personal development | Ascension Lifestyle

05 Jul 2022
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The Keys to Self Mastery

Self-regulation, within the space of wellbeing, is actually emotional self-regulation. In other words, the capacity of managing our emotions on a daily basis. During the day, we experience a range of different emotions, from joy, love, and peace to anger, frustration, anxiety — and the way we respond to events will determine our state of being. The important point here is that we have a choice, we always have a choice: we can choose to give free rein to negative emotions and dwell on them, or we can choose to acknowledge these emotions, find a solution, and move on.

In my opinion, free will is the faculty of choosing what is best for us. Now, here is when we can start talking about self-mastery, because there is a slight difference between self-regulation and self-mastery.

What is self-mastery? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, self-mastery is the ability to control one’s own desires or impulses. However, when we are talking about consciousness, the meaning of self-mastery becomes a bit broader, because it also means to have the ability to act in certain challenging situations in a controlled manner, peacefully and harmoniously. There are many techniques out there to help us with this process, because it really is a process. Self-mastery is not something that you are born with, it is a quality that you acquire through your life’s journey, and many of us never get it completely.

The first step to self-mastery is actually acknowledging that there is such a thing. People in general are pretty good at controlling themselves, at self-regulating themselves, but when it comes to basic emotions like anger, for example, only a few can say that whatever the situation they are in, they are able to remain calm and composed. Therefore, first we need to incorporate into our vocabulary the word self-mastery, and comprehend and experience its meaning.

The second step is to practice self-regulation to get closer to self-mastery, which is not an easy task. How do we do this?

There are a few steps you can take, for example:

breathe deeply when confronting a difficult situation
count to 10 to calm yourself
go outside to get fresh air
close your eyes for a while
feel your heart beating and try to pace it, etc.

Now, you can certainly try all of these easy actions and not see results, or maybe you can find one or two that work, but not all the time. In these instances, keep trying until you find what is best for you.

The third step is when consciousness comes into play. When I say “consciousness” I am talking about that inner awareness of being more than flesh, being part of something larger, where we are one and unique, where there is peace and there is freedom. As conscious beings we know that our inner self plays a role in our wellbeing, and if we are able to go to that internal place, then we can receive the benefits of understanding that everything comes from within and that we are in charge of our own life.

Several tools give us the power of self-mastery. The regular practice of meditation or any other techniques that awaken and elevate our consciousness will make our life in this physical field more masterful. The idea and intention is to become little Buddhas, remaining calm and composed in the face of adversity — and in happy times, too.

Find our own unique way to connect with the Source. You might call it Spirit, the Great Architect, Archetypal One, Origin, whatever you prefer, because when we are wired to those realms of consciousness we experience deep inner peace and harmony and we become co-creators, together with the Source. We then are attuned to the fields of superior perfection.

Let’s recap:

Acknowledge that self-mastery is not only a concept, it is a way of being.
Practice self-regulation techniques, which get you closer to self-mastery.
Be aware of being more than a body, and that everything comes from within.
Find a way to connect with the Source and co-create your daily life from this connection.

Through practice and discipline, we can face any situation in a state of inner peace and calmness. Sure, from time to time we might forget that we are here to learn to create with love, and that self-mastery is the most important component of this learning. However, I can assure you that if we are able to pause, rethink and change our ways of reacting, sooner than later we will achieve self-mastery and accelerate our process of ascension.

About the Author:

Veronica Sanchez De Darivas is Chilean-Australian, now living in the UK and a proud mother of teenage twins. A spiritual awakening teacher, bestselling author, pineal gland (third eye) activator and Certified Instructor for the Cyclopea Method, Veronica is currently the only instructor in the world teaching the Cyclopea Method in English.

27 Jun 2022
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How to Stop “Shoulding” Yourself

A dear friend — a friend I admire for her ability to guide others — recently admitted to suffering from a bout of the “shoulds.” She pointed out that every time she told herself she “should” have done something or “should” be doing something, she was essentially flagellating and shaming herself.

Barbara Barna Abel, a media coach and the host of the Camera Ready & Abel podcast, is the friend I’m speaking of. “We get stuck into this idea of an endless list of things we should do in terms of life, career, how we live our lives, or what we believe in,” she told me. “My feeling is we get stuck in what we should feel and what we should do versus what we want to do, what makes us happy, what we’re good at, and where our passions lie.”

“Shoulds” are an inevitable part of everyone’s self-speak vocabulary, but this can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Barna Abel says the “shoulds” often feel burdensome to her because they imply obligation. “When [we’re] doing something because we feel we ‘should’ and it’s out of obligation, we also start to build resentment toward ourselves, other people, and situations that can lead to depression, a victim mentality, and all sorts of other [negative] things. When we’re doing things because we ‘should,’ we gloss over the idea of choice,” she says.

Kristin Neff, PhD, an associate professor at the department of educational psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of Fierce Self-Compassion, says though the “shoulds” can spur you into action temporarily, over-“shoulding” can carry negative side effects, like reinforcing fears of being unacceptable and a fear of failure. “This actually creates performance anxiety and [feelings of] failure, which undermines your ability to achieve in the long run,” she says, adding that procrastination and performance anxiety can make it harder for you to do your best, have grit, and stay focused on your goals.

A propensity toward a “should” mindset can come from early neural imprinting within fear-driven cultures, says neuroscientist Tara Swart, author of The Source: The Secrets of the Universe, the Science of the Brain. “Cultures can mean family, society, school, or religion. Even in adulthood, the ‘shoulds’ are about the things you had to do to survive without punishment, which can be literal or be shame, guilt, or humiliation.” Telling ourselves we “should” be doing this or “should” be doing that subconsciously brings up the shame or guilt that would have been the punishment for not behaving as expected during childhood, says Swart.

Though the word “should” in self-talk can seem — and sometimes is — innocuous, it can also signal that we’re being hard on ourselves, and that’s something to be aware of. Negative self-talk can lead us to perceive the world as an “unsafe and punitive place with scarce resources,” says Swart, which can feed into a victim mentality rather than a sense of agency over our lives, and keep us from taking healthful risks.

Science recognizes the harsh impact negative self-talk can have on our psyches, outlook, and health. In 2018, Neff, who has conducted tons of research about the power of self-compassion, examined how self-compassion affected academic performance for college students. It was associated with “reduced self-presentation concerns and increased student communication behavior,” implying greater class participation. “Self-compassion allows students to see themselves clearly, accept their mistakes and imperfections, and take action to correct mistakes,” reads the conclusion of the study.

Another randomized field experiment conducted by different researchers found that children with negative competence beliefs would often achieve below their potential in school. They also looked at whether engaging in positive self-talk would benefit the students’ mathematics performance. The researchers found that kids who weren’t all that confident, but engaged in encouraging self-talk performed better and effectively “severed the association between negative competence beliefs and poor performance.” It seems they gave themselves permission to succeed by learning positive ways to self-reassure.

Negative self-talk can even take a physical toll on us if we aren’t careful. Swart says it reduces the DOSE hormones: dopamine for reward, oxytocin for bonding, serotonin for mood, and endorphins for the feel-good factor. “It leads to increases in the stress hormone cortisol, which puts our brain in survival mode and doesn’t free up resources for higher brain functions like regulating emotions or overturning biases, including those we have against ourselves,” she explains.

Neff says negative self-talk is often linked to depression and anxiety. “Self-criticism activates the sympathetic nervous reaction, which is your fear response (or your fight-or-flight response), and self-compassion activates the sympathetic response and calms it down,” explains Neff. “If you find a depressed person, they’re almost guaranteed to be very self-critical. A lot of anxiety is caused by constant self-criticism, and anxiety undermines our ability to perform if you’re totally activated.” An activated fight-or-flight response isn’t great for you physically and can contribute to health issues like high blood pressure.

So how can we best coach ourselves through a case of the “shoulds” like Barna Abel did?

Get to why you’re shoulding

Barna Abel says, situation permitting, her first step in quelling the inner “shoulds” is to check in with herself and ask what would it look like to let go of what she thinks she should do and actually start to do what she wants to do. “It’s just stopping and being honest with yourself about your resistance. A lot of times, what gets stuck in the ‘shoulds’ are things that we’re not good at. There are things you may have been putting off because they aren’t things you really want to do, or are things that you may find difficult,” Barna Abel says. Then, actually plot out your options. “Ask yourself: If I knew I couldn’t fail, success was assured, and money was no object, what would happen? This gets you to open up in terms of possibility and alternate solutions,” she adds.

Neff also recommends taking a beat to examine your motives. “A self-compassion break is like hitting the reset button on a computer,” she says. Acknowledge that you’re struggling in some way and validate your own feelings. “Whatever you’re feeling — be it shame or disappointment — voice the negativity and acknowledge the pain with mindfulness,” she says.

Remember our common humanity — and that humans make mistakes

“Compassion, in Latin, means to suffer with this inherently connected compassion,” says Neff. “Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone is imperfect. Tell yourself there’s nothing wrong with me for having this issue. Tell yourself you’re not the only one.”

Give your words a positive spin

Swart suggests getting to the root of what drives your “shoulds” — and making the opposite thought your mantra. For example, swap “I should be famous/employed/rich by now!” for “I am exactly where I’m supposed to be in my life and will continue to work toward my goals.” For another way to redirect negative self-speak, Neff recommends asking yourself if you’d use the same language you use to chastise yourself and direct it at someone you really care about. If the two don’t match, write down what you’d say to your loved one and try saying it to yourself.

Show affection toward yourself

“Physical touch is one of the ways to change the nervous system — it actually helps you calm down and reduces cortisol,” says Neff, who adds that a simple self-soothing gesture, like putting your hands on your heart, is a surprisingly simple and effective way to help you calm down and feel kindness toward yourself.

In closing, Barna Abel says that redirecting her “should” self-talk freed her up to be even more productive. “Letting go of resentment is very personally empowering,” she says. “It really starts to switch the energy from ‘should’ to choice.” And who wouldn’t enjoy more choice?

Original article here

24 Jun 2022
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Are We in the End Times?

Welcome to Summer! Welcome to Winter! Completely depends on whether you’re in the Northern or Southern Hemispheres, doesn’t it? Still, happy Solstice to one and all.

The Summer Solstice occurred on the 21st of June, and next up on June 29th is a New Moon at 7 degrees of Cancer. We are almost fully immersed in the vibes of the Great Mother, as represented in the Cardinal Water sign of Cancer. Many things are contrasting with this energy of nurturing and providing, especially in the economic and financial sectors of the current world systems.

I was born during the sign of Cancer, and under a Full Moon. That Moon is in Capricorn, in the house of my chart that rules financial and emotionally security – which in ancient times revolved around food, livestock, the health of the crops, and the general bounty of the tribe and the surrounding environment. The upcoming New Moon still has Capricorn involved, with Pluto near the Anaretic Degree of Capricorn (29), so the vibe is there. Pluto in Capricorn, along with Uranus in Taurus are factors in the changes that are happening. Pluto in Cap asks “can you get along on less”? Uranus in Taurus says “be prepared for the unexpected, whether it is food or monetary security. We are being tested…in a manner of speaking. Maybe we’re testing ourselves.

Things are changing rapidly, and a pall of uncertainty is in the air. What will happen with inflation, monetary deflation, cryptocurrency deflation, the upward spiraling of the prices at the pump and the grocery store? Are there really shortages, or are the chains of the supply and demand being manipulated? Greed is fuelled by the belief in “not enough”, and I am sure there is some price gouging happening, which is totally rooted in the fear of not enough. However, I am also aware enough about the financial structures and the cycles of boom and bust to recognize that the dislocations we are currently experiencing are never accidental. To believe that is so is to believe that everything in your life, or Life in general, is just a series of random events that simply happen. When you spend some time studying patterns and the correlation of events, randomness becomes less reliable.

We are currently the only species on this planet in which everyone must “earn” their living. Do you even ever question that assumption? I do…a lot. Jobs were created when the Industrial Age started. Before that everyone had a trade or vocation. People specialized, whether they were the baker, butcher, or candlestick maker. Everyone was sort of an entrepreneur. Before that, we lived in cooperative communities in which everyone contributed to the mutual welfare and survival of all the members of the group. Concepts such as hoarding and “not enough” were unknown. Yes, there were tough times; when the hunting was poor, or there was a drought. But the fluctuations were part of the planetary ecosphere evolving, not because someone somewhere saw a way to make a quick buck speculating in the commodities market. We might well ask what changed to cause us to abandon the natural equilibrium we had with Nature and when and how did it change. Is what we see in front of us now really fair and working for you and me?

The times ahead, whatever might happen, will challenge our assumptions about the way the world actually works, versus how we were told it works. This is our final exam, in a manner of speaking, and will define in what direction we evolve to as a species. It should be obvious that the accumulation of great wealth at the top of this system that benefits the few at the expense of the many is not sustainable for a great many reasons. The destruction of the ecosphere for corporate profits and personal accumulation of assets is just one of those reasons.

During this window between the Solstice and the New Moon in Cancer may we remember our many blessings and be grateful. May we also remember that it might be a good time to check in with our intuition and see what we may need to do to prepare for times of economic uncertainty or dislocation. We don’t have to be doomsday preppers, but we can be more prepared. This will be important not just to guarantee our personal survival, but to be present for those who have less, and cannot provide for themselves for various reasons.

A new thought teacher by the name of Catherine Ponder once said, “abundance is having just enough to share.” When we share from our blessings, no matter how meager, we are sending out a message to the Universe. We have cast our “bread on the waters” which will return to us when we may be in need. As we give to others, we give to ourselves.

I entitled this post “are we in the end times” for good reason. I feel that is true, but not in the Biblical sense. It simply implies that the older orders of things is simply not working any longer, especially the dogma that creates and sustains it. Time to see that the ending of things does not imply the cessation of life, just the cessation of life as we have known it, or in a modern context, the way the world has been fashioned by a small minority who are motivated by greed, and have lost their connection to Source values. We are at choice now to be open to a new way of thinking, doing and being. We are at choice to begin a new time. May it be so, with grace and ease for all.

About the Author:

Isaac George is an internationally recognized intuitive mentor/coach, evolutionary astrologer, conscious channel, self-published author and musician. After a life-altering spontaneous kundalini awakening in 1994 he explored various healing modalities, including hypnotherapy and Reiki. In 1998 he began spontaneously channeling Archangel Ariel and other dimensional intelligences.

Originally from the United States, Isaac currently resides in the UK and offers Spiritual Mentoring sessions and programs and Evolutionary Astrology consultations.

23 Jun 2022
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Make Peace With Your Unlived Life

Tina was at a crossroads. Her daughter had recently left for college, and her husband had his own pursuits. And although she’d once enjoyed banking, she now bore little interest in her work. For some time, she had been asking herself whether she should quit. But what would her colleagues and bosses think of her?

This stream of consciousness carried Tina to deeper, more revealing questions. What if all her choices had been in response to what others expected? She had always been her parents’ golden child – a star student who married a man they approved of and went into the same industry her father and grandfather had pursued. Now, at the age of 45, she was wondering if these choices were really pseudo-choices, given the pressure her family had put on her? And even more frightening: what other choices did she have at this point in her life?

Tina increasingly began to question herself. Where was all of this coming from? Was there a hidden part of herself she didn’t understand – or maybe even know about? She remembered how as an adolescent she had always been preoccupied with: “What do people want me to do? And who do they want me to be?” Perhaps, the time had come to revisit these questions—to take an honest look at what she really wanted to do, not what others expected her to do. But what did the “True Tina” really want?

The idea of a “true self” and a “false” or “shadow” self has long preoccupied psychologists. For example, Carl Jung introduced the notion of the shadow side of our personality. He viewed “the shadow” as our unknown, dark side—made up of the primitive, negative, socially depreciated human emotions such as sexuality, striving for power, selfishness, greed, envy, jealousy, and anger. But although the shadow personifies everything that we fear, and therefore refuse to acknowledge, it remains a part of us. Jung believed that unless we come to terms with our shadow side, we are condemned to become its unwitting victim.

Similarly, Erik Erikson, another famous psychologist, introduced the idea of the identity crisis. Erikson, like Jung, suggests that identity formation has its dark and negative side. There are parts of us that are attractive but disturbing and therefore tend to be submerged. In the process of becoming an adult, we not only internalize what’s viewed as acceptable, we also internalize (be it only subliminally) parental and societal attitudes about undesirable qualities and characteristics. For many of us, these “undesirables” turn into “forbidden fruits”–things we are attracted to. To feel more authentic, we may have to integrate these forbidden fruits into our sense of identity.

Donald Winnicott elaborated on the idea of the “true self” and “false self.” He explained that beginning in infancy, all of us, in response to perceived threats to our well-being, develop a defensive structure that may evolve into a “false self.” He suggests that if our basic needs are not acknowledged—not mirrored back to us by our parents—we may presume they are unimportant. Complying with our parents’ desires, we may repress our own desires, not actualizing what we really like to do. We may believe that non-compliance endangers our role in the family. In addition, we may internalize our parents’ dreams of self-glorification through our achievements. But this acquiescence to the wishes of others is an emotional lie. It comes at the price of suppressing our own needs. In our efforts to please others, we hide and deny our “true self,” which in turn leads to self-estrangement. If that’s the case, the “false self” will get the upper hand. It becomes a defensive armor to keep the “true self” at bay and hidden.

If there is too great a discrepancy between the “true” and the “false” self, it will make for a vulnerable sense of identity. And if we are unable to acquire a stable sense of identity—we may end up one day unraveling as Tina did. After a lifetime of complying to others’ expectations, Tina was experiencing what Erikson would call a delayed identity crisis. At a certain point in her life, it became difficult for her keep up the lie.

What Tina’s case also illustrates is that the journey of identity exploration that often begins at adolescence doesn’t stop there. In her case, the tension between “false self” and “true self” came to a head, contributing to a renewal of the confusion she had experienced at an earlier stage of life. Not living a full, complete life—not integrating these other parts of herself, call it her shadow or negative identity—turned out to be extremely draining, contributing to life choices that didn’t accommodate her real needs. Ignoring her shadow side was taking an enormous amount of energy, depleting her of her inner creativity, and contributed to various stress symptoms, including depressive reactions.

But the “return of the repressed” should not be looked at as a purely negative experience. Although a person might view these parts of herself as a representation of her unlived life, a delayed identity crisis can also contain the seeds of psychological renewal—the motivation to enter new directions in life. Romancing your shadow—accepting these unlived parts of yourself and learning to read the messages that are contained in it—can lead to a deeper level of consciousness, as well as spark your imagination. When a person is ready to accept these parts—and not try to push them aside — she or he may discover all sorts of creative, positive ideas begging for fulfillment. These buried desires will help them to reflect not only on the question of “Who am I?” but also “Who do I want to be?” This can turn a negative spiral of self-pity turned into the opposite.

That’s what happened in Tina’s case. She came to grips with her previous life experiences. She captured her dreams in a journal, and wrote about the associations that came to her. She wrote letters to her past and future self. She told her husband about her dreams and the emotions they evoked. Together, they talked about her feelings of frustration and anxiety. Her husband began sharing some of his dreams with her, as well. Their conversations eventually took a more concrete turn, as they discussed their future together, including their careers, finances, and upcoming life choices. Her self-exploration gave her greater awareness both of her inner theatre and what her life journey had been up till this moment.

Reassured and invigorated, Tina took a hard look at her work responsibilities and saw ways that she could make changes that would benefit the bank as well as herself. She even got into an argument with her father at the dinner table about politics, and to her great surprise, he seemed to respect her opinion.

Most of us find this difficult, confusing work, as Tina did. But learning to sort out our inner demons can be liberating. Questioning, reflecting, and having meaningful conversations with important people in our lives can help us come to terms with our shadow sides and create the rapprochement needed between our “false” and “true” selves. To do this, we have to figure out how to accept what we learn about ourselves without judgment. And to do that, we must approach self-knowledge with curiosity, as if it were a fascinating adventure – an exploration of the riches contained in this previously unknown world inside the self.

Original article here

15 Jun 2022
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Tipping Over the Vibrational Horizon

Yesterday I was chatting with a friend and I found myself saying the words ‘tipping over the vibrational horizon’. I had never used those words before so I set out to discover exactly what I meant by this.

You see, there are two realities in the world today (yes I know, there are many, but let’s play just for a moment to distinguish it as two).

There’s the old reality, which is embedded in polarity, duality, separation and a pretty low vibrational frequency. This is the reality where you feel dull or switched off much of the time, sort of like walking around in a trance. Yes, sometimes in this reality you can feel good, happy even. But even then it’s still at a vibrational reality that is lower than what’s actually available on the planet and in the cosmos today.

Then there’s the NEW reality. Now let me tell you that this one shines. The words I use to describe it are excited, exhilarated, connected, witnessing beauty and wonder in an awe state everywhere you look … and when you look through these new eyes, the world up-levels with your gaze. You become an alchemist … an activator of genius, ideas, innovation, potential, possibilities and an ever increasingly high vibrational way to live.

To access this NEW reality is simple. Tip over the vibrational horizon.

Raise your vibrational reality to match that of the Earth and the Universe now, for they have already risen to a brand new state. The Schumann Resonance of the Earth (measurable vibrational frequency of the planet) is pretty consistently far higher now than the normal 7 that it used to be. In fact, today as I write this it’s at 46.

Once you tip over this vibrational horizon, you find yourself in a flow state, feeling the pulses, forces and power of the Universe moving through you to make this a brighter and better world. You become a force for Life to thrive on planet Earth. You walk as an alchemical agent, a quantum creator of a new dreaming of us that is already taking shape upon this world.

You discover here that the Earth is a beautiful and miraculous being. That the Universe is a breathtaking intelligence that calls us to partner with it in Life’s evolutionary leaping now.

You let go of the age-old journey of self discovery to find that you as Earth, Oceans, Forests, Universe, etc. is a far grander adventure that leads to you being a Source Creator of Life in wondrous new ways.

You touch the infinite.

You enhance and enrich your intelligence.

You fall wildly in love with life in all its wondrous forms.

You walk in wonder.

You live in awe.

You create in genius flow.

You see magnificence everywhere you look.

You become a creator of the NEW reality of this world as it is meant to become.

For me, this is one of the most fulfilling things I could ever dream of giving my life to.

About the Author:

Soleira Green is a visionary author, quantum coach, ALLchemist & future innovator. She has been creating leading edge breakthroughs in consciousness, quantum evolution, transformation, innovation, intelligence and more over the past 25 years, has written and self-published eleven books, and taught courses all over the world on these topics.

13 Jun 2022
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How We Changed the World ~ ALLchemical Mastery

Alchemy has always seemed a somewhat mysterious ability to many people. The word itself evokes a level of power that, in the past, many have been frightened to step into.

I began my journey into alchemy back in the mid 1990’s when I read Serge Kahili King’s book ‘Urban Shaman’. It was an eye opener for me into a world of exciting possibility and global transformation. I would say the most important insight from this book was about becoming one with something (like a hurricane, a computer, the oceans, etc.) to elevate its purpose in this world.

So I dove into transformation with an incredible fervour … and not just people transformation, but global transformation as well.

I realised that the greatest relationship that I was seeking was to become the Universe, the Force, the Source (whatever we might like to call this incredible consciousness and energy that carries magic in its might and limitless creation at its core).

I let go of my identity. I surrendered my being to be remade over and over until I had evolved sufficiently to embrace myself as that universal force, innovating ways to live as that.

I discovered a power that I hadn’t known existed earlier in my life. A power that surged life, potential and possibility into play in ferocious and playful ways.

I made friends with that power, that force. I aligned myself with Life and for all things that would allow Life to thrive everywhere throughout the galaxies and upon this world.

I opened up brilliant new relationships with the consciousness and energy (the emerging entities if you will) of everything … organisations, countries, worlds, nature, the Earth, etc. And once I did that I discovered an open door to a world of wondrous alchemical creation that I had not known before.

Next I invited my consciousness buddies to join me in this exploration, with each one of them bringing something extraordinary into the co-creation. Together we became these Life Powers & Forces, we united as the Earth and the Universe, we surged possibilities into play everywhere our attention was drawn to play and create.

The callings came fast and furious through us all as we sourced a breakthrough in what I now love to call ALLchemical Creation.

ALLchemical creation is about tapping the new dream of us all, about becoming the Source and the Universe in Creation … then allowing ourselves in our collective, collaborative mastery to create breakthrough after breakthrough after breakthrough as Life surged through us to become whatever was next for it and for us all.

ALLchemy is collective and collaborative. It’s not just something you do as an individual expanding into greater connection and consciousness. It’s something we all are, all together embedded in a power source beyond our own, aligned with what Life wants to bring forth for all life to thrive now.

It is a pure, powerful, delightful thing to be a part of as you are moved by the desires and breakthroughs surging from Life through you. You create like never before in what I love to call collaborative genius fusion or kaleidoscopic creation, each one of us bringing something truly breath-taking to the ultimate outcome for all.

For me, ALLchemy is my future. It’s my ALL as I continue to surrender myself over and over again to whatever wonders it wants to create through me / us. It gifts me a life well lived and a joy for creation that has been a long time coming in this lifetime. But now IT is here ~ IT meaning that mysterious, wondrous, miraculous, power force of the Universe that chooses to entertain us as a home base for its miracles to occur.

I am honoured to have found my way into this magnificent art form that utilizes my whole beingness in this lifetime. When (and if) I leave this planet, I will do so completely fulfilled and wildly in love with Life, having lived in a way that I wish that everyone will discover in the coming days, months and years. For I am a collaborative ALLchemist and what a brilliant life that has given me and a miraculously unprecedented future for this world!

About the Author:

10 Jun 2022
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Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

Yes, I have blatantly plagiarized the title of a recently released film starring Michelle Yeoh. I’ve not even had the pleasure of seeing this work of cinematic art yet, but I am familiar enough with the plot to know that the central character could represent any one of us. If you’ve seen it, you will know what Michelle’s character is facing. An audit by the Internal Revenue Service, and dilapidated laundry business barely able to provide a living for her and her bumbling husband, and strangers popping in from the future asking for her help to save the world. All in a day’s work I’d say!

There are two sides or stories to the conundrum that the star of the movie, and us, all face. One side is all about the amount of effort and attention most of humanity is forced to expend just to stay afloat financially or socially in the current world structure. Most of the folks I know are simply exhaustipated (wiped out) by the demands of the daily routine, and the expectations arriving from all directions. Food shopping and prep, earning enough to pay for the food, rent/mortgage, put Junior through college, pay the bills, pay the taxes, keep dealing with 2-factor authentication every time you want to log into something, dealing with the partner, the in-laws, the neighbor who is building an extension on their home (you cannot hear yourself think, much less run an at-home business!), and the list goes on and on.

The other side of this circus is the possible reality that unity consciousness might bring to us if we had every barrier to it suddenly lifted. We just might flame out and disappear with the sheer immensity of seeing, knowing, and feeling everything, everywhere, all at once. Is that what Spirit/God/Goddess/All That Is experiences? How can one know for sure? How in the heck does the Great Spirit cope with all that anyway? These are some of the questions that I entertain when I wake up in the middle of the night.

One thing I can report on, is that when I had a unity experience about a year after my kundalini awakening occurred in 1994, it didn’t feel at all like I imagined it to feel. It was…intimate, quiet, intense and relaxing all at the same time. Like being cradled in the arms of one’s mother, yet totally alert and aware…of everything! Not just that, but aware that Everything is You, and You are in or are part of Everything. The aftermath or comedown was a devastating one for my ego…which was to be emotionally overwhelmed with gratitude, awe, wonder and ecstasy. Can you feel so much ecstasy without exploding? I guess so, cause I’m writing about it here.

The former side, the crazy upside-down busier than I have a right to be world is just plain nuts in my view. Our culture promotes and rewards striving and hard work, but it never praises anyone who chooses a path or inner or outer peace. Those types are lazy, or a burden on society. Most of my childhood programming centered on becoming a “productive member of society”, which is code for a good, obedient little consumer. My mother’s messages supported all of that – “go along to get along” or “don’t rock the boat”, and loving statements like that.

Fortunately, many of us (and if you’re reading this you are probably part of this tribe) sort of awakened from our sleepwalking. Maybe some of us cottoned on to the con game no one else saw at a very early age. Others have had a midlife crisis, a divorce, and serious illness, a relationship gone bad, and then awaken during or after those event(s). We begin to REMEMBER. We have few words to describe it, but we somehow know that Life wasn’t necessarily meant to be this mad or busy, or so full of compromises. Our souls knew better, and we left behind what we previously embraced, for it no longer resonated, no longer entranced us.

There are three upcoming astrological markers that will dovetail into the main points I’m sharing here. All the action happens on June 11th, and on both sides of June 15th-16th.

On June 11th at 11:51pm BST (10:51pm UT) transiting Venus meets up with and kisses Uranus at 16 degrees of Taurus. Can you say “unusual” or “unconventional” when it comes to sexual loving, flings with the opposite or same sex, and coming to terms with what our true natural values and needs are as regards our sexuality? I knew you could. This transit is brief but can certainly upend your own status quo regarding sexuality, which may lead you into unusual encounters with possible partners or with society at large (“…that is indecent and immoral, and you need to stop that now!”). You get my drift. Judgment always crops up when Uranus is in town and is wearing a bull costume. You may also have unusual and possibly revelatory experiences with your own sexual nature. Uranus encourages exploration and trying new things, so this weekend could be interesting! If you in fact have any aspects to anything at 16 degrees of Taurus, Scorpio, Aquarius or Leo, you may feel this “hit home”. The potential stinger in this conjunction could be a further eroding of the value of Bitcoin, fiat currencies (paper money), and digital money (the M3 money supply). The almost hyperinflation happening is definitely tied to Uranus in Taurus, as is the deflation of cryptocurrency values.

The next upcoming astrological markers that will dovetail into the main points I’ve been sharing here is the Full Moon in Sagittarius on the 14th squared to Neptune, followed by Neptune in Pisces being squared (challenged) by the Sun in Gemini on the 15th. Hermes, or Mercury, is a data hog and likes to collect information. Sometimes this causes mental indigestion. This Full Moon is lit up by the Neptune point…everything at 23 to 25 degrees of mutable signs. Like anything can happen but it may go unnoticed, or more delusion/confusion may arise, especially in the “news” or official pronouncements from the powers that rule. In other words, words and messages that deceive.

Another thing about this is the Sun-Moon being square to the planet and sign that rules the waters (oceans, oil, amongst other things) and the everything everywhere. It will come as no surprise if we feel like we’re having more of an out-of-body experience while dealing with data overload, all at the same time. You might find yourself waking up from a dream and going right into a daydream. The veils will be thin, very thin, and all manner of tricksterish energy and entities will be around. Ground and earth yourself, that’s the remedy. Take your shoes off and wiggle toes in grass, or better yet, dirt or sand. And watch how much you engage with others in electronic mediums! Trolls and bad actors love this sort of dissociative energy.

The other aspect that will help is Mars and Chiron meet at exact midpoint of Aries on June 15th as well. Aries is the embodiment of “I Am”. The warrior and the Centaur meet, and this bodes well for those who recognize the divine value of individuation. You see, the film “Everything, Everywhere, All the Time” fragments the concept of a “self” and does so in a humorous way. Living in the digital soup that we all inhabit these days; it is becoming increasingly challenging to even feel who we are beyond the surface. Our inner life is more and more fragile and distant, hard to get a grip on, living in such an artificial electronic construct.

We can easily delude ourselves whilst in this environment, so it is super useful that Mars and Chiron team up now. It revs up the status of the individual, and the value of our inner self/being to a powerful degree. It could make us not only walk around saying “I Am” but acting more authentic. Caution: people might not like that and get riled and annoyed with you, or worse. But believe me, it is much better to be in trouble with others instead of being in trouble with yourself.

About the Author:

Originally from the United States, Isaac currently resides in the UK and offers Spiritual Mentoring sessions and programs and Evolutionary Astrology consultations.

08 Jun 2022
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Do These 5 Emotionally Intelligent Things Within 5 Minutes Of Meeting Someone

What’s the point of networking if not to get other people to like you? Sure, you need new contacts to see you as interesting, competent, professional, and potentially valuable to them—but if they don’t also find you likable, nobody will feel motivated to reach out later and work with you.

The reason why all comes down to emotional intelligence, the set of skills and qualities that allow people to form deeper, closer relationships with others. Likability is a key ingredient in that, and its career benefits are pretty obvious. For instance, being likable—and liking your coworkers in return—can increase your chances of getting promoted.

But when it comes to first impressions, you don’t always have much time to get people to like you. So here are a few straightforward things that the most emotionally intelligent people do to cement their likability from the get-go:

Show Genuine Enthusiasm For Meeting

Especially in business contexts, some people’s demeanors while making introductions are terse and serious. That might feel formal and “appropriate,” but it’s not always the most emotionally intelligent thing to do. Neither is laying it on thick with a forced grin and over-the-top proclamations about how absolutely wonderful it is to meet.

Just be natural. Pretend you’re meeting a sibling’s new significant other at a social occasion. Give your best, authentic smile. Open up your posture so your legs are at a wide stance but you’re relaxed. Make eye contact, offer a firm handshake. It’s that easy.

Offer A Compliment

If you notice something about the person you’ve just met that you can compliment them about, do it right away. Maybe there’s a recent accomplishment you’re aware of that you could mention. If not, ask a question or two that can lead to information you can later compliment them on.

Emotionally intelligent people are great listeners right from the moment they make acquaintances. They know that most people love to talk about themselves and will like and appreciate anybody who’ll earnestly listen. The problem is that most of the time—especially in the moment or two after meeting someone—we’re too busy thinking about our own responses and can’t wait for the next opportunity to jump in. This tendency is natural, and it sometimes gets worse when we’re nervous.

So treat the first five minutes after meeting somebody as a silent quiz session: Pretend you’re being tested to see how much you can find out about the new acquaintance—that when five minutes are up, you’ll have to write an essay about everything you’ve just learned, and the more information you include, the higher your score.

Ask At Least Two Open-Ended Questions

Conversations often die quickly or turn into monologues when they aren’t propelled forward by good questions. When someone starts talking about something they enjoy, use that as an opening to ask more: “How did you get into that?” “What do you like most about it?” Since it’s something they’re clearly dying to talk about it, don’t just ask yes/no or simple factual questions that might cut off their chance to really dig into it.

Aim for at least two open-ended questions within the first few minutes of striking up a chat with somebody you’ve just met. That should be enough to get a good, in-depth conversation going. On a subconscious level, you’ll quickly become somebody they remember liking and will want to be around.

Find Something You Share

Have you ever spoken with someone and found them distracted, glancing around the room or maybe fiddling with their phone while you were speaking? If you did, there’s a slim chance you came away really liking them afterward. In order to make someone feel like they’re getting your full attention, you obviously need to focus on them exclusively. But you also have to find an interest or belief you both share.

The most emotionally intelligent people know that it’s easiest to connect with people they’ve found something in common with. These commonalities might not always be obvious, though; you have to look for them. For example, there’s a really experienced runner who works out at my gym, and we often have a chance to chat. Since I personally have zero interest in running, there wouldn’t seem to be common ground for a meaningful conversation beyond, “Good to see you again, how’s your week going?” But since most people like food, I once asked him what he eats before a major long-distance run. It gave us something in common to talk about.

These conversational openings are really simple but not always obvious right away just after meeting someone. Pay attention to what makes somebody light up, become more animated, and sit up straight. These little cues are easy to catch early on in your conversation, and they can make for great opportunities to quickly find commonalities, passions, and ideas to talk about in those crucial few minutes while we’re forming first impressions.

Say Their Name Before You Leave, And Commit Key Facts To Memory

Everybody loves the sound of their own name. Say it when you first meet someone; then sprinkle it throughout the conversation whenever you get the chance. At a minimum, make sure to say their name when you’re about to leave: “Really great meeting you, Shareen.” “Thanks for chatting, Kyle, let’s be in touch.”

Finally, emotionally intelligent people reinforce the likability they’ve banked during first impressions by remembering a few key details later on. The names of a new acquaintance’s partner, kids, even the pets they have or that vacation recommendation they shared—that’s all useful information to refer back to the next time you see them. It’ll help you stand out in their memory, and make them look forward to connecting with you again—because for some reason or other, they find that they just like you.

Original article here

05 Jun 2022
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Who Are You?

I am always careful when using phrases and sentences saying something like, “Be you”, “Discover yourself “, or “Be authentic”. I admit that this kind of statement puts me off. However, sometimes it is difficult to express experiences that happen to us at a deep inner level, and I have come to the conclusion that, no matter what, words are here to be used the way we know and when adding the feeling from which they are expressed, any word gets validated.

From childhood we hear that we are here to grow up, go to school, study, get a degree, get a job, marry, have children, grow old and die. It seems like a futile cycle and quite frankly, a somehow boring one.

Are we more than just our bodies? Why are we here? Is this all? What is our purpose? Who are we? Where are we going? These are a few of the fundamental questions that many people have in their mind. However, a vast number of people never ask themselves these questions, and go through life just playing their roles and waiting for the “end”. Maybe they are not curious about being more than just flesh and bones, or maybe the system we live in is powerful enough to keep us numb and oblivious to the invisible realms of existence. Whatever the case, I still think that most of us know deep inside that we are more than what we can see.

Thanks to the spiritual teachings I practise, I have been able to experience my real being in an unquestionable manner. Meditation, pineal gland activation and other techniques have made me aware of my inner self. I am a light being, inhabiting a human body. Not a complicated realisation at all and cliché, if you want. The thing is that today, more and more people are starting to be aware of the fact that there is an invisible part of themselves they cannot ignore anymore, their own experience shows them this reality.

Everything is energy and science has been talking about it for quite some time now: think of Einstein and his famous formula, E=mc2. Remember Nikola Tesla as well, who said, “If you want to find the secrets to the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”

We could say that we are consciousness or we have a conscience, something beyond the physical plane that is powerful and profound and is in our experience. And this consciousness manifests itself in the physical field through a body, tangible and visible.

Every time we acknowledge what we call our “soul” and place our attention on our thoughts and feelings of love, for example, we actually go beyond the body, we enter an invisible realm of existence. Every time we acknowledge our heart as a way of awakening intuition, we go to this intangible field of reality and, even more, every time we are there, we have the wondrous feeling of being home, of belonging.

I encourage you to find what resonates with you in order to experience the inner world. In the meanwhile, I invite you to sit down in a quiet place and start by feeling your body, then be aware of your breathing, inhale and exhale slower than normal, place your attention on your heart, feel it full of light and love. Enjoy this state for at least ten minutes and repeat it hopefully two times a day, everyday.

The realisation of being a light being, will make you conscious of the fact that everyone else is a light being too, therefore we are all the same, we are equal and any differences disappear. Experiencing our inner self is understanding the concept of wholeness, of being part of the One, is finding our true origin and purpose, is initiating our journey back home, is ascending.

We have the opportunity of looking at life as a spiral of experiences that elevate us from just being “human”. We are so much more than our body. We cannot see it with our physical eyes, but we feel it, we know it, we live it. We are infinite beings.

About the Author:

28 May 2022
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Remember Your First Time?

The first time I put up a one person show, I didn’t know what I was doing.

The first time I taught a workshop, I didn’t know what I was doing.

The first time I gave a sermon at the Church of the Pacific, I didn’t know what I was doing.

I learn by doing and hopefully, each time I get better.

I remember the evening I previewed LOVELAND, my one-person show at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco. The lead character, Frannie Potts, was incredibly challenging to perform.

Within 5 minutes of stepping on stage, I realized how limited my acting abilities were for Frannie. I couldn’t embody the emotional range required by the words I had written. I didn’t know what I was doing. Frannie sounded harsh and off putting, one note only. I could feel the audience recoil.

The next 75 minutes were excruciating. Minutes would go by of pin drop silence, a comedian’s worst nightmare. I couldn’t wait to get off stage.

Immediately following the performance, a former student came up to me and said,

Ann, it was so cool to see you fail. (This student was not known for her tact.)

She was right, I failed miserably and failing sucks, especially in front of a live audience. The next day, I had a two-hour rehearsal with my director, Joshua Townshend. The next night I failed again but not as bad as the first night. Improvement!

My friend and fellow solo performer, Heather Woodbury, has this great quote regarding her creative work.

“Over time, my suck level got less and less.”

This is what happened to me with LOVELAND. My suck level got less and less and a year later, LOVELAND won “Best Solo Show” in SF and LA.

As a storytelling teacher, I have shared this story with my students many times and I’m often requested to tell it again. I think people like hearing it because it gives them permission to suck, to make mistakes, and to grow from these so called “failures.” Ira Glass, host of This American Life, talks about this too in his video on being bad in the beginning.

Think about your own creative life. Where have you demanded perfection from yourself? Can you let yourself make mistakes? Can you acknowledge it’s all part of the creative process? We have a tendency to beat ourselves up when we “fail,” but what if instead, we gave ourselves immense credit for our willingness to put our work out into the world.

During Covid, I was unable to perform. I had to find a new way to express myself. I started making short videos and they were not very good in the beginning. I could feel the inner critic wanting to stop me at every turn, but I vowed to keep going. I knew from years of experience that the only way to beat the voice of the inner critic is to not give up and keep showing up for my art.

If you are feeling the voice of the inner critic to be overwhelming, I suggest letting it speak. Pick up the pen and ask the critic, “Why are you showing up today and what do you have to say to me?” This writing exercise is incredibly illuminating and can help you understand the relationship you have with this critic. On any creative journey, you will encounter this critic so it’s important to acknowledge it, but don’t let it stop you from achieving your goals. You can do it. You were born to create.

What helps me most when I make mistakes and “fail” is to know I’m not alone and to let myself receive support. We need each other to help us through these times.

Right now, I’m working on another one-person show, and as much as I’d like the development process to be perfect, it’s not. Writing first drafts is messy and trying out new material is always hit or miss. I have come to accept this as part of the creative process.

About the Author:

Ann Randolph is an award-winning writer and performer. Her current solo show, Inappropriate in All the Right Ways, has been described by The Huffington Post as “a show like no other.” Her show, Loveland, played for two years straight in San Francisco where it won the SF Weekly Award for Best Solo Show and garnered the SF Bay Critic’s Award for Best Original Script. Loveland also played to sold out audiences in LA and won the LA Weekly award for Best Solo Show.

Original article here