On February 8, 2011, during the first session in a Plug In telecourse with Janet Conner and 26 other participants, representing a variety of creative expressions, I felt as if I’d finally crossed the threshold and entered the paradise of discovering mind.
Janet’s Plug In telecourse was full of light, inspiration, and hope, peopled with allies and mentors. It was about merging new and powerful spiritual practices with one’s craft, and infusing one’s work with access to limitless creativity and guidance.
I’m grateful to this day for having had the opportunity to participate in such a wonderful gathering of minds and to have since learned the importance of reaching out and forming creative connections.
Speaking of creative connections, I’d like to share such a connection by introducing you to Janet Conner and her new book Soul Vows.
In Soul Vows, Janet transmutes the familiar concept of core values into a mystical covenant with your self, your soul, and your Source. As you walk through seven deep soul explorations of the chakras, Janet gently guides you to listen to the wisdom of your internal voice as you discover the divine qualities your soul longs to embrace. Because your soul vows describe how you choose to live, they become your personal path to the peak experiences we all seek: authenticity, integrity, wholeness, and the vibrant presence of the Divine. And they are something even more. Your soul vows are a mystical prayer. As you live your soul vows you gather the Presence of the Divine in you, through you, and as you.
To help you learn more about Janet’s wonderful contributions to the world, here are her answers to two of eight interview questions about “Soul Vows,” the rest of which are featured at Patheos Book Club.
1. You discovered Writing Down Your Soul during a traumatic divorce and The Lotus and The Lily when you faced bankruptcy. Is there a story behind Soul Vows?
Oh yes! Early in my divorce, I stumbled upon a Divine Voice waiting for me every day on the page. I trusted that Voice and felt safe expressing the rage and fear roiling in my heart. One of my earliest diatribes was about vows. Marriage vows clearly didn’t mean a thing, so I demanded to know if any vows counted. Within days David Whyte’s The House of Belonging fell into my hands. The moment I read “All the True Vows,” I picked up a pen and announced: I know what I want! I want true vows—vows to me, my self, my soul, and my God!
But “Dear God” steered me first to call up the false vows running the show from my unconscious. It was quite a surprise to discover how many false vows I had created and how powerful they were. After getting to know them and thanking them for trying to help me, I released them to the Divine in a sacred ceremony. Once I was free, I was ready to receive my soul vows. I’ve renewed these seven statements every day for over fourteen years. They are the most important prayer of my life.
2. In Soul Vows you talk about the “new I.” What’s the “new I?”
The “new I” is the biggest mystery of soul vows—a secret they held for over a decade. I started teaching a Soul Vows telecourse in 2011 with a 125 page workbook with deep soul writing exercises to help people release their false vows and call in their soul vows. I anticipated writing Soul Vows based on that course material. But my soul vows had other plans.
On a spring morning in 2013, I curled up on a chaise lounge in my backyard with a new book. I noticed the pronoun “I” in quotation marks. I stopped reading. In a haze I wrote “Soul Vows brings the new I” in the margin. In that moment I knew with every cell of my being that when I speak my soul vows, I am not the only one speaking.
I rushed inside and stood in front of my soul vows, seeing them for the first time. I began to speak my first vow, “I unite to create good,” as I always do but then I added, “I, the Divine, unite to create good in Janet, through Janet, and as Janet.” By the time I said all seven with the “new I”—the Divine I—my soul vows had transformed themselves utterly from a beautiful spiritual practice to a mystical prayer of divine union.
My soul vows had still another surprise for me that I share in the fifth chakra in Soul Vows. And I’m sure my soul vows aren’t finished with me yet.
I hope you come to enjoy your connection with Janet Conner as much I as do.
Remember, creative connections with like-minded people create a positive mental atmosphere in which we can grow. They offer support, confidence in our abilities, and assistance where we need help.
Be mindful of who you hang out with.
Try to forge a new relationship with someone who directly or indirectly has your best interests in mind.
Open up to life’s synchronicities, to the messengers along your path.
Listen to the wisdom of your internal voice
Our relationships can light the way to accomplishment.
Thank you as always for stopping by,
