Change

We all have wounds inflicted on us from various people in our lives. Many of us have been abused, neglected or been in unhealthy relationships for many years/decades. Change can be challenging. But with gaining insight into our behaviors we can change. Collectively, we know that changing behavior can be tough-but think of all the beautiful lessons we've had in what we don't want. These experiences then give rise to what we do want down the line and when we know more we do better. We can sit in a victim mentality for a long time-in fact some people live there their whole lives. However; we have a responsibility to our own happiness to change our thought patterns to attract different healthier situations and relationships into our lives. BUT this takes time. Take good care, be patient with yourself and do something every day that you enjoy that's just for you.

Patterns

Sometimes it feels as if we are all caught in patterns. On a cycle. Like a washing machine. Doomed to repeat the same old thing or the same old pattern if you will. This is not true. We are always have a degree of control in our own lives and we have the power to make lasting changes that will change the course of our future. We must be able to step outside of what we know to get into a different perspective. Neurally, our brains require some re-wiring and new pathway development in order to continue to grow and change. We must be willing to let go of patterns that no longer serve us to embrace a new way of living. Your life isn't going to change unless you do. Ultimately, true progress comes from doing things differently.

Joy for Others and for the Self

What a wonderful gift from the universe that we can experience the emotion known as joy. It's a beautiful feeling. True joy can be experienced by opening our hearts up, loving ourselves and being truly happy for those around us. In many ways, it is the antidote to the competitive mind that many of us live most of our lives in. If we can experience pure joy for someone else's happiness that is true love in the highest sense. Joy in and of itself is not possible without the emotion of sadness. Sadness gives joy it's meaning and depth. There is always joy in the saddest of moments and always a touch of sadness in the most joyous moments.

Sunsets

Sunsets are beautiful. We get so many of them in a lifetime and they signify the end of a day and the potential beginning of a new one. This is an homage to sunsets.

At the Precipice of Change

Sometimes change happens quickly. So fast we don't even realize its happening. Other times it appears to be slow moving and take a long time to occur. In recent years, it feels as if the planet has been on a crash course hurtling towards more and more change. Things have been changing so quickly it feels like our heads are spinning! At the same time, the inertia from before this large change attempts to pull us back into old ways of being and doing. Sometimes it feels like we are at the precipice of a major change in our lives and sometimes it feels like we are just spinning our wheels. It is at times like these we must be patient and await further instruction on how to proceed. We must be willing to be open while simultaneously practicing discernment at these times. Here's to enjoying the quiet reflective space.

Cleansing

Cleaning up-or cleansing can have wonderful effects on our lives in multiple ways. We can do a body cleanse and nourish our bodies while detoxing from harmful chemicals and debris. We can do an emotional cleanse where we release pent-up anger, sadness, and fear which can lead to feeling lighter. We can spiritually cleanse with smudging, energy work, and meditation. We can clean up our physical spaces-our home, cars and work spaces. We can clean our laundry so we have fresh clothing to wear. Cleaning does something for us and for our physical spaces. The care we put into them is then rewarded with tranquility of the mind and clearing of stagnant energy. In cleansing, it is important that we also clear people out of our lives, or limit contact with them if they are no longer serving our development or adding positively to our lives. We can not be afraid to let go of people that simply do not serve us anymore. We may see them again in the future, but it is okay if we do not. We must be willing to let the cards fall where they may and be brave enough to let things unfold as they will.

Authentic Connection as a Means to Disable Control

We all want to feel connected. This desire is a universal human need. We want to feel like part of something bigger than ourselves. Feeling connected to people, places and things around us can help make us feel like we belong. In this "digital age" we have mistaken communication with genuine connection. For example, many of us have social media accounts-Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pintrest, etc.. We update our status and communicate with other individuals through these accounts-but we don't actually connect with other people through this technology. The connection we have is going through the filter of these various social media tools. So, genuine connection does not exist as communication is lost in the lens of the perspective of these tools. Additionally, there is a lack of emotional awareness and authenticity when communicating via these mediums and for good reason. To be authentic in today's society can have catastrophic ramifications. You could lose your job, your relationship, business opportunities and your family among other things. We are now living an an age where image-the picture-is far more important than the story. These images we are sold from a society that is rooted in controlling us through fear and comparison are false and our true selves understand this. This is why we have the prevalence and incidence of mental illness that we do in the developed world. People know on a core level that something is amiss, but they can not identify what it is that feels wrong. It is not necessarily money or materialism that create these disorders-rather it is living in a culture with constant comparison and fear mongering occurring. Authentic connection, with a sense of community and commonality is one way in which we can disable the controlling systems within our society. Here's to connecting.

Music

Music transcends language. It breaks down barriers. It can be an important agent of socio-political change. Regardless of culture, music communicates on another level. A different frequency if you will. It provides us with a universal connection to one another. Whether music has lyrics or not, it can facilitate shifting our consciousness into new perspectives. Here's to songs that move us.

Boundaries

We all understand the basic concept of boundaries. Some people are allowed in and some people are not. I find that as you learn and grow throughout life, boundary maintenance becomes a fine art. Here's an analogy on boundaries which can help facilitate boundary setting and maintenance. Imagine yourself as consisting of three houses-each house nested within the other-similar to Russian nested dolls. The largest house is the house all your acquaintances have a key to. The information shared in this house is fairly trivial. It is information that is not deeply intimate or personal. It is mostly surface-level information. The second largest house nested in the largest house is the house your closest friends and supportive family have access to. This house contains more intimate and personal information. Access to this house requires a certain level of trust and commitment from people in order for them to obtain a key. If they break this trust you take back the key. And finally, the third house. The smallest house nested in the other two The third house is a house just for you. It's a house you can fill with light or feelings of peace or whatever you like. Perhaps this is where you have your dialogue with the Universe or God. This is a special place just for you. You are the only one with a key and you cannot make copies of this key for any other person. This is JUST for you. Creating and maintaining these boundaries are important to creating the kind of life you can live with necessary peace and energy/love available for yourself. Practice discernment and boundary maintenance responsibly.

Healthy Relationships

Successful healthy partnerships or marriages occur when two whole people come together and walk hand in hand through life. They go down the same path together, but they are separate beings-joined at the hands as they walk along life. Two distinctly different people. In contrast, those of us in unhealthy relationships walk through the path of life with our partners like we are walking a three-legged race with our arms tightly around each other's waist-so heavily enmeshed in one another and very unstable on feet. In order to have a successful relationship, we must become whole people in our own accord. We must put our happiness above other people's and trust in the process of making ourselves whole and happy first. It is only then when we have a healthy relationship with ourselves that we attract other healthy relationships into our lives.

Nature

Nature feeds us. Quite literally. On multiple levels nature contributes to our well-being. It provides us with sustenance, shelter, and inspiration. Being close to trees, mountains, water, plants and flowers as well as the animals that call these places home give us a fresh perspective. Hiking provides an almost Alice in Wonderland feeling. Particularly if you are exploring a new forest, mountain, desert or space. It feels like you are truly in a magical place almost dream-like in its beauty. There is something about being close to the earth. We feel more connected to the things and people surrounding us. If scientists were interested, it would be truly fascinating to do a scientific study on the physiological and psychological effects of hiking on people. Happy summer.

Childhood Trauma

Many of us have struggled with various forms of childhood trauma. These traumas can be physical, emotional, sexual, centred around abandonment or even spiritual in nature. Many times these events from our childhood leave us with deep scars we may not even be aware that we have. The only way we can even begin to identify these wounds is through observation of present behavior and thoughts combined with reflection on previous life experience. It is will known that humans typically play out cycles of behavior-or patterns if you will. We get caught up in ways of knowing, being and doing that are relatively unconscious and until we start to look at them more objectively, we fail to recognize the dysfunction of these behaviors. It is through suffering that we come to a greater understanding of our wounds and how we go about tending to and healing them. Wound closure takes time, but the process can be expedited through intense work. Some of this work may be done through psychotherapy, group therapy, journaling, meditation, sitting in stillness, and stopping addictive behaviors. Everyone's path to healing is different and make take longer or shorter depending on many factors. Most importantly, healing is essential in moving forward with a richer more fulfilling life.

Trying New Things

Trying new things is a good way to get out of the comfort zone. We must be willing to take new perspectives. Try something we've never done before. Meet new people. Go to different kinds of events. These are all thing we can do to get out of our limited ways of thinking. Many of us fear the unknown, and as we age, we get more afraid and less willing to do the things that frighten us or make us feel uncomfortable. It's like we're constantly course-correcting for our comfort level-not wanting to rock the boat-and stagnating in our growth as human beings. This planet and all its wonders of technology, nature and ideas are to be explored, marveled at and enjoyed. When was the last time you did something that scared you?

Grieving Over "What If"

"What If..." So many of us get stuck in that circle of thinking about our lives. We think, if we had done such-and-such differently, then something better might have happened. The truth of the matter is, all of the things that have happened were meant to happen as they were meant to happen. And who really knows, perhaps if something else had happened you'd be in a far worse situation than you are currently in. We often think that we "should be" somewhere we simply aren't ready for or someplace we simply aren't suppose to be. Though this is easier said than done, there is a deep understanding that everything happens for a reason. We are always be cared for for our absolute highest good. We must be willing to let things fall apart so we can be broken open and better things can fall together.

Fatigue

Feeling tired. Burned out. Fatigued. There are many different ways people talk about fatigue-but fatigue can exist in various ways. It can be physical, emotional, or spiritual. Within these parameters, there can be varying degrees of intensity-some of which require intense rejuvenation. What can we do when we feel fatigued? The obvious answer is rest. But sometimes, rest is simply not enough. It is not enough to take a nap or sleep at the same time every night. It is this extreme fatigue that calls for more intervention. Sometimes its as simple as getting to your primary health care provider and getting some diagnostic testing done. Sometimes its about getting into a better eating/exercise pattern. Most of us can use help with that. But there is the odd time its about something else. Something we struggle to put our finger on. It's like we're fatigued for no reason other than just being tired. This type of fatigue leaves us exhausted with no understanding as to why. Especially if we are already relatively healthy, eating well, exercising and sleeping an appropriate amount of hours at night. This fatigue can be of a healing nature. We can be going through something intense that our bodies are not aware of. Perhaps healing from past trauma, or changing our brain chemistry in some monumental way-perhaps going through a change in values and beliefs. These activities of change take energy to complete. It is at these times we must be patient and ensure our body is receiving appropriate love and respect as we transition. In addition to the sleep, exercise and nutrition of course. Eventually the fatigue will subside and we will emerge with a renewed sense of vigor and health.

Creating Lists as a Primer for Goal Setting

The process of making lists can be very therapeutic. It can be employed for organizing thoughts, assigning priorities and ensuring we stay on task/budget. Lists provide us with a sense of control and power in addition to giving us the opportunity to take a different perspective. They can help us to see what we truly may want to do with our time and can help us identify goals and create change. We must be willing to question everything on the lists that we write down. "Is this what we really want?" "Is this what we really need?" "Is this essential in executing the task(s) at hand?". These are just a sample of the questions we can ask ourselves when creating our initial lists. A list of things to do and goals associated with these activities are important. Even something as simple as a shopping list can have a goal attached-such as "This list enables me to have all the ingredients necessary to create new dish, of which I can evaluate how much I like that dish and potentially add it to food plates I like to make routinely". Other lists help us to identify the experiences we may want to achieve from engaging in the activities listed. "I wish to go to a yoga retreat in order to learn new techniques that help in my meditation/relaxation practice at home". Lists help clarify our intention behind why we do certain things or why we purchase certain things. Many amazing experiences can come from creating lists. Lists should also be adaptable and change with our intent and our desires. Lists change as we evolve and want different things from our experiences.

Blogging

There are so many interesting blogs out there on the internet-and so many opportunities for people to grow a following of like-minded individuals. Blogs provide a way for people that may feel marginalized in their communities a forum for virtual communication. Blogs can also be a therapeutic outlet for individuals trying to figure their lives out or re-evaluate their actions. The versatility of blogs is enormous. They can unite a community of people, create awareness and initiate change. Blog on bloggers!

Love

Love. Conceptually, this means different things to different people. Throughout our lives, our definition of love may change. It may go from being a more romantically-based notion, to being focused on action. It may mean putting someone else's needs ahead of your own. It may mean having a new-found respect for yourself. It may become something that you feel when you are gardening, hiking or out in nature. It can mean so many different things for different people. Whatever your evolving definition, making it a part of your life is never a bad thing. Love teaches us everyday to be better version of the person we were yesterday. Here's to evolving through love.

Reading-The Light and the Dark

Reading a book can be a profound experience. Not only are we learning new things and being inspired, we can also go on adventures with the characters in the book and explore new worlds. We get the flavor of these beautiful places and meet all kinds of interesting people along the way. But there is a shadow side to being a bookworm. We can become complacent. We can use books and stories to avoid connecting with people in real life. We can become content with what we have rather than aiming for higher goals and pushing ourselves to be more and do better. These are traits that help us grow and develop into better people. People that create more than consume. Reading is an amazing experience, but as all things in life-we require a balance between being, knowing and doing. Read responsibly.

Flying

Flying. There's nothing quite like it. Being up high. Seeing all the beautiful aerial sights. This post is an homage to the bird's eye view in photos.

Procrastination

Procrastination. Putting things off. Thinking "I'll do that later". Busying ourselves with other tasks. All these activities are forms of procrastination. So, why do we procrastinate or put things off? Many times it is because there is a degree of resistance within ourselves that we feel toward the activity we are putting off doing. Why do we feel resistance? We can come up with all kinds of reasons for our behavior; we're too busy; we don't have the resources to complete the activity; we just aren't interested, etc. Essentially we are afraid. Fear is our real issue. We are either afraid of making a mistake, afraid of disappointing people, afraid of being cast out of the group or afraid of being inauthentic to ourselves. So at the end of the day, procrastination is just about being afraid. How do we overcome this practice/behavior? We decide to make some changes to our thought patterns and our way of doing things. Often this involves observing our behavior and correcting the behavior that does not serve us anymore-namely procrastinating. This can mean building a schedule and sticking to it-allowing yourself breaks when you require them and making a list of goals you would like to complete for the day. There are many ways out of procrastination. It just means you have to eventually get crackin'!

Movement

Doing. Activity. Movement. These words all imply similar sentiments. They are centred around action. Movement-action-is important in propelling us forward in life. There are many great quotes by many impressive people that essentially say the same thing-if you do not change what you are doing, you will never change. We must be willing to move in life. This requires making physical activity a part of our day. This can include, but is not limited to, yoga, hiking, sports, rock climbing, etc.. The benefits of movement are also felt in mood and emotion. Regular exercise helps us to balance our thinking and provides us with a greater sense of calm and clarity. It also boosts our energy. When we stagnate in our movement we stagnate in our lives. Here's to keeping the blood flow moving.

Exploration

Many of us have spent our lives living for other people. We have followed "The Script" of life to appease others and be deemed worthy enough for a seat at the proverbial table. Often, we make many concessions against our true selves without fully realizing the damage we do. We create internal conflict when we deny ourselves the freedom to be who we truly are and in the end, we pay a very high price for that dishonesty. We wake up one day and realize that many of our actions have come from a place of intense fear. We are afraid of being cast out, being shamed, blamed, dismissed and disliked. The truth of the matter is, this is where disease originates. When we are not in alignment with our true selves we suffer. We suffer emotionally, physically, psychologically, and spiritually. We wake up one day and realize we've become a footnote in someone else's story and never picked up the pen to write our own. It is at these times and these moments internal and external exploration become essential in our expansion as human beings. It is in the suffering and pain of becoming aware that we have lost ourselves that the true exploration of who we really are can begin. It is in this space that we can begin to practice courage in our daily lives.

Water

There's nothing quite like water-the life blood of the planet. It has been instrumental in much of what we humans are and do. It's been a facilitator for technological advancement, exploration of new continents and keeping us healthy and vital throughout our lives. Without it, we would cease to exist. This post is an homage to water with images of water taken around the world.

The Art of Cooking

Cooking is an art form. As chefs we get the opportunity to be creative through the mixing and blending of flavors and ingredients to create a dish that is completely unique. For many, cooking is a way to express creativity, and gratitude For others, it is a meditative experience and a real opportunity to be present in the moment. Cooking is much like the art of painting. We start with an idea-a concept for a creation. We take out the required tools and and set up. We start to prepare our canvas. As we work with our tools new shapes form on the canvas-some planned and some improvised by the artist throughout the process. The process may be short, may be long, may require many stages, or may be only a single step. The artist knows when the piece is complete and will present the creation for consumption at a specific time/circumstance. Bon Appetit!

Contrast

Happiness. The word conveys this state of bliss that everyone is striving toward. A sense of perpetual elation. But is sustained happiness-feeling happy at all times day or night-really possible? If we know that the beauty in our experience is found in the contrast-that is, one cannot know honesty without experiencing dishonesty-happiness cannot be experienced except through understanding-essentially experiencing-sadness. If we accept the aforementioned as true, perpetual happiness is not possible. Instead-perhaps aiming toward a feeling of inner peace and well-being is a more desired state. This state in of inner peace allows us to decrease these intense hills of emotion and brings us more balance, which facilitates improved discernment in situations where we must employ critical thinking skills. We can then make decisions more rationally-but still allow our inner guidance system (our emotions) to have a say in our actions and the thoughts that we are thinking. Remember, the beauty is in the contrast.

Letting Go

On the journey we meet many interesting and amazing people at various way stations that compose the totality of our lives. These people come along our path to teach us things that we may not have ever considered before. We may have them in our lives for minutes, days, months, years and even decades. There is a deliberateness in everything that happens. Even if we may not grasp the gravity of certain situations until they've passed, we can still explore key learning of those experiences so that we may continue to grow and change to aid in our expansion. The fact remains that if we want to evolve, we must be willing to let some of these people leave our lives so others may come in and provide us with different kinds of learning and perspectives. Being grateful for those interactions and letting go is important in understanding your path and preparing for the future.

Loneliness

As many aspiring mystics will affirm-the path to living a more authentic life can often feel isolating and lonely. The people, places and activities that used to bring us joy, now offer temptation, meaninglessness and empty conversation. The more we evolve and seek to change our lives, the more friends and family tend to fall away and we can be left feeling isolated and alone. Many spiritual teachers will state that you are never really alone-the whole universe is one and if we open ourselves up to see that there is no difference in one another, the feelings of loneliness will abate and the feelings of separateness will subside. This may be true, but the practice of this knowledge can be challenging given the type of society we live in today. The bottom line is that loneliness is felt by everyone-to varying degrees. We have to be willing to feel the lonely feelings and recognize that they are temporary and that everyone feels them from time to time. We must be willing to drop into those feelings and understand they are universal and that they are temporary. They too shall pass.

Addiction

Addiction. The word has multiple meanings depending on who you talk to and the context of that conversation. Many of us struggle with addiction. What is addiction? There are many definitions, behaviors and even thought patterns that may be considered addictive. According to Merriam-Webster, addiction can be defined as: 1-a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble), and/or 2-an unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something. Most of us live our lives unaware that we are engaging in addictive patterns. It is only when we take the various masks off-drinking, drugs, sex, love, food, work, etc. that we begin to glimpse the individual-often a scared child-underneath all those masks. As the masks come off, we simultaneously feel lighter and darker. We are exposing that little child to light they haven't seen in many years. At this time, there is also an examination of where these addictive patterns originated from-often our primary caregivers in early childhood. In many aspects, there is a freedom in shining awareness on and dissolving addictive behaviors, but if we do not have tools or resources to manage the fallout there can be serious repercussions. What do support and resources look like? It's important to find a therapist and/or support group to help manage these issues. In the digital age, there are more support groups available than ever before. For example you can join an online support group if there aren't any active local groups in your area. Many insurance companies and EAPs cover the services of a therapist-sometimes only short term, but these are solid avenues to explore. In terms of medication/herbal support for anxiety, depression and/or moods there are a wide range of tablets, tinctures, powders and liquids available for use. It is important to discuss your medication/supplement regime with a health care provider, as dosages vary and some drugs/supplements may have a deleterious effect if mixed incorrectly. I am not one to support taking pharmaceuticals to manage the physical symptoms associated with addiction; however supplements such as St. John's Wort or Valarian can help with anxiety and depression and have minimal side effects if taken correctly. Regular physical activity and getting out in nature also helps. Engaging in activities that bring us joy and facilitate movement in our bodies is important. Observing thought patterns and behaviors is also important to identify triggers and facilitate the removal of masks and help the healing process. So what now? Employ your resources and supports to get you to a state of improved health and wellness and kick those addictive patterns to the curb.

Where do Aspiring "Mystics Without Monasteries" Start?

Many of us have been going through some major changes in life-particularly in the last few years. It feels like we're experiencing the world very differently than we once did. Something has changed within us. We've opened Pandora's box and that cannot be undone. What has been seen cannot be unseen. There has been an assault to our previous selves and we must re-evaluate everything. What we know to be real no longer feels real and what we used to subscribe to as "knowledge" feels like only a fraction of what's possible. It has left us aching for a greater understanding and a deep longing to know what authentic wisdom is. There is a collective desire to fill the gap within ourselves with something other than shallow conversation, a fancy title or a new car. We are looking for something else. We may not know what that something else is. In fact, it may be beyond what our language can convey with words. But its something that feels like less of a distraction than the lives we are currently living in which the majority of our days are spent pushing paper, surfing the web for celebrity gossip and worrying about what our families and friends think of our decisions. In this pursuit of new wisdom where do aspiring "Mystics without Monasteries" start? There is not necessarily any right or wrong way to start the pursuit of true knowledge. Our main goal is to increase understanding of ourselves and the larger systems we perceive to exist within. We can begin by reading books, gaining new experiences, doing things that frighten us, meeting people from all walks of life, exploring places and communities and by surrounding ourselves with fellow journeyers-who are also curious and interested in the mysteries of the universe. Another interesting way to get into this explorer mindset is to channel your inner child. Children have this amazing ability-they do not subscribe to conceptual understandings of their surroundings and they are completely fearless explorers. Everything is a wonder to be investigated and thoroughly enjoyed. Tapping into this way of being can also help us on our journey to a greater appreciation of the mysteries that surround us in our everyday life. We can also dream. Remember what it was like to dream of what you wanted your life to look like? So many of us get stuck in the prison of other's expectations of what our lives are suppose to be that we develop Stockholm Syndrome. We defend the institutions that have made us complacent and docile within our own lives. We must dream of something better in order to escape that trajectory of drudgery existence. There are countless other ways to get on with the business of living-so let's do that instead.