“It is not the Woman who keeps score of accomplishments that matters; nor the one who points a finger on another’s flaws. It is not title, achievement or appearance that measure true potential. These are merely distractions, which fracture like shards of glass in the mirror of ones true worthiness.
Distinction, grace, and authentic beauty, belong instead to the woman who can quietly witness herself and others, with an open, tender and compassionate heart. Whose curiosity and willingness beckon her toward ever becoming; superseding any grand illusions of success. No matter what circumstance has dealt her she gently examines herself with honesty, integrity, and acceptance; until, leaning into the outstretched arms of a deepening wisdom- she is revealed. It is then, that with profound joy, she can accurately see the true reflection of her own breathtaking divinity.”
– Monica Rodgers, The Revelation Project
Tag Archives: Monica Rodgers
Wild and Precious FYI
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver
Have I done a wild and precious life?
Yes, I am thinking i have, especially as I sit here in my robe and combat boots (with shearling lining- really, they’re like slippers!), and a cowlick in my bangs- what could be more precious and wild?
I was reading my morning blogs at O’ dark hundred thinking along the same lines really, like, “wow, life is amazing”.
I have not written my book yet, or starred in my own short animated film, done a duet with Molly Shannon on SNL, or earned hundreds and thousands of dollars, had intimate conversation with Ira Glass from This American Life, or sat in an interview with Katie Couric whilst seated on Bradley Cooper’s lap, yet, but I can say I’ve lived a wild and precious life so far… yes.
and, I want more, so what I plan to do, is fail more.
When I look at my life I realize that it’s ripe with failure… yay! God it took me so so long to be able to embrace this, and to realize that; the way to gain is to lose.
Daring to fail = daring to succeed, you can’t have one without the other.
In order for life to be wild and precious it must be vital, daring, and on-purpose.
In order to live more, I have to die more…
It’s the exposure to life’s polarizing moments that unite us.
It’s by losing yourself, that you can find your way back.
It’s by giving of yourself that you will gain.
Huh?
I know.. it’s crazy really… apparently the meaning of life just plopped itself on my un-showered lap and cuddled in for a morning snuggle, and you, my TRP sister (or friend), are the beneficiary of this “wild and precious” fyi this morning.
Lucky. You.
It’s Not About The Photographs and It’s Not About You.
Well, ok- It is, and it’s not.
Lately I’ve had many women call wanting to be part of the project ( We are now taking submissions!) and focusing on the images as part of our initial conversation so I thought I’d address the photos in this post about how we use them as a tool to access a deeper experience.
TRP has discovered that one way for a woman to get “related” to herself is to be photographed in this way. There is some preparation for the experience and then the session. The woman in the photographs others see on our site have been through our unique workshop experience which is essential to her shoot.
Once the photo process is over – the work has only JUST begun! What happens before, during, and especially after the experience is very REVEALING to her- about herself, her community, and her life. We want her to pay attention and document some of these discoveries. She is asked to participate in an interview, and then she is asked to continue to engage with us over the course of her year.
Toward the end of 2012 we had a gathering of many of the women who have participated in the project to date and we had a chance to go around the room and hear about how the project has impacted each of them individually. The impact that it’s had on them was moving, inspiring, and mind blowing.
So why is this post entitled “It’s not about the photographs and it’s not about you? “
Well-
What we’ve learned is that the photography piece is just a tool to help women get INside herself. Once she is IN, she gets WAY IN until she’s kind of turned inside out ( but in a great way!) At some point the revelations you have about yourself extend outward, which build your community, create a new community, shed insight on how you impact your life, those you love, and the world, and transform your need to “get more” into a desire to “give more” with an increased capacity for authenticity, depth, and a love stronger than you have ever had before.
How does that sound?
YOU
IMPACT LIFE
In a
HUGE WAY
and whether you know it or not
YOUR JOURNEY is precious, unique, and utterly remarkable.
Your JOURNEY
has the power to impact, shift, and positively transform others.
We are just the conduit to helping you get the more out of your experience here ;)
The cost to do the project is $750.00 and includes a years worth of interaction, photographs, a workshop, and much much more.
Price is not the issue. We can work with anyone who wants to do it. We can make it happen and even help coach you raise the funds. We have a payment plan, and lots of payment options so if this speaks to you in any way… just call and sign up!
TRP is now open for 2013 reservations and requires an intro interview (just email us rodgers107@me.com to receive one) and an initial deposit of $200.00
We can’t wait to begin our magnificent new year with you!!!
Revelation: TEAM
As many of you know, the TRP team met in Kennebunk Maine to have our own retreat this past summer.
Our intention was to hold a retreat for up to twelve women, but the timing seemed to be off for many, and so we cancelled but decided to use the opportunity to fine tune, define, expand, and explore who we are as a team and how we collectively envision the future of The Revelation Project. More or equally important was our willingness to allow the project to reveal itself… the system, the heartbeat, the innards of a project that seems to positively touch the lives of so many. How does IT want us to proceed?
The three days we spent together was epic, and it felt as if all stars were aligned for us to accomplish what we set out to do. With Andrea leading our discovery process- we each embarked individually and together, on a journey into the heart of TRP.
One of the beautiful things about this project is the way it works. It is a mirror unto itself, and each one who touches it, or feels called to it realizes at some point that the project reflects always what is in it’s presence. Let me try to explain ….
As a team we must all face our own bullshit- every step of the way. We must all realize that if we are to hold space for other women to “reveal” themselves that we must be willing to be transparent as well. Some people don’t always get along, and this is the same for all people, everywhere. Our team is no exception. We challenge each other to grow and we stretch each other to seek understanding. We rub each other the wrong way at times, reflect each other, and even scare each other at times. Although we laughed till our bellies hurt, and had a rocking time out to eat and on the town we also worked hard on our inner selves. Sometimes hard work on the inside can make you cry, and there was some of that too. There were moments of vulnerability, passion, anger, fear, and confusion. The only request Andrea made was that regardless of what came up, that all of us were to STAY.
What does it mean to STAY? Well, I for one have been known to hit my wall…. my limit, my “done!” place. When I’m scared or my ego is in the way I might walk out on you and wash my hands of all of it. I might make it feed my story about how “people suck”,” you can’t have business and friendship- it’s one or the other”, or how about my story about how “people don’t get me, especially women!”
When the going gets tough- people leave, abandon, retreat, retaliate. It’s called being triggered.
When you have four women in agreement to STAY no matter how triggered they are, powerful things can happen on the other side. Actually miracles can happen. The places that once divided now unites. As our deepest fears become revealed we realize we are not alone. When we feel safe to be ourselves a profound love shows up to hold us in the others affection and reflection. The intimacy really means= IN TO ME SEE.
Yes, my team see’s me, exactly as I am and exactly as I am not. At any given moment they hold the space for me to seek, explore, express, grow, transform. If one of us is feeling threatened, then we get to the heart of it, and get it on the table. We wrestle with it , and we stay.
One of the discoveries we made on that weekend was that in order to really “grow” the project and understand and get in touch with it from a new perspective we should all go through it again ourselves.
As team, each one of us will go through the project from beginning to end again so that we can deepen the wisdom of it’s teachings. In order to bring the love and the acceptance and the surrender forth for other women, we must first experience it. It’s also not a one time deal. I did the project the first time when we began almost 20 months ago…. and it’s changed and grown and expanded so much that I realize we all needed to allow ourselves to be ravished by it’s powerful lens once again so that we might explore the places in ourselves that might still be hiding out. Maybe they will be exposed this time, and maybe not… but won’t it be interesting to look?
My Revelation Project is this Friday. I’m nervous and excited all at once! I just filled out my pre-shoot questionnaire and they asked me all kinds of questions I’d never answered for myself! I was also asked to share a photo of myself as a girl. These are the one’s I chose:
I might have been Three or Four….
I’m wrestling as this Friday quickly approaches with trying to give up control and trying to love the cellulite on the back of my arms and the age spots on my face that were not there the first time around! Each time I let go I feel the trust in my team and in the project’s design to capture what it will, and to surrender to how ever it turns out. They will be journeying with me, and as I reveal the sides of me that might show themselves, they will witness me …. be there for me. STAY with me… no matter what.
It’s been an amazing journey, and I am so so proud and honored to be a part of this work with these amazing women, and all of the women who surround us and explore this conversation with us:
Who are we, and what happens when we are given permission to be fully self expressed in a safe space and have it documented?
Wow. Can’t wait! Yikes!
You Can’t Un-Ring A Bell
Written Collaboratively By Kim Fuller and Monica Rodgers
The editorial process of The Revelation Project is so fascinating… we see so many sides of each participant as she is “revealed” throughout the shoot.
As beings -we have so many aspects of our personality: our expressions, our physical structures the nuances in how we carry ourselves. Each one of us is totally unique…
In some photographs toward the beginning we are first shown that expression she has “programmed” - that forward face we all have on auto-pilot that we show to the world; our neighbors, friends, teachers, – our “everyday look.”
As the shoot progresses and space and time unfold we start to see the honesty of her spirit come through.. a pure laugh that comes bubbling to the surface…maybe she’s feeling the joy of the moment… we see the fleeting expressions…another might be: “ oh crap, what am I doing here right now?!” (that one is pretty common!)
Then as the “unfolding” continues the grace of her inner beauty comes quietly; and we are present to the serene look that comes when she finds that quiet place within her soul and she allows herself to be present… show up- exactly how she is. This is the part of the shoot and the process that is most magical.. she begins to allow whatever comes next.. and next… and next… until she no longer hesitates in her movements, her expressions, her freedom.
The tight bud blooms into the flower – open in all of it’s glory as if its high season has finally arrived. Our team who has waited patiently as the process unfolds is there as witness. You can’t un-ring a bell.
As we review each image taken we get to relive her “birth” selecting a variety of women she houses inside herself. The layers she allowed to surface that day… some she may have never known existed. This process makes us realize how complex and multifaceted each of us is, and that the “ego” or self image we carry can be quite confining until it’s isolated, identified, and documented. In this process we are free of it… if only temporarily. The true and beautiful self we each posses lies in wait…. ready to be documented as well.. until, with full permission, her essence is revealed, and miraculously – once achieved – can be accessed and available as a “new possibility” of being in the world forever more.
***Girlfriend Special Offer for Camp TRP This Summer = ROAD TRIP!!!!!****
TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!
(PLEASE NOTE: NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH THE REVELATION PROJECT is required to sign up!)
By the end… you’ll all be friends for life!
For the next two weeks we have added a very special offer to our summer retreat in Kennebunk Maine August 16th- 19th 2012.
Bring your girlfriend, sign up by July 14th and get a two for one discount making for the most fun, affordable, and transformational weekend to remember for the rest of your lives!
Single Option Price: $995.00
Two for one option price: $497.50 each!!!
If you would like this special deal- please email me at rodgers107@me.com or call 401-588-4388 to book your spot today!
Any of you who have already signed up can also take advantage of this offer… simply find a friend who wants to have an amazing “retreat experience!”
Itinerary:
THURSDAY
- Arrive August 16th for 3:00 pm ( Kennebunk Maine is about a 2.5- 3 hour drive from Rhode Island)
- Get settled in, meet the crew with a welcome dinner!
- One woman show/ performance given by Andrea Willets called SORRY NO MORE!
Sorry no more! Description:
Meet your apology personality type at the “Sorry, NO MORE!” Show. an interactive one woman show with Andrea WIllets. Is she Polly People Pleaser, Sadie SPANX, Life Boat Lucy, Controlicious, or maybe you will relate to more than one.
It’s time to wake up your Wild Woman. She lives at the core of our being, and holds the wisdom of self worth, fierce love, courage and vulnerability. Vulnerability is the most exquisite part of the human condition. This raw, soul-filled place of self expression, feeds the capacity for deeper connection (intimacy) in ourselves and our relationships. WILD WOMAN lives with full permission. She does not need to edit anything about her SELF and celebrates the whole! This part of us knows when an apology is needed and when it is not!
We laugh and cry, stories are shared, and suddenly we are not alone, we are a sisterhood that helps each other to stop over apologizing.
FRIDAY
- AM meditation, Yoga, Or walk along the beach
- AM workshop with Rachel Balaban and Kim Fuller
- LUNCH!!!
- Afternoon Workshops
- Clambake Dinner ;)!
SATURDAY
- AM mediation, Yoga, Exercise
- AM Workshop
- Lunch
- Afternoon Excursion Day! (Kayaking, Shopping, Exploring, Sightseeing)
- Great Goddess Supper (Bring your most elegant attire, dress like a goddess! This would be the time for feather boa’s, tiara’s and any garb you never get the opportunity to wear in real life!)
SUNDAY
- Farewell Breakfast
- Farewell Mediation
- Departure by Noon
Price includes all meals, lodging, and workshop materials!
Additional information about workshops:
As women and as human beings it can be helpful to reflect on embracing impermanence, imperfections and the idea that we are all incomplete. As individuals we are works in progress, and reflecting on our own unique gifts and discovering our own unique purpose can be an amazing, inspiring and deeply satisfying experience. Rachel and Kim use meditation, movement and the expressive arts to help their guests awaken to their bodies, minds and emotions. Each participant will be guided in the practice of living in the moment and using nature as a source of inspiration and creativity to discover their deeper selves.
Again: Please email me at rodgers107@me.com to reserve your spot today! and please “like” us on Facebook
Phone: 401-588-4388
TRP and the Discovery of ME. Summer Camp for Women 2012
When we step outside our known place, that cozy place inside ourselves – are we really as alone and exposed as we think we are? Do dangers really lurk in the dark corners where discovery beckons us? Are there truly monsters in our closet? under our bed? or like frightened children who dare not leave that sqeaking frame to pee lest they wake the beast beneath, are we afraid that our ankles might be caught by the drooling hairy grasp of the unknown?
Our grown up selves know better, but sometimes need a gentle reminder -the only boogie man in the closet is someone glorious… if only we dare to look. That someone is YOU.
There is just: THIS ONE LIFE to live, and JUST THIS ONE MOMENT to be….and now might be the time to set her free.
I think we underestimate the power that the unknown has to transform and move us. When is the last time you pushed the edge and made a decision to really put yourself out there? or take a risk? When is the last time you took a chance on life? Took a chance on YOU?
When is the last time you genuinely felt the”edge” where that fine line had the power to transform your experience and your life and did?The power to make your heart beat- where you felt exhilarated and alive? Has it been a while? Maybe it’s time….
Do we “dare” ourselves often enough, or at all?
When is the last time you stepped outside your comfort zone and signed yourself into something without an escape plan? Calling in sick or fat, or tired, a rip cord, a rain check…. ”Maybe some other time….”
That “practical” thinking will suck the marrow from your very bones as another minute, hour, day, week, month, year flies by….and your practical life ends … un- realized.
Was it that hip hop class you always wanted to take? Painting at the ocean’s bluffs? Taking a solo trip to Martha’s Vineyard with no plan – just a camera and a pocketful of chance?
When is the last time you planned an experience just for you? How bout a road trip to see old friends with every song you’ve ever loved on your ipod so you can rock out with the windows down and feel the wind through your hair as you drive down Highway 61 heading toward Oz. Maybe there’s a yellow brick road in this for you after all.
When is the last time you dared to believe, dared to trust, dared to chance?
When is the last time to dared to let life shake your soul? or say “Sorry” no more?
We hope you’ll join us for CAMP TRP this summer happening August 16-19th in Kennebunk Maine.
If for some reason you have something fabulous already planned for yourself like a hot air balloon ride over Paris or wasting away again in Margaritaville than I’ll just expect to see you another time… maybe next year? (and I completely and totally understand) But if things should shift?
I’d love to dance together, belly laugh, witness you, or howl at the moon as we discover a deeper place inside ourselves we never thought we ever wanted to know.
Revelation: REALLY?
Quite a week last week. Frankly I felt a little bit like Henny Penny towards the end… afraid to walk out of my own house lest a meteor should fall on my head: “The sky is falling – the sky is falling!”
Do you ever sometimes wonder why bad things happen in three’s ? Also – don’t you think there should be a quota for those of us who’ve hit the “bad things happen in three’s” glass ceiling? (if you care to see more detail about what happened I wrote about it on my other blog Alone in the Childerness)
I know – I know… could have been worse and all that happy horse crap. Love when I’ve written a post the week before on how to create your own “empowering interpretation” and then something bad happens and I have to EAT IT- lol!
That’s right Monica… find your happy place with six stitches in your finger, a bruised coccyx from fainting on the stone floor as a result of the Vicodin and a vision prescription for glasses all in the same day. Can you choose a more empowering interpretation than “REALLY?”
Here are a few not so empowering ones that went through my mind:
The world is out to get me
WTF????
Explain this bullsh*t!
I’m being punished
I’m a klutz
I’m getting old
I can’t be left alone.ever.
I’m soooo dumb
My empowering interpretation of these said series of awful events is now:
Thank GOD there are only 24 hours in a day.
Looking on the bright side can be oh so helpful sometimes……
THANK YOU GOD.
House of Revelation For Sale: 107 Highland Avenue
Many of you have been here, and know and love this beautiful house. I’m so sad to let it go but alas it’s kind of roomy for just the three of us, and it’s time to start fresh. I have put together a gallery of pics- all taken here on Highland Avenue. I’d love for all of you who’ve seen it to please past this post along. My hope for this house is that some amazing family inhabit it because it’s just that special.
Here are some details:
107 Highland Avenue, Wakefield, RI 02879 ( this will be available on MLS in the next day or two)
Asking Price: $559,000 Please Contact Bonnie at Landmark Realty in Wakefield if Interested ( bbegos@verizon.net)
- It was built in 1890 and is in terrific condition
- It has 5 working Fireplaces and 5 Bathrooms
- It has hardwood floors throughout
- It’s three stories with 4 bedrooms on the second floor and another 3 on the third floor ( The 3rd floor could easily make a great master, guest suite, or rental)
- It’s got a beautiful yard with tons of room to play or garden
- It sits on top of the hill with a white picket fence and it has a massive 100 year old copper birch in front that makes everyone slow down to see
- It’s got a detached barn / garage
- There is a small forested lot in the back- lovely to take walks in
- Its about a 3 minute walk from downtown historic wakefield and the elementary school is directly at the end of the street from the house
- We’ve hosted bands, weddings, and amazing parties here.
- The front porch is to die for.
- It would make an amazing bed and breakfast
- It’s 1.5 hours to Boston and 3 Hours to NYC by car
- It’s 10 minutes to the beach and 25 minutes to Newport RI
- It’s 15 minute drive to the Meadowbrook Waldorf School
- It’s a HAPPY house- GREAT energy.
Thanks so much for looking and although the gallery is massive I thought it was a great way to show the various times of year etc.
Please email me: rodgers107@cox.net if you have any questions.
The Revelation Project Part XI: Meredith Armstrong
One of the most amazing things for me about The Revelation Project is the transformation that takes place from the time a woman walks in our door, to the time she leaves (and I’m not just talking about the way she looks.) I find myself getting nervous right before the shoot about my own abilities to successfully do her hair, make-up and make her feel comfortable and when Meredith Armstrong came in it was no different. I was astonished to learn that Meredith came to us on her actual birthday, and that she’d given herself the project as the way she wished to bring in her 37th year- wow. As I sat with her doing her hair I got to learn more about her life, and the people and places that are important to her. I was astonished by her open-ness- and she seemed really anxious and excited to participate in the shoot- more so than most and I wondered why… what did she want to see? When i finally allowed her to stand up and look at herself she welled up with happy tears…. “oh, wow- I look so pretty!” she exclaimed. I had to remind her that we’d have to redo make-up if she continued to cry and so I kind of dragged her away from her image and turned up the music. Shooting Meredith was like being allowed inside of someone’s soul. Her every emotion rushed across the plains of her beautiful face like the passing of clouds on a summer day in the big sky of Montana. This was a woman who will dive deeply with her heart into the waters of life but who wanted to be finished with the drowning and treading…. she wanted to be baptized and reborn…. and so she was.
The Interview
TRP: What did Would you tell us a little bit about yourself?
MA: I am a 37-seven year old single woman, and I work at Trader Joes. I am a compassionate human being, avid indoor gardener, cat petter, art admirer, bug saver (not squasher) and Bee lover. I have an open heart and cry easily.
TRP: What is the biggest challenge that’s ever faced you as a woman?
MA: My life was progressing as I always thought it would: college, world travel, serious relationship that led to marriage, thoughts of home ownership, and a baby. In my mid thirties, everything changed and I found myself back at square one. My biggest challenge is to find the direction that I want to go in, but now as a single parent with a child to raise.
TRP: Are you a mom?
MA: Yes, to the most incredible four-year old boy, who is my sunshine.
TRP: What are some of the issues that you think are important to explore as it relates to our gender?
MA: There is an image of perfection that many women feel they need to measure up to and feel less worthy if they can’t meet that unrealistic image. Women will sometimes judge each other on surface issues based on what they see rather than what they know, leading to isolation rather than being supportive of each other.
TRP: What’s your idea of a great “girls night?”
MA: Any gathering of women with no children in tow, and a great glass of wine.
TRP: Is there anything in particular that made you feel like being part of the Revelation Project was a good idea right now?
MA: After viewing photos of the first few women in the project, I could see the joy and happiness that was brought out from the women in their pictures. I needed help finding that joy and happiness within myself that has been buried for a good long while.
About the shoot:
TRP: What did you you think about the approach of the upcoming photo shoot (before you got there) and what were the results you were expecting?
MA: I was extremely excited about what I would find inside of me, but being the center of attention terrified me. I was hoping that I would be able to see the same light inside of me as I had seen in the other women.
TRP: How did you feel during the shoot and was there anything in particular that made you feel more or less relaxed or open to the process?
MA: Initially I was unable to relax. The utter acceptance and non-judgmental support I received from Robyn and Monica, along with their hilarious banter and down to earth approach allowed me to completely open up to the experience.
TRP: Can you describe in three words the way you felt before we shot
MA: Nervous, excited, anticipatory.
TRP: Three words for after
MA: Joy, acceptance, anticipatory
TRP: Three words for when you saw the results
MA: Insight, happiness, completion
TRP: After you left but before you saw the results – did you have any thoughts about the experience? What were some of the things you thought about on the drive home?
MA: I felt worthy of the attention and love that I received and a strong sense of connection to women as equals. I could hardly wait to see the results.
TRP: When you saw the results can you tell me your first impression?
MA: I saw that there was still a lot of happiness inside of me. I realized that I am not a size two, that I have developed wrinkles, that I have a much wider smile than I knew. And I felt beautiful that I am not a size two, that I have developed wrinkles, and that I have a much wider smile than I knew!
TRP: Can you talk about the feedback you received from those who saw your photographs?
MA: A good friend said, “Now you can see yourself as I see you”. Another said it was nice to see me smiling so much. There were also a lot of compliments and praise for the beauty of the photos.
TRP: What are some words you would use to describe how you were feeling throughout the shoot?
MA: It was a cathartic experience that allowed deep emotion to come to the surface. I felt comfortable in my own skin, accepting myself just as I was internally and externally.
TRP: Did you learn anything new about yourself from the experience?
MA: That I am not alone; I am not abnormal; I am not a “messed up person” for the challenges that I have faced in my life. I realize that I like myself and I have the right to what I need and want.
TRP: Did you feel empowered? Why? Why not?
MA: I know that I am good enough today, right now.
TRP: Since the shoot happened can you talk about the lasting impact of the experience? Has it altered the way you view yourself or your surroundings?
MA: The insight I have gained about myself has not left me. What I realize is the importance of connecting with other women.
TRP: Do you think this was an important/valuable experience for yourself? Why?
MA: This was am important experience for me because without it, I don’t know how I would have discovered these revelations on my own.
TRP: Do you think it’s relevant for other women? Why?
MA: This is an incredibly important way for all women to empower themselves, accept themselves and find their own beauty, inside and out.
TRP: How would you use the photos moving forward? Professionally? Personally? As gifts?
MA: They will be used possibly as gifts, but mostly as reminders of my own self worth.
TRP: What is your favorite song and why?
MA: Lately, It’s the “Thank U” by Alannis Morrisette, now I know why
TRP: If you could sum up the experience what would you say?
MA: ***Awesome***
TRP: If someone were on the fence about doing it is there anything you would tell them about the experience or say to encourage them?
MA: I would totally tell them to do it because we all need to be reminded how beautiful we are, how strong we are, how worthy we are and that we are perfect exactly as we are. This experience illuminates these things and allows you to see this same light in the women around you.
