Save the Date! A mini-Rally Monday

Today I am writing a letter! Specifically, a Save the Date. And I want to share it with you!

I am writing this letter to the qualities that I want to invite to play and ruminate and scribble with me on Monday, January 16th, 2012. 

Because that is the special day when fabulous hipgnosis genius Simone and I are going to be holding a mini-rally (Rally!).

But first, perhaps some background…

What is this mini-Rally?

If you read my blog, chances are you’re familiar with the concept. You may recall I have done this both at Havi’s magical Playground and in smaller formats with other amazing folks. I’ve done them by myself, even! It is a close cousin to Maryann’s Secret Playdates, too, which I also love dearly.

But here’s what it will be like! Monday will be a mini retreat, a tiny rally. A couple of hours. A time set aside that is not too big and not too small — just enough time to build a blanket fort. Just enough time to flail a little bit on Dance of Shiva. Just enough time to wear my rainbow socks of possibility and have a gentle, madcap, brain-mapping date with myself. It’s a place and a time to work on projects both big and small, in sovereign, gentle, unexpected and often playful ways.

Rainbow socks of possibility! Not a metaphor. Actual socks.

If you’ve been to Havi’s wonderful Playground, you know it is a magic, supportive place. It is the perfect container in which to Rally — an activity or an event that is very difficult to verb-ify, but the kind of place where you can bring your fondest, most outrageous dreams or your biggest weirdest fears and get truly wacky, with strangers who are quickly your very close friends, and in the safest way possible you find your way to a better place with it all. Realizations both big and small.

Personally, I plan to work on some of the secret plans and super-secret plans that have been occupying my brain lately.

(Don’t forget: a project is a lot of things. You might know what it is in advance, or you might not. Read more here because Havi explains it so well!)

I am going to gather together my art supplies. My notebooks and drawing pads. I am going to make my space smell especially lovely and have lovely things in it (pillows! snacks! really nice pens!) that will support me in being as creative or restful as I need to be.

Because a Rally is always comfortable: it doesn’t force you to do anything or be anyone. It is a place in which you feel safe, even when you want to do something that scares you.

And also, we are going to make this magic space and time happen without being in the same room! Because Simone and I are planning a mini-Rally from opposite sides of our continent. We’re going to check in, and then for a couple hours we will separately flail and process, scribble and draw, rest and ruminate. And then we’ll check-in again (which is a very good exit ritual) and bring whatever awesomeness we’ve found into the real world. In safe ways, of course. I am really excited to see what happens!

One entry ritual (enter as you wish to be in it!) I dreamed up is that Simone and I will each write a letter (a save-the-date!) to the qualities that we want to join us on Monday. It’s a bit of a love letter, too, you’ll see.

Letter to my beloved qualities

Dear lovely beloved qualities,

I want you to know that Monday is coming very soon, and I want you (yes, you!) to join me.

I name you: Trust, Play, Creativity, Surprise.

I name you: Insight, Safety, Flow, Openness.

I name your secret selves: Being-ness. Self-ness. Enoughness. Wholeness. Wholeselfedness.

I love you, dear qualities. You are the magic that helps me make magic happen in my life. And I want to spend time with you. This is my official notice to you: this is your invitation. Won’t you come and play with me?

I can’t wait to find out what secret things you know and what unlikely new directions I might want to explore. I can’t wait to enter the very special brain-rewiring space that is Shiva Nata (which I promise I will make extra-scrambly and extra-interesting on Monday!), and the special sovereign selfhood space that is Rally, even in mini-form. Let’s you and me make the awesome happen.

Plans have been laid. Rumors are afoot!

Dear qualities, everything is conspiring to make this mini-Rally on Monday (January 16, 2012 at precisely 9:00 AM Pacific Standard Time! Mark your calendar!) the best thing. I can’t wait to see you there.

Love always,

Me.

Want to play along?

You can write a love letter. You can mini-Rally! You can think up the quality or qualities you crave time with, and whether you just whisper it, whether you write it down, whether you carve it into stone or hug it into your stuffed rabbit, it’s at least the first step. I firmly believe that. That’s why I wrote my letter.

Maybe you want to write one too? Or maybe you are excited to play along at home, or to see what comes out of the mini-Rally. Friends and readers, I would love to hear from you, especially if you are excited (because I’m excited too!) and I can’t wait to write back and let you know how it goes.

xo!