Tina M Games Author of Journaling by the Moonlight

Today I have the great pleasure of being the host on Day 2 of the Virtual Blog Tour of author Tina M Games whose book Journaling by the Moonlight: A Mother’s Path to Self-Discovery (and its accompanying deck of 54 journaling prompt cards) is celebrating its 1st birthday on Amazon on Tuesday May 3, 2011.

Author Tina M Games is certified creativity and life purpose coach. She calls herself the “Moonlight Muse” for women who want to tap into the “full moon within” and claim their authentic self, both personally and professionally. Through her signature coaching programs, based on the phases of the moon, Tina gently guides women from darkness to light as they create an authentic vision filled with purpose, passion and creative expression.

Yesterday, Tina visited Kate Griffiths at http://mumsdaword.blogspot.com , where they talked about started to journal, advice on journaling discipline and from working to being a coach then writer.

Today, I’d like to share with you a recent interview I had with Tina when I got to ask her some questions on her love and understanding of the moon, intuition, revealing your inner truth and support systems. I hope you enjoy it.

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Tina M Games: Thank you, Glenn, for your interest in my book, Journaling by the Moonlight: A Mother’s Path to Self-Discovery and its accompanying deck of 54 journaling prompt cards.

I believe that mothers are a significant part of the “ripple effect” – that will transform the world into a more loving, more nurturing place. Imagine for a moment a “pebble thrown into a pond.” It creates a ripple that goes on and on and on.

When a mother is living life with complete authenticity, she’s subconsciously giving permission for her kids to do the same. She’s truly at her best – creating powerful change for her family, her community, and for the world at large. It’s all part of “the ripple.

Glenn M Smith: A pleasure to have you Tina. Tell us about Your love and understanding of the moon.

Tina M Games: My work with the moon phases came out of my own experience of connecting with the moon during a really dark period in my life. Shortly after the birth of my first child and after making some fairly significant life changes at the same time; I fell into depression. A place that felt so foreign to me and a place where I felt like I had fallen into a black hole with no way out. It was during this time, a period that spanned over two years that I had disconnected from everything that made me happy. Because my son suffered from chronic illnesses related to serious colds and severe ear infections, I made a very difficult choice to give up a successful career in order to care for my son full-time. I hadn’t realized until this experience how much of my identity was tied into my career. Without it, I felt very lost and very unhappy.

It was during this time that I fell back on a great passion of mine – journal writing. And as a mom of a baby who did not have a normal sleep schedule, I found myself exhausted and emotional much of the time. So night after night, after I’d get my son settled and after my husband went to bed, I’d grab my journal and retreat to my favorite chair – beside a big bay window where I caught a glimpse of the moon. It was the moon that taught me the meaning of transition. I’d watch this beautiful lunar goddess, night after night, move in and out of her various phases. And before long, I began to connect her phases with my own emotional tides.

I noticed that the moon always began in darkness and gradually, she’d move into full light – and cycle back around again. And I noticed the contrast between dark and light – the darkness of the night sky against the beautiful full moon light. I started connecting to this – as if I was being divinely guided through my own transitions of dark and light. I began to notice the ebbs and flows of my emotions. There were good days and bad days.

So when I came to the point of writing my book, I wanted mothers to realize that every human transition begins in darkness and gradually moves into light, where we get a glimpse of what is possible. And then we retreat, to ponder the many ways we can manifest these possibilities into reality. This requires deep work, where we step into our own truth and into our own power – and where we can emerge in the most authentic way possible. This is what I call the Blue Moon phase – when we finally realize that we are here on this Earth to be WHO we are, to put our personal thumbprint on the world in the most truthful, most authentic, most unique way possible. Each one of us are individuals being divinely guided on our own purposeful path.

Glenn M Smith: Can you speak on Intuition, its importance, benefits and impact?

Tina M Games: Intuition is our “divine channel of wisdom.” It always knows best. And when we listen to it, we can’t go wrong. It feeds a person’s soul with the right messages for him or her. It can guide one on the right path and in making the right decisions in the moment. And it can feed a mother (or a father) with the right messages for her (or his) children. And when we can be fully open to it, it always gives us the answers we need. When we doubt it, even in the smallest of ways, we can be thrown off track – sometimes in a very painful way.

In my case, I knew what was best for my son – and at the same time, I knew what was best for me. And I knew in a very pivotal moment of my life, that the two were not the same. But I didn’t fully listen to my intuition. I only listened to part of it. I let guilt take over.

Looking back at that very pivotal moment in my life, my intuition was screaming, “You can give your child what he needs and you can give yourself what you need. There are ways it can be done.” But guilt consumed me, and I gave in to what my son needed – and in a sense, I was telling myself, “You don’t matter.”

While my son’s needs were met, mine were not. And this resulted in depression.

My intuition said, “A happy mother makes the best mother.” But I allowed the voice of guilt to speak louder – and I paid the price.

When we’re in the midst of a decision of any kind, especially one that has the potential to change our lives in a big way, journal writing can help. We can ask ourselves the deep, thought-provoking questions and we can listen for the answers, allowing them to feed through us. We are all divinely guided – and when we are willing to ask the questions and when we are open to receiving the answers, we can travel a more purposeful, more authentic path.

Glenn M Smith: How does journal writing reveal our inner truth?

Tina M Games: Journal writing is an invitation to jump into the depth of your heart and soul. It’s a place where truth can be spoken without fear of judgment and without worry of being censored. It creates a very private, very sacred place where one can have an honest conversation with his or her subconscious (that deep inner knowing that we all have). It also provides the space where one can dialogue with his or her higher power, asking open-ended questions and waiting for thoughtful answers.

Neale Donald Walsh provides an excellent example of what can happen when one opens up to their higher source and makes a request for answers. In his book, Conversations with God, he engages in a dialogue with his divine power and asks, “Why is this happening to me?” And then he waits for the answers – and they eventually come. They pour through him and onto the pages of his journal. And it’s through his journal writing process that he becomes enlightened and finds a way to get his life back on track.

But it all begins with truth. Before we begin our search for answers, we must first be willing to tell the truth. We must be willing to speak from a place of honesty, which many times come from a place of pain.

Glenn M Smith: How important are support systems and how do we find them?

Tina M Games: Humans are tribal people. We need people – and we especially need people who understand us, who won’t judge us in a moment of truth. This is why support systems are so important.

Each and every one of us has the capacity to love others. And when we can do that without judgment, we are opening up channels that allow for a rich giving and receiving of love and support.

One of the most important things for a mother is having a strong support system. This can include a supportive husband, an extended family, babysitters, support groups, neighbors and friends. Mothers need people in their lives that they can trust, whether it’s a confidante or someone who can help out with the children in a moment’s notice. It also minimizes isolation, which can often lead to depression.

In my case, I had a very limited support system during a very difficult time in my life. I often wonder how things would have changed for me had I been able to tap into a stronger network of support. Just having an afternoon to myself to sort out how I was feeling, without the interruption of a crying baby, would have done wonders for my self-esteem.

True support systems are built one person at a time, beginning with someone we trust. It’s important that we honor the truth of our situation and allow another to support us in a way that truly helps us. This is what I call “connecting with your tribe.” No one understands a feeling or a situation any more than someone who has been through it – or who may still be going through it. These are the people who will know how to support you. These are the people who won’t judge you in your moment of pain. These are the members of your tribe – those who connect with you from a heart-centered place.

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I hope you enjoyed this interview with Tina M Games and that you’ll check out her book and card deck Journaling by the Moonlight: A Mother’s Path to Self-Discovery this month at http://moonlightmomscircle.com/book-launch/pages/pre-launch.html

Here’s why:

FREE 3-DAY PASS

When you visit the page at the link above and request a “launch reminder”, you will automatically receive a FREE pass to Tina’s 3-day “I’m a Mom… But Who Am I Really? Telesummit” with 11 creative writing moms and grandmothers speaking on how to use intuition, journaling and creativity to explore life purpose. You can listen to the telesummit online in the comfort of your own home, and even ask questions during the broadcast.

This telesummit is a completely free “no purchase necessary”
gift from Tina, to celebrate the 1st birthday of her book.

FREE GIFTS

When you buy Tina’s book or the card deck during its birthday celebration on Tuesday May 3, 2011, you can ALSO receive a complete library of beautiful personal development gifts from authors, speakers, coaches and other enlightened professionals from around the globe.

To claim your 3-Day Pass and read about the free gifts, go to: http://moonlightmomscircle.com/book-launch/pages/pre-launch.html

Thanks for reading! As usual, please feel free to share your comments and thoughts below. I love reading your feedback.

AND… be sure to follow Tina tomorrow when the next stop on the Virtual Blog Tour is Callie Carling who will be interviewing Tina on connection with moon phases, mothers guilt, intuition and using the deck for journaling writing. To visit that “stop” on the tour, go to http://www.positivitybubbles.com/2011/04/self-discovery-with-journaling-by-the-moonlight/.