Personal Development | Ascension Lifestyle

07 May 2016
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Spirituality? Is That Like Religion?

When I moved to California in 1981, spiritual exploration was still in my future. I had my first astrological reading that year, and the astrologer, who twelve years later would provide a reading that helped redirect my life during my awakening, referred several times to “spirituality.” She recorded the session, and on the recording you hear me asking in a perplexed tone, “What’s spirituality? Is that like religion?”

I needed to live my own spiritual journey before I understood. The terms can be synonymous, but often they are not.

The Difference Between Spirituality and Religion

The Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhist community, has said, “My religion is kindness.”

The word religion derives from the Latin religare, which means “to tie fast” or “to bind together.” One dictionary definition of religion is, “a set of beliefs, values and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.” This would seem to suggest that religion is a subset of a larger rubric called spirituality.

Yet defining spirituality is a bit like describing color to one who has never known sight. Perception will vary according to your beliefs. Of the myriad online resources attempting to answer the inquiry, “What is Spirituality?” a Unitarian Universalist minister offers this view:

Spirituality is being concerned with things of the spirit — the big questions of meaning, metaphysics, existence. Being spiritual is thinking about, wondering about, and exploring the deepest aspects of reality, values, morals, and meanings.

Spirituality is mis-defined if it is equated with super-naturalism, which tends to be the mistake I find when I hear people object to the word. Nothing about a search for values, morals, and meanings implies faith instead of reason, or emotion instead of intelligence. Spirituality can be all those things, and it is to some people, but not exclusively so. After all, ‘spirit’ simply means ‘breath,’ as in ‘inspire’, ‘expire’ or ‘inspiration.’ Spirit is about being filled with life. It’s about all the ways that we try to make sense of our living, and our attempts to make good from our lives.

Thus, the Dalai Lama’s statement, like his work in the world, broadens the scope of religion to embrace its spiritual essence: both begin with how we think, feel and behave.

How What We Believe Affects Our Health

In recent years, scientists have demonstrated in the lab what mystics and spiritual teachers have been saying for centuries: consciousness creates reality. Renowned neuroscientist Candace Pert, featured in What the Bleep Do We Know!? and author of Molecules of Emotion: Why You Feel the Way You Feel, established that emotional communication begins at the cellular level, with tiny proteins called peptides.

Breakthrough cell biologist Bruce Lipton, author of The Biology of Belief, confirms that our attitudes and thoughts create our physical bodies. He writes, “Cells respond to perception by activating either growth or protection behavior programs. If our perceptions are accurate, the resulting behavior will be life enhancing. If we operate from ‘misperceptions,’ our behavior will be inappropriate and will jeopardize our vitality by compromising our health.”

In a nutshell: think negative, create warped DNA. Change your mind, change your body!

During the past few decades, medical science has also begun documenting the “faith factor” in healing. Physician Larry Dossey, a pioneer in exploring the role of prayer in healing, says, “I used to believe that we must choose between science and reason on one hand, and spirituality on the other, in how we lead our lives. Now I consider this a false choice. We can recover the sense of sacredness, not just in science, but in perhaps every area of life.”

Stepping Onto the Path

So, how does spirituality “happen”? Awakening is a journey, and just as with literal travel, this metaphorical passage is different for everyone. For many people, the call to embark on a spiritual path is preceded by a period of questioning or difficulty, when one or more aspects of your life no longer flow smoothly. This was what my summons looked like.

Being willing to surrender into the unknown is a huge, scary — and necessary — initial step, because you can’t “figure out” spirituality in a linear fashion. You might begin a spiritual exploration by reading about the world’s religions, or sampling various types of spiritual services. Some people seek out a teacher or guru. Some learn to meditate. Others go on retreat in the wilderness. There are as many ways to claim your spiritual truth as there are people. A formal practice isn’t required, although this can be a useful way to “get out of your head” in the early stages.

Ultimately, the journey to Spirit will be unique to you.

Spiritual vs. Material

Of course, it’s important to balance spirituality with the 3-D world. You don’t need to take a vow of poverty in order to live a spiritual life! This is a frequent misconception among both spiritual and religious aspirants: that a dedication to spiritual service requires one to renounce worldly possessions.

People often find that committing to a spiritual path dramatically changes their lives. Material resources may fall away, but this usually has little to do with religious or spiritual doctrine. It’s more likely a result of a desire to pare down possessions in an attempt to discover what’s necessary and valued, to release aspects of one’s life that no longer serve, or a deep-seated belief that it’s somehow “more spiritual” to be poor. Role models from Jesus to Gandhi to Mother Teresa have ingrained an unintentional link between spiritual service and self-sacrifice in our collective consciousness.

Those who possess spiritual wealth know that love and compassion are the true sources of sustenance. As the Dalai Lama so eloquently expressed, the most devout religious belief can be embodied as kindness. A person overflowing with goodwill towards others is incalculably richer than someone with a big bank account and a stingy spirit.

Full Circle

Fourteen years after wondering aloud what spirituality was, I was discussing my personal growth odyssey with my Dad. After I’d shared passionately for a while, he said, “You know, honey, when you say ‘spirituality’, I have no idea what you mean.”

My heart swelled with recognition. I took a thoughtful breath, and began to frame my reply.

About the author:

Amara Rose is a “midwife” for our global rebirth. Her services include transformational guidance, talks, e-courses, a digital download CD, and an inspirational monthly newsletter. She is widely published in health, business and new thought magazines, both digital and print. Learn more: http://www.liveyourlight.com

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20 Apr 2016
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Grounding

This month we are focusing on a topic that is most essential to this part of the journey for many who are on this spiritual path to ascension. This topic is also beneficial to those who are newly awakened to a spiritual journey or to anyone who simply wants to “feel better”. This month we will be focused on Grounding. For spiritually developed people, grounding is usually the most neglected area of their lives. Yet it is the energetic and spiritual foundation of our souls experience here as human beings. Many of us who are aware that the Universe is more than simply this physical realm are often faced with the dilemma of trying to find that balance between Spirit and Matter. On the one hand we recognize as the adage goes, that we ARE a Soul and we HAVE a body. We understand fully that we are an eternal being and thus our truest essence is non physical. Often once we awaken to this truth we understand why it has felt so challenging being in a physical body. It may feel like we are not as free as we are used to. We may prefer the higher dimensions where we feel our soul can play freely through the various aspects of space-time and our thoughts instantly manifest.

Nevertheless we came here to play in this world of form, to experiment with this material realm of creation, and for our souls expansion. Part of the agreement being here is that we will experience human emotions and what may be referred to as pain and suffering. These can be overwhelming at times and can cause us to want to separate from our body in this 3D experience. Whenever we do this we are abandoning our body which in fact is our holy temple. This is why I focus heavily on Healing the Emotional Body. Becoming grounded is a foundational process in claiming Earth as our home, walking empowered in our soul’s purpose for being here. None of us are here by accident. Although I do believe many of us underestimated the density of what it would feel like to be in this physical experience.

What is grounding.

Grounding is based on your connection to your physical body and to Earth.

What does that mean in practice.

This means having a strong connection to the present moment because you have learned soul embodiment.
You feel connected to the earth’s energy that provides you with constant healing and restoration.
You have a connection with the physical body’s innate wisdom to heal itself and provide stamina, resilience and strength.
You have a deep sense of knowing that can be offered through the tools and guidance system that comes through feelings and sensations that the body is attuned to.
Increased life force. The energies of the earth are our most primal and vital energies. An ungrounded life is a life mostly not lived to its highest potential.
There is a deep healing vibration that comes from being in communication with the earth heartbeat. Scientifically known as the Schumann’s resonance(more on this later).
You can release deep trauma and old patterns of fear and abandonment that are stored on a cellular level, many that may come from past lives of perhaps ancestral karma.
You can heal and release dense emotions such as shame and guilt that often convert to illness and disease in the physical body.
You can heal energetic blocks especially those connected to the lower chakras that relate to security, safety and stability. Good grounding is synonymous with feeling and knowing that you belong, and are safely held in the earth community.

Symptoms of being ungrounded

You don’t feel safe and protected. This can often be because of a trauma that happened at a young age that caused the soul to go out of the body in order to escape the reality of the circumstance. We have all experienced this and grounding is one of the way to reprogram the body that you are safe.
Seeing’ without grounding is prone to projection and fantasy. It isn’t always very ‘real’. Many people will experience this when they meet someone who seems very “airy fairy” or with their heads in the clouds, meaning their world seems to have no basis in the collective world around them. This is one of the most common thing I see with people who are spiritually awakened yet ungrounded. Getting grounded and rooted is deeply important in working with or increasing psychic sensitivity. You learn to sense kinesthetically and this builds up part of the psychic picture.
You may experience difficulty being a part of society and would rather exist solely in your own reality(in excess this can create issues). Your vivid imagination and visions of other times and places always seem to be more enjoyable than the present moment.
You may have a difficulty with intimacy, developing close relationships or maintaining them.
You may have a hard time experiencing or sustaining joy and pleasure. The very sensation of pleasure as we agreed to in this human incarnation requires us to be embodied; connecting deeper into our bodies in order to open up the channels for us to feel more of life’s richness.
You may find it difficult to operate in the three dimensional world with structures such as time, having a job, paying taxes, doing paperwork. Being able to be “in the world” is very much connected to embodiment
You may experience deep feelings of not wanting to be here, lacking in drive, apathy, depression, helplessness or hopelessness.

How to get grounded

Going for a walk, especially in nature
Earthing, which means walking barefoot on grass
Spending some time in nature.
Hugging trees
Eating something, especially root vegetables or herbs
Visualization where you Imagining tree roots coming out of the feet, or anchors, or imagining you are a tree
There are several yoga poses that an help with grounding. We love sun salutations, child’s pose and tree pose.
Exercising, consider incorporating ancient practices such as qigong or tai chi that work specifically with gathering life force energy from the earth.
Using a grounding mat. This should in no way be a replacement for spending time barefoot in nature but can be useful for sleep or for those in colder climates.
Vibrational remedies. (we offer an amazing kit this month to deepen in grounding which includes stones, essential oils, sage, herbs, and more)
Massages, especially deep massages like rolfing and other forms of bodywork
Bio-energetics and other body-centred psychotherapy
Ancestral healing work
Shamanic healing (soul retrievals)
Energy healing
Eating fresh, locally grown seasonal food
Eating more legumes and root vegetables
Listening to deeply grounding sounds such as the Schumann’s resonance.

The Schumann’s Resonance.

Although the existence of the Schumann Resonance is an established scientific fact, there are very few scientists who are aware of the importance of this frequency as a tuning fork for Life. When the connection is broken we suffer. Our ability to heal, process emotions, enjoy our life and feel safe is connected to this frequency. The connection between the Schumann resonance and the alpha rhythm of brainwaves was discovered by Scientists many years ago. It was found that the earth has the same natural resonance as the brain.
Some of the research is quite fascinating. In one case an underground bunker was built which completely screened out magnetic fields. There were volunteers that lived there for four weeks in this sealed environment. It was found that their circadian rhythms became distorted, they suffered emotional distress and migraine headaches. After only a brief exposure to the very frequency which had been screened out(Schumann’s Resonance. 7.8 HZ) the volunteers health stabilized again.The same complaints were reported by the first astronauts and cosmonauts, who, out in space, also were no longer exposed to the Schumann waves. Now modern spacecrafts are said to contain a device which simulates the Schumann waves.

There are many aspects of modern living may be creating an environment that is literally `out of tune’ with Nature itself. In ancient times it was common to walk barefoot on the earth. This alone helps to release unpaired electrons known as free radicals which are known to cause damage to the body. At this point there is an urgent need for us to understand how everything alive responds to the most subtle changes in the electromagnetic fields surrounding us. This research goes far beyond just the common idea by many who live in cities that the draw to nature is based solely on it being pretty. Although there is much to enjoy in the beauty that nature provides, Science is revealing there is deeper need to be connected to the earth simply for our own health and well being.

It is my belief that Earth itself Gaia is a very unique ancient being who has her own path and journey of wisdom. The energy that she provides is very much in resonance with what we refer to as the divine feminine or the Great Mother. I grew up in Michigan in a home that was surrounded by nature. My backdoor opened up to the woods and this is where I spent most of my childhood. Climbing trees, eating berries, exploring, and just deeply finding my own way through these nature portals which seem to go on forever. I choose several years to move out of the city into a town that is filled with national parks, lakes, redwood trees and so many flowers. I have spent many nights sleeping out in nature and have received many gifts from being silent and asking for support, healing or to have questions answered. Currently it is my practice to lay out with my bare feet touching the ground for at least an hour a day and to immerse myself fully in nature at least three times a week. I also often fall asleep listening to nature sounds and I carry the Schumann’s resonance audios with me so that I can tune in at any time. I attribute my relationship with nature to much of my feelings of health, happiness, and well being. Even with our busy hectic active lives we can find ways to connect to these healing frequencies and to get grounded everyday.

We came forth into this time space reality from an intention that was put into motion from the desire to experience something unique. That is what a physical experience in a body on Earth provides for us. Many of us are masters in other dimensions and yet we can not claim mastery of this experience until we allow ourselves to step fully into it.. Beginning to have a healthy relationship with our body will help us to show up more fully in our individual, collective and cosmic purpose. We came here with access to as many aspects of our higher dimensional selves as we will allow to come forth into this body. This is what is unique about ascension on this planet at this time. While many of us may be familiar with ascension from the spiritual perspective this is an advanced class because we are learning now to ascend while we are still in a body. This means we are all pioneers. The only ones who have done this successfully are the Christ, Buddha, Krisha archetypes who have shown us the potential for this to work. Yet our own pathway to enlightenment is unique and thus we need all of the tools we can get. I hope these have been helpful.

By: Ascension Lifestyle Contributor Hasnaa

Raised by two parents who are spiritual teachers, Maryam Hasnaa At-Tauhidi has been immersed in a world of mysticism, ceremony and celebration since before she was born. She found her calling teaching others how to embody their higher self and their soul’s purpose. She is a alchemist who uses esoteric teachings about plants, flowers, and roots to create tools for divine attunement. She is an Ascension Guide who teaches Nature based Mysticism

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13 Apr 2016
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Blackberry Love: How to Pick the Ripe Relationship for You

After living in the wine country of northern California for a while, I grew tired of whining. I wanted to segue from sour grapes to sweet, luscious blackberries. This is how blackberry love begins …

A friend and I were taking a walk near her rural home at sunset when she exclaimed, “I’ve got to stop and pick some of these delicious blackberries!” Yet until she said that, I hadn’t noticed the blackberry bushes all around us.

I was amazed. Here I was, surrounded by a potential source of nourishment, readily available, delectable and free, and I hadn’t even seen the bushes dripping with ripe blackberries until my friend pointed out what was right in front of me. It reminded me of the quote from The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint Exupery: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

I wondered how many times potential partners or friends might be right there in front of us, yet invisible, until someone points them out to us. “Oh, here’s a blackberry, and it’s ripe.” Iridologist and holistic health pioneer Bernard Jensen called blackberries “one of nature’s most perfect foods for healing”. And when we truly heal, we do so on every level of our being.

So I began to pick blackberries, and to walk the path of wise relationship.

Gift #1: Zen and the Art of Blackberry Picking. Look for the berries that are ripe to be plucked right now. In this instance, the mantra might be, “learn to discern.” If we choose berries that are overripe, they’re going to squish in our fingers and we’ll have juice all over the place. If we choose a berry that’s too red, we’ll have to tug to get it off the vine, and it’s going to be bitter. An old commercial playfully vowed, “We will sell no wine before its time!” Forcing a berry to be yours as it’s clinging tenaciously to the vine will result in whining. The perfect berry comes to you with a very slight pluck; tugging isn’t necessary.

Gift #2: A Grasp That Equals Your Reach. Robert Browning wrote, “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a Heaven for?” That’s poetic, but if we live this way in terms of relationship, we’ll be forever hungry, grasping for berries that are always just slightly out of reach, or not quite ripe. After picking berries for several days, I developed a certain dexterity. I became adept at angling my arm in between the thorns to find just the berries that were ready right then, even if they were slightly above my head or a bit of a stretch from where I was standing. Sometimes the choicest morsels are a slight stretch outside our comfort zone. I began to get the sense of how to connect with them, and it became this wonderful dance: “Oh, hello berry bushes!” There was a grace, an ease, to my berry picking, and it was fun! Relationships can actually be fun.

Gift #3: Visual Acuity. My resonance, my homing signal, for “ripe blackberries” grew keener by day. Like anything else, you get better with practice. I learned to scan ahead as I walked down a row of bushes. On the way out, I’d pick the ones that appeared ripe. On the way back, I’d notice ripe blackberries that I’d missed the first time. I was enlarging my visual field, engaging my peripheral vision: “Ah, there’s someone Spirit has placed in my path whom I didn’t notice before, that I ought to consider.” By looking again, we raise our sights to the highest possibility.

Gift #4: Choose Ye This Day Which Berry You Would Serve. My friend’s two dogs trotted along beside me, happily devouring any berries I tossed their way, ripe or not. There will always be people who are so hungry that any blackberry is better than none. They’re willing to take the bitterness just to have the taste. However, unripe fruit will only give you heartburn. Nourishing berries feed your soul as well as your stomach. Once I started tasting the sweetest, most perfectly ripe blackberries that were ready for me, I couldn’t return to a less discerning method of selection. There was just no comparison with a berry that was right for me, right now.

In this same light, it’s most important to know what kind of berry you are. Are you so ripe that anyone who comes within range is going to get drenched in berry juice? Or are you clinging to the vine so steadfastly that if somebody wants to pick you, they’re going to have to tug, and you’re still not going to come loose? Are you hiding on a branch that’s so low to the ground, or so high up, that no one can see you in your ripeness because you’re invisible to the eye? Or are you ripe, sweet, available, and ready to be chosen?

I encourage you to know your ripeness level right now, because that’s going to shift over time. Then, you can forage for the blackberries who are ripe to meet with you at this time, and enjoy the beauty, the elegance, the joy of the quest. When you find the berry who is right for you, there’s going to be a fruitful recognition. And you can savor the sweetness of this remembering for a long, delicious time.

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22 Mar 2016
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Can You Spare A Tire? The Tests We Create to Help Us Evolve.

To the untrained mind, the roadblocks in our lives appear to be just that: obstacles to go around, petty annoyances that dampen our day. As we grow in awareness, we come to view these challenges as growth opportunities, little tests we’ve arranged to see how we’re doing on the path to self-mastery. Often, as I approach another graduation in consciousness, I find myself facing a series of tests that can feel like midterms and finals rolled into one.

Non-resistance and non-blaming have been huge lessons for me. The saying goes, “What you resist, persists” and I’ve been the Queen of Resistance! It’s a crown I wore with a certain defensive pride — until I began to be bored senseless by the energy it took to fight what others adapted to easily. Resistance kept me in survival mode, running on adrenaline. This may have served me well as a child, when I needed to protect myself from being pushed around emotionally. Yet I knew it was high time to allow this ally to morph into its close cousin, persistence.

From Resistance to Persistence

Persistence turns the stickiness that keeps me trapped into suction cups that help me climb: the column of light to the world stage, the ladder of faith to step fully into my role as a planetary change agent, wedding old skills and acquired knowledge in the alchemical fire. This is how we forge true gold, also known as wisdom.

Persistence, when predicated on faith, is resistance in a higher octave. That’s the beauty of alchemy: nothing need ever die, only transmute.

Here’s what the discovery process looked like for me at first, as I integrated my dark night of the soul with everyday experience. The knowing cooked in me. Then I was presented with an opportunity to apply my new understanding.

One beautiful Saturday morning I received a superb massage, something I’d been promising myself for ages. The practitioner was nurturing and talented. One of the last movements she tried with me, however, surprised us both. My right shoulder held on as she attempted to turn me on my side, and while it felt awkward, there was no pain. We agreed that it seemed to be an area in which I stored a lot of old tension, and we chuckled about my resistance to letting it go.

That night I drove two hours to attend a fantastic multimedia event, danced joyously to evocative drum rhythms, and later fell into deep slumber.

What It Looks Like, What It Is

Sunday morning, I woke to more pain than I’d experienced in years. My entire right side felt frozen in an old motif — and I noticed it affected my digestion, how my body looked and felt, and my emotional state. The pain subsided as the day wore on, to a dull ache by Monday, but I was not a happy camper.

I called Rebecca and scheduled a session for that afternoon. She practices a holistic art that transcends chiropractic: a blend of light touch, craniosacral, Polarity therapy and a few other modalities, all of which combine under her skillful hands to help her clients release old patterns and grow beyond who they’ve been.

Rebecca is a true healer. She works with me outdoors, because she understands, from the dramatic difference in my breathing pattern and in the results we co-create, that my shifts are far greater outdoors than inside her building, where the strong chemical odor causes my body to contract. We usually take her collapsible massage table down to the unoccupied office at the end of the row of storefronts in the mini-mall where she works.

On Monday, however, the building landlord was showing that empty space to potential renters. He said, “We can’t have a massage going on while I’m trying to rent the space.” Rebecca tried to explain that it wasn’t massage, but I was unperturbed. I said, “Well, perhaps we ought to just skip it then.” David suggested we go to the grassy area behind the parking lot, and, though it was awkward to set up the table on the uneven grass, we did so.

She kept wondering aloud what he could have meant by another inexplicable comment he’d made, and I found myself in the amusing position of defending him.

It all made perfect sense to me: his job is to rent and manage the building. It is strange to have someone practicing bodywork out on the sidewalk when everyone else is in an office, regardless of the reason. I could absolutely see the situation from David’s perspective, and my high Self just kept sending him light and affirming that the situation was working out for the highest good of all concerned.

Grading My Progress

As we completed our session and walked toward her office, David was driving away, cellphone to his ear. He stopped his red Mazda coupe and shouted out the window, “Rebecca, you can work out there now.” We thanked him, and as I wrote her a check, I suddenly understood that it had been a test for me, and I’d passed with flying colors. I said out loud, “Thank you, Spirit!” I could see the “A” hanging in the air, and I laughed and thanked David’s spirit for his participation.

I explained to Rebecca that two years earlier, I’d had a flat tire and had failed that test miserably. I’d taken out my frustration on the tow truck driver who came to put on the spare. I told Rebecca that when I realized what was happening, I said in horror to the man from whose house I’d phoned, “It’s a test, isn’t it, and I’m not doing very well.” He said, “No, you’re not.” I went outside to make amends, but it was too late. The tow truck operator had driven off in a huff.

I was so pleased to have learned this lesson. David was a reclaiming for my earlier fiasco. Then Tuesday arrived.

The pain, which had been on my right side (masculine/assertive energy, old protective holding patterns) oscillated. It was now on my left. A subtle shift, but I was aware of it. The left side is the feminine, receptivity, flow.

The Holes In Our Awareness

I had about an hour to run a series of errands; I was in high gear. I stopped at the high-touch car wash, where an attendant takes the car through and you wait on the receiving end. The man wiping down the exterior signaled me to come over, indicating my front left tire. It was no longer round, but very flat. He said it had probably been losing air for a while, and the car wash completed the job.

My instinctive reaction? “It wasn’t this way when I drove in; I think the car wash did it!” He stiffened. “Well, I can get the manager.” Something was stirring in me. I calmed down. I said, “No, I’ll just call Triple A. Or — wait. Could you possibly change the flat for me?” The attendant agreed to put on my spare, popped the trunk, and as I sat on the bench, watching his movements, the situation clarified completely.

In my head, I heard a line from an old Emmylou Harris song, Boulder to Birmingham: “…Comin’ down to wash me clean.” Yesterday I’d been in my glory. Victory feels like that. Could I sustain my new learning in the face of the next challenge? It was an instant replay from two years before. This was my opportunity to play out the scenario with the AAA tow truck driver differently. A lesson is repeated until learned.

I walked over and apologized. “I tend to let little things upset me. I’m sure the tire could have gone flat in lots of ways.” The man asked helpfully if I lived around construction (my neighbors had been remodeling), saying that, even though there didn’t appear to be a nail stuck in the tire, I might have punctured it on something. He also recommended a mechanic at a shop where he used to work. I tipped him for going “above and beyond the call,” and saw my grade. It was a C/B, meaning it had started out as a C, but I’d gotten extra credit when I changed my attitude.

At Firestone, the mechanic said there was no hole, and the flat was due to a pinched valve stem, probably from the car wash rails. I was momentarily angry, then realized that that was the whole point: it wasn’t about how the tire became flat, but about how I’d handle the test.

There are no holes in the Divine Feminine. The holes in our lives are our blame, anger, and righteous resistance to Truth. When we allow ourselves to be receptively guided, we’re always washed clean.

About the author:

Amara Rose is a Feminine Frequency Accelerator and metaphysical “midwife” for our global rebirth. As a life coach, speaker, workshop facilitator and writer, she guides others to create spiritually successful change. She is the author of the digital download CD, What You Need to Know Now: A Roadmap for Personal Transformation, and publishes an inspirational monthly newsletter. Learn more: http://www.liveyourlight.com

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16 Mar 2016
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The Art of Smoke Ceremony – A Purifying & Cleansing Ritual

© Gleb Raygorodetsky 2013 for Land is Life

The Earth has given many gifts for man to use. One of the major tools given to us are the plant medicines. These medicines are of the Earth herself and the aroma produced by these plants help place us in a different state of mind thus bringing us into a deeper part of ourselves. Then, as we let go of the mind and connect the body to the Infinite Now, the scent may inspire memories, awaken the soul and give a sense of direction. There is a spiritual connection that we have to smoke that draws us toward using it to represent delicateness of the soul.

If you were exposed to any type of religion growing up, you probably witnessed the ritualistic use of smoke in ceremony. As a former Catholic I was around frankincense and myrhh burning during Sunday mass. For others it might have been smoldering incense at a Buddhist Temple, or the spiraling tendrils of bukhoor in a mosque.

Many cultures and religions use sacred smoke made from the plant medicines in various ceremonies for various reasons. The ceremonial smoke tradition dates back millennia and connects all traditional cultures, from the Native Americans to the Druids, from the Zulus to the Maoris, from Aboriginals to the Mayans, from the Chinese to the Balinese, which have age-old forms of cleansing and blessing rituals. In ancient Greece, smoke formed part of the rituals to contact the dead, following long periods of fasting and silence. Their sacred smoke was born out of sulphur and minerals in lieu of herbs to part the veil between the worlds of the living and form a bridge to the other world.

One of the earliest recorded uses of ceremonial smoke can be traced to ancient Egypt where herbs were burned in religious ceremonies. It is mentioned on an inscribed tablet that was found at Giza, Egypt, in about 1530 BC. The Babylonians used smoke extensively while offering prayers or divining oracles. It was imported to Israel in the 5th century BC to be used in religious offerings. It spread from there to Greece, Rome and India, where both Hindus and Buddhists still burn it in their rituals and at festivals.

Based on this rich and long history, ceremonial smoke can be seen as a Universal truth that runs through and connects all cultures, religions, time frames and places. Only among Indigenous or First Nations peoples is this called “smudging”. The American English term “smudge stick” is usually found in use among non-Indigenous people who believe they are imitating North American Native ceremonies. While many non-Native people admire and are drawn to Native culture and ceremonies, we strongly encourage non-Natives to come up with their own, personal ceremony that reflects their personal spiritual beliefs and practices.

Healing powers of plants and herbs is universal and across all continents, the only difference is that not all plants grow in one region. People usually utilize the plants or herbs that are abundant in their region

While much is written on the use of smoke ceremony to cleanse negative energy, another one of its common uses is to bring vision, aided by the sense of smell. Smoke ceremony is also used to purify tools and people before important spiritual rituals and ceremonies. It is also used to clear sacred space and open the soul before calling upon the Spirits and their healing powers.

There are Four major medicine plants used in a majority of North American indigenous cultures; tobacco, sweet grass, sage and cedar that are used frequently in ceremonies.

In First Nation tradition, smoke is a medium between the higher realms, creating a good space for positive spirits and removing the negative ones. Smudging is a ritualistic burning of herbs and plant resins in a shell or clay bowl during which prayers of gratitude and well-being are chanted out loud. Traditionally the smoke is fanned with a treasured eagle feather directed over a person throughout a living space. This is done to wash away spiritual impurities, that are present in an individual or space.

This is often done before a ceremony or special gathering, after an argument (to literally “clear the air”), when moving into a new home, at the end of the cold season to re-invigorate one’s living space, and healing sessions.

Many Natives believe the the process of smudging enhanced their senses and in some cases altered the state of consciousness for Shamans and Medicine Men to assess and treat illness. The smoke was believed to remove impurities to allow the healing process to commence. It was believed that as the smoke rose, prayers would also rise to the Spirit World taking the negative thoughts and emotions away with it. It is said that the herbs for smudging have antiseptic qualities and the process of burning purifies the air. Traditionally, Native American smudging rituals included rites of passage such as the Vision Quest and preparations to ceremonies such as the Sun Dance. There is much subtlety to this practice, and its potency reveals itself in the experience as you work with it.

The materials involved each have their own symbolic meaning, honoring one of the four elements, which is a common recognition among many Native American Americans.

The shell or clay bowl represents water
The herbs and resins represent the earth,
The feather and wind it creates represent air
The flame used to ignite the herbs represents fire

The herbs:

Sometimes only one specific herb is burned, but often a carefully prepared mixture is created. The most common herbs used for smudging among Native Americans are white sage, sweet grass, tobacco, and cedar. These are also four of the most sacred plants in this part of the world.

“Sweet grass grows high in the Rocky Mountains. A gift from the creator, it is said this grass never dies. It is one of the great smells reminding us of the mountains and open air. Sage is the cleanest smell of the desert. It is also a present from the Creator. Tobacco is another gift. Our thoughts and prayers are carried on its smoke. It carries the two great smells of the mountain and desert. It is a visual representation of our thoughts and prayers being transported.”
– John Joseph, Chinook Shaman

A Smoke Ceremony Practice To Try:

Have a pure and focused intention while you perform a smoke ceremony. Before you begin any purification ritual like this, make sure you’re fully present.

1) You’ll need: a clay bowl or abalone shell, a stick of wrapped herbs or a few leaves of your dried herb of choice (or a blend), a flame, and an open hand or feather.

2) Gently separate any stems or buds from the leaves of your dried herbs (only the leaves or blades are used in this process) if using loose leaf. Then place the leaves into your smoking vessel.

3) If you are inside, open the windows in the space you are in, creating a flow of air from outside.

4) Using a already lit candle, ignite the herbs and let them flame for 20 to 30 seconds before sweeping your hand above them to extinguish any fire. Tendrils of smoke should be steadily rising from the smoldering herbs now.

5) It is customary to cleanse oneself first before moving on to others and the surrounding space. Using a cupped hand, draw the smoke around you. Starting from the top, bring the smoke over and around your head, down your torso, all the way to your feet. Make sure to pay attention to your breathing while doing this. Slow and relaxed.

6) Once you are finished with yourself, use your feather or hand to waft the smoke gently into the corners of the room and over any plants or pieces of furniture. As we light spirit smoke, we need to be present and aware of how it moves from one place to the next.

7) Once you have finished your ceremony, tradition tells us that the ashes of the spent herb should be brought outside and returned to the soil. Many tribes believe that the charred residue carries its own energy and must be given back to the earth.

A Native Prayer you may borrow while smudging:
Creator, Great Mystery
Source of all knowing and comfort,
Cleanse this space of all negativity.
Open our pathways to peace and understanding.
Love and light fills each of us and our sacred space.
Our work here shall be beautiful and meaningful.
Banish all energies that would mean us harm.
Our eternal gratitude.
– The Medicine Wheel Garden, E. Barrie Kavasch

Order your Ascension Lifestyle Smoke Ceremony Kit today!

Each Complete Ceremony Kit contains:

• Large Abalone Shell

• Blue Sage with White Sage Stick (hand-wrapped with hemp twine and Ascension adornments)

• Ancient Cedar Stick (hand-wrapped with hemp string)

• Sweetgrass Stick (hand-wrapped with hemp string)

This collection of powerful plant medicines was put together with the purest high vibration intentions.

Sustainably Harvested Blue Sage with White Sage is for healing. Sage is used to bless, cleanse and heal the person or object being smoked. Sage is often used to metaphorically ‘wash off’ the outside world when entering the home or sacred space.

Cedar is a protection medicine. Trees are old, wise and powerful spirits and Cedar is often used to cleanse and protect a space when first moving in. You may use Cedar to respectfully ask unwanted spirits to leave and ask for protection for a person, place or object.

Smoke of the holy Sweetgrass (Seneca grass) is the breathe of Mother Earth. It’s rich, sweet, aromatic scent is an acknowledgement of the essence of the divine feminine and a reminder that Mother Earth provides us with everything we need.

Together this Ascension Smoke Ceremony Kit will purify, protect, cleanse and give thanks. It’s the perfect addition to your alter or spiritual space. $34 includes free priority shipping in the United States.

SOLD OUT

Orders will be processed within 3-5 businesses days and sent out via Priority Mail. You will receive a tracking number once the kit is shipped. Email Ascension with any questions.

07 Mar 2016
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Facing Your Demons – Are You Ready or Still Cheating?

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It’s been rough, I get it.

Challenge after challenge thrown at you at the most inappropriate moments.

Everything that you try to fix and get straight is sabotaged and made more difficult by a dozen new things that threaten to make your life fall apart.

Except it is constantly broken down and falling apart anyway, and the more you try to fix and control, the more painful it gets.
The thing is, this is going to last a while – the condition of being somewhat in limbo. It’s a breaking up, down and through – on all ends, in pretty much every area in life you could think of.

Why is it happening and what causes this feeling of tremendous tension, urgency and downright sledge-hammer pressure on your soul?

You’ve been hiding and escaping, that’s why. Because you’ve been buying into your past conditioning for too long, *but* smart as you are: you became aware of it. Greatness!

Why the heck the adversity then, and being on the brink to madness and losing your mind time and again? You’re doing the damn work! You’re growing and evolving – thank you very much!

Here’s the thing: Even growth-wise there is a plethora of ways to cheat.

All those new-agey “love&light” folks are cheating. The coaches who only post their neat memes and never mention that they fuck up and struggle a lot, are cheating. Those who made it through a ton of heavy duty terror and use it as an excuse for not being able to find fulfilment and success (but hey, they survived and that’s an achievement in itself)…. Yes, kind of true, but also cheating.

If you hide from the life that’s got your name written on it, if you ignore the calling because it’s terrifying and feels too big (that’s the common thing with callings, bummer!) – what do you expect your life to be like then?

Truth is you’re restricted and confined by limits you set for yourself. By making excuses that you invented and uttered so often that they became second nature and your ultimate “truth”.

As the Universe and nature have it, you’re an orgasmic being with a perfectly crafted heart, mind and body. There’s no initial intention of the higher forces for you to wallow in fear, self-pitty and excuses.

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I get it, what’s calling you seems to be horrendously big.

It makes you feel too small and too weak to do it, but if you pierce through the veil of denial, fear and overwhelm you see something different: You’re embarrassed because your hunger feels like an insatiable one, like you’re demanding, greedy and too much.

Because wanting what you want is not appropriate.

You’ve been taught to be giving, considerate, moderate, average, invisible. Don’t cause trouble, don’t bother others with your shit. Do your work and be fucking grateful for your existence.

But tucking away your truth, your hunger and desires won’t help you maintain gratitude.

Being quiet and cheating on the real, big and terrifying transformation that’s actually possible won’t get you a halo and a badge for being the nicest and most appreciated person. That’s wannabe-level. That’s playing it safe.

Once your desire is sparked and you’re not able to overhear your soul’s whisper (that turned into an ear-deafening call meanwhile) any longer, you won’t find serenity and peace without allowing to be pulled on your very heart strings onto the path that’s yours.

Hiding is not part of it. And staying small-ish and quiet isn’t either.

Many people mourn and complain these days, feel unwell, drained and uninspired. They get severely sick, injured or otherwise held in check by their physical condition.

It’s a common phenomenon. And it’s not your body that fucks you up in the meanest ways: It’s your psyche – the servant of soul – that stops you in your tracks and develops all kinds of ailments.

Because you didn’t listen otherwise. There’ve been tons of nudges, signs and messages for you – everywhere. But you were busy looking away. It didn’t match your level of comfort.

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I have a few words of comfort though, or maybe even the impulse you need to get moving:

Comfort is not sustainable and it isn’t a thing to pursue anymore. Whatever comfort you’re seeking – this year it’ll get ripped off of you as quickly as you tried to use it to patch up the holes on your soul.

Let them show and let the light in through them. Any external comfort, and any internal comfort as well (like lying to yourself with positive affirmations that you just don’t succeed to buy into anyway) – it holds you back, it makes you heavy and slow.

I’m actually terrified myself, writing this to you. This is nothing I’ve deliberately put in a smooth, catchy and articulate paragraph, this is coming through me from a place outside of me.

And the message is valid for me, too. So of course I’m thinking:
“Argh, what does this mean for me? Anything about to get taken away from me? No playing small, no hiding? Damn. Sounds like work! But I’m tired!”

But I don’t really have a choice, and you haven’t either. That is, if you are determined to grow, stretch, expand and transform. If you are dedicated to bust through shame, fear and constrictions.

This is not about some tweaks in your everyday life.

This is about the deep, scary and yucky stuff. About the things that have tremendous power over you while you can’t even name them.

Right now, right here, looking into your phone, computer, whatever….. Take a breath and feel it. It’s there, it want’s your attention. It’s wanted your attention since lifetimes. Do you want to drag it around for another round and suffer some more?

If yes, I totally get it. I’m into suffering big-time myself. I’m very passionate, too, which is basically the same as being a bad-ass skilled sufferer.

The term itself has its root in the Latin word “passio” (I have 5 years hardcore Latin under my belt, so I tell you this without even straining Google and trying to look smart^^). So, here you go: “Passio” means “suffering”.

I can really get off on suffering. And many times I let it swallow me.

But there are other times when I’m having these very lucid moments, not polluted by anyone’s well-meant advice or judgement, nor by my own small-mindedness.

These moments have been more frequent and I have a strong desire to share this with you, to remind you that you do have the power to create whatever you please. The power to conquer and transform whatever is weighing you down.

Yes, that demon of yours may be huge – and that’s exactly why you want to face it and make it your ally instead of your enemy.

Much creative energy and power is sitting there in the dark. Do you want to waste it or taste it?

You can escape into all kinds of stuff that keep your mind and body busy.

Sex, food, substances, sleep… even chanting mantras or any kind of physical or spiritual practice can be a mere distraction, if used to suppress unpleasant feelings, memories and patterns from coming up. It’s not healing then, but escapism.

I’ve recently had a ‘very spiritual’ person telling me: “Why would I do this to myself – revisiting this painful episode from my past? I don’t want to feel this way. I want to bring healing and joy.”

With that said, they got busy practicing, singing, and giving advice regarding dealing with shadow to others.
Funny, innit?

I’m all for facing your shit and dealing with it. For telling your story. Saying it out loud. Telling it again. Repeating your excuses, over and over again until you find them hilarious yourself and *snap* a part of you no longer is tied up with this crap. Getting off on your suffering. Alchemizing it.

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I do this, too. I’ve stopped counting the times I referred to my own fucked up past. It makes for killer excuses, great stories and makes me look almost invincible, and definitely powerful and bad-ass.

I noticed how the old story loses its power over me, though. It’s a process and I’m impatient, but I see how it’s started shifting.

The story doesn’t cease to be true, but my role in it changes. I can tell it as a victim or from an empowered perspective. And it doesn’t define me. I can create something new.

I’m not a saint. I’m broken-winged and still healing myself. But I stand up for myself and I stopped being invisible (disobeying what I was taught to be) some time back. It’s been worth the anxiety and panic attacks.

Strength comes from a willingness to expose your darkest and weakest spots to the light.

I want to be surrounded by people who don’t just “have faith”, but are also genuinely interested in getting their lives together, taking responsibility and stop being co-dependent and attached to their misery or starving artist image.

You are confined only by the limits you impose upon yourself. I already said it, but it’s so important, it deserves to be said over and over again.

Some questions that I’m pondering and that I want to share with you:

What if you challenged those limits?

What would you have to let go of?

What would you gain?

And where would it take you?

You are so much more than you think. Dormant potential and ecstasy.

Get honest with yourself – is now the time?

About the Author:

Lina Boldt is a mentor and writer, she has a Ninja-warrior survival record, and can often be found in the thick of deep transformational work, which made her gain quite some expertise in breakdowns and breakthroughs. Her current mission is all about surrender, and she can’t live without chocolate. You can connect with her via her website Disobey With Grace or facebook, where she also hosts a group for rebels and messy souls.

07 Mar 2016
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Cry of the Millennial Witch

I feel a divide growing within the spiritual movement.It has been growing slowly, almost imperceptibly. Like a frog swimming in a pot of gradually boiling water that hasn’t realized the danger he’s in.Here it is, dare I say it: The realm of the mainstream spiritual has become shallow and dogmatic.

In an effort to reach divinity, enlightenment, and guru-status, we’ve banished and demonized the “negative” and the struggle of the human experience. We’ve lost touch with the glorious bittersweet medicine that our pain and suffering offers when truly acknowledged by the Self and the tribe, and subsequently integrated with compassion and love.

I tried. Fuck, I tried. I did the meditations, I did the training, I did the work. I focused on the positive, I focused on the light, I focused on letting go of my darkness. Just release, they said. Don’t even bring attention to what it is, they said, just release it. I advanced in my healing skills, in my awareness, in my intuition. I worked deeply with clients doing soul retrievals, secretly reveling in the shadow of the underworld. I knew that there were those in my spiritual community who did not approve of my work. But I worked anyways, because I saw how deeply I could connect with my clients. I saw and acknowledged their pain. I focused on the integration of their experience, rather than the denial of it. I cried tears of joy when I heard of how much my work was helping them heal themselves. And at the same time, I was jealous. Why wasn’t the work healing ME? Why wasn’t I feeling better? Why wasn’t MY shit releasing?

That growing awareness backfired. More and more, I felt I was wading in the shallow pond of the world while my spirit was so deeply imbedded in the dark muck of the earth, in a place no one wanted to look. I was not offering the same sense of acknowledgment to myself that I offered my clients. I was still trying to uphold the notion that I was supposed to be a certain way, that I was supposed to be zen and happy all the time if I was going to be a healer. But nothing was in balance. I didn’t feel real. I didn’t feel authentic to myself. I was trapped between the the worlds…I was too spiritually minded to be a muggle, but I wasn’t the right kind of spiritual for the actual spiritual community.

I am part of a generation of witches rising up to say Fuck it. A generation of witches that has been burned too many times, and refuses to silently wither away in the flames again.

Don’t bring your attention to the fire, they said. Just release it and let it go, they said.

But not this time. This time, we are taking those flames inside of us, acknowledging them and respecting them and feeling their searing pain, and letting them transform in our bellies so we may breathe out the fire of an awakened dragon. As awakened dragons, as millennial witches, as priestesses of the moon, as unpredictable beautiful bitches, as wild wolf women, we have a list of demands and decrees:

–Our sexuality will be honored as spiritual, sacred, divine, and primal. It is communication with the divine, it is a link between heaven and earth, it is pleasure for pleasure’s sake, it is the human experience. It is a force all its own and won’t be controlled or belittled.

-And yet, our spirituality will not be sexualized, fetishized, or infantilized. The Priestess is not a fetish. The days of gurus sexually manipulating and abusing the Goddess are SO over. We’re not buying what you’re selling. No one gets to tell us how pure or impure we are, and what makes us that way, and whether we need to change that or not.

-We don’t want our spirituality to taste like candy. We don’t want rainbows and unicorns and sugary sweet confections of relentless positivity and the law of attraction. We want our spirituality to taste like dark chocolate; deep, rich, a little bitter, a little sweet, sensual and complex. We want it real, we want it deep. We won’t accept anything less.

-Many of us swear. Like, we really swear. We fucking swear a fucking lot. Deal with it. What’s a witch who doesn’t curse? (Not to mention it’s good for your brain—google that shit.)

-We will not be shamed. For our sexuality, for our lifestyles, for our choices, for the shortage of fucks that we give. Our lives, our power, our choice. Get on board or get out.

-You will not tell us to simply “let go”, “clear”, or “release” our feelings and issues by way of ignoring them. We don’t just release; we integrate. We take our darkness and stew in it, letting our unique human experiences mingle with our divinity, creating a powerful form of alchemy that’s whole and complete. We know the light is only half of what makes us powerful. Once integration is complete, what is no longer needed naturally releases as a byproduct of the process.

-We do not live in binaries, so don’t categorize us in them. Don’t tell us what’s “good” and what’s “bad” because we know better than that. Don’t tell us to live in the light to banish our shadows. In fact, don’t tell us what we are or what we should do at all. We are fluid and becoming more so. Gender fluid, sexually fluid, socially fluid, spiritually fluid.

-We hold a deep respect for social and cultural issues. We won’t use “Namaste” as a substitute for “goodbye” just because it sounds spiritual. We won’t wear a bindi on our foreheads just because it’s cute. We won’t discount another’s experience and point of view just because it’s not ours. We realize that our individual path is not more important than an entire marginalized culture’s. We listen.

-“Omg I can’t say anything without someone getting offended and everything has to be sooooooo PC nowadays.” <—Nah. We don’t see it like this. We see a generation coming into their own, attempting to own their view of the world and how they’d like it to be. Clearly, there’s a growing outcry for more sensitivity and change. You could stubbornly fight it or try to understand why it’s happening. Change won’t happen without conversation, so be open to the conversation, even if you don’t see it the same way.

-Be aware when you respond to our feelings. There’s a tendency, when someone admits they are feeling something other than complete joy or satisfaction, to apologize and suggest ways to be rid of that feeling. F that noise. The only cure for feelings is to feel them. Completely. Sink into them and allow their wisdom to wash over you. We don’t wallow, but we do feel. Everything. We refuse to repress or push our feelings aside just because they make us (or you) uncomfortable. (P.S. We hardly think “You should meditate on it.” or “Have you tried going gluten free?” are appropriate responses to anything. And this is coming from someone who both meditates and is gluten free.)

-The second you use any of the new age buzzwords— manifesting abundance, the law of attraction, meditation, energy healing, authentic, etc etc— our discernment kicks the fuck in. It’s not that we don’t believe in manifestation and meditation and energy healing, we definitely do. Manifesting is our middle name. But without the realness of our human and divine darkness acknowledged by our teachers, coaches and mentors, the spiritual movement becomes oppressive and dogmatic dressed as light and love. And not to mention, manipulated for profit when the actual authenticity is not behind it, considering the growing trend. We will search you, hard, before we will work with you.

-Maybe the most important of all, we know that Truth is found in paradox. If it’s not a contradiction in itself, we are wary. If we are not contradictions in ourselves, we are not real.

We will not accept less than what we are. We will not be only partially ourselves because it’s prettier or happier. We will be gritty and raw and beautiful and whole. We love fiercely. Love is at the core of our beings, but we know that sometimes love is the awakened dragon burning down the bridges that no longer serve us.

Sincerely,

the witches you love and fear

**As nothing is just black or white, I acknowledge and appreciate the spiritual teachers and mentors in my life that have never oppressed me and have always wanted me to be myself. You know who you are and I thank you from the bottom of my fiery heart.

About the Author: Ora North

Leo sun. Scorpio moon. Writer. Photographer. Healer. Witch woman. Shadow dancer. Moon bather. Fire breather. Optimist. Fucking drama queen. Crystal wearer. Unapologetic empath. Lover of fuzzy animals, coffee and travel. Goddess of the Underworld. Secret Celtic mermaid.

You can find Ora at www.oranorth.com

04 Mar 2016
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The Cat Litter People – Getting In Touch With Your Inner Wildness

I’ve done a fair amount of pet sitting over the years. While at the home of one high-brow cat, I spent several days visiting various pet stores in search of a certain brand of cat litter that was odor-free and promised “superior clumping ability,” which was what I wanted according to the empty container I carried on my quest. (For the uninitiated, “clumping” is a euphemistic reference for how the cat’s deposits will interact with the litter, for easier disposal.)

I’m no stranger to synchronicity, yet it always amuses me greatly to see how Spirit uses “the subject at hand” for its teachings. So here I am, having successfully located a sister litter to the one the cat’s human prizes, spelunking gleefully in foreign bookshelves. (As a writer, the opportunity to peruse other people’s books is one of the joys of housesitting.) I fasten on a book with the intriguing title, Deep Play, by poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman. I de-clump the cat litter and settle down to read.

In Chapter Three, “Sacred Places,” I am astonished by the words, “…people seem desperate to clump and bunch, swarming all over each other in towns while most of the land lies empty.” Ackerman is describing her return to Phoenix after being succored by the Grand Canyon, contrasting the Canyon’s ineffable vastness with the matrix of human habitation. Yet what sprang immediately to my mind was: cat litter.

Terror of the Still Point

Human beings have superior clumping capability. As Ackerman so astutely observes, we long for proximity to one another. Yet we bemoan the intrusiveness we thus create, jetting off to remote isles and mountain retreats to renew ourselves in nature’s immense silence.

Perhaps we wouldn’t need to “retreat” if we understood how to advance. Personal evolution isn’t woven into the fabric of Western culture as it is among indigenous peoples; it’s something we must open to on our own. Most of us, having lost touch with the numinous, fear the wilderness within. We cluster noisily with our own kind to stave off this beckoning hunger.

The needs of the stomach come before the trip to the litter box, however. Fast food bows (or meows) to the life force in a carrot or a pear; asphalt makes way for rock-strewn paths. Having clumped and bunched with the best of them, at some point we set out in search of deep nourishment: the sense of the sacred that is everywhere. We seek it in distant landscapes until we learn to recognize it inside ourselves.

There is a defining moment, a dawning recognition (literally, to know again) of “what you know, before you know that you know.” For me, it came when, on a descent to the truth of my being, I began throwing my arms around trees and sobbing from the depths of my soul. I’d never done anything like this before, but it felt like they were hugging me back.

When you can allow yourself to surrender to your own “still, small voice” and behave in a similar manner (that is, following your inner guidance, even if you look like a fool) you begin your journey to wildness.

And then, whether you range across continents or remain in your own backyard (or hi-rise), you’ll know you’re forever free of the litter box. When you carry the replenishment and the release inside you — and know that you do — clumping and bunching becomes optional.

After all, there are no litter boxes in the wild.

###

About the author:

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/amararose

26 Feb 2016
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6 Illustrations That Show What It’s Like In An Introvert’s Head

This article first appeared on QuietRev.com,

illustrations by Liz Fosslein and Mollie West

Dear Extroverts,

We love your energy and excitement. But as introverts, we sometimes feel misunderstood. We wish you could visualize what’s going on inside our brains—you might be surprised! Here are six illustrations of what it’s like to be in our heads.

Sincerely,

Introverts

1. According to The Introvert Advantage by Marti Olsen Laney, introverts have a longer neural pathway for processing stimuli. Information runs through a pathway that is associated with long term memory and planning. In other words, it’s more complicated for introverts to process interactions and events. As they process information, introverts are carefully attending to their internal thoughts and feelings at the same time.

2. According to studies by psychologist Hans Eysenck, introverts require less stimulation from the world in order to be awake and alert than extroverts do. This means introverts are more easily over-stimulated.

3. The flip side of introverts’ sensitivity to dopamine is that they need less of it to feel happy. Extroverts’ brains run on an energy-spending nervous system, whereas introverts’ brains run on an energy-conserving nervous system. This is why introverts feel content and energized when reading a book, thinking deeply, or diving into their rich inner world of ideas.

4. Introverts’ brains aren’t as strongly rewarded for gambling or taking risks as extroverts’ brains are. The brain’s reward and pleasure system is activated by dopamine neurotransmitters. Scientists found that extroverts’ brains responded with more pleasure to positive gambling results. In other words, introverts feelless excitement from surprise or risk.

5. The introvert’s brain treats interactions with people at the same intensity level that it treats encounters with inanimate objects. Introverts process everything in their surroundings and pay attention to all the sensory details in the environment, not just the people.

6. As introverts are thinking, they reach back into long-term memory to locate information. An introvert will often compare old and new experiences when making a decision, which slows the processing down but leads to carefully thought-out decisions.This means that introverts have an active dialogue with themselves and usually walk around with many thoughts in their minds.

This article originally appeared on QuietRev.com.

You can find more insights from Quiet Revolution on work, life, and parenting as an introvert at QuietRev.com. Follow Quiet Revolution on Facebook and Twitter.

24 Feb 2016
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Heart Roots: Energy, Love, and Resonance

Being a free moving organism (within the confines of gravity, humanness, and my understanding of space-time), I am not rooted in any physical way such as the trees are. However, my lungs are rooted to the Earth’s atmosphere in that, without drawing from it, they fail and stop, as do I. My digestive system is rooted to the flora and fauna within my food chain in the same way. Because my body is largely comprised of water, I am rooted to the water system. The rootedness I am writing about here is the rooting of the heart; the ways through love and energy I am rooted to my experience of myself and to all that I experience as other. This includes the natural world, other people, and all the actions, beliefs, objects, and situations I encounter.

Energetic heart rooting is feeling and responding to interactions through what is sometimes called in energetic discussions, “the subtle body.” When we are fed by an experience or person who resonates with us, our hearts root to the experience and responds, while we serve as the roots of inspiration and love for others.

We sometimes hear of music resonating with someone, of someone’s voice or message resounding out to the masses, or of two people who feel they share a resonance, wavelength or good vibe. These phrases are echoing and interpreting into human interaction the phenomenon of sympathetic resonance: when two objects vibrating at the same frequency vibrate together and even increase or re-sound each other’s vibrations. The frequency at which an object usually tends to vibrate when touched is known as the natural frequency of the object. Merriam-Webster gives one definition of resonance as: “the intensification and enriching of a musical tone by supplementary vibration.” The Pond Science Institute site shares that “A sympathetic vibration is a vibration that is sympathetic (in tune or forming unisons) between two or more individualized objects.” Just as a violin string when vibrated in a particular manner produces sounds, so when in energetic contact with a frequency we find harmonious, do we make sounds: we act with our bodies and we speak with our voices, our hearts singing.

When thinking about energy, it is a good idea to include chakras. Chakras (from the Sanskrit chakra or “wheel”) emerged in Indian beliefs, are mentioned in The Vedas ancient text, and are integrated into Yoga practices. Chakras are believed to be energy centers or nodes in the subtle or energetic body. They are sometimes referred to as spinning wheels of light, and energy and breath pass strongly through them. There are many chakras, but 7 major ones. The word chakra is also sometimes used in texts synonymously with nerve plexus (a branching out network of nerves). In descriptions of chakras, they are sometimes said to have petals and the body to have breath channels and wind. The root chakra, located in the tailbone area at the base of the spine, relates to our sense of security, survival, and groundedness; our foundation and root. The heart chakra, located in the center of the chest, above the area of the anatomical heart, relates to our ability to give and receive love, and to experience peace and joy within. This is the area where resonance is often felt, though it can be experienced all over the body.

Love is mercurial and works in its own way, but one way for me to understand it is through this idea of resonance. The people, places, and ways that I love resound with me, sometimes in mysterious and indescribable ways. Maybe I love you because I feel peaceful in your presence, or excited, or both, because we sat together in class all year, because we were raised in similar family situations, or because of the sweet way your face creases when you laugh at something silly I say. Maybe I love the tart flavor of Lemonheads because I’m a bit of a masochist, or maybe I love strawberry picking because it makes me sing a Beatles song in my head. If we see the emotional heart center as a plant which is fed by energetic vibrations, the things which strike and resound in our hearts, which are felt there, are those things whose frequencies interact with that of our heart naturally. Vibrations of the world around us speak to our hearts and our hearts respond, vibrating back out.

Namaste is a common Indian greeting and also a spiritual phrase. Also found in The Vedas, in Sanskrit the word is namah + te which means, “I bow to you.”

India Arie sings a similar message in, I see God in You:

“I know you cannot read my mind

But I hope you’d feel the vibe

I think it’s time I let you know that

I see the God in you”

When I say, ‘I love you,’ I am saying, you are a root for my heart: you feed me, you connect me to the Earth, and my heart wants to feed you with energy too. Rooting into love, God, the Tao, or universal energy and life connects us to the world and validates us.

“People can’t, unhappily, invent their mooring posts, their lovers and their friends, anymore than they can invent their parents. Life gives these and also takes them away and the great difficulty is to say Yes to life.”Resonance is not always instantaneous; it can build over time. As we spend time with someone, learn about the inspiration behind a modern abstract artwork, or read more about a confusing social trend, we can open up to the possibility of new connections and sympathetic vibrations. We can “tune in” and become “attuned to” new ways of thinking, being and relating. As we age, we can also tune into ourselves over and over, stay curious about our own attunement, and learn about what makes us buzz, tick, and sing. We learn how to tune ourselves like an instrument, sooth our own souls, and connect our hearts to our energetic roots. Just as a root holds the soil that feeds it, so we hold the things that give us love. Over time our song will change and our energetic roots will break and re-grow. My heart roots through resonance to the thing it loves, regardless of how long that thing stays nearby.

–James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room

Losing a loved one, a root, or a mooring post can be very painful. Some sources of love and memories will continue to vibrate with us for the rest of our lives or, depending on your beliefs, beyond.

One of the songs my husband, whom I resonate with very strongly, picked for our wedding mix was:

Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys. They sing,

“I’m pickin’ up good vibrations,

She’s giving me excitations”

If you’ve ever been in love, you know what they mean. Whether through romantic, friendly, familial, or universal love, our invisible energetic roots to life tingle in these moments of awareness of good vibrations. In the tapestry of life our energetic roots weave our hearts into the rippling, layered whole, nourishing us, and giving us opportunities to connect and create. When we’re rooted into things that feed us, we bloom and grow.

by Julia Travers