I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!  It's been a busy week here full of wonderful distractions and inspiration...here are your prompts, ripe with reflection, a little history and plenty of imagination!
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Teinei
 
Words hold meaning.
Some words hold whole patterns of thought and philosophy.
Some foreign words hold a sensation or capture an idea or emotion in a way other languages cannot.
 
This little book is full of such words, Japanese words that express this mindful magic as only Japanese can.
Teinei - courtesy expressed through attentiveness.
 
What does attentiveness look and sound like for you?
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A recipe for everything!
 
So much fun in this book!
Simply follow the recipe on page 213-214…(above)
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Of course, in Australia the seasons are the opposite!
Check out this little book, 'Sunwyse' for a down-under comparison and here is a little reading to get you started.
What are you celebrating?

Monday afternoon…leisurely sipping cups of tea and enjoying a few chapters of a steampunky adventure. 
I started downloading my next audio book, discovering sometime later, that my internet connection is flashing red instead of green. 
​So far the usual remedies haven’t worked, so I am off line for the evening and find myself slightly frustrated and wondering (though I kind of know really because I was there), what did we do before we became ensnared in the world wide web?  Do you remember life pre-internet?  Tell me about it.  In the meantime, I’ll be waiting till tomorrow to send our weekly prompts out there!
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In the book Write Every day by Harriet Griffey,
a Tanka is described as a short poem of five lines and a rhythm of (usually) 5, 7, 5, 7, 7 beats.
 
In the book, Rip the past Adventures in Creative Writing by Karen Benke,
 
One way to write a Tanka is: 
 
1. name an object from nature
2. choose three words that describe your object
3. What does your object do? Or how does your object move?
4. Where is your object in time and space? Be as specific as you can
5. What do you have that your object doesn’t have?
No___________, no______________, no___________________
 
 
Here is our classroom group effort
 
Stars
Light yellow bright
Twinkling eyes in the sky
Millions of night guardians
No sadness no anger no worries
 

Juxtaposition
 
Formulas are an amusing way of getting started with something.  A little like a recipe, follow the steps, then wait and see the results!  I really loved this one from Rip the past Adventures in Creative Writing by Karen Benke
 
Take a piece of paper and fold it in half lengthwise.
With the crease on your right:
 
Write down ten words you like.
Add a descriptive word in front of each word, if you like.
 
Flip the paper over (don’t unfold it) so the crease is on the left.
 
Write down the month or season you were born.
Write down a day of the week.
Write down ‘the past’, ‘the present’ or ‘the future’.
Write down a favourite colour.
Write down ‘my heart’.
Write down ‘my imagination’.
Write down a feeling state (joy, sadness, amazement)
Write down a type of weather (mid-week rain, smooth sunshine)
Write down a small sound (tiny whispers, puppy snores, grunts…)
Write down a favourite food.
 
Unfold the paper and write ‘Poetry is’ at the top (or ‘My imagination is’, ‘Inside my heart is’, ‘My life is’, ‘Creativity is’…), then combine your list from either side of the page with the word ‘of’ sitting between each column.  Mix and match from each side of the page until you find an example of juxtaposition-putting two unlike things together (side by side) to wake up your ears and make your mouth smile.
 
 
Poetry is…
 
Autumn Sundays,
twinkling stars,
the present moment
and my wine red heart.
Poetry is restless leaves,
my imagination painting
a tempest of awe and wonder.
Poetry is hopeful murmuring,
intuition and universal symbols.
Poetry is moist petrichor
and weightless olives.
Poetry is being.

The way of tea
 
After a long day or a trying moment…nothing like a cup of tea to find your zen space. There are more quotes and musings about tea than we could count, not to mention the art of the tea ceremony!
Use your free writing to share favourite tea quotes and to describe your tea ceremony and why not throw in a tea drinking photo too!



https://www.urasenkesydney.org.au/
 

I love opportunities to learn and practice my tarot skills, so when I saw this little challenge by @newagehipster333 on Instagram, the timing was right on.
I am intrigued by universal symbolism, which is why tarot appeals to me so much. Your task is to find and share a tarot image that speaks to you and let it inspire some written wanderings.
If you fancy, join the challenge too!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFaUWpYHuh_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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Despite the business of school holidays, stillness is something I ponder about regularly. I daydream (usually when I'm driving to work!), about wandering in the bush or sitting under a tree, being still and observing everything around me.
Strangely enough, when the opportunity arises to do just that, I feel restless, as if I should be doing something...seems I'm very good at being still and doing nothing in particular at home where there is always a to-do list!

This lovely library book jumped out at me, (as they do!), I've barely skimmed the pages and have already found much wisdom.

So now for a little meditation on stillness.
What does stillness mean for you? How do you achieve it?
Where is your still space or place?