MSI Press Blog

In the words of Julia, we are all " whole beings that encompass scared parts, pleasure-seeking parts, ambitious parts--the inner child and the inner elder too." Read the whole article, Expanding the View,  HERE .   Julia is the author of Lessons of Labor .  Check out posts by and about Julia and her books HERE .

In poking around the Interent, I came across a list of MSI Press books reviewed by Foreword Reviews. (Yes, we know about these reviews when they came out.) However, we were unaware that FR had recently put together this list. One of those books is How to Be a Good Mommy When You're Sick . Check out the others  HERE . For posts mentioniong Foreword Reviews, click HERE . Other Books reviewed  How to Live from Your Heart The Widower's Guide to a New life Creative Aging Lessons of Labor

The following excerpt comes from Julia Aziz's book, Lessons of Labor: One Woman's Self-Discovery through Labor and Motherhood. Resistance  Somehow, even though I was breathing through the contractions, staying upright and mobile, varying my position, receiving massages and emotional support, listening to calming music, and experiencing a healthy, safe, naturally progressing labor, I wasn’t happy at all. I was furious. I could not get on top of the experience. I felt like I was at war with the contractions, and they were winning. They came at me like the pounding surf, over and over again, each one stronger and each one pulling my fighting attitude down with it. When I wasn’t struggling to subdue my body, I was fiercely wishing to escape it.  This is the only moment I have. Resisting my experiences, even the really hard ones, won’t make them go away. It will just make them harder.  I once heard a Buddhist teaching about learning to ride a horse as a metaphor for re

Julia Aziz has penned a column for the Power of Moms web journal, titled "Motherhood: A Choose Your Own Adventure Story." She begins: Do you co-sleep? Schedule feedings? Baby wear? Cry it out? The questions start from the beginning. Whatever the age and stage, mothers are often asked to take a philosophical stance on child-rearing and debate issues so seemingly serious they sometimes damage friendships between women.  Read the rest of the article HERE . Read more posts by and about Julia Aziz and her book, including book excerpts,  HERE . Listen to a podcast interview of Julia by Dr. Betty Lou Leaver, Managing Editor of the MSI Press HERE .

I think I'm done with "How are you?" as a casual way of greeting someone when we're passing by. It seems like that phrase should be reserved for when we are truly wanting to sit down and listen to one another. I've never figured out how to give an authentically brief answer, and what a loaded question these days! Some serious collective shadow work is being done by and through us now. When I say "shadow work," I mean facing the parts of ourselves we've disowned or pretended didn't exist, both on an individual level and a systemic one. My true essence, like yours, is love. Also, there are times I have been inconsiderate, pushy, dismissive, greedy, stubborn... all the painful things humans can be. These shadow parts need compassionate attention, for they come out in deadly ways when ignored or denied. When anger is safely raged, felt, and released, it can become empowerment, a clarifying of needed. Unworthin

Thinking in Circles  In the background, a mix CD played on repeat throughout my five hours of labor at the hospital. My husband and I had burned this CD together and had included a track of soothing ocean sounds between every other song. Three hours into this repeated ocean soundtrack, I wanted the CD to be thrown out the window or at least turned off. I was desperate to be rid of those manufactured waves, but I could not speak out loud to ask my husband or doula for help. Never before had I felt such an odd separation between my mind and body. My thoughts continued in their ranting (I wish they would turn off that CD!), and yet I could not get the words out of my mouth. All of my bodily functions, including speech, were overtaken completely by the involuntary contractions of my uterus—and my uterus was doing its job whether or not the sounds of the ocean were soothing my mind. When I could let the music be background instead of foreground, my irritation would recede. In th

Today's blog post is provided by Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor. It’s been interesting to watch all the expertise being shared in a situation that almost no one alive today has ever lived through. Yes, decisions need to be made quickly in a crisis, and we have to use the limited information available to make them. Leaders, especially community-minded, heart-centered, intelligent leaders, are genuinely needed to set the tone, and there’s a lot of societal pressure on leaders to speak with the voice of authority. But what I’m not hearing enough of in the general discourse is, “I don’t know.” Read the rest of this very interesting post HERE . Meet Julia Aziz. Listen to Julia (podcast) on March 20, 2020. Read more posts by and about Julia and her book, Lessons of Labor, HERE .

This excerpt from Julia Aziz's Lessons of Labor seems quite appropriate for the stresses we deal with during today's pandemic. Fear in any situation has a relative in fear in any other situation. in Facing Fear  Once I was ready to get out of the shower, the doula recommended that we leave for the hospital. She checked my cervix, reassuring me that I was far enough along in the process to warrant a move to the final birthing destination. Before gathering all my belongings, I had a crisis of faith. How would I ever manage the pain of labor while sitting in the car for 30 minutes? At home, I could walk outside and bend over with every contraction, impossible activities for the front seat of a car. I even started to debate just staying home (my doula was a homebirth midwife, after all). Then, reason, or rather my husband’s calm rationality, took over, and we decided to go with the plan already in place. Internally, I said to myself, “I can do this because I have to

The other day, I called up a dear friend and colleague who has survived four near-death health emergencies in the past decade. After a little check-in, I asked him, “So how are you feeling about your mortality these days?” We both laughed at how overly direct my question was. In typical Robert fashion, he then replied, “Well, I feel I’ve been doing my part by not using toilet paper.” Then we laughed again.  Most people don’t want to talk about death. It's not small talk, and the general attitude seems to be "why dwell on such things." Well, dwelling is certainly not helpful, but taking an honest look is. While some people have been facing terminal diagnoses for a while, we now have a collective situation where it's hard to ignore the possibility that death could come sooner rather than later. This little heads up doesn't necessarily make grieving easier, but it is a gift. When we understand there may not be as much time left as we hoped, we might take the

We’re having different experiences of what’s happening (like we always do), and it’s causing some highly volatile emotional weather out there. Clearly we are not all in the same health/economic/job/home/legal status/mental health situation, but also we process and adapt differently. I changed my views and practices last week several times, often after reading or talking to someone with a viewpoint I hadn’t considered. It’s a good thing, different voices. It’s also easy to get pulled into an emotional landmine you didn’t mean to step in.  Read the rest of the post HERE . Julia Aziz is author of Lessons of Labor .

I don’t know who wants to hear this right now, but I hope you will share this with anyone who needs it. I promise you, there are people you love out there right now who are scared, and they don’t feel like they can talk to anyone about what they are truly afraid of. You probably also have loved ones in high risk groups who are not afraid and who are ready to talk, but they may be quite lonely because no one will listen.  As many of you know, I used to work as a hospice chaplain, visiting people in their final months, weeks, days, and hours, as well as sitting and praying at the deathbed after a loved one’s passing. I’ve had terrifying experiences as well as profoundly blissful ones, but every single encounter with death has been humbling. There were times I felt the pull of dark energies nearby and times I was floating in bottomless peace. Yet one of the most important insights that came from those families I had the honor to witness and care about was this: much of the fear of

Just up! Managing Editor, Dr. Betty Lou Leaver, traveled to Austin, Texas recently. While there, she met with author of Lessons of Labor, Julia Aziz, and conducted an interview. Listen to the podcast on our podcast page on our website by clicking HERE .

The Priority of the Present Finally, I recognized that my will could no longer compete with my body. I put the half-cooked meal in the freezer and the mostly packed bags by the door. I needed to direct my full attention to labor. I moved slowly around the house, resting over the arms of couches and chairs, breathing deeply, and moaning quietly. Without the pressure of tasks to accomplish, I was able to notice that my contractions had progressed from the menstrual-like cramping sensation of before. They were now much stronger and more substantial. Something was really happening here. When necessity pulls me into the present, I know exactly what matters. One of the blessings of labor for me was the inability to attend to everyday minutiae. The sensations of my body became so powerful that my usual multi-tasking mindset started to fade into the distance. Though the mental chatter continued, it wasn’t in command anymore. I was able to access a deeper focus, the same mental focu

Nearly everyone I talk to these days is feeling more anxious than usual, and what's "usual" now is already a state of mild tension. Worry is highly contagious, and while the gentle souls with sensitive nervous systems are particularly at risk, most people are at least slightly vulnerable. Worry is not just a side effect of what's going on in this world. Worry itself causes all kinds of health, mental health, relationship, and financial breakdowns. I am not suggesting you start worrying about how much you worry! But it's time we start talking about the importance of clearing out the junk in our minds and creating health and balance there instead. Read the rest of Julia's post HERE . Julia is author of Lessons of Labor.     

Julia Aziz Julia Aziz is a licensed clinical social worker and a mother of three children. She is also an accomplished speaker on topics such as “The Soul of Service,” “Holding Intention While Jugging It All,” and “Motherself,” a monthly mother’s group. In addition to this personal and professional experience in working through motherhood transitions, she has also written for and served as general editor for  Dovetail Journal  for interfaith families. She shares her motherhood observations, both professional and personal, in her book,  Lessons of Labor: One Woman’s Self-Discovery through Birth and Motherhood . Read Julia's posts and information about Julia on this blog. Click HERE .

On February 18, while in Austin on other business, managing editor, Betty Lou Leaver, met with Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor, shown here at a booksigning at Book People. Julia and Betty shared breakfast at Julia's house, had a general discussion about book matters, including promotion, and then made a podcast, which will be posted to the podcast page in due time.

Labor Begins When Other Labors Cease  The day of my first son’s birth was one of those early spring days that make me happy to live in Austin, Texas. The sun was shining, the flowers were in bloom, and I was feeling some mild but noticeable cramps. I felt eager, open, and fully welcoming of my baby as I walked through the neighborhood, telling my belly, “What a beautiful day to be born!” As with most new experiences, I started off with high hopes and great determination. After a few hours, I began my preparations: making sure my bags were packed, adding essential items like a toothbrush and contact lens solution, preparing a light meal that would be easy to digest, and otherwise doing a lot of stuff that would later prove mostly unnecessary. After a while, I began to feel agitated. I wanted to get everything done, but my detail-oriented mind was slowly being overtaken by my body’s strong messages. I was losing concentration, unable to focus on the thoughts in my head. I woul

Julia Aziz, author of MSI Press book, Lessons of Labor, recently posted the following article on her blog: Are you pretty hard on yourself? In my experience, when something goes awry, some tend towards blaming external circumstances and other people, while others almost always point the finger inwards. If you are one of the latter, you may have been taking the blame for long enough, and perhaps it’s time to take responsibility instead. Here’s the difference... Read the rest on her blog. Click HERE to go there. Note: Amazon currently has Julia's book on sale for half price...get it now before it goes up. Follow Julia on her blog at Julia S. Aziz .

Yesterday, Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor, was interviewed by a doula on the Hanouts on Air in a podcast, titled "As a Birth Professional: Birth as Life Teacher. The podcast can be heard here .