Recently, I’ve been researching what makes folks happy in the midst of life’s challenges. Because my husband, Lynn, is in his eighties and still working as a maker of beautiful objects, he became my perfect case study. His creative work makes him happy, but some days are tough because he must invent new ways of accomplishing what seems to be the impossible. During football season, he finds a restorative source of happiness sitting on the sofa watching the skill, teamwork, and fan frenzy that is American football. This past season was no exception, and because of his interest in the games and final 2023 Super Bowl contest, I had an in-depth experience of the value of this sport to a person who never played the game but still appreciates its artfulness.
Category: Creativity
NO MORE! The Religiously Motivated Decisions of Patriarchy & the Infantilization of Girls & Women
In my seventies now, I remember the joy of celebrating the Roe v Wade decision that US girls and women had the legal right to choose what happened to their bodies. It was no small thing then, to Canadian girls and women, because we all share the traumatizing fact of our past as chattel, that is, the possessions of white men and boys in charge. Corporations had already determined to treat girls and women as bubble heads who wanted nothing more than to look good and be more popular than others. It was very much a case of the water temperature being turned up over time – suddenly, we found ourselves boiling in the murky idea that our body image and looks, our hair and our rumps, were more important than our minds and our spirits, our hearts and our self-determination. That 1973 court decision lessened the impact of profit motivated businesses selling insecurity and self-hatred to girls and women. At least the courts found us intelligent, responsible, and wise enough to decide a fundamental life choice for ourselves.
Now, even corporations are reacting to the court’s decision to reverse R v W; that’s how bad this current court’s decision is. The white supremist view that the ever-creative power of the Universe is white, male, and murderous toward those who haven’t swallowed this vile white supremacy lie has revealed itself in the highest court in the land. And we’re not having it.
We Are Generation Equality
Today, March 8, 2020, International Women’s Day, our theme inspires us to discover our commonalities and shared experiences regardless of race, age, wealth, gender preferences, and cultural influences. Feeling isolated is one of the most devastating of these shared experiences, and every girl and woman seeks the relief of ending isolation in the friendships, communities, and movements which change the personal and the political for the better. So, wherever we are, and whatever our plans, let us take 5 minutes to dance the theme of Generation Equality into this year of breakthrough, empowerment, and deeply supportive connections. To inspire our moves, here are Aretha and Annie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drGx7JkFSp4
If the link doesn’t work, simply Google “Sisters Are Doing it For Themselves.” Dancing and singing are universal human activities that have been healing body, mind, heart, and spirit since the beginning of human culture, so as we wiggle our hips, let us feel our healing connections with Sisters everywhere.
Ever dancing . . . , with You . . . , and with Love,
Jane
Celebrating Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison’s long and wondrous life ended this week, on August 5, 2019. All of us alive today have been touched by her body of work whether we know it or not. For me, Toni shone as a woman in a man’s world, and more audaciously, as a black woman in that world. The literary canon still taught in many out-dated colleges and universities carries the heavy load of racial and cultural bias, skewing students’ beliefs about what makes literature great. Toni, along with many other women, outed that lie simply by writing.
As a literature student, always and forever – because story is the humanizing principle of our species – I will miss the anticipation of a new Toni Morrison offering. And I will revisit her literary children and watch the film Beloved again and again, for the heart and the soul of pain and healing it transmits through its cadences, its images, and the shocks and pleasures of its characters. So many women writing today carry on the deep soul work of our best writers. I am grateful for all of them, and especially for Toni Morrison, the woman who emerged from the literary mists of my young adulthood to assure me that the world of story, lasting, vital story, was not the exclusive property of dead white men.
Now I am on the hunt for the new documentary, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am. Up in this neck of the very white woods that is northern Vermont, we have two theatres that will likely show it, The Savoy in Montpelier, and The Roxy in Burlington. I know I can watch it on one of the platforms available to us in our homes, but I don’t want to experience this last documented Toni-Morrison moment by myself. I want the public experience of sharing her with others who love and value her work as a writer, a way-shower, a guide back to deep justice, tenderness, and love.
Thank you, Toni, for every word, uttered and written. You are and always will be a light in the darkness of human folly and treachery. First at so many things, you will continue to shine through these dark times and we, all of us, will continue to be blessed by your shining.
EFT and Grief
Losing Ms Morrison is an immediate and sorrowful event for me. I want to feel all my feelings about her courage and her work and the considerable loss I feel at her passing. EFT is useful when grief will not shift on its own. It is not a deadening tool, but rather a relieving one. I have no need to tap on my grief at losing this giant of literature because feeling this grief is part of what makes me human.
If, however, her loss leads to an unshakable depression about the state of the world, then using EFT to release that dread and hopelessness will become a forward path. Just now, I feel nothing but the loss of a spiritual teacher. I want to feel how much I will miss Toni Morrison. Missing her will lead me to revisit her books and her interviews, and this revisiting process will enrich me further.
EFT is useful for chronic, relentless grief. What I and so many others are experiencing now is the healthy expression of mourning. This grief assures us we are alive to the pain and wonder of the world. This grief is a gift. It is at the heart of the human experience. Feeling this powerful emotion for the loss of Toni Morrison, one so bravely present to the world in all its beauty and horror, is a privilege.
Until next time,
Jane
Visit www.eftinternational.org to learn more about how the use of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) supports the resolution of inner and outer conflicts, informs more loving and respectful relationships, and empowers its users to contribute to the changes we want to see in the world.
Jane is an EFT International Accredited Master Trainer, writer, coach, and educator specializing in neutralizing the long-term effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) as well as the cultural limitations that interfere with our ability to imagine, create, and live the lives we desire. To engage Jane for individual or group coaching services, EFT International(AAMET) Accredited, Certified Mentoring sessions, and EFT Level One and Two Training for your group, call Jane at (802) 533-9277 or email jane@winterblooms.net . Visit www.winterblooms.net to learn more about how Jane supports and inspires individuals, groups, and communities.
Please Note: This educational website cannot replace therapy with certified psychologists, family therapists, or psychiatrists. Before training with EFT International, Jane taught at the elementary, secondary, and college levels, in Ontario, and at the Community College of Vermont. She is an early trauma survivor who works exclusively as a learning coach using the best practices of EFT as taught by EFT International. She created this website to support the most effective use of EFT to reduce general and specific stresses and to increase the joy of daily living through self regulation and pro-social experiences.
Early Trauma, Movement, and EFT
Please Note: Winter Blooms is an educational website created to support the most effective use of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to reduce stress and increase joy. To experience the benefits of EFT for in-the-moment, trauma-informed emotional support and to build emotional resilience over the long term, contact Jane by phone at (802) 533-9277 or email jane@winterblooms.net.
Visit www.winterblooms.net, www.aamet.org and www.neftti.com to learn more about how EFT supports the resolution of inner and outer conflicts, informs more loving and respectful relationships, and empowers its users to contribute to the changes we want to see in the world.
When infancy and early childhood are interrupted by sudden shocking experiences for which we cannot be prepared, the body often responds with profound stillness. This freeze reaction is an expression of the Flight, Flight, Freeze Response built into the complex systems supporting human development. Far from being a sign of failure, these automatic reactions to trauma are meant to protect us from experiences we are not yet ready to understand and resolve.
The long-term effects of the trauma induced Fight, Flight, Freeze Response include habits that do not serve our best interests as engaged and confident adults. Because of their ability to negatively impact us emotionally, intellectually, physically, and spiritually, these habits present us with the opportunity to learn and apply skills as we mature, skills to support the replacement of negative habits with positive ones. While addressing our traumas once we have developed cognitive skills and body awareness can feel burdensome, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and its power to support the natural process of memory re-consolidation can lighten and even resolve the emotional challenges of early trauma.
An Earth Day Love Letter to Earth’s Human Offspring
Please Note: Winter Blooms is an educational website in no way meant to replace building a relationship with a trained EFT practitioner, counselor, or therapist. To find an EFT Practitioner, visit the AAMET website, the Gary Craig website, the EFT Universe website, the Tapping Solution website, or contact Jane for EFT coaching support.
Many of us concerned about increasing extreme weather events are aware of how rapidly climate change is effecting life all over the globe. If you would like a primmer on how human activities are causing shifts in biodiversity, please visit globalissues.org/article/172/climate-change-affects-biodiversity or any reputable source of information on rapid climate changes caused by humans – anthropogenic climate change. This post’s focus is not on climate change directly; rather it explores how human diversity and global diversity are mirroring each other in the patterns found in increased extreme weather events and increased human polarization and lack of civility in problem solving. Acute human polarization and lack of civility when dealing with the environmental crises mean we have fewer creative solutions to address the climate calamities that have become every day events. To find out how we can participate in positive change, read on.
Continue reading An Earth Day Love Letter to Earth’s Human Offspring
When Our World Becomes Unsafe
Please Note: Winter Blooms is an educational website in no way meant to replace building a relationship with a trained EFT practitioner, counselor, or therapist. To find an EFT Practitioner, visit the AAMET website, the ACEP website, the EFT Universe website, the Tapping Solution website, or contact Jane for EFT coaching support.
The recent politically motivated San Bernardino shootings and the Paris terrorist acts present irrefutable proof that our ordinary, everyday world has become as unsafe as any war zone. Paralleling this terrorism, murders of children and adults in elementary schools, high schools, colleges, and movie theatres paint a grim picture of mental illness manifesting as hatred that is not politically motivated. How do we continue to go out into the world with enthusiasm and purpose when so many of our ordinary settings and activities seem increasingly precarious? There are no easy answers to quell our fear and foreboding, only vitally important conversations to be had. Tapping can help us to navigate these very troubled waters with one another.
Mother Earth Day
Please Note: Winter Blooms is an educational website in no way meant to replace building a relationship with a trained EFT practitioner, counselor, or therapist. To find an EFT Practitioner, visit the AAMET website, the Gary Craig website, the EFT Universe website, the Tapping Solution website, or contact Jane at 802-533-9277 or jane@winterblooms.net for EFT coaching support.
May 9, 2015 – Mothers Day
Here in the northern hemisphere, our world comes alive with all the colours of spring at this time of year. After a winter of focus on human struggles that highlight human injustice and the many social issues we must address if we are to build nurturing communities, our Mother Earth puts on her spring attire and that place in our hearts that will always belong to Her begins to vibrate with hope. Oh, yes, we tell ourselves. The human story is not the only one. There is this other story, this story of possibility, of seed bursting through soil, of bud blossoming, of leaf unfurling. The harmonies of our Earth Garden Home are perennial works of art that teach balance and beauty while nourishing our bodies and refreshing our spirits. If you doubt this, go for a walk in a nearby community garden, park, or wood. All around us the world is springing to life and encouraging us to do the same.
Yesterday, Wim Wenders film The Salt of the Earth, about Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado, reminded me of Earth’s regenerative powers. After an hour of stills depicting the horrors of human suffering taken on what Wenders calls Salgado’s personal journeys into the heart of human darkness, journeys that ultimately leave him spent and despairing, the photographer makes his way back to the light through the renewal and regeneration of one small part of our shared Earth Mother. Salgado’s family’s land, clear cut to send the children to university, is slowly brought back to life by the younger generation’s planting of a million trees. By the time the film concludes, Salgado’s son, Juliano, shows us the sweep of rain forest that is his heritage. In three generations we see paradise, paradise lost, and paradise regained.
This Mothers Day, may we all honour our First Mother, Earth. May we thank her for the lessons of regeneration she offers when we do what we can to repair human exploitation. May we say prayers of gratitude before the simple but deep pleasures of eating locally grown foods. May we plant seeds and trees, abstain from using corporate poisons, and reclaim our own health by fostering Hers. May we trade our guns and knives for garden tools. May we become loving participants in the ongoing creation in which we are meant to thrive. May we come to our senses and see who we truly are, Earthlings . . . , co-creators with all the beings that create and sustain this magnificent world.
Until next time
Jane
Jane Buchan, MA, AAMET Advanced Practitioner, jane@winterblooms.net, 802-533-9277
Jane is a Learning Coach specializing in neutralizing trauma and cultural constructs to support learners of every age. To engage her coaching services, please contact Jane by phone (802) 533-9277 or email, jane@winterblooms.net. Be sure to put Coaching Query in the subject line.
Tapping and Thankfulness
Please Note: Winter Blooms is an educational website only and is in no way meant to replace experience with a trained EFT practitioner, counselor, or therapist. To find an EFT Practitioner, visit the AAMET website, the EFT Universe website, the Tapping Solution website, or contact Jane at 802-533-9277 or jane@winterblooms.net for EFT coaching support.
It is often challenging to practice stewardship at a time of year when everyone seems mad to eat from a sense of duty and tradition rather than gratitude and hunger and to buy goods to “fuel our economy” in its quest for limitless growth rather than out of personal need. And yet we know in our wisest, most conscious moments that our habits of excessive consumption are killing our planet, shortening our individual lifespans, and alienating us from our brothers and sisters all over the world. Here in the west, perhaps unwittingly, we have become insular and parochial rather than thankful world citizens. We have made having more of everything the greatest good and in the process chained our souls to a brutal and unforgiving way of life. We witness the signs of dire poverty on every street corner of every town, city, and village. We witness racism at work in our educational, political, and judicial systems. We complain about our leaders, but show no leadership ourselves. We go along with things as they are because to do otherwise requires an effort we cannot imagine making. Change, however, is always possible. At this time of year, as the seasons change, as our fuel bills change, as our wardrobes change, as our relationships with our modes of transit change, the energies of change – of fundamental transformation – batter at the doors of our yearning hearts.
Tapping and Imagination
Please Note: Winter Blooms is an educational website only and is in no way meant to replace experience with a trained EFT practitioner, counselor, or therapist. To find an EFT Practitioner, visit the AAMET website, the EFT Universe website, the Tapping Solution website, or contact Jane at 802-533-9277 or jane@winterblooms.net for EFT coaching support.
Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge, for knowledge is limited, while imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” In these days of information overload at home, at work, and in our communities, it is helpful to remember that human beings have the power to imagine a different kind of world, and, once imagined, the emotional intelligence, the intellectual insight, and the spiritual, physical, and social skills to realize this world.