TOOLS WITH HEART NEWSLETTER
Valentine's Day
"My journal holds all the raw instincts that have to be held and reflected upon until I could
consciously choose how to bring them into the world." -- Marion Woodman
In This Issue:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
What gives you pleasure? Record what you love, collect your dazzling triumphs, unexpected surprises, juicy insights and outrageous escapades with our Passion Sheets. They fit in your Woman's Book of Changes and your classic size Day Runner. And they are yours FREE with any purchase from Tools With Heart this month. (Quantities are limited.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
VALENTINE'S GIFT SUGGESTIONS
Each product offered by Tools With Heart is carefully selected and will make a very special and personal gift. For Valentine's Day, choose our Heartbeat Pillow -- a 15" x 15" flax seed, crushed herbs and spices-filled natural cotton heart-shaped pillow. Just warm this large heart pillow in the microwave and enjoy deep relaxation or sleep. Conforms to the body.
Woman's Book of Changes with Passion Sheets (free with purchase) is the perfect gift for your best girl friend, sister, mom, daughter or yourself!
See all of our journals, writing tools & refills, tools for relaxation and gifts from the heart at www.toolswithheart.com
Learn to hear the whispers of your heart with Heart Whispers from our associates, Live With Heart. The front of each card offers an inspirational quotation. Your set of 30 Heart Whispers will arrive in a keepsake organza drawstring bag with a guide booklet.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
VALUES, GOALS, INTENTIONS & REFLECTIONS
"It's the New Year, but you've got to realize that the New Year is not going to change you. Just because it's the New Year, it's not going to make any difference in your life. The only way there's going to be a change is if you are willing to go within and make the change."
Although this is a quote from the reverend Dr. O.C. Smith on New Year's day a couple of years ago, many of us who have entered a quiet place, opened our heart and taken pen in hand, have seen and felt the magic and wisdom that flows from journaling.
WRITE IT DOWN - MAKE IT HAPPENWhether you plan your year at the beginning or at another time, reviewing and evaluating your values, aspirations, goals and intentions is part of the journal process. Try looking at your goals in each of the various aspects of your life - relationships, family, home, career, education, spirituality and so on.
Journal coach Sue Meyn says to ask yourself, "What have I learned this year that points me in the direction that I want to go in the next year?" Writing down your goals is the first step toward making them happen.
WHAT IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT?
Henriette Klauser, author of the best-selling books Writing on Both Sides of the Brain, Put Your Heart on Paper and Write it Down, Make it Happen, says when you think you cannot articulate your goals, there is a part of you that knows. Scientists call this "knowing without knowing," and the best way I know to get at that part of you that knows but does not know it knows is -- tada! -- through writing.
One idea is to use twilight zone writing, setting your clock for 15 minutes earlier than you ordinarily rise, and without getting up, pull your journal under the sheets and write for the full 15 minutes.
Another technique is to give thanks for your goal before it arrives. By doing that, you show your gratitude for all of life and your belief that what you ask for will be delivered.
Keep your goals, intentions and reflections in front of you in a daily journal with our newest journal Your Best Work.
FEATURED GUEST ENTRY
Here is our selected New Year journal entry submitted to us by Nancy G. Shapiro of California:
Jan. 6, 2003
I am two days into my 50th year. Unraveled by the constant hyper energy of L.A., I chose to celebrate my birthday with a week-long vacation at my sister's in Boise, Idaho. I wanted quiet. I wanted family. I wanted nothing really, but time and freedom to do and be nothing.
It was perfect that the week started by celebrating Ben's 18th birthday blowing out candles and wishing his way out of childhood. I see him, and I see myself, all the years since his birth, our birthdays seven days apart with New Year's in between, always imbued with something magical because of the time of year. New beginnings. A year's worth of intention and focus and gratitude slowing percolating into an ever increasing belief in faith's power
It's been a year of dreams manifesting, a year of personal struggle, a year of declining health. I know the dreams will continue to manifest, my morning ritual is part of me now: the written list of gratefulness for my every day life, my prayers, the intense focus on intention, the asking for help when life looms too large. The struggles are a constant...with 50 years etched into my cells I can now at least handle them with more grace, allow for the anger, reach compassion quicker.
My health worries me; the migraines continue, the perimenopause purgatory stretches in front of me like a pool of thick tar. Yet faith is stronger than the discomfort...always a mystery, always a miracle.
Two days ago I woke to my 18,250th day here on earth. That's a lot of days, Barry tells me when I say the number out loud. A lot of days. Every one mine, yet only recently have I realized that each day is what I make it. So, tattered and scattered and wise enough to know it, I chose family and nature to celebrate my next thousands of days. It worked. Among the ducks and wild geese and the winter beauty of silver cattails and bare branches etched against the sky I am woven back together. Ready for another year.
Nancy G. Shapiro is a writer, artist, and teacher. While living in Mexico several years ago, she created FOUND WORDS, FOUND WISDOM, a one-day writing workshop designed to jump-start creativity, boost personal healing, and encourage the art of writing. The workshop reflects her love of the written word and a sense of wonder and possibility that comes from her intimate familiarity with the subject.
"Through writing, we break down the walls, move into unknown territory, and meet ourselves face to face. We recover lost faith in ourselves, a voice that we've long forgotten. We view the world through new eyes, connected to a healthier body, a clearer, more objective mind, a larger sense of compassion. The sense of freedom is immense."
FOUND WORDS, FOUND WISDOM will be offered to the general public, and as a Continuing Education class for California MFTs and LCSWs beginning in March. An online version of the workshop is in the works. Contact Nancy at 818.704.9026 for further information, or e-mail her at: ngshapiro@earthlink.net
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
LOVE LETTERS
Think back on the letters you've not only read but reread, saved and returned to again and again. Why did you keep these letters and not others? What qualities raised them to the level of "keepers," while dozens, perhaps hundreds of other pieces of correspondence were tossed into the wastebasket? When I review my box of treasured letters, I see that the letters, like most memorable pieces of writing, share the following qualities: the need to say it, personal voice, a feeling of intimacy, and time, reflection and discovery. Expand your letter-writing repertoire and try some of the following techniques:
Revisit Memories
Think back to your first meeting with your lover
or the first time you were aware of your passion. In your letter, recount everything
you can recall, in specific and sensory detail.
Count the Ways
Lists suggest expansiveness, an inability to contain your passion within narrow
boundaries. What is it about your lover that draws you? What sets your lover
apart from everyone else? Be specific and particular.
Share Your Days
Writing about the present moment is a way to connect with your lover. Describe
the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures of the moment. If you describe
your experiences in careful detail, you will be inviting your lover to share
them with you, if only in his imagination.
Break the Rules
Write
your heart out. Pull out all the stops. Break the rules. Indulge yourself:
starry nights, roaring tides sparkling waves, angels' kisses. A passionate lover
may be the most eager, sympathetic audience you'll ever find for your writing.
This article has been excerpted from Write Your Heart Out by Rebecca McClanahan, copyright 2002.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
WIN FREE GIFTS -- JOURNAL ENTRY CONTEST
Send us a journal entry from your Spring Journal. Spring is the season of new beginnings, spring cleaning, spring fever, spring training -- what does it mean to you?
Send your submission to: felice@toolswithheart.com If we use it in our newsletter, take your choice of any refill for your Woman's Book free. See refills, calendars and accessories.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Keeping a journal will absolutely change your life in ways that you've never imagined." -- Oprah Winfrey
HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM OUR NEWSLETTER
We hope you enjoyed receiving the Tools With Heart newsletter. However, if you'd rather not receive future editions, we will gladly remove your e-mail address from our list. Unsubscribe by replying to this e-mail and typing REMOVE in the subject field, or go to the Subscription page on our web site.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Felice Willat writes the Tools With Heart newsletter. If you have friends or family who might enjoy this newsletter, you can send them a free copy by adding their e-mail addresses on our Newsletter page and we'll send you a gift with our thanks.
Copyright 2002-2007, Tools With Heart. All rights reserved.
1-888-2-JOURNAL
1-888-256-8762