Memoir Writing

Hi Radiant Ladies, Join us for a refreshing Saturday walk at Ruffey Lake Park. 👭 Walk at your own pace 🐕 Dogs welcome ☕ Coffee after 🌦️ We walk every Saturday (unless it’s pouring) New ladies welcome. See you! 



Leanne & Lyn 💕

Join us Sat 13 June 9am at James Cook Family and Community Centre in Endeavour Hills VIC 3802 (55-63 James Cook Drive) for a heart-opening cacao ceremony and sound healing with Sharlene (Ig: @transit.souls). We kindly request a $10/person contribution to go towards venue hire (cash or payID on the day). Please bring a mat to sit or lie on for the session, a blanket/eye mask if you wish to get cozy, and your favourite mug for cacao. If you are unable to consume cacao, you’re welcome to still join in or bring your own alternative drink. No experience is necessary. Everyone is welcomed. If you’re looking for a friendly spiritual group for community support or to explore meditation and consciousness, we are here for you!

Our monthly Northern social is held at Moon Dog World in Preston. Moon Dog World is a brewery, restaurant and bar with a lagoon, waterfall, hidden tiki bar and much more! Atmosphere is on the family restaurant side (dogs and kids a plenty!) but still a fun tropical style environment. Food is better than standard pub fare with exotic flavours and generous serves. Fun for pretty much everyone, so come along and enjoy it with us. Do you live in the Northern or perhaps even the Western suburbs and are interested in catching-up with like minded people? Come along for dinner and meet some friendly people. Our group is informal and open to all. We pay for own food and drinks individually and there is no charge for the organisation of the events. It is a great opportunity to meet others with an emphasis on fun and supporting each other. So whether you choose to come at the start for dinner or later on for drinks, we hope to see you. If something comes up and you can no longer make it, then you can easy change your RSVP to not going. I am looking forward to catching up with those who can make it, Chris

Monthly gaming meetup in the Eastern Suburbs, now at a new venue! Lots of games to choose from or bring your own! $3 in or free for Melbourne Meeples members!

Keen for a coastal adventure with a splash of bushland magic? This out and back walk kicks off at Oliver's Hill lookout where you’ll be treated to sweeping views across Port Phillip Bay before we head down and link into the peaceful trails of Sweetwater Creek Nature Reserve. The track is a great mix of coastal paths and shaded bushland, with plenty of birdlife, the sound of flowing water, and a few cheeky little inclines to get the heart rate up. It’s the kind of walk where you can chat, take in the scenery, and still feel like you’ve had a solid hit-out. LUNCH Le Feu Frankston Vietnamese & Pan-Asian cuisine Catering for Gluten Free, vegetarian & low FODMAP **GROUP CARPOOL** Car pooling is a great for people without a car and a great way to make friends & help the environment. Use the link below if you are looking for or can offer a lift. [https://groupcarpool.com/t/c3tkzw](https://groupcarpool.com/t/c3tkzw) **START TIME:** 9.30am Plans change, but please keep your RSVP up to date. Aim to arrive 10minutes before the start time & if you are running late or have any questions please text me on 0415802146 **BE PREPARED** 1. Arrange your transport. 2. Check the weather forecast. 3. Wear comfortable hiking shoes/boots 4. Have your sunscreen handy. 5. Bring water, food, snacks for the walk.

Your ability to work and live with others is crucial to your survival. To survive well one needs ability. Today meetup topic: Creating and Improving Ability And if you think you already have all the ability one needs to survive well then it is important for you to learn how to KEEP IT FROM GOING AWAY. Attend our Free Meetup! Definition for Ability: One's power to observe, to make decisions and to act. A man is as free, as well-off, as he is able. A family is as happy as it has ability. A business is as well-off as it has able people in it. A country is as well-off as it has able workers, foremen and executives. At today's meetup learn what constitutes ability and more importantly how to develop and improve it so that it does not go away. Fact's are that one's ability is never the same. It either goes up or it will go down. Your natural as well as learned abilities are constantly subject to many of life's pressures. One can therefore simply not rest on one's laurels regarding your current abilities and simply assume they will always be available for use. The time to protect and enhance ability is when you are still able. Any loss of ability will result in less confidence followed by problems resulting in unhappiness. This is called the dwindling spiral. Not just for you, it will impact all others you associate with as well. Today's topic applies to all aspects of life but will focus on how your abilities or lack of abilities or a sudden or gradual lowering of ability relates to work and family life. On your arrival you will be asked to complete a Oxford Personality Test. From this you will learn what ability it is that needs attention and improving. Whilst at our meetup you will also learn about some of the different technologies are that you find here which actively create, protect or enhance ability in key areas of life. The world cries out for better people (More Able People) that will lead happier life's with better better jobs, stronger families as well as community and businesses groups. Get The Know-How for life, attend our meetup or ask me for a time that is better suited to your schedule.

We are moving to a new platform and will be only running the new platform in 2025. please signup here: [https://www.downtomeet.com/Melbourne-Writers](https://www.downtomeet.com/Melbourne-Writers) This is the time to write whatever it is you want to write. \-\-\-\-\-\> IMPORTANT <\-\-\-\-\-\-\- We ask for the Nook which is to your left as you go in, but it is not always available. Ask for the table under "Mat Clarke". Sometimes we do not have an official host, so please say hi to people as they arrive and make everyone feel welcome. Thanks. No limitations. Come along and bring your laptop or pen and paper and work on whatever you want. There are no rules :) You can write. You can chat and write. You can share your work. Or not share your work. (If you need silence to concentrate then headphones are a good idea considering it is in a cafe/bar.) Coffee, hot chocolate, etc., available to buy. Also food and drink. Please buy something to show our thanks for the space they give us free of charge. There are some people that will want to chat, but most will be writing. So bear that in mind. See you there :) \-\-\-\-\-\-Please only RSVP if you can make it\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \-\-\-\-\-\-Un\-RSVP if you need to cancel\-\-\-\-\-\-\- We're booking the area, so we will need you to turn up if you say you are coming. Thanks. Thank you, Melbourne Writers. Great Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelbWriters Website: www.worldwriterscollective.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelbCityWriters Blog: http://melbournewriters.wordpress.com **Help us by adding to these social pages and site**

Spiritual bypassing is when your practice becomes a way of avoiding what it was meant to meet. It creates a gap between the awakening that was promised and the life that's still here. The tricky part is that it's difficult to spot. The practice still looks spiritual on the surface. You meditate. You speak about awareness and surrender. Yet the same fear, restlessness and loneliness remain untouched. **What You'll Discover:** In this talk you'll discover what spiritual bypassing actually is, how it hides inside long-term practice, and how to tell the difference between spirituality that integrates and spirituality that avoids. **Schedule** * Talk by Rajiv followed by open Q&A * Guided Meditation * Spiritual networking. Make friends with others on the spiritual path **About Rajiv** Rajiv dedicated years of his life seeking enlightenment. His pursuit for truth, reality, emptiness and self-discovery took him through the profound depths of mysticism. He meditated 14 hours a day, stayed with monks, lived in the Himalayan caves, learned from wise sages and researched every major spiritual system, including Zen, Non-Duality, Yoga, Buddhism etc. Then one momentous morning in 2005, he experienced his first shift into higher states of consciousness, an inner spiritual awakening. This was followed by days of infinite ecstasy and bliss. Finally, the years of seeking culminated and he realised his own true nature. He now shares his deep insights to help seekers progress on the path of awakening & meditation. His approach is secular, based on personal experience. You can read about his spiritual journey here — [https://innerspiritualawakening.com/rajiv-agarwal/my-journey/](https://innerspiritualawakening.com/rajiv-agarwal/my-journey/) **Venue** Kathleen Syme Library 251 Faraday Street, Carlton, VIC We will be in Multipurpose Room 1. We may take some photos to capture the moment. If you prefer not to be photographed, please let the organiser know at any time. This event is free and open to all adult seekers (18+). For inquiries please email Manpreet — [mysteriousmk@yahoo.com](mailto:mysteriousmk@yahoo.com)

**Heide Museum of Modern Art & Gardens** Our Sunday Walk this week takes us back to the beautiful Heide Sculpture Gardens and Park on the banks of the Yarra River. An integral part of Heide is its Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the grounds featuring outdoor sculptures. With a long history as an artist's retreat and landscape gardens, Heide is a special place for a Sunday Walk. **Start**: Meet at Heide main entrance, off Templestowe Road, Bulleen. We'll meet at the large sculpture display outside the Gallery Shop at the entrance to MoMA. (see main picture here). Note the slightly later Start Time: **9.15 AM** **Parking:** Turn off Templestowe Rd and head for the Lower Carpark (follow signs). If this carpark is full, drive past and follow the road to Banksia Park where there's plenty of extra space, then walk back to the Kitchen. **The Walk**: We'll walk the gardens and parkland of the adjacent Banksia Park before heading back to the Kitchen Cafe for brunch. It's a slightly shorter walk than our usual (about 4 Km) but includes some hilly sections. **Toilets**: Throughout the Park and at the Kitchen area. **Coffee**: At the Heide Kitchen Cafe, where we can also enjoy brunch if you wish.

Few filmmakers map the fault lines of modern Japanese society with the quiet menace of Kiyoshi Kurosawa. This month we’re discussing two films from across his career that, taken together, reveal the full range of his singular vision — from the cold dread of psychological horror to the slow-burn devastation of domestic realism. Cure follows a detective investigating a series of murders whose perpetrators confess yet seem to have no clear motive. A labyrinthine game of cat and mouse develops with an enigmatic amnesiac who may be evil incarnate, as the film descends into hushed, hypnotic dread — a hallucinatory journey into the darkest recesses of the human mind. At its core, Cure diagnoses Japan’s polite respectability as a breeding ground for nihilistic violence, exposing repressed rage beneath compliance. Tokyo Sonata ventures outside the paranormal zone — a visually lyrical examination of a Japanese nuclear family in meltdown, under pressures both external (the downsizing of Japan’s middle-income workforce) and internal (failing codes of masculinity). It contains no supernatural elements, no ghosts or killers — yet it may be the most terrifying film Kurosawa has ever made, because it is about us: a world without mercy, where everyone is reduced to performing the role expected of them. Both films ask the same question through very different means: what happens when the structures we build our lives around — order, identity, the family, the self — begin to crack? Please watch both films before attending. Come ready to discuss.

Have you ever felt like you would like to laugh more, make others laugh or that life feels too serious ? Then this workshop is for you! Life can weigh us down, yet Harvard Business Review has cited that humor is a key factor in maintaining emotional resilience through these ups and downs. The Benefits of Being funny: There are many benefits of being funny. 1. It creates a positive vibe at gatherings and in relationships, breaks the ice, creates connection, can open conversations, excellent for flirting and dating and building attraction, and FEELS GOOD for all involved! AND can be used to diffuse conflicts. Oh shit i forgot to number the points after number one, oh well , im sure you get it1 But HOW do you do it? well that's what i'm going to teach you silly! Along my journey of personal development i stumbled across the gift of humor within myself and stared performing at open mics, and just making people around me feel happier and more at ease. I also did several comedy improv workshops and shows. So I thought I would break down how I did it and teach you lot! So in this workshop i will teach you the nuts and bolts of what makes something funny and then we will do some practice exercises so you can see your true humorous self emerge, trigger warning - prepare for big belly laughs. After feedback from the last workshop there will be more practical exercises to practice being funny. There are 10 spots funded my Neurospicy meetup.

We'll meet at The Capital One Café, 167 Easton Town Center, Space A-103. This is in the main mall where the Microsoft store used to be, on your left if you're standing at the bottom of the AMC Theater escalator. Join us on Saturday for an hour of uninterrupted wordmaking! • What we'll do Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 10AM on Saturday mornings. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. SCHEDULE: 10:00 - SESSION 1: quick intros. 10:10 - timer starts: write for 1 hour. 11:10 - chat / take off / keep writing. OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 11A-11:30ish. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled, then check-in with me after the session. (I’ll be the person with the Shut Up & Write! sign.) If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing and I look forward to seeing you! • What to bring Whatever you need to be able to write! Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block noise or the occasional conversation by other patrons. Electrical outlets are limited, so charge your devices before whenever possible. See you at The Café on Saturday!

Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 7:00pm on Wednesday, February 11 at Streetlight Guild. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. **SCHEDULE:** 6:45ish - Quick introductions 7:00 - Timer starts: write for 1 hour 8:00 - The End **OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING** happens before and after the writing hour. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. **BEING LATE IS OKAY:** just show up and get settled! If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing & I look forward to seeing you at Streetlight Guild! **WHAT SHOULD I BRING?** Whatever you need to be able to write! You're welcome to bring earplugs/headphones if noise will bother you! **OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS:** * **RSVP:** Please RSVP by 6:00pm the evening of the meeting. This helps me know how many to expect, and if we'll need additional space! * **COVID:** While masks are not required, please be mindful of the other writers around you and their comfort levels. * **WIFI/OUTLETS:** Outlets are limited, so please ensure your devices are charged when you come! But Streetlight Guild does have free WiFi! Yay! * **PARKING:** There is free public parking at Streetlight Guild.

Greetings writers! Come down and join your fellow wordsmiths for one hour of uninterrupted writing time in the upper level of the Market District Supermarket in Upper Arlington. The main entrance of the shopping center opens onto stairs/elevator leading up to the 2nd floor cafe section where we will have a table displaying a sign with the Shut Up & Write logo. Writing is largely a solitary craft. Practicing with others in a community setting may be the thing you need to fire your own routine. We’ll meet on Wednesday evenings, starting the clock at 6:30, following a brief period of introductions. This is solid writing time and all inclusive. Any project is acceptable, be it fiction, non -fiction, work or homework assignment. All is welcome and will remain private to you. The market boasts a Starbucks, a full service bar and various affordable food options. Parking is plentiful, free Wifi is provided as well as outlets for charging your devices, though they are somewhat limited, so plan accordingly. Show up as early as you like, or stay late. This group tends to socialize some, both before and after the alloted time, but this is not mandatory to you. Feel free to come and go as you please and late arrivals are welcome. The cafe may be noisy on occasion so headphones/ earbuds are reccommended as you see fit. Please try to RSVP if possible so that we may grab enough seats for all—the venue can be busy at times. Feel free to message me privately wth any questions and/ or concerns you may have. Happy writing!

The topic for June is "Roadtrip" Speak Easy: true stories, told live. The idea is simple: an audience, an open microphone, and great stories. Hilarious, gripping, poignant- it's up to you. Audiences are invited to come to listen or come to tell as folks from all corners of Columbus offer their stories live on stage! Held at Wild Goose Creative's warm, intimate space, this night of tales occurs on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Doors open at 6:30 pm, show starts at 7:00 pm. Please arrive early if you want to tell, as we generally only have room for a limited number of tellers, and the sign-up sheet has a tendency to fill up fast. Formed around the idea that people need stories--they're what hold and draw us together--SpeakEasy celebrates the strangeness and commonness of being human. And in a world of smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, and more . . . it gives people a real, breathing, in-person way to connect. The night is geared for true stories of all kinds, taking the best tales told around kitchen tables, in darkened pubs, on the street corner, and at late-night parties and giving them an audience. Speak Easy is also a great outlet for performers, writers, and artists looking to share their favorite stories and perfect their skills. We strongly encourage tellers to please tell the story rather than read it so we keep within the spirit of good storytelling and stay engaged with the audience. All are welcome. Hang around after the show for a drink and build community!