photo by xlordashx

As I peer out my window, the sun is rising in the East, ready to warm my patch of the planet on this Halloween morning.  As children eagerly await the darkness to fall, in order to don their costumes and collect their candy treasures, I am left reflecting on the vitalizing power of another aspect of this day.

Last night, I had the pleasure of gathering in community with an amazing group of powerful, vibrant, courageous, open, and authentically beautiful women.  We came together to mark the passing of Samhain.

Although this was my first time gathering with a group of women for this particular celebration, it is not the first time I have gathered in circle with women in this very powerful way.  Over the last two years, I have experienced increasing opportunities to come together in community with other women in a whole new way.  This is the way of collaboration, unconditional acceptance, celebration of each others’ unique gifts, and deep compassion for each of our human challenges.  The circle becomes place where we women come together to create a safe and sacred space to honor all aspects of who we are and what we are evolving into.  It is a place where our voices are honored and nurtured and acknowledged for sharing our Truth.

I recently saw the important film Miss Representation, which examines the current and disturbing portrayal of women in our media.  The picture is not a pretty one.  There is so much in our current cultural climate that portrays a very contrasting and damaging image of women and our role in society.

This disparity creates a critical opportunity for each and every woman to begin to define who she is for herself, what she truly believes in at the core of her being, and to start speaking it with the power of her voice.  It is when all the woman on this planet are able and willing to move towards these three things, that the world will begin to mirror the vision of vibrant possibility that I am holding.

When His Holiness the Dalai Lama proclaimed, “The world will be saved by the western woman.”, I believe he was referring to a similar vision.  And I believe this begins with women making the choice to practice coming together in circle. There is magic that is born within the circle which is then carried with each one of us out into the world.

What has been your experience of coming together in a circle of women?  What might you do to create more of these opportunities for yourself?

photo by Zanthia

I have been observing the inner and outer landscapes of my world and it is fascinating to see how mirrored they have been.  With the falling of foreign regimes, the growing backlash against the financial establishment on Wall Street, and the repercussions of bottoming-out local governmental budgets… it would appear that things are indeed falling apart.

Upon first glance, it can appear rather alarming and down-right scary to see all of these institutions, that have been foundational elements of the world I grew up in, starting to crumble and fall away.

What will happen next?  What will rise up in its place…this is the gap where trust and faith live.  If I bring my attention back to the cycles of life than I am reminded that in order for something new to be born, the old must first whither and fall away.  That is the process we are in right now…the death and dying of those things in the world that no longer serve.

The new way, the way born of love and unity consciousness, the way of collaboration and partnership, the way of service to others via loving service to ourselves is being ushered in.

I can feel this same falling away process happening within myself.   Over this past year there has been a dismantling of a complex structure of protections, safeguards, and safety nets that were all constructed during my early years to “keep me safe” from additional harm.  There were wounds that I acquired via “life” and the result was the building of walls.  These walls became so tall and thick that their original purpose of “keeping me safe” was actually keeping me from really living.

So in a committment to greater love of myself and love of the miracle of life, I have been on quite an experimental journey of deconstructing these walls, these protections, layer by layer.  In the beginning, it was terrifying because I only knew how to view life from behind the protective layer of these walls.

Yet through the beauty of baby steps I have continued to be willing to risk chipping away the inner fortress, brick by brick.  Even though the process has been long, often exhausting, and the immediate process of “the work” has been uncomfortable, I continue to collect convincing evidence that doing “the work” will not kill me as I previously believed it might.

I can feel the truth of the Anais Nin’s words flowing through my inner and outer daily experience.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

It is worth the risk of blossoming, even when it feels temporarily excruciating.  It is worth the risk of living into the fullness of my life both inside and out.  Yet it is a choice that I alone must make for myself.  And it is my hope that each and every other person that I share this planet with is in the process of making a similar choice.  What will the world look like then?

What choice might you make today that will lead you further on your journey toward blossoming?

photo by Brent Buford

The pull of my stories is really ramping up. I think about all the possibilities.  Powerful resources for transformational story-telling keep floating leisurely across my path and there is a bubbling up of courage within me to reach in and claim the value and wisdom of my stories, not only as a source of satisfaction and love for myself but with an inkling that there may be a tribe member or two who may find value as well.  If I continue to be committed to honing my ability to tell my stories in a way that captures my heart.

There are many rich elements that go into writing a truly captivating story.  Yet the simple act of being willing to begin is also a captivating act of courage on its own.  Just this morning, I saw a headline cross my desk of the 106 Excuses That Prevent You From Ever Becoming Great.  And although I chose not to read all 106 of them, I quickly saw the theme that my mind is brilliantly capable of creating an exhaustive list of excuses as to why my dreams cannot be pursued today…but only if I let it.

I keep coming back to the whisper of wisdom that the reason I am really meant to write is to “learn”. Write to learn, write to learn, write to learn.  So much of what I read today online is written from the perspective of writing to explicitly teach “others” something “out there”.  Yet when I pause to consider the writers that continue to captivate my attention and inspire me to see more clearly the brilliance in myself that is hiding in the shadows, they are the writers who are committed to the practice of writing as a vehicle to learn more about themselves.  They are committed to making sense out of how they view the world around them and their place in it.  This is the kind of writing that sparks the Firemaker, The Motivator, and the Pioneer in me.  It is the kind of writing that I am committed to. It is the kind of writing that I want my daughters to experience.

How about you? What is the story that is whispering to you to be told?

photo by Jeremy Brooks

I am feeling more strongly than ever that I am hear to be courageous and tell my own stories and the stories of others who are diving deeper into their own path of self discovery in order to bring more love into the world.

The content of the film, Miss Representation really hit home for me and has actually caused a bit of a feeling of overwhelm.  I know it is my role to be a part of the conversation and the solution to changing the status quo as to how women are portrayed and represented in the media, yet it seems almost dizzying as to where to start.

One tool I will keep at the ready is to ask the question,  “Does this action/project bring me greater growth and joy?”  If so, than it makes the cut as to action I am willing to lean into.

I often feel the discomfort of making the commitment to sitting down to write the thoughts and words that are swirling around in my head.  Yet I am finally getting that it is not about me or the brilliance of (or lack thereof) the exact words that come out…it is actually more about my commitment to opening my channel and being willing to look at and listen to the things that are in my heart and mind.  And to allow myself (the compassionate space) to practice building my unique voice muscle and the confidence to follow where that voice (whether in shouts or whispers) wants to take me.

This all begins with my willingness to believe that my own stories are worthy of being told, that I do have something of value to share with others, that it is worth the commitment to publicly practice developing both my written and spoken voice, and that I can receive both fulfillment, enjoyment, and financial abundance from following this path of serving myself while serving others using my voice.

So these are a few things I am willing to practice:

• I am willing to practice continued awareness that my voice is valuable and needed in the world.

• I am willing to practice developing my voice and sharing my stories with others

• I am willing to practice connecting with myself and others in my efforts to develop and share my stories and wisdom.

• I am willing to practice compassion for myself as I continue stretching outside my comfort zone in order to share my stories in their beautiful imperfection.

• I am willing to hold myself accountable for sharing my voice with myself and others daily.

• I am willing to practice capturing the magical story nuggets that are going on all around me in every present moment.

• I am willing to practice surrendering to exactly who I am and exactly what is right now.

• I am willing to practice being open to the possibilities that can be created for me and others through sharing my voice.

• I am willing to practice holding the intention that the writing and telling of my stories help me to tap more deeply into my own inner wisdom.

• I am willing to practice trusting myself and others through this process of sharing my voice and stories with the world.

• I am willing to practice identifying and speaking about more of the things that fuel my passion.

• I am willing to practice all of the above in the pursuit of cultivating greater love in my life and therefore the world.

These are the things I am committed to practicing.  What are you willing to practice that will move you closer to what you want to see and feel and experience in the world?

St. Bernard Beauty

I took a number of photos today of the beauty I saw on my morning walk. I chose this one because:

1) I was struck by the ironic beauty of the St. Bernard happily out and about during our San Diego heat wave.

2) For the intense joy that sprang up on the face of his owner when I asked her if I could take his picture…this joy she expressed ignited a powerful feeling of gratitude in my own heart.

Pancake Power!

Spirit Speaks...

The Window To My Soul

What are you wanting to see through a fresh new lens?

photo by Jan Tik

Looking back as far as I can remember, I have always been captivated by a good treasure hunt.  As a child, some of my favorite memories are connected to birthday party scavenger hunts, endless hours of satisfaction completing entire word search books on long vacation car rides, and playing hide and go seek after school with the neighborhood kids.

I never thought much of this until recently.  And now, looking back, I can see that these were the childhood seeds of a talent that would continue to grow and develop throughout my life, even though I wasn’t really conscious of it.

Glancing back at my former career as a teacher, I can see kernels of how this skill popped up almost daily in my interactions with students both in our class discussions and through the feedback I provided on their work.  I was always on the lookout for those precious moments when students offered those “sparkling” insightful ideas, questions, or glimpses into the most authentic parts of themselves.

Some of my most moving memories came from reading the heart-felt poems and essays penned by seventh graders  just beginning to hone the power of their own unique voices.

Most recently, I have seen this skill deepening its roots even more in my work with coaching clients.  One of the most frequent compliments I receive from clients is how I am able to see things (gifts, strengths, talents) in them that they had previously been blind to themselves.  Often these “gems” appear to them as ugly inconvenient boulders that are “in their way.”  Yet with my offering of “just the right question” at “just the right moment”, it is like a curtain within them rises and they are finally able to see the gem that has been hidden within them all along.

For so long this skill was not something that I acknowledged as a gift.  Yet now I clearly see it not only for the gift that it is, but I also more fully appreciate the real joy that it brings me and others when I am willing to plug into it and follow the “treasure path” where it wants to lead me.

We all have these hidden treasures within us that can often be overlooked if we are not paying attention.  I’d love to read about the wisdom in YOUR hidden treasures!  Leave a comment below sharing one of your authentic skills/talents that may have been hidden from view until NOW!

Moving forward by taking an August Break

This has been a year of great change for me.  It has been a year of following the bread crumbs around hidden twists and turns.  It has been a journey of faith, of trust, of stretching, releasing, waking up, and reconnecting more fully to my body as well as a willingness to fully connect with my true emotions that have been buried for far too long.

Much of my growth and expansion this year has been primarily internal with only those closest to me being privy to the changes that have been created.  Yet now the seeds of these changes are starting to reveal their desire to show themselves in my outer world.  They are nudging at me to connect with forms of self-expression that I have previously judged as “off limits”.

Yet at the same time, this has been a year of tapping into the voice and wisdom of the Divine Feminine who has had much to say about the role of rest, rejuvenation, and the slowing down of the pace in my life.  The break-neck speed of the skin I am in the process of shedding doesn’t have a place on this current path I find myself strolling on.

So when I heard about The August Break via Bindu Wiles, I knew that this was something that was calling to me as a Big YES.  This “Break” involves posting one picture, everyday during the month of August, here on my blog.  When I think about the reality of following through on this challenge, I feel both the flutterings of excitement and tightening of dread.  The mixture of these two sensations is always an indicator that I am on the right path.  The fluttering indicates alignment to the essence of something that really gets my “fire” going and the dread hints at the fear that rises when I am pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone.

So I invite you to join me here and over on The August Break during the month of August.  I predict it will be quite a ride!  What are your initial reaction to the idea of taking an entire month “break” from the pace of your current life?  What is exciting or scary or both about the possibilities?  I’d love to hear your comments below.