Newsletter, November 2010

Thanksgiving, the designated holiday for reflecting on and expressing what we are thankful for. When we think about what it is that gives us cause to give thanks, we may hold in our hearts such things as health, community, financial well being (the actuality or the wish for it), and the fulfillment of at least some of our wishes and dreams.

As this monthly newsletter arrives very close to Thanksgiving, I want to give thanks to you for reading these missives and, sometimes, writing back to tell me how they have touched you. Even if you have not clicked "reply" after reading the Writing from the Deeper Self articles and bits of news, that you have given a bit of your time to take in my offering is quite meaningful to me, and I thank you for that.

We might also, in reflecting on what we are thankful for, give thanks for the process of creation that is behind the wish to write a book (whether it has come about already or is still waiting for the moment of decision). Whatever your views of what is behind creation, just the desire to create that is in you is a miracle of humanity-and-divinity. That the process of creation has both some inspired, sublime aspects and some quite prosaic aspects should not obscure the reality that to create is to draw from an inner well that is not dependent on our own efforts alone.

In this spirit, may we go into Thanksgiving with a sense of wonder, awe, gratitude, and looking forward to receiving the spark of desire to create whatever-it-is, and to birth that desire into wondrous manifestation.

This November issue discusses the importance of silence in writing, and also brings you up to date on Rose Press's offerings ~ which include some potent and wonderful Flower Essence Remedies for Writers; an in-the-works new print version of my book, Starting Your Book: A Guide to Navigating the Blank Page by Attending to What's Inside You; Dr. Claudio Naranjo's brilliant exploration of what our civilization needs in order to heal, Healing Civilization; and a new Rose Press-published book in the wings, Dark Innocence by Rahima Warren. I hope you will give yourself a relaxed moment or two to look into these treasures. Who knows ~ at some point, your own book-treasures could be next.

Wishing you much to be thankful for,

Naomi Rose

THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF SILENCE IN WRITING (a book ~ or anything else you care about writing)

If you have ever been on a silent retreat, or been in nature for a period of time in silence, you already know from experience how incredibly fertile that bed of silence can be. As the usual chatter fades, the things that pull us away from our in-the-moment inner experience (things to do, places to go, errands to run, emails to send, worries to keep circulating, etc.) show their true colors as mind-distractions and perhaps -addictions, and just don't seem as compelling as they had before. Something in us begins to relax, then; to stop always being on alert, ready for the next action, the next item on the to-do list, the next thought/opinion/decision. We drop into ourselves, and into the moment. We are that most essential of things: here.

It is in being here that we are available to revelation ~ whether that revelation is of the epic, prophetic kind, or simply a deeply felt, spacious awareness of the beauty of life because we are here to know and feel and experience it. And it is when we are most deeply here ~ present, spacious, appreciative, and gratefully willing to encounter the blessings that arise (both from within us, and outside us as what is within us is available to meet what is outside us) ~ that deep writing is possible.

I know for myself that in a single workday, I can sit at the computer and accomplish a whole roster of things that I can tick off my to-do list, and sometimes still have room to do more. Yet none of that is usually done with inner silence. There is most often an accompanying sound track that is commenting on what I am doing, or going ahead to the next thing to do, or fretting about what I haven't yet done but should. No wonder there can be a sense of putative accomplishment, but energetic depletion at the end of such a day. And if I try to fit a writing session into such a day, most often what I write is simply another thing that I can tick off my to-do list as having accomplished.

For me, doing deep writing is a sacred act, and that includes the need to set it apart from my usual actions and ways of seeing life. It is the setting it apart from the prosaic, the getting-things-done aspect of ordinary life, that reminds me of what is potential within me. It is the silence that allows the words ~ the music, if you will ~ to arise.

There is that place in me ~ is it in you, too? ~ that is convinced that I need to keep doing every moment in order to ensure not only my own personal survival but that the entire universe keeps on going. Of course, the latter is not true at all; the universe's cosmic order does not depend on my doing everything, only what is mine to do. But when the absence of inner silence grows louder and greater, I fall into a place that on the surface looks like I should get some kind of prestigious medal of recognition from our culture, for I am doing up a storm. And yet, in that storm of doing, where is my true being? Subsumed under all that activity and noise. And what would a cultural medal of recognition for having devised and fulfilled my to-do lists then get me? Just more noise, more stress, more time on the treadmill.

The cultivation of inner silence from time to time is medicine not only for our writing, but also for our entire being. It is in silence that what is real has room to show itself, whether that "showing" is in images, in sounds, in sensations, in energies, or in nothing. There is a "nothing" that is so full that it is the pregnant potentiality from which all manifestation, all "somethings," come. We can orient ourselves in that direction, towards the silence, the inner quiet, the place where "nothing" is "happening" ~ until something reveals itself to us, and we know we must and want to follow it. That is the beginning of writing from the deeper Self. First we need to be present to the deeper Self. Then, writing from it is a following of what we receive; an encounter with something true that we do not have to invent or make up, original though it may be. It is a dance of what we don't know with what we do; it is a harmonious song sung by our finite self and our Divine Self. We can't make the words happen, but we can always make ourselves available to that quiet place where what divinely wants to grow and tell itself to us can grow and tell itself to us. We can make ourselves available to become "pregnant" with what is there for us, uniquely, and to carry that seed through to term, until it is complete.

And once we have done that ~ once we have given ourselves to that inception of truth, beauty, whatever other deep and redemptive qualities call us to them ~ we know that we are not "producers" or "manufacturers," but lovers. We have loved our creation into being, even if along the way there was doubt, despair, frustration, the equivalent of morning sickness, procrastination, and all the other ways we humans have of denying our greatness. Once the creation exists (it is a book! it is a paper! it is a painting! it is a song! it is a relationship with a human being whose every gesture, yawn, and aspiration matters to us!), it lives not only in us but also for us. It lives to give us back the joy and pleasure we put into it. It is our child, in a sense, and we have no wish to abandon it to the world, but to bring it into the world like the treasure it is.

And what happens when the world receives it? I don't mean in terms of, "Did you get on Oprah?" I mean in terms of what happens inside the individual people who receive it. My conviction is that they receive it in the same spirit in which you wrote it. If you wrote it with silence as your base, then your book takes your readers into that same universal place, and there they can touch into their own deep nature. Who would not be grateful for that?

Not everyone has the opportunity to go on a silent retreat, or even to spend a stretch of time in nature. But what we do always have with us is our own deep nature. I bless you that if you are writing, or wish to write ~ a book or a shorter work ~ that you can do so from within the sacred silence of your own deep nature. Whether this means setting aside a morning to write in which you do nothing else ~ or clearing the papers off your desk or table, and lighting a candle accompanied by a conscious intention or prayer ~ or even taking a flower essence for writing, such as Rose Press now has available ~ setting aside the world's concerns for a time, so that you can hear the silence within you and allow it to give you something wonderful to follow in words written down, is a gift you can give not only to your writing project, and not only to your eventual readers, but to your own soul.

And this silent, sacred space and time will help to heal the world. Just your doing it. Even before your book hits the stands.

This is a way you help the universe keep on going: by being there for it. And then allowing its gifts to take root in you as writing.

Flower essence remedies have been around since the 1930s, and they are amazing gifts from the flower world. Each flower (or tree) has its own healing quality, and by a simple preparation, these qualities are made into flower essences, the essence of the flower permeating pure water. When these essences are ingested (4 drops under the tongue or mixed into a glass of water, 4 or more times a day), they work on the "subtle body" of the emotions to bring you into an experience of those qualities. It's subtle but palpable, and it really works. Further, flower essence remedies are totally harmless: they have no side effects, they can be taken along with medications, and if they are for some reason not what you need, they simply have no effect (they never do harm).

Because of the healing properties of flower essences, and their simple, elegant efficacy, I have designed a series of flower essence remedies specifically for writers. I know from long experience with my clients (and myself) the kinds of obstacles writers are likely to encounter ~ not only their symptoms (e.g., procrastination, listlessness) but also the deep-rooted emotions underlying those symptoms ~ and I have designed these flower essences with potent healing qualities in mind.

At the moment, three of the currently envisioned nine Rose Press flower essence remedies are available for you to use to assist your writing to blossom. They are:

When you get caught in the details of writing ~ when you can't see the forest for the trees ~ seeing the big picture can give your writing new life; an awareness of the connections that form the whole; a clear, coherent focus; an articulate, lively form of expression; and a sense of where to go next.

For those who find themselves weary of their writing project ~ procrastinate getting to it ~ can't see it freshly ~ can hardly recall what inspired them to begin it in the first place ~ wish they could be more disciplined more easily ~ wish they could just "get it done" ~~ "Going the Distance" offers vitality, clarity, aliveness, endurance, decisiveness, purposeful achievement, concentration, discipline, and enthusiastic creativity, so that you can stay with your writing project despite obstacles and come out victorious and fulfilled.

For those who prefer the more introverted, behind-the-scenes role of writing to getting out there to share the fruits and blessings of your work, "Shining Star" helps you accept being seen as t he creator, make a spiritual and social contribution, complete the circle of creation, reap abundant rewards, and feel part of the human family.

If you would like to try out one or more of these remedies, please contact me. They really work. They have helped with dissertation writing, book writing, and readying the writer to bring the book into the world. I've gotten great feedback so far, and repeat orders from the same customers. And I have been taking two of them myself, and really feel the difference.

If you are writing a book, or wish to, make it easier on yourself. Let the Rose Press Flower Essence Remedies for Writers help your project blossom.

Price: $15 each for a 10 ml bottle, plus $1.46 state tax in California , plus $3.50 shipping & handling (for 1-3 bottles; $5.65 for more than 3 bottles).

2. Healing Civilization : Dr. Claudio Naranjo's latest book, with a foreword by Jean Houston, brilliantly explores the root of our current civilization's ills, and what can provide the remedy (hint: the solution is also within each of us). In her review, author Barbara Garro writes, "Naranjo's wisdom deserves a full hearing from humanity. My hope is that you are motivated to read Healing Civilization before the sun sets on 2010." For more details on Healing Civilization, see Healing Civilization .

3. The rich, fragrant contents of the Rose Press website. Go to the "Other Fragrant Offerings" page and browse for yourself. Take your time. Slow down and (read) the roses. It might give you some of that inner quiet mentioned above.

1. A new print edition of Starting Your Book: Navigating the Blank Page by Attending to What's Inside You, by yours truly. I am having a great time collaborating with Margaret Copeland of Berkeley , who will be helping to design and wholly typesetting my existing book. Making a good thing better is always a joy, and working with Margaret will make that possible. She is already discussing how to make the design simpler and more beautiful, and asked me wonderful questions about the "feel" of the book. (I had not thought in those terms, until then.) Plus the cover art, by the wonderful sacred artist Risala Mary Laird of Berkeley, will grace the new cover: a "blank page" in which a veiled and wondrous image peeks out.

What does this tell us? That we can make our own classics by pouring all of ourselves into the writing, and then finding others on the same wavelength to help bring it into the world in the most beautiful way. In this way, the process of creation ~ for the creator ~ is as meaningful and joyful as the end result.

I'll let you know when this new edition of the print book is available. Meanwhile, the ebook is available now. Starting Your Book

2. A print and ebook edition of a wonderful fantasy novel by Rahima Warren, retired psychotherapist, called Dark Innocence (book one of the trilogy, The Starseer's Prophecy ). This novel is exciting, enthralling, and ~ though based in another world entirely ~ an emotionally and spiritually true and resonant chronicle of the healing journey. Expect a 3D movie in your mind, with depth and heart and healing. We anticipate the book being available in Spring of 2011. (For more details, see Dark Innocence )

My work as a book developer is the raison d'etre of this newsletter, and what is behind such works as Dark Innocence, as well as Dr. Doreen Hamilton's published book, Essential Speaking ~ Katayoon Zandvakili's forthcoming novel, My Beautiful Imposter ~ and other wonderful books-in-progress by my current (and some past) clients. If you have even a glimmer of a desire to write a book, yourself, please read the following description of my book development work; and if it speaks to your heart, contact me for a free half-hour phone consultation to explore whether I can be of service to you and your project.

Starting Your Book: Navigating the Blank Page by Attending to What's Inside You
Let's say you have a secret (or not so secret) desire to write a book. Maybe you know what you want to write about; or maybe there is only, at the outset, the desire. How can you keep that spark alive, and nurture it into the committed process of actually writing the book? For most people, the big first question is: "How do I begin?"

This most encouraging book about writing a book has as its premise that what's inside the writer is what makes the book valuable, and the process of writing a book worthwhile. Most writing books focus on the product alone; this one focuses on the person doing the writing, and the process of being present to the writing. As you get more and more acquainted with what's inside you, you'll find that writing your book flows easily, surprising and sometimes even delighting you with what (and who) you find.

"I am floating, I am beaming. I am half way through your book and simply love it. I love your writing style and the information is worth the gold medal." ~ Petra Meinke, Vancouver (formerly of Germany)

"Reading your book was like receiving a comforting hug of encouragement. I love everything about your book." ~ Shelley Klammer, Canada

"The cover art has a magical image. [And] The content! I so appreciate the slow-down process that I will take up these wonderful listening practices into my daily routine. Training for an Olympic event, or in this case writing my book!" ~ Mary Ann Plansky, California, USA

Available now as an e-book, STARTING YOUR BOOK: A GUIDE TO NAVIGATING THE BLANK PAGE BY ATTENDING TO WHAT'S INSIDE YOU offers these benefits:

The book of your heart awaits you, IN you. Purchase the book and find out for yourself.

Starting Your Book, e-book