It has been an honour to host several Journaling Courses over the last few months from Women’s Circles to Creative Journaling & Mini Journaling Challenges. And it feels like a natural next step to invite you to a “Summer Journaling Circle” – a three-week creative collective. A safe, supportive space where you can write alone – together. Our Circle will be open from 24th May – 13th June 2021.
What you can look forward to:
I am delighted to invite you to this new Circle! I have a deep passion for nature and our connection to her and how we are effective by the cyclical nature of seasons and the turns of the earth. We are now in early summer - life is coming to it’s full peak of light and heat, a time of growth and transformation. In our Circle we will explore these and other themes.
The Pillars:
The Creative Collective has four main pillars:
1. To help you develop or maintain a daily writing ritual
2. To encourage you to dig deeper, to not just record the mundanity of life but through our prompts and time together, to find the stories in our own individual lives, to revisit the past, explore the seasons of our lives, to notice what we see and to make real connections.
3. To connect with the natural world and rhythms
4. And perhaps the best part – though we will be writing alone, we will be writing together in community. Exploring themes and ideas, supporting each other, and sharing.
How it works:
1. Weekly Creative Invites:
Week one: Starting on Monday 24th May you’ll receive a daily email with some suggested prompts to write about and invites to create from. The daily email is to help you establish a daily writing ritual
Week two & three: You’ll receive a weekly email on each Monday with your prompts and invites for the week ahead
The invites are just that – invitations to explore them, there is no pressure or requirement. But given this is a Writing Circle, you will get the most out of what you put in to this experience. So I urge you to commit to 20 minutes per day to write, time for yourself in the messy busyness of Summer living.
2. Creative Collective Circle:
Then, each Monday for 3 weeks (starting on 24th May) we will gather as a group, virtually on Zoom to sit in Circle from 8.30pm - 9.45pm. Please note these will NOT be recorded due to the sharing aspect of these gatherings. By the way, these were one the most popular parts of each course I’ve run!
3. Support:
Whatsapp: You’ll have optional access to a private Whatsapp Group for the duration of the 3 weeks to share photos, ideas, writing, have a chat and connect.
I’m here: I’m in your corner via email or Whatsapp right through this Collective for any questions, insights or support you may need help with.
4. Bonus Extras:
I tend to give a lot in terms of follow up links, practices, invites, reading materials etc so I’ll be sharing lots of different references with you should you wish to go down the rabbit hole!
Writing Alone Together - what happens in Monday Circle?
Our time together will include a short meditation to help us settle into the space. During our Circles I will invite you to:
Write Freely – either flowing from a journaling or writing prompt, or simply by going to the page and starting to write whatever comes in the moment (but I’ll always give you a prompt to get you started).
Sharing – after writing for a defined period of time, we will all be invited to share our writing by reading aloud. Each of us, have a choice with what we share. There will never be force or pressure to share your writing. You’re welcome to share a) what you wrote, or b) a line or two of what you wrote, or c) what it was like to do the writing, or d) you can also pass if you do not wish to share. It’s not a feedback or critique session, it’s a non-judgemental, supportive listen circle. You talk, we listen, that’s all :)
Listen Deeply - Listen wholeheartedly, compassionately, and non-judgementally as each share stories. Both the storyteller (reader) and the listener can be transformed in the presence of stories that are told and heard wholeheartedly. Being heard, without judgement, is a gift we can give to each other.
Bear Witness – When we write and share our writing with others, we are agreeing to be vulnerable and to be seen. Bearing witness is a way of seeing one another with our hearts, with our whole being. This involves not only hearing the writing that is being shared, but honouring and seeing the person who is sharing it. This allows us to see one another in truly authentic ways. This is the true heart of transformation through writing in circle.
What you’ll learn:
Journaling techniques & how different themes and approaches open up ways of expressing yourself
Resources you can use to learn more about the different themes & practices
Effective breathing & mindfulness practices that help relieve stress & anxiety
How to develop a daily or at least regular journaling practice
Expressing emotions and thoughts in written word & help make sense of what’s going on inside you
About importance of Community support :)
Benefits of journaling:
Headspace - oh my goodness it’s a game changer!
Learning to express yourself
Understanding how to step back from your swirling thoughts and gain perspective
Time for yourself
Inspires creativity
Helps you set & reach goals
Boosts mood & reduces stress, supports mental health & wellbeing
Added benefits of a Journaling Circle:
Share & Grow
Hear your work come alive
Listen & learn
Share experiences together
Develop connections
What you need:
Just a notepad, pen, some art materials (eg) markers / paints / pens / colour pencils (whatever you are drawn to) & 20 mins per day!
Investment:
This three week circle costs €59 (early bird rate available until 14th May & €69 there after. This includes all of the above (except your art materials!). That’s just €2.82 per day!
Booking:
Please book in at https://ebbflowyoga.punchpass.com/series/15628 Numbers are limited to ensure we each have time to share during our circles so book early! Please ensure you enter the correct email address on your Punchpass (booking site) profile as this email address will be used to send you your weekly email. Please note you can join in after the start date but I will not be in a position to send on previous emails to you.
I really hope you’ll join me and give yourself just 20 minutes per day through Summer to get to know yourself & your world around you even better!
Le grá agus dóchas,
Maeve x