It was a Very Good Year: Lucia's 2014 Surprises

As I prepare to create Visioning® for 2015, I am struck by how everything on my 2014 Visioning Board (a 4-part collage) came true. What really struck me were the surprises, so I want to share those with you. In the "grab what grabs you" phase of shopping through magazines, I often have something specific in mind. Other times, I follow my intuition and select images because I want more of what I think they represent in my life. But sometimes, life throws a whole new meaning at me as the image unfolds into reality over time. 

Lucia's 4-part Vision Board 2014

A cluster of flowers blooming in the upper right hand section signified that I wanted more cut flowers around the house and was looking forward to my iris garden due to bloom in the spring.What I didn't know was that I'd take up water color painting again, after a long hiatus (inspired by seeing a Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit) and that I'd be painting mostly flowers (mixed bouquets as well as iris from my own garden). What a joy that has been! 

Other surprises had to do with Health and Balance. A woman is meditating and beneath her another woman is floating in a pool. The words Balancing Act...LIFE...well, well, well... WATER (Don't) think tank appear next to these images. While creating the collage I was thinking: "I need to meditate more to balance a lot of left-brain work I've been doing". (I am a long-time meditater.) I thought the meditating woman meant I'd be doing more sitting meditation. 

Unbeknownst to me at the time, 

the answer to "meditate more" was in the floating figure. I was already using a physical therapy current pool at my local gym on a regular basis, so the woman in the pool illustrated a conscious choice to continue pool exercise. What I didn't realize was that my exercise in the pool (which I have all to myself) has become some of the best meditation I can remember. After I've done my exercise routine for physical strengthening and flexibility, I allow my body to move in any way it wishes. Through this spontaneous dance in warm water, I often enter a trance state of "no thought" which has become a wonderful form of meditation for me.   

Another surprising outcome grew from the image of a young woman sitting on suitcase.

She spoke to me about a need for more recreational travel in my life. I wasn't sure where I'd be going, but I did notice that her luggage consisted of old vintage style suitcases like the ones we had when I was a kid. Not the canvas bags on wheels I travel with now on planes. 

It crossed my mind that this woman might be waiting for a train. Lo and behold! In the summer I found myself on a train from the central coast to visit friends in San Francisco! My first train ride in many years. Although the upper left portion of the 4 collages was dedicated to Vacation Travel that I had already planned (Cabo San Lucas in December) with pictures of pools and tropical lushness, the summer train trip was unexpected and quite a surprise.

These serendipitous happenings show how we get previews of coming attractions by following our hearts and intuition. 

2014. It was a very good year, indeed. As this photo of a theater marquis announces in a photo on my studio wall: You are the writer, director and producer of your dreams. 

Looking forward to Visioning® 2015 and watching it unfold. 

Join me in creating your 2015 at my upcoming workshop: Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your DreamsSunday, January 25, 10 AM - 5 PM at Ruby Dragon in Morro Bay, CA. To register, call (805) 772-1100 or email rubydragonrocks@aol.com

On Sunday February 1, 11 AM - 6 PM,  I will be conducting a workshop in Southern CaliforniaAwakening Your Intuition: BodyMind Healing and LIving from Higher GuidanceKindred Spirit, Claremont, CA  To register call (909) 626-2434

Visioning(R) Without the Vision Board

I am happy to announce that Visioning(R) works even without the physical Vision board.

This past weekend I drove to a family gathering that normally takes 4.5 hours. 6 hours into the drive and still miles away, I was reaping the benefits of my brief Visioning(R) preparation. Due to the busy holiday events, I hadn't taken the time to sit down and physically create a Vision board. However I achieved a good result with several mini-journaling sessions throughout the week.

During these writing periods I wrote about how busy I was, my concern that I wasn't certain if I was going to be staying in a hotel or at my family's house, and if we were exchanging gifts. Thrown into the mix was that my Mom was still staying in a hospital after-care center. It was not certain if she was going to be celebrating at home or not.

Because of my journaling, I was able to release my concerns onto the page. This is an important step and they key word is releasing. Once I expressed my fears, I didn't focus on them again.(I thought about them, but I didn't focus on them.)  Instead I focused on enjoyment by stating my intention.

"Well, time to go to work. I want to wear a cute outfit."

"Well, I can't do anything about that, but I can listen to music."

 With practice, I was able to keep my fears at bay. When I got caught in traffic instead of seething, I found 5 new radio stations, enjoyed bopping to the beat and noshed on snacks.

By focusing on how I wanted to feel throughout the week and on my drive, the ghosts of the stressed-out-holiday past stayed in the past.

"In the material world we are bound by things like gravity, time and space. And it is into this finite cup called "physical reality that we must pour the limitless ocean that is the creative spirit. How can we pour the infinite into the finite? By making one little decision at a time, putting one foot in front of the other. One leads to another and another Before you know it, you've woven a tapestry of preferences and choices....This may sound tedious and restrictive, all these decisions and choices, but it is at the heart of the creative process. Nothing gets into the material world unless we can say yes to this and no to that. Decisions, decisions, decisions." Lucia Capacchione, page 85. Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams.

Say YES to Lucia's Visioning(R) workshop January 25, at the Ruby Dragon in Morro Bay.

Finally, here is a great article that can help you focus on your inner peace. 

Soulful Living: The Essence of Peace

 Dorothy Segovia is a writer/blogger and graduate of Lucia's Visioning and Creative Journal Expressive Arts training. Visit her at www.writeinside.com.

Visioning Self-Appreciation

It's the day after Thanksgiving. Last night I spent time with my ranch family. While I no longer live at the ranch the most important part of that experience remains. I am now part of a family that includes Grace and her sons Brian and Scott. Because Scott showed up with 3 friends, my friend circle just got larger.

The thing I appreciate about letting go is that it opens the way to new experiences. I've spent the past few years playing with letting go and know it is safe. That doesn't mean it isn't hard, or that it doesn't take time or care, but it does mean that it is safe to proceed without ________.

This holiday, I'm appreciating that I have let go of my 2nd job at the ranch, automatic Mommy-izing in the face of authority, an Inner Critic who runs amok, and most recently, my denial of perfectionism. 

Perfectionism? Who knew?

It is easy to get caught up in the holiday rush and focus on what we do not have: time and other resources being at the top of the list. In fact, I  have often found myself making a vision board in a desperate attempt to have, have, have. But the more I focus on what I don't have, the more I don't have it. This can only lead to frustration and hopelessness.

I have written many blog posts describing why Visioning(R) works. But the only point that I need remember is that Visioning(R) is FUN!!! Collage-making shifts the focus from the mind to the heart. Who hasn't talked a child into cleaning their room or eating their veggies by making it a game? 

This season, I appreciate my willingness to let go. The things that I have let go of are markers of how far I have come. They brought me to a great new home in Paso Robles and this lovely week-long pet sit in my old stomping grounds. Hey, I've let go of my fear of giant guinea pigs!




What are you appreciating about yourself this season???


Lucia Capacchione knows how to throw-down a super-fun workshop experience. Give yourself the gift of you by showing up at her latest event: 

Visioning®: The new year with Lucia Capacchione

Sun. Jan 25, 10 AM - 5 PM. $100 (materials included)

Ruby Dragon, 875 Main St.,Morro Bay, CA 93442

Advance registration required. To register: (805) 772-1100

CEUs are available for therapists, mental health professionals, etc. 

Contact Lucia directly about CEUs and additonal cost for 6 hour credits.

Reach her at: cjea@charter.net

or by purchasing Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams.

Dorothy Segovia is a certified Vision Coach who loves blogging and writing and writing and blogging. Read MORE  about it by visiting her groovy website.

Surrender, Visionaries!

"Surrender, Dorothy!"

Being named Dorothy, I've heard that phrase so much that I actually say it to myself. But I don't mean the white flag type of surrender. That type means in spite of our best efforts, an obstacle is still blocking our path to the good life. I mean the spiritual kind. The giving-myself-over- to-a-Creative-Source kind. 

The Visioning(R) process has several elements of surrender. If you created your Vision board using the Steps outlined in Visioning:Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams, you surrendered your will to the power of your Creative Self while setting your intention, selecting the images, and again while sorting. In fact, the collage wasn't complete until you surrendered to the idea of the Inner Critic, and then let that voice have it's say.

Surrendering to your vision works the same way, except the obstacle is generally a belief system. That is, in order to live the "you" in your vision board, you have to let the old "you" fall away. Think of how leaves fall. They quietly lose their brilliance, then gently drop. Perhaps the tree is simply letting go.

Letting go comes in every style

to suit your present desire.

Here's how it works.

I didn't discover my new vision of being "a monetarily successful author," until I was settled into my new place last month. Week one had me picking up steam launching into the 1st draft of my new book. At the start of week two the landlord told me that renting her studio was not going to work after all. Did I mention that the working title of my new book is My Landlord, My Self?

Gratefully, I chose not to panic. One day for shock, one day for sad, one day to enlist a friend to tell my other friends what happened and the rest of the time to work, pack and hang out on Craigslist.

At this posting I have chosen to complete only two applications: the first is for a house-share in a fun, wine-tasting town and the other, a tiny, one-bedroom house in a rural area. Yesterday I rented a storage unit. 

My mind thinks it knows what is happening so it's racing around planning scenarios.

 My mind wants this whole thing to be over with, my stuff unpacked and me back at my writing desk.

Happily, I am not following my mind. I'm following my heart; so I have no idea where I'll live, but I do know it's time to relax and enjoy myself over the next couple of days. 

As manifesting Americans, we are taught that we are masters of our fate. But as we grow into true Visionaries, we discover that we aren't even masters of our own vision boards. That is our heart's role. 

Surrendering, letting go, allowing. What is your heart asking you to let go of today?

Learn about how Visioning Starts with the Heart on Lucia's website. After you read all about it, check out the 10 Steps of Visioning, buy the book or locate a Visioning(R) Coach in your area.

Blogger Dorothy Segovia is a certified Visioning(R) Coach and author of My Body, My Car: How to Coach Yourself Through Life's little Accidents. Click here to visit her website. 

 

The Business of Visioning(R)

Lately I have felt as if I am living the manifestation of one of my past collage images. The image depicts an empty room with an expansive wood floor, a fireplace and a bank of windows. It wasn't until I set my new handwoven orange basket on the fireplace that I remembered the image. So I reviewed my collages until I found it. Turns out the orange color was in the overall warm tones of the picture. (Top image in collage below)

Vision Board 2004/2005

I know as a writer it is important to review the daily journaling I've done over the past few months. Doing so helps me know what is important to my life right now. It helps me decide if I want to continue in a particular direction or not. It tells me if there was a resolution to a problem, or if  I need to take an action step.

Reviewing my collages was an emotional journey through my Visioning(R) life. When I found the image I was looking for, it initially made me sad. I still had images of an office worker receiving recognition from her colleagues, yet that hasn't manifested in my own working life. This led to a review of inner child work 101:

Have I been giving myself the recognition I crave or am I still seeking approval from others?

On the other hand, reading the heading of my business card on that same collage made me smile. The business card phrase "move right through life's little obstacles" was the idea for the title of my book: My Body, My Car: How to Coach Your Self Through Life's little Accidents.

Here is what Lucia has to say about the business of Visioning(R).

We can talk about the magnetic power of one's heart's desire, about the nonlinear nature of the pathways of the heart, yet we must be prepared to use the left-brain process of putting one foot in front of the other. There's a place for the slow, decidedly un-magical side of life: filling out forms, scheduling the calendar, and keeping track of things in a personal day planner or computer database. If you can't handle the mundane, the chances of your dealing with the magic of creativity are going to be pretty slim. You may get your dream, but if you aren't grounded in the procedural part of things, you may not have a vessel to contain it. Before the master musician can surrender and let the creative self play its divine music through her, she has studied and practiced for years and years.

 -- Lucia Capacchione, page 152, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams.

Prior to becoming a certified Creative Journal Expressive Arts facilitator, I was a highly creative person, but I was a kite without a string. After graduating in 2004, I began my new  relationship with accounting. Step 1 before step 2. Don't analyze the process, trust the process.
Yes, the nine-to-five sometimes makes me crazy , but I am able to finance my creative projects.

So, if you find yourself stuck at the manifestation waiting station, maybe it's time to shake up your future dreams by visiting your Visioning(R) past.

Awaken Your Intuition using Structural Constellations at Lucia's next workshop, October 11, Morro Bay, Ca. 

Dorothy Segovia is a writer, certified Visioning(R) coach and author.  Her website is www.writeinside.com. 

Windows on the Future: Samantha's Visioning® Story

I Love to Vision!

I made my first Visioning® Board at an all-day workshop with Lucia in Cambria, California about 8 years ago. Wow, my life has changed so much since then. It's so beautiful, the process of creating your life with intention, love and art. My life has truly been a series of miraculously aligned events, opportunities, mentors, and friends. I know its from honoring my desires and boldly asking for what I truly want.

The tools I have learned from Lucia I share with my own clients now in my Spiritual Health Coaching work. From non-dominant hand journaling to cutting out the things you love and creating artistic visual aids to keep us connected to our goals.

These photos are of my latest board. I call it a Vision Window.

Its quite large, from a huge cardboard box that ended up in an arch. I love it so much. It lives in my bedroom where I can see it from the bed everyday.
I talk to it, do yoga with it and look at it with love and gratitude.

Thanks, Lucia!
Samantha Huston

*my blogs:
http://www.quantumbiofeedbackstories.blogspot.com/
http://sharethegozo.blogspot.com/

Thank you, Samantha. It's been a joy to watch you over the years as you created the life and career of your dreams.

Visioning@ Your Bucket List

Re-Creating Yourself Later in Life

Beverly Staley is a therapist and graduate of the Creative Journal Expressive Arts Training Program in which we certify professionals to teach and counsel using my methods, including Visioning®. Here is a report from Beverly about a recent Visioning® workshop she conducted for life planning. Beverly writes:

"I did a small Visioning workshop with five of my networking group, two of whom were high achieving, very accomplished men in their fifties. They had very different reasons for attending the workshop.

One man had just been laid off from a very lucrative position. His collage showed the path he had been on (very small area of the collage) and a potential path for him. With the inner critic journaling he realized how much fear he had because his critic kept telling him he was too old (53) to do these things. But, in the sharing afterwards, he got support from three of us who spoke about how we started careers in our 50’s. The sharing turned out to be very helpful to him.

The second man continues to be extremely successful and told me he wanted his focus phrase to be ‘my bucket list.’ I loved that idea and so in the sharing he talked about how he had lived and taught all over the world, Africa, Europe, South America, etc. and now wanted to return to some of his favorite places and take his wife of 20-some years. I could tell he was excited to share his collage with her (he already knows that she is very interested in traveling to some of these places).

Something else that came out of sharing that was surprising was an elegant woman in her 60’s with a vision of working with gang members. When asked about that by one of the participants, she said she was a former gang member and wanted to get across the message that they could be like her. We were all very surprised.

For this little group, a lot came out in the sharing which is always my favorite part."

Beverly Staley, M.F.T., C.J.E.A. (California)
bevstaley@cox.net

For more about Creative Journal Expressive Arts certification go to my website: www.luciac.com