The
Consciousness Collaborative Update
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Upcoming
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Instead of Struggling to Survive...
 ...Allow Yourself to Succeed!
As men, too many of us were brought up with some version of the belief that life is tough, and a man's job is to struggle and persevere against it to survive. Many of us struggle to be successful at work, be good fathers, lovers, and financial providers. And yet no matter how hard we push, it often seems the universe pushes back just as hard. After pulling the wagon all day, instead of feeling inspired and energized, many men feel tired, empty, and lonely.
How is it then, that some men appear to have unlimited energy - and the whole world seems to open up to them? It's not that they do not face challenges, but they are just that, challenges, rather than insurmountable problems with which to toil and struggle. My experience is that these men have learned how to access and allow an unlimited well of male energy that is inherent in each of us. These men have learned how to tap into the power of the universe instead of fight against it.
In "Accessing Your Male Energy - a workshop for men," you will have an opportunity to explore your beliefs about struggling vs. allowing. You will, with the support of the men around you, learn how to tap into male energy in a way that is free and NOT about pulling the wagon one more mile.
If you would like to experience what it feels like to truly allow your power and bring that back into the world with you - allow yourself to sign up for this workshop, facilitated by Adrian Wilkins and Walter Bacigalupo: Saturday, May 22nd
9am - 4pm
594 Marrett Road
Lexington, MA
It may be an important step to accessing your male energy and allowing yourself to thrive.
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Save the Date
July 16th-18th
Emotional Re-Education Workshop
This weekend retreat of self discovery and connection, lead by April Prita Manganiello, provides a safe environment to explore old emotional hurts, decisions, and beliefs - cutting through the stuck places that inhibit your ability to live fully in yourself and to give and receive love. "It is a process of recognizing, releasing, and re-framing," explains Prita. "I am always touched and honored by the work people do in this space." Many members of The Consciousness Collaborative contribute to this retreat through co-facilitation and support of the participants. For further information about the Emotional Re-Education Workshop visit the Classes & Events page or complete the on-line application to participate. |
Meditating Through the Challenges
-Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Life has been very challenging and interesting for me lately. My friend, Joanne, and I talk about the work we are here to do in this life to be like a Pez dispenser. You know that toy? You flip the top up and the next candy is there - like life's challenges, when you take one out, another pops up in its place. At least, that's what it can feel like, and right now, well, the dispenser is doing its thing. During this time, I've found that I've struggled against my meditation practice. This is interesting because meditation is really about connecting to the deepest, most natural place in me, and from that space, feeling the great connection between all of us...so what am I really resisting? I'm resisting my best friend and resource - ME. Kind of silly!
One of my favorite questions to asks folks when they face such moments is, "Are you doing the things that support you?" And, I am - I am calling on the resources and people within my life that help me work through such times. Meditation has been one of those friends, and to allow it to support me, I've been using the tools in different ways. In one way, I simply allow my monkey-scurrying mind to follow the breath and support me, watching it flow in and out of my belly and chest. And, in others, I use some of the more structured meditations - Tibetan Sound Healing or Nadabrahma - to lead me deeper in. When I remember myself, that part that is always there behind the clouds, I am truly home.
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Joanne Lutz and her Dad (1997) |
When I was in my 20's I used to steal stuff. Not illegally. The people I took things from were my friends, and they always knew about it, even if they didn't like it.
My attachment to other people's stuff was unwavering. Once I had my eye on what I wanted, I found a way to get it and hold on to it. I think it felt like I had a little piece of my friend, even when the actual person couldn't be with me. Kind of sweet, in a misdemeanor kind of way.
In fact, the ardent borrowing of others' "stuff" didn't begin and end in my 20's. I've been taking things as my own for many more years than that; I just haven't been as blatant about it. Instead of the Perry Ellis sweater I stole from Ted, I adopted an eating pattern from my maternal grandmother and snatched a scarcity mentality from my father. Different from the sweater, I haven't taken these things away from them, I've simply added them to my own way of being.
I believe the principle reason for taking these things remains the same. When we can't have people in the way we want or need them, we steal a piece of how we know them and make it our own. It's a way to have the people we love, and yet, the behaviors we select are usually the same ones we were exposed to that left us in need. It seems a bit twisted, doesn't it?
For example, because I love my dad, I took on his scarcity model. Because he loved his, my dad took on the rules and consequences offered to him in lieu of genuine connection. Guess what? They're the same thing...past down from one generation to the next.
From a place of love, I can give back the scarcity beliefs to my dad. They were never mine. It's not what connects us. My true connection to him is undeniable. I have this amazing life because he helped to create me. His blood runs in my veins, and the authentic love that is universal exists between us. There simply is no other way it can be.
I did eventually give Ted his soft, warm sweater back. I figure, if we can give back the things we like because we feel secure in ourselves, why not give back those burdensome behaviors we carry. The ones we carry in the name of love as a replacement for what we missed from the people we needed most.
I invite you to consider what you carry, because it is impossible to allow the genuine, inherent connection to blossom while bearing the burden. Most of us lug a few. They're not as difficult to recognize as you might think. Simply identify the hardest thing for you to accept about someone close to you. Whatever that is, there's a pretty good chance you manifest your own version of this same behavior - a kind of mirror. Now ask, are you willing to give it back to the person you learned it from to open yourself to the true connection that exists between you? This work takes courage - and I believe in you.
By the way, did I mention that I like your sweater? Don't worry...you can keep it.
With abundance,
Joanne LutzCoaching~Consulting~Referral ResourceFounder of The Consciousness Collaborativewww.TheCCsite.com ~ www.WhatsNextWorkshop.comJoanne@TheCCsite.com ~ ph. 617-827-0803 ~ fax 781-777-1899 |
Upcoming What's Next?! Events
The Winchester Community Education program has invited Jamie Thurber and Joanne Lutz back to lead another " Night of Discovery" this month. This two-hour class will introduce you to a new way to understand and come in touch with whatever might be next for you. The evening includes a few simple methods to connect with yourself and visualize your possibilities.
While the class is a self-contained event, it's an excellent opportunity to sample some of the tools taught in the full six-month What's Next?! Workshop series. If you are considering a change of circumstances, habits, or how you envision yourself, this is a place to begin.
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 Want a bigger bite of the series? Sign up for Getting a Taste of What You Deserve?! Does the word "deserve" make you cringe? Then this stand alone event is a perfect one-day experience before or after the six month What's Next?! Workshop series. This experience is ideal for someone who has never participated in a What's Next?! program who would like to learn more about themselves and what the series may offer, and is also an excellent space for What's Next?! Workshop alums to walk further down the path of your personal journey. Deserving is a topic not specifically covered in the six-day series; this day is designed to support the work you've done with the added experiential knowing that you deserve to have what you want.
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Still want more? You've got it! This year the What's Next?! Workshop program is adding a fall series to the calendar. If you've been hoping to participate, and the January - June timing hasn't worked for you, don't despair. This September a new series will begin, offering the same excellent program that past participants have praised.
Review the detailed schedule for the fall series and reserve your space by registering on-line. |
Rousing Intuition:Listening to Your Inner Clarity
A Weekend Workshop
As we walk the surprising and twisting path that is life, it is our ability to hear and act upon our own intuition - our deepest knowing - that invigorates and connects us. It is intuition that must guide the moment-to-moment choices if we are to have a creative, genuine, and nourishing response to the world around us. My experience as a parenting consultant and educator have afforded me many, many opportunities to practice listening to and heeding the wisdom of my own intuition. And of equal importance, I have learned from all the times I have not listened to that voice and from the difficulties that has brought me. I have witnessed the same process in the parents I work with as I watch the footprints of their own - often dismissed - intuition. A significant portion of the work I do focuses on helping others cultivate their ability to notice, appreciate, and attend to their own intuitive voice. For me, witnessing the "ah ha" moment when someone discovers a new path to his unique, natural perception, is much like feeling the sun break through the clouds after a series of gray days. The beauty of that moment led me, seventeen years ago, to create a three-day workshop on Rousing Intuition. Over the years this program has been offered in Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Colorado, New Mexico, and New Hampshire. It has been attended by parents, teachers, and many others interested in more reliably accessing and trusting their own intuition. This summer it comes to Rhode Island; in the fall it will be offered in the Boston area. I hope you will be able to join us for one of these programs. In the course of the weekend, participants will be guided through artistic experiences to open new doors to observation and meditation. In turn we will practice using these to develop more clear perception, providing the ground from which intuition springs. These activities and disciplines take us from the realm of concepts and ideas about ourselves into our own active experience of how we meet the world and each other. For more information, visit the Classes & Events page or to register, click here to send an email with " Rousing Intuition" in the subject line.
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Supporting Ride for the Cure
On June 7th, 2009, 112 Equestrians rode to honor and support the men and women in their lives in the Second Annual Susan G Komen Ride for the CureŽ, MA. Ride for the CureŽ, MA is an event that fuels the fire for a brighter, more educated, cancer-free future. Participants from throughout New England embellished their favorite four legged companions for a 10-mile ride through the wooded trails and dirt roads of Barre, MA.
From the 2009 rider pictured above:
Dear Lysa,
What a day, what an event, what a success! The second annual "Susan G. Komen for the Cure - Ride for the Cure" was a spectacular day. A day full of horses, so many volunteers, plenty of "pink", a few tears, songs on the trail, survival, laughter, and friendship. So many people coming together. I brought more friends with me this year and we were all so happy with every part of the day - from the wonderful gifts we all received, to the quiet trails, to being able to cheer for survivors. We were all touched by the enthusiasm of the riders, the kindness of each and every person we met, and from the stories we heard. You and your volunteers outdid yourselves and I am so very proud to have been part of this very special day.
Please share my "thanks" with your volunteers. I appreciate all of you.
- Karen V.
Lysa & Denise, a survivor |
I started this ride as a way of celebrating my Mother surviving the magic "5-year survival" mark. I continue to organize this ride because of all the other beautiful women in my life who are fighting and surviving breast cancer every day - Martha, Jen, Pamela, Asi, Joann, Ronni, Claire, Karen, Patti, Paula, Denise, and Rhonda. Because I don't want to add to my list this year, or any coming year, I have joined forces with the Massachusetts Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the CureŽ for the Ride for the CureŽ and many other fund raising events to eradicate this disease.  In total to date, the Ride for the CureŽ has raised over $175,000 thanks to the exhausting fund raising efforts of all the participants. It was truly inspiring to witness the collaborative efforts of so many individuals for such a pure, rewarding cause that celebrates Massachusetts' breast cancer survivors, supports those who are currently fighting, remembers those we have lost, and reminds us all to never, ever give up hope. Funds raised by this ride help to carry out the Susan G. Komen Ride for the CureŽ promise: to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all, and energizing science to find the cures. The Ride for the CureŽ, MA is dedicated to every woman in the world who ever had to hear the devastating words that transform a simple pink ribbon into one of the most meaningful symbols of hope. The THIRD Annual Ride for the CureŽ will take place on June 6th, 2010. As of writing this article, 170 riders have signed up to ride this year! My hope is to hit 200 riders and over $100,000 for the 2010 ride! If you would like to donate, get more information about this ride, or learn how to get involved as a rider or a volunteer, please contact Lysa Wilkins via email or by phone at 781-405-4592. You can also visit the website for the Ride for the CureŽ, MA. |
Recipe of the Month
Looking for a little crunch in your diet? Try this delicious, wheat-free snack.
Wheat-Free Sunflower Crunches
Servings: 10-15 Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time:15 - 20 mins
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sunflower seeds - 1/2 cup sesame seeds - 1 tbsp poppy seeds (optional) - 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil - 1 tbsp maple syrup Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Combine sunflower, sesame, and poppy seeds in a blender. Blend until combined. 3. Add oil and maple syrup and blend again until the mixture resembles dough. 4. Roll dough into several long pieces and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. 5. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Need more recipes? Check out the Recipe of the Month page for previously published eats. |
Meditation of the Month
 Slowing Down and Letting Go
Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take three deep breaths through your nose and out through your mouth and invite your body to relax. Let your head and shoulders, torso and back, arms and legs all relax. Now as you inhale, think of the words, "Slow down." If any feelings or judgments arise with those words, just acknowledge them and let them pass on by. Keep breathing in "Slow down" for several more breaths, allowing the words to permeate your whole being. If it helps you to focus on a color, choose one that soothes you and allow it to settle in your mind.
Now, internally, add the words "Let go" when you exhale. Breathe in "Slow down," and breathe out, "Let go." Again, no judgments, only the loving embrace of your breath as you allow the words "Slow down" in and the words "Let go" out of your body. If you feel any resistance, acknowledge and allow it, and invite the words "Let go" to wash over this area gently, soothingly, lovingly. Continue to breathe in "Slow down" and breathe out "Let go" until you feel the moment is complete.
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