Posted on in mindset, Spirituality

Magic Numbers and Intuition

If you would only keep your eyes open long enough, surely you would see the signs and mentions of things beyond the normal. Some call it supernatural, or paranormal, or spiritual, among other things. Maybe it’s magic, or maybe we just miss the absolute wonder of life that is always there. Open the eyes of understanding and after awhile the lines a separation begin to fade and everything appears to be connected in ways that are undeniably perfection in their creation. There is no lack of beauty, awe, or wonder all around us if only we would find it. Give it some time, and that which first seems beyond the normal will become quite normal after all.

Once in the realm of superstition, now there is a wide acceptance of simple things having profound meaning. Have you ever seen an angel number? Have you ever noticed a pattern of something popping up in your life as if to present an important message? Have you ever noticed your intuition guiding you toward or away from something without questioning the logic behind it?

We can accept that patterns exist in almost everything. Cycles are the way of the world; the clock repeats every 12 hours, every day has a sunrise and sunset, each month holds a new moon and it’s circle of fullness, the year has it’s seasons, and so on. It’s our awareness of anything outside of self that causes us to notice these nuances and become an active part of the great system. All possibility already exists and anything that will be is already in motion. Most people coast through life unaware of so much that exists all around them. Yet, when the internal world of our awareness and intuition allows us to focus on the synchronicity of everything we are a part of, there is power in our action. That power is intention.

When anything shows up in our awareness, the power is not in that thing, but in our awareness of the potential so that we can set an intention to influence anything. Actions influence outcomes. Words set intentions. Thoughts facilitate energy. Emotions align our intentions and values. Everything is connected. Potential is unlimited. Life is full of magic when you’re living it.

Posted on in embodiment, Personal Thoughts

Being Present

Days are longer. Air is warmer. People are happier. This is Spring. New life is thriving and from the earth, things are growing. As I ponder what wisdom is worth depositing into the collective today, two things are at the forefront of my mind. They are colored by an awareness that these blessed days which I have so longed for over the winter will soon pass by and yield to the cycle of seasons.

First, I recognize that the more I learn, the more aware I become of just how little I know. As my awareness grows about myself and the world around me, I find that there is so much interconnectedness that it’s difficult to break off subjects and make abbreviated mentions. One simple conversation can unfold through so many ideas and potentially be endless. I am blessed with a few close friends who embody this and our ability to roll through continual, deep conversation is one of the great joys of my life. Life is meant to be fluid, changing, and unfolding.

Second, in the vastness of all that life has to offer, this moment matters most. There is so much behind me, left in my memory. Yet, there is so much before me, left wide open to possibilities. Both are a blessing to behold, but only in this moment can I live.

In this moment, I am walking barefoot in the grass, pleased by every color tucked between the leaves; yellow, purple, blue, brown, white.

In this moment, I am witnessing the beauty of growth with every down turned to feather, every burst of playful scampering, every first tweet, cluck, or meow on the farm.

In this moment, I choose the flowing dress on a windy day so that I can relish the pleasure of a warm breeze after a cool night.

In this moment, I am looking for the very ordinary space between the milestones as the accomplishments of my parenting produce great fruit and I am blessed to behold the developing of women from girls.

In this moment, I am dancing in the kitchen, nourishing my body through movement as I prepare to nourish my body with a colorful array of produce, because health is sacred.

In this moment, I am absorbing the joy of every interaction, meeting people where they are, accepting what the wisdom of experience is they have to offer, and knowing that there is purpose in every touch of a soul.

What are the moments of your present life full of? Take notice before what comes may go.

Posted on in embodiment, Emotions, mindset

Healing the Body Through Stress-Response

When you are stressed-out, what does it feel like? Is your mind cluttered, bogged down, or racing? Is your body tense or exhausted? The particular combination of symptoms that we might experience with stress is different for each person and often different with each situation. Yet, we all experience stress at times with different levels of severity. So what is stress?

Physical stress is a form of strain or exerted pressure. As a building is constructed, there is stress on the structure as it bears the load of each layer. In physical mechanics it is necessary for stress to be balanced and dispersed so that there is no point over stressed and weakening the overall structure. This applies to the human body as well.

Only in the body, it’s not stress on steel beams or wooden floors from weight and tension. It’s a balance of chemicals and emotions that apply pressure to the physical structure of the body. Just as a broken screw can compromise a building over time, a broken neuroreceptor can compromise the physical health of the body over time. In both cases, the issue may not be apparent until something big enough strikes, like a hurricane- either of water or emotion, that overwhelms the system and causes it to fail.

Emotions are powerful. They have a great physical impact on the body. The ripple effect can alter hormones, neurotransmitters, and consciousness. If you want to take a deep dive, study the emotion to body connection and impact of serotonin, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric, glutamate, and norepinephrine, just to get you started. Emotions can stem from the release of these kinds of chemicals, but they can also create the release when the body follows the action to thought pathway. There is a lot of research that reveals just how we can control the body through mindset and thoughts.

If any of this is new to you, I encourage you to get well acquainted with your body and the literature that teaches you how to take control and drive these processes. To change the world, I must first change myself. Go and do likewise. I’ve got resources to help you on your journey.

Posted on in embodiment, mindset

It’s Already There

Maybe you’ve been told that everything you need is already inside of you. You are fully equipped with the biological capacity to thrive, heal, grow, and adapt. Your body, mind, and spirit are interconnected, intelligent, and creative. Isn’t it fascinating?

In fact, anything you could ever want or need is already out there on a trajectory of it’s own manifestation. If you can think it, it is possible. Technology proves that humanity can take raw substance and develop complex systems and tools. You simply have align yourself with that trajectory to come across what you need to accomplish what you want. It’s so very simple.

It breaks my heart when people resist the answer to their needs. Sometimes I have an answer, possessing knowledge that can alleviate much suffering, but if the person is unwilling to receive it, that knowledge is powerless to that person in the moment. The only thing that stands between a person and their healing is their mindset. The mind is such a powerful thing that can manifest miracles and also imprison the inhabitant if the wrong programming is installed.

How have you been programmed? What is your mind resisting, allowing, or manifesting?

Posted on in Personal Thoughts

The Art of Letting Go

In just a few hours, the time change begins another shift and a new cycle. Sometimes as we are “springing ahead” or “falling back” I wonder if there will be a day that it no longer happens. Every year there is talk about ending the time change. The history around it is unpleasant. Losing sleep or adjusting either direction is challenging. It’s just another thing we do because we’ve always done it.

If I’ve learned anything, it’s that continuing any action solely because it’s already in place is an absolutely ridiculous reason to do anything. I’ve seen many things fall apart due to unwillingness to change course. Life requires change. Nature gives us seasons. Life requires adapting. We are part of something so much bigger than a moment or a singular understanding.

Letting go is hard. Not always, but sometimes it’s an act of compassion to release and allow the cycles of nature to shape what will be. If you’re not letting go now, you will be. That is life. The best thing we can do is embrace change, lean into what is growing or new, and be part of something greater than this moment. Someday it will all be just a memory.

Posted on in Spirituality

Cleansing Energies

Water is cleansing. It’s a quality that is commonly accepted in the physical as well as the spiritual. Recently, I had an experience of vision and understanding that took this to another level for me. While meditating during a shower, I had an amazing visual of golden aura and watched the water flow through me. I recognized that the water moving down my body was also washing through my energy. This isn’t a new idea, but it was the first time I’ve experienced such on a tangible level.  

Understanding auras is largely left to the spiritual community. However, it’s something that every person experiences personally and interpersonally. We put a variety of labels and characteristics to the experience of how our energies interact. For example, the concept of introversion and extroversion is a commonly accepted application of energy exchange. If you are an introverted person, you likely have a larger and more sensitive aura that requires more protection. The need for more personal space physically is a material manifestation of protecting your energy. A highly extroverted person has an energetic aura that is closer to the body, allowing for closer contact. They are also less permeable so require less protection from surrounding energies. We just commonly label this as personality or preference.  

What’s interesting is that water always flows into the earth. Water is charged in such a way that it can capture energy and exfoliate it. It carries low energy into the earth to be grounded and discharged. Isn’t it amazing how we feel different after spending time in or near water? 

I will be going much deeper into these topics in my book. It’s exciting to see concepts come together in a new light. 

Posted on in Emotions, Personal Thoughts

RElationships, Love & Pain

A comforting scripture reference from my earliest childhood memories taught me that God keeps no record of our wrongs. From the silly mistakes to the outright rebellion, all is forgivable in God’s eyes. What a truly incredible concept. People certainly do not have that superpower. People often don’t forgive, and they never forget.

I’m blessed with a curse, some might say, in that I have the ability to see people through the eyes of Love. I know it’s a gift, but it sure has stirred up some people throughout my lifetime. I’m quick to forgive. I believe in reconciliation. I understand that a person is not defined by thoughts or actions alone.

So then, how do we handle the greatest of offenses? How do we live with what we can’t forget? My energy isn’t usually matched in willingness to let go and carry on when I value a relationship. I’ve even found myself caught in a triangle where two opposing parties won’t budge and so I end up hurt because any choice I make will cause friction. Man, it’s a painful place to live.

Lately, I’ve been thinking more about how the past is permanent. The words that have been said can’t be unsaid. Choices and actions, once committed, permanently alter the path forward. Of course, a change in direction is always possible. Yet, what’s done is done. We can hold on tight and allow it to dictate our existence. Or we can let go and make room for what could be.

In relationships, love trumps pain, if we embrace love. Sadly, some people are married to pain. Maybe there’s unhealed trauma blocking the road to forgiveness. Maybe pride won’t open the gate. Any obstacle in your mind is only keeping you from healing yourself and your relationships. Don’t let that be your story. Someday, you’ll be long gone but your story can bring healing in generations to come.

Posted on in mindset, personal development

Planned Failure

Welcome to January 2023! It’s officially the prime time for goal desertion and resolution repo. A lot of folks came running into the new year with lofty ambitions and shiny new goals and they will start to discard them right about now. I could tell you all about why new year resolutions are a bad idea and how to do more with less. In fact, I might just do that, but not here and not today.

Today I am going to share a concept with you that I teach to my clients. One that amplifies the success of any goals you might want to achieve. Let’s talk about planned failure. If you are a perfectionist, the title alone might make you cringe, but you are exactly the kind of person that needs this. So often, I talk to people who never start a project or idea because they are afraid to fail. It might be starting a new business, or hobby, or journaling, or crafting art, whatever the target may be they never even start at go. Why is this true so often? Fear of failure is a real monster that kills all sorts of potential before it’s even born.

Good news! I have the remedy for that fear. It’s called planned failure. When you initiate something planning to fail, success is inevitable. This is true because if the worst potential outcome is realized then you’ve hit the mark you were aiming for, but if you do better than you expect your success is on a different level. Rather than holding a standard that you can’t fail, you can literally make failure the standard and then you can only succeed!

This concept was born in my life a couple decades ago when I played pool for the first time. Even now, I am not an exceptional pool player. For some reason, the first time I played I felt ridiculous pressure to be good. Something about the poker face of other players was intimidating and made me try too hard. Call it young naivety. So of course, I failed miserably and felt embarrassed. Then when I found myself wanting to play in a casual setting, I just started announcing that I was no good and would likely lose the game. With that low bar set, when I actually hit the ball I was aiming for or actually made a pocket, it was a huge success! It was also highly entertaining to friends who were experienced players.

I repeated this planned failure in my artistic pursuits. When I started painting with new tools or new ideas, I prepared for the outcome of nothing spectacular. I used lower value supplies and set my intention to be experimental with no need to perfect any part of my process. Sometimes I make uninteresting chaos but sometimes I make really cool art. The old perfectionist in me would have whined over wasted materials, wasted time, and wasted talent- if I couldn’t be good at all times. Now I don’t believe in waste. Even if I got an insignificant end result, I learned about the process. I might have learned how pouring paint feels, or how pressure on an airbrush needs to change to control the stream. All modes of learning are good in their own power.

So stop avoiding living your life over a fear that has no power over you. Fail! Do the thing and love the process as much as the outcome. If you practice planned failure, you will certainly level up in life.

Posted on in Personal Thoughts

The Problem with Health Insurance and Therapy

We all need someone to talk to sometimes, someone to listen, to care, to process, to advise us occasionally, and to support us through transitions in life. I teach a pyramid of support. At the bottom, the foundation layer, you have the support that is closest to you in proximity. This includes your family and friends, peers and coworkers, acquaintances, and social connections. It’s the people who form your daily interactions and will likely show up to your funeral. At the tippy top of the pyramid is the rarest and most professional support you might ever need; think psychiatrist, plastic surgeon, or criminal defense attorney. Some people never need this level of support. If you do have a need in this category, it is likely there is no alternative because it is so specialized.

The middle part of the pyramid between the bookends includes a variety of styles and levels of support. I call this the “can’t do it myself and I need some help” section. Skilled trades and professional services fall into this section. It’s the people who provide you something you can’t do for yourself. Narrowing in on the category of mental health, this section includes therapists, counselors, mentors, social workers, life coaches, health coaches, doctors, nurses, trainers, and more. There are many people in many roles who offer different flavors of support but ultimately are purposed to help you make the most of your life and find true wellness.

Unfortunately, in our society, money and the systems it flows through controls the narrative. In recent decades, “health insurance” has become the standard decision maker in people’s care. Many professionals who are connected to the “health care system” are under the influence of the people behind insurance. So, when therapy transitioned to a health-care service in order to qualify for coverage, it became a pawn of the industry too. What does this mean for you?

Concisely, if you use your health insurance to cover a service, it must be deemed a medically necessary treatment. Said another way, anything that your insurance pays for must be justified as a treatment of a disease or disorder. Your therapist has to diagnose you with a mental health disorder and then notate your treatment to get paid. I’ve talked about this before in sharing why I left the clinical world of professional counseling. The system is not aligned with my moral standard. For a small group of individuals, this insurance benefit is a great thing! But most people are walking around believing they have mental health issues that they don’t. In fact, socially it is common to make light of serious disorders because they have become so familiar to us. I find this to be a tragedy and disservice to humanity.

It’s time to start viewing money, healthcare, and professional support differently. It’s not what most people think it is. This is why I offer the services that I do and at a rate that does not compete with insurance. I believe in the power of support for personal growth and wellness. We’re all trying to make a living doing something we love. I’m also trying to change the world by flowing under the mainstream current for the greater good. It’s not easy standing alone but it’s worth it. I’ll tell you the hard truth. I hope you receive it.

Posted on in embodiment, personal development

Personal Mastery

It has become apparent to me, as I’ve gained the sort of insight that comes with age, that competition is vanity. In most categories, the act of competing against someone else is only to the end of assigning an arbitrary status of greater than or less than. It is also apparent to me that the value of dominating over others is superficial, where the value of personal mastery is great.

If you’re going to do a thing, do it well. Incompetence is rampant and much business is conducted by people who have no business doing so. I hold to the value that people should be doing what they are most passionate about, but until they are able to acquire that level of accomplishment, they should do well at whatever they are responsible for doing.

There is one thing that each and every person should master and that is knowing the self. I believe the Greeks were accredited with the slogan “Know Thyself” but it’s a rather universal and basic pillar. Yet so many people slide through life without really knowing, understanding, or accepting their personal experience. In fact, we seek outward in others what can be learned directly in our own very capable experience. Human beings are primed to learn through sensory exploration, as evidenced by the natural, unaided development of the first years of life. A baby will learn to eat, walk, talk, and begin to behave according to expectations and social norms without any prescription of systematic instruction. Our minds are quite incredible.

My aim is to provide insight and tools to help others on their journeys of personal mastery. Teaching embodiment is foundational to the level of self-acceptance necessary for true personal growth. In two weeks, I am hosting a Personal Mastery Workshop which will be both educational and hands-on. I welcome you to come and join us in opening your mind to get to know your-self.