Plug In, Janet Conner, and Synchronicity

I entered Janet Conner's Plug In telecourse with an open mind, because I so want to believe that it's possible to give my soul full expression by stepping into the Intersection.

Janet defines the Intersection as"a spiritual space in your consciousness where you are able to connect your craft (skills) with your spiritual practice (knowledge and wisdom)" and where "you will receive direct inspiration, communication, and dialogue with divine source energy."





It isn't that I'm suffering from writer's block or that I don't feel motivated (though these issues do crop up in my life often enough), but after ten years of writing and revising my four novels, it's time for me to take the next step--querying agents and finding a publisher. 

But something is holding me back.

During our first Plug In session, Janet talked about the power of "Intention" and "Checking the Box," so  immediately after our time together, I asked the Universe and my Spirit Guides to help show me the way.  "Let me know you're backing me up.  Please.  Anything.  Just give me a little support here."

The response? 

Silence. 

No messages.  No breakthroughs.  Life as usual.

Or so I thought until last Tuesday night.

During our second Plug In session, odd occurrences started to grab my attention, and by night's end, six instances of synchronicity stood out in my mind. 

I'll share them and let you decide:  Am I seeing coincidences where there are not?  Should I dismiss them as mere chance?  Should I go back to reducing life to the ordinary, commonplace and non mysterious?

1. A fellow Plug In participant mentioned that she was painting icons under the tutelage of an art instructor.  Icons?  How odd.  Until three months ago, the only icons I was familiar with (besides small statues of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) were in churches, in books, and on TV.  Yet in November, a cousin visiting from Holland presented me with a breathtaking icon of the Angel Gabriel that she had painted in her icon class.  It took her 24 hours to create, and it was trimmed in red-orange, the exact color I'd painted three walls in my writing room.  I was surprised that my cousin (whom I'd only met three times) had chosen this particular image, since in my first novel, the protagonist's side-kick is a stray cat named Gabriel.  CHANCE? 

2. When Janet talked about "Sacred Space," being the fourth element that expands The Intersection, she showed us a picture that hangs in her own Sacred Space.  It features the Angel Gabriel, patron saint of writers.  She'd painted the walls of her space ORANGE--Angel Gabriel's color.  Check out the wall color of my writing room in this photo.  CHANCE?
3. The fourth element that expands the Intersection, according to Janet, is "Guides."  As an example of a guide, she lists animal totems in the Native American tradition.  She talked about the Osprey Hawk, a bird that holds special significance for her.  Odd.  In two of my novels I write about animal totems, and the hawk, in particular, holds special significance for my protagonist.  CHANCE? 
4. Under "Guides," Jane also listed "creative partners/daemons."  As an example, she highlighted Elizabeth Gilbert at TED.  Just a few days before, my son had called to tell me about TED.  He said it shared great talks and performances for free. I googled TED immediately and ended up listened to Elizabeth Gilbert's 18 minute talk about nurturing creativity.  CHANCE?'
5. Janet then talked about the jacket of the 3rd printing of Writing Down Your Soul and how it has an owl on its cover.  Odd.  One of the characters in my fourth novel is fascinated with an owl (his animal totem and a major symbol in the story).  CHANCE?
6. Janet calls the eleventh element that expands the Intersection, "Soul-cation."  She talked about regularly scheduling periods of time for rest and renewal, a "Soul Day."  The Sunday previous, I'd decided to stop blogging and revising my work on Sundays, to keep at least that day sacred.  I attended the Center For Spiritual Awareness for the first time, where Rev. Georgia Prescott talked about "The Leap" and the four hidden barriers and beliefs that hold you back.  CHANCE?

Though you may have answered CHANCE after each of these synchronicities, I've decided to consider these subtle, fleeting, and easily dismissed occurrences as timely arrivals of special information.  I'm not sure what this information means just yet, but I'm willing to relinquish cynicism and doubt in favor of faith and hope.  What could it hurt to have a positive attitude and believe there are opportunities coming my way?

Now that I think about it, it's interesting that Janet Conner's Plug In class came at such an opportune time in my life.  CHANCE?

Plug In With Janet Conner

What makes writers happy, besides working on their craft, of course, is connecting with other writers to delve into the unknown and explore each other's minds for fresh ideas. 

Add to that a team of experts and inspirational speakers and you've just kicked up the happiness factor a notch or two.

So you can imagine my reaction when I read about Plug In, The Intersection for Writers and Other Creatives, a twenty-week, eleven class teleseries inspired and led by Janet Conner, author of Writing Down Your Soul.

Janet Conner, a writer I'd recently friended on FaceBook, posted a notice about "Plug In" on my FB page, which immediately sparked my interest.  I followed the link to her website Writing Down Your Soul, and saw that her Plug In course was to start February 8. 

Wouldn't it be awesome to be part of that course, I thought and then moved on to other things. 

Little did I know that I'd end up taking the course and thereby step into the Intersection, where new and powerful spiritual practices merge with craft.

So, what do Plug In participants do? 

At Writing Down Your Soul all is explained, but, in the mean time, here is a partial list.

As a participant, you will:

• discover what is blocking you and release it
• dramatically improve the level of your craft
• clarify your purpose
• get your message to your audience through social media, blog, etc
• begin to build your platform
• learn about publishing options
• harness Focused Attraction to magnetically attract all you need

And what do Plug In participants receive?  Again, here's only a partial list.

• eleven 90-minute live teleclasses including 5 with guest experts
• two private sessions with Janet
• gifts from all guest experts

As Janet says at Writing Down Your Soul:  This twenty-week, eleven class teleseries is unique. It is the first in-depth exploration of The Intersection. And it is designed specifically for creatives--writers, speakers, artists.... It merges new and very powerful spiritual practices with your craft, infusing your work with access to limitless creativity and guidance. The result? You create a unique message that cannot help but find its expression in the world. All you have to do is Plug In to the incredible power of The Intersection.

Last Monday, in a post called Journal Treasures/Standing in the Doorway, I shared a journal entry that I'd written on January 3, 2000 (just before starting my first novel), about standing in the doorway and looking in on a gathering of writers.

I wrote about how their minds didn't seem connected to their bodies, how they appeared unaware of their surroundings, and how time seemed to stand still. I longed to step into that room and join them, but instead I turned away to do what was required of me at that time in my life.

Well, on the evening of February 8, during my first Plug In experience with 26 other participants, representing a variety of creative expressions, I felt as if I'd finally crossed the threshold and entered that room. 

Janet talked about how she discovered The Intersection and what happened as a result.  She talked about the power of intention, and she introduced special guest, Gail McMeekin, author of The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women, who, in turn, shared one of her Gateway Secrets.

The 27 Plug In participants are as yet disembodied voices, but I expect by the end of this series, we'll know each other well.  In the mean time, I can think of no better way to spend 90 minutes on alternate Tuesday evenings than learning, sharing, opening up, and plugging in.

As you know, the name of this blog is Enter the Between, A Writer's Journey, and it's purpose is to share a journey, often full of angst with the occasional sprinkling of joy and victory. 

In contrast, Janet's Intersection is full of light, inspiration, and hope, peopled with allies and mentors.  It's about positive thinking and aligning with success.

A nice change, wouldn't you say?

And just so you know that I'm taking this course seriously, I'll share my first "Play Book" assignment.

My Intention Mandala.

To learn more about the Intention Mandala, go to: The Lotus and the Lily: Intention Mandala, or to Jumpstart 2010 With A Conditions Mandala.

Oh, and guess what I'll be posting about every other week until the end of June?

You got it.

So stay tuned.