How To Explore the Sacred Language of the Universe

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Julie Tallard Johnson

How Blue Bear Held On: An Adapted Myth Borrowed from Various Indigenous Creation Stories When the world was born, it began to fly out into space due to the whirling winds. There wasn’t anything to hold it in place. To prevent the Earth from whirling out of control, the Creator put a Sacred Bear in each direction to help hold it in place. The whirling wind continued, but the Earth stayed put, kept its seat, so to speak, while the Bear in each direction held on to it. And this was good. In the North, the Creator placed the Great … Continue reading →

The Survival of Art and The Tailor from Aleppo by guest blogger Caroline Oldershaw

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Julie Tallard Johnson

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Despite the fact that a current candidate for President of the United States asked “what’s Aleppo?” when asked about his Middle East policies – I will assume that most of us know – if nothing else – that Syrian people are leaving their homeland to escape violence, destruction, privation, and death. According to the Migration Policy Centre, “an estimated 11 million Syrians have fled their homes since the outbreak of the civil war in March 2011. Now, in the sixth year of war, 13.5 million are in need of humanitarian assistance within the country. Among those escaping the conflict, the … Continue reading →

Living and Writing in the First Person: ASSUME This!

Posted on August 17, 2016 by Julie Tallard Johnson

“It is the nature of the mind to become addicted to certain ways of seeing things.” -Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Transforming Problems into Happiness When we write in the first person there are boundaries of what we can claim to know about the other people in our story. In fiction and nonfiction alike, the same boundaries apply. In first person we can’t assume what others are thinking, or their motives for their actions. At the same time, what we the writer or first person character assume about the others in our stories and scenes are critical to our message and the reader’s experience. … Continue reading →

Everything Is Waiting For You

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Julie Tallard Johnson

MY QUINTESSENTIAL LESSON FOR MY WRITING STUDENTS IS THIS: STAY IN THE CONVERSATION. FROM THIS ADAGE I OFFER ESSENTIAL WRITING PROMPTS AND EXPLORATIONS TO HELP WRITERS STAY IN THE CONVERSATION WITH THEIR SUBJECT AND THEME. Presently a subject I am writng about is spiritual teachers and the theme is around what makes a good teacher. I carried this question as I went on my morning walk. On several walks this summer I noticed how a Blue Bunting sat on the top branch of a dead tree. I recalled how a friend of mine mentioned how it seemed that birds liked to occupy dead trees. From here i got … Continue reading →

After The Final No

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Julie Tallard Johnson

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After the final no there comes a yes And on that yes the future world depends. – Wallace Stevens I led my first book, Hidden Victims Hidden Healers with this verse from Wallace Stevens. I chose it to remind myself, and the reader, that there is a yes there, somewhere. You know as well as me, life is full of various versions of “NO:” rejections, pit falls, mistakes, losses, disappointments, misses, and more rejections. With the above book it took three years to find a publisher and I could have wallpapered my … Continue reading →

Make Your Own Bible

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Julie Tallard Johnson

Writing, above all, is seeing clearly. Peter Mathiessen, Letters from the Wild Since the age of sixteen I have relied on spiritual journaling and the I Ching to navigate the ups and downs of my life. Spiritual journaling uses journaling and personal inquiry to investigate our life circumstances, deepen our spiritual practices, increase our awareness, and open up to our creativity. Self inquiry through journaling is a method used for thousands of years and is recommended as part of the treatment for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and self-abuse (cutting). Many remarkable books, such as A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, come from a journal. Journaling accesses the inner teacher … Continue reading →

Ask Yourself This

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Julie Tallard Johnson

Recently I was asked whether what I am writing in my novel is story relevant? Or, is it only writer relevant? At first, this question stopped me. Then I thought — right!, if what I write doesn’t move the story forward then it’s not truly relevant to the story. The subject may be important to me but not to the story and therefore not to the reader. Sometimes my writing gets into all sorts of topics that are not truly relavant to the story or theme of my piece. I find myself writing around the topic, creating more back story, or … Continue reading →

What To Write About

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Julie Tallard Johnson

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Later today my daughter and I head out to register her for college. So I want to get my weekly writer’s blog done and out to you before we go. But, what to write about? (Something we writers often ask ourselves as we stare at the empty page or screen). I just spent a week with 14 (most amazing) writers at Write-By-The-Lake. Should I write about that? Last night I met up with 8 writers from the Spring Green area as part of the Write Your Story Project. I could write about that. Or, how we live a storied life, about this month’s … Continue reading →

A Writer’s Feast

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Julie Tallard Johnson

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Dear Writers, Here’s my writerly menu. Join me for some great “meals” for the writer’s soul! Starting on Monday the 15th, I will be at the Write-By-The-Lake for a week. Attendees refer to this retreat as a “week at a writer’s spa.” My class is full but there’s still a chance to learn from some wonderful, fantastic instructors at this event including Kathy Steffen and Laurie Scheer. In June I begin my FREE series: Write Your Story Project. Come and attend three summer seminars on writing, held in the Spring Green area. The first one is Monday evening, June 22nd, from 6 till … Continue reading →

Better Late Than Never (Or Not?)

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Julie Tallard Johnson

For me living the active life gets down to conversation and community. I emphasize doing spiritual and creative work in circle, whenever possible. I hold all my classes in circles because we are all teachers, we all bring something unique and meaningful to the whole. As a leader, I learn too from those who show up and share their wisdom. Writing, relationships, and spiritual practice depend upon our showing up in an on-going conversation around our ideas, intentions and questions. One of my circles is “virtual.” We meet on-line for a virtual writing circle around 5 am to write together. Community is felt … Continue reading →