Today we introduce you to Canadian writer and photographer Tammy T. Stone: a mindful and compassionate explorer of the world and the psyche.
Poetry was one of
my earliest forms of writing, along with my very first, fledgling diaries!
When I a little girl, I became fascinated by how language was not just functional, but beautiful and flexible, and by the ways words were also sounds, and could be placed into combinations that had rhythm and were pleasing to the ear. Also, apparently, when I was a toddler, and my sister was just learning to speak, I was the only one who could understand her, so I’d translate her needs to my parents! I guess I’ve always been in love with words, and communication!
When I a little girl, I became fascinated by how language was not just functional, but beautiful and flexible, and by the ways words were also sounds, and could be placed into combinations that had rhythm and were pleasing to the ear. Also, apparently, when I was a toddler, and my sister was just learning to speak, I was the only one who could understand her, so I’d translate her needs to my parents! I guess I’ve always been in love with words, and communication!
My poetry used to
be expressions of the more difficult experiences and emotions I was dealing
with at any given time, but lately I’ve also been gravitating toward writing
about more ecstatic and exalting experiences, about the wondrousness of life
and my growing awareness of my place in it, which is an ongoing process.
I write about everything that
passes through my consciousness. It’s one of the key tools I use to understand
the world and my experience of it.
So, if I find there’s
something I’m not writing about, it’s a clue to me that there’s something going
on in my psyche I need to tend to and nurture more. Generally though, writing
about all forms of experience is something I embrace. Making some of the poetry
public is another story, though!
For inspiration I
draw from nature, nature, nature! Nature is where everything lies, where our
deepest, most sacred and most profound aspects find their mirror and
expression.
I love writing poetry in
nature, and I love how much the awe of being in nature seeps under the skin and
reignites the passions in so many guises when I cannot be there.
I’m a very
expressive person, but I often shy away from sharing my deepest traumas and
emotions. I’m often more comfortable listening and being there for others. I can
be very fearful when it comes to exposing myself and being vulnerable, even though
I so admire this quality and strength in others. More and more, I’m trying to
share the poems that I’m most scared to put out there in the world.
I love those
moments when you realize that you are not only writing poetry to express or
give outlet to your feelings, but to find those magic moments where you fall
into the zone, and the writing process is actually helping you awaken to the
discoveries of your inner being. What a joy that brings, to be able to
self-heal in this way!
Writing poetry is a beautiful
spiritual experience in every way!
For me, it’s a
sacred act of aligning my best self and best intentions with a deep desire to
find the words that will connect with others, so that we can exist in a shared
space of communion and hopeful understanding.
Writing poetry is
being totally open to revelation moving through the psyche, and my job is to
grab hold if it, and translate it to the best of my ability, and to learn from
the heart-opening event of sharing through the written word.
Writing poems has been deeply
healing for me. When I feel isolated from others and ultimately myself, I turn
to this sacred act of writing in order to deepen my connection to the universe.
This has made me
feel less alone, or has allowed me to dwell more mindfully in the space of
aloneness to see what’s going on there. I can’t imagine my life without writing
poetry!
Some of my favorite
poets are Allen Ginsberg (Howl), Jack Kerouac (Pomes all Sizes), Mary Oliver, Langston
Hughes, Robert Frost, Rilke, E. E. Cummings, Pablo Neruda, Maya Angelou.
Reading the poems of others
has a magical effect one me; one that is so hard to explain! As I read I feel
immensely privileged to have this access to someone’s most sacred self.
I feel like I’m
crossing the boundaries of space and time and cutting right into the eternal
space of the Heart in its infinite forms, and like I’ve been given the gift of
emerging from this space to see and experience the day-to-day world
differently. It’s so bright and beautiful!
I’ve been lucky
enough to have found an online community of writers, as I live in Japan and
have fewer opportunities right now to write or publish locally. Thanks to the
magic of the Internet, I’ve been able to both write (columns, poetry, and so
on), and to follow the brilliant writings of others, which led me to first
discover Journey of The Heart Poetry Project! I believe many synchronicities
led me to this amazing group of people.
I’ve been
publishing poems in newspapers and magazines, and also online for a number of
years, and I’ve recently published my first poetry collection.
I feel intensely lucky to have
found this gorgeous project, and to become a part of this community of writers
and poetesses, more so than I can express.
Sharing my poetry
on Journey of The Heart has been overwhelmingly bright and positive. There is
so much support from Catherine, our fearless and boundlessly creative guide,
who brings out so much in all of us, and also from my fellow poetesses. I feel
like I’ve found a home that is safe, and that provides such inspiration and
support. It makes me want to become a better writer each and every day.
It’s been such a
blessing to have the opportunity to become involved with the project both as a
writer and as collaborator in putting the book together, under Catherine’s
incredibly inspiring leadership. I’ve learned so much about the book-making
process, and as a newly published author of a poetry book, it has really
deepened my understanding of what it means to put your words into the world in
a mindful way. I’m just so profoundly grateful.
I would encourage anyone who
feels that poem brewing inside to give it a chance to come into being!
Lastly, in response
to how I would describe myself: I try to be a mindful and compassionate
explorer of the world and the psyche. In my ideal state, I am under a tree,
holding hands with and looking deeply into the eyes and heart of life. I love love
love the challenge of being human, of being a woman, of being here on Earth,
living this one small, but grand existence. For me, finding expression for this
love, and for Love in general, is a huge part of my life mission to be in this
world in a way that is of benefit to others, so that we can awaken to joy
together.
_________________
Tammy T.
Stone is a
Canadian writer, photographer and chronicler of life as it passes through us. A
wanderer at heart, she’s mesmerized by people, places and all of our wildest
dreams; the world is somehow so vast and so small. She feels incredibly lucky
to have been able to work, learn and live abroad, writing, photographing and wellness-practicing
along the way. She invites you to see her photography here and to connect with her on her writer’s page, Twitter and her blog, There’s No War in World,
here. Her first book, “Formation: Along the
Ganges and Back Again”, published by Prolific Press, is available here.
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~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!~
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