Graduate Assistant Amy Gordon experiences transformation on the first day of class...…
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Hilary Gunby, student at Southwestern College, reflects on what Spirituality means at this unique graduate institution...…
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I value generosity on several levels:
On the physical or material level, generosity could take the form of giving money, food, shelter, etc.
On the emotional or heart level, generosity is about giving others my attention, love and compassion.
At the level of intellect, am I willing to share my ideas and perspectives? And…
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Several times in the past, I've gotten excited about the latest spiritual practice I'm doing, and I've lost my sense of discernment about it. I start thinking "It's the best thing ever—everyone should be doing it!" I become a true believer, thinking it's the right thing for everyone; the world would just be a better…
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Let’s talk about how receiving feedback is related to states of mind—both your state of mind and the state of mind of the person delivering the feedback.
When You Get Triggered
Receiving feedback tends to quickly reveal what I’m attached to. To the extent that I'm attached to whatever the other person is delivering feedback…
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When I started learning to empathize with others, at first, I found myself awkwardly guessing their feelings and needs (often, incorrectly). Gradually, I built my feelings and needs vocabulary, and eventually, I was able to guess feelings and needs more easily and more accurately. However, my empathic reflections still felt somewhat awkward and contrived. I'd…
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Visual Truth: A Series on the Honesty of Art
Part 1
In 2005 Stephen Colbert coined the word “truthiness” and it still mischievously pops into my head when I witness discussions where no real facts seem important. As an art therapist I probably honor intuition and perception as much as anyone so it might seem a…
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In these turbulent times, there are many people promoting their personal vision for the future, and asking for our support in making their vision a reality. This article is about who I look to for leadership, and why, and how I choose to lead my own life.
What is Scapegoating?
I'm remembering a talk by…
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(This piece is based on a journal entry of mine from January, 2009.)
The last couple weeks have been very challenging for me. I've been feeling anxious, off-center, low on energy, and afraid. Lots of things have changed in my life all at once.
Watching Everything Fall Apart
The nonprofit that I've been leading for…
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When we stop trying to control ourselves and others, what happens? Perhaps that depends on the extent to which we're resting in love. When we're resting in love, the distinction between ourselves and others evaporates. We start getting attentive to all needs that arise—both for ourselves and others.
When we stop trying to control, we…
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There's a paradox: from one point of view, I am that. From another, you are not me. I believe it's important to remember both of these viewpoints.
Remembering "I am that" reminds me of the unity of all things. It reminds me that the entire universe is my body—so of course, I aspire to love…
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Claudia Escareño-Clark shares some reflections on her group work experience during practicum at Southwestern College. …
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You've heard that somehow, somewhere, by working at some obscure place, you might possibly be able to get some of your student loans forgiven. "Yeah, but I've never actually KNOWN anyone who did that--it's kind of like folklore..."
Well, now, one of your fellow Southwestern alumna is here to tell you it is real, and…
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For me, the first step in having a great day is having a great sleep—and the first step in having a great sleep is preparing for sleep. I know I'm going to be asleep for about eight hours—and I know that the last hour or so before I go to sleep is a crucial time…
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I'm really liking a practice I've been doing: noticing what's about to be born. This works both alone and in conversation.
Alone, this practice goes with reminding myself that I don't know what I'm going to do next. Not knowing makes me curious about it. What actually am I going to do next? I start…
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I find that naming expectations helps me avoid and resolve conflict. An unnamed expectation is an unconscious, unspoken, implicit "should" or "should not" hanging between myself and someone else. I'm not saying expectations are a problem—shared expectations are the essence of culture, and culture is what allows us to relate with one another easily and…
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"Opportunity to Publish Consciousness- Centered Writing" for Evolving magazine.
If you are interested in writing for Evolving Magazine - A Guide for Conscious Living,
The writers guidelines are listed here:
2019 Evolving Writer Guidelines and check out their website here: www.EvolvingMagazine.com
good luck!
Are you joining us for the 2019 Transformation & Healing Conference, August 21st…
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I'm finding I can make difficult experiences more meaningful by using them to cultivate compassion.
For instance, let's say I'm feeling lonely—needing more love and companionship in my life. Feeling lonely can be uncomfortable, and loneliness can seem bleak and meaningless. However, I can make my experience of loneliness more meaningful by using it toward…
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When I'm angry (that is, "triggered"), I'm often tempted to gain relief from my triggered state by protecting myself in some way—usually, by setting a boundary. The problem with this is that setting a boundary tends to be a unilateral decision that's unlikely to meet the other person's needs for care, consideration, connection, and inclusion—especially…
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I had a life-changing moment in my early 30s. I'd just moved to a new city, I was lonely, and I was looking for people to hang out with. One Sunday morning, I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of a church I'd recently started attending, an hour after the church service…
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Consider the idea that we co-create the dynamics of our relationships. This implies that when a problem is showing up in a relationship, each person in the relationship has helped create that problem and each person has a role to play in responding to the problem. I find this premise leads to an empowering way…
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I make war with what comes in contact with a person's health or happiness, believing that God made everything good..."
~Phineas Parkhurst Quimby
Grad school is a unique, generally rigorous, and ideally outstanding life experience which will push you to your intellectual, emotional, and physical limits. At the end of year one…
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Why do I rush? Often, it's because I'm trying to finish up something tedious I've been doing (so I can get to do something I actually want to be doing!) I want to get through the boring stuff so I can move on to the good stuff. The problem is, the good stuff never really…
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I can be good at strategizing. I can also be somewhat anxious. Put those two together, and what do you get? A mindset where I'm trying to anticipate and plan for every possible risk in advance. (Believe me, that's no way to live!)
When I notice myself doing this, I try to shift to a…
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Technology, particularly device and computer apps, is a wiz-bang fabulous time saver to help you get your grad school life sorted and into maintenance mode. Plus, the entire campus is wired, which means you have access to your SWC email, and the world wide web, from any device while at school.
Being an über organized…
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When I'm unhappy, it's often because I'm not getting what I want. What to do at a time like this? I might try identifying the needs behind my wants. Identifying my unmet needs can help me have more compassion for myself—but it doesn't shift me out of my self-enclosed, solipsistic state. It's easy to keep…
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I view my meditation practice as a process of surrendering to my "true self." (My true self is the same as your true self.)
Surrendering to my true self is related to the practice of doing nothing. Doing nothing doesn't mean that my mind stops or my body stops; it means that my personality isn't…
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What do you get when you rock a holistic, integrative, soulful curriculum and approach to Art Therapy and Counseling, in an innovative and powerfully transformational dual degree program? You get soul-making at the graduate level, an exponentially mentally, emotionally, energetically, and otherwise, experiential and life-changing experience.
I knew that Southwestern College's M.A. in Art Therapy/Counseling…
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