When a member of the Sonoma Writers Alliance notified me that I was next in line to join the group, I wasn’t sure whether or not to do so, not really knowing much about them even having forgotten that I signed up. So, on my first visit I felt a little apprehensive. Would I like their writings, would they like mine? Almost all of them were older than me but this surprise also made me feel comfortable because like an exquisite wine that grows better through the years, I love meeting and engaging with the inherited wisdom gained through aging.
When I read my first piece I was re-comforted and even felt nurtured by how the group held and responded to my words. The match grew even stronger as I heard each one read their contribution feeling inspired, challenged and embraced by their words. Each with his or her unique style and orientation, whether poetry, prose, memoir or fiction took me to many different places both inwardly and afar. At the end of the two hours I was thrilled, humbled and gratified, and felt so lucky. I went home to reflect on this multidimensional creative process. I felt that I had plugged into a 500- volt source of creative energy.
A couple days later, when I received an email about the theme for the following week, The Great Whale, this came as a wonderful confirmation that joining the group was right for me. Having dreamt a few months earlier of a magnificent, giant whale so vivid and alive for me that I was compelled to draw its picture, I now felt I could try to capture this creature in prose. This felt synchronistic and I took it as a sign to move forward in this new direction.
As the weeks turned into months I entered into the most creative writing of my life. I had written many essays, poems, volumes of my dreams and had even published, but this was different. I now had an ongoing dialog with a group that was curious and interested in my writings, inspiring me to go deeper, helping me to focus and encouraging the development of my stories more completely as I tried to honestly answer some of their questions. Before I realized it I had written a very important part of my life’s spiritual evolution and realizations. Some 13,000 words in eighteen separate essays would never have been put to paper had it not been for the group’s ongoing dialogue.
Over time I began to realize the marvelous legacy of the group. Two of the founders have been in the group for 21 years, and with others who have joined and left have formed a container wherein creative expression has been maintained and the fire has continued to burn well into the sunset of life for these writers and thinkers. What a great model for human kind to realize that all the way to the end there is something that we can share, strive for and pass on to others.
Some time sitting with the group I think of how many people that could benefit from this amazing beauty. Like entering a sacred garden full of diverse flowers, each one in its own way carries a particular aroma that enchants the senses. How many students could benefit by simply sitting with this group and allowing each flower to take them into the realm of the imagination. I am sure that every one would leave inspired and supported to express what is alive in each one’s own heart. I imagine mature people experiencing an awakening of their own histories, as they listen to the stories and ideas, having their hearts touched by the many places and dimensions that this group has traveled.
The Sonoma Writers Alliance has created a sanctuary, a place where many souls have found their lives enriched. The creative process fulfills one of the most profound activities of the human endeavor, the capacity to create and recreate life with all its dramas and all its blessings.
When we are able to build a safe container for manifesting the force of spirit, for the unknown to become known, where mere words turn into a life nourishing substance, we are in communion with something greater than ourselves. Everyone in the group leaves a legacy of a life time of work, experience, and fulfillment that enriches everyone else. I wish everyone in Sonoma could be made aware of this wonderful legacy, to sense the beauty, and see the courage and devotion for maintaining the creative expression throughout the long years of life.
One of the most important aspects that his group exercises profoundly well for me is the art of listening. Listening is the doorway for true communication. Listening well is where presence dwells and by which we can truly give each other our most precious gift, the gift of our full attention! Where every one is respected and honored is where love abides.
I am grateful that life has granted me this opportunity, and I hope that many more people will come to deeply enjoy this amazing gift by either listening to the writing of others or by reading what they themselves have written. Either way, it is absolutely worth it!
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