Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” — John Lubbock, a British banker, politician, and naturalist
The emails arrive regularly, “Hi Carolyn, just checking in, and by the way when are you starting up your (fill in the blank – women’s circles, writing circles, retreats, etc.) again?”
Good question, I would think. But I had no answer…
It all started 9 months ago when a beloved family member got a health scare. Wanting to be there to support her, I paused everything business-related. I figured it would be a temporary sabbatical through the fall, and I’d get going again in January.
But as fall turned into winter, I started realizing how fatigued and flat I had gotten (despite loving what I do), as I had continued to work even through much of the pandemic. Instead of wanting to gather, I found myself relishing even greater swaths of time alone in nature. Daily I’d find myself drawn to long walks, writing on the front porch as curious squirrels scampered by, staring at winter clouds floating past spindly tree branches.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what was next. Would I return to my writing and women’s circles, or was I done? Was there an entirely different direction for me, or simply a different version of my creative business that wanted to be birthed? To have no clear answers was disconcerting at best. Yet, I also know that when I get quiet and listen, answers come. Eventually.
So I listened, grateful for the opportunity to do so. The seasons changed, bare branches turned to spring buds, and then I went to Taos to lead the annual creativity retreat. As we wrote together, danced, laughed and watched in awe as stars lit up the desert skies, I felt myself coming back into a rich wholeness.
Returning home, newly filled up and percolating possibilities along with the rest of the women, the inspiration came for the Creative Soul Women’s Writing Retreat this fall. I could visualize women out in the beautiful Texas Hill Country listening/writing their own wisdom, whether for a book, a poem, or a fresh and inspired life direction. I could hear the swell of evening cricket chorus, the gurgling creek water, the scratch of pen on paper and the smell of baking muffins.
That vision has become reality, and registration has just opened for this fall offering! If you want to poke around and see what’s there, all the details are HERE (including a “Super Early Bird Bonus.”)
I hope you’ll join me there with other women from our creative community to write and live the possibilities in your own life, to listen for what wants to emerge, to play with words and honor your creative soul…
I’d love to hear — please jot your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this page.
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Upcoming Events
Creative Soul Women’s Writing Retreat
September 23-25, 2022
Located in the Hill Country outside Austin, Texas
Imagine stepping into a space so restorative, so heart welcoming, so inspiring that your inner writer can’t help but emerge. At this 3-day retreat, you will have expansive solo writing time mixed with guided workshops to unstick and release your words and creative mojo. Details HERE
Creativity/Writing Retreat
in Taos, New Mexico
Creativity/Writing RetreatApril 2-7, 2023
Unwind underneath the big skies and tap into your most alive, inspired and creative self at our spring retreat “Greening the Creative Spirit.” It is held at the illustrious Mabel Dodge Luhan house in Taos, New Mexico, a creative hub that drew literary and artistic luminaries from Georgia O’Keeffe to D.H. Lawrence. Registration opens late summer of 2022.