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WELCOME PAGE
for our 2023 DEEPENING WISDOM course!

A course for women who feel called …

To Stand Grounded, Compassionate, and Resilient as we
Embrace Our Transformation from Empire to Earth Community

You have joined Betsey and a group of kindred spirits for a course focused on developing the skills
needed to meet the challenges of this turbulent time, with grace and equanimity,
and to play our role in this tumultuous, yet transformational, process from Empire to Earth Community.

Course meeting dates:

Thursday, February 9 – May 18, 2023
Meets for 8 sessions: every other Thursday, 2:00-3:30pm ET

The dates are:

February 9: Session #1, Course Overview & Perspectives
February 23: Session #2, The Power of Words/Conscious Language
March 9: Session #3, Self-Care & the Wisdom of the Body
March 23: Session #4, Emotions, Feelings & Our Shadow
April 6: Session #5, Spirituality & Our Connection to ‘Big Spirit’
April 20: Session #6, Our Multiple Converging World Crises
May 4: Session #7, Building Community & Effective Communication
May 18: Session #8, Integration & Going Forward

 

  • Sessions are recorded and will be available 1-2 days after each session. See link below.
  • There was a free INTRO session on February 2.  If you missed it, you can watch the recording here.
  • Preparations for each session include readings and video materials pertaining to the topic of the session. They will be posted on this page the day after the previous session. See session dates below.

ZOOM link for all Course sessions:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82203624362?pwd=cGY3eXdyUG1mWHlPUE9JdTJuOGlqZz09

Meeting ID: 822 0362 4362
Passcode: 2181446218
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Passcode: 2181446218
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdVqhSWGY7

ALL RECORDINGS are posted here, 1-2 days after our live session.

 

PREPARATIONS FOR EACH SESSION:
See Resources in the menu bar for additional information.

February 9, Session #1: Overview, Perspectives, and Intentions

  • Bring a journal or pad of paper to each session.
  • Read the blog, What is the Next Story? by Charles Eisenstein, or listen to the audio version (14 min) embedded in the blog.
  • Read these two comments about the blog.

 

February 23, Session #2: The Power of Words & Conscious Language

  • Bring a journal or pad of paper to each session.  Choose 3 of these journal questions to write about, and bring to our next session.
  • Read the 1-page summary of The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz  (2 min read)
    • Journal Questions:
      • How could the 2nd agreement, Don’t Take Anything Personally, enhance your life?
      • What other agreement ‘speaks’ to you?
  • Read the Chinese Proverb, Maybe so, Maybe not, We’ll see.  (3 min read)
    • Journal Questions:
      • How much do you embody the wisdom of this Proverb?
      • How would it change your life if you lived this message more fully?
  • Watch the 17 minute video: Learn How To Control Your Mind by Dr. Joe Dispenza
    • Journal Questions:
      • What part of this message resonates the most with you?
      • How could you use the concepts in this video to enhance your life?
  • REGULAR PRACTICES:
    • Breathing for 5-10 minutes, as a preparation for meditation.
      • Inhale and exhale for 5-6 seconds each: light, slow, deep.  See Breathing Handout for more information.
    • Meditation/Mindfulness for 5-10 minutes or longer.
    • An ideal way to begin is to do the practices more days/week than you don’t do them.
    • And remember to practice self-compassion and patience! ♥

 

March 9, Session #3: Self-Care & The Wisdom of the Body

  • Write an INTENTION for the next two weeks.  It could be the intention you wrote in our last session if you want to stay with it, or a different behavior that would enhance your life.  Write it in your journal or on a piece of paper where you will see it regularly!  State your intention in the positive, what you are now doing differently.
  • Bring a journal or pad of paper to each session.  Choose 4 of the journal questions below to write about, and bring to our next session.
  • Observe the judgments, opinions, and assumptions your mind has … with great compassion and curiosity.  We’re all judgmental, and sometimes it’s a shock to notice how much we judge others and judge ourself!  Be kind to yourself, and certainly don’t judge yourself for having judgments!  Notice the judgments, opinions and assumptions that are used in the news and other media.
    • Journal Question:
      • Journal on your observations about judgments.
  • Read the Vagus Nerve 101 booklet (15 min read) by Dr. Eva Detko
    • Journal Question:
      • On page 11, “Some Strategies to Increase Vagal Tone”, Dr. Detko lists 18 activities to increase Vagal Tone. What ones do you currently practice?  How often?  What ones would you be willing to try for a couple weeks?
  • Watch the short video 3 Ways to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve and try out the practices.
  • Read the booklet, Addressing Emotional Challenges with Havening Techniques by Dr. Eva Detko (10 min read).
    •  Journal Questions:
      • After reading about Havening Techniques, what area of your life do you think it would benefit the most?
      • Note: I will teach the Affirmational Havening Technique in our next session, so no need to practice the other technique outlined in the booklet.
      • Here are the Affirmations for Havening Techniques that we will use in Session #3.
  • Watch one of the Havening Technique videos here, and do the short practice with the presenter.  There are several options on this page; I thought the 6 min video with Janie Whittemore was a good overview of the technique.
    • Journal Questions:
      • How did your body respond to this short practice?
  • Watch 5 Ways to Improve Your Breathing (11 min) with James Nestor and practice the techniques.
    • Journal Questions:
      • Were there any surprises here?  What is the characteristic of your breathing that you would most like to improve?
  • Watch Why 70% of people are BREATHING WRONG & How to FIX IT for Better Health with James Nestor.  Note: this is a long interview; watch the first 30 minutes, or more if you’re interested.
    • Journal Questions:
      • In what ways can you use the information in this video to enhance your health and life?
      • If you are a mouth breather at night, and choose to implement any of the techniques in the video, journal about how that experience has been for you.  (Note: I discovered that I was a mouth-breather at night and these techniques have made a huge improvement in my sleep!)
  • Watch the Box Breathing video (5 min) and practice the breathing technique.
    • Journal Questions:
      • How does this Box Breathing technique affect you?
  •  Watch the Physiological Sigh (5 min) with Dr. Andrew Huberman, neuroscientist and tenured professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, and practice the Physiological Sigh several times a week and notice how you feel.
    • Journal Questions:
      • How does the Physiological Sigh affect you?
  • OPTIONAL Relaxation Practices:
  • Continue REGULAR PRACTICES:
    • Breathing for 5-10 minutes, as a preparation for meditation.
      • Inhale and exhale for 5-6 seconds each: light, slow, deep.  See Breathing Handout for more information.
    • Meditation/Mindfulness for 5-10 minutes or longer.
    •  An ideal way to begin is to do the practices more days/week than you don’t do them.  And remember to practice self-compassion and patience! ♥

 

March 23, Session #4: Emotions, Feelings & Our Shadow

  • Continue with your INTENTION for the next two weeks, or choose a different behavior that would enhance your life.  Write it in your journal or on a piece of paper where you will see it regularly!  State your intention in the positive, what you are now doing differently.
  • Create a nourishing ritual for your morning practice.  These 2 slides can give you more ideas on creating a ritual.  I did not get to them in our March 9 session, and wanted you to have this information.
  • Continue your REGULAR PRACTICES:
    • Breathing exercise and/or Meditation/Mindfulness.  If meditation is not working for you, do a breathing practice instead.  Make it a time to be with yourself that is nourishing for you.
    • Add a journaling question to your regular practice, and see what happens.  Yes, you will feel like you are making it up!  It may feel awkward; it may take a minute or two to get started, but then “automatic writing” starts taking over.  These are possible journaling questions:
      • What does my Soul want to tell me today?
      • What does the Universe want from me today?
      • What does my Higher Self want to tell me I’m good at?
      • What gifts does the Universe want to bring forth through me?
  • Bring a journal or pad of paper to each session.  Choose 3 of the journal questions below to write about, and bring to our next session.
  • Continue your observations of language and the words you choose when you speak as well as others’ words.  Note what is an evaluation or opinion and what is an observation or description.  Continue to be curious and show kindness to yourself.
    • Journal Question:
      • How are you progressing on using fewer judgmental/opinion words and more observational/description words?
  • Experiment with incorporating a couple Vagus Nerve practices into your day and note how you feel.  It is more impactful to do a few each day, choosing from the list in the Vagus Nerve Booklet, or from the video below, such as gargling, deep breathing, singing or chanting or humming, or use essential oils, or cold showers, etc. than to do one long relaxation exercise.  The effect of several techniques enhances your Vagal Nerve Tone.
    • If you practice the Affirmational Havening Technique, we discovered in the session that a minimum time of 5 min. was much more effective than doing it for a shorter time.  The recommendation is to do this practice several times per week.
  • Watch Sam Harris basically unlocks the secret to life (succinct 4 min. video!)
    • Journal Question:
      • This is what we have been discussing in our course!  How does this understanding enhance your life today?
  • Watch as Bruce Lipton reveals the source of our mental programming (24 min video).
    • Journal Question:
      • How does this understanding help explain your behavior and the behavior you notice of others?
      • What correlations do you see between what Bruce is saying and what Sam Harris said in the above video?
  • Watch and practice Vagus Nerve Exercises To Rewire Your Brain From Anxiety, which discusses both emotions and thoughts, as well as what is happening in your body (14 min).
  • Watch the The Lost Art of Grief with Francis Weller (13 min).  Weller discusses the 5 Gates of Grief in this video.
    • Journal Question:
      • Which of the 5 Gates feels the most significant for you?
  • Read RAIN: A Practice of Radical Compassion by Tara Brach (1 page).
    • Contemplate how you could use this practice to bring mindfulness to an issue you are working with.

 

April 6: Session #5, Spirituality & Our Connection to ‘Big Spirit’

  • Continue your REGULAR PRACTICES:
    • Breathing exercise and/or Meditation/Mindfulness.  If meditation is not working for you, do a breathing practice instead.  Make it a time to be with yourself that is nourishing for you.
    • Add a journaling question to your practice a couple times a week, and see what happens.  You will feel like you are making it up for awhile … but actually you are connecting with a higher part of yourself.  It may take a minute or two to get started, but then “automatic writing” starts taking over.  These are possible journaling questions:
      • What does my Soul want to tell me today?
      • What does the Universe want from me today?
      • What does my Higher Self want to tell me I’m good at?
      • What gifts does the Universe want to bring forth through me?
  • Bring a journal or pad of paper to each session.  Choose 4 of the journal questions below to write about, and bring to our next session.
  • Read book summary: The Divine Matrix: Bridging, Time, Space, Miracles and Belief  by Gregg Braden (9 pages)
    • Journal Question:
      • What are one or two perspectives that you have already incorporated into your worldview?
  • Read the first 3 sections in Non-Duality for Dummies, through Non-Duality 101.  About a 3 minute read.
  • Watch the video of the interview with Anita Moorjani sharing her experience of dying and being brought back to life. (18 min.)
    • Journal Questions:
      • What was the most significant life lesson for you that Anita shared?
      • If you took Anita’s lessons to heart, how would your life be different?
  • Watch the video by Gregg Braden (13 min) explaining the relationship between our heart, beliefs, emotions and feelings.
    • Journal Question:
      • What perspectives in this video can you apply to your life and how would it impact your daily experience?
  • As many as 43% of adult Americans report that they have had some type of “mystical experience”, an experience that was beyond the realm of ordinary consciousness.
    • Journal Question:
      • Describe a mystical experience you had that pointed to something beyond your ‘usual reality’.
      • How do you make sense of that experience?
  • Watch the Video of Dr. Zach Bush (10 min.) passionately sharing the experience of 3 of his patients dying and being brought back to life, and what they told him.
    • Journal Question:
      • What is your biggest “take-away” from this video?
    • The above segment is the culmination of a powerful and inspiring presentation on the Science & Spirituality of Human and Planetary Transformation.  See Resources in the menu bar for more information.  (Optional).
  • Journal Question: Seeing the best in someone before they see it in themselves is a priceless gift.  Who believed in you before you believed in yourself, and how did that impact your life?  Choose one experience to describe.

 

April 20: Session #6, Our Multiple Converging World Crises

  • Continue your REGULAR PRACTICES:
    • Breathing exercise and/or Meditation/Mindfulness.  Make your ritual a time to be with yourself that is nourishing.
    • Add a journaling question to your practice a couple times a week, and see what happens.  You will feel like you are making it up for awhile … but actually you are connecting with a higher part of yourself.  It may take a minute or two to get started, but then “automatic writing” starts taking over.  Journaling is also an effective way to develop your Intuition.  These are possible journaling questions:
      • What does my Soul want to tell me today?
      • What does the Universe want from me today?
      • What does my Higher Self want to tell me I’m good at?
      • What gifts does the Universe want to bring forth through me?
    • Consider adding a practice of generously offering Metta (Loving Kindness).  Offer these blessings to a loved one, a friend, and/or someone you’re having difficulty with:
      • May you be safe and protected.
      • May you be healthy and strong.
      • Many you be happy and at peace.
    • Consider asking for a Most Benevolent Outcome regularly, as a way to enhance your Intuition and your Connection to Universal Consciousness.  This makes life magical!
  • Bring a journal or pad of paper to each session.  Choose 4 of the journal questions below to write about, and bring to our next session.
  • Watch The Great Simplification, a short documentary on Energy by Climate Professor Nate Hagens.  Watch all 4 segments (8 min each).
    • Journal Question: What is EROI and why does it matter for our future?
  • Read the Forward (~ 15 min read) by Francis Weller, on pages 8-23 in the pdf book, Choosing Earth, Humanity’s Journey of Initiation Through Breakdown and Collapse to Mature Planetary Community by Duane Elgin.  This is a free pdf book on an important topic, written from a holistic perspective, with clarity and wisdom, and a sense of possibility for our future…  the book is for you to read anytime you wish!  We will not be discussing the book, just the Forward.
    • Journal Question on the Forward: What does Francis Weller mean by the term the Long Dark and what are the disciplines of soul that we’ll need to navigate it?
  • Read the short article by Ralph Nader, Boomerang – Big Business Style  (6 min read).
  • Read a second short article by Ralph Nader, The Corporate Personhood vs Human Beings  (6 min read).
    • Journal Question: What issue is Nader concerned with in these two articles?  Do you agree on the importance of this?
  • Read the article, Twenty Years of Media Consolidation Has Not Been Good for Our Democracy by Michael Corcoran (12 min read).  Even though this article is several years old, the points are relevant to today.
    • Journal Question: What has been the result of this media consolidation?
  • Read the article, As the pandemic raged, at least 75 lawmakers bought and sold stock in companies that make COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests  (9-10 min read).
  • Read the article, Pharma Campaign Cash Delivered to Key Lawmakers With Surgical Precision  (8-9 min read).
    • Journal Question: What is the basic issue revealed in the above two articles about Congress and Big Pharma companies?
  • Additional Journal Questions to consider:
    • What are the 3-4 major world crises that concern you most?
    • How are you doing in processing your feelings, like fear, anger, frustration, etc., that inevitably come up in reading this material?
    • What nourishing activities are you engaging in to enhance the tone of your Vagus Nerve?
  • Added on Saturday, April 22:  The A.I. Dilemma with Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin. This is a sobering video about A.I.  The video is from a presentation at a private gathering in San Francisco on March 9, 2023 with leading technologists and decision-makers with the ability to influence the future of large-language model AI’s. This presentation was given before the launch of GPT-4. Tristan is Co-Founder & Executive Director of the Center for Humane Technology (CHT), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to align technology with humanity’s best interests. He regularly briefs heads of state, technology CEOs, and US Congress members, in addition to mobilizing millions of people around the world through mainstream media. “Harris is the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience.” The Atlantic.

 

May 4: Session #7, Building Community & Effective Communication

  • Continue your REGULAR PRACTICES:
    • Breathing exercise and/or Meditation/Mindfulness.  Make your ritual a time to be with yourself that is nourishing.
    • Consider adding a journaling question to your practice a couple times a week, and notice what happens.  You are connecting with a higher part of yourself, which is a special gift.  Journaling also opens a channel to your Intuition, another priceless gift.  See the previous possible journaling questions.
    • Consider practicing offering Metta (Loving Kindness).  Offer these blessings to a loved one, a friend, and/or someone you’re having difficulty with:
      • May you be safe and protected.
      • May you be healthy and strong.
      • Many you be happy and at peace.
    • Consider asking for a Most Benevolent Outcome regularly, as a way to enhance your Intuition and your Connection to Universal Consciousness.  This makes life magical!
  • Bring a journal or pad of paper to each session.  Choose 3 of the journal questions below to write about, and bring to our next session.
  • Read this 5 sentence summary about Nonviolent Communication as taught by Marshall Rosenberg.
  • Read Introduction to Nonviolent Communication (14 pages).  Feel free to skip the flow chart on page 7 if it seems confusing.  Pay special attention to page 10, particularly the right-hand column that distinguishes feelings vs thoughts.  It is a very important concept that we’ll be focusing on in our next session.
    • Journal Question: In reading over the examples in the booklet, how well are you doing already in your communication patterns?  Where is your ‘edge’ in communicating?
  • Use this handout to practice NVC skills: NVC Handout for 2023
  • Read List of Pseudo Feelings: Feelings that have a thought mixed in.
    • Journal Question: Which of the pseudo feelings have you/do you use in your conversation and self-talk?
  • Additional Journal Questions:
    • In our previous session we discussed that 90% of our media is now owned by just 6 corporations, which means that most of the “news” we receive reflects the values and priorities of those corporations.  What is the problem with that situation?
    • Given that, what sources have you found to get news and information, and how can you know how accurate it is?
    • The above Metta/Loving Kindness blessing epitomizes one of the most important “secrets of life” (in order to be happy and at peace).  What is it?
  • Group discussion question (for everyone) in our next session:
    • How do you feel about the community you have around you?  (Your immediate neighborhood, family, friends, church, networks of mutual interests, local and non-local).  What could you do to build more community and/or strengthen the community you have?

 

May 18: Session #8, Integration & Going Forward

  • Continue your REGULAR PRACTICES:
    • Breathing exercise and/or Meditation/Mindfulness.  Make your ritual a time to be with yourself that is nourishing.
    • Consider adding a journaling question to your practice a couple times a week, and notice what happens.  You are connecting with a higher part of yourself, which is a special gift.  Journaling also opens a channel to your Intuition, another priceless gift.  See the previous possible journaling questions.
    • Practice offering Metta (Loving Kindness) periodically during your week.  It appears to be more powerful if you speak out loud when doing this.  Offer these blessings to a loved one, a friend, and/or someone you’re having difficulty with:
      • May you be safe and protected.
      • May you be healthy and strong.
      • Many you be happy and at peace.
    • Practice asking for a Most Benevolent Outcome as a way to enhance your Intuition and your Connection to Universal Consciousness, and notice what happens.  This makes life magical!
  • Bring a journal or pad of paper to each session.  Choose 4 of the discussion questions below to journal about, and bring to our next session.
  • Read Imbalanced Spheres of Activism and “The Great Turning” that Needs to Get Turning  by Tobey Wiley.  (20 min. read)
    • Discussion Questions:
      • What ideas and perspectives did you find in this article to be the most hopeful for our future?
      • What is the fundamental paradigm shift in consciousness that he is referring to?
      • Which of the 3 spheres are you the most drawn to?  Describe.
      • What are some gifts you could offer as we go forward into our future?
    •  The above article mentions the Steady State Economy; if you’re unfamiliar with it, read this 30 second summary.