The Kits Farmer's Market

 

Rilke On Love

To love is good, too: love being difficult. For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation. For this reason young people, who are beginners in everything, cannot yet know love: they have to learn it. With their whole being, with all their forces, gathered close about their lonely, timid, upward-beating heart, they must learn to love. 

But learning-time is always a long, secluded time, and so loving, for a long while ahead and far on into life, is — solitude, intensified and deepened loneness for him who loves. Love is at first not anything that means merging, giving over, and uniting with another (for what would a union be of something unclarified and unfinished, still subordinate — ?), it is a high inducement to the individual to ripen, to become something in himself, to become world, to become world for himself for another’s sake, it is a great exacting claim upon him, something that chooses him out and calls him to vast things. Only in this sense, as the task of working at themselves (“to hearken and to hammer day and night”), might young people use the love that is given them. 

Merging and surrendering and every kind of communion is not for them (who must save and gather for a long, long time still), is the ultimate, is perhaps that for which human lives as yet scarcely suffice.

A few humbling testimonials

             Hey Thanks y'all for so much love...

Here's what Oprah's Coach Martha Beck says about Ilene Hart:

"Ilene Hart is a wisewoman in every sense of the word. As an experienced psychotherapist, consultant and life coach, she has explored both the dark and the light sides of the human journey. Her work with Native American peoples and their traditional wisdom, combined with impressive analytical skills and educational pedigree, makes her uniquely expert at at identifying her client;s deepest goals and most frustrating obstacles. She will help you dismantle your obstacles and achieve your goals with humor, compassion,honesty and intellectual depth."

Alexandra Vance LMFT, Authorized and Certified RH Enneagram Teacher and Coach,

“Ilene Hart is a highly intelligent and creative professional who is committed to working with soldiers and their families. She is predictable and responsible in her work ethic. Ilene is capable of organizing programs, delivering service and managing others. She is compassionate and caring. The end result of her work is that she helps soldiers and their families to deal with reality, reframe their stories and determine goals for future achievement. It has been a pleasure to work with Ilene because of her personal integrity and compassion.

Julia Terry, MFLC, MHN Government Services (colleague)

“Ilene is a compassionate, friendly and energetic woman. She has much insight to offer and wisdom from her years of living / working. She has a strong combination of positive characteristics which are a delight to be around.”

Debbie Simmer

“Ilene is gifted counselor and a blessing to those that meet her and work with her. She has wisdom culled from working with many cultures and clients; she is adept at a wide range of practical tools and techniques; she has compassion and humor~all of which contribute to rapid gains in awareness for her clients. I have worked with Ilene in person, over the phone and with other family members, always with supreme admiration for her work and her deep desire to bring benefit to others.”

Paula Martin

“Ilene is a compassionate and caring person. She has helped me out of the darkest, worst period of my life thru her expertise and dedication to my healing. Ilene is someone I will always feel grateful to.

Bill Miller

“Ilene was there for me when i needed someone to help me understand myself, my emotions my everything. she was truly inspirational and informative. my life is better because we crossed paths. thank you very much ilene. i love you!”

Becky Schnakenberg, Owner, consultant to major league baseball teams (colleague)

“I have know Ilene professionally for almost 20 years, and she has proven to be a compassionate and skilled clinician. She has a wide variety of clinical and managerial skills, but it is her magical way with people which will instantly win you over.”! Recently, I hired her to work with a new Cuban immigrant professional baseball player who is considered to be a big prospect in MLB. She did a fantastic job. She continues to amaze me with her non-judgmental, non-traditional approaches. She's one of a kind

Ken Siegel

“Ilene is an amazing person with excellent professional skills and work ethic

Rich Kaplan

“Ilene is a deeply compassionate person with excellent interpersonal skills. I would not hesitate to recommend her as a life coach. She is truly gifted.

Nancy Case, MA, LMHC (client)

“I met Ilene at a critical turning point in my life's journey and her guidance, support, empathy, therapeutic skills and wisdom helped me navigate the change with strength, compassion and courage. I would recommend her highly to anyone and am grateful to have her as a part of my life!”

Janet Sickler, Clinical Therapist, Janet Rothman Sickler, M.A., L.P.C. (colleague)

“Ilene Hart was my colleague in a group practice when I was getting my licensure. She became my supervisor. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to sfaff clients and learn from her astute observations. We have continued meeting and working together in various ways for the past 13 years. She is an excellent diagnostician and clinician, but, more impressive, is her ability to see "outside the box" with clients and recognize their deepest needs, fears, traumas, and passions. Her work is spiritual, motivational as well as practical, direct, challenging, and sensitive. She is able to frame difficult and overwhelming situations a broad and more positive terms. She has been an inspiration to me in my work. She is extremely creative. We have done experiential workshops together with great success. Her ability to use and/or choose a variety of modalities best suited to each client is highly effective. I would recommend Ilene Hart to anyone seeking profound and life changing personal work

Suzi Mason

“Ilene was just the support I needed when personal life events became quite challenging. She provided the much needed tools to get my life back on track and headed in the right direction. She is inspiring, uplifting, creative, and fun to work with. I'd highly recommend her as a counselor or coach.”

M'Liss Hadley

“Ilene is an amazing counselor. She truly cares for her clients and makes every effort to assist in problem solving and finding happiness in life.”

If You Want To Save The World

"If you want to change the world… love a woman, just one woman

Love and protect her as if she is the last holy vessel. Love her through her fear of abandonment which she has been holding for all of humanity.

No, the wound is not hers to heal alone.

No, she is not weak in her co-dependence.

If you want to change the world… love a woman, all the way through, until she believes you, until her instincts, her visions, her voice, her art, her passion,

her wildness have returned to her-

until she is a force of love more powerful than all the political media demons who seek to devalue and destroy her.

If you want to change the world,

lay down your causes, your guns and protest signs. Lay down your inner war, your righteous anger and love a woman…

beyond all of your striving for greatness, beyond your tenacious quest for enlightenment.

The holy grail stands before you

if you would only take her in your arms

and let go of searching for something beyond this intimacy.

If you want to change the world…love a woman to the depths of your shadow,

to the highest reaches of your Being,

back to the Garden where you first met her, to the gateway of the rainbow realm where you walk through together as Light as One, to the point of no return, to the ends and the beginning of a new Earth.

San Miguel de Allende 2023

 

Too Much Woman

There she is. . . the “too much” woman. The one who loves too hard, feels too deeply, asks too often, desires too much.

There she is taking up too much space, with her laughter, her curves, her honesty, her sexuality. Her presence is as tall as a tree, as wide as a mountain. Her energy occupies every crevice of the room. Too much space she takes.

There she is causing a ruckus with her persistent wanting, too much wanting. She desires a lot, wants everything—too much happiness, too much alone time, too much pleasure. She’ll go through brimstone, murky river, and hellfire to get it. She’ll risk all to quell the longings of her heart and body. This makes her dangerous.

She is dangerous.

And there she goes, that “too much” woman, making people think too much, feel too much, swoon too much. She with her authentic prose and a self-assuredness in the way she carries herself. She with her belly laughs and her insatiable appetite and her proneness to fiery passion. All eyes on her, thinking she’s hot shit.

Oh, that “too much” woman. . . too loud, too vibrant, too honest, too emotional, too smart, too intense, too pretty, too difficult, too sensitive, too wild, too intimidating, too successful, too fat, too strong, too political, too joyous, too needy—too much.

She should simmer down a bit, be taken down a couple notches. Someone should put her back in a more respectable place. Someone should tell her.

Here I am. . . the Too Much Woman, with my too-tender heart and my too-much emotions.

A hedonist, feminist, pleasure seeker, empath. I want a lot—justice, sincerity, spaciousness, ease, intimacy, actualization, respect, to be seen, to be understood, your undivided attention, and all of your promises to be kept.

I’ve been called high maintenance because I want what I want, and intimidating because of the space I occupy. I’ve been called selfish because I am self-loving. I’ve been called a witch because I know how to heal myself.

And still. . . I rise. Still, I want and feel and ask and risk and take up space. I must.

Us Too Much Women have been facing extermination for centuries—we are so afraid of her, terrified of her big presence, of the way she commands respect and wields the truth of her feelings. We’ve been trying to stifle the Too Much Woman for eons — in our sisters, in our wives, in our daughters. And even now, even today, we shame the Too Much Woman for her bigness, for her wanting, for her passionate nature.

And still. . . she thrives.

In my own world and before my very eyes, I am witnessing the reclamation and rising up of the Too Much Woman. That Too Much Woman is also known to some as Wild Woman or the Divine Feminine. In any case, she is me, she is you, and she is loving that she’s finally, finally getting some airtime.

If you’ve ever been called “too much,” or “overly emotional,” or “bitchy,” or “stuck up,” you are likely a Too Much Woman.

And if you are. . . I implore you to embrace all that you are—all of your depth, all of your vastness; to not hold yourself in, and to never abandon yourself, your bigness, your radiance.

Forget everything you’ve heard—your too muchness is a gift; oh yes, one that can heal, incite, liberate, and cut straight to the heart of things.

Do not be afraid of this gift, and let no one shy you away from it. Your too muchness is magic, is medicine. It can change the world.

So please, Too Much Woman: Ask. Seek. Desire. Expand. Move. Feel. Be.

Make your waves, fan your flames, give your chills.

Ev'yan Whitney 

Podcast with my longtime friend Joan Jack

Pronoia: Uproarious Glory

Everywhere You Look: Glory

Soaring roaring uproarious glory is our story

Rob Brezsny

GLORY GLORY GLORY

Thousands of things go right for you every day, beginning the moment you wake up. Through some magic you don't fully understand, you're still breathing and your heart is beating, even though you've been unconscious for many hours. The air is a mix of gases that's just right for your body's needs, as it was before you fell asleep.

You can see! Light of many colors floods into your eyes, registered by nerves that took God or evolution or some process millions of years to perfect.

The interesting gift of these vivid hues is furthermore made possible by an unimaginably immense globe of fire, the sun, which continually detonates nuclear explosions in order to convert its own body into light and heat and energy for your personal use.

Your hands work well. Your heart circulates your blood all the way out to replenish the energy of the muscles and nerves in your fingers and palms and wrists. And after your blood has delivered its blessings, it finds its way back to your heart to be refreshed. This wondrous mystery recurs over and over again without stopping every minute of your life.

You can smell intoxicating aromas. You can hear provocative and soothing sounds. You can taste a thousand different tastes. How is any of this possible? You can think thoughts any time you want -- big, wide, colorful thoughts or tiny dark burrowing thoughts. You can revel and wallow in great oceans of emotion. What colossal secret intelligence or improbable series of fabulous accidents conspired to bestow these superpowers upon you?

Language is another stupendous marvel. Millions of souls have cooperated intricately for untold centuries to cultivate a system of communication that you understand very well. Your ability to speak and read and write makes you feel strong and dynamic. It connects you with the world. It allows you to indulge in one of your greatest pleasures, which is to hear and tell stories.

Maybe this is the best gift of all: You have a staggeringly potent creative tool: your imagination. You use it to create mental pictures of things that don't exist yet and that you want to bring into being. Your imagination is the engine of your destiny, the catalyst with which you design your future.

Or maybe this is the best gift of all: You know that you are you. You are exultantly and extravagantly aware that you are alive and conscious and awake and unique. You have a million different feelings and fantasies about what it means to be you.

Do you remember when you were born? It was a difficult miracle that involved many people who worked very hard on your behalf. No less amazing is the fact that you have continued to grow ever since then, with new cells being born within you all the time to replace the old cells that are dying.

At this very moment, there are 50 trillion cells in your body, and each of them is really a sentient being in its own right. They all act together as a community, blessing you with their astonishing collaboration. It's just like magic.

Everywhere you look: glory

Every step you take: glory

Every breath you take: glory glory

Soaring roaring uproarious glory

is our story

This succulent burst of glory has been brought to you by the imaginary lightning bolts you can shoot out the ends of your fingers any time you want to.

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"Glory in the Highest" excerpts material from a longer piece called "Glory in the Highest" in the book PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings