Personal ads. They’re … personal! Very.
Each week I write these Visions of Possibility and Anticipation to practice asking for what I want. And to get clarity on what that really is, even when asking feels conflicted.
I always get useful information about my relationship with various aspects of the ask. Join in if you like!
Thing 1: The Wishing Hour.
Here’s what I want:
I want designated time each day for processing wishing and wanting. Conscious interaction with desire.
And I would like this to be fun, playful. Part of play.
Not a chore. I mean, yes, I know that wherever there are wishes, you are bound to encounter monsters. Because desire is beautiful and terrifying. I’m okay with doing whatever internal negotiating is necessary.
The point is, I want this to be part of a bigger flow, not another thing that I think I have to do. An experimental practice that can take any shape it wants to.
Ways this might work:
This could get tucked into other rituals. Like evening yoga.
I could write one of these Very Personal Ads each evening before bed, playing with the form.
I’m playing with…
Paying attention.
Keeping my eyes open for possible clews.
Asking: Is this indicated? Huh. I think that question needs its own wish.
Finding the pieces that are already working.
Thing 2: Playing with how I want to experience Fridays.
Here’s what I want:
I have spent my entire summer thinking about time, and my relationship with it.
And the big thing right now is making transitions smoother. Fridays and Mondays. These are the days that are doors.
So I want to play with what would be part of an ideal Friday. What would already be set up to make Friday work for me? How could I set up a Friday that would give me what I need, and make sure that my weekend is clean, clear and empty for play.
Ways this might work:
Processing on the Floop, of course.
Talking about this with my playmate.
I’m playing with…
Reminding the monsters that I don’t need to figure out the how just yet. I’m only looking at what would feel good.
Thing 3: Is this indicated?
Here’s what I want:
Hmm. Okay. I don’t know if I have access to a lot more information than other people do. It could just be that I spend a lot more time getting really really quiet and listening.
But: I get a ton of information. All the time. Very specific.
Sometime it’s more general: Pay attention to the color red today. Or: Simplicity is extra-important here. Find out how you can make this more simple.
While other times it’s highly specific. Turn right. Now? Now.
And then slightly wiser me (who is calling herself Harmony, because she’s hilarious) is constantly whispering good advice. Showing me what’s good.
But I have a rebellious streak a mile wide so I fight her every step of the way, trying to assert what I think might be good over what I already know to be good (because yeah, she’s always right).
And sure, the rebelling is also part of what’s indicated, it’s also part of my own personal flow within a larger flow. But I would like to spend more time noticing that I’m getting a hit about something and less time arguing with it.
Ways this might work:
Ask. Listen. Let things change. They always do.
Oh, it’s like this now? ADAPT. FLOW.
And also: TRUST. SMILE.
Surrender surrender surrender.
I’m playing with…
The question.
Is this indicated? What about now?
Thing 4: An app for lists and reminders!
Here’s what I want:
Recommendations for an iPhone app that is good for making lists and/or reminders.
Other than the one that’s already on the phone. Something new.
I want to make a separate list for each day of the week that shows me elements of the day. These lists are not for checking off. They are for me to scan and be reminded of all the parts and pieces.
AND I want a way to have one quickie list of things I’m playing with today that I can tick off when they’re done.
Ways this might work:
I’m asking you guys. Something you like? Let me know.
Or maybe I’ll happen to hear about the just-right thing.
I’m playing with…
Gathering more information about what I want.
Thing 5: X Days of Entry.
Here’s what I want:
[silent retreat!]
Ways this might work:
I’m going to ask Harmony how this can be fun and playful.
I’m playing with…
Trust.
Thing 5: New structures for work.
Here’s what I want:
One of the things I noticed last week was that sneaking in an hour or two of work while my friend was visiting resulted in crazy-productive getting things done.
So. I am reconfiguring all the containers for working.
Ways this might work:
Listing the elements of what makes a container fun, hot, all charged up.
Giving myself ONE HOUR to get something done, and then having a plan for somewhere I need to be when it’s done. Even if that somewhere I need to be is taking a nap. But it’s scheduled. I need to be out of there when the hour is up.
I’m playing with…
Letting this be silly.
Progress report on past Very Personal Ads.
Just to update you on what’s happened since last time.
I wanted to be a mermaid who was also a dragon, and that worked. I still don’t have figurines of knights but I am taking my strengthening elixir more regularly, so that’s good.
And now I’m laughing because I forgot that I planted an ask about Logistics, which then ended up being the theme of the week. I am pleased to report that everything about that two day period I was worried about ended up falling into place perfectly and seamlessly , just like I asked.
Even better than what I asked for, actually. 🙂
I wanted SIMPLICITY and to solve for X, and that happened. In fact, lots of things were surprisingly simple.
And finally I wanted perfect simple solutions, and they showed up. Though it took me a while to recognize them because they didn’t look the way I thought they would, surprise! Glad about this.
Playful playing. Shelter for the comments.
What’s welcome: Your own wishes, gwishes, visions and personal ads, small or large. Updates on past ones if you like.
Here or on your own or in your head. It’s all fine. Or call silent retreat!
I’m receptive to warm wishes for the things I’m working on and playing with.
If you’re looking for suggestions or heart-sighs or anything else related to your wish, you will need to ask for that because our default mode is giving each other space and spaciousness for the process.
This is a place of safety for creative play and exploration, with a very non-dogmatic approach. We don’t tell each other how to ask for things and we don’t give unsolicited advice. We make space for people’s wishes.
That’s it. Let’s throw a bunch of things in the pot!
As always, amnesty applies. Leave a wish here any time you want.
xox
Follow
Yay for VPAs!
1. No more bronchitis. 🙁
I want to feel better. No more coughing and hacking and hard-to-breathe-ing. Confidence that I can take deep breaths. Whatever is making me sick — closing time, pals. OUt you go.
Ways this might work: no idea. Lots of tea and water drinking? More sleep? Work in the Soft re: chakras and healthiness?
My commitment: Getting breathe easy tea. Lights out no later than 11:30.
2. Working in the Soft to map out the Hard.
I’ve been doing the dog-chasing-tail thing of frenzy re: stuff to do. Recognizing that has helped. I had no editing clients this week, and was planning on doing a million things. REvamping website! Finishing second ebook! Publishing first ebook across all platforms! Rewriting policy page! But that’s too much. That’s the other part of the thing.
Ways this might work: I think (especially in light of #1) I will simply write down what I want, why I want it, and then ask questions. What’s in my way?
My commitment: To clear my desk, take it slow, and remind myself I’m happy when I write the lists. Maybe a little list-ritual.
Mwah. Happy week, guys!
@cathyyardley Hope you feel better soon!!
Gwishes:
1. Be able to vote without a hassle due to sucky PA laws created to cause exactly this issue for people exactly like me. If I have to register for a freaking gun permit to establish residency I am calling Action News, dammit!
2. A big chunk of revised book ready to send to E by middle of week
3. Another by Friday
4. Better options for (silent retreat) like immediately. Dammit!
5. Pictures
Xo hugs to the gwishers
Ps, I love Astrid for lists, but I just use it as the ultimate catch all long term list on my phone, I’m not sure if it is complex enough for what you are looking for Havi. You might appreciate their logo though 🙂
Oh yes yes yes. Saying yes to all the wantings. Welcoming them.
Thing 1: structure and magic charms
I want a castle with an inviolable thicket around it that only I can get through. I want to be Carabosse, Prince Charming AND Awakening Beauty all at once. And I want to visit the castle every day.
Qualities
[+ investment]
[+ structure]
[+ support]
[+ seed sowing]
[+ welcoming what I want]
[+ power]
[+ magic]
Ways this could work
Discern what I want (done!)
Decide. Decide, deep down. Say yes. And say yes again.
Figure out the how every day.
Step up. Step into my power.
I’ll play with
A fabulous black sequined and satiny fairy-bitch, come-fuck-with-me-I-double-dare-you costume may be in order. I’m going for a bigger budget than the NYC Ballet costume department with this one.
Not settling for silver goblets mofos. I want the gold dammit.
*fairy bitch dust*
Thing 2: energies
I want to feel good. I want to clear out the gunk and zinngg with life energy. ZZZzzzzinnnngggg!!!
Qualities
[+ replenishment]
[+ potential kinetic]
[+ congruence]
[+ sealing the leaks]
[+ grounding]
[+ alignment]
[+ investment]
[+ power]
[+ six impossible things]
Ways this could work
Asking if this serves me. (Or if it is indicated?)
Listening to my body.
Getting grounded and aligning from there.
Ritual. R-to-the-itual kind of ritual. Deck the halls.
I’ll play with
Performing a ritual. Casting a spell.
And then doing it again.
*ZZzzzinnnggg*
So many things I want to throw in the pot, but let’s stick with one Vision
Vision #1: I have lots of lil pieces. I want to see how they fit toegtehr and how they connect. This means in all kinds of ways. It’s also part of my re-discovering my writing practice in amore conscious, integrated fashion, rather than a list of projects that dont move forward
WIW: For the pieces to reveal how they connect, and to see more of the picture.
WTCW: It just could. I could consult Future Me andask for Sage Advice and Guidance from Invisible People. I could just start noticing things and journaling about them more. I could journal about lil messages more.
ICT: Flailing. Humming on this topic. Noticing. Consulting FutureLeni and Invisible People.
Also: I have recently started Art of Embarking for my Voyage of ReDiscovery and for the Theatre Project of Joy. THis makes mke happy because AoE really REALLY helps all processes of worth, helps me find the Connections (see Vision #1) and keeps me writing (which is what Re-Discovery is all about).
I’m happy I had a Vision that I felt strongly enough to go thru the VPA protocol.
A Thing: steering project D to a sparkly place. It has been mired in meh for months now, and that’s kind of messing with my mojo for other writing/photography stuffs.
So the core ask is for it to get out of the way of my mojo, and the bonus ask is for it to get done.
WTWC:
* quitting
* coloring
* exploring my files
* making it about (or impersonate) something else
I’ll play with: the crayons. Because I actually brought them downstairs just now. Which is already progress from the past mumbledy-mumbledy weeks’ worth of VPAs…
Warm wishes to all!
All week I have been thinking of VPAs. Let’s see if I can remember them all.
Thing #1
What I want:
I didn’t have internet for twelve days, and it was kind of annoying, but I also didn’t miss it *that* much. So what I want is now that I’ve got internet again I don’t want to get sucked in/addicted/spend too much time on here. Living without internet is so freeing I almost want to cancel internet. Almost. Anyway, so to put it in a specific and positive manner: I want to have healthy boundaries when it comes to the internet.
How this could work:
Use the blocking/timing function of Google Chrome. Write to-do lists for the internet and only do those things. Leave the computer off or the windows closed when I think to myself “I’m only going to put on some music…”
I’ll play with:
Freedom.
Thing #2
What I want:
For a certain someone and his family to have peace and healing or whatever they need in the thing they are going through.
I’ll play with:
Being loving and supportive while maintaining healthy boundaries.
Thing #3
What I want:
To go abroad with the gentleman. Specifically, in August 2013 for us to visit the east coast, then commence to Germany for a few months, then Great Britain, and take a train across Russia whereupon we shall travel to Japan for a while. We could be gone for up to a year.
I want for the trip to, well, get planned. For all of the necessary steps to be taken at the right time. For ease and safety and fun and wonder and…I don’t know what all.
I want for us to have the language skills, specifically, to learn enough German and Japanese to get by (and if I could do this while maintaining my Spanish, it would be most fantastic). I want for us to have enough money to do this. I want for us to find jobs abroad that will suit are needs wonderfully. I want to find the resources which will lead us to those jobs. I want to find and connect to all the resources needed for the trip, whether they be people or websites or funds or what-have-you. I want to still have the time and space to write while abroad, for this trip to enhance my life goals rather than distract from or delay them.
That is a lot of wants all wrapped up in one VPA, but now in the first stage of the planning there is a lot to do and consider.
How this could work:
Surfing the internet. Getting guidebooks. Having people who have lived abroad give us tips or point us in the right direction. Splitting the work between me and the gentleman.
I’ll play with:
Maps! Also, applying the tools for processing the process and whatnot to the issue. Trusting that everything will work out, that what I need will come to me.
Update on a previous VPA: I still need a sewing machine, though I haven’t put much effort into looking for one.
Visions!
Throwing these into the pot:
Progress on transforming the formerly safe space into a safe space again. Or making a new safe space.
Heart openness and useful information with person X. (Also courage! And safety! And tingle-joy! And maybe possibly having some words.)
Next steps on the thing I was formerly avoiding.
Finding space for rest.
Last Week:
I wanted to hear back about the purple house. I did. But the news was “some progress and then 3 days to 3 weeks until we hear back again.” So I’m reasking, and wanting to hear back that “the purple house is ours.”
I wanted dancing and movement and that happened in spades. I literally couldn’t sit still and I walked and did yoga and swung on the swings and worked on the thriller dance and had spontaneous dance parties and it was perfect.
I asked for progress on the big stuck and I got some. I would still like more, but this was a great start!
Lastly I asked for clothing and I have one glorious shirt. Which is better than nothing. Reasking, though.
apps for listing (possibly listless) lists
The first one that occurred to me is Omnifocus http://www.omnigroup.com/products/omnifocus-iphone/
which also has a mac version that syncs with the iphone version automagically
it may be WAY more then you want, or there may be a way to use that that is perfect… but it popped into my head so I’m sharing…
Then 2 others came
Remember the Milk
http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/iphone/
which is kind of more like a normal to do list thing, but it’s quite flexible.
you can make multiple lists, and then just not check things off on the lists that you don’t want to check things off off…
and then there’s Checkmarks
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/checkmark/id524873453?mt=8
which I haven’t actually used, but I’ve heard lots of people loving…
I think this is the least likely one to do what you want (it’s more around reminding you about things that are associated with a specific time or place) but it wanted to be included so here it is.
Hope that helps!!
Happy listappfinding!!!
I keep thinking up new projects and things to work on. Some of them never even get started, they just sit on my list glowering at me and turning into iguanas.
I want them to fade happily away with big grins like the Cheshire cat.
I want to let them go, knowing that the ones that really matter will come back again.
I want the Boomerang Boy to settle into his new place in the group home, and for me to let go of the responsibilities I have had for him.
I want the project that the Butler and MrB are doing together to make MrB happy. I want my involvement in the project to go well.
I was recently asked to do a couple of things that would bring me more attention and connection with people. I have done those things and have had some (very positive) feedback on one of the things. I want to accept and process the feedback, and I want to build on it.
I want to start readying my home for fall and winter.
I want to sign up for some workshops.
What I think will help me with these asks: if I write them down and keep them in mind throughout the day. Maybe make a mantra about letting go. Remember the EASE acrostics. Give love to all my asks.
Sending love to everyone’s asks too.
Thing 1 – transitioning
living in the containers and setting them up and finding spaces for transition. summer to fall. new school year. from defending the defences to creating the creation.
wicw – giving space; letting the trust arrive slowly and safely.
i’ll play with – seeing what comes up at floop.
Thing 2 – A tree thing
shhh it’s a proxy. and i can’t say what it is yet because i don’t want to spoil the potential magic.
wicw – colors, papers, time sitting on the floor, taking breaks first, napping on it.
i’ll play with – lightheartedness and bf support.
RE: Thing 4
There is a *fantastic* list app for the iPhone: Trello
It’s powerful, easy-to-use and FREE! (And the guy who wrote it has a super-cute dog named Taco!)
https://trello.com/
Good luck!
I had a vision back in April 2008 where Ursula LeGuin tattooed me with a feather, and Toni Morrison took my shoes because they were stealing my path.
I want to have a body-level understanding of that vision. It seems important now.
I also want to have a body-level understanding of what I need for Spellbinding.
Ribbon-braided bags of happy gwishes for everyone’s visions!
Also, Havi, I quite like CatchNotes and Daily Notes, for different kinds of reminderizing.
I like Evernote. It’s the home of my Book of Me now.
I think I use Remember The Milk in exactly the ways you wanted. This is very loosely based on http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/2008/05/guest-post-advanced-gtd-with-remember-the-milk/
I made separate ‘bucket lists’ for each area I wanted to be able to pay attention to – things like “Love | Fun” “House | Garden”, “Company”, etc. (Next time I see you, I am happy to talk systems with you, I have a few.)
The way this works is that I set an intention for each list, and futz with the naming conventions/dates so that the intention is at the top. Example: “I will have a lovely 2 bedroom house in Irvington by December 1, 2011.” (What actually occurred was that I got a lovely 2 bedroom in Hawthorne by December 1, 2011!) Every time I opened that list, I was reminded of what my intention was. I could put bits in there that had a date attached to them, I could have the system email or direct message me on twitter with what I had set due for that day, and I could always come in and postpone things if I needed to. I’ll also grab quotes or things that catch my eye and put them in without a date. They’re really just reminders of what I was doing or what I was thinking.
One thing that I find Remember The Milk really valuable for is setting up a series of tasks that repeat – daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly – or a series of things that I wanted to do for a number of weeks. Oh my goodness, I had completely forgotten about this until now, but if you want proof that I am a systems geek: http://www.traditionallysubversive.com/content/introducing-domestic-engineering-conceptual-and-practical-overview (TS is my untended garden of house blog.)
Evernote can be good for this too, but it’s more of a ‘pensieve’ – these thoughts that I wanted to keep in a place that was accessible but not close.
Trello is also valuable if you are more of a visual person who likes to be able to flip through lists, I am more verbal and thusly never got into Trello.
Omnifocus may be complete overkill and is expensive, so that was never on my radar.
TeuxDeux is lovely but it only has one ‘someday’ bucket! I need many many someday buckets to work towards!
Wunderlist (http://www.wunderlist.com/) is also much more visual than RTM, it is pretty, it does all of the devices you might ever want, and they’ve recently released ‘wunderkit’ which could be amazing. Very web 2.0 happiness.
Now:
Thing 1: Ghosts.
Here’s what I want:
I have an infestation of ghosts.
Periodically, these ghosts come to roost and they play parlor games with the monsters.
I want to be able to honor the ghosts, but I really really do not need them in my house – they leave a haze everywhere, they add to the cobwebs, they generally detract from my property values and it is awful. I do not want this feeling of ghost.
Ways this might work:
Reminding the ghosts that they are valued and important and I heard them the first time
I’ll play with:
I made my favorite ghost banishing dish tonight, the dish that supercedes all other dishes in the ghosts’ lifetime. (Chicken piccatta.)
I will make a decision about if a long workout will banish the ghosts, or if more yoga and more time in the sacred pool will help the ghosts remove themselves.
I will take on fall cleaning in a big way. If the ghosts could work out amongst themselves what the basement shelves need to look like, that would be a great task. I will play with turning the ghosts into house elves who are helpful.
You might like http://teuxdeux.com/ (a web-based task list and its iPhone companion). I’ve tried it and like the interface; I think it might be a good fit for your particular usage.
xoxoxo M
I just started playing around with WorkFlowy and Shannon’s recommendation — her bit about it is here in the “rad” section, with all the appropriate links: http://www.perceptionstudios.net/good-bad-rad-6-the-can-you-marry-an-app-edition/
I like the feeling of endless expansion and contraction that is possible with it — I can go crazy with tangents and off-shoots in one direction, and then just minimize it all to get a balanced bird’s eye view.