“The thing is to stalk your calling in certain skilled and supple ways, to locate the most tender and live spot, and plug into that pulse. (Annie Dilliard)
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. (Rumi, 13th c. Sufi mystic and poet)
”
Most of us have a sense (or did at one time) of what we are meant to do in the world, whether it is to be an artist or a scientist, a parent or a caretaker, a builder, teacher, or something else. Or perhaps it is more a way of living that involves more than our work. Part of our life's work is to discover our gifts and how best to bring them to the world. This exploration can happen at any life stage, whether you are a young adult, in midlife, or well into your later years.
To discover what this is, however, takes some reflection and self-knowledge. Along with guided writing (see more below), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a rich tool that can provide you with a well rounded picture of your temperament, including how you express yourself, take in information, make decisions, and relate to others. Once you complete the MBTI, the results can be used to help you learn about the kinds of environments and organ-izations you are likely to flourish in, and the types of work most likely to bring you fulfillment.
The MBTI can help you learn how to be more effective in your life, work, and relationships. It can help you to learn about yourself on many levels, including the following:
Your natural temperament and preferred way of being and expressing in the world.
The types of work that would allow you to express your particular gifts and interests.
The kinds of work settings that are compatible with your interests, values and personality.
What universal archetypes you identify with and what you feel called to at a soul level.
How you communicate with and relate to others you are in relationship with in your work and personal life.
How your way of communicating is effective and reveals potential areas for growth.
How you tend to respond to uncertainty and challenge, and how knowing your Type can help.
HOW IT WORKS - Upon request by phone or email, you will be set up to take the MBTI on your computer in the privacy of your own home or other setting, through the Many Rivers online MBTI account (not on this site). Arrangements can be made to take a paper version if you prefer that instead. After you complete the MBTI, we will make an appointment to go over your results in person if you are nearby, or by phone and internet if you are at a distance. To get started, please call or email using the information on the Contact page.
EXPLORING LIFE THROUGH POETRY
Some thoughts from Robert Frost. What is the truth that you keep coming back to?
For those who like to write, you may choose workshops or one-on-one sessions using chosen poems or other pieces of literature as tools for exploring life issues, transitions, and directions. Certain poems can be amazingly powerful for dropping into our unconscious and waking the sleeping parts of us that hold much wisdom. Participants will be guided into a poem's depths, where its images and language come alive for you. This can give you a deeper awareness of where you are in your life and where you'd like to go. These sessions can be provided in combination with, or separately from, the Myers-Briggs, and can be done individually or in groups.