WINN – What is Needed Now

Words’ Worth

By Celia Coates The computer problem that kept me from publishing all of last week’s post may have been another example of “just the right wrong thing” – one of my favorite ideas. This was to have been the first line: I wish I could write this post without sounding preachy or crabby but I…

From Wordsworth

This week I came across some poetry I had not read since I was in college – a long time ago. I did remember that Wordsworth’s Ode: Intimations of Immortality was beautiful, but I had not remembered how significant these lines were: The soul that rises with us, our life’s star, Hath had elsewhere its setting…

Two Gifts

By Celia Coates I’ve written before about “just the right wrong thing” – about times when something difficult or painful becomes a gift. Here’s another story about an event like that. A year or so ago a very dear friend told me about what had happened that day at work. She runs a program for…

The “Don’t Mess With Me” Chakra

By Celia Coates If you’ve read WINN before, you know that “kindness” has been the subject of many posts. It is very important and of great value, but there are ways we can have too much of a good thing. We can end up living distorted lives if we try to be kind without a…

What Have We Learned So Far ?

By Paul Jackson In the summer of 2017, I found myself spending time thinking about what I was ‘supposed’ to be doing. I’ve always felt that we are here for a reason and that the measure of a life is how well we live our lives toward that purpose. In the past several years and…

Diagnosis and Compassion

By Celia Coates After the January 5th post about“The Distracter,” I realized I had to say something more because I’d written about disordered communication but hadn’t said enough about the possible disordered nature of the communicators. When a person produces frequent messages that are dramatic, chaotic, manipulative, and disruptive or destructive it may call for a…

Finding Unity Consciousness

By Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D. “You may say I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one I hope some day you’ll join us And the world will be as one.” – John Lennon I have to admit, when I…

Dealing With Distraction

By Celia Coates Virginia Satir was a leading light in the early days of family therapy. In 1972 she published PEOPLEMAKING, a book that was assigned reading when I was studying the dynamics of human relationships some years later. Recently I remembered the quartet of defensive personality types Satir described – four styles of communication…

A Few Words for Now

By Celia Coates These are such unusual times – around the world 2018 is ending with no clear way for many of us to see through the dark of the differences and frightening struggles that surround us. This week the first line of an old hymn echoed in my mind: Lead, kindly light, amid th’encircling…

Red and Green

By Celia Coates Years ago I heard a simple story that I’d never heard before: Once upon a time there were two creatures, one red and one green, who lived in a forest near the top of a mountain. They had lived there for centuries and even though Green was easy-going and liked peace and…

What Does Synergy Mean?

By Celia Coates In the headlines this week it was reported that a negotiator for Russia had offered to make a deal with the 2016 Presidential campaign, a deal to create something they called “political synergy.” Originally synergy was a medical term and meant that the combined action of the physiological components – muscles, nerves, organs,…

Revelation / Realization

By Sally Hilton-Chalfen When I was in college I had a transcendent experience which I want to share because it changed my perspective on life. I most deeply hope that writing about what I was shown can help the reader feel more joyful and confident about the meaningful course of life. In October 1974 I…