Teri B. Racey - Master Your Storms, Master Your Life: Mindful Journaling and Sketching for Wisdom and Well-Being

Master Your Storms, Master Your Life

Mindful Journaling and Sketching
for Wisdom and Well-Being

Written and Illustrated by
Teri B. Racey, PA, MA

Part of the New Mind New Body series

iUniverse, Inc.
Bloomington

Master Your Storms, Master Your Life

Mindful Journaling and Sketching for Wisdom and Well-Being

Copyright 2012 by Teri B. Racey, PA, MA

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The information, ideas, and suggestions in this book are not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Before following any suggestions contained in this book, you should consult your personal physician or mental health professional. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising as a consequence of your use or application of any information or suggestions in this book.

The books purpose is to provide you with a means of gaining self-awareness so as to promote deeper levels of self-knowledge which will allow you to make wise and informed choices as a partner in your health care.

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ISBN: 978-1-4759-1156-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-1157-2 (e)

iUniverse rev. date: 05/11/2012

Contents

I express my deep gratitude to all teachers who have shared their wisdom with mewhether that wisdom was shared through experiences of pleasure or pain. I am indebted to them because they have helped me become a stronger and wiser person.

My first and finest teachers were my parents, Chris Battersby and Helen (Buckley) Battersby, and my grandmother Winifred (Mullally) Battersby, all wonderful beacons of love and wisdom. My brothers and sister also shared their wisdom through the everyday joys and challenges experienced in our large and dynamic family. I express my love and gratitude to my sister, Pat, who is my best friend and lifelong counselor; my loving, strong, and steady husband, Joe, who consistently supports my dreams; my amazing daughters, Cara and Andrea, who are loving and wise beacons of light in their own right; my incredible son through marriage, Bryan Fenster; and the entirely wonderful Battersby and Racey clans of which I am so fortunate to be a part.

Special thanks to my personal editorial team: Melissa Cooper Sargent, Cara Fenster, Pat Battersby, and Kevin Witenoff. Special thanks to Chris Elliott for his Illumined Heart drawing that touched the core of our message: walk your path with a wise and loving heart and mind.

I am deeply honored and grateful that you have chosen to invest your valuable time and energy in the use of this journal as a tool for your personal transformation work. May it awaken you to your wise, loving, eternal nature and your fluid connection to universal wisdom.

She watched the tornadic winds with awe and fear.

Away from its grip she felt safe and secure.

She did not know that she was of the storm.

Through observation of the storm, she grew in courage, strength,

and in a certainty of the storms great power and might.

She knew intense fear, yet she knew she was safe and secure.

She did not know that she was of the storm.

Unsatisfied with the distance, she touched the edges of the storm,

experiencing its expelled debris.

She remained fear- and awe-filled, yet again, certain of her safety.

Still, she did not know that she was of the storm.

As her curiosity and strength intensified, she moved closer

and was pulled up into the great vortex, moving up and around,

entangled in the throes of its power.

Yet she knew with a greater certainty than ever before that she was undeniably safe.

Was she of the storm?

She had embraced the storm in full measure and had known great protection.

She now understood that this had always been so.

She was of the storm.

Incorporating its knowledge, she harnessed the storms power

to draw out darkness, leaving light in its wake.

She is the Master of the Storm.

The Master of the Storm poem that provides the framework for this book is the result of the mindfulness journaling and sketching techniques I used to understand my dreams and gain access to my subconscious mind. I found this method of self-discovery so illuminating that I created this book for others who also wish to pursue deep self-exploration by utilizing the principles of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a discipline that can assist you in becoming more aware of your current ways of interacting with your world and being more present to each moment of your life. It can help you develop the skill of a more relaxed and detached observer so you may identify and better understand ingrained ways of thinking and behaving that keep you reproducing your past. Though we may have limited control over many of the circumstances we find ourselves in, we always have the ability to choose our response. Becoming more conscious of all your reactions and their consequences can help you release ways of reacting that you find create limitations for you so you may respond more effectively in your own behalf. These empowering changes can only take place if you are willing to engage in disciplined, frank self-exploration.

Journaling is a powerful tool for self-discovery. Like the principles of mindfulness, it can also help you uncover and understand emotions, thought patterns, and belief systems that you may not be aware of consciously. This self-discovery process is particularly helpful if you are currently grappling with a health, home, work, or relationship issue.

Becoming aware of your subconscious thoughts, emotions, and behavior patterns by combining the discipline of mindfulness with the journaling and sketching process can provide you with even greater information and insight. Through that richer understanding, you will be better able to advocate in your own behalf and hold greater personal authority over all your affairs. This journal can also provide you with a means to more successfully manage any life challenge as it simultaneously transforms your way of interacting with your world.

It offers a comfortable venue to explore your subconscious mind without limits. In addition, it provides a consistent, structured way to connect you with deep levels of self-knowledge. Knowledge is power.

Self-knowledge empowers you to become an effective self-advocate.

A more complete understanding of how you experience and interact with your world gives you the opportunity to liberate yourself from old ways of thinking and behaving that jail your beautiful spirit. This strong self-leadership allows you to make more empowering choices that help you break automatic pilot reactivity cycles that cause you to repeat unhelpful thought and behavior patterns. As you recognize and release these old ways, your greater insight and understanding will guide you to respond more wisely and compassionately to all your life experiences.