Reconnecting to the Magic of Life

Joyce Mills, Ph.D. does in Reconnecting to the Magic of Life, what Julia Cameron did in The Artist's Way. Reading this book feels like spending beautiful time with a learned friend who integrates stories and ceremonies from many cultures including Hawaiian, Native American and Jewish. Where Julia Cameron uses the tasks of writing to enhance daily creativity, Dr. Mills utilizes story telling and active play "Steppingstones" that can be tangible, 3-dimensional objects and images created to hold in your hand and heart. She instills an attitude of looking daily for magical moments with people and nature. "Where you stand you pray" encapsulates her beautiful in-the-moment style and direction of life and the work she does with clientsEasily this book could have been called, "Transitions to the Magic of Life" as Dr. Mills embodies Milton H. Erickson's utilization principle through story telling and metaphor. Her specialty is viewing difficult life transitions as opportunities for "Steppingstones" into greater love, creativity and depth of compassion for our relations and selves. Poignant, loving stories are shared, such as the death or illness of a loved one, natural disasters, coming to creative terms of raising a mentally or physically challenged child, moving 3000 miles away to make your dreams come true, facing personal rejection and more.The metaphor of a butterfly's life particularly hit home. There are four stages of a butterfly's transformation: the Egg, the Caterpillar, the Chrysalis (Cocoon) and the Emerging Butterfly. Last year my husband and I bought a house by the sea adjacent to a nationally designated estuary. As is my practice, I name our homes. This one is called, "Cocoon de Luz" which means cocoon of light in Spanish. It is a place we nurture what Dr. Mills calls Imaginal Discs, a biological term indicating that there are cells that are genetically encrypted to propel the butterfly's transition from the chrysalis stage to the emerging butterfly if all the conditions are right. I would imagine if Butterfly's have documented "Imaginal discs, then surly we humans do too.All great teachers seem to have this ability that Dr. Mills instills: to make tangible helping people to uniquely identify and move from a boxed-in chrysalis stage to emerging as a butterfly in daily lives. Her stories will make you laugh, cry and think. Without a doubt, the most touching story to me was at the very end, "The Banana Kiss." I suppose you will have to read this joyful book to the last page to find out what it is.

This book touched me deeply. I would recommend it highly to anyone struggling with transitions in their life. Joyce opens her heart and shares her deepest fears. We can all relate to what she's gone through and learn from her strength, wisdom and storytelling.