Everyday Enlightenment

The #metoo movement has taken the country by storm, and surprise. But there is a reason for it beyond everyone coming out with their own #metoo moment. We are witnessing first hand the beginnings of a large swath of our population reclaiming their power through their voice. In today's episode, we explore what it means to give voice to instances in our history that disempowered us, and perhaps in response we hid that aspect of our selves for a long time. As more and more women come forward with their #metoo, we are witnessing an integration on a collective scale like nothing we've ever experienced before on the planet. The voice is a powerful tool in healing as well as creating our lives as we know it here in the physical. We explore healing from voicing what is going on for us, and possible other actions that could be taken for those instances that need deeper healing. Spiritually, it's an exciting time for so many to unify and rise together for the greater good.

Awakening so often begins with questioning: from slight whispers to very loud demands, we begin to look for answers. Honesty with our selves is the first step. It is crucial for building a solid foundation in a life with depth and meaning. As we grow and expand, we come back to this basic tenant, time and again. Honoring and respecting our feelings for just what they are--feelings--begins to free us from the entanglement of believing we ARE our feelings. To awaken means to decide to pursue self-mastery. This decision comes with taking responsibility, in the most loving way, of our inner landscape. As we love and respect our inner lives--or our Selves--our exterior lives change. We also begin to live from our own deep, innate wisdom that has always been there. We then begin to (and eventually fully do) trust who and what we are, understanding on a visceral level how we can further serve humanity. Yes, even you! This is not a pipe dream and while it may feel that way while we're clearing out the old, out dated ways of thinking and being, we are gaining a depth and clarity of real experience. Our minds were never put in place to facilitate true understanding, or wisdom, in order to awaken. Rather, our bodies and the choices we make in our lives, are the true vehicle for awakening and self mastery. Our minds just run the program, but our bodies and feelings decide what that program is. As we change and grow with our inner experiences (and change the program we're running), this then is reflected in our outer lives.

The language of our souls are different than the language of our minds. Our soul, or heart, speaks the language of truth and beauty while our culture speaks the masculine language of right/wrong, good/bad. Oftentimes those of us on a spiritual path get caught up in the perfectionism of being spiritual enough in order to bypass our spiritual process that includes struggle. Learning to speak the language of our hearts invites us to get very real with ourselves, to not only recognize, but to follow through, on our truth. In today's episode, we talk about this as well as anger as a lifetime of buried feelings, the slow death of perfection, and allowing--an act of the feminine.

Children perpetuate consciousness on the planet. As the extended forms of their parents consciousness, they come here at a higher vibration. Their existence urges the parents and those around them to rise to the occasion and raise their own vibration with a deeper awareness of self and life. In today's episode, we explore soul families, unity consciousness as our origin, and some practical steps to take (and questions to ask) in moments of disharmony with our children, applicable to both our physical children and inner children. When we can meet our children with more and more consistency at their higher vibration, we are expanding our own consciousness while giving them the gift to move into even greater expanded awareness. This is evident in well-adjusted and empowered adults today who's parents met them where they were in a supportive, loving environment. This expansion relationship doesn't stop once they are 18, or once we are a certain age with our own inner children. Parents who continue to expand themselves towards their children (both inner and outer) well into old age are gifting all future generations with living more expanded, joyful, empowered lives. It's powerful and beautiful work that is fundamental for the future of not just your soul family, but the consciousness of all.

What does it mean to awaken? What happens as we awaken--what does that process look like? In today's episode, I give a generalized outline of what awakening and integration look and feel like for us. The four main stages: awakening, seeking, connecting, and finally, total embodiment are meant to be a guideline with an understanding that there are many nuances throughout--because each of us are individuals on our own journey's. As we integrate, it can feel scary and deeply challenging because it's so new. The newness is so deep in fact, that we feel like we're literally in the dark. Our eyes, hearts, minds, and feelings have never before experienced much of what is occurring, therefore giving us nothing to base these experiences on and giving the impression we are in the dark. As we move through our integration, we become more and more accustomed to what's happening through practices such as compassion, meditation, tai chi and yoga, to name a few.

In today's episode, privilege and courage are discussed in the aftermath of recent hate crimes and racist protest in the U.S.  As a white woman myself, I know first hand the courage it takes to acknowledge this, as well as questioning what it is I am doing with that privilege. There's no one perfect answer for us all, but the beauty is that we all have our own individual answers. With millions of us taking responsibility for what courage means for us, and then taking small steps of courage in our worlds and the world at large, we create momentum in disabling racism and hate from the ground up. But it takes masses--many of us doing what it takes in our own way, in our own lives, to create a greater change. My intention is to continue and contribute to this conversation many have been having on their own or in small circles around the globe. I want to see this topic get more traction. Perhaps for some it is an act of courage to listen to these types of conversations at all. Whatever your flavor of courage is, keep going. We need you. (Side Note: my puppy and dog were playing in the room next door with squeaker toys! Throughout the podcast, you may hear random squeaking---it's my dogs playing and the universe saying, there's always two sides to every reality!).

Anxiety is nothing new to the human condition. We've all felt it to some degree in our lives, some of us more acutely (and more often) than others. When ignored, anxiety can begin to creep into our present lives as destructive behavior caused by destructive beliefs. So how do we deal with the very uncomfortable feelings of anxiety, usually accompanied by spiraling, swirling uncontrollable thoughts? We'll explore the root cause of anxiety and an approach to healing it in today's episode.

The ancient Hawaiian Kahuna culture has been teaching and living a spiritual practice known as Ho'oponopono since, according to their tradition, the beginning of time. And it is a timeless, universal practice. Combining compassion, forgiveness and love, the practice of Ho'oponopono (translating to: I'm sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you) is self-directed for healing old wounds which create suffering in our present lives. It's another tool in our tool box for turning our gaze inward to heal both what's inside as well as manifest our soul's calling in our lives today.

When life presents us with situations that are challenging, creating suffering, it is asking us to turn to the root cause of the pain--the moment in your life, usually as a child, when we made a connection to believing in something limiting, hurtful, fearful and victimizing. As we practice true compassion, or other practices like Ho'oponopono, we begin to unravel those beliefs deeply, inside our brains, and our world literally transforms around us. 

For some of us, when we come across teachings such as compassion that are so powerful and true, we are excited and may try them a little, but deep down don't really believe they will work for us. As someone who completely understands this and went through similar blocks, I encourage and urge you to keep trying with a self-compassion practice. Next podcast I'll be giving a step-by-step of how I send compassion to myself that has worked deeply. In the meantime, he practice of Ho'oponopono is a great place to start (and continue with) on our journey to connecting with and living from our soul's purpose.

Today's episode is a short guided meditation. Focusing on recognizing and acknowledging the space between our thoughts and our Selves, this meditation will help cultivate a mindful perspective when thoughts try to take over the drivers seat. Practiced long term, we can begin to untangle ourselves more regularly from triggers, reactions and quick, unconscious judgments (or programming) allowing ourselves to be present in the moment. When we are present amidst the chaos, our choices reflect our inner guidance/drive (as they do when we're enmeshed in the chaos) putting us directly into the drivers seat of our lives, steering us the way we ultimately want to live.

In today's episode, we're asking the hard question: how do I know what to do? How do I know when to keep fighting, when to turn the page, and know the difference? Does this information live in your gut? Your heart? Is it out there in the Universe waiting for us to grasp or find? Is it beyond our control? A wonderful set of questions asked by one of our listeners, join us in discovering just how to understand what it means to "know" what do to and when to do it; what it means when you "find" the answer you've been seeking "out there"; and why the answer is actually never "out there" but always, always within.