Healing the Sacred Divide, The New Book by Jean Raffa

Dear Wonder Child Blog Readers,

What follows is a post from Jean Raffa’s blog, Matrignosis.  I copied it with Jean’s permission because I want you to see an interview she did at the Book Expo America.  So the words are from Jean.  I encourage everyone to buy and read her book, “Healing the Sacred Divide: Making Peace with Ourselves, Each Other, and the World.”  It is a rich, compassionate, and wise book that should be required reading for everyone seeking wholeness for themselves and the world.  Please check it out, you’ll be glad you did.  And now, here’s Jean:

Hello my dear friends. This post is going to be different from the others. Instead of using the written word to share my passions with you, I have a video for you to watch. It’s the interview about my new book, Healing the Sacred Divide, which was conducted on June 6th at the Book Expo America. It’s just come online and you are among the first to see it. Yaaay! I hope you like it, and I hope you’ll pass it along to others who might be interested. When you’re ready to watch it, click on the UTube link above.

Coincidentally, the online version of Publishers Weekly has just published a review of Healing the Sacred Divide in its Religion section. I’m absolutely thrilled to say they’ve given it a “Thumbs Up!” Another Yay!! Here’s the link: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-936012-60-2

Things are getting very exciting now. In another week I’ll begin doing book signings, lectures, and workshops. If you’re interested in knowing when and where I’ll be appearing, you can check out my website from time to time. And, of course, if you’re interested in having me make a presentation for your group, you can contact me through there too.

Also, to my loyal friends who are reading or have already read advance copies and offered to post reviews on Amazon, my publisher says the time has come. So have at it!! Thank you, thank you, thank you in advance from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to do this for me! I’m told there’s a magic number of reviews — somewhere around 20 — which will attract major interest and cause an important boost in sales. I know your kind words will make a huge difference. While you’re there, I hope you’ll check out the wonderful review Skip Conover has already posted.

Of course, to anyone who feels so inclined, I’d be extremely grateful if you’d add your own thoughts to Amazon! And if you don’t have a copy yet, please don’t be daunted by the fact that they only have one left! They’ve almost sold out of the advance copies they had, but after July 30 they’ll have lots more. Meanwhile, you can get one right away from my publisher, Larson Publications, Inc. at their web site: www.Larsonpublications.com. Plus, you’ll find several reviews and lots of other very cool information about Healing the Sacred Divide there.

My heart is very full as I write this. I’m humbled and deeply grateful for your interest in my work, and I want you to know how much I appreciate the fact that you are following this blog. Matrignosis and Healing the Sacred Divide are my gifts to you and the world, and you, my dear friends, are the world’s miraculous gifts to me!

Namaste.

Jeanie


Copyright Joseph Anthony of the Wonder Child Blog


Messages From the Child, Part III

Messages From the Child, Part III

Moving through the fog of grieving, one looks for light and
listens for music. 

They are there. Let your tears clear the way.

There exists cosmic order. When the inspiration comes to
give of yourself and you give, 

know you are a part of a Divine celebration.

Write your biography in the pages of the world with the
words of your deeds,

and the empty space you leave for angels to fill with
meaning.

Hold the silence of your dreams like a trembling bird, 

and
when you finally open your life, 

the song it sings will soar into the heavens.

Where warmth meets light, where matter meets spirit, where
intuition meets thought, there revolve worlds of endless creativity and
purpose.

One needn’t question why the inspiration comes. Simply keep
your hands open, 

and watch in wonder as it flows through like healing water.

 

Copyright Joseph Anthony of the Wonder Child Blog


Bright Spots: Two Incidents of Hope While Teaching In the Inner City

Bright Spots: Two Incidents of Hope While Teaching In the Inner City


Many of you
know I have been teaching in the inner city public schools these last two
years.
  I wrote about my experiences teaching kindergarten last year, but I haven’t written anything yet about
this, my final year teaching in the public schools (returning home to the Waldorf School).
  Now that the dust has settled, I would like
to share two bright moments that occurred with two different students.
  There were many others, of course, but these two stand
out for me.

After a few
months I decided to by and large pitch the curriculum.  It was senseless, lifeless, scripted, and meaningless
to the students.  I began to tell and
read them stories from the Norse and Greek Myths.  The students loved them.  One day as I was telling the story of
Persephone, one of my most behaviorally disturbed students (she ended up being institutionalized
without notice three months later—one day she was there, the next she was gone
and I never saw her again) stood up from her desk, walked to the front of the
room where I stood, and literally sat at my feet, on the floor, like a
kindergartener.  And no one said a
word.  The other students understood her
desire to be up close and listening.  They
opened up the space and she sat, cross-legged, elbows on her knees, face
upturned.  I gave her a little nod and just kept telling
the story.  She looked up at me with wide, wondering eyes. 
It was such a gesture of innocence on her part.  I will never forget it.  She understood the power of stories.  I pray that wherever she is, she is writing the
story of her life with hope, and that she will one day be totally free from her
own personal Hades.

***

I had this
one boy in my class who was wrought with rage. 
He was a large boy for his age—built like a high school football player
but he was only 11.  He was violent both
verbally and physically, with a temper that was lightening quick.  When he went off he could not stop his
outbursts until someone or something was damaged.  You can guess he had experienced tremendous
violence in his life.  But he also (as
all children do) had a heart of gold.  He
was a great, fiery leader.  He was also a
wonderful artist.  I used to let him draw
for hours instead of doing his school work. 
Not only did it calm him down, it enriched his soul-life.  Besides, the curriculum bored him (rightfully
so). 

One day as
his birthday approached, I was meditating about him, and a poem came to
me.  I wrote it down and gave it to him
as a present.  First I read it to him, and
then he read it silently to himself, his mouth moving slowly as he did.  When he was finished he looked at me with his sly, piercing eyes.  Then he carefully
folded the poem and placed it in his pocket. 

“I write
poems,” he said. 

“I’d love to
read some,” I said.

But he didn’t
say anything else.  He just went back to
his desk.  He didn’t say thank you.  He didn’t need to.  I knew it touched him.  Here is the poem:

 

Fire spreads
in waves through and through my heart

Transforming
the darkness into light.

The horse
rose from the smoking wreckage,

Nostrils flaring,
eyes like fiery moons,

And flew to
heaven’s gates.

 

The next
day, he came in and tossed two pieces of paper on my desk.

“Here,” he
said.

“What are these?” I asked.

“Poems.”

“Did you
write them?”

“Yes,” he
said proudly, “I wrote them last night.”

I picked them up and started to read.  As I read his poems, tears formed in my eyes. 

“Yo, you cryin’?” he laughed.

“These are beautiful.”

“Really?” he said.

“Really,” I said, “they’re wonderful.  Thank you for sharing them.”

“Why you cryin’?”

“Sometimes I cry when I read beautiful things.”

“Those is beautiful?” he asked.

“Yes, very much so.”

“You can keep’um,” he said.

“Really? Do you have your own copies?” I asked.

“Yes.”  And then he carefully took out a thick book from his backpack.  It was a scrap book that held his drawings and his poems. 

“See?” he said, “I wrote them in here too.”

As I looked at the copies in his scrap book, I noticed that he had folded the poem I had written for him so that only the words would show, and taped it next to his.

“Thank you for the poems, “I said, “I will keep treasure them always.”

He smiled and went to his desk.   “Keep writing,” I said.

He turned and looked at me, but didn’t say another word.

In the face of living in a war-zone, this boy–this boy with the heart of a lion, will one day help change the world. 

Here are his poems:


My Throne of
Myself

 

In my dream
I see red chair of kings,

Large foot-rest
of bees, golden diamonds of cars,

Large golden
metal of bricks, fire of diamonds,

In my dream,
I am king of the majestic horses.

 

The second
poem is untitled:

 

I am tall as
a golden dragon.

I am Big as
a Brown forest.

I am strong
as a majestic horse.

I am as
friendly as a baby bunny.

I am wild as
a brown, scary lion.

I am shining
as a golden diamond.

I am busy as
a black bear.

I call
myself, Majestic Eagle.

 

 

Copyright Joseph Anthony of the Wonder Child Blog