October Newsletter: Acclimating to the Unknown

Greetings!

It is October and this is my first newsletter since June when I announced I'd be parting ways with Lotus.....where do I begin?

While so much has changed, there is, at least so far, no new normal. And I anticipate that if I am living well, with true attentiveness, that a new "normal" will never actually arrive, and that is a likelihood I welcome. There are many new life challenges as I find myself in the roles of facilitator, teacher, and personal coach, and I often feel as if I'm working for the first time in my life! It is deeply satisfying to feel challenged and nourished by meaningful work in the world. I feel lucky. While I sometimes feel overwhelmed by all that I'm inviting into my life, it is my practice to befriend that experience and welcome it. When I pay close attention, it changes, or it disappears, and I recognize that I am still here, quite alive and quite well.

I've had a wonderful time connecting with Tim Palmieri in recent weeks as he's acclimating to the Lotus context. If you haven't seen it yet, you can check out this conversation between Tim and I from September 10th about our experience in this transition. I trust the evolution of Lotus with Tim and that ultimately this change will be for the good of everyone involved. Certainly, it is not always easy for me: at times the grief of loss runs deep as I'm learning to let it all go. Yet, to my surprise, the Muse is arising anew within me as I find myself daydreaming about new musical possibilities. While it seems unlikely that I'll pursue music again full time, it is a joy to feel raw musical inspiration again. It is reminiscent of the sort of inspiration I felt back when Lotus was formed.

Last week I started teaching my Fall mindfulness course. While the current course is full, I will continue offering this course a few times per year, so if you are interested in a future iteration, please follow the above link and submit your name and email on the form there. This week I'm also resuming the free guided meditations on Zoom which I'd started offering during the early days of the pandemic. There'll be a 20 minute practice on Tuesdays at 12 noon and a 30 minute practice on Friday mornings at 8:30am. These times are for the Mountain time zone. For more information and the Zoom link click here.

Right now, the thing I'm most excited about is the public launch of a new group offering: a 3 month journey for an intimate group of 6 people which is focused on a powerful relational practice called Circling (aka Inter-Subjective Meditation). I offered a couple beta versions of this group earlier this year and it was a beautiful and highly connective experience for everyone who participated. If you are interested in personal growth and up-leveling your relational capacities, you can read about this offering here. At present, there are 4 available spots left and I am aiming for a November 2nd launch date so please respond to this email or fill out the form on the page linked above if you think this might be a good fit for you. I look forward to hearing from you!

Lastly, I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Lotus community for the immensity of support I've received at this time of transition. Leaving Lotus has surely been one of the most radical and difficult decisions I've ever made. There is a humbling vulnerability that comes with making such a decision in the public eye and it has been wonderful to feel held and supported along the way. Thank you!

With Love,

-Michael