7/31/2017 0 Comments Shifting to Neutral"The aim is to balance the terror of being alive with the wonder of being alive." Carlos Casteneda
I’m a planner. I haven’t always been so dedicated to careful forethought about my life though. I think it’s one of the skills that motherhood has forced me to develop. In general, when I plan ahead, things seem to go a lot smoother. We get out the door in time for school, the meals are mapped out for the week, my class ideas are formulated and I even carve out daily pauses for my own self-care. I love it when my attention to good planning and preparation yield the results that I am envisioning. However, as we all know, life doesn’t always deliver on our expectations. Shit happens. All the time. So how can we best prepare for those times when, despite our best laid plans, the universe has something else in mind? Trying to change what we cannot control and force our desired outcome only creates greater tension, stress and resistance. It is at those times that we need to learn to quickly and efficiently adopt a fluid and open response to whatever circumstances arise. We have to practice shifting to neutral. Instead of rushing into problem solving mode, the very first thing I do is ask myself this question: What is this perfect for? The power of inquiry is that it opens us to a state of receptivity which allows us to shift from dilemma thinking (there is only one "right" choice) to creative solutions (there are several possible "right" choices I can make). This particular inquiry will catalyze the movement from overwhelm to openness and position us to consider the potential opportunity in an unplanned or unwanted experience. It orients us in the direction of neutrality and prepares us for the next step. Next, we have to call on the power of our neutral mind which we develop, specifically, through meditation practice. The Kundalini yoga tradition recognizes three different functions of the mind: the negative mind, the positive mind and the neutral mind. The negative mind is protective; it is what tells you where danger is and helps you avoid the things that might harm you. The negative mind in itself is not all "bad", especially when we are in real danger. However, when its grip takes over the entire subconscious mind things can spiral downward into a pit of despair. The positive mind is supportive and encouraging. It tells you what is good for you and guides you in that direction. This isn’t all good—too much positive mind can actually get us into situations that might not be in our best interest and could potentially become harmful. Our positivity can act as a veil to the reality of a situation. The neutral mind is objective and integrative of both negative and positive minds. It is the centered place between the polarities that gathers all the information and allows us to make the best decisions. It is our link to our intuition and will tell us what is right for us and what we should do. The “bhavana" or feeling tone of the neutral mind is stability, steadfastness, elevated consciousness, and objectivity. It is not swept up by emotion or clouded over by excessive thoughts. The neutral mind is what draws us from duality to divinity and establishes a connection to our soul. True stability can only come from our connection to the infinite. Therefore, we must develop access to this state through the cultivation of our meditative mind. The effects of cultivating a strong, stable center in the mind allow us to establish appropriate boundaries. Also, we turn inward to look for completion. We become magnetic; attracting what we need to feel whole, satisfied, content and contained. As we learn to nurture ourselves in this way, we can give up the exhausting search outside of ourselves for love, peace, validation and acceptance. Any mediation will help you cultivate neutral mind. Here is a simple Kundalini mantra you can use to help you shift into your neutral mind any time. I even use it while driving or moving through my day. You can begin by connecting to the mantra and mudra in this way : Sit comfortably with your spine upright, heart lifted and chin drawing slightly in and down so the back of your neck is long. Place your palms facing up in your lap with your right hand resting on top of your left; thumbs touching. Take a few breaths to settle yourself into your body and bring your awareness to your spinal column. Simply returning our awareness to the central channel of energy in the body, our axis, will support neutrality in the mind. Next, begin to chant the mantra Wahe Guru (Wha-hay goo-roo) which means “Infinite identity from darkness to light.” Continue chanting for at least 3 minutes and work your way up to 7, 11, or 17 minutes. Practice looking at your life through this neutral lens and allow it to help guide you to your right next action. You will find that even after one minute of focused practice, you will begin to attune to the higher mind. Meditation is "mind training" and requires commitment and consistency for best results. If inspired, I would encourage you to do this meditation practice every day this month. Decide how many minutes you will practice and do it! When we are able to perceive our lives from the level of the infinite consciousness, regardless of the situations that come our way, we are blessed with the capacity to recognize that life doesn’t happen to us, it happens for us. Rather than victims, we become victorious participants in the unfolding of our lives each day even if things don't work out exactly as we planned. *A note on the image above: Sri Yantra is considered to be the "mother" of all yantras (sacred geometric designs) in the Hindu tradition. It is a symbolic tool for awakening the pineal gland and bringing balance to right and left hemispheres of the brain. Sri Yantra means "holy instrument" and contains all form of sacred geometry and represents the union of the Divine Masculine and Feminine. You can use this powerful symbol to meditate by focusing your eyes on the bindu or dot in the center. It's effects are deeply healing and often used for amplifying our manifestation capacities.
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7/5/2017 1 Comment For the Love of YogaThat's the pride of a teacher: that he has the privilege to serve another student, because somebody served him. ~Yogi Bhajan I never consciously set out to be a yoga teacher, instead the door opened for me to step into the teacher’s seat when one of my instructors was moving and asked if I would take over her class. I had begun my personal practice many years prior to teaching because I was seeking alternative ways to heal my depression beyond prescription medication. I wanted to get to the root of my illness and deep down I knew that yoga offered a vital piece for my healing. I loved the way the postures challenged me physically and opened me to cultivating a more loving and hospitable relationship with my mind. Slowly, over time, I began to feel happy for no apparent reason. I was changing from the inside—out. This is one of the unique aspects of yoga that separates it from other forms of learning and personal growth: it is an embodied practice. It’s effects are much farther reaching than our physicality or our intellect. Yoga is a technology for transformation and it is designed to awaken us to our true nature as limitless, infinite beings having a human experience for just a short time. And, just ask anyone who practices: it works! I have been teaching yoga for more than ten years now. My favorite thing in the world is sharing my passion for this sacred practice with others and witnessing their transformations before my eyes. It is amazing to see all types of healing occurring from a committed practice--I've seen countless physical issues such as chronic pain being alleviated or altogether eliminated, weight loss and complete injury recovery, as well as the most commonly treated mental illnesses like anxiety and depression being significantly improved and effectively managed. The transition from being a student to a teacher felt, in some ways, very natural for me: I was basically doing my practice alongside others and guiding them through my words. I was figuring it out as I went—watching how their bodies responded to the postures and reading the energy of the room—relying on my intuition to offer adjustments or suggestions that would be of benefit. However, I knew that if I wanted to continue to teach I really needed to avail myself of more specific techniques to keep the students safe and inspired to grow in their practice. This is where my yoga teacher training was invaluable. I was given much more of the technical information with regards to anatomy and alignment; sequencing and adjusting. The personal mentorship and support of the other trainees helped me gain confidence in my ability and begin to discover my unique voice as a teacher. Yoga teacher training not only made me an 'official' and employable Yoga Alliance registered teacher, it made me more effective in my role as a guide for others and continues to open me to access new levels of my own potential. Over the course of the last decade I have seen a paradigm shift taking place from health care to self care. Many people are no longer content to view pathology from the single focused perspective of disease as final prognosis but rather as a pathway to greater health and wellness. Like me, many are using their diagnoses as a platform to explore a multidimensional approach to healing and wholeness. We are expanding our understanding around what it means to care well for ourselves and learning a new language for how to access the intuitive wisdom that lives within us for our greatest benefit. It is a privilege and an honor to be able to teach in this capacity as the need is growing in our modern world for practical tools to recalibrate our taxed nervous systems, maintain equilibrium for our overactive minds and awaken us to the depth of our own soul soaked truth. I am very excited to be taking my own teaching to a new level this year by facilitating the next One Integrative Yoga Teacher Training at One Yoga and Fitness beginning this September. I believe that choosing to step into a teacher training of this kind is to receive a call that you may or may not yet fully understand. Not everyone that feels compelled to do a teacher training intends to teach. Many individuals embark on the quest for their own interests. Whether you are looking for a new career, a part time pleasure or simply to make a personal pilgrimage, you will most assuredly experience the following by saying “yes” to this call:
Due to the steadily increasing research around the benefits of complimentary practices like yoga, mindfulness and meditation, the wellness industry is becoming one of the most robust industries in America. It is a wonderful time to decide to be a part of the solution for the myriad health related issues that cause many to suffer. If you are curious and feel the call to learn more about this training or have specific questions, feel free to contact me at jenny@nourishcreatetransform.com or call One Yoga and Fitness at 407.900.8039. I would love to have you join me! 6/1/2017 0 Comments Sweet SummertimeJune is the midpoint of the year, and it affords us the opportunity to course-correct if need be, now that we can see the vivid expression of the seeds we have sown in the earth, as well as those that have been planted in our hearts and souls.
Often, June reveals to us what continues to be deeply meaningful for us in our work and family life. The beginning of summer mirrors back to us what is fulfilling, renewing, and nurturing to us—and what is not. What is not tolerated at this time is any situation in our work or relationships that has become a “should,” where we feel duty-bound. Whatever is not aligned or congruent with our integrity and heart is forced to be released at the midpoint of the year, or reassessed in its meaning to us. ~Angeles Arrien Summer is my favorite time of the year. Another school year is over and the pace of life slows for couple of months to allow me to catch up with myself and be with those that I love. With less rigid time constraints and fewer obligations, I relish the natural unfolding of each day with more time to simply rest and be. Spending more time outdoors, connecting deeply with the elemental world, reading books, making art, being with my children in a state of relaxation rather than rush and languishing in a longer yoga practice are some of the rituals that I most savor. Also, being that the year is half over, it is the perfect time to take pause and check in with where I am in relationship to the intentions that I set at the beginning of the year in my January dream time. Midyear offers the opportunity to come back into balance in whatever way(s) we have drifted off course; to identify the “shoulds” that are responsible for pulling us away from our true north and to let them go. Fire is the symbol most often associated with summer. In its destructive form it allows us to release what no longer serves and in its constructive form it ignites us with our passion, realigning our heartfelt desire with positive action. In the yoga tradition, the power of heat to transform is called “tapas” and it comes from the Sanskrit root tap which means “to burn.” It refers to that alchemical ability of fire to transform the lead of our ego identity into a higher vibrational form of energy more in alignment with our soul. Energetically this inner fire relates to the third chakra and is experienced as a “fire in the belly” that is often used to describe the qualities of will power, inner strength and disciplined determination that are indicative of inspired action. What is the state of your inner fire? Coming back into balance at this time of year invites us to look at where we may be in need of more magnetic, feminine (yin) energy or dynamic, masculine (yang). Shifting our lifestyle habits to accommodate our needs can be a little easier during this time of year when taking vacations and time off are possible. Take some time this month to do your own midyear reflection in order to help you discern what’s working and what isn’t. Here are a few questions to consider at this juncture: *Where am I now? What is my current life like? *What have been the highlights of the first half of this year? What celebrations or accomplishments can I name? *What challenge(s) am I encountering? What “shoulds” can I drop? *What is the growth opportunity that my challenge(s) are offering? (i.e. am I being called to greater balance, letting go, focus, faith, authenticity, self-compassion, trust, etc.) *What is one practical thing I can do to step more fully into the growth? (i.e. create definitive work times and honor the boundaries when I am home, set up work-outs with a friend, meditate on my blessings for 5min. a day, or read a book that addresses my challenge, etc.) *Review your heartfelt desire or intentions for the year. Do they still resonate or do you want to revise/update? *Imagine yourself six months from now; at the end of this year-2017. What have you experienced or accomplished that you are most proud of? Create a simple ritual using the element of fire to write a list of both the things that no longer serve as well as those dreams that you are wanting to catch on fire and grow in your life and toss them into a bonfire. Finally, allow some time to relax and enjoy some time to do the things that you love with the people that are most special to you. May this summer bless you with an abundance of joy and fun! 4/30/2017 0 Comments Worry PeopleOh soul,
you worry too much. You have seen your own strength. You have seen your own beauty. You have seen your golden wings. Of anything less, why do you worry? You are in truth the soul, of the soul, of the soul. ~Rumi When I was a child I used to cry every Sunday night before the new school week began. Although I appeared to be well adjusted on the outside--I had friends and made good enough grades--I struggled with feeling displaced and fundamentally uncomfortable. I worried about everything. My mom, who was trying her best to comfort my anxiety, bought me a collection of worry people. They were tiny dolls that wore colorful Guatemalan clothes and seemed to arrive from some distant land. At night before bed I would whisper my worries to the dolls and place them under my pillow. Although it was never clearly articulated, the implication was that while I slept they were supposed to magically carry my fears away. It was a creative idea that provided a certain level of assurance both to my mom and me, but ultimately, I still worried. As I have grown older, I have met many people that experienced similar challenges in school and are familiar with the discomfort of trying to navigate the multitude of verbalized and unspoken rules of conduct. I can’t help but think--where were YOU when I was in school? And why don’t we provide conversations for kids (and adults) to express their discomfort? Maybe some kind of code word or hand shake for those of us who need to be reminded that we are not alone or crazy. To be honest, I still find myself often defaulting to worry mode. Concerns that turn into relentless “what-if’s” and fears that are tied up in my feeling like life is a giant standardized test and I am running out of time while my future hangs in the balance. When I really look carefully, I can see that worry is actually a disguise for deeply caring about something but it is rooted in the shame that who we are will never be quite good enough. Whether it’s our appearance, intelligence or talent, we all struggle with wanting to be valued, accepted and loved. We believe that we have to perfect, perform or please to win the attention that we crave. Worry is a non partisan player in the psyche--it can take any/all material from our lives and turn it into a catastrophic event. We become addicted to the worry as a means of feeling significant. And as all true worrywarts know--the greatest cause for worry is when we aren’t actually worried about anything! So how do we deal with worry in our lives? How can we shift from fearful worrying to simply caring about our lives with more compassion and peace? Here are a few things that I have learned: Gather your people The gift my mom gave me as a child applies here. Except rather than sharing with inanimate objects, find the real people in your life with whom you can talk. These are the people that know and love you and won’t try to dismiss or fix your concerns, but rather act as true sounding boards and allies in your process. As Dr. Brene Brown says in her work--Shame thrives in secrecy. When we call it out lovingly and honestly in the company of a compassionate other, we can begin to feel the connection that we deeply long for. Have a certain number of precious people on speed dial and at precisely those times when you would rather run and hide--have the courage to call them and talk about what scares you most. Creating a safe space and place for our worries to land is a necessary step in letting go of the habits that cause us to cling to them. Shift Your Focus Brain research has shown that we have evolved with a "negative bias" hardwired into our thinking. This makes sense when we think of the primitive challenge to "have lunch rather than be lunch" as our major motivation. Our very survival depended on our ability to foresee trouble. However, as advancements in neuroscience have shown, we have the ability to create new pathways in the brain. Consciously choosing where we place our attention is an art and skill that can be developed with practice. Here is a simple exercise that comes from the work of Psychosynthesis that can be used a starting place: Close your eyes and take a few breaths to relax your body. Then imagine a blank, white screen before you. Visualize a yellow triangle there. Stay with it for a few breaths. Next imagine a red triangle next to the yellow one. Keep both triangles in your field of vision. Then begin to shift your attention from one triangle to the other. Focus on one at a time. Notice your ability to shift your attention back and forth. Once you are familiar with this capacity, instead of triangles, imagine two different situations, one pleasant and the other unpleasant. First imagine the unpleasant situation in detail. Experience it with all of your senses. Then shift your attention to the pleasant situation, and experience it fully. Now shift your attention rapidly a few times between the two situations. This exercise can be practiced with any two polarities (inner/outer; past/future). With practice you are able to recognize that you are the one in the center who can direct the light of attention as you choose. Make something Historically many artists battled anxiety and depression. The call to create is related to the Soul’s ache for beauty, form and expression. When we remove the veils of thought, judgement and blame, worry and anxiety are often nothing more than excess energy that need to be channelled though deliberate movement. Any creative medium can be one in which we can collaborate with the intensity of human emotion in a constructive way. Journalling, dancing, gardening, drawing or cooking can all be explored as supportive channels for our worry, fear or doubt. In my own experience, creativity is an alchemical process that transforms the lead of our base emotions and thoughts into the gold of deeper knowing and truth. Grow Wiser Use your worry habit to help you grow in the direction of wholeness. Part of becoming a fully functioning adult is about recognizing who is in charge. On any given day there are a myriad voices within and around us championing for attention and soliciting our vote in electing the leadership of our being. In psychological terms, these are considered to be sub-personalities, or fragments of our psyche that carry very different perspectives and potentialities. “The worrier” could be understood as one of these sub-personalities that we have unconsciously permitted to run the show. Chances are, if we listen carefully to what any part of us has to say, there is wisdom and guidance for us. Imagine sitting down with this part of yourself and talking to it. Ask questions and stay open and curious. What wisdom can you glean? How can this part of you be integrated into a larger framework of awareness rather than always occupying center stage? This question itself sets up the possibility of discovering what, in Transpersonal Psychology, is called the transpersonal self. It is that central or core aspect of ourselves that lives within and beyond our personalities and conditioning. It can be referred to in many ways such as Higher Self, Soul, True Nature, Essence, God, Love, etc. When perceived from this perspective of wholeness, we are able to appreciate all parts as treasured fragments whose source is the same. The origins of the word "worry" come from Middle English worien and Old English wyrgan which mean "to strangle" or "to constrict." This seems to refer to the way constant worry can lead to a kind of disconnection from our essential self. For those of you who appreciate statistics, it is interesting to note that 40% of what you worry about will never happen, 30% happened in the past and can't be changed, 10% are considered to be insignificant issues, and 12% are related to issues of health that will never happen. That means 92% of our worries are related to events that have either already happened or never will! Take some time this month to become aware of what worries and concerns are occupying your life and then experiment with some or all of the suggestions here to begin to transmute the energy of worry into the wide awake heart of wonder. 3/1/2017 0 Comments In Her Power"Lighthouse Collage by Jenny “Gathering in circles is an ancient practice being revived in our time. We have dialogue circles to improve communication, conflict resolution circles to negotiate crises, therapeutic circles to explore our emotions, problem-solving circles to puzzle out hard questions, team-building circles to cheerlead for a common cause, and collaborative learning circles to deepen our education. All of them have worthy purposes, but none of them has the singular intent of a circle of trust: to make it safe for the soul to show up and offer us its guidance.” ~Parker Palmer
Yesterday was my monthly Women’s Wisdom Circle gathering and today I am still reflecting on the experience. One of my intentions this year is to dig deep into what “self-care” really means for me—what does it look like to be impeccable about how I care for myself everyday? How do I nurture and nourish myself on every level? How can I let go of the hustle and live closer to the flow state? What do I really need and how do I make it a priority in my daily life to take responsibility for myself in this way? In order to support this inquiry, I have invited a conversation around this theme of self-care with other women. Because we have so few role models for what a truly vital, nourished, radiant, whole woman looks like, we need to begin the quest to discover it for ourselves and then share our findings with each other. Here is what I know for sure right now: yes, we must take good care of our bodies through diet, exercise and rest. Yes, we need to deal with our emotional baggage and clean up the past. Yes, our minds can benefit from regular de-cluttering and some kind of meditation practice. But, most importantly, how we connect with and relate to our SOUL is everything. When a woman is connected to her Soul essence, she is her most authentic self. She is strong, wise, creative, intuitive, charismatic, dignified, and POWERFUL. In the yogic tradition, this is the Shakti—or feminine force that gets activated and unleashed. A woman connected to her soul is a lighthouse—she is able to elevate others just by her presence. She is beautiful because she radiates self-love and radical acceptance of both her divinity and her humanity. She is a genius because she is sharing her unique brilliance by standing completely in the light of her inherent giftedness rather than the shadow of her doubt. A woman connected to her soul is a genuine blessing to others. What I witnessed in circle yesterday was the emergence of this soul essence in each woman. Here is what else I know for sure: given the space, time and invitation—the soul will show up. As John O’Donohue, the great Irish writer says, the soul is a “shy presence” and it will never force its way, uninvited, into your life. You need to open the door, step back, let her enter freely, give her a cup of tea, invite her to take a seat and then just wait for her to speak. Host the soul just as you would the most special guest. It really doesn’t need to be more complicated than that. As I had the privilege of observing in circle yesterday—when a woman begins to speak from her soul, she taps into, and pours forth from, an inner spring of wisdom, truth and beauty. It doesn't necessarily translate as profound or otherworldly. But it is moving. When she is giving from her essence there is a natural strength that she is drawing on and it transmits as unmistakable grace. I am grateful to be a part of the creation of such a “circle of trust” in this capacity. Here are a few more things that I know for sure regarding what happens, particularly, when women gather in this way: • Our struggles look very similar, while our strengths shine with a distinction unique to each of us. Our soul gifts are given the space to emerge in circle relationship. • A natural healing intelligence is cultivated when women gather with intention. That’s because the archetype of wholeness (and femininity) has a shape and it’s a circle. • Our stories are medicinal—embedded within them lie our deepest wisdom. Sharing our stories consciously sets the wisdom (and us) free--allowing the healing to complete. • Learning to truly love and accept ourselves is the greatest self-help. Waking up to our real beauty—as an embodiment of the Divine—is what self-empowerment is all about. • We are all leaders and guides in some capacity in our lives. To be a leader is to bring out the highest and best in ourselves and each other. When we lead from our strengths, we inspire others to do the same. • We are all infinitely creative and resourceful. When we allow our wise, intuitive heart to guide us, we will know exactly what to do and how to do it. Who and what you surround yourself with will influence your creation. Choose the highest caliber! Who is in your circle of trust? What makes your soul sing? Are you listening? This month practice being hospitable to your own soul and investigate what would nourish and revitalize your connection to the wise self who may just be the one patiently holding the door open waiting for you to step inside and take a seat. For more information on my monthly women’s circle contact me at jenny@nourishcreatetransform.com 2/1/2017 0 Comments Intuitive IntelligenceReaching the "mental and spiritual nature of ourselves" is what spiritual practices are designed to do. Spiritual vision has inspired sages throughout history and been called many names. Both Christians and Plato named it the "eye of the soul." For Sufis it is the "the eye of the heart," and for Taoists the "eye of Tao" or the "inner eye." Whatever its name, it represents a flowering of intuitive awareness that recognizes the sacred in all people, in all things, and within ourselves. This potent awareness penetrates far below the ego's restless turmoil to the sacred core of our being. St. Augustine described how he turned attention inward "and beheld with the eye of my soul- the Light Unchangeable." He concluded, "It is with the interior eye that truth is seen," and our whole business therefore in this life is to restore to health the eye of the heart whereby God may be seen." ~Roger Walsh
Consider for a moment: how do you know what you know? Do you tend to be more rational and logical; relying on empirical evidence over theoretical knowledge? Do you appreciate gathering all the facts before you make decisions or are you more intuitive and idealistic; closely attuned to your feelings as your guidepost for decision making? Maybe you fall somewhere in the middle? In addition to the ability of the intellect to employ reason and logic to learn, multiple intelligences such as bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal and existential have been identified within the world of psychology to help people recognize how we best discover new things. Dreams, visions, creativity and body awareness are all ways of connecting to our intuition. Wendy Palmer’s book Inner Knowing examines the intuitive faculty we all share and sheds a light on how to cultivate our intuition: Intuitive practices work their magic by shaping different routes to inner knowing, and just as the outer sense allows us to see, hear, and orient to the physical environment, intuition also has its organs of perception. The three primary “organs,” or centers of subtle knowing, are experienced as being the head where dreams appear at night, in the abdomen where breath and attention join, and in the area of the heart. There is also a fourth form of intuition, called “direct knowing,” that does not rely on intermediary cues (p. 175). These areas of the head, heart and belly work together to support our inner knowing and I believe that as we learn to strengthen our connection to these areas and practice trusting our intuitive hunches, deep healing and growth result. I think that one of the greatest benefits of a regular yoga practice is the intimate connection that we begin to forge with the body as well as learning how to trust the natural intelligence or consciousness of the body/mind/heart landscape. The breath practices teach us how to center ourselves in the belly with a sense of groundedness and clarity. From that sense of stability and support, the necessary conditions are created for the heart to open and expand to include a wider capacity for compassion and love to emerge. With a solid foundation and a fluid heart, an expanded vision is made possible as we begin to see, feel and hear in new ways. All of this requires the capacity for deep listening--to our bodies, hearts and visions. Although I believe that I have been able to cultivate my intuition through my yoga and spiritual practices, I am aware that much of my personal knowing falls into the category of “direct knowing.” I often take for granted the fact that I just know without being able to explain, justify or rationalize why. And very often it takes time for me to articulate that knowing with words. That capacity, however, is responsible for guiding me throughout my life. As I look back, every major decision I have ever made came from a deep and direct knowing in what I needed to do. I am drawn to people, places, and circumstances because of this knowing. As I continue to learn to trust it, a greater respect for intuition has grown. I see the cultivation of a relationship to our intuition as vital to living a soulful and authentic life. Without it, we are tempted to model our lives on what the society, culture or outer world believes is right for us. To live an intuitive life defies much of what we have been taught to value in our highly rational, empirical Western culture and it requires a certain degree of courage to live according to a more subtle pull. Maybe as you read this you became aware of the ways that you are naturally intuitive. One of my mentors, Nancy Rowe, teaches about connecting to our “felt sense.” Do you gain information through your body? Do you have a “gut” level knowing about certain things--have you been in an uncomfortable situation where your body responds adversely? Or are you more visual, receiving impressions in the form of colors or images? Do you have dreams that offer important guidance or messages? Perhaps, like me, you just know what you know? There is a clear and direct understanding that seems to come from some deeper place both within and beyond the mind and body. This month practice developing TRUST in your inner knowing. It’s common for the mind to discount what we know to be true and right. Practice shifting from doubt to knowing by acting on your intuitions and learning from them. As you move through your days trust your intuition with small choices at first--let your intuition choose what to eat or wear or to help you set your pace for the day, for example. Perhaps begin each day asking your higher knowing “What is most important for me to do today?” The more I practice in this way, the more surprised I am at the difference between what I think is most important and the guidance I receive. I find that things often transpire on those days that I ask for guidance that are far beyond what I could have planned! Like anything, developing trust in our intuition is a practice and takes time, so be patient but consistent in your effort. Our inner knowing holds the potential to connect us with our unique gifts. Ultimately the different ways of knowing are thresholds between worlds--they serve as a bridge between the known and unknown leading us to health and wholeness. Set your intention to listen for and practice following your intuitive hunches. Call on the wise part of yourself to guide you. As you develop the trust in yourself to discern the voice of your intuition and follow its promptings, you won’t be infallible or perfect but you will begin to uncover new understandings that will reveal more than any book or class ever could. 1/4/2017 0 Comments January DreamingWe don't always get what we think we want but we always (without fail) get the precise support that our soul needs. Our dream can often be a lure, the intention of which is to lead us to a state and a place higher than the dream itself. To align our will with divine will requires total trust especially when the diversions from what we desire and how we imagined things would be start to happen. We have to constantly surrender in order to flow towards our destiny without manifesting unnecessary fear and suffering. This is where the gold is, it's not in the goal. ~Caroline de Lisser
Welcome 2017. The numbers 2+0+1+7 add up to 10--and according to numerology, this is a number of leadership and mastery . Pesonally, I feel the call to step up and out of the trance of self-doubt and discouragement and into the current of change that is available to those of us who are really ready. No more waiting until the perfect time or holding out for better circumsances. Don't be lukewarm. The time is now. All of my practice, training and education has prepared me for what is emerging and today I recieved the invitation loud and clear: Will you do what is being asked of you? Of course, the invitation comes without specific details--just the first step of commitment; of willingness and saying "Yes." This call to personal mastery means knowing and loving ourselves completely and honoring the dreams that were planted inside of us when we were born. Our dreams for our lives are vital to our health and well-being because they connect us to our purpose for being alive. The deep desires of our hearts offer a pathway to one of the most vital qualitites of our human expereince: hope. This gift of hope provides a necessary counterbalance to the rigors, routines and habits of our lives. Dreams give us a glimpse into what is possible for each of us. Unfortunatley we are taught from a young age to "stop daydreaming" and we are conditioned to give up our cherished dreams in favor of "reality." While we all must come to terms with what our version of reality presents to us, we need not forfeit our dreams. The dream itself provides the fuel for our destiny, which is our ultimate destination. For this reason, our dreams don't have to be exactly fulfilled to be useful for our lives. I love this idea that Caroline de Lisser presents: the dream could actually be leading us elsewhere--it may be serving as a vehicle, rather than the destination itself. So much of the energy around the new year has to do with making our plans and hitting the ground running. There is a starting line buzz that I always feel in these first few weeks that tends to feel like people lacing up their new shoes, jogging around in circles to warm up-- anxious to be first to run at the sound of "go"; single focused on making it to the finish line in record time. But my rhythm always feels less hurried and more introspective this time of year and I believe that January should be dedicated to dreaming and establishing your own pace as you begin to bridge your heart's desire with your priorites for the new year. Here are a few suggestions to help you renew and refresh your connection to your dreams:
Keep your dream close to you as you move forward into this new year. Remember that you don't have to fulfill your desinty or realize your dream in a single day, month or year. Set your own pace; it's not a race. Commit to your own call to mastery, do what needs to be done and trust that all is well. All is well! 12/1/2016 0 Comments The Beauty WayBeauty, in the variety of ways it is expressed in this world, makes me feel close to the way I am made. A couple of years ago I took a class where we were asked to take a character strengths test to determine where our natural aptitudes lie. I was surprised to learn that my top strength is a “love of beauty.” I never would have thought of that as a “strength” but as I have begun to see it as such, it has become clear that being able to identify beauty in others and the world is a gift that invites that artistry to be known and celebrated. Our truest strengths aren’t always the the things we are good at, but can be found in the things that make us feel more energized and alive.
I am brought more alive every time I see a beautiful sunset or natural landscape or when I hear a song that literally moves me to get up and dance and in the simple arrangement of a few cherished objects on my altar space. It’s not just in the obviously aesthetically pleasing that I am inspired, but also in the ordinary everyday world where I am often taken by what others may not even recognize as beautiful. The deep lines on an old woman’s face that map all that she has lived, the decaying building with broken windows and lacy spider webs growing from the corners or the young man who I saw today sitting peacefully alone on the park bench eating peanut butter out of a jar while reading Kurt Vonnegut. These little bits of beauty not only remind me that I am alive but that I also possess the capacity to create the most beautiful life that I can imagine. In the Navajo tradition, the spiritual path is translated as “The Beauty Way.” It represents a way of living that respects and honors all of life as our “relations”. Balance, harmonious relationship and interconnection among all things is central to Native American spirituality. To live in “Beauty” is to center our awareness on that which is Sacred in all things, people and the earth. So in this way, beauty becomes a practice of walking in two worlds and bridging the gap between our humanity and divinity by remembering the Source that sustains us all. All of creation points us back to the Creator. As this year concludes, I invite you to consciously look for the beauty that 2016 brought for you. Consider your responses to the following questions:
Discovering, appreciating and creating beauty has become a spiritual practice for me. Here is a Navajo prayer that is often woven into sacred ceremony that you can incorporate into your last days of the year. I have been saying it each morning and it is also wonderful to use as a walking meditation: Today I will walk out, today everything evil will leave me, I will be as I was before, I will have a cool breeze over my body. I will have a light body, I will be happy forever, nothing will hinder me. I walk with beauty before me. I walk with beauty behind me. I walk with beauty below me. I walk with beauty above me. I walk with beauty around me. My words will be beautiful. In beauty all day long may I walk. Through the returning seasons, may I walk. On the trail marked with pollen may I walk. With dew about my feet, may I walk. With beauty before me may I walk. With beauty behind me may I walk. With beauty below me may I walk. With beauty above me may I walk. With beauty all around me may I walk. In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk. In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk. My words will be beautiful. Wishing you a peaceful and joyous holiday season. Photo: Jamie Heiden
To journey without being changed is to be a nomad. To change without journeying is to be a chameleon. To journey and be transformed by the journey is to be a pilgrim. -Mark Nepo I am utterly fascinated by people who, tired of a grid-locked life, decide to leave their routine and predictable lives in favor of adventure. I am especially interested in the modern day sojourners who are taking on an ancient pilgrimage that Christians began in the Middle Ages. The Camino de Santiago is a 500 mile trek that begins in Southern France and ends in Northern Spain. The passage marks the “Way of St. James” or the route that the remains of the great Saint were carried from Jerusalem to his burial site in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The people that walk the Camino are referred to as “pilgrims” and each town offers special lodging, food rates and specific care such as washing and bandaging their sore and blistered feet. The journey is undertaken by people from all walks of life and varying ages—there are no particular requirements for the pilgrimage--just that one cultivate the heart of the pilgrim by opening oneself to be transformed by the journey. People from various religious and spiritual traditions have been making pilgrimages for centuries. The most well known pilgrimage sites are places where saints lived and died, miracles were performed and other numinous events took place. These sacred sites honor the meeting places of the Divine and human; the merging of the timeless with the temporal on this planet. Pilgrimages honor our personal quests for truth, awakening, transformation and healing. They temporarily call us out of and away from our familiar lives in order to experience life on different terms—terms not entirely of our own making which create the exact opportunities necessary for our personal transformation. The real pilgrimage points us in the direction of an inner journey to self-discovery and true soul fulfillment. We are each invited to make our own particular pilgrimages throughout the course of our lives. It takes tremendous courage to accept the calls of our lives because the nature of a calling is that we are invited to step into an entirely new experience. We are asked to go where we have never gone before. The way may not be clear and well-travelled. As the Spanish poet Antonio Machado declares: "Traveler, there is no path. Paths are made by walking." Recognizing a Calling in Our Lives The definitive qualities of a calling can be contrasted with the familiar habits and ways of living that can be understood as our conditioning. Here is a brief look at some of the differences between the two: CALLING: CONDITIONING: Intrinsic (motivated from within) Extrinsic (motivated from outside) Creative Prescribed Unknown Known Adventure Pre-planned tour Individualized Generalized Felt/Sensed Planned/strategized Mystery Rationality Wild Tamed Intuitive Logical Soul-Centric Egocentric Circular Linear Pilgrimage Promotion Process Product While a calling is connected to an inner longing that puts us on the path to fulfilling our purpose, the initial catalyst to making a significant change in our lives is often initiated by outer life circumstances or events such as new discoveries or experiences, transitions, or specific crises or challenges such as illness, death, or divorce. For others there is a restlessness or subtle sense of dissatisfaction with the status quo and a readiness for “something more.” I have been able to identify five distinct characteristics of a calling:
Your Pilgrim Heart Not all of us are able to undertake the kind of pilgrimages that would have us take leave of our everyday lives for an extended period of time, nor is it necessary. However, we can always choose to view our current lives as a sacred journey. What would it mean for you to step into this metaphor of pilgrimage within the context of your life? How would perceiving yourself as a pilgrim on a sacred adventure alter your the ways you experience the everyday adventure? Cultivating a pilgrim’s heart requires a willingness to release your fixed expectations or rigid attachments while doing your best to remain open and curious; allowing the journey itself to inform your walking. While the framework and pathways of a traditional pilgrimage have already been established, the nature of what you will experience and receive personally will differ greatly from another and cannot be predicted. Trust that you will be given exactly what you need as you go. Call on the help of guides and allies in both the visible and invisible worlds. Allow one step to lead to the next—trust the process. Expect the alchemy of the adventure to work miracles in your life. Magic happens when we are willing to follow our heart’s call more fully into this wild and wondrous world while holding the tender remembrance that we are only passing through this place. Personal Reflection To deepen your own understanding of calling in your life, consider journaling your responses to these questions: When have you received a call in the past? Describe the time and what was happening in your life. What current discoveries, circumstances or events in your own life might be catalyzing a call? Are you able to identify the deeper longing of your heart by saying “yes” to this call? Which of the five characteristics of a call resonate most with you? Why? A few qualities of the “pilgrim heart” that I name are “openness, connection to invisible and visible help, curiosity, trust, and willingness.” What specific qualities do you feel are important for you to cultivate for your personal journey? 9/28/2016 0 Comments The Scent of WaterCollage: "Help is all around you." “Hello, nice to see you….” she said with a warm smile and twinkling eyes peeking out from under a red baseball cap. “Are you ready to work?” We nod slowly; weary with the residue of a long day of travel. “Ok, good because we’re going to work. Let’s talk about hell. The stuck places of darkened dreams. . .”
This was how Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes began the training that I recently attended called “Original Voice: Getting Unstuck—Journey Through Hell to the Hidden Heart.” Over the course of five days, roughly 100 people made a deep dive into “hell” with Dante’s famous work The Divine Comedy and Dr. Estes’ 30+ years as a Jungian Analyst as our formidable guides. Although Dante wrote in the 14th century, his work is applicable today as an archetypal story describing, in detail, the perilous journey and accompanying pitfalls that we are called into to recover the true Self. The classic story begins with Dante finding himself lost in mid-life. Who of us, that have been fortunate enough to make it this far in life, can’t identify with this feeling of being lost in some ways—if not entirely? The dreams that we once had for our lives have been replaced with another form of "reality" and we question who we are and what our life is really about anyway. This is a crucial threshold in our lives and if we choose to enter it consciously, we are offered an opportunity to become, as Dr. Estes says, Ser hermano—to become true human beings. Together we journeyed through Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell, taking pause inside each layer in order to carefully examine our own lives in relation to the particular form of hell described. We asked the hard questions of ourselves and spoke the answers to each other: How did I come to get stuck in this place? Why do I remain here? What will I do in order to move out of this place? This radical kind of truth telling begins to free the creative spirit within us so that we are able, again, to use our precious life force on behalf of the unique callings that each of our Souls came into this world promising to fulfill. The symptoms of being trapped in hell are many—fear, anger, violence toward ourselves or others, jealousy, shame, addiction, etc., while the result of making our way out of hell is single-purposed: to be free to create what is uniquely ours to create. For your own consideration this month, I will share with you the three most important aspects of Dante’s Divine Comedy that you can apply to your own life. These relate to the three main characters of the story: Dante, Virgil and Beatriz. I suggest reflecting in your journal on these questions:
While I am certain that I will have much more to share about this profound experience as I assimilate all that was transmitted directly into my own Soul, I'd like to offer a poem that I wrote upon returning home that represents, in one way, my personal journey. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, Yet at the scent of water it will bud, And put forth shoots like a plant. ~Job 14:8-9 The Scent of Water What begins as a barely detectable thirst, when ignored, becomes the drought that sends us on our way. The search for water, a taste of the life that lives just for us, presses in on every side. Narrowing vision, thirst turns our pain into a prayer. We pass through the valley of hopes shattered and dreams abandoned like dusty old towns gone extinct. Pausing in the desolation to honor the aborted ones, the evicted innocence; the dry bones of what never came to be. Tears softening the cracked earth, a stuttered cry for that which no longer lives. Tracking truth-- traversing the desert of not-yet-ness. Liminal wonderland of the unseen, pre-formed, just a thought passing on the wind. Sweat forms. Moisture molecules giving way to the surface of things. Just when I thought it was over-- not another drop to be given, She appears to me. A mirage of beauty, the definition of Grace, I meet her in the middle of my unknowing. She says nothing but takes my hand to lead me forward. I give myself completely, relieved to have such a magnificent companion guide. At last we reach the end of the desert and she ushers me to the edge of a mighty shore. Silent, she makes her way into the sea~ for a moment she looks over her shoulder and smiles at me. As I begin to reach for her she disappears. I bow down to the water at my feet, Her wordless command gave me all that I needed to know. My tears, my sweat, my hopes and dreams washing over me in a single billowing tide. For the first time, I behold my true reflection. I am born again from the secret, living water. How do we move through the stuck places of darkened dreams? The answer is two-fold to begin. First, ask for help from the benevolent forces of the seen and unseen worlds--supplicate, ask, pray, knock, seek. Second, take some kind of deliberate, intentional action. Move in any way that you are able--walk, run, crawl, jump, step. If you would like help in navigating the stuck places in your life and are seeking guidance in freeing your creative spirit, I would like to invite you to consider my unique 8 week coaching program called "The Courage to Create: Awakening to an Authentic Vision for Your Life." It is designed to walk you, step by step, through a transformational process that will lead you to discover what you have been called to create in your own life and offer the tools to support you on your journey. Please go to my "Services" page for more details. |
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