Hello Fellow Writers!
Can you believe that the year 2012 is almost with us?
And have you been wondering, as I have, “What can this mean for me as a writer?”
When you joined our Shift writers' group (WRITERS' SHOWCASE) did you have in mind some special project, perhaps a series of poems, reflections, stories, prayers, meditations, or maybe a novel? Did you actually start any works, only to have them languish in your journal, or files?
And then, as so often happens, did your resolution to create something fall by the wayside, and get lost? (You can be honest! No one is looking over your shoulder…:) )
Well, here’s the good news! An exciting opportunity is just a few days away, and it is called “The Year 2012.”
Why not make a firm resolution to do the writing this coming year that you feel called to do, and use our Shift writers's group to move from vision and intention into results – finished work – that you can share with our writing community as well as all Shift Members, and maybe even publish for a wider audience?
Consider, if you will, documenting your personal journey, your odyssey, through the 365 days that lie ahead of us during the year 2012.
Your inner journey, as well as your outer journey in the world, using any and all literary forms which you wish to explore, without limitation.
For some, the much-discussed 2012 is a date of great mystical significance, a metaphor for profound shifts and changes on the planet and in ourselves.
For others, the concept of 2012 is a useful myth, tied in to the mysteries of the remarkable Mayan Calendar, and wisdom of the Mayan Elders.
And for still other seekers, 2012 is a cosmic benchmark which they believe will accelerate unprecedented transformations, never before seen earth changes, and opportunities to become quite new creatures.
Regardless of which group you find yourself in, (and this can even include those who place no significance on this date at all), the year before us carries with it significant opportunities for writers, like us, here and now.
If you REALLY want to write, evolution and history are giving you a perfect subject to focus on: 2012.
You need look no farther than your own daily life, in this coming year, to observe and document what may be a remarkable outpouring of changes and transformations, both in consciousness, and in culture.
Additionally, you may want to take notes on the vast changes going on all over the world, in grass roots uprisings such as the OCCUPY Movement, or climate change, or the emergence of compelling new paradigms in education, health, sustainability, community, and relationships. Point being, the year 2012 provides an ideal focus for creative work, real thinking, real contribution.
So here is my invitation to each of you reading this: Create a personal journal of your own journey through the coming year. My own committment is to do one entry a day in my own JOURNAL 2012, even if it is just a haiku poem, a list, or a meditation. It can be longer, of course, but the point is, every day, without fail, something that reflects what is going on inside and around me.
You can of course keep your journal entries private, but do consider posting excerpts in WRITER'S SHOWCASE, or also in my CAMP HAPPINESS. And by all means, share with your network of friends whenever this seems appropriate. Do illustrate your journal with your own artworks, or "found art." And if you do not already have a blog, consider creating one for your journal during the year ahead.
A specific goal you might set for yourself is to have, by this time next year, a collection of works which mark the shifts and changes of your journey. This can be a personal anthology, a scrapbook, a sort of living memoir written from your unique point of view, as you travel through time, history and evolution.
I have always seen the Group, WRITER'S SHOWCASE, as Open Space, within which each of us could find ways to share work and encourage each other, and this vision continues. How exciting it will be to see how we each are responding to the unfolding year, and writing down our revelations, discoveries, and changes.
Ideas are gifts, and so this idea outlines above, and this blog, which I will be contributing to regularly over the coming year, are my Christmas and New Year’s gifts to each of you, should you choose to accept the implied challenge and opportunity.
Writing truly, deeply, madly, and ferociously, with vision and passion and feeling, is not for sissies. Never was. Think of this blog as a sort of "writing fitness center," where you can check in for encouragement, inspiration, and practical tools to add joy to your journey.
Being able to write within a supportive circle of kindred spirits is a special blessing, and one which our Shift writers' group offers, that we may create a collective work of art and literature, a sort of 'time capsule' for what is going to be a remarkable rite of passage.
I hope this speaks to the heart of the writer you aspire to be, and gives you a call to embark on a very special kind of soul journey in the days ahead.
Warmest wishes to you for the Christmas and New Year's, prayers for your journey, and encouragement to your Inner Writer. Your voice is needed, and journaling 2012 is a great place to begin.
I hope this concept appeals to you, and will look forward to any sharing you may wish to do in our group, in whatever form. Collectively, we represent a wide range of ages, nationalities, interests, and experiences, and each of us brings a unique perspective to this transformational time of birth, renewal and realization.
Please, if you feel called, use the coming year, and our writing group here at Shift, to express the beautiful, remarkable, wondrous and magical being that you are.
Blessings, appreciations, and joy,
Alex Noble (aka Happiness Merryman, Avatar)
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