Humanity must decide what is their path- technological, religious or spiritual? Can we find a balance? What will be the driving forces moving forward in our collective evolution? Can humans come to unity on who and what they are? What they stand for, what they choose, what they believe in? Can Humanity rise up to the call? Peace. Love. Healing. Acceptance. Or Bringing harm to the self, other humans, creation, the Earth. Barbaric murder and mayhem. Mental illness and getting caught in Illusion, Ego, Attachment, Aversion and Fear (Yoga calls these the Kleshas- the hindrances of the mind). We are at a turning point in our Human evolution. What do you choose? How will you be the change you wish to see? What is your path? My path is spiritual. My role here is to shine peace, love and light like a lighthouse out into the world for all to see. The message from Spirit yesterday was loud and clear when I went into nature to talk to God/Goddess/Universal Oneness/Divine Source. I have been swimming in human emotions watching humanity cry out in pain, ever since I can remember- and now the call is so loud. We as a species can no longer stand quiet while some humans are being treated as lesser due to broken systems and outdated belief systems. Yesterday due to feeling overwhelmed, I went to The Universe for guidance. I feel tapped into the movement to help heal humanity in my own special way. I have tasted the pain of emotional, psychological and physical abuse in my lifetime. This has pushed me to always be an advocate for equality for all, to be an advocate for the safety of children, to be an advocate for the environment, to be an advocate for the highest good for all. I advocate by how I choose to live my life. I teach spirituality, I write, I inspire, I am constantly learning. Messages to seekers and those on the front lines- keep speaking, keep advocating, keep holding the peace, keep seeking truth, keep seeking solutions, keep finding ways to rebuild the current broken systems (social justice, pharmaceuticals, factory farming, food market, housing market, treatment of animals, sustainability of natural resources, mental health, health insurance, medical system, banking, the list goes on). Turn to spiritual Teachers for guidance, turn to nature for guidance, turn to your heart for guidance, turn inward for guidance. If you haven't already started the work of healing your personal demons, wounds from ancestors and trauma from your childhood- start now. As you do this keep reaching out to the Divine and be open to signs along the way that you are on the right track. If you listen and open up your eye of wisdom (The 3rd eye located in the center of the brain, the pineal gland, just behind where the spinal cord enters the brain)- you will receive guidance from your guides and you will tap into universal wisdom. Your current life situations are here to teach you. Apply your lessons. Yesterday as I began walking in the woods I was greeted by 2 deer. I have no pictures of them because I was just with them in the moment. I was about 6 feet away from one of them, we chatted, he/she ate and shook their tail while we had a lovely few minutes of eye to eye. Deer are a sure sign for me that I am on the right track. They come to me often and in very specific situations, I receive the messages from the Universe because I am open. I am telling you this because I am inviting you to believe in magic, see synchronicities around you, know that you are a co-creator of your own reality. What you focus on will grow. Pay attention to your thoughts, what you take in emotionally, who you listen to, what you watch. Do you move from a place of abundance or lack, fear or love? Learn how to practice presence. In the present moment is where bliss exists. In each moment- be there, wholly and intentionally. Living with intention means you choose the energy you are putting into the moment. My go to intention when I am feeling lost is “Love,” Being love, radiating love, seeing through the eyes of love. Connect with nature and listen to the wisdom within your connection to all that is. I am also here to tell you to keep going, keep believing, keep dreaming. Be the change you want to see, like Ghandi. Love one, like Rumi. Allow love to cast out hate, like Martin Luther King Jr. Imagine all people living life in peace, like John Lennon. Surround yourself with beauty and inspiration. Stay informed of the world's happenings but don't entangle in the chaos. Heal yourself, find your center, tap into your personal gifts and share them with the world. Be an agent of change. Don’t like a current system- then let’s get together and believe that if the majority stand up and say we won’t tolerate this any longer, then the light will outshine the darkness. Let’s choose our leaders consciously. Let’s be the policy and change makers.
Please know that these ways of “what we don’t want” are teachers to guide us to a brighter future, a new paradigm in the evolution of human consciousness. Treat everyone you meet with loving kindness and compassion. Not everyone will be called to the front lines of the battle- some are called to do work behind the scenes- energetically, internally, affecting change that way- and that is beautiful too. If each person individually becomes a vessel of love and light then that will ripple out into the world and effect the whole. I see this in my life with who I choose to have around me, what I choose to read/watch, the belief systems I hold, the spirituality I study- it all ripples around me in waves and lower vibrations no longer stay in my circle. When I am being taken advantage of by a lower vibration- I can see it coming more easily and apply life lessons and it dissipates quickly. The time to transform is now. Be mindful about how you nourish yourself on all levels- physically, energetically, emotionally, logically and spiritually. (Yoga calls these things the koshas, the layers of you).
I’ve been asked by people how I am holding myself so centered during the chaos that is ensuing in the world. I attribute the following to my blissful state- living through a personal hell of being in abusive/toxic relationships and seeing the transformation and growth that could have only been attained through those dark times. Through studying human development/psychology. Through studying/practicing relationship based therapy. Through studying/practicing/teaching yoga philosophy. Through having been an active patient in mental health counseling for over 5 years. I read spiritual texts often, watch enlightening documentaries, stay informed of the darkness in the world, live in a way that abides by the yoga path of yamas/niyamas (ethical code), apologize when I make mistakes, keep moving forward to be better each day, and mindfully draw safe boundaries around myself. In the most basic sense- my life is my practice.
Perhaps you are looking for some advice or some wisdom on how you can do this for yourself. I will give you my take on the first 2 steps of the Yoga 8-fold path to enlightenment- the
Yamas and the Niyamas- applicable things you can use in your daily life. Please don’t overwhelm yourself and attempt to do them all at once. Start with one, practice it for a day, a week, a month and then move to the next. Integrate these into your life and it will all become easier over time- practice.
Yamas- how to present yourself to the world. Ethical code.
Ahimsa – non-violence
Practice loving kindness and compassion
For yourself, for all beings, for nature, for Earth.
This above all other ethical codes to follow.
Includes: how you talk to yourself in your mind, your internal voice/dialog
Be kind to yourself on all levels- Body, energy, mind, intellect, spirit
When fear enters- see fear through the eyes of love.
Learn lessons from your fear, integrate lessons/grow, then let fear go. Send fear on it’s way. Sorry, not sorry, no room at the inn for fear, don’t let the door hit you on the ass.
Yoga philosophy teaches that the ultimate fear is the fear of death—
Everything that lives dies. Live in fear or live present in each moment. While you are in the moment practice loving kindness and compassion. Live with no intent to cause harm.
Satya- truthfulness in thought, word and deed.
Tell the truth always. Give credit where credit is due. See the truth of the world around you- as it is without judgement. Let labels of good/bad/right/wrong drop away.
We are so much more than what we can see, smell, hear, taste, touch. We are more than our thoughts. We are something beyond words. The physical world cannot be controlled. Attempting to control, shift, change, or force things creates suffering
Cultivate acceptance.
Reality:
The only unchanging thing is the Spirit
Everything else is always changing
Learn how to go with the flow. Live in the moment. The truth is the only thing you can control is how YOU choose to show up in each moment.
Asteya- non-stealing, do not take anything that is not freely given- this includes things, other’s time, other’s ideas, etc. Don’t steal away from yourself the belief in magic and wonder- like when you were a kid. Don’t deny your divinity. We are spiritual beings, vibrational beings, energy flowing through- life force connects us all. Also don’t steal the present moment away from yourself by getting stuck in the past or worried about the future- the only thing that is real is the present moment.
Bramacharya - cultivation of self-awareness by paying attention to what you put your energy into- right use of energy- always moving toward purity and the divine (what is your internal dialog focused on? Fear or love?) Seeking always love in dedication to God/Goddess, The Divine Source of all Creation. Remembering “Human beings are part of nature” -Ram Dass. Mother Nature is bountiful, abundant, full. Mother Nature lives within me- within you too. Remember by pausing with awareness and go within, feel your connection to all that is by cultivating of pure energy within yourself. Breathe deeply and fully.
Aparigraha- non grasping, non-greed, knowing that there is more than enough for everyone so I don’t need to horde. The Divine Source of all is abundant and overflowing with love. Learn to let go a little, trust, it can feel scary to do this. Know that you are enough, you have enough, all will be provided for. Allow, allow, allow- non-attachment to the fruit of your actions. When you are engrossed in your life’s purpose you are just that- engrossed with no attachment to the outcome. Once you grasp or try to control something/someone- suffering occurs when things do not happen “as you think they should”, when people don’t act “as you think they should.” The truth is that the Universe provides in the ways that benefit our highest good and those things don’t always make logical sense. Let go of the illusion of control.
Niyamas- how we show up for ourselves/ ethical code of the self
Saucha- being clean and pure. Doing our best to nourish all of ourselves- body, energy/breath, emotions, wisdom mind and spirit. Pay attention to what you feed yourself: food, movement, breath, your thoughts, the internal dialog, the content of music/tv/news you ingest, the things you choose to talk about and bring more energy to, the people you surround yourself with, your spirit activating activities, - find a nourishing balance of it all. Self-care is not a hastle- self care is a gift, the most deliciously nourishing gift you can give yourself.
Santosha- contentment with the present moment, not getting stuck in the past or future but being in the moment, without judgement or wishing anything to be different.
Letting things be what they are. Seeing every step along the way as a perfectly placed lesson and everything is unfolding before you just the way it should. Some things are smooth sailing, others turbulent tides. No matter the outside circumstances be the calm in the eye of the storm- the chaos surrounds, shit is flying everywhere, rando pings of debris flying- all opportunities for: practicing your ninja moves, healing, growing and refocusing on the path back to The Divine. Source has your back always.
Tapas- self discipline- in a spiritual pursuit, moving in ways that benefit the highest good for all of creation through finding balance within ourselves first. According to the Yoga Sutras (an ancient text)- the Yoga work is done all time without rest, your life is your practice- it is an internal job, it takes effort, there is no quick fix, you can’t run away from your life either. Everything sent your way is sent to help you grow and to choose to become aware, to choose how you show up, to learn, to gain wisdom, to apply lessons, to carve out new neural pathways through focused mindful decisions, it takes discipline. There are tools to help you, this Yoga path is a tool and has lots of tools along the way. Even little bits of self-care are beneficial- sprinkle them in to your day, get creative so that you can show up to every situation in your life from the highest seat within yourself- Your Highest Self- The part in you that is connected to The Divine. Sweet.
Svadyaya-self study- in order to find balance one must engage in work- digging into the self, finding your center, finding what helps you get to that pure state of being. Each person is like a delicate puzzle- only you know how to put yourself together/align yourself- no one else has the answers for you, you must do the work. Each of us has a unique experience through the lives we have lived so we must individually do this exploring work to excavate and build from a strong foundation. Yogic wisdom and other ancient texts/philosophies can be guide books with tools. There are so many ways and each person needs something different- remember that- so even this may not be your way, that is ok. Great book about finding the self: The Untethered Soul- the journey beyond yourself by Michael A. Singer
Ishvara Pranidhana- Surrendering to God, surrendering in service to something much larger than yourself. Like what I am doing here. I am surrendering in service to the betterment of humanity by sharing what I know about Yoga, how it has helped me and how maybe it can help you. There is no definition of what you need to call your Goddess/God/Universal Consciousness/Divine Spark/Source- call it whatever you want but find that part in you that is connected to me. The Bhagavad Gita basically talks about letting go and letting God drive your life (This is an ancient yogic text often quoted by yogis as a guidebook to living your life. A rough explanation: I know it to be a story of Arjuna who has to go to war with his family and he has a chat with Krishna (God) about how he doesn’t want to go to war with his family and Krishna is like- you need to go to war with your family dude and I will drive your chariot there, you got this, do it for me. Arjuna hands over the reigns to God).
In conclusion- I am here to shine light on spiritual tools that assist individuals on the path towards enlightenment. Through this journey you will begin to shift and reach a higher level of consciousness. When you do the work you will understand what is happening with a wider angle lens. You will be able to see your path forward for continuing to change the world in your own unique way. Each person has a distinctive gift. It’s time to start tapping into your authentic voice if you haven’t quite found it yet. The work you put in will be worth it, the world with thank you, I promise.
My hopes is that this finds who it is supposed to.
Love and Light.
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