Category: purpose

Posted on

Wanderlust: Forgetting to Remember, Better

The Non-Linear Path, Part 2

In my last post about the non-linear, or wanderlust, path, I wrote about how obstacles, or even finding yourself back in a pattern than you thought you healed from, can actually be a sign you’re on the right path. (Assuming you’ve done the inner work and you’re not actually talking about a closed door).

I talked a little bit about the “why” this happens, but I almost forgot my favorite reason. To paraphrase from A Course in Miracles:  forgetting helps us remember, better. 

If we choose. We could, of course, also choose to be defeated and continue to play the victim role. And many of us do this (I sure have) unknowingly. But this forgetting, these obstacles, are actually opportunities to help us fully step into our power. 

I remember, probably in grad school, learning about an experiment done on a tree that was grown in PERFECT conditions. Just the right amount of sunlight and water. No storms or high winds. All the right nutrients and soil conditions. The tree thrived for a while, and then…it wilted over. It may have had the perfect conditions, but not the right conditions to deepen its roots and build the resilience to thrive. 
(This actually says a lot about raising a child. In the early years, the child just needs love, love, love. And that safety in love is what helps the child feel brave enough to say…go play at the playground without their parents tracing every step. There’s a good chance the child will fall and bruise a knee. If the parent greets that child with a sense of calm and love, in a few minutes (or maybe in a few days), the child will most likely feel brave enough to go out and try again.)

In therapy, if you offer your therapist a list of intentions or goals for your inner world journey, you will most likely be tested. Not tested in a bad way, to prove yourself, but because your soul is eager to evolve and challenges help us strengthen our resolve, our faith in ourselves, and our faith in the divine. 

I love the tree example, but wildflowers are really my favorite example for what forgetfulness and challenges result in. Each summer, the high mountain wildflowers literally take my breath away. These flowers are anything but fragile. Short Flower Indian paintbrush grows between 10,700 and 13,100 ft where oxygen is reduced. Not only that, these flowers endure brutal (and magnificent) summer lightning storms. These are not flowers you’re just going to easily pull up by their roots. And, they are the most vibrant and stunning flowers you will ever see, because of their resilience. Maybe they know, and maybe they don’t, that the sun will always come after the storm. That new life will be born after death, and that seeing them can transform a soul. But you can choose to be inspired by the wildflowers. You can choose to be empowered. 

Author’s Note: The funny thing is… right after I shot the video for this post (see Substack, “The Wanderlust Path” or “Wanderlust Counseling” on Instagram), I took Pacer (my dog) for an evening walk to a dirt road up at higher elevation, ~25 minutes from my house. Most likely as I was taking a picture of my oh-so-adorable dog, I lost my car key! Yikes! And I could have absolutely let that get me down and add that as proof that the Universe does not have my back. Luckily, my sister only lived ~15 minutes away, and was able to pick me and my dog up before dark. I also had accidentally over dressed for the walk, so I was warm enough. And I also had accidentally left my back window rolled down when I wanted to give my dog some fresh air, which meant I could stand one the tire, grab my ski pole, and use it to unlock the front door. I also luckily keep a spare car key in my car, in case something like this ever happened. There’s probably a little more here too, something I can’t yet see. The main thing is that I am continuing to believe that the Universe has my back, and I’m always supported (even if the Universe has a tendency to often show up as my sister).

As always, only if it feels empowering: https://buymeacoffee.com/raynypaver

Posted on

Unravel

Healing isn’t found in the past, but in unraveling from it.

Some people give therapists bad raps for “just talking to people about their problems”. And I’m like “whoa, that’s not my job description.” But honestly… it is part of it, for a very good reason: Some people have never had a safe place to talk and experience their emotions, so just letting them talk and feel lets them know they’re okay, they’re safe, and just that can be healing.

And then the unraveling begins.

I‘ll just say a bit on this for now: You’re not who you think you are. (Take that Descartes). You’re identity (unless you’ve already unraveled) is a configuration of all your thoughts and beliefs and emotions experienced (or suppressed) from throughout your life time, but mainly, BEFORE THE AGE OF 8. Which means most of it’s subconscious (just below the surface of your awareness), especially as much of what you learned came from what you saw, what you felt, and the stories you created from it. And unless you were held and loved the majority of time you experienced big emotions, those stories probably aren’t good.

That sounds like a lot, I know. Breathe. (No seriously, breathe. Full belly breaths. It’s one of the best things you can do to heal your nervous system, which is probably out of whack from all those fear/not enough stories you’ve been telling yourself.)

The good news is, you can unravel. You can be free!

And your triggers (whatever sets off a big emotional response, or even depression can be a start) can get you there.

Here’s my basic process:

-Identify the trigger.

-Name the emotion (if possible) and BrEathe with it. This creates some safety.

-See if any past memory “floats” up. (To use EMDR phrasing)

– What was the story little you came up with to make sense of what was happening?
(ie. Dad is never home and doesn’t want to spend time with me. I must be unlovable.)

-Drop the story, and once again just BrEathe with the emotion. What does little you need?

-What’s a new story, one that you’d prefer to believe? (This is where you get to create!)

Last, remember the healing path is non-linear- it’s The Wanderlust Path- and it’s OKAY that it doesn’t come all at once. You’ll probably have to do this many times. But that’s okay, because you’re worth it.

As always, only if it feels good and empowering: https://buymeacoffee.com/raynypaver/unravel

Posted on

If You’re on a Non-Linear Path, You’re on the Right Path

The path to healing, growth, and evolution isn’t linear. It’s not something to get frustrated about (but do honor your emotions). These obstacles and road bumps (different from roadblocks and closed doors) are actually signs YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT PATH!

In fact, we know that obstacles and challenges are not only what make us stronger, but bring us closer to our true, most awesome (and authentic), selves.

Accepting this truth, that challenges are signs we’re on the right path, can keep us from getting stuck. It’s when we judge ourselves, “Why am I here again? I thought I healed this!” that we’re resisting the lesson and blocks us from 1) the opportunity to apply what we learned the last time and 2) prevents us from being curious*, “Hmm, why is this happening again?” “Why is this repeating?” “What do I have to learn here?” “How can I love myself more?”

* Curiosity is different from “trying to figure everything out”, which has more of a fear energy. Oh, self-judgement will never get you to healing, either!

This idea, that the path to healing and growth often happens in loops and includes challenges, can be applied to athletes too.

When I work with athletes who get injured, they usually end up working with a PT, commit to correcting poor form, or to consistently performing exercises that target underused muscles. When that athlete comes back, they’re not only physically stronger, but more mentally resilient for having gone through the challenge. There’s a new belief, a new resilience in them that says, “I can move through challenges and not only be okay, but be closer to that highest version of myself.”

A slight reframe: The path to healing and self-evolution is really the journey of transformation. Usually, we metaphorically think of this as​ the process of being a caterpillar to​ becoming a butterfly​*: First, we are a caterpillar. Then, we wrap ourselves inside a cocoon. Third, we become MUSH, obsolete. From the mush, we transform into butterflies. But in order to REALLy be a butterfly, we have to fight our way out of the cocoon. 

​*The caterpillar and butterfly share the same DNA, but the genes are expressed differently. That, in itself, is metaphorical. Article Link

But what I really see for most people is little transformations inside a BIG transformation. Maybe we go through a small transformation in a few months or 1 year period, but then in 7* years, BOOM! We’re this new, amazing being flying high and living our best lives. (In other words, don’t give up. You’re right where you’re meant to be.)

*On AVERAGE, our body’s cells renew every 7 to 10 years. However, some cells are replaced every few days, and others take 70 years. Article Link

…And then there’s probably another evolution, but this time it’s easier because we’ve done it before and this higher version of ourselves knows that THIS IS A SIGN WE’RE ON THE RIGHT PATH.

As always, only if it feels empowering: https://buymeacoffee.com/raynypaver

Posted on

Throw Your Hands Up!: The Joy of Surrender

Surrender doesn’t have to be an exasperated throwing up ​of your hands in despair, saying “I’ve give up.”

Surrender can be throwing your hands up in the air with a big “Yay!” I don’t have to figure everything out. I don’t have to do this alone!” 

Because really, you can trust a Higher Power. Your mind just doesn’t know that. (Endless hours spent on decision-making, anyone?)*

Surrender is allowing yourself to be fully Loved, despite any stories your mind has come up with to stay otherwise.

Surrender is trusting that you are Love, and that Love is guiding you. That Love knows the way. 

Surrender is letting Love more through you, fully. 

Really, it’s an act of enlightenment. It’s an act of celebration.

****

*Okay, so why do you overthink and are relatively certain that you can’t trust an inner voice or Higher Power to guide you? Great question!

For many of us, Love, or a decision we made, was invalidated or in some way made bad, like it negatively affected our parents. This is a big wound Gabor Mate talks about…when a child becomes an emotional caretaker for a parent (https://youtu.be/tool-R8VJ2Y?si=IbY20B8dPBzasdYG). Anyway, what happens then is that we create a story, usually about ourselves, about how we were wrong and in some way defected, so then all of these voices (based on a multitude of various experiences) try to come in to help us make the best decision…and that’s how we end up feeling crazy. Parts work is a great way to start to unravel from all these voices, but also…meditating, belly breathing, or any activity that quiets the mind can help us “hear” (for me, its more of a felt sense then translated by the mind) our Inner Guide**. 

** I know, I keep switching out Love, Higher Self, Inner Guide…go with what resonates for you.

Extra: It’s actually been really helpful for me to keep track​ of when I make a decision based on my mind vs one made from my heart, or intuition. I’ve often been amazed by some of the outcomes, which makes me want to trust it more…and it gives those “fear parts” some reassurance. 

As always, no pressure and only if it feels empowering: https://buymeacoffee.com/raynypaver

Posted on

You are Your Purpose

Yesterday, as I was doing my normal uphill laps at our local ski resort, a gentleman who I had met and talked to in December stopped me. He said, “I told myself if I saw you again, I would stop you and say thank you for being so kind to me the day we talked.” Even as I type this, I feel happy, meaningful tears well up in my eyes. 

Even though I’m a therapist and a coach, I haven’t always felt like I’m living my purpose in this world, which is really just to be a light so I can mirror others’ own light back to them. I don’t always show up as the highest version of mySelf. And really, I know that’s because there’s so much darkness that still clouds my mind, which I know are just stories and old beliefs. 

And maybe that’s the work I still haven’t done. To truly reframe those old beliefs, let go of the shame, and allow the true me to unravel. Maybe it’s been a subconscious form of self-sabotage, not really believing I could do it or that I was worth the effort of creating a new narrative. 

Yet this man, giving me my gift right back, saw it. Saw the unwounded, unbound version of me. Without using words, he told me “You are your purpose.”

Because really, the more I’ve done my own inner work…the more I’ve BrEathed with my emotions, traced them back to core memories and witnessed the stories my mind created, the more I KNOW that we are all, inherently, enough. Anything else truly is just a story. We are all worthy of divine, unconditional love. 

****

A few notes: 

1). I usually ski on Tuesdays. It’s my favorite day to go because it’s the quietest. But after a client cancelled, I checked in with my intuition (something I’m very much just still practicing with) and I felt like Monday was the optimal choice.

2) That morning, I had done one of my favorite Gabrielle Bernstein exercises, “The Daily Design Method” (below) and I practiced feeling into my answers, envisioning how I wanted to feel in the things I knew I would be doing that day. This exercise, or any meditation focusing on feeling into your future or highest self, can be really powerful, and relates to what I mentioned about shedding the past and reframing old beliefs- or creating new ones altogether. 

-How do I want to feel today?

-Who do I want to be today?

-What do I want to receive today?

-What do I want to give today?

3. I want to be clear on this- therapy often gets a bad wrap for just “talking about problems”. While that can certainly be a component (a lot of people do feel better by just sharing, and it creates a sense of emotional safety), that’s actually a very tiny part of therapy. What it does entail finding compassion for ourselves, often by visiting old memories, the beliefs we created from them, and understanding our development. By unravelling, our true selves can emerge. IFS empathizes Self being revealed, while EMDR focuses on a structured process of past, present, and future, with the last phase being the true integration of how we want to feel and what we want to believe. This can be done in other ways, of course, like using the exercise above and meditations. But if we don’t get through some of the old cobwebs, blocks, or victim mentality (feeling hopeless or unworthy), it’s really hard to convince someone they deserve to feel good, as I believe, was my case (which was super subconscious).


As always, no pressure/only if it feels empowering: buymeacoffee.com/raynypaver

Instagram video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHosWSQylYJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Posted on

Light & Shadows (Part 1)

Sometimes, when it’s hard for me to have faith, when I don’t believe in God/Love/The Universe or that any Divine Being could ever really have my back, and I feel like I’m all alone in this world to figure everything out, I like to remember…

The sun is located at the exact distance away from the earth to allow for life, for me to breathe and the trees grow. Each day, the moon gently directs the ocean tides, pulling them in, pulling them out. In the spring, the rains will come, preparing the dirt for my favorite mountain wildflowers to bloom by summer. Each fall, the trees turn gold before letting go and the wildflowers will die and winter will come again. That every season, there is a the perfect cycle of rest, growth, thriving, and dying- and always an opportunity for rebirth. Each day, each year, brings perfect harmony between dark and light, allowing for that cycle to happen. And tonight, as the sun sinks down in the horizon, without me lifting a finger, the stars will come out to shine and say “hello”, reminding me that I am not alone. That somehow, through the destruction of a star mixing with the energy of light, with magic, and forged through the sacredness of my mother’s womb, I am here. I am here on this miraculous planet with mountains and rivers and canyons and deserts and birds and elephants and dogs and cows and sunsets and sunrises and people and animals to love and who love me too. And then I think, “Wow. I really am loved” and I don’t feel like I’m alone anymore.

(I of course remember too, that I have the best Pacer ever, a pure being who loves me unconditionally, and somehow, miraculously, we found each other in this big, crazy world-truly, states away-and on a path to me that didn’t really make sense, until it did.)

Posted on

Return of the Light (A Christmas Sermon for the Spiritually Minded)

This season is about the return of the light after a period of darkness. As of Saturday, the days have once again begun to get lighter. Now, the darkness isn’t bad. It represents a shedding, a death, and temporary returning to the void, the unknown, a place of infinite potential. A time to rest. It’s a return to the sacred womb, from which we were all born and have the opportunity to return to so we can be reborn. It’s a necessary phase that can support us in returning to our true selves, to the unfiltered, pure Light that we are. It is from the darkness the light is birthed.

The story of light retuning after a period of darkness is told in various cultures, traditions, and religions. There’s ofcourse the birth of Jesus, a being who preached love and non-judgment while he walked the earth. In western society, it’s also told by the story of Santa, bringing toys, or joy, to (all) the children (not just the “good” children, for all children are good) after a period of recession. In Pagan tradition, the light is returned by the Deer Mother, flying through the night on the darkest day of year, carrying and returning the sun on her antlers.

The light, as I define it, is consciousness, or loving awareness. It’s our nature of innocence and divine love. For us here in this room, it’s a remembering.

If we pause and look around the room, we can be quite certain that many of hold different political and religious beliefs. We have different opinions on women’s rights, animal rights, and climate change. There are different beliefs on the best foods to eat and different definitions of success and what it means to live a meaningful life.

But tonight, none of that matters. Underneath the roof of this Midwest house in America, we have transcended our fear and forgetfulness, what I call type 2 darkness, by leaving our judgments and criticisms behind us, and returning to a unified state of Love.

The question is, will we once again forget? Will we forget the light of loving awareness and return to the realm shadows, illusions, differences, and separateness?

Perhaps more importantly, for what is within us will always be projected out, will we return to judging ourselves for all the mistakes we’ve made and criticizing ourselves for all the ways we believe we’re not enough and could be, or should have been, better?

I think it’s important to remind everyone here that “sin” or”mistake” simply means to “miss the mark.” Mistakes show us where we are out of alignment with our true selves. We only ever make mistakes or hurt others when we are in fear and are not feeling good. And (the human/ego brain is a funny thing) the we think that by punishing ourselves, we’ll do better, but we actually just make ourselves feel worse which makes it harder to act in alignment because our natural alignment is Love!

And I have never, ever, seen anyone, including myself, grow or heal through self-judgement or criticism. I have only ever seen people heal through self-acceptance and self-compassion, for that is when we invite the Light back into our lives. There’s paradox here too…it is only through our imprefections that we can know perfect love. And, if we truly believe that we were created in the image of our creator, or Love, that even in our imperfection, we are all absolutely perfect.

So the invitation here is, not just for the rest of the day, but to the best of your ability, everyday, to look at yourself as you would an innocent child. To look at others like you are meeting Jesus, as Benedictine rule states “Let all guests who arrive be received as Christ.” To look at others as you would a child that holds all the potential in the world if only the are nurtured through love, and treat them with such honor and respect. Because we all hold the potential to be the light.

Posted on

Feminine Power

It’s powerful to remember, to accept, that my soul came here for this exact moment in history.

Yes, but only partially, to be a light in the dark. Mainly, to help everyone else remember, we ARE the fucking light. We are love and light enshrouded in stardust.* We’re not here to banish the dark, but to say “I am stronger than you, and I will rise above.” And then we thank the dark, because without it, we wouldn’t know who we truly are.

If you’re reading this, I know your soul came to be here for this moment, too. Thank you. It feels so good that we are unified together, by what we are made of. Not the false, ridiculous , fear-based love that some church’s tried to drug us up on…but real love. True feminine love that has no place for hate, cruelty, misogyny… not even to those who deal out the devil’s (fear’s) cards. Feminine love embraces all, holding the potential to transmute any fear back into light.

This isn’t a battle to be fought with guns and armor made of fear, but with love and swords made of grace. And it’s fucking fierce.

And it feels good…like shattered glass, no doors, and wind that blows freely through. Only blue sky and sunshine to roam, birds flying by our side. It feels Free. .

*If you’re confused by the stardust theory, I highly recommend Michael A. Singer’s book, Living Untethered.

Posted on

Through the Dark

Your first mission on earth is to remember, to remember who you really are, overcoming and rising above early childhood conditioning. The second mission is to live life from that place of knowing who you are, the space of expansive love. The third mission is natural, spreading that joy, in whatever way you may choose (there may be no life change at all, just being yourself more) to others humans and beings that inhabit this earth.

It takes consistent, committed effort to move through the dark and reach the light. You can’t just want to heal. You have to choose to heal.

*heal: to make whole , or rather, to return to (remember) wholeness after a period of unconsciousness (forgetfulness).

Many therapies assist in this practice. EMDR works in an almost similar way to psychedelics (So I’ve heard. It’s not a path I have chosen for myself but am somewhat familiar with the research and have heard recounts from several friends.) that does not bypass wounds and fears, but moves through them in a safe and contained way that allows the brain to reprocess memories in healthier fashions. Similarly, IFS helps us understand our (wounded, fearful) parts so they loosen the grip and the higher self can step through and reclaim loving power, as well as your direction in life. Still, the basic principle remains the same…we have to be willing to actively let go of our old stories, programmed beliefs, and negative thoughts*. It’s not going to happen (for most of us) just by praying to get rid of them (believe me, I tried). We have to exert the (free) will to choose it, to choose love over fear, in order to create a new paradigm for ourselves.

*If you feel there is a resistance or block or feeling stuck on your healing journey, I recommend looking at that block, or part wanting you to stay stuck, itself.

When I worked at an addiction treatment center, I remember a staff member there teaching a class. I can’t remember if it was about addiction, fitness (he was a strong, athletic guy), or something else, but I clearly remember him asking, “Do you want to know a new language? Or, do you want to LEARN a new language?” Personally, I’d love to know French. I took several classes on the language in both high school and college. But I never really wanted to learn it, and so I can only recall a few words.

Each of us must honestly ask ourselves this question when embarking on a healing journey. Do we just want to be healed? Or do we want to do the work to heal?
We may certainly look like we want to heal when we read all the books, listen to all the podcast, maybe occasionally chat with a therapist or take a workshop (I’m raising my hand here). But sometimes, these are easy and often subconscious ways to bypass actually doing the work. We keep searching for the key to what we’re missing instead of unlocking the potential within ourselves.

Yet let me be clear… choosing to move through and let go beliefs and thoughts we’ve held onto for 10, 20, 30, 40, and even 50+ years is not easy. Personally, I have (somewhat subconsciously) been almost determined to hold on to the belief that I’m not enough, or I’ve just wanted it to be taken away from me without my conscious effort. In the past, I’ve started the process of resisting negative voices in myself and gave up when they got louder, letting the thoughts of failure and imperfections consume me. It wasn’t until an occurrence where my ego led and I overrode a core value, missing an opportunity to experience what I care about most in life*, where I decided “I don’t want to live like this anymore” and I found the strength to not turn back (although there were plenty of falters and half step backs, the determination was just greater).

*This was my proverbial “rock bottom”. It doesn’t just have to be getting a divorce or waking up after a near overdose.

As we move through the dark (here, defined as our pain, wounds, and programmed beliefs), what is necessary to realize, so we can be loving observers as we move through, is that the beliefs and negative stories we hold on to about ourselves are not real. They we given to us each time love was invalidated as a child. If you believe you are a failure, it’s not true, regardless of how many times your mind can conjure examples of how you believe you failed. If you believe you are not enough, it’s not true, no matter how your mind compares yourself to others. Your ego only compares based on a performance value that was given to you and your mind accepted at the time as a way to better fit in to society. Failure is a conjecture of the mind, although it is more likely you’ll miss reaching a goal (or being satisfied by it) if it is not heart aligned or was driven by fear (feelings of unworthiness).

The objective here is not to ignore the thoughts, but to see them clearly: as thoughts. To observe them with the curiosity as a small child observes a leaf on the ground, then continue to keep moving. As emotions come up, the process is similar, we feel them through awareness; not attaching to the emotion, but breathing into it, which allows for it to be witnessed and released. I found parts work extremely helpful in this process, as my mind needed more understanding. In the example above, I could witness the part of my ego that just wanted me to feel better about myself, and the way I could do that was to control how far I could go and push myself. Even though it here it led me to a poor choice, I could see how the part was doing the best it could with what it had learned. I could then insert the compassion of my higher self and reassure the fear (of the part) that I could now love myself unconditionally, empowering myself with the ability to re-take the steering wheel of my life.

The main tool here comes from mindfulness, or being able to witness your experiences and thoughts in the awareness and expanse of love. Love is the answer, my friends. As Rumi said, “The wound is the place where the light enters you.” Commit to see your wounds (triggers will lead you there), which are essentially any reasons you have for withholding love from yourself. Your ability to insert love into those dark caves is where true healing can occur. From there, you have the opportunity to start believing what you choose to believe (rather than what you were taught to believe).

As you move through the dark, always remember to keep a steady focus on the light. We’re human. Distractions are not only easy, but ingrained in our society and imbedded in our minds. There is not bigger distraction than our fear-based thoughts. Again, see them, be aware of them, get curious about their roles, but don’t allow them to be the center of your attention.

As a gentle reminder, healing, along with commitment, requires patiences. Many protector parts can get defensive when challenged and some suppressed emotions need time (patience is love) before they feel comfortable enough to arise, trusting that YOU’ve got them…you’ve got your inner child, you’ve got you. It’s okay to take a step back. Sometimes nights can be harder than during the day to come back to a place of clarity. Just know, “this too shall pass”.

Ultimately, remember this. YOU ARE A RAY OF LOVE, a ray of consciousness, a ray of light. That is who you truly are. You are not Mike, Alice, Joe, Patricia…so far, you have most likely been playing the role that those characters have been scripted to have by childhood traumas, religious teachings, and other fear-based education. When you realize this, when you come to know this through your fierce dedication to loving yourself, you have the opportunity to insert your conscious (loving) awareness into the human you embody and create a new story for yourself.

Posted on

Rise in Love

Those who attack only do so because they are scared of being attacked themselves. Those who know who they are will never judge, criticize, or make fun of another human being. Neither will they be jealous, envious, or want to take what another person has.

Those who don’t know their own power go out and try to gain it or take it away from others.

The powerful need not do anything but be themselves, claiming only their own hearts. (Which can look like standing up and speaking about what they value.)

They don’t force others to follow. Other simply can’t stay away from their light.

And let me add… I say this all super duper humbly. Pacer (doG) knows that I am human and still working on my insecurities, all the ways I compare and control and label. But I am aware, holding myself in love, and I am trying to feel and move through my fears.

When we remember we are all on the same team, we all want peace, love, joy…to see the best we and the world holds, it is easy to see that there is never a need to be defensive and to attack, that lack is more of a perception than reality that is projected on to those who have less privilege out of fear by the privileged. In truth, there is never a need to react out of fear. The only call is to both be and respond with Love. There is only curiosity, compassion, and a willingness to rise together.

When it comes to voting, it is really important to me that we all truly (consciously) choose who we want to vote for. That we do it with our hearts and our higher minds, which is capable of un-egoic (fear-based) reason and logic. It’s also important to me that we don’t judge each other (I know this is really, really hard! Think of it as a great mental challenge and opportunity to see beyond your own blocks.) based on who we vote for. Remember, we’re all on the same team. At the same time, we can choose to call the politician we are voting for to rise up and step into their true power, or as Michelle Obama said “go high”, which means to avoid criticizing and demeaning others and instead talk about what matters most and the issues they care about. We can even demand a change in our political system without belittling those who built the current structure or being rigid (another sneaky form of fear we sometimes call “healthy skepticism” based on current structures that lack optimism or possibility beyond what we can currently see) in our belief it can never change. We can, and I know we are going to whether it is now or in the future, lean into our greatest potential as a human species.

Blog at WordPress.com.