PEACE OF MIND & CALM HEART - Peace Poetry & Brain Health Exercises Daily Words

Self-Care and Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) Exercises

9/1/2025

Treatment with Kimberly Burnham, PhD (Integrative Medicine), Integrative Manual Therapy, Certified.

Call or Email for appointments in Spokane, Washington, Richland, Washington, and Eastern Washington, or Northern Idaho (Sandpoint)

Appointments also available in Portland, Oregon July 14-18, 2025, August 11-15, 2025, and September 15-19, 2025 at Good Health Physical Therapy, on the West side of Portland. Call for appointments 860-221-8510
.
Occasionally, I work in Provo, Utah..

Someone from our self-care email list is chosen every month for a free 40 minute health consultation with Kimberly Burnham, PhD (Integrative Medicine)
Let us know why you want to learn self-care techniques for a chance to win.

Balancing the Eight Diaphragms, a 10-15 minute Self-Care Visualization
https://www.nervewhisperer.solutions/peace-project/category/self-care-exercises an excerpt from The Hypermobility-Hypomobility Continuum: Manual Therapy and Alternative Medicine Solutions for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Other Connective Tissue Disorders https://amzn.to/4m4wqI3 August 28, 2025 Free Download

Using Traditional Chinese Medicine as Self-Care Presentation at Good Health Physical Therapy in Portland, Oregon

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* Vision Exercises
Blinking Exercises

Visualization for Eyes, Energy Flow and Diaphragms in the Body [Listen or read here].

* Brain Health
Parkinson's Disease Self-Care
Benefits of Motor Imagery Presentation
Benefits of Proprioception Exercises Presentation

* Connective Tissue Exercises
Ehlers-Danlos https://www.nervewhisperer.solutions/ehlersdanlossolutions.html

* Digestive Exercises and Advanced Strain and Counterstain for Digestion

digestive_system__smooth_muscles__self-care_exercises.pdf
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Yoga and Poetry Exercises

Forest Therapy and Forest Bathing

Cyclical Exercises and Heart Health

Balancing the Eight Diaphragms, a Visualization by Kimberly Burnham

7/7/2025

Balancing the Eight Diaphragms

            MyoFascial Release and Strain Counterstrain techniques as well as other biomechanical techniques can be used on the diaphragms to encourage better breathing and fluid flow in the body.

Osteopath’s treat eight diaphragms in the body: respiratory diaphragm, thoracic inlet, interosseous membranes of the arms, cranial diaphragm, pituitary diaphragm, tongue, pelvic diaphragm, and interosseous membranes of the legs.

            In this section we will look at a wide variety of techniques and approaches to help relax and stabilize the diaphragms.

Self-Care for Balancing the Diaphragms

This 10-20 minute visualization is an except from The Hypermobility-Hypomobility Continuum: Manual Therapy and Alternative Medicine Solutions for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Other Connective Tissue Disorders https://amzn.to/4m4wqI3 August 28, 2025 Free Download

Balancing the diaphragm system can have a calming effect on the nervous system, the muscles, and connective tissue as well as increasing fluid exchange in the body, allowing for more nutrients in and waste products out.

1. Lay comfortably with one hand over the respiratory diaphragm and the other over the pelvic diaphragm. Focus on the rise and fall of your body as you breathe. Close your eyes and feel the two diaphragms contracting and relaxing. Feel for a rhythmical pairing of the movement.

            After a few minutes move to the next step.

2. Place your hands on the respiratory diaphragm and the thoracic inlet. Notice if there are any temperature differences between the areas as you continue to breathe.

            After a few minutes move to the next step.

3. Place one hand over the thoracic inlet and the other hand over the head and the cranial diaphragm. Feel for any movement in the head as you feel the chest move with your breath.

            After a few minutes move to the next step.

4. Place both hands on the sides of the head. Feel for an expansion and relaxation phase as cerebral fluid moves around the head and shifts the cranial diaphragm.

            After a few minutes move to the next step.

5. As you notice the warmth and movement, place your tongue on the roof of the mouth just behind the upper teeth in the center. Follow the energy down the front center of the chest from the tip of the tongue. The energy of the Conception Vessel circulates down the center of the body to the lower pelvis and then moves into the Governing vessel up the spine and over the head to the upper teeth and roof of the mouth or maxilla. These energies circulate in both directions down the spine and up the front of the body and up the spine.

            After a few minutes move to the next step.

6. With hands on the back of the head and on the forehead and eyes, visualize the pituitary with a small membrane over the top as the cranial diaphragm (tentorium cerebeli) shifts with the cerebrospinal fluid.

            After a few minutes move to the next step.

7. With one hand on the back of the head and the other over the respiratory diaphragm, notice the difference in the softness or hardness of the tissue under each hand.

            After a few minutes move to the next step.

8. Place your hands on both forearms. The right hand on the left forearm and the left hand on the right forearm. Rest your arms over the respiratory diaphragm. Feel for an expansion and contraction movement in the forearms as the respiratory diaphragm contracts and relaxes.

            After a few minutes move to the next step.

9. In a seated position place one hand over the pelvis and the other hand over the right shin. Feel for a U-shaped movement from the right foot up the leg, through the pelvis and down the left leg to the left foot and then back again.

            After a few minutes move to the next step.

10. In a seated position repeat this step on the other side. Place one hand over the pelvis and the other hand over the left shin. Feel for a U-shaped movement from the left foot up the leg, through the pelvis and down the right leg to the right foot and then back again.

            After a few minutes move to the next step.

11. Once again lay down with one hand over the respiratory diaphragm and one hand over the pelvic diaphragm. Breathe in a relaxed way and feel for the pumping action of the diaphragms contracting and relaxing or shifting in response to or causing increased fluid flow in the body.

            Take as much time as you wish. You can also go back and repeat any step that feels like it could benefit from move.

Eyes and Energy Flow Visualization

5/22/2025

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This visualization focuses on movement and flow of energy in the body. It will take you from your eyes into your body and back again in about 20 minutes.

Begin by looking around the room and notice your surroundings then lay down comfortably with your eyes closed.

Take a couple of good breaths and relax your head, neck and shoulders into the bed. Relax your spine and legs so you can feel the contact between your heels and the bed. Take several breaths in and out as you relax your body.

With your eyes still closed, relax your eyes as if you are looking straight ahead. Take several breaths. This part of the guided visualization with have you looking in several different directions on the out breaths.

To begin, as you breathe in, relax your eyes, and then as you breathe out look:

Up and to the right. Take a couple of breaths and alternate between relaxing your eyes and looking up and to the right. Each time you breathe out look farther up and to the right. This direction is associated with the dominant hemisphere visualization (ie) constructed imagery and visual fantasy. This is the direction we look when we are trying to construct or visualize an image.

Once more, come back to the center with your eyes still closed. As you breathe out, look:

Down to the left. Take a couple of breaths as you alternate between relaxing your eyes and looking down to the left. This direction is associated with internal dialogue or inner self-talk. What are you saying to yourself as every cell in your body listens? What is your self-talk like?

After a few breaths, center and relax your eyes then look:
Up to the left. Relax your eyes and on the next out breath, again look up to the left. This is associated with the non-dominant hemisphere visualization (ie) remembered imagery. We look up and to the left when we are trying to remember an image. What if we could increase our ability to remember images by consciously practicing looking up to the left?

After a breath, and several repetitions, change directions and look:
Down to the right then relax the eyes and repeat looking down to the right several times on the out breaths. This direction is associated with feelings, both tactile and visceral. Focus in on how your stomach or liver is feeling as you look down to the right. What if we could increase our awareness of what our body is telling us by consciously looking down and to the right?

Next, move on and on your next out breath look:
Directly to the left, which is associated with non-dominant hemisphere auditory processing (ie) remembered sounds, words, and “tape loops” and tonal discrimination. Pause for a moment and listen. What do you hear? What do you remember hearing? A couple more times on the out breath look directly to the left with your eyes closed. Thing about what you would see if your eyes were open.

After a few breaths and repetitions move on to the next direction and look:
Directly to the right. Look directly to the right on the out breath and let the eyes relax on the in breath. This direction is associated with the dominant hemisphere auditory processing (ie) constructed sounds and words. Some people consider looking up and to the right or directly to the right as a sign of lying but another way to think of it is that you are creating or constructing words.

The last two directions are directly down and up. As you breathe in, relax your eyes and then look:
Directly down.

What would you see if your eyes were open? What is beyond your toes?

Do this for a few breaths and then look:
Directly up. What would you see above your head?
Do this for a few breaths. Then once again open your eyes and look around the room. What has changed in what you see and in the way your head and body feel? How do your eyes feel? Were some directions easier than others? Does everything feel relaxed?

The next part of the visualization begins with placing both hands over the collar bones. This can be the right hand on the right collar bone or if it is more comfortable, put the right hand on the left collar bone and the left hand on the right collar bone. As you breathe in and out notice the movement of your hands as they rest on your upper chest. You may also notice a feeling of flow from the head into the rest of the body and from the body into the head. Follow the flow of energy. How far from your hands can you follow it with your mind’s eye.

Notice the temperature under your hands and the temperature of your hands. Notice any movement you feel.

After a few breaths, again relax your head, neck, and shoulders into the bed. Let your body sink into the bed. Focus for a moment on your hands and feet. What does the energy in your hands and feet feel like?

Now move your hands so they are each over the lower part of the rib cage and respiratory diaphragm. The right side of the respiratory diaphragm is also near the liver and gallbladder. On the left side of the body there is the stomach and spleen. Again notice the movement of your hands as you breathe in and out. Take a couple of breaths in and out. Feel your hands move as the ribcage rises and falls. As you breathe in, the respiratory diaphragm contracts and lowers. As you breathe out the diaphragm relaxes and rises. Notice any flow or movement or temperature differences under your hands and forearms as you rest them over the diaphragm. After a few breaths again relax your shoulders, head and neck, spine, and legs.

Next, move your hands to the pelvic diaphragm with part of your hands over the right and left hips. Notice the movement of your hands with each breath. As you rest your hands over the hips and pelvis notice any movement or a feeling of energy flow up the legs through the hips.

You may notice a U-shaped motion, rhythm, or feeling as the energy moves from the right foot up through the ankle, knee, and right hip then through the pelvis to the left hip, then down the thigh and left knee through the interosseous membranes of the lower leg into the left foot, ankle and toes. The energy then reverses and comes up the left leg across the pelvis and down the right leg. Notice this U-shaped movement up and down the legs and through the pelvis. Focus on the flow.

You may also notice a kind of X-shaped energy running up the right leg, through the right interosseous membrane, the knee, the thigh and hip and then moving through the right side of the pelvic diaphragm to the left side of the respiratory diaphragm and up the body through the left thoracic inlet under the collar bone to the left shoulder and then down the left arm through the interosseous membrane to the wrist and fingers and then back along that pathway to the right foot and toes. At the same time, notice the energy flowing from the right fingers and hand up the arm to the right shoulder, through the right thoracic inlet, down through the right side of the respiratory diaphragm and then over to the left side of the pelvic diaphragm, left hip, and down the leg to the toes and then returning to the right shoulder and right hand. As you breathe in and out feel these energies flowing in a U shape or an X shape across the body.

After several breaths and focus on these energy flows, touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind the upper teeth. This is where the Conception vessel and Governing vessel, the two central channels of Traditional Chinese Medicine flow. Follow the energy from the tip of the tongue down the center of the body, from the mouth through the center of the anterior neck, the area of the thyroid, vocal cords, and large blood vessels to the head. The energy flows from the neck, down the center front of the body to the pelvis. This is the Conception vessel. At the lowest point in the pelvis it meets the Governing vessel and flows up the spine, neck, over the head to the upper teeth. The energy flows in both directions up the front of the body and down the spine as well as down the front of the body and up the spine.

As you feel the energy circulating, consider that from Southeast Asian medicine comes the idea of spinning chakras of energy and light. Follow the energy down the center of the front of the body, through the blue throat chakra, then the red heart chakra, yellow solar plexus, orange sacral chakra, and red pelvic chakra and then up the spine past the kidneys and adrenals, heart and lungs, then up over the top of the head and down to the upper teeth. The last part flows through the purple Crown chakra and through the area of the limbic system and violet Third Eye between the eyebrows.
Notice that this energy circulates through the limbic region at the bridge of the nose, around the eyes and through the thyroid in the throat.

Follow, feel, and notice the movement of these energies, rhythms, or motilities. as you breathe in and breathe out. Notice what shifts or changes.

When you are ready open your eyes if they are closed and look around. What do you notice?

After a minute or so sit up and again notice what is different. How does your head and neck or back feel? How do your eyes feel? As you sit, relax your shoulders. With your breathing lift from the top of the head as you breathe in and relax your shoulders as you breathe out. Do this for several breaths. You may choose to journal or write about what you noticed during this experience.

Cyclical Exercise, Heart and Brain Rhythm

5/8/2025

Cyclical Exercise

A vascular surgeon, Irving Dardik had a friend who died of a heart attack after running a marathon. Thinking about why a healthy person would die, caused Dr. Dardik to consider ways to get the heartbeat back to normal more quickly and developed a cyclical way of exercising to increase health. The exercise can be done with any type of exercise but one that particularly helps with blood flow to the heart and arms and head is as follows.

Note when active do the exercises as hard and fast as possible. When resting, rest as completely as possible, breath, meditate, notice the sensations around yourself. The goal of resting is to get the heart rate back to normal as quickly as possible.

A 1 minute of alternating exercise and rest.

1. Open and close your hands as quickly as possible for 10 seconds.
2. Rest for 10 seconds. Repeat three times.

1. Open and close your hands as quickly as possible for 10 seconds.
2. Rest for 10 seconds.

1. Open and close your hands as quickly as possible for 10 seconds.
2. Rest for 10 seconds.

B. One minute of alternative exercise and rest and one minute of rest.

3. Rest for 1 minute. Repeat A and B three times.

C. Do A and B every other day for three weeks.

D. Rest for a week.

Speed of the Heartbeat

There is an interesting video here about how our sense of time is affected by the speed of our heartbeat, which also affects our perception of the world around ourselves.

"The activity of the heart itself shapes the activity of the brain. The brain the heart receive information from the outside world through our eyes, through our ears. But to make sense of that information, to perceive, it has specialized sensory areas, like the visual sensory area or the auditory-sensory areas. But in order to act in response to what we perceive, the brain has separate movement control centers that are responsible for initiating and controlling movement.

It turns out that there are sensory neurons in our heart that fire signals to our brain to inform it about the state of the body. But they fire only at a time when the heart contracts, and they remain silent when the heart is relaxed. So the brain and the heart are in a constant rhythmic dance. Every beat makes the brain step into an active mode, priming us for action. And between the beats, the brain steps back into perceptual mode, priming us to take in information.

As the heart beats faster, there are more beats, so the brain is more likely to be in the active mode, whereas when the heart slows down, there are more periods of time between the beats, so the brain is more likely to be in the perceptual mode.”

Does Your Heartbeat Shape Your Sense of Time? by Irena Arslanova on TEDxBerlin on February 2, 2024)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSgQHH2YBxw

Color Meditations, Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Clock and Emotions

5/7/2025

Color Meditations, Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Clock and Emotions

Wood Element: 1.1 Gallbladder: Yellow Green Wood 11 pm - 1 am; Anger, Frustration, From rage and wrath to compassion, growth, and vitality.
Wood Element: 1.2 Liver Meridian: Deep Green Wood; 1 am – 3 am; Anger, Frustration, From anger and unhappiness to compassion, growth and vitality.

Metal Element: 2.1 Lung Meridian: White, Light Grey Metal; 3 am - 5 am; Grief, Intolerance, Sadness, From grief and intolerance to justice and clarity. Clarity & Precision Lung 1
Metal Element: 2.2 Large Intestine Meridian: Off-White Metal; 5 am - 7 am; Grief, Intolerance, Sadness, From grief and intolerance to justice and clarity. Clarity & Precision, Large Intestine 4

Earth Element: 3.1 Stomach Meridian: Yellow / Orange Earth; 7 am - 9 am; Worry, Anxiety, From disgust and greed to faith, nourishment, and stability. Stomach 36
Earth Element: 3.2 Spleen Meridian: Yellow / Orange Earth; 9 am - 11 am; Worry, Anxiety, From worry, disappointment, and anxiety about the future to faith, nourishment, and stability.

Fire Element: 4.1 Heart Meridian: Red Fire; 11am - 1pm; Joy, Mania, Overjoy, From hate, mania, and anger to joy, propriety, courtesy, passion, and high energy Emotional health linked to the brightness of the eyes; imbalances affect clarity and expression; The Heart influences emotional expression through the eyes. Bright, clear eyes can reflect a balanced Heart, while dull eyes may indicate emotional distress.
Fire Element: 4.2 Small Intestine Meridian: Pinkish Red Fire; 1 - 3 pm; Joy, Mania, Overjoy, From insecurity and sadness to joy, propriety, courtesy, passion, and high energy.

Water Element: 5.1 Bladder Meridian: Deep Blue Black Water; 3 pm - 5 pm; Fear, Indecision, Transformation: From fright, impatience, and restlessness to wisdom, ease, and abundance.
Water Element: 5.2 Kidney Meridian: Blue Black Water; 5 pm - 7 pm; Fear, Indecision, From fear and indecision to wisdom.

Fire Element: 6.1 Pericardium Meridian: Purple Red Fire; 7-9 pm; Hurt/Extreme Joy, From hurt, extreme joy, jealousy, regret to joy, propriety, courtesy, passion, and high energy.
Fire Element: 6.1 Triple Warmer (endocrine and temperature regulation) Meridian: Orange Red Fire; 9–11 pm; Hurt/Extreme Joy , Transformation: From hopelessness, depression, and despair to joy, propriety, courtesy, passion, and high energy.

Exercises:
These can be used to do color visualizations to help support the organs and systems.
Another way to support the organ is to hold or meditate on something made of the element (ie) a metal spoon, standing by a waterfall, meditating with a candle burning, etc.
The times are when the energy is most active in that meridian. If you have trouble falling asleep between 11 pm and 1 am try putting one hand over the gallbladder (right lower ribcage and the other hand over the heart) or if you always wake up around 3 am, put one hand over the liver and the other over the lungs. That should help you fall asleep.
These visualizations can also help to better deal with emotions.

Bladder Meridian and Spine Correlations

T3 BL13 Lung
T4 BL14 Pericardium
T5 BL15 Heart
T9 BL18 Liver
T10 BL19 Gallbladder
T11 BL20 Spleen
T12 BL21 Stomach
L1 BL22 Sanjiao
L2 BL23 Kidney
L4 BL25 Large Intestine
S1 BL27 Small Intestine
S2 BL28 Bladder

Correlations between the thoracic, lumbar and sacral spine, bladder meridian, organs and acupuncture meridians.

Treatment Ideas: The three components form a kind of triangle. If you treat the acupuncture point with acupuncture, acupressure, sound, aromatherapy etc. then the organ and the vertebral level improves. If you work on the spinal mobility and integrity then energy and Qi flows through the acupuncture point better and improves the organ. If you do visceral manipulation or mobilization to the organ then vertebral function and acupuncture meridian flow improves as well.

See Faster Vision Book Free Book Thursday

4/10/2025

See Faster, Vision Exercises for Basketball Players: Shoot Precisely, Score More, Dribble Faster, Pass Accurately, and Contribute to Your Team https://amzn.to/4lq0EVj on Free Download April 17, 2025

The Year of the Poet Free Book Thursday

4/10/2025

The Year of the Poet is a wonderful monthly poetry anthology from Inner Child Press. The eBook version is free of charge at https://www.innerchildpress.com/the-year-of-the-poet.php

I have participated in this project since March, 2014 (every month except 2024)

Poets can follow instructions and submit your work for publication.

Seed Pack Poetry and The Red Sunflower Diaries by Kimberly Burnham

4/3/2025

Free Book Thursday April 3, 2025: The Red Sunflower Diaries, https://amzn.to/4l3SbHv

Seed Pack Poetry

Organic Kale Lacinto (Irish Eyes Garden Seeds)

black interesting
texture select sunny smooth
soil pick youngest leaves

Giant Red Mustard Seed (Ferry-Morse Seeds)

Slow to bolt grow thick
good for picking directly
use entire flavor

Bloomsdale Savoy Spinach (Territorial Seed Company)

packed plants grow mature
cool weather sow narrow rows
cover with fine soil

Nothstine Dent Organic Corn Seed (Johnny's Selected Seeds)

favorite cornmeal
glossy yellow white kernels
short season success

Blue Honeysuckle (Trade Winds Fruit)

Fruit native fleshy
blue raw juices moist surface
exposing full sun

Basil Blue Spice (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)
Fine fragrance spicy
overtones sown out arrive
brilliant color near

Cosmic Purple Carrots (Ed Hume Seeds)

smooth purple carrots
reveal real piece garden
rich in minerals

Hollyhock The Watchman (Botanical Interests)

Dark watchman moonless
rich purplish towers flower
dolls germinate soil

Ornamental Basil Cardinal Organic Seed (Harris Seeds)

Unusual trials
contrast be dark green maroon
aroma lightly

Sweet Pea Royal (Plantation Products)

Royal family
fragrant show ruffle blossom
vibrant require work

Little Marvel Peas (Page’s Seeds)

Excellent garden
vigorous bush tight mature
heirloom yields two green

Sweet Peppers (Burpee)

Sun golden beauty
diamonds start indoors warm
emerge move outside

Seed Pack Poetry Project For 200 Seed Packs and $1400

I will provide 1) 200 poems, 100 plus blog posts published daily throughout the summer.
2) a published book with the poems unique to the seed company supporting this project
3) blogs posted to Medium, LinkedIn, seed company blog, poetry blogs, and other blogs with links to social media.
4) two or three images per post with black out poetry or found poetry images of the back of the seed pack, front of seed pack with poetry that is response poetry to the images (Ekphrastic poetry),

Dear Seed Company.

For National Poetry month (April), I am writing seed pack poems. These are poems that use words from the back of a seed pack. It is a kind of found poem, blackout poetry, or erasure poems.

Words are chosen from a piece of text such as a seed pack, newspaper, blog post, cereal box, etc. The poet then chooses the words she or he wants and leaves the rest, or erases them, or blacks them out like a redacted spy report leaving only the words of the poem visible.

I use these kinds of seed pack poems in my latest book, The Red Sunflower Diaries, Why Everyone Should Garden and Share Seeds (fiction).

I am writing to propose a marketing or publicity program for your company. Would you be interested in me writing poems based on your line of seeds?

For a small payment, I can write a short blog with information about the type of seeds in the pack and then write two or three poems based on the description or the words on the back of the seed pack.

Many of my poems are haikus. This is a short Japanese style poem with three lines of 5-7-5 syllables.

I can write out the poem or I can create an actual blackout poem (words that are not part of the poem are blacked out with a marker or crayon).

These posts can be placed on your blog, my personal blog, my Medium blog, on LinkedIn and linked to social media posts. I would do the work as your poet-in-residence and produce a series of 100 posts over the summer or I could do just a handful of posts that you could use to promote your seeds.

Once I have completed 100 or more poems in the series, I can publish them in a book that can also be used to promote your business.

Here are links to my seed pack poems and other poetry.

Seed Pack Poetry Blog https://healthy-brain.medium.com/sweet-edible-peas-in-a-pod-c16cc35e241e

Medium Blog https://healthy-brain.medium.com/

Trish Hopkinson Poetry Blog https://trishhopkinson.com/tag/kimberly-burnham/

Tiferet Poetry Blog https://tiferetjournal.com/april-2015-poem-a-thon/poems-by-kimberly-burnham/

I am an avid gardener and active in several gardening and seed groups on Facebook.

My award winning poetry has been published in over 100 books and anthologies. Amazon https://amzn.to/4c8gSOV

Please let me know if this is of interest.

Kimberly Burnham

Jewish Poets and The World JFS Presentation Kimberly Burnham Spokane Poet

2/13/2025

Jewish Poetry Writing Program Opportunity for 2025

12- week program (one 90-minute class per week) $600 per person for the program (limit 10 people)

Goal:
1. To write 36 poems based on writing prompts from Jewish Poets.
2. Read and listen to the voices of Jewish Poets

Opportunity to publish poems / pieces in an anthology.

Available online adult education class or in-person as a three-day Scholar-in-residence program.

Contact Kimberly Burnham for information or to sign up [email protected] (860) 221-8510 (Spokane, Washington)

Presentation for JFS Tu B’Shivat Program (Feb, 2025 at Temple Beth Shalom, Spokane, Washington)

From the Lev Shalom prayer book “Seen through a religious lens, every change in nature is remarkable – each day and night, each season. The ideal of a religious consciousness is to see each of these moments afresh.”

Poetry does this also. Over the last couple of years as I read poetry, I have found that Jewish voices are coming forward. More Jews are writing poetry, perhaps as a way to understand the world and find ways to make it and us better.

To start today, I will read three poets and then we will see how much time there is left. For each of three poets I will give you a jump offline, a line to get the creative juices flowing. Then you will have 5-10 minutes to write whatever you want, whatever wells up in you, your response, your feelings, what happened this morning before you came here, whatever you want. It doesn’t have to be good; it should be true.

I am a Wild Writing teacher and this is what we do. We read a poem and then take one of the lines as a jump offline and write. Sometimes we read aloud what we have written. Sometimes we edit and post our writing. Sometimes we submit it for publication.

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The Tree In A Field by Natan Zach https://israelforever.org/israel/celebrating/tubshevat_readings/
[Ki Ha'adam Etz Hasadeh : The Human Is The Tree In A Field]

Deuteronomy 20:19 כִּֽי־תָצ֣וּר אֶל־עִיר֩ יָמִ֨ים רַבִּ֜ים לְֽהִלָּחֵ֧ם עָלֶ֣יהָ לְתׇפְשָׂ֗הּ לֹֽא־תַשְׁחִ֤ית אֶת־עֵצָהּ֙ לִנְדֹּ֤חַ עָלָיו֙ גַּרְזֶ֔ן כִּ֚י מִמֶּ֣נּוּ תֹאכֵ֔ל וְאֹת֖וֹ לֹ֣א תִכְרֹ֑ת כִּ֤י הָֽאָדָם֙ עֵ֣ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה לָבֹ֥א מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ בַּמָּצֽוֹר׃ https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.20.19
When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?

For the human is like the tree in a field,
like the human, the tree grows too;
like the tree, the human is chopped down,
and I don't know
where I've been and where I'll be,
like the tree in a field!

For the human is like the tree in a field,
like the tree he strives upwards;
like the human, it burns in fire,
and I don't know
where I've been and where I'll be,
like the tree in a field!

I loved, and I hated too,
I tasted this and that;
I was burried in a plot of dust,
and I feel sour - sour in my mouth,
like the tree in a field! (x2)

For the human is like the tree in a field,
like the tree he's thirsty for water;
like the human, it stays thirsty,
and I don't know
where I've been and where I'll be,
like the tree in a field!

I loved...

Jump Off Line / Writing Prompt: "For the human is like the tree in a field ...," "For I am like a tree in the field ...,", "Where I’ll be, like the tree in a field" Alternative line: "It is Thursday, this is what I know ...,"

How to Pray While the World Burns by Hila Ratzabi https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/article/a-poem-for-tu-bshvat/

A Video Poem for Your Tu B’Shvat Seder January 17, 2023 “How To Pray While The World Burns” was published in Hila’s 2022 poetry collection, There Are Still Woods, a radiant appraisal of life at the precipice of climate crisis and a haunting elegy for all we stand to lose. Through alternating lenses, from the speculative to the spiritual, from motherhood to science to mythology, Hila looks out at our wounded but vibrant planet and the animal experience of living on it.

Go outside. Find a patch of grass, sand, dirt.
Sit, kneel, place a hand or just
A finger to the soft earth.
Feel it pulse back.
Open your palms and divine
The words creased between.
Rub the specks of dirt
Between your fingers,
See how they cling to skin,
How they listen in their soft-rough way.
The earth will hold you better
Than God can.
God could not stop the bullets
Or the sale of weapons.
God could not block the open
Synagogue doors.
Our God is trapped
In the poisoned grass,
Where the blood of our brothers cries out,
Where the ants heave centuries on their backs.
Pray to the God who sharpened the tiger’s teeth,
Who stored the roar in its throat.
Pray to the God who gave you lungs and tongue
To sing and groan and hum.
I swear to you
When the leaf shivers in the wind
You have given it chills
From all its listening.
The earth hears your prayer.
There is nowhere for God to hide.
Get down on your knees and let
This precious earth soften for the weight of you.
You are held.
You are heard.
The wind pulls its blanket over your back,
Smooths the hair from your face,
Touches your cheek
With its cool, trembling hands.

Jumping Off Lines / Poetry Prompts: How to …,” “How to Pray While the World Burns …,” “How to go to the synagogue, the day after …,” How to love a child …,” “How to breath …”

Tedo Wyman, Writer, Poet

2/8/2025

Tedo Wyman is a poet and pianist. She lives in Nyack, New York, in a house near the Hudson River with her husband, who is also a pianist. For many years she performed at local venues using her given name, Fredrica and taught piano at home while they raised two wonderful daughters. She was also writing. During the pandemic she realized she wanted to focus more on her writing and let teaching go. Since then she's published poems in several journals: RiverRiver, Perceptions, and Nixes Mate Review. Wild Writing is a vital part of her practice.

Copies of Tedo's work in Call and Response to Maya Stein, an Anthology of Wild Writing available at https://amzn.to/3zsZLbw

Shilpa Rao, Writer, Poet

2/8/2025

Shilpa Roa loves coming home to herself through self-expression: writing, dance, vocals; through communion with Nature, the pursuits of Ayurveda, Jin Shin Jyutsu and energy alchemy. She worked as an electrical engineer for three decades and is currently dedicating time to cultivating her inner “home” and heart’s desires. She lives in Chandler, Arizona.

Copies of Shilpa's work in Call and Response to Maya Stein, an Anthology of Wild Writing available at https://amzn.to/3zsZLbw

Patty Joslyn, Writer, Poet

2/8/2025

Patty Joslyn's best ‘work’ is her children; she has yet to recover from empty nest syndrome or the fact she can no longer do cartwheels. She’s moved full circle from and to Mendocino County, California, through Vermont and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She’s fascinated with death and birth as passages into new realms. She’s been published in El Calendario de Todos Santos, poetsonline.org, VOYA (Voices of Youth Advocates), Tupelo Press-30/30 Project, and several anthologies. Patty’s been a guest presenter at many events. Her book ru mi nate was published in 2017. She also has eight self-published chapbooks. http://www.22pearls.org/

Copies of Patty's work in Call and Response to Maya Stein, an Anthology of Wild Writing available at https://amzn.to/3zsZLbw

Writers and poets in Call and Response to Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, an anthology of Wild Writing Angela Dawson, Ann Catherine Brown, Avesha Michael, Brenda Sullivan Furry, Darlene McCloud, Elizabeth Cassidy, Joanna Kania, Kimberly Burnham, Kristi Joy Rimbach, Lin Frye, Marjorie Pagel, Mary Campbell, Molly Pruit, Nicky Torode, Patty Joslyn, Rob McKim, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Shilpa Rao, and Teri Ketchie.

Patrícia Dias, Writer, Poet

2/8/2025

Patrícia Dias is a Portuguese author. She was a journalist for a local newspaper and for a Franchise Magazine, co-author of a book on near-death experiences and wrote the biography of one of the first women in Portuguese radio and TV, as well as her own biography on living with an eating disorder for a decade. She’s also the author of an awarded essay on creating an inter-generational breastfeeding culture. In 2022 she launched her first poetry book, Storytelling poems, with Lisbon’s Poetry Festival. Married, with two kids, she does Airbnb for a living and writes for the Love. https://36palavras.pt/colibriwp/

Copies of Patricia's work in Call and Response to Maya Stein, an Anthology of Wild Writing available at https://amzn.to/3zsZLbw

Nina Cousins, Writer, Poet

2/8/2025

Nina Cousins is an accidental poet by way of Laurie Wagner's Wild Writing Family. Turned on to the practice by her yoga teacher Jen Breen in the midst of the Covid pandemic in March 2019 she has been writing ever since. Her talent was recognized at an early age when asked to recite her Arbor Day poem on local radio in third grade. It has lain quite dormant until recently when she sometimes reads at open mics at the Bainbridge Island Library. She is thrilled to share her work here influenced by and in honor of Maya Stein.

Copies of Nina's work in Call and Response to Maya Stein, an Anthology of Wild Writing available at https://amzn.to/3zsZLbw

Mary Campbell, Writer, Poet

2/8/2025

Mary Campbell lives in Philadelphia, PA after living in Telluride, Colorado for 25 years. An unpublished writer of ramblings and verse, she has no academic training but feels that words are what connect to her creative soul. Self-describing as a writer (among other things), she now spends more time at her writing desk than ever. Being in a writing community provides accountability and support and she feels lucky to have found what she calls the “Writer’s Warming Huts” that Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Laurie Wagner and Maya Stein continue to host, providing welcome shelter for her and so many aspiring writers.

Copies of Mary's work in Call and Response to Maya Stein, an Anthology of Wild Writing available at https://amzn.to/3zsZLbw

Writers and poets in Call and Response to Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, an anthology of Wild Writing Angela Dawson, Ann Catherine Brown, Avesha Michael, Brenda Sullivan Furry, Darlene McCloud, Elizabeth Cassidy, Joanna Kania, Kimberly Burnham, Kristi Joy Rimbach, Lin Frye, Marjorie Pagel, Mary Campbell, Molly Pruit, Nicky Torode, Patty Joslyn, Rob McKim, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Shilpa Rao, and Teri Ketchie.

Marjorie Pagel, Writer, Poet

2/8/2025

Marjorie Pagel of Franklin, Wisconsin, has published three collections: The Romance of Anna Smith and other stories, Where I'm From: poems and stories; and Pastiche, a chapbook. She belongs to Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and Wisconsin Writers Association. In addition to Wild Writing with Laurie Wagner and workshops with Maya Stein, she is a frequent participant in Red Oak Writing and Pen to Paper, both in the Milwaukee, WI area. Contact her at https://meetmeatthecorner.blog/

Copies of Marjorie's work in Call and Response to Maya Stein, an Anthology of Wild Writing available at https://amzn.to/3zsZLbw

Kristi Joy Rimbach, Writer, Poet

2/8/2025

Kristi Joy Rimbach lives and writes in a small town in Connecticut with her husband and their kids. She writes with bare honesty, vivid imagery, and humor about her fumbling human journey. Her professional background is in Energy Medicine but she is now focused primarily on writing, including poetry, creative nonfiction and a book on nervous system healing. Kristi uses Wild Writing to create many of her pieces, and to dig deeper into the truth of her experience. Her work can be found in Here: A Poetry Journal, The Write Launch, The Orchards Poetry Journal and elsewhere.

Copies of Kristi Joy's work in Call and Response to Maya Stein, an Anthology of Wild Writing available at https://amzn.to/3zsZLbw

Writers and poets in Call and Response to Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, an anthology of Wild Writing Angela Dawson, Ann Catherine Brown, Avesha Michael, Brenda Sullivan Furry, Darlene McCloud, Elizabeth Cassidy, Joanna Kania, Kimberly Burnham, Kristi Joy Rimbach, Lin Frye, Marjorie Pagel, Mary Campbell, Molly Pruit, Nicky Torode, Patty Joslyn, Rob McKim, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Shilpa Rao, and Teri Ketchie.

Jennifer Eichstedt, Writer, Poet

2/6/2025

Jennifer Eichstedt lives on the North Coast of California with her wife and two dogs. She is a racial justice practitioner, professor of sociology, dog trainer, and a visual artist. Words have always been the stuff of which her deepest nests are made.

Copies of Jennifer's work in Call and Response to Maya Stein, an Anthology of Wild Writing available at https://amzn.to/3zsZLbw

Janet McKeehan-Medina, Writer, Poet

2/6/2025

Janet McKeehan-Medina is a psychotherapist / life coach and poet. She is also a graduate of the Wild Writing Teacher Training program taught by Laurie Wagner. Janet is Chair of the nonprofit organization Burlington Writers Workshop and runs Rejuvenating Writing Circles. A native of California, she currently resides in New York with her husband and loves volunteering at the local animal shelter. In her free time, she enjoys a hot cup of tea and a good book. She seeks inspiration in nature and in the mundane activities of life.
https://janetmckeehanmedina.com/

Copies of Janet's work in Call and Response to Maya Stein, an Anthology of Wild Writing available at https://amzn.to/3zsZLbw

Kelsey D. Mahaffey, Writer, Poet

2/6/2025

Kelsey D. Mahaffey walks the Earth barefoot beside three humans and a bow-legged cat. She needs music & nature like breath & water and keeps half her heart in New Orleans. Her favorite food is arugula. Her work can be seen in Arkansas Review, Pensive: A Global Journal for Spirituality & the Arts, Cumberland River Review, The Sunlight Press, Writers Resist, Eunoia Review, and Minerva Rising Press.

Copies of Kelsey's work in Call and Response to Maya Stein, an Anthology of Wild Writing available at https://amzn.to/3zsZLbw