Archive for the ‘Workshops’ Category

Getting Out of Your Own Way

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

Well, I’ve learned that my Lifeway Masterclass workshops definitely need the full 3 to 3.5 hours to really get through the content effectively. And I’ve learned that the January Getting Out of Your Own Way masterclass feeds nicely into the February Living Intentionally masterclass. One is about finding your personal road-blocks and starting to overcome them. The other is about setting goals and recognizing success in realistic and nourishing ways.

I’ve also learned that my desk computer is now so old and out-of-date that I can’t download the updates to programs that support the online formats and applications I’d like to be utilizing. Like TweetDeck. Sigh. Definitely time for a new computer. And also, my apologies if you normally follow my daily tweets. It’s a technology glitch in the mainframe. And I’m working on that.

Now, I’m off to support the local library with my intentional collage art. We’re offering a workshop for setting intentions in the New Year, and I’m one of the guest artists. Such fun! I actually teach an intensive version of this as part of the Self-Centering Woman series (part 3). And I’m looking forward to that, too.

I think for most of us, Getting Out of Our Own Way requires that we learn to trust the process, and that we learn to take small steps in a chosen direction even though it’s scary. When we really care about an outcome, taking a risk can be scary. When we don’t really care about the outcome, then moving forward isn’t taking a risk. Submitting that paper for review, asking for a raise, participating in an art class, telling someone we love them, telling someone they’re sick and they need help. It’s easy to do if you aren’t really involved in the outcome.

If we have art in our hearts, but we’ve never let it out because– what if it isn’t good enough?! Then attending an art class is a risk. Our lifework, and our dream is somehow on the line. But if we just want to try something new, and we’re there to have fun and learn from our own mistakes and growing experience– then showing up is more about making sure the car has enough gas to get us there.

One way to set your fear aside is to approach that art class (or that conversation with a loved one) as the goal itself. If you do that, then you’ve succeeded, no matter what the outcome. No matter what comes after that. Showing up is actually succeeding. Showing up authentically, and standing in our own power as individuals– that’s the best possible outcome. Even if your art looks silly the first time you pick up that paint brush. Perfection is, after all, boring.

Today, I wish for you that you take heart, and Show Up Authentically in your own life.
Be Well.

| Posted in Get Involved/How-To, Workshops, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | No Comments »

Tiny Tarot

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

Of all the skills and experiences and gifts I bring to bear on my work as a Healer, my favorite is Tarot. I love to give a good solid Tarot Reading that gets to the heart of a person’s life story and what they can do to move it forward, or heal unhealthy patterns effectively. Tarot gets my inner vision flowing and provides a natural framework for my shamanic insights about what’s wrong, why, and tools for healing/shifting the situation.

My favorite Tarot Deck for this kind of work is the Medicine Woman Inner Guidebook, by Carol Bridges. Right now, a full 3-hour Tarot Reading, including my own “seeing” and feedback has a hefty $300 price tag. And it’s well worth it. But I thought this month I’d offer a bit of an appetizer. Both because I love to do this work, and because I want to make sure folks have the opportunity to benefit from my skill. So this month, on January 26th, I’m offering up to eight individual mini Tarot sessions.

If you’re interested, please call or email me to register for a convenient half-hour time slot on 1/26. We’ll meet at my office in Hood River, and I’ll give you an abbreviated Tarot Reading, including what I “see,” for only $45. I love being in a place to provide this kind of offering. Something important, in a reasonable bite-sized chunk.

Please do call or email ahead to reserve your mini Tarot Reading time of the eight “Tarot Clinic” appointments I’m offering this year. Or, if you are ready to really take a deeper look at the many aspects of your life-path, let’s set up a time and location for a more complete three-hour reading. I’ve even got one opening left for my February weekend workshop at the coast– $375 gets you overnight accommodations and a two-day workshop processing of the full medicine wheel life-path Tarot experience.

Above all, Be Well.

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YAY ME!

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

Today, for the last four or five hours, I’ve been updating things. It’s about time. Here it is JANUARY ALREADY, and I didn’t even have all my workshop offerings on the web calendar for THIS MONTH– JANUARY!. But you can relax. I’ve done that now.

So hey– help  me celebrate. Go to my website (www.BeWellmedicine.com) and check out the online calendar of upcoming workshops and classes. You can click on any offering there for more information, OR you can go to the “Workshops” page, and click on those links for even MORE information. Because– YAY ME!– I updated the workshop descriptions today, too. That’s what actually took most of the four hours.

Okay. Now, I’m taking the dog for a walk, and staring at something that isn’t a computer screen for a while. I might even get really outrageious and have a big yummy organic lunch or something. And read a book for a while. After the walk, that is. Need to stretch my eyes and my legs, and wear out the dog so I can have more quiet time again this afternoon. Oh yeah, and I want to send out an email to let folks know what they’re signed up for, and what they’re missing out on if they DIDN’T sign up for anything! YAY ME.

As always, and especially in the new year…
Be Well.

| Posted in Blessings, Events, Register Now!, Workshops, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | Comments Off

Winter Solstice Seven Senses Journaling

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

I received some wonderful feedback about our Special Senses journaling workshop on Sunday. The two hours we spent on focused journaling, sharing, and growing our awareness in relation to Winter Solstice and the holidays just FLEW by. I wanted another hour to really get it all done. And everyone says they look forward to returning for more Seven Senses of Story journaling opportunities.

It’s such fun to offer a workshop that I get to participate in, and that is about our individual connections to All That Is, and our awareness of our own life story– One where we each get to do our own work, and then have community right there to share those “Ah-Hah” moments with. This workshop was focused on a major cross-quarter holiday, so we had some deeper work to do. And in January, instead of the usual Seven Senses full moon journal group, we’ll meet for a Special Senses workshop about the Lunar New Year  on January 22nd (the actual Lunar New Year is on Jan 23rd), from 10 am to noon at the SisterSpirit office in Portland. I hope to see you there.

Be Well.

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The Seven Senses of Story

Saturday, December 10th, 2011

Several months ago, I sat in a lovely tea shop, munching on something tasty, with garlic in it, and I thought about the workshops I was offering, or planning to offer. There was one missing. Something accessible and personal, and not quite so intense as most of the workshops I offer. Something that might grow a sense of community and belonging as we worked. Something I could do, too.

I remember how incredibly helpful my mentor and friend, Vanessa Timmons’s journaling workshops have been for me– transformative and lovely. And yet, journaling allows us to explore our inner self at our own pace, and has room for us to connect with the rest of the world at the same time. Coincidentally, I’d just read a wonderful book about Ix Chel and our society’s need for a more open, more personal form of community gathering for sacred ceremony. As I worked with these ideas, The Seven Senses of Story was born. A journaling workshop that offers monthly full-moon opportunities to gather and write about our connection to the season and the Earth. And I get to write, too! I’m really excited about this workshop. It’s even donation-based, so everyone can take part. The suggested donation is $20.

And it’s a workshop I can also offer as “Special Senses” at particularly sacred times of year (I mean ’sacred’ in terms of rare moments where our individual spiritual connections to Mother Earth and All That Is are easier to feel.)– the Lunar New Year in January and the Summer Solstice in June, for example. The fee for this workshop is $30. Finally, I’m offering a deep self-counseling toolkit form of the Seven Senses of Story workshop, which I offer once a year as a formal Masterclass for $85.

The first of these Special Senses workshops is available December 18th, from 10 am to noon, at the SisterSpirit Office in Portland. We’ll be focusing on the Winter Solstice, the winter season, your traditions (good, bad, private, shared, etc) and the darkest night of the year. December 24th is the new moon– I call it Hunger Moon– and true Winter Solstice on my calendar. But I’ll be busy honoring the things that feed me on that day– family, friends, food, the darkness before the light, the Night of the Mothers, and other sacred traditions.

Crafting the format for this workshop at a tea house that smelled wonderfully of garlic gave me some lovely insights. We’ll write and connect to the seasons with all our senses, not just our eyes, but our ears, too. We’ll taste the season, inhale it, embrace it.There are, after all, at least six senses that we know about– and at least one that we don’t. So stretch your legs, stretch your mind, stretch your arm out to grab some paper and a pen… and join me for the December 18th Special Senses journaling workshop.

By the way, with all this talk of holidays and sacred ceremony, I thought I’d clarify:
I don’t tell people what to believe. We each find our own path and our own connection to What Is. And if I respect you, I need to respect your beliefs and your connection to What Is, too. I figure you’ll always know what’s right for you better than I can. So I offer tools and resources, but its up to you to use them, or not. Bring your journal and a couple of pens or pencils or crayons– what ever you want to write with. I’ll see you on December 18th.

Be Well.

| Posted in Resources, Workshops, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | Comments Off

Advanced Energy Management

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

I’m so excited! And I just can’t hide it! (Sorry, I was channeling music from my 80’s roller-skating days there for a minute.)

I teach this workshop called Energy Management for Healers and Empaths. Like so many of my offerings, I’ve tried to break it down into manageable chunks. So there are three levels in this twelve-workshop-and-growing series. Energy Management One offers the basic tools that I’ve learned to utilize as a Sensitive, an Empath, and a Healer– to keep my sanity and my sense of Self intact, while giving or interacting intensively with others, or while doing my own inner work to shed light on those dark closets where we all keep our emotional baggage. Level One is about grounding, centering, and managing your personal energy. It’s about having the strength, stamina, and safe space to figure out who you are, how you got that way, and where you want to take yourself next. It’s about personal safety and resources for Sensitives like us.

Level Two is about professional energy management. Learning to work intentionally and consciously with your own energy, and set boundaries for yourself and your clients when you are working in your professional capacity as a healer. (Read: teacher, physical therapist, social worker, masseuse, counselor, minister, call-center guru, yoga instructor, personal trainer, etc.) It’s about getting solid with your Self, and having the tools to stay there no matter what crisis walks through the door, explodes in Grandma’s living room, or stands behind you in line at the mall.

So many healers burn out before they’ve had a full and glorious career because they give themselves away, or they don’t know how to set effective energetic boundaries (think woo-woo here), or they ignore the emotional overlap of the problems their clients have, and the problems they have at home. We can fix this. Energy Management Level Two offers the tools and resources to help you stay energetic, whole, and excited about the work you do in service to your clients– and in relation to your coworkers, clients, family, etc.

Then there’s Energy Management for Healers and Empaths, level three! THIS is what I’m really excited about today. I’ll be offering this Masterclass series of four workshops starting in January of 2012, and again in August. One class a month, at my Hood River office. The Energy Management Masterclasses last for about three hours each, and they include homework (but no due date). Each class stands alone, and while they do tend to build on the break-throughs of the class before, you can choose to only take the one that calls your name right now. But remember, if you miss one, you’ll be waiting a while for me to offer it again. $85 each. You MUST take Energy Management One or Two to take any Energy Management Masterclasses. Call me.

So here are the Energy Management Masterclasses I’ll be offering next year:
(I’m SO EXCITED!!!)

– Getting Out of Your Own Way (At some point, we all need this class. I know I’ve been wanting someone to offer it for years now, so *I* could go.)
–Live Intentionally: Organizing and Prioritizing Your Lifeway.
–The Art of Discernment: Energy, Integrity, Community, Prosperity.
–The Seven Senses of Story: An Introduction to Intuitive Journaling.

For those of us who are working toward a healthy balance of work, home, and way-of-being-in-the-world… These workshops offer vital tools and resources for blending Energy Work and Life Work. I’m really looking forward to offering these workshops, and these particular tools of mastry.

Be Well.

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YAY for Crafting!

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011

Three years ago, I shared an old house with a friend who liked to save money by keeping the thermostat turned to 55* … It was very cold there in winter. Out of desperation, I finally started to make myself an insulated shawl that would cover me from head to tailbone, with a little extra material to fasten around my neck like a scarf– only short enough not to fall in the soup when I was cooking. And there were (going to be) snaps to keep it on, even when I’m chasing rogue cats out of the spare bedroom.

Three layers of bamboo batting, a wonderful purplly-red cotton fabric with ginkgo leaves on it for the outside, and some off-white organic cotton flannel fabric for the inside. All hand-sewn. Mostly. It was so awesome that I started wearing it with the pins still in to hold everything together. And after that winter, I moved to someplace a bit warmer. (60* in winter. sigh… Did I mention it’s Hearthfire Moon this month?  I love a nice warm fire…)

So it’s a bit ironic to find myself in another old house this winter. An even older house, actually, and without the benefit of insulation in the floor. We’ve already had snow, and there’s been ice on the vehicles almost every morning since mid-October. I tell you, it’s COLD here. Imagine my joy at sorting through an old box, and finding THE INSULATED SHAWL with the NECK-WARMER that won’t drop in the soup when I cook! YAY!!! So last night, I got out my needle and thread, and my extra snaps, and finished sewing all the bits together. No more getting pricked in the head by pins that are holding the hood together. No more losing my warm shawl when I chase rogue cats out of the spare bedroom. YAY!! And it’s WARM. I’d forgotten what a great piece of clothing this is. And even better, I’m not allergic to any of it. WARM, without sneezing or rashes on my hands. Can you imagine my glee?!

Be Well, keep warm. Get creative.

| Posted in To Your Health, Workshops | Comments Off

Ummm, Yay?

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Have you got any idea how difficult it is to come up with a snappy title for “please give feedback, and oh, here’s some I already got?!”

I’ve offered The Self-Centering Woman (Embodiment) workshop series a couple of times already this season, and by request, I’ll be offering it again in January. The whole workshop series has four bite-sized sections, three workshops each. The fourth section is actually a single all-day workshop, titled “Every Seven Years A Miracle.” I offer it by invitation only. The first set of three workshops (I’m told that it’s more of a giant feast than a single bite…) is subtitled “Embodiment.”

You see, when I offer The Self-Centering Woman: Embodiment workshop series, I am reaching out to women of all ages and lifepaths who feel somehow off-balance in their lives. Women who are ready to really figure out who they are, what they need, and how to meet those needs effectively. As we work together in safe and sacred space, my clients find what is missing, how to attain it, and they discover that they are both lovable and unique in who they are, and how they are nourished. We redefine well-being, self-nourishment, and what it means to live “a successful life.”

I call it “Embodiment” because we really explore how our bodies take on our unexpressed emotions, and how we treat our bodies -and ourselves- in relation to how we feel and what we’ve been told by the people around us. When we identify and redefine key words and key phrases from our childhood (such as beautiful, or successful, or responsible, or work, or female), we redefine our own well-being in the world. We change how we treat our bodies and our goals, and we re-examine what we have to celebrate about the life we lead now. In this series, clients learn so much about who you really are, vs who you believed yourself to be until now. It’s life changing. In a good way.

So far, the feedback I’ve gotten is a mix of sheer awe at how far each client has come in just three weeks, and relief. I think the relief is partly that the women in the workshops have learned that they’re actually closer to who they want to be in the world than they previously believed… and relief that there won’t be any more workshop-related homework for a while. At least until they sign up for the next set of workshops.

I don’t pretend that shifting your life is easy. It isn’t. But if you’re ready to do the work of unearthing your authentic self, and willing to risk expressing your real feelings in a safe and loving space, well… The women who’ve already attended the Embodiment workshops tell me they have a stronger sense of self, more self-respect, and more tools for moving their life toward their goals effectively. What would it be like to wake up every morning, and love who you are in the world today? What would it be like to be you?

If you’ve already attended the Embodiment workshops, and haven’t given me your feedback yet, please do. And if you are ready to join me for some whole-life shifting toward joyful being– well– I’ll be offering The Self-Centering Woman: Embodiment series again in January (at the Hillsboro Unitarian Universalist Church) and in March (at the SisterSpirit Office in SE Portland). The second set of workshops in The Self-Centering Woman series is “Mindful Healing.” It is actually just as much of an introductory workshop as Embodiment– and either can be taken first. I plan to offer The Self-Centering Woman: Mindful Healing in April, in Portland.

Oh, and I’ve restructured the workshop fees for all of this:
-The three Embodiment workshops cost a total of $75, due at the first meeting.
-The three Mindful Healing workshops cost a total of $175, due at the first meeting.
-The three Inspiration Series workshops cost a total of $175, due at the first meeting (this includes supplies).
-The final workshop in the series, Every Seven Years A Miracle, costs $180 for the day.
** I offer these workshops so inexpensively because the resources and tools I provide through them are so important to our well-being as women in this world. Your well-being is important to me. I even offer scholarships.

I hope to see you at a workshop soon.
Be Well.

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Going Green the Mother Earth Way

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

I’ve been working to pull together a workshop on Green Living for about six months now. But it never felt quite READY, so I haven’t actually offered these workshops. And now that I know what I’m doing, I’ve got some serious updating to do on my website. www.BeWellmedicine.com

At first, I had a series of four workshops that functioned as an intro to all things Green– food, cleaning & furnishing a home, building green, etc. But I realized that the folks most likely to attend such a workshop probably already had their intro years ago… So then I added a fifth workshop on the Spiritual element of Green Living… which was more exciting to teach than the other four combined.

And finally, it hit me. I’ve done a ton of research on going green, but it’s become relevant to my life in the past few months because I’ve been struggling with new food allergies and new chemical sensitivities. And as a result I HAVE to go green. From my perspective, its as though Mother Earth decided that if I was going to be serious about protecting the Earth (it’s the only one we’ve got), I’d better live my life by Her standards. Clean UV-filtered water. Local organic produce. No artificial preservatives. No artificial fabrics, either. Natural cleaners and soaps and detergents. And I’m purchasing a cotton-filled Thai Massage floor mat as my new “bed,” because my regular bed gives me hives.That’s the easy stuff.

So, finally, I know what the workshop series is supposed to be about.
I’ll be offering this series for the first time in January/February of 2012:
The Mother Earth Way. And we’ll talk about food and allergies and health. We’ll explore resources and alternatives for folks with chemical sensitivities (or who want to avoid getting them!). And we’ll talk about the building and decorating materials in your home and your furniture that are slowly poisoning you– and what to do about it all– on almost any budget. This is my offering to the Earth, so I’m asking $20/workshop –which is a total steal– the fees cover the basic space and materials for the workshop. While my other workshops might make your life more worthwhile, this series will keep you alive long enough to do that.

And instead of pretending that all this is separate from my real life, I’m making it personal. This is about what I’ve learned, what I’ve tried, and why– and that includes my responsibility as one of Earth’s Protectors. It’s about my physical health, my mental health, my emotional health– and my spiritual health. And now, through The Mother Earth Way workshops, it’s about your health, too. I hope you’ll join me in January.

Be Well.

| Posted in Research/Info, Resources, Staci Says..., To Your Health, Workshops | 1 Comment »

Making Peace with Money

Saturday, October 1st, 2011

I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent most of my life dreaming that one day I’ll be a millionaire, while at the same time hating money. Or rather, I saw money as a symbol of corrupted power, and having money made me uncomfortable. It may even have been a class thing– Being part of the educated-but-poor class who stick our  noses in the air because we value something more meaningful than money.

It’s taken me a long time to come to terms with my own worth– and I’m not done yet. But I do want to share a couple of resources that have helped me redefine my values in relation to money, and change my fear of having money into an acceptance that money itself– like any tool or resource– is only as healthy or corrupted as the person utilizing it (or hoarding it). Actual dollar bills? They’re green. As in Heart Chakra green. And the more money I save up (or earn in the first place), the larger my financial resources to make positive changes in my community– and in the world.

In February, I’m offering a workshop that includes some aspects of this “coming to terms with money” process: Outcome Management; A Year of Changes. If you know someone who is struggling to manage their home business, failing to recognize their own value, or simply in need of a way to align what they believe with how they do business– consider joining me in Portland for Outcome Management.

Additional Resources I’ve found Helpful:

  • Making Peace with Money, by Jerrold Mundis
  • Walking in This World (sequel to The Artist’s Way), by Cameron
  • Your Money or Your Life!, by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin
  • Little House on a Small Planet, by Salomon
  • Full Moon Feast, by Jessica Prentiss

Work Well. Live Well. Be Well.

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