The Secret Sword Society. Formerly the Floating Playground.
The 2015 incarnation of my online community, now entering year #7, has set sail as of Feb 28, 2015.
This is where we do the actual work of self-fluency, applying the The Fluent Self practices to real life.
It’s private, safe contained space where we practice.
We practice self-fluency and getting out of our own way, healing our stuff.
Stuff (n): The accumulated side effects of being alive. Pain, grief, fear, worry, dread, avoidance, guilt, stuck.
We do this while playing with our mysterious projects. Even if we don’t know what they are.
Sometimes our projects have to do with internal work, sometimes actual work, sometimes wishes, gwishes, desires, internal investigations. Things we’re hoping for, working on, or trying to figure out.
We interact with (or sneak around!) the stuff that gets in the way of taking care of ourselves. We learn about blocks and dissolve them, in ways that are curious, conscious and playful. We play, discover, reveal and experiment. We make giant happy progress on whatever our stuff is keeping us from doing. We play.
We find out what we need and how to make sure we get it. We rewrite our relationship with ourselves (and our selves), and also our relationships with other things, like time, space, money and love.
We practice taking exquisite care of ourselves. We get to know our internal kingdoms and figure out how to feel like we belong there. Belonging in your life, your work, your body, your space and everything you do.
What else is important to know about this space?
This is not a place where there is One Right Way. It’s a place where each of us gets to figure out our version of what’s right for us right now.
It is a place for adventures, shelter, solace, and internal investigations. In really great company.
But really: it is a place for whatever you need it to be. It that takes the shapes you need.
Secret Swords? What? And also: Why?
The Sword is really the S-word. And the S-word is really Sovereignty.
The Secret Sword Society is a place to practice Radical Sovereignty:
Bringing all of you to everything you do, showing up with your full radiant self, being completely honest with yourself (and maybe even with everyone else) about about who you are, what you want and need, what excites you, and how you want to be in the world.
It’s also a place to work with other S-words if you want…
Support. Sustenance. Sustainability. Shelter.
Safety. Sanctuary. Spaciousness. Silliness.
Synthesis. Sufficiency. Sweetness. Shiny sexy sparkly spontaneity.
And while we’re naming Qualities of this space, help yourself some of these: Play. Delight. Autonomy. Possibility. Wonder.Courage. Contentment. Creativity. Effortlessness. Presence. Belonging. Amnesty. Trust. Appreciation. Adaptability. Flow.
They don’t begin with S, but they’re our friends so in a way they’re secret S-words too..
What you get you get.
- Amazing places, structures, techniques and forms for processing, growing, getting stuff done, moving through stuck, feeling better about everything in your life.
- The pleasure of being in a community — and I do not use that way-overused word lightly — of bright, creative people who are committed to this conscious, mindful, playful way of working through stuff.
We’re very serious about confidentiality and about not throwing shoes. But total goofballs about everything else. - Eleven months of access. Play as much or as little as you want, as often as you want, when it is right for you.
- Being around people who will actively support you in your process. They’ll be your Enthusiastic. I’m in awe of how we people support each other. I have never seen anything like it.
- Support, witnessing, warmth, whatever you ask for.
Bonuses!
Spy on my creative process.
This is where I play. It’s where I process and problem-solve. Peek as much as you like and join in if you want. It’s almost of like a vault of extra unedited blog posts or ebooks.
You can interact with me and everyone else as much or as little as you like, it is all up to you.
Access to the best library ever.
Recordings of ONE HUNDRED AND NINE online classes that I taught or facilitated between 2008-2011. More than half are my material. Many showcase creative, wise, good-hearted people, like Barbara Sher, Jennifer Louden, Pam Slim, Colleen Wainwright. We also have worksheets and chat transcripts for some of the calls. I donated these to our library — no additional cost. Listen or download as many of these as you want.
You don’t have to ever take advantage of this, of course. It’s a library! No one is ever going to force you to read all the books in the library! Just know that it’s there for you.
ENTRY
Let’s do it.
This is the sort of voyage that requires preparation.
When does it start.
The last day in February. We go until the tail end of January, 2016.
Who gets to come aboard?
This is what I wrote last year:
You’re ready to start playing and discovering. Or to continue, because I’m assuming you already have your own practice, your own way of working on things.
You read what I write about unconventional ways to approach the “working on your stuff” process. You get that the key to a thriving, successful whatever-you’re-working on is a conscious, intentional relationship with yourself.
You get that the SELF part of The Fluent Self means you’re in charge of your experience, that your process is something that happens between you and you.
This excites you and occasionally terrifies you … and you can (sometimes) feel the little sparks of possibility.
You have (or are into having) an active practice of working on your stuff.
You don’t have to have a business. You don’t have to know what you want to do with your life. You just have to want to practice self-fluency..
Reading list:
- “How to Disagree Without Being Disagreeable“, and “Nonviolent Communication.” A basic familiarity with the principles will be very helpful for both internal and external communication. If you haven’t read these yet, do this as part of preparing to enter. The NVC book has some problematic poetry, which I apologize for in advance.
- Highly recommended: the Monster Coloring Book, so we’re all more or less familiar with some basic concepts, principles and vocabulary. And the Art of Embarking — helpful material to practice before you arrive.
Admissions process.
We have a highly unusual admissions process. In part because it is almost completely self-directed. You are in charge of making sure you are ready.
You’ll take yourself to the Mirror Pool. We’ll explain by email when you sign up!
The Mirror Pool will give you information about how to prepare and practice so you’ll be ready. will be.
Then it’s time for conscious entry: preparing for the voyage. You might want to use the Art of Embarking. Skip a bunch of stones. Wish and dream. Play. Think about how you want to feel and what you want to experience.
The ORANGE BUTTON.
The Orange Button is how you make a deposit of $96 to hold your place. The remainder of your tuition will be a single payment of $798, which will happen one month from the day you press the button.
Before pressing the orange button, take a moment…
You get to enter the way you want to enter. Pause and take a breath.
This is a big, wonderful, change-filled thing. A commitment to slightly future you. It totally makes sense if it feels scary. Recognize the moment of eek! if it’s there, and then enter the door as the you who is planting a present. Enter in your strength.
Deadline for signup is February 8th, 2015.
And the fine print, in the most fine-print typeface I could find:
- Included in the price: the 11 month voyage of the Secret Sword Society, access to the libraries of calls, epiphanies, metaphorical blanket forts.
- Before going through the doors, take a moment. Take several moments. Check with yourself and make sure this is what you want. Tuition is non-refundable, as explained in our Incredibly Boring Policies.
Secret! Sword! Society! We will adventure!
And If it doesn’t work out this time, we will have other adventures together. I promise.
But if this is speaking to you right now, I am looking forward to playing with you.
We’ll send you all the details and we will meet up on the Day of Leaping!
So much love,
Havi
