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Dear subscribers,

This is a reminder that you are receiving this email because you have subscribed to Miriam Hall/Herspiral Contemplative Arts' Newsletter. Please unsubscribe or make other choices about which emails you prefer to receive at the bottom of this email.

It's been an intense week in the United States. While we've gone through a major and consequential election here, Germany is also facing government upheaval, and Ireland and Ghana are having elections. So much tumult and confusion, on top of the already-existing genocides and deep suffering in so many places.

In addition, so much growth, comfort, and depth in my groups. I remain so grateful for my work in this world, and that I can contribute in this way.

This newsletter includes announcements about a save the date for the January 2025 writing retreat, for Return 2025, the second year of the Ourspiral Scholarship Fund matching grant, a Karuna podcast on the realms, and another podcast coming on Karuna methods and facing down fascism. I've also included a reminder about the Karuna Training cohort that's been postponed to 2025, Leesa Renee Hall's Inner Field Trip community, and a link to me on Insight Timer.

I wish you deep wellness,

Miriam

January 2025 Writing Retreat

Save the dates:

Saturday January 4-Thursday January 9, 2025

Registration coming soon

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Return 2025

Return to Your Inherent Wisdom

Return is hard to describe. It's become a favorite program for many of my community members over the years, and one of my favorite things, too. In the beginning of the year, we find an intention word for the year, then throughout the year, we meet weekly and/or monthly (depending on your preferred structure) to explore teachings and themes. I've often said another name for Return could be "refuge" - and that is something many of us will need in 2025 and beyond - communal refuge.

Return is a year-long commitment, and registration is now open for 2025. If you would like to read more about it, visit the Return page of my website here.

If you know you are already interested, the next step is to email me to schedule a call. Because Return is an intimate community (no more than 20 participants), I have conversations with each person before signing them up, to make sure it's a right fit in all ways.

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What some participants have said about Return:

"Return helped me navigate (my word for the year) a very difficult year. I don't know if I would have stayed sane without it. The combination of writing, crafting, and verbal processing is well-balanced (I'm not keen on too much verbal processing). The in-person time is key to me - I didn't do much in the forums, but having a deep check in with my intention each month, and with the others in the group, was amazing."

-Eileen

"What stands out for me among the ongoing experiential learnings of Return is a few primary life-sustaining things: the way that Miriam shares and invites us to the practices with an abundance of heart, care and thought, for the people she brings together and in respect to the teachings she draws upon with simultaneous depth and lightness of touch. Return has been a practice of feeling as much as learning, of getting to know myself among others, and that's been vital - being witnessed, witnessing others' journeys, simply being there with each other, navigating our way through the rollercoaster of living. The community that Miriam has created and held space for, has been a real balm for the mind, heart and spirit. On an individual level, the weekly practices have been an anchor for me, a reminder in my calendar to pause and contemplate. Even if I haven't made each session, and especially when I've wobbled in life and work, the commitment has been affirming."

- Aliya Mughal

"Miriam creates a safe, warm, welcoming space to practice and grow and share. I always love working with her and really appreciate her depth of understanding and nuance, and the gentle way she allows us all to be honest and true to the hard stuff and appreciate the good stuff."

-Loretta

If you would like to read more about Return, visit the Return page of my website here.

If you know you are already interested, the next step is to email me to schedule a call.

Ourspiral Fund - matching up to $5000

by December 31, 2024!

I am excited to announce a second year of a newer development at Herspiral Arts - a collectively-contributed to scholarship source called Ourspiral Fund.

This project for Herspiral Arts began in early 2023, when I approached a few funding sources for scholarship money for students. After receiving $2500 from one organization for local activists, I received $5000 from an anonymous donor, with the caveat that it be a “challenge grant”, encouraging me to ask others for funding. They have offered it again this year.

I can't tell you what it means when I can sincerely tell a single working mom of color with two kids that she can stay as long as she likes in a program and doesn't have to pay a dollar. In addition, the scholarship fund helps Herspiral support others who can't pay the full amount, but can pay something.

If you'd like to read more about the fund, please visit the page on herspiral.com. If you know you are ready to contribute - anything from $5-$5000 helps - please visit the checkout page on herspiral.com. Payments go through Stripe; you can use any card. If you prefer to pay another way, just reply to this email and let me know.

Because of an intimate election night offering, and another donation so far, we have $300 before even announcing this. If you can't make an offering, please know I am grateful for your receiving my newsletter and following my happenings.

All Our Disguises

An Introduction to the Realms

If you missed the live event, you can listen to the podcast!

Much of Buddhism and Contemplative Psychology covers an exploration of who we are. Are we who we say or think we are? Are we who others think we are? Many of us hide from ourselves and from others, often unconsciously, as a form of protection. But as Jules Shuzen Harris says, we cannot hide from the reality of impermanence forever.

This Karuna Live will touch on the teachings of the six realms, an in-depth way of understanding the psychological states we get trapped in and take to be reality. From the God Realm to the Hell Realm, we will talk about the pitfalls and benefits of these states of being, and practice noticing which are most familiar to us, and how to get out of our disguises to see a bit more of reality - and our true selves.

​Listen to the recording and explore the liberation waiting on the other side of deception.
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Podcast Episode Coming December 3

Melissa Moore and I were interviewed by Alice Leibowitz for her amazing series called Conversations Against Fascism. She's offering it as part of a series called Impactful You starting December 3.

I'll send out a link once it's live, but in the meantime, here's Alice's YouTube channel. It's a powerful wealth of healing practicioners focused on decolonization and fighting fascism.

Karuna Training: Miriam is on lead faculty for the next basic cohort

POSTPONED - this has been postponed to May of 2025. If you are interested in joining then, we can still have a chat

For the first time ever, I will be one of the lead faculty for a two-year basic Karuna Training cohort. This means that I will be leading or co-leading at least half the programs. The new cohort starts later this year.

This is an amazing opportunity to dive deeply into the relational, embodied wisdom that arises in ongoing group learning. We study classic Tibetan Buddhism, use postures and colors to explore the Maitri Space Awareness/Buddha Family teachings, and apply all of this to healing and communication within relationships and social change situations. Karuna Training infuses much of what I offer - especially Return, but also writing, photography, and social justice work.

If you have any questions, take a look at the website, and then reach out to me if you can't find an answer. I am also offering a FREE CALL with anyone who is strongly interested in applying.

Want more of a sense of Karuna Training? Listen to my recent talk podcast with them, or practice podcast with them, and/or read the accompanying newsletter.

Inner Field Trip (the book) is one year old!

For those of you who have followed me a long time, you have heard about my colleague and friend, Leesa Renee Hall (author of the new-ish book Inner Field Trip, a multi-award winning workbook). Her community, where I am one of the main mentors and facilitators, is OPEN for the first time in over a year. Hope on over and consider joining us - highly sensitive folks interested in working on biases, complexity, and politics with kindness, community, and integrity.

​Link to ways to join.​

Last but not least, I finally got a teacher profile going on Insight Timer, where I have posted one free guided practice ("Synchronization for Creative Inspiration") and will be posting more soon.

Please listen and review/rate!

Link to my profile and the recording.

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Love,

Miriam

If you'd like to join me over on Mighty Networks, where you can chat with me and other contemplatives/artists/Buddhists/recovering perfectionists in a private platform, please do!

Public plans for the Herspiral Mighty Network are either $5 or $10 a month.

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