Dear Thriving Women,

Good afternoon!  Spring is on its way, and just as the bulbs are starting to shoot through the soil, we are ready to break through these winter doldrums with an iTHRiVE calendar of events to come!

First we'd like to announce our new format for the newsletters.  Twice per month you will receive an e-mail from iTHRiVE.  The first will be an events update to help you stay abreast of monthly happenings.   You will receive this at the beginning of each month.  Then at mid-month, you will receive a second newsletter of articles and tips for living fully. We hope that these two mailings will help you to access information easily, and to stay connected to this community of aliveness that we have co-created.

 
(Drumroll please) below is our Events Calendar for the next six months!  We are excited to bring you a variety of ways to learn more about yourselves, and to gather with each other. Please read further for a full description of each event.  Also, please note:  all events are held at the Metaphysical Research Society, (1001 E. 7^th Avenue, Denver) unless otherwise indicated. 
 

At-A-Glance: 

• April 20, 2007: Just For Fun presents Reclaiming the Wild Feminine
• May 5, 2007:  Mother's Day Marketplace
• May 17, 2007:  Seed Circle
• May 26, 2007:  Active Power II
• June 21, 2007:  Just For Fun presents  Summer Solstice In The Garden
• July, 2007:    iTHRiVE goes on vacation!
• August 16, 2007:   Seed Circle

 Event Descriptions: 

April 20, 2007: Just For Fun presents guest lecturer, Melissa Furuseth:  Reclaiming the Wild Feminine, 5:30-7 p.m. Location:  6411 East Eastman Avenue, Denver, 80222 (please note:  this event takes the place of the April Seed Circle).  We are happy to announce the second in a themed-set on reconnecting with our instinctual, animal natures.  Jungian psychotherapist, Melissa Furuseth, M.A.  will use a multi-faceted lens of Jungian and Archetypal psychologies, mythology, culture, literature and spirituality to help us look at our relationships with our Self; significant others; and with nature (animals, earth, air, fire, and water).  Ms. Furuseth has designed this presentation for women who "…seek to learn, transform and find meaning by reclaiming and enlivening their Instinctual Souls and Wild Self--the birthplace of our creativity and life force."  If you've read "Women Who Run With Wolves" (or have wanted to) you will love this discussion!  It promises to be rich, deep, and poetic.  Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served.  Just For Fun events are open to all women.  Cost:  $10 for Seed Graduates, $15 for general admission.  To find out more about Ms. Furuseth, please visit her web-site:  www.jungiansoulwork.com.

 May 5, 2007:  Mother's Day Marketplace, 11-5 p.m., Gallery 1261 (1261 Delaware Street, downtown Denver).  In a December, 2006 edition of Westword, our holiday bazaar was affectionately termed the "Matriarch Marketplace."   The article encouraged Denverites to attend, promising that they would find whatever they needed to make their "sisters, mothers and significant others happy."   (The article also suggested that shopping at our marketplace could heal the split between Mars and Venus).  Well, that's pretty ambitious!  And while the author's compliments were very complimentary, they were also inspiring.  (As you know, we love offering fun ways to gather and commemorate the moment; to support our local artisans, and give back to the community.  As we reflected upon the joys of our holiday bazaar, we found ourselves asking, Why not host a spring marketplace as well?)  So, here it is, our first ever Mother's Day Marketplace.  This will be a celebration of the spring, all things fresh, new, feminine and fit for mothers of all ages!  Since the actual date of Mother's Day is one week after the marketplace, you'll have time to shop and talk and plan for the matriarch you love.  Admission is FREEJ 

 We will also choose a charity, and are currently accepting applications from artisans.  If you or an artisan you know is interested in participating as a vendor, please contact us at alive@ithrive.us  . 

 
May 17, 2007:  Seed Circle, 7-9 p.m.  We are back to the third Thursday at the Metaphysical Research Society.  We will discuss the topic of the month (to be announced).   Open to Seed graduates only, $10 requested donation.

 
May 26, 2007:  Active Power II, 7-9 p.m. This class is hosted by Paula Gerardi, and is a follow-up to Active Power I.  During the class, Active Power I graduates will have the opportunity to gather and share their stories of progress, success and blocks.  Together you will explore ways to maintain your focus for the next three-six months, and will refine your goal setting to guide you along the way. Please bring your prayer arrows. Cost:  $20 per person.  Registration Deadline:  Tuesday, May 15, 2007.  If interested, please contact Paula at:  paula_gerardi@hotmail.com

 June 21, 2007:  Just For Fun presents  Summer Solstice In The Garden. 5:30-8 p.m., at the Denver Botanic Gardens. This is our third annual celebration of the glorious shift from spring to summer.  During this event, we take part in a ceremony that helps us connect this earthly transition to our own internal shifts and strengths.  We mark the solstice with poetic appreciation of Mother Nature and her seasons; an invocation of her powers to strengthen us in all four directions; and a delicious picnic in the gardens.   This event is open to all women.  Cost:  admission to the gardens and a dish for the picnic.  Umbrellas suggested J

 July, 2007:    iTHRiVE goes on vacation as we encourage you to bask in the summer fun, then come back and tell us about it in August.  Enjoy!

 
August 16, 2007:   Seed Circle, 7-9 p.m.  We will discuss the topic of the month (to be announced).   Open to Seed graduates only, $10 requested donation.

This concludes our calendar to date.  We hope the offerings inspire and invite you  

Please stay tuned for an upcoming email announcing community events with our sisterhood of like-hearted, like-minded partners. 

We look forward to seeing you soon!  And we encourage you to follow your heart, and to enjoy the activities that best express who you are...you will know what feels right and leads you back to you .

In health, happiness, and well-being, 

Daniela, Anne, Paula, and Randi

Loving with an Open Heart
Current mood: loved
Category: Life

Happy Valentine's Day! Since starting iTHRiVE, Randi and I have challenged ourselves to broaden this celebration from an honoring of romantic love to an honoring of love in all of its forms. On Valentine's Day, we reconnect with our "love for" energy, our collective abilities to love so many people and so many interests, from partners and lovers to our parents and children, beloved friends, mentors, healers, spiritual teachers, service providers, athletics, the arts, nature, cuisine, our careers, our crafts, and what we choose to do (or not do) in our solitude. In truth, our capacity to love is tremendous. It is only limited by one thing:fear.

A teacher I knew once used the term, "stingy heart." When I heard it for the first time, I took it to mean someone who could or would not give. The teacher had a different definition and explained instead that "a stingy heart is one that cannot receive, cannot be given to, will not be vulnerable."

It's odd to think that some of the most generous of givers (people we think of has having "big hearts") may also suffer from "stingy hearts"- - from the fear of letting love in. Though they are comfortable with giving, fear barricades them from receiving. Their early needs created rejection. Thus, in a corrective move, these generous hearts decided to give, give, give (and limit themselves to only half of the flow).

All of us have needs, some more some less. And all of us have the capacity to give. Just as blood flows in and out of our hearts, carrying nutrients in one direction and waste in the other, so does love flow in and out of our hearts, bringing the replenishment that comes with receiving, and carrying away the pain we are ready to let go of.

How do we keep our hearts open to giving and receiving? How do we allow love to flow in and out of our lives?

People have various ways of keeping the flow. Some set an intention to remain "loving" no matter what. They visualize themselves being "loving" and think of mentors who exemplify this skill. They ask themselves how that mentor would handle the challenges they face, and in asking the question, they open themselves to guidance and inspiration.

Some people make a daily goal of being their "highest" or "best self" especially with regard to stressful situations. Others meditate, pray, or make a practice of allowing enough time between a trigger and a response to be balanced in their approach. Through reflection, they trust that they will come to a loving place.

These are a few examples of how we keep our hearts open. The common theme, though unspoken, is finding ways to transcend or relate to our primary obstacle, fear.

Being loving doesn't mean ignoring your fear. Instead, it means understanding it before acting upon it. Though fear is often looked upon as wholly negative (as in the expression, "The only thing to fear is fear itself"), fear serves a function. It is our protective wall to pain. When we feel fear we are sensing that something bad is going to happen or is happening. Fear can be triggered through our own discomfort (i.e. feeling uncomfortable feelings, then fearing that more will follow) or through our physical pain. Essentially, we fear pain, whether it's emotional or physical. And we protect ourselves from people or situations we believe will hurt us.

Fear creates a tenseness that signals the body to shift gears from the openness of receiving to the closed-ness of protecting. Fear puts us on alert. For some of us, that means standing guard- - being quiet, listening, watching, and assessing the situation. For others, it means taking action- - going on the offensive before getting hurt.

In either case, whether you find yourself cautious or reactive, as your body tenses, so does your heart. It is difficult to remain open-hearted when you are seized by fear. And yet, with reflection and intention, it IS possible to return to an open-hearted place.

Start by remembering that fear is a feeling, and like all other feelings, it is of the moment. It may or may not be the basis from which to make final decisions. It DOES however, invite further exploration, such as: "What am I feeling right now?" "What am I scared of?" and "How real is this danger?"

As explained earlier, we're usually afraid of some kind of pain. And in the case of our hearts, we're protecting ourselves from emotional pain, anything from mild irritation to total overwhelm.

When it comes to the give and take of having an open heart, the Tibetan Buddhists have a practice called "tonglen." This word translated, means "sending and taking." It is a practice of compassion and loving-kindness that helps us take in the pain and suffering of ourselves and others and send out happiness to all of us.

Pema Chodron describes this practice in her book, "The Places That Scare You." She writes, "the essence of the practice is always the same. We breathe in what is painful and unwanted with the sincere wish that we and others could be free of suffering. As we do so, we drop the story line that goes along with the pain and feel the underlying energy. We completely open our hearts and minds to whatever arises. Exhaling, we send out relief from the pain with the intention that we and others be happy."

Traditionally, people first learn tonglen by practicing it on behalf of those who inspire their compassion easily; it may be for someone we love and it can also be for ourselves, when we are suffering and feeling overwhelmed. As we breathe in their or our suffering, we also visualize our hearts opening wide to accept the pain; and we make a wish that will bring relief. The wish can be simple; it may be for a cup of tea or a smile. Or your wish may be more dramatic, such as for a new job, cancer remission, or the capacity to love. Over time, our hearts learn to stay open rather than to automatically close at the first whiff of pain or at our fear of losing comfort.

Heart doors open and close, open and close. That's normal. Staying open-hearted requires effort, especially around those who irritate us or in situations that frighten us. Chodron adds, "If we can remember to experiment like this even occasionally, we are training as a warrior. And when we can't practice when distracted but know that we can't, we are still training well. Never underestimate the power of compassionately recognizing what's going on."

On this Valentine's Day, we wish you the joy of loving what comes easily; of recognizing those passions and people for whom your love flows naturally, effortlessly and abundantly. We bow to this free-flowing reservoir of goodness!

On this day, we also wish you the blessings of two practices, tonglen and loving-kindness, to help you keep your heart open when it more readily would close. In those moments when you feel irritated, hurt or tense, we send you the following wishes: "May you and those you love be free of all pain and suffering" and "may you and those you love experience happiness and the roots of all happiness."

In gratitude for love in all its form, and for the many opportunities to open our hearts to loving fully,

Daniela, Randi, Anne and Paula