Interview With Nancy Carlson

Welcome to The Women Behind The Poetry, where we interview women from the 'Journey of The Heart: Women's Spiritual Poetry Project'!  

Today we introduce you to the thoughtful reflections of yoga and meditation teacher, Reiki master and Holistic Nurse Coach, Nancy Carlson, who comes to us from Massachusetts. 

When and how did you first begin writing poetry?

As a child I loved reading poetry, a true day-dreamer, I would play with words as if I was a poet too! In my teen and college years, I started to write poems as they related to my feelings, difficulties and joys: these were my secrets. I loved e.e. cummings and Yeats. My simple poetry included metaphors of nature, love of God and of something much larger than what life seemed to be.

Which subjects are easiest for you to write poems on?

My self-growth, challenges, reflections, emotions, what inspires me, transformations, gratitude, love...and from some deeper place with that felt like a source of creativity.

Which subjects are the hardest for you to write about?

I am not good at rhyming, with anything linear, black and white or within a structure that feels constrictive to be, forced.

When do you feel most inspired to write poetry?

It just seems to come-up, it just does. An expression of something that is hard to describe with words, yet is another way of using those words. It can be a feeling, an image, metaphor, confusion, sorrow, love! Whatever it is, it shows up and keeps speaking to me to write. During life-experiences, transitions, deaths, births, milestones, learning, integrating, need to express, the un-known or mystery....often during times of quiet and connection to self. It is a personal part of my truth, my true self.  It is art, creative, releasing, freeing, connection and opening of doors within myself. It expresses in a way that I could not have imagined, till the words just start to flow. Unraveling the complicated, allowing the mystery to be and takes center stage in bringing consciousness to the unconscious. I feel so alive with a poem...

What is your biggest fear or hesitation when deciding to share a poem with the public?

That I won’t be heard or I will be judged or critiqued because I am not a seasoned poet or writer. That my subject is personal, but when I do share and it seems to touch others in some way....then I am aware that this poetry is much bigger than me and is a source of healing and joy!

What is the most profound thing you have learned from writing poems?

That I am a part of the Whole of Life and that my feelings and experiences are universal. That this poetry comes from my heart and  is a sharing of my heart with others. A gift to myself and all. It feels like Grace...

How is writing poetry a spiritual process for you?

I think it has always been a spiritual process for me. Somewhat like a prayer...connecting with nature, mystery, more that what this life seems to be, eternal, always there, gratitude, love and devotion. I feel a connection to that deeper knowing, to source, to that essence that is always there, eternally. I become a part of the portal of Love, within and without. I notice that this process is essential to my life.

What function has writing poems played for you in your life?

Integration, discovery, truth, joy, purpose, creativity, connecting to my heart. It speaks to the mystery, beauty and service to God and all others.

Name some of your favorite poetesses.

Mary Oliver, Rumi, Mirabai, O’Donnahue, Mary Angelou, Maria Rilke and the Upanishads.....to speak of some poets.

What effect does reading the poems of others have on you?

A feeling of connection, validation, appreciation, inspiration, beauty of expression, vulnerability and a deeper perception of others.

How did you first discover Journey of The Heart?

From Yoga In The Gita blogspot by Catherine Ghosh and Braja Sorensen, I met Catherine and became interested in Journey of the Heart as a way to bring my poems to the public within a setting that felt so right to me.

Have you publicly shared your poetry before doing so via this project?

No, only as gifts to others or for certain events.

If not, what did it feel like to share your poetry for the first time on Journey of The Heart?

It was amazing growth for me to take this step. There was so much acceptance, support, sharing, and love form these like-minded poetesses. I felt that I could truly learn and grow in this space!

What has been your general experience of sharing your poetry on Journey of The Heart?

A loving acceptance of myself and my expression of that...huge!

Any last words you’d like to share about poetry?

Catherine has been so supportive, open, kind and lovingly guiding me along in this process of self-exploration and source of devotion to Truth and Love. Poetry anchors me in that place within that connects with that Source that is never ending. From this place, there is such acceptance, love, joy and Grace comes….

Nancy Carlson: "I am an evolving poet, writing mostly as reflection, contemplation. But most recently, as a student of bhakti-yoga, as an expression of my devotion. I work as an Holistic Nurse Coach, yoga/meditation teacher and Reiki Master. You may contact me on Facebook here or via my website 'Joyful Healing' here. 

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PLEASE CLICK "comments" BELOW TO SHARE A RESPONSE.

~If you are one of the poetesses from 'Journey of the Heart', and would like to appear in this blog, just click here to request an interview. We are excited to learn more about you!~

~If you write poetry and would like to share it on 'Journey of The Heart', click here for submission guidelines. And thank you for your interest!~ 

Interview With Freya Watson

Welcome to The Women Behind The Poetry, where we interview women from the 'Journey of The Heart: Women's Spiritual Poetry Project'!  

Today we introduce you to inspiring author, mystic and mother, Freya Watson, who comes to us from the beautiful, Irish countryside. 

When and how did you first begin writing poetry?

I have always considered myself a prose writer and never really entertained the idea of writing poetry until it became an emotional necessity.  I first started scribbling short verses during a period of intensity when phrases just presented themselves in such a way that they captured the immediacy of the way I was feeling in a manner which more carefully considered prose never could.  There are times in life when feelings run so deep that either talking about them or trying to capture them as properly-constructed sentences doesn't do us justice. 

Which subjects are easiest for you to write poems on?

Poetry is always extremely personal for me – and what I write about has to be a reflection of subjects that touch my heart.   Love, sex, passion, sadness, anger, frustration, the divine are all easy subjects to write about.

Which subjects are the hardest for you to write about?

If I can't feel it strongly, I can't write poetry about it.  It's not so much about subjects as it is about how deeply I connect with the subject.  For me to turn to poetry as a vehicle for expression, there has to be an urgency behind what I'm feeling. 

What are some of your sources of inspiration in writing poetry?

Ah!  I have to confess that poetry has to be one of the most self-indulgent things I do.  My inspiration is always my own life.  Actually, 'inspiration' seems a bit of misnomer – in my case anyway.  'Fuel' might be a better term.  It feels like the strong emotions that are stirred up from time to time in daily life are transmuted in some way through the verses I write.

What is your biggest fear or hesitation when deciding to share a poem with the public, and how do you move beyond it?

I'm not sure that I have moved beyond the hesitation – or that anyone ever does, completely.  I don't think I'm the only writer who feels that their poetry is intensely personal and, as such, wonders at whether it is something which is purely individual or if it can have universal appeal.  Over time, I think I've got more used to exposing myself – and to accepting that others feel equally vulnerable when they do likewise.  But isn't that what makes the world a more interesting and beautiful place – when we are willing to show who we really are?

What is the most profound, meaningful or enlightening discovery you have made while writing poems?

It would have to be the discovery that others like what I write and can resonate with some of it, despite its personal nature!

How is writing poetry a spiritual process for you?

My poetry reflects my most intense, raw and vulnerable side – it exposes my soul.  I only write poetry when I'm deeply moved to do so (although I did once try a 30 day poetry challenge on Wordpress).  As a result, it is a process, which is almost beyond conscious will.  It presents itself with an urgency, a necessity, which comes from somewhere deep inside and insists on flowing out and onto the page.  It's only my ego (and, perhaps, my creative editor) that keeps a lot of what I write in a little notebook in the drawer 'for later' rather than allowing more of it to find its way through to publication. 

What function or role has writing poems played for you in your life?

When I'm moved to turn to verse as a way of expressing what I feel, I find it deeply cathartic.  It takes something deeply felt – perhaps too deeply felt for ordinary communication – and allows it to be externalized.  It captures a magic that few words can more easily express than lengthy sentences.  It's not something I do very often so when I do, it reflects a particular point in my life in a way that nothing else does.  Even looking back at old poems helps to show me how far I've come (or fallen!).  

Name some of your favorite poems, poets or poetry books.

I have to confess to not being a huge fan of poetry.  But, all the same, I have to count Hafiz and Rumi among my favorites – especially Ladinsky's translation of Hafiz, 'The Subject Tonight is Love'.  I also have a soft spot for the metaphysical poets like John Donne, whose poetry has stayed with me since school.

How did you first discover Journey of The Heart?

An online acquaintance who had read some of my prose suggested that I might like to consider Journey of the Heart and I have to admit to being deeply touched at both the suggestion and at the poems I read there.  It is a most wonderful, colorful and eclectic selection of heart-felt poetry, which deserves to be on the bookshelf of any passionate woman.

Have you publicly shared your poetry before doing so via this project?

I had started to quietly make my poetry available on my Wordpress blog and also to illustrate some of the chapters in two of my books, 'The Beautiful Garden' and 'Sexy Spirit'.

What has been your general experience of sharing your poetry on Journey of The Heart?

Honestly, I have to say my general experience of sharing my poetry on Journey of the Heart was pride.  I feel proud to be among such a wonderful group of women and to be part of such an amazing project.  I would never have thought that something so personal could unite women around the globe.  It makes me wonder how much further it can go.  Perhaps poetry can work wonders where more mundane approaches to unity have failed?

Any last words you’d like to share about poetry?

I think we all carry with us from childhood some preconceived notions of what poetry is or isn't.  For a long time, I know I was turned off the idea of poetry from having read too many perfectly-rhymed but emotionally-lacking verses, and from having to dissect others' work.  I'm not sure you can 'try' to write poetry.  I think it either flows or it doesn't.  You just have to go with it at first and you can use your wisdom and discernment to polish it afterward, if that is something you feel is important.  Personally, I like my poetry raw – but others, I know, appreciate polish.  Poetry is such a personal thing, in terms of both taste and expression, that I think the best way we can view it is with curiosity and wonder at the spirit of the poet who breathed their essence into the words.

Freya Watson: Author, lover, mother, mystic... I have feet in so many worlds but see all of them as sacred and I have long had a fascination with plumbing the depths of love, life and relationships – and with seeing women live from a place of true inner empowerment. My books are on Amazon and I'm a regular contributor on Elephant Journal. I live and write in the peace of the Irish countryside, where I share space and time with three energetic daughters and my partner, though I consider myself a citizen of the world. Connect with me via my Facebook page. 

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PLEASE CLICK "comments" BELOW TO SHARE A RESPONSE.

~If you are one of the poetesses from 'Journey of the Heart', and would like to appear in this blog, just click here to request an interview. We are excited to learn more about you!~

~If you write poetry and would like to share it on 'Journey of The Heart', click here for submission guidelines. And thank you for your interest!~