Posted by Stan Stewart (Sawyer) on April 10, 2010 under Anita Bondi, Stan Stewart | 
Something beautiful is happening between Anita and me: we’re falling in love again. Maybe it’s the seven year itch finally bearing fruit — we’ve been together for about nine years. Maybe it’s that we’ve actually managed to practice what we preach by using the tools we have learned over the years in our own day-to-day relationship. We’ve even remembered to pull a card from Anita’s own InterPlay Inspiration Deck or role Gretchen Wegner’s MuseCubes a few times recently!
Mostly, I think it’s been about each of us learning to be more playful — both individually and in the ways we relate with each other. One of our playmates is our “rescue dog,” Scout. In addition to loving to hike, run in circles (usually around Anita or me), and play games with his stuffed toys, Scout likes to sing and talk. Sometimes these vocalizations just sound like grunts and sometimes they form random melodies. However they may sound, they always draw our attention to him.
A few days ago, we were involved in this deathly serious discussion. Anita was getting focused — I could tell because of the furrow in her forehead — and I was getting sad — and showing it. Suddenly, Scout stretched and performed one of his delightful little vocalizations right between us. We both laughed. And the moment was transformed.
So — unless you have a dog or a child to shift the mood — roll the dice or draw a card and relax into your life. Join us on a Monday night to experience the tools we use.
Playful blessings!
Posted by Anita Bondi on March 4, 2010 under Anita Bondi |
I loved my Lutheran Lenten group last night. The chairs were in a big circle when I arrived and Pastor Gail had already brought the piano bench in for our altar. As i began to set up for our mini-retreat, the group began to come in, one at a time. Howard arrived carrying a really large poster, framed in gold. At the bottom it said “Crystal Eyes.” I thought that was pretty bold for a Lutheran!
It was a 3-D picture. When you soften your gaze, (yes, take an
Easy Focus) there is a balance that is achieved by your rod and cone vision, so that more of your peripheral vision field is used.
It is a more emotional, intuitive way of seeing the world. Score another one for
InterPlay! In this picture a floating heart appears to come out of a center circle and then zodiac symbols magically arise out of that center and surround the heart. We worked on that last Wednesday, but I did not love my group that night. It was more like a job that night. So, with Howard by my side and the magic heart floating before my eyes, I softened and relaxed. Guess what? Everything shifted. Amazing? No, not really, but powerful nonetheless.
When Martha arrived, I went right over and hugged her! She was not expecting that and drew back a bit, smiling slightly. I took the hint as I stretched my hand out to warmly greet Jack. That seemed better, so I stuck with the handshake.
Notice from the InterPlay Inspiration Deck by Anita Bondi
Once everyone was settled we began with our theme for the night:
Notice. I did a guided visualization/relaxation with a focus on noticing the places where we hold tension and tightness.
At one point I opened my eyes and that is when it happened. That was the moment I fell in love. The whole room was filled with the soft scent of Juniper, the warm glow of candlelight, and all of these brave souls that had come to experience a new way of being in their bodies. They thought they had signed up for an exercise class. That was not what I wanted to teach and frankly, I am sick of not pleasing myself! I brought exactly what I wanted to bring and it worked! Guess what? Everything shifted. Amazing? No, not really.
As I looked around the room, they all looked so peaceful, so trusting and vulnerable. I realized how much they were allowing me to guide them and to stretch them in ways beyond the ability to touch their toes. I almost cried. It was so beautiful. They were so beautiful. When they opened their eyes, I asked them to take a soft and
Easy Focus and to
Notice how they were feeling.
Howard said it was the most relaxed he had been all day and everyone nodded. We all took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh!
P.S. A Lutheran sigh is very quiet, almost inaudible. I am going to work on that next!
Posted by Anita Bondi on February 16, 2010 under Anita Bondi |
In the InterPlay Inspiration Deck, Grace says that she wants to be found. Today is a day that I need Grace. She wears red so that she is easier to see in the crowd. This morning the crowd is inside of my head. There seems to be a cacophony of voices a bit too loud to really hear what any one of them is actually saying. This is making my chest feel a bit tight and I notice that my breathing is also somewhat labored. Why? Hard to say. I am doing Debbie Ford’s , 21 day Consciousness Cleanse, and today is about giving up the old agreements that are keeping us stuck. That could be it?
Then there is the fact that it is approaching the end of February and the next phase of “the card deck project” is not really underway. Sure I have done a few things, but not enough to get something going in the wholesale market. That could be it?
There is also the way that an artist has to be self-motivated and find some structure in her days. When to eat, exercise, write, research the next step, make stuff, and most importantly, make space for the inspiration. This could be it?
A female cardinal has just landed at the bird feeder right outside the window where I am sitting and writing. She is a beautiful red-orange with a brilliant yellow-red beak. Her head feathers are bouncing up and down and she bobs for her breakfast. She is in one sense calm and in another on edge, ready to fly at any moment. I wonder if she has come to find me? If she is my Grace? I do not hear the other voices in my head right now and I notice that I have finally exhaled. This is it.
Posted by Anita Bondi on January 27, 2010 under Anita Bondi |
~ a new career blossoming inside me?
~life coach and marketing session today.
~8 InterPlay Inspiration Decks sold in two days!
~Looking for young, inspired person to tweet for me….trade anyone?
~mourning the packing away of the Christmas decorations (don’t laugh at me!)
the true message for the day
~questions about curly or straight hair continue to plague the mornings.
~found my first wedding ring the other day (more on that next post!)
Posted by muz4now on January 25, 2010 under Anita Bondi |
Stan’s niece wrote and said that she pulled the card “HOLD IT LOOSELY AND LIGHTLY” and really needed that message yesterday. She is having a great time using the InterPlay Inspiration Deck which is making me realize even more the power of it as a daily practice. Whether you know InterPlay or not, these round cards are a way to get more out of your day, every day!
For me, this message to remember to hold things loosely and lightly is so important. I am SO NOT a technology person and the whole world operating on Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc. is not really comfortable for me. Comfortable is this easy chair that I am sitting in right now. My morning coffee by my side, my dog curled up in my lap, the heavy rain and wind providing an awesome background for this Monday morning. Discomfort for me is the way I cannot figure out how to write this post directly into the blog, cannot figure out how to “tweet” people on a regular enough basis so that I would get hundreds of followers like my friend, Gretchen, and my complete inability to post things with pictures on Facebook or any other techy tool like that.
AHHHH, taking a breath as that was quite a long sentence.
That is what lack of comfort feels like in my body: one huge run on sentence!
So, for this moment, I borrow the Hold it Loosely and Lightly card, I grab my tight focuser and release it from my tight knit brow, take one long slow deep breath, and I exhale twice as long.
The wind and rain have stopped. Another Monday miracle reveals itself to me!
Angel Messenger: Hold It Loosely & Lightly
Tags: Anita Bondi, breathe, card, cards, circle, deck, InterPlay Inspiration Deck, muse, round, round card, Stan Stewart
