My second 40-Day letter is the Letter L.
When I chose this letter I was intending to choose a Letter of the Day. To choose your Letter of the Day you hold the cards in the palm of your left hand, place your right hand on top of the deck, and close your eyes. As you exhale, ask the simple question, "What attitude do I need to bring into my day today to help me grow in spirit?"
I found the capital L so difficult and awkward to write I decided it really must be a 40-day letter and not just a Letter of the Day. After all, "The degree of mastering a stroke change is directly proportional to the value it will have in your life. The greater the difficulty, the greater the value."
My usual capital L is two straight lines. If I were writing a cursive L I would make a loop at the top and bottom. The reason to not make that top loop is that "you are reversing energy." I'm willing to give it a try even though I don't think it's as pretty.
"The Letter L reflects the amount of attention we give to our spiritual growth. If you are driven to explore your spiritual nature - what makes you tick beyond your personality - and how to develop that part of yourself, this is the letter to practice. Day after day as you write the Letter L, you may notice that you are more open and more receptive to spiritual seeking than in the past and that your thirst to learn spiritual truths has intensified. You may experience "waves of knowing" that take you deep inside, beyond your personality, and settle you gently into a sense of Oneness with everything that is. That is the essence of the Letter L."
One thing I found interesting this morning as I practiced the Letter L (on Day 6 of my practice) is that today is the first time it occurred to me to write "Lucy". On Day 3 of writing the Letter H I wrote "Henry" several times and enjoyed it. Although awkward, writing the Letter H is not as awkward as writing the Letter L. I usually enjoy writing a cursive "Lucy", just not yet with this different L. Time will tell.
Day 1 - Letter L
Day 6 - Letter L
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Letter H
My first 40 day letter is H. The letter H emits one of the most powerfully propelling energies in the entire alphabet.
Each Alphabet card shows the letter's Soul Quality on one side.
Vimala says if you practice the letter H daily and draw into your life as many of its aspects as you possibly can, get ready for the adventure of your life. The Letter H not only moves you forward, it invites you to learn necessary lessons from the blind alleys you encounter along the way and guides you through them with dynamic, not-for-sissies energy. If you want to put firm footing on your intended life path, this is the letter to adopt. Vimala has practiced this letter daily for more than 30 years!
The letter's Declaration of Intent is on the other side:
I love this Declaration!
I live my life path with the zeal of an evangelist and the wide-eyed innocence of a child.
I knew this was an important letter from listening to the CD but I chose it randomly from the deck (although I don't believe it was really random).
Each day, for each 40-Day letter and Letter of the Day, I write and say the Declaration, write the Soul Quality and then at least three lines, upper and lower case, of the letter. I fill the rest of the page with words than include the letter or thoughts about how to bring the particular qualities into my life that day.
Crucial points for the program: Write on unlined paper. Lines reflect "Stay in the box and play it safe" thinking. The paper is to be positioned in the landscape direction. The portrait direction is common; my dreams are not!
Each Alphabet card shows the letter's Soul Quality on one side.
Vimala says if you practice the letter H daily and draw into your life as many of its aspects as you possibly can, get ready for the adventure of your life. The Letter H not only moves you forward, it invites you to learn necessary lessons from the blind alleys you encounter along the way and guides you through them with dynamic, not-for-sissies energy. If you want to put firm footing on your intended life path, this is the letter to adopt. Vimala has practiced this letter daily for more than 30 years!
The letter's Declaration of Intent is on the other side:
I love this Declaration!
I live my life path with the zeal of an evangelist and the wide-eyed innocence of a child.
I knew this was an important letter from listening to the CD but I chose it randomly from the deck (although I don't believe it was really random).
Each day, for each 40-Day letter and Letter of the Day, I write and say the Declaration, write the Soul Quality and then at least three lines, upper and lower case, of the letter. I fill the rest of the page with words than include the letter or thoughts about how to bring the particular qualities into my life that day.
Crucial points for the program: Write on unlined paper. Lines reflect "Stay in the box and play it safe" thinking. The paper is to be positioned in the landscape direction. The portrait direction is common; my dreams are not!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Day Three of Handwriting
I really like my handwriting and have never had a desire to change it. I do, however, have plenty of negative behavior patterns I would love to transform and this system seems to be speaking to me right now.
The first thing the program suggests is to write a page in your journal and then listen to the CDs. Vimala starts off by talking about the slant of your writing - left, vertical or right. I was feeling all proud because I am a vertical writer which "is ideal because it gives you a 360-degree view of what's going on.... encourages you to be the impartial observer". Then she goes on to talk about printing vs cursive. No printing, she says. WTF? I'm a printer. I love to print. It's so nice and neat. She says printers have usually been "betrayed" at some point. Printing is like putting up a wall. Hmmmmm. Very interesting. That was almost enough for me to say "fuck you" to the program. Cursive is stupid.
However, I am such a sucker for finding out more about myself. This is a challenge I can accept right now.
Vimala believes "each letter is not a mere shape, but rather a living entity, fully alive with aspects that serve as powerful cheerleaders in your day-to-day spiritual growth. As you implement the tools provided in this program to change your handwriting, you will gain a refreshing awareness of who you are, why you are here, and how to create - and step into - a life you love."
I do already LOVE, love, LoVe my life but there are definitely things I would like to change personally. I want to live more authentically. I want to live from a place of spirit and not ego. I want to live in the moment. I want take full responsibility for my choices and be proud of them.
The program speaks of The Five Noble Truths of Integral Handwriting. The one that really spoke to me was that "the degree of difficulty in mastering a stroke change is directly proportional to the value it will have in your life. The greater the difficulty, the greater the value."
That "Truth" helped me choose my "40 day letter" which was an unexpected choice. I think I'll talk about that in the next post.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Transform Your Life Through Handwriting
OK, so I have been a member of the One Spirit book club for a couple of years. There are "featured selections" each month that if you don't decline will be automatically sent to you. In general, I have been very good at declining the monthly selections. The handful of times I have forgotten to decline and received a surprise book in the mail I have believed it was "meant" to come my way.
I don't remember the last time I forgot to decline but, recently, a surprise package was delivered. My first instinct was, "Oh Crap!" But then I got excited because I remembered that in the past something very appropriate has appeared at just the right moment.
The book: Transform Your Life Through Handwriting by Vimala Rodgers. It includes: 2 CDs, Guidebook, blank journal and 26 alphabet cards.
I'm not sure I can explain it succinctly but, in a nutshell, you practice one letter for 40 days plus a "letter of the day". The focus of the book is "to guide persons in adopting handwriting patterns that bring out the best in themselves, with a specific emphasis on the transformational power of the letters of the Alphabet." (Imagine spooky music)
Vimala says that writing patterns are a graphic image of how your subconscious mind interprets the world and your place in it. As you adopt new letter shapes, you are telling your mind how to think and the subconscious may not be pleased!
She goes on to say, "Your handwriting is an intimate portrait of how you see yourself - a graphic representation of collective memories programmed by your subconscious mind from birth onward, reflecting both your strong points and those that have put a screeching halt to your inborn creativity. . . As you adopt self-affirming writing patterns, you are discarding outdated thought habits and acknowledging your authentic self at the highest possible level."
So I'm game! I listened to the first CD last night. This morning I got up at 6am while my minions were still snoozing. I chose 2 letters to practice for 40 days (she said you could do that) and then I'll add a "letter of the day" each day. More to come on all of that and a short analysis of my own handwriting in the next post!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
People Magazine
Did you know that you can get a People magazine subscription MUCH cheaper if you subscribe as a business? I searched for the "cheapest subscription" and the lowest price I found was $116. However when I searched for a "professional" subscription I found it for $52 HERE!
It's not cheaper for other magazines, however. The few other mags I checked were cheaper ordered from the particular magazines' website. Interesting, no?
Speaking of People magazine, is anyone else tired of hearing about Michael Jackson and his fucked up life?
Saturday, July 11, 2009
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