be available again as they are all regularly repeated.
NB: searching on Google, for "Kenneth Steven BBC" for example, will often yield more comprehensive results than searching on the BBC Sounds app or website - curious!


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And now for some of 

YOUR WRITING:

inspired by Kenneth Steven’s Winter Light
by Kay Ritchie

still white headed
these black headed gulls cause chaos
their Busby Berkeley routines terrorise the swans

through the yellow-framed window 
by Kay Ritchie

through the yellow-framed window
I swipe-wipe memories
as if steam on my bathroom mirror
outside   thrawn
a temperamental storm thrashes branches
all leaves gone
a golden sodden bed    re-made
beneath stark trunks
and yet
grey clouds reveal blue sky &
I am given hope
as snow white snowdrops clump   sway &
promise brighter days


Economy
by Helen Elsley

I notice a shadow on the cauliflower
sat a day too long in my fridge
but longing for soup
I take the knife to trim
away a little grey
a crumble from the floret
then another 
and suddenly I am shaving it smooth
whittling it to a snowball
carving out cream


Forsythia
by Helen Elsley

A straggle of twigs
their spindly tips flick
with the wind
lighter than the brown
background wash 
curving towards me
in reproach
that the autumn work
was not done
years of neglected pruning
made this wispy
bunch of broomstraws
grown tall enough 
to lean over 
and drily tap my window
don’t forget
I am the Easter tree
I will surprise you soon.


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Thanks to Kenneth Steven and to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always!

Catrice: Thank you, Lorna!  πŸ’š
Giovanna:πŸ˜†
Doreen Kelly: πŸ˜’
Catrice Greer: Thank you, all.
Lorna: Thank you for a lovely session!
Giovanna: Wonderful morning, huge thanks Bev and Kenneth
Bonbon: Thank you Kenneth, Bev and all…..a wonderful morning x
Jo: Hear hear, Giovanna
Angie: Thank you.  I have found the workshop inspiring, enjoyable and beneficial.
Kay: thankyou so much for a terrific and inspirational workshop  kx
Jo Beth: Thank you!
Giovanna: Where can we find that programme?
Lou: see you later Kenneth on our celebration journey of the simple small focus - so lovely thank you



 
Thanks to funders
Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Scottish Book Trust,
Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership's "Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund" (managed by Impact Funding Partners).