A Time to Stand Strong & Unveil.

Models of Happy, Healthy & Holy Lifestyles.

Each of us is made in our Creator's image (regardless of name). Therefore, we have the capacity to create through the connections, opportunities of caring, courage, and compassion that clarify what we make. Ability is important, however relational understanding precedes ability.

It doesn’t matter what spiritual practice you subscribe to, being in service of ensuring that these three engines/engineers of well-being are clear and conscious enhances life enjoyment. When the lens of perception is cracked (an idea or theory has holes), or when it is clouded with fingerprints (cultural and multigenerational attitudes and biases that do not include others) we are kept from the clarity of how we can respond. Let’s face it: conflict offers us an opportunity to cultivate muscles of agreement, and this agreement supports acceptance and promotes inter-dimensional growth.

There are three fundamental pathways of well-being when it comes to conflict:

• Hold the Space. We willingly stay and accept. We can freeze, be still, and take no action by choice rather than out of fear. Make no mistake - holding space is an instinct of survival. The mind needs space to analyze, the body needs space to neutralize, and the spirit is the space where we prioritize.

• Stand Strong. We can stay and act on behalf of what we value, share our experiences, and inspire others to take action. Standing strong requires a foundation of shared values. The mind values the model (ethos), the body values the wisdom (pathos) and the spirit carries the code (logos) for those values.

• Transform & Unveil: We can surrender to the futility of losing ourselves in the action and leave the battleground. We can open space to the ways doing so helps us stand a little stronger, see with more meaning, and action with greater purpose.

How do we know which path to take? … when to hold the space, when to stand strong, and when to transform and unveil?

We know when we are connected to the core muscles of discernment - the triUne of senses that come together to give you a 3D version of life. Being aware of their presence activates a sense of agency and tension, and taking action on behalf of this soulful union is what allows the artist to “set free the angel from the marble” (Michelangelo).

Rest is asking for open space which needs safety.

Planning too far in advance or eliminating any opportunity for surprise compromises our immune system which shows up as an inflexible mindset. Sometimes we hear the term, OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, but what must be understood is that there exist a complexity of reasons and relationships that come together with compulsivity.

The ability to reflect upon a trauma-triggered moment in the past that felt unsafe, unstable, or confusing is an opportunity to investigate and even challenge the message we are vibing into the world - that we feel unsafe. 

In this way, S.O.S signals the Self to Open Space for what is possible.

Maybe you will make it through this test - the one in front of you on a sheet of paper, the one ahead of you in the idea of what you will become, or the one under your feet that is calling you to bring space between that thought and that outdated belief and reaffirm the ground that causes space to exist - to stomp on it to awaken at the intersection of trust and faith, time and space - and to claim the divinity of forgiveness, relaxation and comfort. 

Opening up space is a sign that you care about your growth, you understand the relationship of discernment and choice and will make an effort to open up space for your heart to sing — for your mind to calm, and for your body to rest. 

Purging objects in our homes and minds supports space. Though what we don't see may not exist as far as our eyes are concerned, everything existing is vibrating and pulsing. These objects, photos, and papers in a closet, countertop, or drawer are psychic plaque around the heart of intuition. Purging offers motion and feelings of completion, and, indirectly, inspires a sense of lightness and relief from the stagnant vibrations of objects that had no use or which brought no joy. Purge photos and paperwork - scan, delete, and shred.

Noticing the feeling after we purge reveals our ability to live without those things and begs us to ask? Who would I be if I allowed myself to be “that” which “I Am”?

Nutrition asks us to take a Strong Stand on Love.  

Our gut, heart, and mind have a mighty alliance in keeping the neuro-networks open to the information circulating through its system - oxygenating (bringing space) and replenishing. It is the motion of holy intention, healthy wisdom, and holistic perspective. When working together, we are informed: our gut remembers (I like, I don't like), our mind demands (and makes this choice) and our heart expands (to include the whole in the response).

Standing strong doesn't always mean standing up to or standing up for in a physical way. Often, it is asking our sense of caring to advocate for liberties, to stand steadfast in the courage to speak our needs, and when possible, to be brave enough to stand strong without fear of repercussion (when what we stand for is bigger than ourselves, and, inherently includes the ones we love). 

When we see our humanity as One, what we stand for reflects a sense of universal contribution that confides to the world what we stand for.

Standing strong is a process of challenging, motivating, and co-creating, which includes failures, misunderstandings, and sins (just missing the mark.) We need to know what didn't work and why and confirm what we value - before giving motive to an idea or belief. To do that, we need to include and become responsible for our tested beliefs - the honesty that was tempted to behave fearfully, and the neglected emotions longing to be held. It is the cognitive purging and decluttering that lets you see, proceed confidently and boldly, and receive the nutrients and nourishment from your experiences.

Noting the doubt that arises when we are caught in unhealthy identities - that we might be wrong or the confidence that we are right - is an opportunity to test our beliefs and ask, "Do I know for what it “is” that I stand? And does this stand inherently include the well-being of everyone?"

Transformation is a process of Unveiling.  

To transform means to change form. That means that we cannot dis-include any part of anything that has happened to us from the solution. It's like chopping up and sautéing an onion vs. eating it raw - much of what we ingest is transformed before we eat it, and the quality of what we ingest is unveiled in our ability to digest and move it safely through the system to purge what is not necessary. 

To unveil offers the opportunity to inspect the veil and what it was veiling - privacy or privilege. We must accept that it happened, we must allow feelings of less than or fear or constriction to wash through us and invade us, and we must see ourselves as survivors in the wake of great loss and challenge in our lives.

It's all pretty personal, however, there are impersonal signs that warrant our attention - a contraction of trust and an expansion of doubt, feelings of less than or powerlessness, even anger or bitterness, and regret. These emotions can rock us out of alignment, create shifts in our posture that cause us to abandon the core of our needs, and require a willingness and ability to speak our truth, not defend it. 

Outside the realms of misconduct addressed through the lens of law and justice, there is not much we can do to alter the behavior of another. However, how you perceive that behavior will affect you, is something you can affect. 

Noticing the tendency to get lost in the stories that disempower us, causes us to wonder, "What is this moment asking of me?"