The Newsletter of

DIANA RAAB, Ph.D.

FEBRUARY 2015

Heart shape tree in lavender meadow for love symbol

Happy Month of LOVE !!

February has often been portrayed as the month of love. While I believe we should BE LOVE all year long, it is wonderful to have this emotion honored to incite a more intense awareness of love in our lives. However, this is not an excuse to forget the power of love the rest of the year.

One thing to consider is the similarities and differences of emotional and spiritual love. Emotional love may be thought of as more poetic and focused on the heart center, a feeling for someone that makes our hearts throb with joy. Spiritual love is something more profound and encompasses the heart and the mind in such a way that both are nurtured. Thus, emotional and spiritual love may be thought of as inseparable. In fact, the more spiritual you are, the more you will have the capacity to love because your heart center opens even further. Whether you are in love with someone else or not, spiritual love is always present and resides in your heart. Holding the space for spiritual love means being mindful and fully present.

SUGGESTED READING (re: Love)

My poetry collection, Lust (Word Tech Communications, 2014) has been called a perfect Valentine Day's gift for men and women alike. You can buy on Amazon as a softcover or download from Audible to hear actress Kate Udall's amazing intimate reading of the poems.

Amy Ferris, author of Marrying George Clooney, says this,

"Lust will make you fall head-over-heels in love with words. Words that are strung together, knotted like a perfect strand of opera length pearls...If you want to have a love affair with the written word, please, read this collection. It will make you a believer. Or maybe ... just maybe, it will make you a believer in the pure, absolute beauty of Diana Raab."

Many reading suggestions arise from sojourns and travels. My most recent visit to Maui in December brought this book to my attention- Be Love Now by Ram Dass. There are many poignant points in this nurturing book, all accentuating the importance and power of love.

First, we must love ourselves before we can love others. Ram Dass points out that unconditional love exists in each one of us, and each one of us is loving awareness. He suggests we often say to ourselves, "I am loving awareness," meaning that everything that touches you has the opportunity to feel love. This is like a chain reaction. Repeating this to ourselves serves as a reminder to breathe in and breathe out love. In summary, Ram Dass says, "If you put out love, then you immerse yourself in the sea of love."

APPEARANCES

January 28, 2015. "Writing for Transformation." To listen to the interview, click : The Coaching Show

February 10, 2015. "Love, Longing and Lust" (poetry reading moderated by Diana Raab). Antioch University, Santa Barbara, 7-8:30 pm. Poets to read: Perie Longo, Marsha de la O, Friday Gretchen Lubina, Jina Carvalho and Diana Raab. Refreshments served. Free and open to the public.

February 21, 2015 (workshop/book signing) The Sacred Space Summerland, CA. "Looking Backward, Moving Forward: Writing for Transformation." 4-5:30 p.m. $45.

April 11, 2015 (workshop). "Writing With Lust: Personal Writing for Transformation and Empowerment." The Open Center
New York, NY. Check the link for time. TBA.

TRAVELS

February 27 - March 1. Wisdom 2.0. 2015 Conference San Francisco. Excited to be a part of this conference with presenters such as Jack Kornfield, Trudy Goodman, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Pico Iyer, Dan Siegel, Byron Katie, Richard Davidson, Roshi Joan Halifax, amongst many other luminaries.

PUBLICATION NEWS

"Pick Up." A Cafe in Space: The Anais Nin Literary Journal. Vol. 12. Feb. 2015.

"Love vs. Lust: What's the difference?" SW Experts. January 26, 2015.

"Some Images Never Die. " Lonely Whale Memoir. Chatsworth Press. Spring 2015.

"Creative Transcendence: Memoir Writing for Transformation and Empowerment" (dissertation excerpt). The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology. 2015.

SUGGESTIONS?

If there are any subjects you would like me to write about, or special interests you'd like to see discussed, please send me an email.

FEBRUARY WRITING PROMPT

Write about your first love relationship.

Love, peace and lust,
Diana

P.S. Please send any comments to diana@dianaraab.com.
(Subject: Newsletter)

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