Taking A Walk with Martha Beck

Wild New World

I took a writing class with writer, psychologist, and coach Martha Beck, Wild New World. As Beck explains, “All of us have patterns where we’re trying to live our best lives and we make the same mistakes over and over. Wild New World is about changing that.” Broadly understood, the Wild New World moves between our inward and outward self, our left and right brain, our thought and action toward our best lives. This class was about practicing the principles of wordlessness, oneness, imagination, and forming in the pursuit of thriving in the Wild New World.

Read the entire post here.

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Ode to Joy

I watched an Ode to Joy flash mob video as part of a class led by Martha Beck, Write Into Light. It was an exercise guiding us to practice oneness. Initially, I repeated the mantra We are one, We are one, We are one until I became so swept away that the mantra faded into something else. The song’s familiarity immediately made me feel comfortable like I was being hugged by all that is. (The sound of the cello has always been a go-to mind clearer, noise quieter, and breath calmer for me.) Joy is a subversive act. There was something beautifully subversive about that moment. When the musicians came together, one by one, and people stopped and listened, one by one, children climbed trees, one by one, the chorus filled the space with beautiful harmony, one by one, and the conductor choreographed the moment in perfect symmetry, one by one. Reality was something else. Reality was connection, not isolation and division. Reality was the in and of and the not yet and the as ifand the why not. Reality was peace not chaos. Reality was joy, not paranoia and fear. Reality was the gift of RAPT attention. Reality was love.

Read the entire post here.

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Advice From My Guardian Angel

Dear Katie,

At this time when fear abounds. At this time when the cruelty of the world has been laid bare. At this time, tears have flowed in search of soft hearts that will not abide violence. At this time, lies have rolled from the lips of the most powerful. At this time when abuses of power has made you question decency, morality, and love itself.

I want you to be still and know.

Read the entire post here.

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Bewildered with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

EPISODE 102: WHY WE NEED YOUR ART WITH AMIE MCNEE AND JAMES WINESTOCK

Did you know that the world needs your art? On this special episode of Bewildered, our friends Amie McNee and James Winestock join us to talk about Amie’s new book, We Need Your Art—and why your creativity matters now more than ever. In this rollicking conversation, we discuss how making art is a revolutionary act, why art is needed in unprecedented times, and what it means to stay soft amid the hardness of the culture. If you’ve been looking for a spark to light your creativity, this episode is for you! — Martha Beck

Listen to the episode here.

Thank you for taking a walk with me and Martha Beck. Subscribe to the Wide-Awakeness Project to pay attention to it all.

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