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Doing the Holidays Differently: Untangling from the Mythical Norm and Revising Rituals for “the Holiday Season”

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee February 2, 2023 Leave a Comment

Image shows three photos from this year’s holiday season. From left to right: a decorated evergreen tree with reflective gray balls; a forest scene of tall thin trees opening to blue lake and sky; and holly leaves and berries—green and red—symbolic of the season.

Preface: This post took me more than six weeks to write. I started drafting on the winter solstice, so it feels right to publish on the cross-quarter day imbolc. I’ve needed the time to sit with the questions I share in this post—questions that are sure to keep evolving. I hope you’ll come with me on this journey into my spiritual life and desire to do the holidays differently. The Holidays Are Hard. Do They Have to Be? For me and for many of us, the holidays are hard. ... Read more ...

Reflection, Retreat, and Recommitment: Learning from the Winter Woods

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism, Why Vegan? By Beth Godbee December 23, 2020 2 Comments

A brown, muddy trail winds through a white, snowy forest scene.

In a year that’s cracked me open (like this cracked tree trunk), the week of the winter solstice feels full of possibility: renewing of light, changing of seasons, warming of spirits. I’ve found that sense of possibility most profound in the winter woods, where the natural world has so much to teach—and I have so much to learn—again and again and again. Too often, I focus on disliking winter and the cold, dark, and snow that go along with it. But this year, in the midst ... Read more ...

Q&A with Rasha Diab: Pursuing Peace as Everyday Practice

Filed Under: Everyday Feminism, Higher Education, Interviews, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee August 11, 2020 Leave a Comment

This photo from the 2014 Watson Conference shows the two of us—Beth Godbee (left) and Rasha Diab (right)—standing side-by-side; wearing a mix of blue, black, and green; in front of a brick wall.

Since starting this series of interviews, I’ve wanted to highlight Rasha Diab, because she’s one of the most important people in my life. More than a co-author and friend, Rasha is truly an accountability partner: the first person I turn to process experiences, to understand emotions, to grow into new understandings, to repair harm I’ve done, and much more, including to laugh and cry and rage. Rasha has a way of holding potential—visualizing the best self—while staying ... Read more ...

Words Cast Spells: Spell-Casting for 2020 to Experience Grief, Temperance, and Abundance

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee February 5, 2020 Leave a Comment

This image invokes the idea of spell-casting with smoke and light swirling upwards from an open book. “Words Cast Spells” is written above this image, which is framed with rows of candles and a black background.

Though the new year marks a time for review and renewal, it’s often a few weeks into the year before I’m ready to set new goals via the contemplative practice of spell-casting. It’s as though I have to get out of the turbulent holiday season and new year energy before I’m ready to engage the magic of habit formation. This year (like the past couple) I’m returning to the practice of writing spells (like mantras, poems, or intentions) that I’ve learned through adrienne ... Read more ...

From Fear to Love: Working with Emotional Overload

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies By Beth Godbee October 11, 2019 Leave a Comment

Here Beth is holding the older phone and showing an intense sad emotion, near tears (fear or love?).

Emotional Overload Is Rooted in Fear Last week I said goodbye to the phone I’d had for more than 3 years, a phone I was attached to more than I’d like to admit. I entered a state of complete overwhelm, spiraling between questions and frustrations, between crying and raging: How could I possibly learn a new phone? Why aren’t there any small phones? How will one of the new—BIG—phones fit in my pocket? It’s not fair that all the phones are large, while women’s pants ... Read more ...

Responding to White Supremacist Terror, This Time in El Paso

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee August 4, 2019 1 Comment

Photo of Ross Castle in Killarney, Ireland, taken the day before the El Paso shooting. Photo looks up at the castle from the water.

I woke this morning in Ireland to news of the El Paso shooting: the latest act of white supremacist terror in the United States. My body was already aching (today’s a rest day after some seriously long walks), but the news ramped up the ache and lodged itself in my chest. I recognized the familiar heartache that comes with shootings and acts of violence, particularly against Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)—in this case, against Latinx folks in Texas. Along ... Read more ...

Self-Inquiry and Social Justice: What’s Walking Got to Do with It?

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee July 25, 2019 Leave a Comment

This image from Zion National Park in Utah (southwestern United States) shows a trail leading toward striated sandstone boulders. Green trees, blue sky, and puffy white clouds from the photo.

This summer I’m offering “40 Questions for 40 Walks: Toward Everyday Living for Justice”—a self-paced e-course to support deep-diving into conditioned ways of living, being, and intervening in the world. My hope is that these 40 questions provide structure and invite attention to a wide range of matters that factor into everyday life, yet may be easily taken-for-granted or overlooked as important to social justice, racial justice, and environmental justice. Why ... Read more ...

Toward Public Outcry: Why I’ll Keep Repeating #AbolishICE and #CloseTheCamps

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee July 2, 2019 Leave a Comment

This image shares the quote “What’s clear is the need to repeat and repeat and repeat—strongly—anger and disapproval at detaining and imprisoning people,” against a dark blue background representing the night sky.

Outcry: a strong expression of public anger and disapproval This week I dreamed about being detained when traveling, taken aside in an airport and made to wait and wait and wait … It became clear that I was being monitored and considered dangerous and essentially arrested. What started in the airport turned into a full detention / internment / concentration camp experience. The dream’s details are sketchy, but I remember feeling powerless. I couldn’t call for help. I ... Read more ...

Lessons from a Poinsettia: Growing Resilience in 40 Days and Beyond

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Emotional Literacies, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee February 24, 2019 Leave a Comment

This poinsettia with pink and fuchsia blooms and green leaves sits against a white wall and white counter-top.

This poinsettia is amazing me—still blooming in these last days of February and reminding me that resilience (emotional elasticity, stamina, and strength) is something we don't often recognize until it’s already present and in place. When I googled how long poinsettias bloom, I was (and wasn’t) surprised to see that 40 days are a common period. The information not only confirms this poinsettia’s resilience (blooming for 3+ months), but it also feels like the ... Read more ...

Learning from and Healing Scars, Both Personal and Collective

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee February 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

This image shares the quote: “Collectively, our bodies are scarred (and scared).” against a background of footprints in sand.

Over the past year, my body has experienced a few physical injuries, including a concussion from falling last January and a cut from stepping on a broken bowl back in August. The fall left both knees badly scraped and bruised so that scars are still visible on the surface. The puncture in my foot has involved months of getting ceramic out—piece by piece—and an MRI now confirms that “only scar tissue remains.” That scar tissue isn’t visible like the scars on my knees, ... Read more ...

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Embodied knowledge matters. So do commitments. And especially acting on commitments as part of everyday life, BIG and small. This website—a mix of blog posts and research writing, courses and offerings—shares ongoing efforts toward everyday living (feeling, thinking, and doing) for justice.

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bethgodbee

Today's newsletter "Welcome spring, poetry prompts Today's newsletter "Welcome spring, poetry prompts, and reading recommendations" begins with the following wishes: 

"Welcome spring!

It's time to reawaken.
To stretch with longer days.
To regenerate after the stagnation of winter.
To plant seeds and intentions and to tend to those we're planting.
To experience renewal with wonder, play, curiosity, and laughter.
To revive our senses and grow with the growing light.
To bloom. To blossom. To become.
To compost. To create. To cultivate."

Read more here: https://mailchi.mp/6de7a1751064/mar-2023

#spring #springrefresh #springreflections #springwishes
Thanks @inspirationalsoulqueen for all that goes i Thanks @inspirationalsoulqueen for all that goes into this deep work of recognition, of holding space, of strengthening community. 🧡

#Repost @inspirationalsoulqueen with @use.repost
・・・
Register now! 2023 Hiphop Literacies Conference & Concert honoring LGBTQ+ contributions to hiphop and social equity. March 30-31, free, virtual and in-person. The conference that puts educators, scholars, artists, youth and the community in dialogue. Concert features 🔥headlining artist @SaucySantana. go.osu.edu/hhlc #BlackQueerandTransFeminismsAndLivesMatter. #OSUHiphop #HiphopIs50
Welcome spring! IMAGES: -- First two photos show Welcome spring! 

IMAGES:
-- First two photos show cherry blossoms here in DC.
-- Third photo shows the wider scene of me standing in a construction zone. My arms are reaching up and snapping photos with my phone. I'm wearing layers of jackets, black pants, and a black hat. ~ This tree is flourishing in the midst of it all! <3

#cherryblossoms #spring
New blog post today: "Reflective Poetry Prompts fr New blog post today: "Reflective Poetry Prompts from Writing Retreats: A Contemplative Writing Practice" 
 
This post shares a few reflective poetry prompts (along with my poetic answers) from recent one-day writing retreats: https://heart-head-hands.com/reflective-poetry-prompts/ --> link in bio.
 
May these prompts support reflection about the writing process, our identities as writers, and gratitude for all that writing teaches. <3
 
[This image shares information about writing retreats—where these poetry prompts have emerged—in 12 colorful blocks framed by leaves and flowers. The text reads: Writing retreats. One-day retreats: 6 dates open. 10am-4:30pm ET. Join via Zoom. Guided meditations. Lots of writing time. Optional 1:1 coaching. Reflective prompts. Group check-ins. Writing community. Available for groups, too. Sliding-scale fees. Facilitator Beth Godbee, Ph.D. Heart-Head-Hands.com.”]

#writing #writers #writingcommunity #writingretreat #writinggroup #writingretreats #coaching #writingcoach #writingprompts #journaling #journalprompts #poetry #poetryprompts #reflectivepractice #reflection #reflectivewriting #contemplativewriting #contemplation #contemplativepractice #writersofinstagram #writinginspiration
The next writing retreat is this Monday, March 6th The next writing retreat is this Monday, March 6th. There’s still time to join: https://heart-head-hands.com/product/writing-retreats/ 

Link in bio.
 
Thanks to Rachel Bloom-Pojar for this description of the retreat experience. :-) — @rachel_bp5 
 
[IMAGE: On the left side (against a beige background), the image reads: “Testimonial: ‘As with any space Beth helps create, these retreats center our humanity and ground us to recognize a variety of activities (i.e., reading, journaling, going for a walk) as important contributors to our writing goals and care for ourselves as writers.’ —Rachel Bloom-Pojar, retreat participant.” On the right side (against a gray background), the image reads: “Writing Retreats / Next = March 6th 10am-4:30pm ET / Heart-Head-Hands.com” and shows a workspace with a computer in the foreground and light streaming into a room filled with cushions and plants.]

#writing #writinginspiration #writingcommunity #writer #writersofinstagram #WritingResources #WritingSupport #WritingLife #WritingCenterLife #WritingTime #TimeToWrite #writinggoals #writersblock #writingmotivation #writerscommunity #writers #WritingCoach #WritingRetreat #OnlineRetreat
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About Beth Godbee

I'm an educator and former writing studies professor who believes our fully embodied selves matter in the world. We can’t just think our way out of the incredible injustices, dehumanization, violence, and wrongdoing that characterize everyday life. We must feel and act, too. [Pronouns: she/her.] Read more ...

This image shows books alongside the words: courses, coaching, consulting. learning + unlearning.

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