Welcome to author and inspiration, Charlene Jones!!
My life as the title of my memoir suggests, has been as impossible as possible. Raped and tortured, global gypsy meeting heads of Tibetan Buddhism, initiations, silent retreats for as long as 3 months, death-defying journeys, publishing a few books, performer with the trio Uncritical Mass, double Masters, podcasting, psychotherapist in private practice for 23 years, meditation teacher and mother.
That last
is what I’m most proud of…
In my 7th
decade I take no pills, sleep half a circadian rhythm many nights and enjoy a
quiet life on a small lake with my partner of many years.
I
mentioned my current life a bit above. I meditate regularly, and with a group
on internet. We follow the Moon and meditate on New and Full Moon. Anyone may
join!
The
hardest part about Covid for me, as I know for so many of us, is not being to
hold my grandchildren, visit my son and daughter who live far away. But I am
grateful for FaceTime.
My life is
quiet, beside the lake watching the wildlife and lately my partner and I have
discovered the magic of the forests in York Region. I am so grateful for these
places of healing.
The most
difficult book I wrote was my memoir. This wasn’t for the obvious reason, that
some of the contents were difficult. I wrote the book over a period of 50
years, many times. And during that time I wrung the emotional content out of
the memories, through deep body work, dream work and meditation. So that wasn’t
the struggle.
The
struggle was in the structure of memoir, which remains unique. It is a form
unto itself and the best memoirs adhere to the structure. It took a few years
and a few memoir courses, notably with Sue Reynolds and with Linda Joy Myers of
National Association of Memoir Writers before I gained some control of the material.
For my
non-fiction works, Medicine Buddha Medicine Mind and Medicine Mind Medicine
Buddha I read Dr. Doidge’s The Brain That Changes Itself, and his The Brain’s
Way of Healing, along with The Tell Tale Brain by VS Ramachandran, Brain
Mapping by Rita Carter, Cure by Jo Marchand, The Master and His Emissary by
Iain McGilChrist and a few others.
Many
authors inspire me. When I think about how hard it is to not only write, but
then Indie publish and try to establish a place in the market, I am toppled by the
amount of dedication, perseverance and commitment Indie authors have to our
craft.
For
pleasure I read memoirs, most often from Indie writers. For four years my
weekly podcast was dedicated to interviewing Indie memoirists. I have just
shifted the focus of the podcast to Meditations for Life. These are short,
15-20 minute podcasts in which I meditate for 5 minutes, sometimes twice, and
talk a bit in between about meditation.
I have
taught meditation to beginners for about 35 years and the truth is we are all
always beginners.
Who
encouraged me to write? Cecilie Kwiat, my meditation teacher, sister of my
heart and person who is although she has passed on responsible for my still
being here at all—she kept me committed to poetry.
Many professors in university encouraged my writing, in
English courses and in others such as Logic.
Like many writers, I maintain the position of wobbling on
high heels in mud when it comes to believing in my writing.
Thanks for this opportunity Diane to sift through some thoughts and offer a few bits. I look forward to reading the works of others here.
Links to Social Media Pages
https://podcasts.soulsciences.net
www.facebook/charlene.jones.1042
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1691498.Charlene_Diane_Jones
https://www.linkedin.com/nhome/?trk=
twitter@charlenejones18
She fled horrendous suffering and stumbled into the arms of merciless men. Will she ever break free of her traumatic emotional prison?
Canada,
1968. Sixteen-year-old Charlene Jones was desperate to escape her family’s
relentless abuse. But when she ran away and hitched a ride in a brand new
Pontiac with two strangers, her situation went from unbearable to a living
nightmare. At the mercy of armed and violent escaped convicts, she endured
three days and nights of unspeakable assault and torture.
Guided
by dreams and angels, Charlene returned home scarred and spiraled into four
years of self-destruction… until a vision spurred her on a trip to India. But
her first step in a foreign land was only the beginning of a journey trotting
the globe to overcome a world of hurt.
Will
Charlene’s quest for healing help her find peace in her heart?
In
this powerful memoir that follows her travels through Mexico, Australia, New Zealand,
and Norway, Charlene shares an intimate narrative of her high-stakes adventures
searching for recovery through meditation, holistic strategies, and mystic
experiences. And for those tormented by personal tragedy, this brave woman’s
ability to finally face her memories and release their hold over her will give
hope that the human spirit can always triumph.
My
Impossible Life: Trauma, Travel & Transcendence is
an inspirational exploration of never giving up, no matter how hard. If you
like relatable people, luminous prose, and the intersection of Eastern and
Western thought, then you’ll love Charlene Jones’s moving revelation.
Buy My Impossible Life to shake off the chains of pain today: mybook.to/myimpossiblelife
Have you tried Mindfulness but find your brain does not stop?
Do
you long for a mind that defaults to quiet relaxation?
Ever
wonder what meditating with both sides of your brain is like?
Drawing
on over 30 years of teaching Visualization Meditation author Charlene
Jones, M.Ed/M.A weaves Western reason with Eastern faith. Her journey with
Visualization began in a Tibetan Temple in the north of India, Dehra Dun, where
she was initiated into the major vibrations of Tibetan iconography: visualized
pictures and whispered mantras. She was 20 years old. She has been teaching
this method of meditation for over 30 years to novices, experienced meditators,
lay people and other meditation teachers.
Through
easy to understand neuroscience Medicine Buddha Medicine Mind’s easy-to-read
self-help explains the measurable, quantifiable changes Visualization
Meditation practice brings to your brain.
You
will learn—
·
how physical and emotional pain can be reduced
or erased leaving you free to enjoy life
·
what Western Reason and Science say about
Eastern Visualization Meditation Practice
·
the mantra neuroscientists use to control
change in the brain's neural structure
·
the power of practice: what repetition
does to promote the brain with new and vital ways to behave
·
why your ability to read and conjure inner
worlds is the secret way you are already Visualizing!
If you believe in combining Western Reason with Eastern Faith, if you enjoy knowing the science behind how meditation works, you’ll love Medicine Buddha Medicine Mind.
Begin
meditating with both sides of your brain. Buy Medicine Buddha Medicine Mind
now!
To buy: mybook.to/medicinebuddhamind
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