““The rest we need—the rest that we deserve—will come in many forms. I find power in proclaiming daydreaming to be a form of rest. To sky-gaze, stare off, or sit in the silence of your own mind is a radical act of resistance in a culture that wants you working and accomplishing tasks 24/7…
I don’t want to work so much that there is no space to have leisure and to just be. I don’t want to grind on at an unsustainable, machine-level pace. I don’t want to place my entire worth as a divine being at the feet of capitalism, begging to be truly seen for who I am: a perfect, brilliant human being and citizen, worthy of rest simply because I am alive…
To daydream and imagine what may seem impossible is a spiritual practice. It is rooted in the rich history of pushing back against the powers that be. It is refusal. It is a protest. It is resistance. As Octavia Butler teaches us, ‘What we don’t see, we assume can’t be. What a destructive assumption.’…
Let us always remember there is another way. May we work less. May we rest more. May we dream now.”
- Tricia Hersey, founder of The Nap Ministry, and author of the book Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto, publishing in October 2022.
Excerpt from To Transform Work, We Must Rest by Tricia Hersey in Yes! Magazine”
Thursday, August 18, 2022
One of my clients, earlier this week, shared with me that she feels guilty that every time she sits down to meditate she ends up daydreaming. I delighted in being able to share the article, excerpted above, with her. I too often find myself daydreaming when I sit down to meditate. When that happens, I don't resist it bur rather sit with the intention to daydream. I know that, for me, daydreaming began as an escape or avoidance and has become a fertile space for me to imagine other possibilities - to reach beyond the familiar, realistic and expected.
I also pay attention to the impulse to daydream - it's often giving me a message that I want be somewhere else, to be doing something else, and to be feeling something else. If I can stave off guilt and be present with those feelings of "wanting to be elsewhere," I know I am tapping into some deep truth about my own existence in that moment. When I feel the impulse to daydream, I have to ask myself if I am avoiding something, longing for something, or am I in a creative playful space?
Daydreaming can occur from a place of presence and deep acceptance. Sometimes it can serve as a guidepost - a starting point where we tell the truth to ourselves about how challenging it is to be present in our lives at this time. Sometimes it can become the thread of hope that connects us to a future that hasn't yet formed. Daydreaming doesn't have to be productive. We can do it without guilt or the added pressure to make something real of the dreams we dream. We can do it from a place of rest. These days I find conscious and guilt-free daydreaming to be restorative, refreshing, and deeply regulating. I encourage you to experiment with it :).
Speaking of regulating, I got an exciting package in the mail today! Several months ago I ordered the Polyvagal Card Deck: Practices for Calm and Change. It was just published on Tuesday and arrived today. I have been looking through the deck and think it's an amazing resource for understanding our nervous system and exploring practices that can restore and regulate us when we feel activated, flat, or when we want to reach for or deepen connection with others. And there is a bonus stack of cards focused on Play! I am excited to use this deck for myself, with clients and in future Embodied Movement Explorations classes. Below is an image of the deck just minutes after I opened the box.
This weekend we are remembering and celebrating my father. He passed away 20 years ago this month. Last year was the first year I created a playlist to celebrate him - I wrote about it here. My father did not rest. He worked all the time, out of necessity for survival. But he did daydream, not always intentionally but I noticed it when it happened. Daydreaming made him smile. His imagination and curiosity were boundless. I am looking forward to revisiting the playlist, dancing in community with you all, and remembering him this weekend. I miss him everyday and honoring him in community is a way of keeping his memory alive. I hope that you can join us.
A reminder that my Wednesday classes for the month of August are Nia classes.
Note: Next Wednesday, August 24 is our last of the month. I will not be teaching on August 31. In September, Embodied Movement Explorations for Body Wisdom and Wellness will be moving to a new time! Wednesdays at 9AM PDT/10AM MDT/11AM CDT/12PM EDT. Starting Wednesday, September 7.
Classes this week - Sunday at 10:00AM PDT and Wednesday at 4:00PM PDT
Deeply grateful for this community,
Jennifer
Schedule Going Forward:
- Somos Luceros on Sundays at 10AM PDT
- Embodied Movement Explorations in Body Wisdom & Wellness on Wednesdays at 4PM PDT
- ArcanaDance - next workshop TBA
Somos Luceros
 Somos Luceros is a somatic dance practice designed to illuminate the wisdom of your body and cultivate deep embodiment of archetypal qualities that offer lightness, depth and joy. The dance moves are simple and guided by the language of storytelling, opening new chapters in our bodies where we can see and feel our most luminous potential. Release the stories in your body that weigh you down and reclaim your light. In Spanish, Somos means “we are” and Luceros means “bringers of light” or “bright stars.” This name honors my father, my paternal indigenous ancestors in South America, my heritage, and our collective oldest ancestor, the stars. We are dancing bodies of light.
With immense gratitude for your continued support,
Jennifer
|
|
Somos Luceros – La Sonrisa: Dancing in Celebration & Remembrance of My Smiling Father Who Passed 20 Years Ago (via Zoom)
Date: Sunday, August 21, 2022 at 10:00AM PDT
Time Zones: 10:00AM PDT | 11:00AM MDT | 12:00PM CDT | 1:00PM EDT
Pay what you can in exchange for the class experience ($5-$25)
Register for class:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlfuqurzIpGdOcyQfaFwjXdM5U4031H1mZ
Join us for La Sonrisa: Dancing in Celebration & Remembrance of My Smiling Father Who Passed 20 Years Ago
 My father passed away 20 years ago this month. It is my pleasure to remember and celebrate him this weekend, in dance and in community.
My father was a tall and wide man with broad shoulders and long legs. As a glazier, he was always on his feet, cutting and carrying heavy glass and associated building materials, beautifying storefronts and apartment buildings all over New York City. In this dance we pay tribute to him by mobilizing our shoulders, hands, legs, and multiple smile lines!
My father was also a jovial, warm, and playful person. His love for our family and his friends was boundless and he left us with many beautiful memories and gifts. This dance exploration is a tribute to the qualities my father passed down to me:
Sonrisa – smiles
Felicidad – happiness
Chévere – being “cool” :)
Esperanza – hope
Fe – faith
Optimismo – optimism
Cariño – care and affection
He was also incredibly playful (juguetón) and had a deep abiding value for friendship (la amistad) so may these be threads we weave into our class this weekend!
The playlist is as diverse as my father’s taste in music was – he loved everything!
The dance moves are simple and guided by the language of storytelling. You are invited to receive the choreography, bring it into your body and make it your own.
Somos Luceros is a somatic dance practice designed to illuminate the wisdom of your body and cultivate deep embodiment of archetypal qualities that offer lightness, depth and joy. The dance moves are simple and guided by the language of storytelling, opening new chapters in our bodies where we can see and feel our most luminous potential. Release the stories in your body that weigh you down and reclaim your light. In Spanish, Somos means “we are” and Luceros means “bringers of light” or “bright stars.” This name honors my father, my paternal indigenous ancestors in South America, my heritage, and our collective oldest ancestor, the stars. We are dancing bodies of light.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the class/meeting.
Pay what you can in exchange for the class experience:
Embodied Movement Explorations for Body Wisdom and Wellness - Nia for the month of August (via Zoom)
Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Time Zones: 4:00PM PDT, 5:00PM MDT, 6:00PM CDT, 7:00PM EDT
Class is 75 minutes
Pay what you can in exchange for the class experience ($5-$25)
Register for class:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlcOuqrzsqHde2rqm6cive4WxG3VjLwjMn
Join us for Embodied Movement Explorations for Body Wisdom and Wellness
 Body wisdom is being aware of and attuned to what our body needs to feel well. This somatic intelligence and tending can be accessed and cultivated in many ways.
Every week we will explore a variety of somatic movement practices that include somatic dance, yoga, QiGong, archetypal expression (mainly tarot), and other modalities that emphasize mindfulness and that guide self-knowing.
Classes for the month of August will focus on Emotions and Our Three Body Weights (from Nia Technique).
Our guiding tarot card for this class is the Ace of Cups/Water. The invitation is to awaken our heart and allow ourselves to experience emotional flow.
 All classes will be crafted using movement patterns and principle 8 from the Nia Technique. Principle 8 is The Core: Pelvis, Chest and Head. These three body weights are homes to our emotions.
Throughout our embodied explorations we may notice which emotions move through these areas of our body. We get to explore the ways in which emotions flow in and through our Core and likewise where we experience blocks or constriction. Our gentle invitation is to take notice, feel, and invite flow.
Images above right: Ace of Cups from the Mahogany Tarot, Gentle Tarot, Light Seer's Tarot, and Pocket of Peers Tarot.
In this class we center the experience of living, feeling, sensing and moving in our bodies. We learn practices to know ourselves more deeply, cultivate joy, restore from stress, explore creative self-expression, and ways to nourish the various systems (fluid, muscular, skeletal, organ, nervous, and cellular) of our body.
Come to move your body, develop a deeper appreciation for the intelligence and wisdom of your body, and to learn practices to be well in mind, body, heart and soul.
Wear comfortable clothes to move in. No shoes required. Feel free to have a yoga mat, blanket or towel for floor-based practices.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the class/meeting.
Pay what you can in exchange for the class experience:
|
|
Tarot Sessions - Now September and beyond
 I am now scheduling into September and beyond.
These sessions are my lifeblood and I so appreciate your continued support in scheduling appointments and referring your loved ones and friends to me. As you know, I don't advertise. All of my client work has been via referral. For that I am immensely grateful.
To schedule a session, choose the session type at www.jenniferluceroearle.com/tarot-with-me/sessions and email me your questionnaire.
Tarot Consultation Packages
There are several tarot packages to choose from, including options for multiple one hour to two hour sessions throughout a one year window.
Huge thanks to Brooke Lowe Johnson for the photo (top) above!
|
|
Mary Lenox's Poetry
Following is the narrative poem, The Story of the Beachcomber: A Narrative Poem, that Mary wrote and shared with us after class this past Sunday, August 14. Praise be to Kathy - a dreamer in service to all sentient beings.
The Story of the Beachcomber
There she was
Pulling a large wagon across the sandy beach
Her overflowing cargo of discarded blankets, towels, toys, and cans seemed heavy, yet, she continued
She walked with fervor picking up trash
Here and there
Placing more and more in her beach cart
She paused to look at me as I stood nearby
Saying
"Are you alright?" I said yes
Then I asked,
"What do you do with all of that stuff?"
Her answer surprised me
Explaining how she washed the dirty towels and toys
To donate to Goodwill
She gave the cans to homeless guys to sell
She counted each item, saying
"I've picked up 1400 pieces so far today, counting caps
And thousands more this year
"It's all about moving the body while caring for the sea."
Kathy, the beachcomber
Turning trash into gems of generosity
On her divine mission of care for self, the ocean, others
Everyday
Praise be to Kathy
Following the wisdom of her heart
While serving the planet in her own unique way
Amazing!
©2022 Mary F. Lenox
August 13, 2022 San Diego, CA
To join Mary's email list: mflenox69@gmail.com
|
|
|
Battery Dance Festival 2022 - August 14, 2022
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
