Bad me – I didn’t write much in 2019, in fact not one dang issue of my SHIFT-IT eZine after 14 years of sharing. I’m going through a transitional phase and when I’m ready I’ll start publishing again. The desire to do so is building. So hopefully in the new year.
However I am publishing my annual holiday issue, as I love giving the practical gift of my Mini SHIFT-IT Retreat at this special time of year (click here for eBook and Visual Maps).
My Own Development:
2019 has been a powerful year for my own personal growth and continued inquiry into change, consciousness, and evolutionary modalities. Practices that help me and the people I work with to understand, see and shift within the larger reality we are all embedded in.
I had the good fortune to attend fascinating workshops at both Esalen (Paul Selig’s Energetics of Consciousness) and Hollyhock (Ancestral Healing with British powerhouse Jill Purce). Both famous retreat centers have been on my bucket list, so was fun to finally go. They are both spectacularly beautiful in their own ways. Hollyhock for its Canadian remoteness and Esalen for its Californian dreaming and ghosts of the counterculture past.
Forest Panorama from Hollyhock Cabin
Ferry to Cortez Island
Oyster Shuck With Local Delicacies
Also attended a retreat on local Salt Spring Island with non-dual teacher Pamela Wilson. I really appreciate Pamela’s processing techniques which have a psychosynthesis and parts work sensibility to them.
I also fit in more Systemic Constellation training with Anngwyn St. Just, Johannes Schmidt and Mark Wolynn. I use systemic constellation processes in my private coaching practice (via visual templates). I will be offering both online and in-person constellation offerings for groups in 2020.
New Collaborators and Courses:
In addition to my regular courses, this year I ran new art-related workshops with great collaborators, specifically designed for Graphic Recorders and Graphic Facilitators, although applicable to other mediums too. As those of us who do process work with groups and/or individuals have to work fast with our visual depictions and appreciate our live, real-time aesthetic.
Was a delight to collaborate with Rhoda Draws (yes that’s her real name, now!). We hosted both online and in-person offerings in Fast & Loose Sketching®. Our October retreat in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico retreat was a remarkable experience. Our next Mexican Retreat is in April for Semana Santa (Easter). Details announced in my annual New Year’s Sale coming up in January.
Also Animation Director Karen Lloyd and I hosted an online course on Cartoon and Storyboard Techniques. Super useful and fun. Home Study Kit coming soon!
Visual Coach Certification: 10th Anniversary Cohort
We had a bumper crop of aspiring Visual Coaches join the 2019 Cohort of Visual Coach Certification — they are just nearing the deadline for their Exit Exams.
Thanks to those who have so generously offered your time to be their Test Clients, we all really appreciate you! If you’d like to be on our Test Client list (free Visual Coaching!), write Patricia at admin@shift-it-coach.com. The 2020 cohort of this meaningful visual niche begins April 2020 (so get your pre-requisites done if you intend on joining us, registrations are now open).
New Art Studio:
I moved into a new studio in the Metchosin Art and Cultural Association this fall. With space for creating, hosting groups and trainings and mingling with other creative types.
It’s a bit of a full-circle experience as it’s in an old elementary school that my younger brother once attended. Apparently my studio at one time housed the art room. That explains the comforting energy when I walk in the room. It truly is cozy! I’ll be hosting private in-person coaching retreats and private visual skills trainings here now. As well as the upcoming in-person constellation days. Plus my online SHIFT-IT School gets run from my digital command hub in the corner.
Metchosin Arts & Cultural Centre
New Studio: 7 Minute Commute to Home
A Sad Goodbye to My Little Buddy:
I had several loses this year of good friends and family, including my beloved furry companion JJ, This teeny Yorkshire Terrier, so adorable and with the heart of a lion, was my constant companion these last 8 years. Many of my clients loved him as much as I did and will miss those cute ears appearing in my webinars from his perch on my lap.
He was killed by a car on our morning walk going to the new office. I struggle with the guilt and PTSD of it all. If only I could redo a few seconds in life. The irony (or miracle of it) was that I was to begin a course on mediumship that day. Almost instantly he’s been teaching me about crossing over, the energetic world beyond and the right brain language of signs. Love does transcend worlds, however, physical grief also coexists at the same time. Such important lessons to learn. All the best to those who are dealing with losses in your own life be they human or otherwise.
His Smiley Face
Dog Loved His Ball
Happy Holidays to You:
Winter Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere we are balanced between light and dark.
I always cherish the shift towards the light, while appreciating that the dark has its role too.
As we shift from one year and decade to the next, I wish you and yours all the best as you navigate your own unique journey here on Earth during these poignant times.
May we SHIFT-IT both individually and collectively!
xoxo
Dear Christina, such a rich review. You are such a seeker of knowledge and amazing teacher. I am very interested in the new course you will be offering on systemic constellation processes..
I didn’t know how JJ left you, such a brutal separation! I lost my father in the same way.. Take good care of your tender heart my dear friend!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and happy new year.
Sharon
Oh Sharon. I’m so sorry for your loss of your father in such a traumatic way. The sad things we are learning about each other. Whew, such tough stuff that is a challenge to orient around. I couldn’t until now share the nature of JJ’s passing. I’ll write about it at some point and as well as the cross dimensional signs. When I’m ready. When I get my constellation offerings organized I’ll be sending out announcements to local folks in the Victoria/Vancouver area for the in-person ones (my full contact list will get a note for the online ones, given geography isn’t a limiter on those). Its deep and meaningful inner work. Merry Xmas and xoxo
Christina,
I send you light and live as you process the passing of your faithful JJ. I can’t begin to know what you feel, but I do know time heals all wounds.
As you so wisely remind us in your classes, the only way out is through. That applies to grief, too. Guilt, however, is a useless distraction. I hope you can forgive yourself and release the guilt. However it happened, you did not cause the accident.
Please be gentle with yourself. I look forward to hearing about your next chapter whenever you are ready to share.
Huge virtual hugs, Sheri
Hugs received – thank you Sheri for your kindness. Yes, big process for me to go through. Through this experience JJ is teaching me a lot of good and important life lessons, including softening my relationship to responsibility … not just in his passing but in many things. A lot is happening, however its too fresh to share at this point. I will when the time is right. Again, really appreciate your care and support. Happy New Year to you and yours. xo