Embrace Your Re-Entry

EMBRACE YOUR RE-ENTRY

“I’ve learned that it’s okay to be afraid.
And what’s more, it’s okay to seek greatness.
That does not make me a black hole seeking attention.
It makes me a supernova.”

— Amanda Gorman*

As we lean into our 2nd year with the COVID pandemic, many of us still experience levels of isolation, fear, and loss. Some question their faith that we can and will somehow emerge in health, hope, and possibilities.

We wonder if we’ll ever again know- the joy of freedom and connection.

The recent buzz words I’ve been hearing are all about re-entry, or to be specific, the anxiety of re-entry. It’s as if the extreme stress and oppression of the pandemic has not been enough for us.

We begin now to move out into the world, to rekindle some of our old associations, and to flirt with familiar haunts and activities. 

Yet who are we as we emerge? Certainly each of us has changed…

Some of us have been sanded down, still feeling a bit rough around the edges, we are diminished in overall stature. Others have found new pieces of themselves and have carefully crafted new realities to step into.

As I make way to re-enter the stream of Life outside of my own domain, I reflect on the lessons I’ve learned because of the pandemic…

“I’ve learned that it’s okay to be afraid.”

• Making it okay for me to feel afraid shifts the habit of self-judgement.

• Giving permission allows me to be compassionate with myself and with other feelings I’ve deemed unacceptable in the past.

• With each conscious acceptance of a piece of me, I grow to appreciate the lightness and freedom that comes from it.

“And what’s more, it’s okay to seek greatness.”

• I can choose to re-enter in solidarity with my internal truth.

• I can give myself that much needed pep talk each time I boldly pounce into unfamiliar territory.

• I can recognize that my Life exists in the here and now and there’s really no one watching!

“That does not make me a black hole seeking attention.”

• I have felt like a black hole before. Feigning invisibility, a hollow shell.

• Desperately seeking approval from others. Hiding in the dark, feeling disconnected.

• Eckhart Tolle reminds me, “The ego creates the separation, and separation creates suffering.”

“It makes me a supernova.”

• A star that bursts forth its brightness in reaction to a catastrophic explosion -that ejects its heavy energy and old identity.

• I deliberately wipe out the weeds of my consciousness, cease negative thinking, and dissolve any harbored resentments.

• When I break free of my entanglements I shine brightly and give freely!

Though darkness and pain continue to plague our worlds underbelly, I trust that a new dawn is on our horizon. I trust in the peaceful light that lays calm in the passing of our raging storm. 

I trust in humankind to remember our connection, to embrace our re-entry, and to bring with us, the very best we have to offer.

PONDER THIS:

How do you bring the best of you to embrace your re-entry?

*** Quote from Amanda Gorman -The Rise and Rise of Amanda Gorman, written by Doreen St. Felix, photographed by Annie Leibovitz April 7, 2021, in VOGUE Magazine.

This re-entry business can be tricky. Holding ourselves in courage and confidence can make this transition less challenging. You don’t have to make your way alone. Let me be your partner to help you realign with your path, power, and purpose!

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Intention is a SuperPower

Intention is a SuperPower

“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. 
All things break. And all things can be mended. 
Not with time, as they say, but with intention. 
So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. 
The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.”

— L.R. Knost

Even a rubber band has its limits! We’ve all been stretched in so many ways this year. Physically. Emotionally. Financially. Spiritually. Our worlds have shattered… individually and collectively,

It seems every structure, organization, system and cultural belief has been infected or crumbled under the weight of the Covid pandemic. We continue to experience loss and uncertainty. Many of us are on the verge of snapping under the pressure.

Recently though, we’ve been given a thread of hope from a vaccine and a promise of an eventual “herd immunity”. It can’t come soon enough.

We have finally been thrown a Life-line to shore up our perseverance. We’ve been given new incentive to continue to let go and to fortify what remains important to us. 

Yet how can we trust and reclaim our faith in a brighter tomorrow?

Anything is possible! Certainly we’ve learned this lesson the past 10 months. Now it is our responsibility to take thoughtful action. We develop trust when we become part of a solution. 

When we consciously choose forward movement, we cultivate our intention! An intention sets our focus in a particular direction. It lays out a path for us and clarifies our next right steps. 

It aligns us with our heart, summons the support of the Universe, and empowers us to courageously embrace change! 

Our intention is a superpower that burns within our spirit spark. We can choose to fan its flames. That commitment frees us to shine our brilliant light, to contribute - unapologetically!

During this pandemic, I dimmed my light to feel safe. I can only imagine you might have experienced something similar. As an intuitive empath I’ve learned to quiet my voice and retreat when I sense hostility and fear. Or maybe it’s just my own doubt… I lost sight of my path, power and purpose.  

Well, no more!

I share with you this message written on wall of Mother Teresa’s home for the children of Calcutta:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

~ Mother Teresa

“I am a spiritual being courageously enthusiastically illuminating beauty, joy, and love in the world.”

Ponder This:

What is your intention to bring your light to the world?

 Learning to trust yourself as you forge a new path in this world can feel overwhelming. Gaining clarity and a new focus can empower you to be courageous & confident. Schedule a 30 minute consultation to learn how my Claim Your Freedom Coaching Programs can support you.

TAME THE KRAKEN!

TAME THE KRAKEN!

“Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

— Viktor E. Frankl

In Scandinavian folklore, the kraken is described as a gigantic sea monster. It has multiple spiked tentacles protruding from its head with powerful suckers that line the underside.

It is told that the kraken could appear out of nowhere, attacking and terrorizing everything in its path. Sailors claimed the monsters possess an uncanny ability to deceive and remain rampant -simply by paralyzing its opponents with fear.

In the 2010 movie Clash of the Titan’s, Zeus (Liam Neeson) in his final  effort to cease the fighting between the mortals and the Gods - thunders his command “Release the kraken!”

I remember watching that movie and shuddering at the sound of what felt like armageddon. 

What if COVID-19 is the kraken being unleashed upon us in 2020?

It is deceptively present without being visible, terrorizes all within its reach and lacks any discrimination in choosing its victims. Its powerful tentacles rip through the infrastructure of our lives. It shreds our health, education, economic and social systems. 

The virus incites irrational fear and claims devastating loss. It blurs our trust in everything we know to be familiar. The prolonged threat and trauma strain and distort our connection - the very nucleus of human relationships.

Though both Earth and her people have engaged in horrific battles, the greatest impact has not been from the outer chaos we observe.

The great disconnect comes from its insidious penetration into our individual hearts and psyche…

Yet, there is a ray of Hope - a course of action, a path still illuminated!

That light is within us as our spirit spark, our free-will, and our power of choice.

Rather than fight a battle I cannot win, I seek that space within me that is solid, safe, and free. I reconnect for guidance, direction, and support with my 7 tenets of Life.

Courage - I revive my valiant warrior!

Focus - I consciously direct my attention.

Integrity - I emulate my stance of truth.

Compassion - I cultivate kindness, acceptance, love.

Presence - I create and communicate from this now moment.

Surrender - I empower my freedom by letting go.

Gratitude - I choose to live in a state of rejoicing! 

 When I choose my response, I am empowered to tame the kraken and remain afloat.

PONDER THIS:

How do you exercise your innate power to respond
to the triggers of your world?

My Part is Love

My Part is Love

“Do not be daunted by the enormity
of the world’s grief.
Do justly, now. Love mercy, now.
Walk humbly, now.
You are not obligated to complete the work,

but neither are you free to abandon it.
”

— from The Talmud 303

Last year my yoga teacher and treasured friend shared this inspiration at the beginning of a yoga practice. At the time it caught my attention. I knew it was important.

Now I know why.

Our world and everything we’ve known is in flux, in transformation. Each morning we are invited to consider what is no longer working or necessary and what new path we might embrace. 

Many of us have been forced to drop out of the unsustainable pace we were living in. Perhaps we’ve been quarantined from ourselves and the reckless way we may have choked Life out of each day.

The Earth’s Life force has begun to surge again as humanity’s rampage and abuse subsides. In some ways, this global upheaval could represent her last attempt to capture our attention, to beg for mercy.

Daily I seek my spiritual Truth. I am aware that both the world and the ground beneath me, appear to lurch and roll beyond my control. 

This is what I know today…

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. 
Our collective loss is unfathomable! Not only of human Life, but loss of routines, systems, identities and beliefs that use to provide us our framework to function. 

Focusing on media updates of our pandemic catastrophe can make us feel inundated, intimidated, and powerless. We must bring our attention back to our own feelings of loss and sadness where we can acknowledge and heal from the inside, out.  

Do justly, now.
The virus has given us a universal opportunity to create a new norm of equality and fairness. It has exposed our cultural myth that unique means divided.

We are free and responsible to act authentically, do what we believe is right, and unify our efforts for the greatest good for all. 

Love mercy, now.
Compassion, forgiveness, kindness, and love, a mission performed out of a desire to relieve suffering…

We look for ways to demonstrate our mercy in every opportunity that Life presents to us. 

Walk humbly now. 
Let’s check in to see where we may be arrogant or less than respectful in our relationships with Mother Earth and others. Where do we show up in our fear rather than with our assertiveness?

As I shift my focus from me and my own self-importance - I see how to walk humbly in the privilege of Life, health, and belonging. I recognize my power to choose my own response to every interaction before me.

You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.
Just as was true for our parents, generations, and ancestors before us, no one singular group can possibly realign our human course to heal, survive, and thrive.

Yet when each of us take a stand within our own human-ness to contribute our gifts, strengths, and Truth, we collectively hold in motion the direction of our intentions and the power of our love.

PONDER THIS

How do you show up to contribute to the greater good?

BE YOUR OWN VALENTINE!

BE YOUR OWN VALENTINE!

“No amount of self-improvement can make up for
any lack of self-acceptance.”

— Robert Holden

If you’re like me, you might have sighed a bit of relief when January ended. January has a reputation for demanding that we make a big push to complete everything that didn’t get finished, accomplished or experienced last year.

For most of us, this isn’t a new challenge. It’s  just a new version of wishing that has cycled around again.

Rather than engaging in forward momentum we can get stuck in what we believe might be lacking in our lives. From this self-imposed pressure, we begin to judge and criticize ourselves for not doing or being more!

Which brings us into February; the month of love.

The hoax of February is that love and acknowledgement can be found outside of ourselves. We search for validation from others as proof that we are more than we’ve been judging ourselves to be!

And here is where Robert Holden’s quote provides us some clarity and direction.

No matter what effort we make to improve ourselves, we will fail if we  come from a place of self-judgment. We must learn to acknowledge and accept where we are in the present, before we can successfully make any changes.

Here are 3 daily practices that I use to help me to be present and to process the energies that can sabotage my growth and happiness. I offer these as a guideline to support you to Be Your Own Valentine:

1) Monitor your Self-Talk. You know that constant berating that goes round in your head, questioning your decisions, doubting your abilities,  and judging your value? Listen to the language you use when you talk to yourself or about yourself with others.

When you become aware of how negative or condescending you sound, stop! Take a deep breath and then reframe what you have said to yourself in a positive supportive way.
 
- Ask yourself if what you just said is really true?
 - Restate your message in the same voice and words you would use
    when talking with a child, a close friend, or your beloved pet.
- When you hear yourself use the word “should,” replace it with “could.”
     
It’s amazing how changing one word can transform the entire emotional energy of your message.
     
2) Random Forgiveness. The moment you become aware you are beating yourself up for a perceived or perhaps real mistake you’ve made, practice this short energy shifter.

Take a deep breath and ask yourself these questions out loud:
Could I let go of needing to beat myself up about this, just for now?
Breathe. (yes)
Just for now, could I forgive myself for whatever mistake I believe I’ve made?
Breathe. (yes) 
And when I forgive myself, how does that make me feel?
Breathe. (state the feeling - good, better, relieved)
Could I allow myself to just feel (your feeling) for now?
Breathe. (yes)  

Developing a spontaneous practice of forgiving yourself may seem a bit lame or unnecessary. Yet when we make a habit of checking in with ourselves to clear our personal judgements, we give our negative energies a way to dissipate before we can stuff them!

3) Acknowledge & Accept. Each time we catch ourselves doing something good, or following through to complete something important to us, we cast a ripple of appreciation on our hearts.

When we make a point to acknowledge ourselves (out loud is always most powerful) we ease out our resistance and create a space for self-acceptance.

When we let go of our need to make ourselves more, we set ourselves free! From this place of self-acceptance, we can see, love and appreciate who we already are!

PONDER THIS:

What are 3 ways you could be kind, loving, and accepting of yourself this Valentine’s Day?