On Wholehearted Living

If you've ever known a thing (or twenty) about vulnerability, or feeling disconnected... please, please, please take a moment to bookmark this video until you have some time to sit with it and give it your full attention. 

It is so worth watching, so worth soaking up the wisdom, so worth feeling this connection. 

I plan to return to this again and again to remind myself why I am me: why I prefer to be an open book, why I choose to share my stories no matter the underlying fears of judgement. 

She has affirmed my being to my core, and I believe she can do the same for you, as well. 

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I'd love to hear your thoughts: 

Did you have a chance to watch it or at least bookmark it for future viewing? What was your favorite part of the talk? Did you sense, at any time, she was maybe talking about you? Did you learn anything new watching this discussion? Does it prompt any other questions or explorations for you? 

Word Reiki: Chakra Writing

From the beginning: I was sitting in the shower (yes, I sit sometimes) thinking about how blogs differ, and how writers choose their content, and ultimately: what sense do I want to portray in my blog writing?

I had a thought: I immediately started looking at some of the blogs I follow, and aligning them with a specific Chakra - to see if it was doable. It works.

Not to say that these women (yes, all women here so far) don't blog from a multitude of sources and/or resources, it is just the overall sense I've gathered having followed, and possibly conversed with them in some way. I do hope to add to this post over time, this is just the very beginnings of this exploration. And I will be including some beautiful imagery I have already dreamed up. Stay tuned... oh yeah! (Accountability, no?)


So! Next time you are in need of some Word-Reiki, align your needs with these (and other) Chakra Writers... and feel your energy begin to flow. xo

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Sahasrara 

(Crown Chakra)

Pure Consciousness: Sahasrara's inner aspect deals with the release of karma, physical action with meditation, mental action with universal consciousness and unity, and emotional action with "beingness".*

Amy Oscar "I am a Soul Caller – a human being, emerging into the flow, aligning with and connected to Source, feet firmly planted on the ground."

Ajna

(Third Eye Chakra) 

 Ajna's inner aspect relates to the access of intuition. Mentally, Ajna deals with visual consciousness. Emotionally, Ajna deals with clarity on an intuitive level.*

Picsie Chick at Photos You Feel "....where small things of beauty are held up for you to see, virtually every day."

Vishuddha

(Throat Chakra)

 Relating to communication and growth through expression: Physically, Vishuddha governs communication, emotionally it governs independence, mentally it governs fluent thought, and spiritually, it governs a sense of security.*

Ronna Detrick "I help women tell the truth. It's hard. It's risky. It matters!"

Anahata

(Heart Chakra)

Key issues involving Anahata involve complex emotions, compassion, tenderness, unconditional love, equilibrium, rejection and well-being. Physically Anahata governs circulation, emotionally it governs unconditional love for the self and others, mentally it governs passion, and spiritually it governs devotion.*

Julie Daley at Unabashedly Female "Do all of what you do with the great love that you are."

Manipura

(Solar Plexus Chakra)

Key issues governed by Manipura are issues of personal power, fear, anxiety, opinion-formation, introversion, and transition from simple or base emotions to complex. Physically, Manipura governs digestion, mentally it governs personal power, emotionally it governs expansiveness, and spiritually, all matters of growth.*

Wholly Jeanne at The Barefoot Heart "Stories help me make sense of things, so whether telling them in cloth, clay, or chirography, stories are my oxygen, characters my blood."

Swadisthana 

(Sacral Chakra)

The key issues involving Swadisthana are relationships, violence, addictions, basic emotional needs, and pleasure. Physically, Swadisthana governs reproduction, mentally it governs creativity, emotionally it governs joy, and spiritually it governs enthusiasm.*

Kelly Diels at Cleavage "Cleavage is about sex, money and meaning and how those intersecting realities shape our ideas and our lives. I’m talking about intimate, mundane, thinky, cosmic stuff."

Michelle Lisenbury Christensen at Loving with Power "...take me up on this dare: pour your passion into your monogamous relationship, demand that it excite and nourish you as much as any affair or adventure, and let yourself be transformed by the process." 

Heather Plett at Sophia Leadership  "At Sophia Leadership, we explore creativity, leadership, spirituality, and community and the many ways they intersect."

Muladhara

(Root Chakra)

Muladhara is related to instinct, security, survival and also to basic human potentiality. Physically, Muladhara governs sexuality, mentally it governs stability, emotionally it governs sensuality, and spiritually it governs a sense of security.*

Dominique Browning at Slow Life Love "The thing is, I want to feel vulnerable. I want to be open. I don't mind feeling a bit lost, adrift, I tell myself. I just don't want to be buffeted around. I want grounding. So what's bothering me? That's when it hit me: I've slowly, insidiously, carelessly, lost my regular practice of Slow Love." 

Jenn Gibson and the Tribe at Roots of She "This is a gathering place made for connecting with other women who are walking along this path beside you."

Happy International Women's Day!

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My final thoughts:
This was a Labour of Love (click for some Frente tunage!) and appreciation for the aforementioned lovelies who continue to inspire me daily, as well as answer a few of the callings in the song I've linked. Thank you for sharing your wonderful gifts... with me, and the entire world.

*All definitions were taken from this wiki link: Chakra. All excerpts of each writer (or tribe) were quoted directly from their sites, to which I've linked. Enjoy!!!

UPDATED: 03/10/2012 - "Chakras" image (no, this is not my dreamed up imagery just yet) and the inclusion of Sophia Leadership.
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Do you see what I'm on to here? Do you wish to add your blog to a certain Chakra list? Would you categorize any of these writers differently? Should I add a section of lovely writers that just don't fit the mold I've created? Please let me know your thoughts and feelings, including those of you I've included! This was really a really fun project for me to explore; thank you!

The Protector

I once told a man I loved never to protect me.

He decided to keep something from me, thinking it would only hurt me to know. That couldn't have been further from the truth.

When I finally learned this, I warned him, "Don't you ever try to protect me again. I know me and I am strong. If we're in a relationship, your pain is my pain, your hurt is my hurt, your joy is my joy, and vice versa."

I told him I want a companion, a copilot, in this life. "Let's do this together," I said, "through thickness and thin." I don't expect perfection; I expect your truth on the table next to mine, the salt with the pepper, the honey with the lemon, the bitter with the sweet. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Time passed. Our relationship morphed. I trusted his word, his joy, his frustrations, his pain. One day I learned, he had done it again. He thought he was trying to protect me, out of love, nonetheless.

"If you love them, let them go."

Yet, he wasn't protecting me at all. He was protecting himself, from his own truth.

My realities: my love, my trust, my honesty... remain.

Stream of Consciousness

Today while writing my Morning Pages for The Artist's Way, I noticed something interesting happening. I can't say it's the first time it's happened, but it's the first time I really took note, with pause, and then truly allowed it to come forth.

My inner child/artist, the girl I've named Sophia, started speaking to me. I guess you can say I was cheering myself on, lifting myself up. But something about choosing to allow this to come forth, these words, this encouragement, felt like something more... powerful. I've had this happen repeatedly with my inner critic, Maude, who I've given a name for the same reason: clarity. And while, at times, I let her speak, I often just smirk at her insults. Hopefully.

Sophia's words to me this morning:

"I see beauty everywhere and it is constantly reflected upon you. Embrace this. 'You is smart, you is kind...' you is wonderful. Don't ever let another human being's actions tell you any different. I can keep going if you wish. But I want you to sit with this. Really sit with this. Sprinkle these words atop your oatmeal and devour them."

I thought this was so beautiful. It's a vulnerable thing for me to share. Maybe you think it's strange, or maybe you really get where this comes from. I hope, the vulnerable me hopes, for the latter.

Forgiven Forgiven

My demons are my friends;
I taught them how to love.

We sit together.
Observe together.
Learn together.

Together, we understand
"Kill them with kindness"
Comes not from revenge,
But the deepest recesses
Of love.

We will not allow
Your demons to impregnate us.

For we are happy
And whole
Without you.




In the words of Tara Brach,
"Forgiven, forgiven."