We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. —Maya Angelou Breaking free of our comfort zones challenges us to expand our range of spiritual understanding and stimulate growth. Perhaps an apt visual metaphor for such an expansion is the dispersal of a shipment of rubber duckies around the world’s waterways. In 1992, a Chinese freighter accidently dropped a crate of thirty thousand rubber duckies into the Pacific Ocean, which were later discovered on the coasts of Indonesia, Australia, South America, Alaska, the Arctic, and England, resulting in scientists gaining a better … [Read more...]
Tapping the Power of Intention
Using the power of intention is not about setting a specific goal and focusing so much on it that you lose sight of other possibilities. On the contrary, it is about setting a goal, being open to the many choices that present themselves in reaching that goal, then selecting the ones most likely to bring about the desired outcome. Just as a plane is guided onto the runway, into the air, and to its destination by airline personnel and air traffic controllers, you, as copilot, can guide your intention into reality by co-navigating with your source. Making your flight plan a reality, however, necessitates being out in front of your … [Read more...]
The Return of the Light
For millennia, winter solstice celebrations have heralded the return of the light and are a time of quiet reflection and intention. In many Native American cultures, tribes and families would gather to start up a new year at the solstice and have a special celebration where they would make a request to the Great Spirit to eliminate certain things that they no longer wanted in their lives. As a way of representing this, they would craft six arrows: three to represent the things they did not want and three for the things they did want. They called them "death" arrows and "life" arrows because they held respectfully, the things they wanted to be … [Read more...]
Practicing Self-Compassion During the Holidays
Cultivating self-compassion during the holidays requires precious self-care—that is, nurturing ourselves with the utmost kindness and love, as we would someone we cherish. Such behavior is not self-indulgent but rather essential to enhancing our health, vitality, and our relationships. It increases our energy, brings peace of mind, and restores balance. Even setting aside just five minutes a day to nurture ourselves can help us reduce stress, calm the nervous system, feel renewed, and be more productive. Often we set aside our own needs while caring for others. Or we do not dedicate sufficient time and energy to self-care, due to the … [Read more...]
Celebrating the Holidays without Expectations
Celebrating the holidays without expectations can be challenging even for those of us who live an authentic life. How many of us dread the holidays because we have difficulty saying no, declining an invitation, or setting firm boundaries with our family members? Whether it be family traditions we feel obligated to continue, or relatives we feel we must visit, our minds are filled with endless to-do lists, expectations and obligations at this particular time of year. Instead of it being a time of beauty, quiet reflection, and a celebration of our hearts, it becomes stressful and anxiety-ridden trying to live up to the expectations of ourselves … [Read more...]
Embracing Transitions As Pathways to Transformation
Transitions—intense periods of discovery, self-healing, and personal transformation—can catalyze the release of patterns, the resolution of grievances, and open space for new possibilities and spiritual growth. From a spiritual point of view, a person’s life is a constant series of transitions: changing jobs or careers, suffering from and healing an illness, beginning or ending relationships, having a baby or facing a death in the family, and initiating or completing creative projects. Although these transitions may make us feel that we are losing our bearings, they are spiritual signs that we are processing new and stored information … [Read more...]
The Courage to Be Who You Are
"Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do." -Brene Brown It takes courage to be who we are in the world. Courage comes from the Latin word for "heart." To be courageous is to be open-hearted, speaking our truth honestly and openly with our whole heart. In other words, sharing our most intimate thoughts, feelings and experiences that comprise our true being. Loving ourselves enough to reveal our deepest vulnerabilities is the most courageous choice we can make. Unlike bravery which is externally motivated, courage comes from within. It sources deep within our hearts as … [Read more...]
Opening Our Hearts to Awaken to Our Authentic Selves
Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends.—Aberjhani Opening our hearts awakens us to our authentic selves, whose essence is love. Seeing ourselves through the eyes of our hearts, we can acknowledge that we are love and, therefore, entirely adequate and sufficient. In this state of awareness, we become our own safe havens, free to fully express who we are, for there is nothing we need to do except be in love, at one with our source of love, and at peace with ourselves. Seeing ourselves as love prepares us to cultivate loving relationships with others and living from the perspective of universal love. … [Read more...]
Transcending Fear and Negativity
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle As human beings, we are constantly bombarded with fear and negativity everyday. All we have to do is turn on the news, read the newspaper, or check the Internet. We may even find ourselves addicted to the incessant drama of the world, the people around us, or our own negativity. Unfortunately, many of us reinforce even more negativity when we co-miserate with our family, friends, and co-workers. So, it is important to remind ourselves that "misery does love company" and that all it takes to empower negative is more negative. We have the ability to move … [Read more...]
Sustaining a Sense of Humor Through Life’s Challenges
Sustaining a sense of humor cultivates lightheartedness. It connects us to the deepest reaches of our soul and is crucial in healing. Most people express that they would rather die than live a life without laughter. Research shows that laughter lowers blood pressure, increases vascular blood flow, reduces stress which in turn reduces anxiety and depression. Most importantly, when we laugh with others, we share a sense of interconnectedness and belonging which assists in healing as well. For me, laughter that originates deep within and assists us in communing with others in an intimate way is soul laughter. Soul laughter lets us share our … [Read more...]