It was awesome last week to receive so many notes back that you liked the quote & notes & memes…thanks! It was fun sharing them with you!This is shared with love & appreciation to Jenica of Passage Wellness & Acupuncture, whose blog is a well-written collection of thoughts about healing:
Loss comes to us in many different ways. We may experience loss from the death of a loved one, the ending of a partnership, or the loss of a pet. As well, we may grieve an outgrown part of our self, an ability or capacity we once held, a community we left or left us, the paths we didn’t walk, or from an unexpected experience. We may also grieve the suffering of our planet and our other-than-human kin that suffer because of this.
Because grief impacts all levels of our being -physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual, our expressions of grief can be quite broad. Physically we may experience fatigue, tightness in the chest, changes in sleep and appetite, or body pain. Emotionally we may experience anger, depression, relief, or helplessness. Grief can also be expressed as social withdrawal, keeping “busy”, or addictive urges and behaviours. Our dreams may offer us unique landscapes for expressing our grief as well, and we may experience a sense of purposelessness, existential anxiety, or increased contact with unseen realms.
Our grief is a natural response to being torn from what we love and belong to.
All of our expressions of grief are valid.
artwork: molly costello
Currently our modern culture is falling short at reflecting and modelling how to grieve well. We tend to keep it at a distance, covering it up as if we were ashamed or fearful of it. For so many, it has become normalized to live blanketed by numbness as a means to cope with the losses we experience. Denial can serve a purpose, as it helps us to compartmentalize in order to function, and this can be part of our healing. However if left unprocessed, the energy of grief can become stagnant within our bodies. On a personal level, this can limit our capacity to truly feel like we belong to our lives. On a collective level, disassociating from the grief of our planet for example, can disconnect us from the gifts of kinship, which limit us from experiencing the inspiration so needed to act.
It is important that we do open ourselves up to our grief and allow this process to carry us through our growth and into a more rich and full-spectrum encounter with our aliveness. It is through connecting to our experience of grief that we reconnect to that which we love and belong to. In this way, grief is a healing endeavour and a vessel towards a greater sense of connection in our lives.
artwork: molly costello
Learning to grieve well begins with the self and a willingness to welcome the depths of it in. And to do this in spaces with another trusted body (or bodies) as grief is very much relational. It needs the containment of another nervous system to be witnessed, held, and transformed. This containment can be provided by another human, but it can also be found within the presence of our animal kin, our ancestors, or a place within nature we revere as sacred to our hearts. When we share our tenderness in community or with another, this gives us the opportunity to confirm to each other that we are not alone.
The happening of your losses, the turbulence of your past, and any perceived “deficits” in the shaping of who you are, all create your unique story. Our painful stumbling blocks are experiences that provide the pressure and nudging to move into right relationship with your future beingness. For this we must give thanks to our pain and losses along the journey of life -they bring us the gift of healing and opportunities to step more fully into our wholeness.
With you in healing and wholeness,
Jenica
This is a tough one, but an important message – I have heard from five different practitioners on SOV who have heard from this caller – and it’s a problem, my friends.
Here is a note from Dinah, which echoes what the others have said:
ATTN ENERGY WORK/BODY PRACTITIONERS:
I received a call from a man on my cell phone about a month ago claiming he was a spiritual Guru from Tibet and that he received my number in meditation. He sounds friendly, compelling and sincere. I spoke with him on the phone for longer than I’d like to admit as he seemed interesting and nice. He’s not.
He is specifically seeking women in Reiki/Tantric fields and taking personal information from the internet to contact them. I’ve spoken to other people in Victoria who’ve also received this call, many of the calls leading to sexual references and a forum on the internet of horrible stories about women who went far enough to meet up with him at his “retreat” in Sedona, Arizona or Florida.
He is a sexual predator. Do NOT engage with him. I have since reported it to VicPD – if you feel comfortable reporting it, I encourage you to do so. Perhaps if we all reported these calls, they’d take it more seriously.
If you feel icky or shame for having engaged with him, I see you. If you need support, talk to a trusted loved one or counsellor. Remember, it’s not your shame to hold. You have done nothing wrong.
Please share widely with anyone you know, particularly people in this field. Let’s keep each other safe 💛
Q: I heard you speaking with someone at the Expo earlier this month, and you said, ‘The only thing that matters is that we share & heal.’
“People on the fringes aren’t really on the fringes – they are on the frontiers.
It’s the dream we carry
that something wondrous will happen
that it must happen –
time will open
hearts will open
doors will open
mountains will open
spring will gush forth from the ground
that the dream itself will open
that one morning we’ll quietly drift
into a harbour we didn’t know was there
by Olav Hauge
Loved hearing Bruce & Mary-Jane’s book gets great reviews…from New Zealand!
Knowledge of Oneness touches on so many different subjects – UFO’s, Chakras, Crystals, Ascension, Finding our gifts and much, much more. Well worth reading.
Rainbow News Magazine New Zealand
How is your growth mindset coming along?
Fans of SOV know that we here at the editorial offices are huge fans of Derek Sivers, and the clear way he both puts things, and makes us think.
See if this little essay of his strikes a chord – I know it does for me.
Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset, with Derek Sivers
One of the most important concepts I’ve learned is the difference between the “fixed” mindset and the “growth” mindset.
People in a fixed mindset believe everyone is great or is flawed – that this is a fixed status, because it’s just who you are.
People in a growth mindset believe anyone can be great or can be flawed – that this is an ever-changing status, because it’s entirely due to your actions.
This sounds simple, but it’s surprisingly deep. The fixed mindset is the most common and the most harmful, so it’s worth understanding and considering how it’s affecting you.
For example:
In a fixed mindset, you believe “She’s a natural born singer” or “I’m just no good at dancing.”
In a growth mindset, you believe “Anyone can be good at anything. Skill comes only from practice.”
The fixed mindset believes trouble is devastating. If you believe, “You’re either naturally great or will never be great,” then when you have any trouble, your mind thinks, “See? You’ll never be great. Give up now.”
The growth mindset believes trouble is just important feedback in the learning process.
Can you see how this subtle difference in mindset can change everything?
More examples:
In a fixed mindset, you want to hide your flaws so you’re not judged or labeled a failure.
In a growth mindset, your flaws are just a TO-DO list of things to improve.
In a fixed mindset, you stick with what you know to keep up your confidence.
In a growth mindset, you keep up your confidence by always pushing into the unfamiliar, to make sure you’re always learning.
In a fixed mindset, you look inside yourself to find your true passion and purpose, as if this is a hidden inherent thing.
In a growth mindset, you commit to mastering valuable skills regardless of mood, knowing passion and purpose come from doing great work, which comes from expertise and experience.
In a fixed mindset, failures define you.
In a growth mindset, failures are temporary setbacks.
In a fixed mindset, you believe if you’re romantically compatible with someone, you should share all of each other’s views, and everything should just come naturally.
In a growth mindset, you believe a lasting relationship comes from effort and working through inevitable differences.
In a fixed mindset, it’s all about the outcome. If you fail, you think all effort was wasted.
In a growth mindset, it’s all about the process, so the outcome hardly matters.
“As you progress with your sadhana you may find it necessary to change your occupation.
“Or you may find that it is only necessary to change the way in which you perform your current occupation in order to bring it into line with your new understanding of how it all is. The more conscious that a being becomes, the more he can use any occupation as a vehicle for spreading light.
“The next true being of Buddha-nature that you meet may appear as a bus driver, a doctor, a weaver, an insurance salesman, a musician, a chef, a teacher, or any of the thousands of roles that are required in a complex society—the many parts of Christ’s body. You will know him because the simple dance that may transpire between you—such as handing him change as you board the bus—will strengthen in you the faith in the divinity of man.
“It’s as simple as that.”
☽
– Ram Dass, “Be Here Now”
Thanks, Randall!
https://xkcd.com/731/
Pamela
Good to hear that Pamela Richardson is offering her writing class again! The sessions begin April 28th & 29th (you can join either the Sunday or Monday group…and it goes for six weeks.)
Here’s the write-up:
In this six-week group, we engage in mindfulness and compassion practices that calm the mind, open the senses and connect with the heart. These are paired with writing practices that help us to engage creatively with our lived experiences and call our poetic natures into being.
Through this process, we experience our innate wakefulness while becoming familiar with the creative force that shapes our perceptions and expresses our truth.
Over time, we increase self-knowledge, hone our ability to be choice-makers, and nurture our capacity to share from our hearts. Each session includes time for meditation, writing, sharing and discussion.
This group is suitable for those with no prior experience with meditation or writing as well as seasoned practitioners.
More here, as well as signup info: https://pamelarichardson.ca/groups/
Many Westerners have a passing acquaintance with traditional Chinese medicine, but there may come a time when that curiosity will turn to a deeper inquiry…and I can’t think of a better place to begin than with The Herbal Path, in Oak Bay.
The clinic has been operating since 2003, and has a steady & devoted clientele of regular patients. When you visit there, you’ll meet mother-and-daughter team Vicky Chih and Annie Kung (left). I like the way they describe their experience and purpose on their posting on The Spirit of Victoria:
Wei-Chi (Vicky) Chih, owner and Chinese Medicine practitioner of The Herbal Path, speaks fluent English and has been a health consultant in Taiwan and Canada for almost two decades. She has helped hundreds of people to resolve disease, remove pain, lose weight, look younger and feel better.
She believes that THE KEY TO HEALTH AND WELLNESS is strengthening “the doctor within”- our body’s incredible and powerful immune system which can defend the body from most illness. She believes that “PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE” and will work with you to find your body’s weaknesses and build health.
Acupuncture is a system of complementary medicine that involves pricking the skin or tissues with needles, used to alleviate pain and to treat various physical, mental, and emotional conditions. Originating in ancient China, acupuncture is now widely practiced in the West.
Annie Hui Kung is a Registered Acupuncturist & Registered TCM Herbalist – she completed her Traditional Chinese Medicine education and certifications in Victoria, Calgary and Vancouver, and has been practicing Acupuncture since 2009. Her areas of specialty include chronic/acute pain syndromes, digestive disorders, physical/mental relaxation and more. Annie also follows the principles of “Yang School” in her daily practice.
Annie’s goal is to help people regain health and happiness. She truly believes everything is connected, as it is the law of the universe. Human beings are a part of nature; therefore, we should eat, act and live our lives according to nature’s patterns in order to maintain the equilibrium. Annie’s mission is to spread the wisdom of TCM and to help educate others about how to find balance in their lives. This is a lifelong lesson!
A couple of years ago, Jack Etkin interviewed Vicky on Citizen’s Forum, drawing from his own experience of how it helped him after an accident – this is an easy, in-depth way to find out more about what awaits you, at The Herbal Path:
Jim Thorpe
Luckily, Jim ended up finding two shoes in a garbage can. That’s the pair that he’s wearing in the photo. But one of the shoes was too big, so he had to wear an extra sock. Wearing these shoes, Jim won two gold medals that day.
This is a perfect reminder that you don’t have to resign to the excuses that have held you back. So what if life hasn’t been fair? What are you going to do about it today? Whatever you woke up with this morning; stolen shoes, ill health, failed relationships, don’t let it stop you from running your race. You can experience more in life if you’ll get over the excuses and get on with living.
You can have reasons or you can have results and you can’t have both. (thank you to those that shared this with us to post)
You get that feeling, that notion, that idea, that nudge – what do you do with it? Listen, as Bill Hart tells his story:
