Embrace Your Mysteries

Embrace your mysteries. There is no need to reject the parts of yourself that don’t make sense to others, no human being can know the breadth and depth of your being. You are sacred, there are aspects of you that only you and spirit can know.

 I used to have a deep desire to be seen, heard and understood especially by the people in my close circle. This desire caused me to over explain myself and to make sure I was acting in a way that was consistent with other people’s perception of me.

 At a point, I began to feel like a figment of other people’s imaginations and didn’t like the version of myself that showed up when I was around family and friends. It’s hard to have a clear sense of self when you’re constantly tailoring yourself to fit the taste of someone else even if that person claims to love and respect you.

When I looked into this issue I recognized that it is true to my nature that I seek emotional intimacy. However I was expressing this need for intimacy in an unhealthy manner to avoid harm. In the past when a loved one misunderstood me they resorted to making unfair assumptions, bullying or shaming me.

Once I stopped working to avoid the consequences of being misunderstood, I observed that I actually liked being an enigma to some people. More importantly I can express my need for emotional intimacy with friends and family in a healthy way, by taking into account the other person’s capacity for deeper connection.

Thoughts on self love, shadows and wholeness

Fragments, Shadows and Wholeness

This world makes it easy to forget who we are; to bury our emotions and deny our identity which slowly distorts our sense of self, leaving us with only fragments of who we were born to become. The decision to go on a self love journey also encompasses the intention to create more self intimacy. But It is possible to initiate our self discovery while at the same time actively running from ourselves. 

The challenge though is to recognize the ghosts and shadows (that terrify us) as aspects of ourselves awaiting reconciliation. They are Persistent messengers on a mission to realize our inner desire to become whole again. 

What are those parts of myself that I am afraid to acknowledge? What about those integrated imposters images from society that never reflected my truth, am I ready to let them go?

 In this world self knowledge and wholeness is truly a superpower. 

So dive in, the answers come when we allow ourselves enough compassion to temporarily let go of the shame and fear to  address our shadows with grace and curiosity.

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Confidence and wholeness

Confidence comes from truth. When it comes to self confidence, we tend to evaluate our self worth using measures that are irrelevant to who we really are and the strengths we need to succeed.

Often, our self hate comes from ignorance about our true selves. This ignorance breeds insecurity and confusion, leading us to literally tear ourselves apart. When you have a clear self image it means you’re able to see yourself as a whole.

From this awareness of your wholeness you can see how your strengths and weaknesses, your light and your shadow all work together to create a unique, cohesive and dynamic expression of the divine.

Call For More Embodied and Practical Spirituality

It feels like the shift we’re referring to as the Aquarius age is an indicator that it is time for more embodied and practical spirituality.

We have been collecting and sharing a lot of spiritual wisdom, but beyond intellectualizing higher levels of consciousness we must look towards becoming a vessel for this knowledge to express through us. The empowering shifts we wish to create in our society including regaining authority for our collective experience and repairing the breakdown and a betrayal of our shared social contract (which is to love one another), lies in giving rise to value systems that enable us to self actualize and integrate holistic spiritual consciousness.

Embodied spiritual knowledge expands our imagination and activates our spirit (our limitless essence). This intelligence reveals new pathways for us to direct our Will into building spaces that are sacred and healthy rather than toxic and tyrannical. I aspire to make spiritual wisdom and tools for practicing spirituality more accessible and digestible to contribute to these shifts in our society. Each of us must be clear about the intelligence that we are looking to activate within ourselves and our world:  

Who are you?

Whose are you? 

What are the principles at work in your life?

What systems do you contribute your energy to? Do you agree with its messaging and values?

What are the main social or personal questions you’re looking to solve? 

What is the legacy that you inherited, what is the legacy you wish to create?

Shadow work is helpful for cultivating more authentic interactions with others

Pretense and hypocrisy are very prevalent in our social interactions because we have shallow understandings of our individual depths; including the root of our desires, fears, choices and personality. 

Contradiction is natural to our being, for example, how your heart feels about something may be in opposition to what the mind thinks about it. However, if you find that what you say and how you live are not aligned. If you consistently act in a way that is adverse to your core beliefs. Or you experience unwanted guilt and shame about who you are and the choices you make for yourself. You may want to investigate these inconsistencies.

 Shadow work helps you to align your mindset and values with your actions, choices and lifestyle. 

Journaling is an effective tool for shadow work. When you catch yourself acting or communicating things that don’t represent how you truly feel, who you are or what you believe in; ask yourself why. Consistently bringing awareness to your behavior begins the process of aligning your conscious, subconscious and unconscious Self.

What is Shadow Work?

Shadow work is a passive practice that we all do. Whenever we reflect on who we truly are, where we come from or why we behave the way we do; we are doing a form of shadow work. Meaning that we are seeking an answer that is hidden inside of our Self. That something could be a  connection to an ancestor, grief about our relationship with a friend, clues about our purpose  in this lifetime, or keys to gaining more abundance in the world.

When we are in a period of expansion and  transformation in our lives we are called to do more active shadow work. Journaling, psychotherapy, meditation and astrology are all tools for more active shadow working. 

Shadow work is a key component in any spiritual journey. Spirituality is all about finding out more about our true identities, our relationship with the world, and our connection to a higher source. Therefore a spiritual journey is a call to expand your conscious understanding of your individual self in relationship with this planet and the cosmos.  

Oftentimes it is the shadow work that we’re running from in our spiritual journeys because we have learned to fear the unknowns of ourselves. This fear of our own darkness is a result of us being taught to associate darkness with evil and “negativity.” And so, instead of meeting our darkness with confidence and curiosity we have a tendency to run and hide in terror. Darkness is also a space for protecting the things that matter the most to you (your sacred items), it is also a space for growing something vulnerable i.e babies growing in the womb or burying seeds in the ground. So, thoughIt is true that shadow work includes facing our unexamined grief in the form of trauma, repressed memories and suppressed emotions. Shadow work is also a way to uncover unknown joys, talents, and gifts.

Altar

a. A visual/symbolic representation of your inner work

b. Used to raise the actual state of consciousness

c. A sacred space to record/ground your evolution.

One of the benefits of creating an altar in your home is that the altar is a physical reminder of the unseen and intangible energies at work in your spiritual development. When we’re not in alignment with these energies, we may unknowingly impede our progress because we don’t recognize how they are working for our growth. 

Before setting up an altar it may be helpful to reflect on what you need for your mental, emotional and spiritual health. You can use the revelations from your reflections to determine the items you’ll want to place on your altar. For example, you may want to work on self confidence. Confidence comes from truth. Accordingly you may want to place a mirror on your altar as a symbol of your desire to see your true self image.

Ultimately you are the altar, the ever changing vessel for The Great Creator to witness his&her Self. That is why your authentic self expression is sacred. Honoring the truth of who you are is evolutionary.