The Holiness of Home

Join me for the only Day Retreat I'll be leading this Fall .... 

 and read on about how to create sanctuary in your home!

Saturday, November 13

The Holiness of Home: A Day Retreat for Women

As women’s roles and lives continue to expand outside of the home, we may lose touch with the sacredness of everyday life there. “Home” may feel burdensome or boring. Yet, the Sacred is alive and well in the mundane, even in the simplest of tasks—like housekeeping. Join us for a restorative “day away” to explore what “home” means to you. Together, we’ll cultivate new ways of seeing, as well as practices for connecting with the Holy in the ordinary, all within the four walls of home.

Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Cost: $45. Lunch provided.

Registration: Call Dominican Center, Grand Rapids, MI (616) 454-1241; or online at www.DominicanCenter.com

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Creating Sanctuary

The intention to create sanctuary is a powerful act. To know after a busy day filled with business and personal chores, errands with children, or appointments, we can come home to a soothing environment of our own creation is nothing short of wonderful. We all have the power of choice and the freedom to determine the timbre of our surroundings. Whatever our personal situation might be, it is up to us to become aware of what soothes our jangled nerves, then incorporate more of that into our surroundings--to create a physical Pocket of Peace within our homes.

Take a moment to think about what soothes your psyche and nourishes your spirit.

Imagine that your home is an oasis, a warm, welcoming refuge. What colors greet your eyes? What do you smell? What is the noise level and what sounds are present? What objects are on tables, what pictures on the walls?

Notice how you feel as you stand in this sacred space.

Once visualized, you can now proceed to create it.

An Oasis for the Senses

Designate a space in your home to be your personal sanctuary. This can be a bedroom, den, spare room, or screened in porch--any place you can carve out a Pocket of Peace. If space is limited, designate a corner, desktop, or nightstand as sacred space.

Begin by eliminating clutter and removing items with negative associations. Object by object, place into your space only the things that bring you a sense of pleasure, of peace, of true happiness.

Joseph Campbell once said,

“You must have a room or a certain hour of the day or so where you do not know 

what was in the morning paper ... a place where you can simply experience 

and bring forth what you are, 

and what you might be.” 

When you are in need of remembering who you are—a woman of clarity and calm—spend time in or near your personal sanctuary. Light a scented candle, arrange fresh flowers in a vase, play soothing music. Take a moment to still your racing thoughts, to breathe again.

Once settled, say to yourself:

“Sitting here in my sacred space, I surrender to feelings of well-being.

I breathe in beauty and breathe out peace.”

Give yourself the gift of sanctuary. Allow yourself to be at peace with yourself, at peace in your world in a sacred space of your own creation.

©2009 Janice Lynne Lundy 

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Buddha Chick™, my new 10-week online course to get calm, clear, and wise is officially launched. We have a full house and are journeying deeper into inner peace every day. This session runs through Dec. 5.


Read more about the course here.

And if you are interested in receiving updates on the next session to begin in early 2011, please contact me. The Course is limited to 50 Chicks and I suspect that it will fill up and close early.

Here's a current comment from one class participant, after only a few weeks! Read more at the new BuddhaChickCourse.blogspot.com site.

"As I let go of the gripping and holding on tightly to old habits and patterns, I'm beginning to feel the calm. The peace and ease I am recognizing as my life. Wow! I feel so invigorated!! My heart is smiling tonight!" 

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FYI, I've just sent out the November edition of my "Awake is Good" Newsletter. 

I've made the switch from a quarterly newsletter to a monthly one, each with a special theme, resources, inspirational articles, AND a guided meditation, recorded especially for YOU!

November's newsletter is all about Letting Go.

If you haven't received a copy, or you would like to be added to my mailing list to receive one, click here. I'll send it to you shortly!

And don't forget, when you subscribe I'll send you my 90-page free e-book, The Awakened Woman's Guide to Life.

Thanks for being with me on this beautiful journey 

to embodying our truest selves!

Blessings,

Jan Lundy

Metta Retreat Opportunity

Join me in a celebration of Loving-kindness and 
Autumn Joy!

October 22-24

"A Metta (Loving-kindness) Weekend Retreat"

7:00 p.m. Friday thru Noon on Sunday
Dominican Center, Grand Rapids, MI
Overnight accommodations and all meals provided.


"METTA" is the Pali term for "unconditional friendliness" or loving-kindness, and is a form of blessing/meditation practice. It is sourced in Buddhism, yet versions of it are found in many spiritual traditions, including Judaism and Celtic Christianity. It is an interspiritual practice that supports all theologies.

A “sitting” meditation/prayer form, Metta takes us through six levels of blessing: one's self, benefactors, loved ones, neutral others, difficult others, and, ultimately, all beings on Earth. It opens our hearts to our selves and others in profound ways; healing wounds, inviting joy, creating loving regard and compassion for all beings.

Retreat format: Presentations on each of the six levels of blessing, followed by short practice periods of sitting meditation. A mostly silent retreat, with a unique blend of solitude and community. Participants are encouraged to bring a cushion for sitting sessions. (Chairs will be provided for those who need them.)

Cost: $195.00. Saturday meals and Sunday, breakfast included. Private room, private bath, dormitory-style showers.

Facilitators: Jan Lundy will lead the weekend. She has been a “student” of Metta for many years under the supervision of Sylvia Boorstein. Optional gentle yoga session on Saturday provided by Susan Duesbery.

Meals and Accommodations: At beautiful Dominican Center in Grand Rapids, MI.
Chapel, meditation room, walking trails, garden, bookstore and more.
Holistic healing modalities available upon request for an additional fee.

Please specify any dietary needs. Dinner on Friday is on your own.

Registration: Call Dominican Center: (616) 454-1241 or online at www.dominicancenter.com.

A Welcome Packet will be sent one week before the retreat.


Airports: Grand Rapids (20 min.), Lansing, (60 min.), Muskegon (40 min.)

I look forward sitting in Presence with you, as well as cultivating loving presence for others.

Blessings of metta to you!

Jan

~~~~~

Buddha Chick™, my new 10-week online course to get calm, clear, and wise is officially launched. We have a full house and are journeying deeper into inner peace every day. This session runs through Dec. 5.

Read more about the course here.

And if you are interested in receiving updates on the next session, please contact me.

Here are some current comments from class participants, even only after 1 week!

"I find that I am more at peace at work. I stay calm in my hectic world and I was told today that I am very calming to sit next to. That made me feel good about me, which is really rare."

"As I let go of the gripping and holding on tightly to old habits and patterns, I'm beginning to feel the calm. The peace and ease I am recognizing as my life. Wow! I feel so invigorated!! My heart is smiling tonight!"

"I am more confident than ever, that you, Jan, and "your," "our," Buddha Chick™ course will guide me to "my truest self."

"I just wanted to say that I sincerely appreciate that you are offering this course, and at this price. I was so relieved when you announced how much it cost, because I didn't think I'd be able to afford it, with all that you were offering. It is such an amazing opportunity, and it came at just the right time for me."

Buddha Chick™ ~ Registration is Open!

Drum-roll please!

It's the announcement we've been waiting for:

The official launch of Buddha Chick™, the online course, and all its juicy details, including price and how to sign up.

Many people believe that we are in the midst of the greatest spiritual awakening of all times. I’d like to believe that Buddha Chick™ and you and I are part of this grand awakening.

Every single one of is a “Buddha Chick™” ~ an interspiritual gal with a calm demeanor and a smile in her heart, able to navigate the challenges of life with grace and ease.  

I am a Buddha chick and you are too! We just don't believe it, nor have we been shown how to live this way.  

Will you let me show you how to embrace her, to live as her? To let go of fear, worry, and anxiety—once and for all!—and sail through life with greater ease? To greet life, no matter how it shows up, with a relaxed body, clear open mind, and a warm, loving heart?

And with joy! Let’s not forget about greeting life with joy.

And fun. Chicks do want to have fun! Spiritual growth does not have to be gut-wrenching.

It's time. Time for all of us to wake up, to live as our coolest, calmest, clearest, wisest selves. Are you ready?

Join me September 27 – December 5 for a unique opportunity to be the Chick you were born to be. Transform your thoughts, emotions, and make new life choices that will take you from stressed to serene!

And contribute to global awakening. Your choice to live as your Chickiest Self will allow others to do the same. Heart to heart we grow, heal, change the world ...

But hold the phone! Before you read the sweet details and how to sign-up, let me address a few questions that have come up about Buddha Chick™.

1. Is Buddha Chick™ or this course Buddhist?

It’s not. She’s not. Buddha Chick™ is any woman who desires to live as her essence (true nature), which is peace, love, confidence, courage, generosity and more. She is an interspiritual Chick who is open to the teachings of the world’s wisdom traditions. It's true that many of the perspectives and practices I share in the course are sourced in Eastern thought, for they are the ones that have transformed my life and brought me the greatest peace. I’m eager to share them with you!

2. What “work” is required in this course?

This is the "work of self," meaning, you are willing to take an open, honest look at how you currently operate in the world and you have a desire to change that. The one and only Buddha Chick™ rule is to be transparent. Ok, there are two rules. The other is to be kind to yourself. Really kind!

This work is also about “letting go”; shedding what you have been taught about how to react to life. It is about remembering your true nature and living from that divine place. I beg you to stop searching, stop looking outside of yourself for “the answers,” and drop down inside your Buddha Chick™ self. Everything you need to know
about how to live with ease and joy is there.

3. How is this course different from other online courses?

It is radically different because it is mentoring based. I will be your personal mentor all the way through the course. This is done in three ways: private e-mail contact, participation in our "Dharma Sisters" community, and through live tele-conferences.

In many online courses, the facilitator is not really present in the “forums,” or they stop in once a week to answer pre-selected questions. Or you may be told that you can send your questions to the facilitator, but it is not guaranteed they will be answered, or your question is answered by an assistant. Or you have to pay extra for personal “coaching.”

Not with Buddha Chick™! All the mentoring you will receive is included in the price of the course. “I’ve got your back,” as the saying goes. I am here, really here for you, for a full 10 weeks of transformation. (Read testimonials by those I’ve previously mentored here.)

I hope this addresses any of your concerns. Now on to the deliciousness. Another drum-roll please!

What you’ll get in the Buddha Chick™course:

• 10 written Lessons, one each Monday. 

Each Lesson will include exciting new content with a dual focus: how to create a new peace-filled mindset and the practical applications (exercises) for doing so. The Lessons will be sent to you via RSS Feed (e-mail) and also posted on our private Buddha Chick™ website.

Course Content includes how to:

-Create your personal foundation of unshakable peace
-Be mindful, the Buddha Chick™ way
-Work with difficult mind states
-Cultivate radical tenderness for yourself
-Meditate, even when you say you can’t
-Trust your body’s wisdom
-Tame wild emotions and quiet the ego
-Say goodbye to fear and anxiety
-Re-frame difficult people and circumstances
-Purify your heart through loving-kindness practice
-Grow a heart of compassion
-Live with equanimity (the ability to hold everything)
-Ride waves of joy ~ daily!
-Leave a trail of peace wherever you go

Each Lesson will also contain:

~ A “Peaceful Pause”: a practice for soothing the body, stilling the mind, or opening the heart

~ “Homework”—reflection/journaling questions. (You are invited to share your noticings in our sacred “Dharma Sisters” circle.)

~ An audio message to jump-start your week with inspiration and calm, including a Guided Meditation.

~ A Buddha Chick™ Affirmation Card, a printable reminder card featuring our Chick (designed by artist Mari Gayatri Stein) delivering a transformational truth or mantra. By the end of the course, you will have a complete deck of cards. How cool is that?!

• Private Mentoring

~ 5 personal mentoring sessions via e-mail, timed to your convenience and need, spaced throughout the course. This is the feature of Buddha Chick™ that will truly help bring about the changes you desire!

~ As I said earlier, you and I will interact personally in our private community and in tele-classes. You can ask questions and get answers.

~ Additional personal mentoring via phone, can be arranged, and at a special members' rate (45 minutes for $35).

• “Dharma Sisters” Sacred Circle

I am very excited about this. Our own community! This is our member only blog/forum where we will gather daily to share our learnings, support and interact with one another. Woo-hoo!

• Tele-Classes

~ 4 interactive, “live” tele-classes where we’ll discuss the Lessons. You can ask questions and get additional support. These will be held at varying times to ensure that our Dharma Sisters from different time zones around the world can have a “live” experience.

~ 5 podcasts with our Buddha Chick™ guest mentors: Daphne Rose Kingma (6 time guest on Oprah!), Sue Patton Thoele, Carolyn Hobbs, Mari Gayatri Stein, and Diana Lang. These are some of the coolest, wisest, women on the planet and we are so lucky to have them with us! Each will present on her area of expertise. (Read more about them here.)

• Free Book

You will be asked to read the opening chapters of a book I co-authored with my husband, Brad Lundy, Perfect Love. I will send this to you in PDF form via e-mail upon Registration. This will give you a running start toward developing an enlightened relationship with your ego.

• Upon “Graduation”…

You will receive a classy Buddha Chick T-shirt to go with your new lease on life. Yeah!

And “Dharma Sisters,” our online blog/forum, will remain open after the completion of the course. The supportive connections we have made can continue!




Now, If I had one of those long, brass horns that announced the arrival of something fabulous, I would be sounding it.

Da Da Da DA!!!

Course Fee and Payment Options

 Option 1 – Payment in Full – $265

 Option 2 – Installment Plan – $280, with 4 easy payments of $70 (4 x $70 = $280)

Option 3 – "Dharma Sisters" Plan – $250.
Register with a friend and pay only $250 per person. This is a great way to journey deeper with a close friend. It will also help build our community of Sisters!

Early Bird Special:
Register between Thursday Sept. 9 and Saturday Sept. 11, EST (US), and receive 1 FREE 30-minute, private Buddha Chick™ phone mentoring session with me. (By appointment.)

Accepted Forms of Payment – MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express, and PayPal.

I told you the price would be amazing!

Ok, let's Register. 

Step 1. Send me an e-mail telling me you wish to register. Include the good e-mail address you wish to have your Lessons sent to.

Click here to send.   (jan at awakened living dot com)

Please be sure to change your e-mail/spam settings to accept my e-mails.

Step 2. Choose the Payment Option that's right for you.

Option 1 – Payment in Full – $265
Be sure to include an e-mail address at PayPal checkout to receive a paid receipt.

Option 2 – Installment Plan – $280, with 4 easy payments of $70 (4 x $70 = $280) 
First payment will be made upon registration, then again on October 1, November 1, and December 1 using our secure payment system through PayPal.
Click here to set up your Installment Plan. 



Option 3 – "Dharma Sisters" Plan – $250
Register with a friend and pay only $250 per person!
To use this Plan you will have to e-mail me for instructions. 
Each Sister will need to e-mail me separately, including the name of her Sister to initiate the Plan.
E-mail me now to set up your Dharma Sister Plan. 


If you have any trouble registering, please call (231) 218-1996 from 9:00 am - 9:00 pm EST (US), 7 days a week. 


Refund Policy – Cancel at any time and receive a full refund of your remaining (pre-paid) sessions. If you do need to cancel, you can keep all of the course materials you've received so far.

I really look forward to seeing you in class soon. 

What Chickie fun we will have!

Love and blessings,

Jan

Heart to Heart Press

Buddha Chick™ ~ Update!

Today I am happy to announce the names of the 5 women who will be special guests in the upcoming Buddha Chick™10 week course.

If you missed the announcement for the course which begins September 27 and goes through Dec. 5, click here to read all about it. 

Each one has a very special message for us about living as our most calm, clear, and wise self. Each will have her own podcast during the course. Drum-roll please!


Daphne Rose Kingma ...
is an undisputed expert on matters of the heart. She is the author of 12 books related to love and relationships, including: The Future of Love: The Power of Soul in Intimate Relationships; Finding True Love; and the classic on the  journey of ending a relationship, Coming Apart. Her newest book is The 10 Things to Do When Your Life Falls Apart: An Emotional and Spiritual Handbook. Daphne has been a six-time guest on "Oprah." She lives in Santa Barbara, CA.

Her topic? What to do when your life falls apart, including the importance of paying attention ("Listen up!"), the use of spiritual practices, having a relationship with beauty, living simply, and gratitude.

Sue Patton Thoele ...

is a psychotherapist and the author of 12 books, including The Courage to Be Yourself, The Woman’s Book of Soul. Her newest books are The Mindful Woman: Gentle Practices for Restoring Calm, Finding Balance and Opening Your Heart and Excellent as You Are. Sue's motto and life work is based on the principle: "Live gently with yourself and others." She lives in Colorado. With her trademark humor, Sue has already nicknamed herself our Buddha Chick™ Crone. I love it!

Her topic? Living mindfully, with humor, when you are prone to overcommitment, obsessive worrying, resentment, or trying to solve the woes of the world.

Caroline Hobbs ...

has taught thousands of people to say "yes!" to life as it is, using the same three-step process she brings in Joy No Matter What, her first book. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist. She has taught at Naropa and Spirit Rock. She is also a Body-Centered Therapist; Psycho-Spiritual Therapist; Meditation Student for 30 years. She lives in Durango, CO.

Her topic? 
Working with strong emotions—including loneliness, grief, anger, fear, depression or shame—through her trademark three-step process—to access more joy.

Mari Gayatri Stein ...

is a meditation and yoga teacher, author, and whimsical artist whose work has delighted tens of thousands of readers in The Buddha Smiles and Unleashing Your Inner Dog: Your Best Friend's Guide to Life. She is the illustrator of Buddy's Candle by Bernie Siegel, MD. Her words and drawings give us permission to be happy without conditions or judgment. They help us to be present, and take joy in the real world—here and now. She lives in Oregon. Mari is the official artist for Buddha Chick™.


Her Topic? Living with spaciousness and equanimity. Welcoming everything. Working with pain. Opening the heart.

Diana Lang ...
Diana Lang is a spiritual teacher and counselor who has been teaching meditation and yoga since 1980 and conducts seminars in the United States and internationally on meditation, body awareness, stress reduction, and relationship development. She is the author of Opening to Meditation: A Gentle Guided Approach. She lives in Los Angeles, CA. 

Her topic? 
Living with "One Heart," living our love in the world. 

Isn't this an amazing line up of the chickiest, wisest women ever?

Stay tuned to this site and your e-mail (if you are a member of my preferred mailing list) for the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT, Thursday, Sept. 9:

Another drum-roll please! 

The price and registration dates for Buddha Chick™.

I think you are going to be very happy!

Buddha Chick™ ~ The Online Course is Here!

 

Buddha Chick™

Calm, Clear and Wise ~ No Matter What!

Dear Friends, 

It feels as if I have been waiting my entire life for this moment ...

... for the announcement and launch of my online class, "Buddha Chick™."

I have been listening to you, especially those of you from different parts of the globe, asking about when I would offer programs online for everyone to participate in. That time has finally come. Oh, happy day!

Buddha Chick™ feels like the culmination of my life's work. It is a reflection of every woman's journey into inner calm, clarity, and wisdom, and I am so pleased to share it with you here.

For now, as I prepare the "official Buddha Chick™ site," getting it ready as our virtual classroom, I want to offer you just a brief overview of what this program is all about, its basic features, and how it will transform your life. It has transformed mine!

You see, for most of my adult life I admit

I have not been calm, clear, and wise. 

I have been stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious ...

 ... at the mercy of an overly busy mind, regularly side-swiped by wild emotions. Drama!

I am a woman who thinks and feels alot, and this, over time, has affected my health and well-being, my relationships, and my creativity. Talk about toxic! 

Does this sound familiar? I bet you've experienced this too.

Today, thankfully, I am a different woman. Most of the time I truly am physically calm, mentally clear, and able to tap into my inner wisdom, all the while living with a wide open heart. 

Sure, sometimes I fall down when life gets bumpy. I skin my knees a bit, but now, with all I've learned, and all that I have put into practice after twenty years of spiritual journeying, I don't stay down as long, or get quite so beat up. I surf instead of sink and life is easier, more enjoyable.

I've nicknamed this woman who lives within me, "Buddha Chick™"~ an interspiritual gal with a calm demeanor and a smile in her heart, able to navigate the challenges of life with grace and ease. 

And Buddha Chick™ lives inside of you too. She's just waiting to emerge and I know you know this or you wouldn't be visiting my website or reading these words. And I'm pretty sure you want to meet her, live as her, and spread her joy out into the world. Yes?

So here's the plan. If you are ready—really ready—to live with serenity, joy, and openheartedness as your most Chickie self, then this course is for you.

Though I need to tell you from the get-go, 

that this online course is very different. 

How? 

Because, as Sandra Bullock's character in the film, "The Blind Side," said, "I've got your back," and I do. I am going to personally mentor you through this process. I will be there for you, lending a hand when times get tough, or when you slide into the muck of life and get swallowed up again, forgetting what you know, losing your peace. So, besides

~10 weeks of life-changing lessons with practical exercises

~4 live tele-conferences

~weekly audio messages with guided meditations

~podcasts with 5 of the most notable, enlightened Chicks you need to know

~a lovingly supportive international community of Chicks (member's only blog)

you and I will have private e-mail correspondence throughout the course. 

Why personal mentoring?

Because this is what I do best and what I love to do the most: to walk side by side with women as they get to where their soul wants to take them. 

  

AND because no one should do this journey alone. I didn't. I had wonderful women mentors to guide me all along the way. Thank goodness!

And also because embodying our Buddha Chick™ self is not always a walk in the park, no m'am. It can be hard work—yes, it can be fun, exhilarating even—but challenging, too.

Becoming a Buddha Chick™ is pretty serious stuff and we will work hard—together!

We will also have plenty of fun. (I have some wonderful surprises planned, gifts too. Gifts are good!)

But I must say this: 

I am looking for eager women who are ready, willing, and able to work this course. I'm just being honest here ...

(So if you are not ready, that's fine. Soul growth is all about timing and readiness, and if it's not your time, no worries. You know that I love and bless you, no matter what.)

Buddha Chick™ is a mindset ... a practice ... a lifestyle. 

Buddha Chick™ is who we really are. 

Do you think you might be ready to fully experience her? 

 

Ready to be calm, clear, and wise ~ once and for all?

I hope so!

"Buddha Chick™," the course will begin Monday, Sept. 27 and run through Sunday, December 4 (10 weeks).

Price?  

I'll announce this within one week. I guarantee it will be an exceptional value considering all that you will receive: practice sessions, tools, and personal mentoring, to name a few. There will also be an "Early Chick" enrollment price special.

So save the dates. Save your money. (Stay away from TJMaxx and HSN for a couple of weeks!) And stay tuned!

Next week I will also release the Course Outline/Lessons and announce our special guests.

Thank you ahead of time for sharing this journey with me. I can hardly wait for us to begin!

With love and blessings,

Jan

(If you are not currently on my mailing list and want to be notified about all Buddha Chick™ developments click here.  I will keep you posted via e-mail. And I do not share your information with anyone.) 

Buddha Chick™ logo created by Mari Gayatri Stein