I haven't had any earth-shattering epiphanies this week that would make it easy to know what to share with you in this week's letter. Truth be told, I've been staring at this screen for a couple hours now, trying to figure out what to share, then flipping to other pages on my screen to seek out inspiration and a bit of an "aha" moment to direct my words.

So, in the absence of epiphanies, I think I'll just share what I'm noticing and doing these days. How does that work for you instead?

Noticing:

The fear of entering this new season of being invited to actively claim my vocation has subsided. What's left in its place is excitement! I'm noticing energy and thought and inventiveness bubbling over in the creation process for various projects, and I feel like I could spend each and every day working on them. (Which is great, as that's the actual invitation right now.)

I've noticed a real shift in energy from my professional editorial work to the work of creations for our beloved Still Forming land. Case in point: I completed a short 30-page booklet for an editorial client earlier this week that, though short and sweet and truly fun, seemed to take much more discipline to complete than a project that size would normally require. It seems my heart has moved squarely into the capital city of our beloved Still Forming land, and editorial projects are, more and more, feeling like something requiring me to pack my bags for a short voyage across the sea to another territory. Interesting!

Doing:

On the front burner of current projects, I'm building out an online course for spiritual directors on the subject of technology, called "The Soul Online." It's based on the workshop I offered at the SDI conference, which was actually based on my master's thesis research from three years ago, and I'm learning so much as I update the research for this new course. I think I've bookmarked about 30 new articles I've read in the last two weeks, plus purchased a number of additional books, some of which I read for my original research and some of which are new. (Here are three of them, if you're interested.) I am loving the development of this course! The subject is so interesting and complex, and I think spiritual directors, in particular, will be a group whose discussion of this topic will be particularly thoughtful and compassionate and wise.
You know how I've shared about the Enneagram quite a bit in these letters over the last six months? Well, the obsession continues. I'll be attending a 2-day workshop here in Florida two weekends from now, plus I just signed up for an online global summit that's happening the first week of June. On top of that, this morning I downloaded two more MP3 resources from Richard Rohr on the subject. You might say I'm hooked. But all of it continues to teach me so much and fuel my development of an audiobook about the Enneagram and its relationship to spiritual formation. So much fun!
On Thursday this week, I'll be traveling to Santa Barbara, California, for a mentor's training weekend connected with CenterQuest's new School of Spiritual Direction. I'm thrilled to be joining a great group of folks who are serving in the pool of mentors paired with students who enroll in the program. It should be a great weekend of training and fellowship with new friends and colleagues in a beautiful, holy space. (Note: I believe the retreat center where we're staying is wifi-free, which means next week's letter may not reach you until Monday.) (Second note: I believe there are still a few slots open for the cohort groups beginning in January 2015, so if you've experienced a call to the ministry of spiritual direction but haven't been formally trained, I would recommend CenterQuest's program to you.)

Starting June 9, I'm taking a book-writing course with the lovely Christine Mason Miller, called the Conscious Booksmith. It's a 6-week course that helps you plan and execute your book project(s), and since I've got three such projects in progress — the Enneagram audiobook, the "Land of Welcome" e-book I've mentioned to you before, as well as the "Way of the Heart" illustrated storybook and course I shared with you a few months ago — I look forward to being propelled further forward with each of those projects through the course. Do you have a book project in mind or in the works? Would this course help you too? I'd love to see you join us!

So, plenty keeping me busy these days, to say the least. What about you? What are you noticing and/or doing these days? What's been on your mind and heart?

Much love,
Christianne