WAKING UP WITH AMI

Being an “antiracist” is a verb. We need to stay active with our self-education so that we can be active in both our responses to racism and in our endeavors toward creating a realistic, compassionate and equitable culture. This is a reminder to myself and to you, to come back, right now, to the higher Self visions and values, and continue to wake up, together.

Today, I feel compassion for and solidarity with mothers - from everywhere and from every time - who feel the joy and pain of mothering, and for having to let go. I am learning to accept this pervasive letting go, followed by compassion and solidarity - with or without common blood or borders or species, with or without reason.

The Joint Memorial Ceremony is the largest Israeli-Palestinian peace event in history. Last year 300,000 people participated in the live broadcast event and over one million people streamed it afterwards. It has become a focal point for the entire peace community. The Joint Memorial Day Ceremony sets the foundation for widespread cultural change by shifting public opinion on a mass scale. Joining together to mourn each other’s pain challenges the status quo, setting the foundation to build a new reality based on mutual respect, dignity and equality.

Who is this grouch who stole the turning of the year? Is it an ill-tempered mythical, Dr. Suess-looking creature? Does it exist as the collective unconscious? Is it a part of me? Maybe, this grouch is…Grief.

Grief has no logic. Grief just makes us miss the people we have loved and miss the people who have loved us.

It is possible to shift the world culture. It is possible to create and live in a unified, equitable, compassionate world. It is not simple, yet paradigm shifts do happen. The question is: How do we get there?

I wanted to be done with grieving, yet… it was Grief who entered my home, calling for my attention, pushing me down till I finally listened.

Today I officially turn 62-years of age. I’m in no rush to grow up. I’m not confused by the process of aging. I feel no need to slow it down. I’m clear about our culture being broken. I forgive us for being in a dynamic picture. This ‘62’ is a bit of a ‘Goldilocks’ moment.

What does “love” mean, anyhow… and why is it so important? Ima borrow Jonas Cain’s words for the answers…

At this time in our history, the world has been experiencing a “Dark Night of the Soul”. It’s wonderful to hear confirmation that it has been a gift and that we’re moving out of it! Thank you, Sara Wiseman…

The topic of Grief + Grieving is so vast that it belongs to everyone. Grieving is not just for the bereaved.

“Know thyself.” Just as many people ascribe this aphorism to Socrates, the general public may have wrong-thinking (or at least, missing pieces of information) about how to go about getting to know oneself. Psychosynthesis’ Egg Diagram offers a succinct way to describe who am I.

What to do with all this angst in the air, that I have breathed in…

Today, my eyes + heart are focused once again on our Native ancestors… to the families of those ancestors who bear the rippling pain + burden from the past that is alive in the present… to a future I can only hope will heal + revive the riches of Native languages + cultures.

Course 1 of the Compassionate Revolution of Grief + Grieving: “Release Stress, Heal Trauma, Accept Loss, Allow Grief” - begins January 30th! Registration is open…

…for all.

Have you ever felt like… I’ve waited my whole life to be exactly who I am, and now, here I am…? If so, you have an inkling of why my heart is beaming! Let me tell you why…

Life is full of puzzle pieces. When enough have been collected, a picture starts to form. When you step back, what do you see forming?

The COVID-19 virus surge was predicted. Predictions are: it’ll get worse. If you can’t stay home, stay safe.

How does One reconcile huge loss? How does One live with grief? How do we hold Grief and Life in a synergistic balance?

There’s so much to talk about! If you want to talk about feeling stressed-to-the-max, we can talk about that. There’s help, too… coming soon. If you’re celebrating or lamenting the USA election, I offer Swami Beyondanda - who can speak much more eloquently (and comically) than I can, about that. Enjoy your read…

I imagine “the heart cave” (as some gurus and mystics have described it) holding the parts hiding in our psyche, and also - grief. Sometimes we want to become a benevolent parent, inviting those hiding parts to come out of the heart cave and into the light where we can see them, love them, and help them. Sometimes we want to be a supportive friend – crawling into the depths of the heart cave – holding that which lives inside, in our unconditionally-loving heart arms. This is grieving. In entering the heart cave, we touch unconditional love - we are transported to a higher understanding of Self.

Call in (not '“call out”). We spent the entire 30-minutes talking about those 5 words. We later emailed back and forth about those words. The 3 of us were on the edge of a new discovery.

Last week I invited you to three amAzing classes, and promised that, as soon as the recordings were available, I’d pass them on to you. Well… true to my word, the recordings are all here!

I’m grateful I’m not homeless. I have a home, a bathroom, a toilet, a shower, means to wash my body and clothes, lots of clothes to change into… I have a lot. What I don’t have are the answers and solutions to the huge issue of homelessness. That’s why I’m also super grateful for organizations that have formed around this issue.

CHALLENGE: Practice this integrated body-mind-heart-spirit work-out (peace-in) routine, focusing on Energy, DAILY, for ONE-MONTH. Let me know how you feel…

In me is a warrior - a loyal protector and bad-ass powerhouse. There’s also an insecurity - a vulnerability. Together, they are forming something new…

The tool we’re looking at today lives within a philosophical theory. The theory postulates that we are all One. The tool presupposes that everything outside myself is a reflection of myself. It suggests that “I can not see in another that which does not exist in me” - and therefore, invites radical self-reflection.

When I feel connected, I love life. Conversely, when I feel disconnected, I feel lonely, lost, depressed, and anxious. When I’m disconnected, I don’t feel so lovable, and life doesn’t feel loving. When I’m in this disconnected state, there are things that help kick me back into feeling connected - with myself, with others, with nature, with Source. In this post, I’m going to focus on how connecting with the natural world (and our own nature) helps bring back and/ or maintain the universally necessary state of connection.

I had never understood the concept of taking a vacation to relax. I’m coming to realize the importance of vacating my norm (as in ‘taking a vacation’), especially when vacating to a natural spot, where it’s quiet, in order to feel connected and to heal trauma.

It is (beyond) time to normalize grief (here in the US of A). We (United States Americans) need to grieve out loud, together - for the sake of our (nation’s and individual) health and wellbeing. What has supported your grieving process? How are you normalizing grief?

I’m in a dream, swimming a marathon, lap-after-lap, passing through the same markers, over and over again. The markers are psychological aspects of my self-identity. I swim through each marked area for a relatively short period of time, before moving to the next marked area. Having gained more understanding, I’m able to see things a bit differently the next lap around. This lap pool is my life, marking my growth along the way.

Years ago, I heard the acronym KISS. It reminds me of a simple kiss, with the power to bring a person back to the heart, when stress has taken us away from it. The message: Keep It Simple helps when emotions are rising, or when feeling overwhelmed - to slow things down and simplify.

I am making a decision, right now, to study Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication (NVC). I have passionately but gingerly tipped my toes into this subject for decades, yet admittedly, not dived with full immersion into the depths of its core. I need this. it’s time. You’re welcome to come along…

The world is in a growth spurt. Growth often comes with pain. How do we soothe the pain?

There are ways to heal from trauma. I have felt and seen the transformative power of Belleruth Naparstek’s 32 affirmations (1999), listed in this week’s post. You are also invited to find healing tools at the "Transcend Trauma Now" Summit (online), June 20th-30th. See you there!

In this week’s post, we’ll look at the last 4 (of 10) basic Wellness Tools that help release stress + move people toward peace. These tools work for me + my clients, and I hope they work for you too…

Peace is inside you. When it’s difficult to access peace, you may just need the right Wellness Tool to get to it. In this week’s post, we'll go through the next three 10 basic Wellness Tools in this series. If a tool works for you, add it to your Wellness Toolbox!

Stress lives on the surface, rising + receding like an ocean tide. Peace lives in your core, like the underlying landmass that holds the ocean. When feeling stress waves wash over you - even when the waves feel relentless - there are wellness tools that can guide you back to your peaceful core.

I don’t think we’re going back to the lifestyle we knew before the COVID-19 pandemic started. I think we will muddle our way through this tumultuous transition, and land in a very different future than the one we’d thought our trajectory had been leading us to.

‘Mother's Day’ is a complicated, under-rated, and grossly under-utilized ‘holiday’. We can do so much more with it…

Love. It’s an intriguing word - a beguiling concept. Many have struggled to experience & express it. For me, ‘Love’ is Source. It’s the place everything comes from and goes to. It’s there whether we are tuned-into it or not. I believe that ‘Love’ holds all that is in the Energetic Field; that ‘Love’ is the connection between all that is in the Energetic Field; that ‘Love’ is in everything; that ‘Love’ is everything.

I feel sad & grumpy at the prospect of losing sight of this opportunity to change and grow. So, I’m revisiting places I’d like to keep waking up to - starting with reciprocity for Native American and First Nations people.

This extended period of social distancing and change in routine - the not knowing when things will turn around, or, when they do, how that will look - is disruptive (to say the least). And then there’s everything else that disrupts our sense of inner peace. Hormones. Interactions. Inner dialogue. Growth. Grief...

World-wide, we’re all in the same boat. We have always been, really. Now, though, during this Covid-19 pandemic, it’s just more obvious how together we are. Covid-19 is a ‘dark angel’ of sorts - an equalizer and unifier…

Instead of reading, let’s do… a morning routine together - that will (hopefully) leave both of us feeling MUCH BETTER than however we started…

Today is the anniversary of Michelle’s departure from her body. I’ve been experiencing the expansiveness of ‘Both/And’ quit a bit lately, even within this very tender topic. In one hand, there’s Grief’s profoundly deep sadness. My daughter died and it broke my heart. There’s no getting around that…

When I was a teenager, I often felt extremely frustrated that humans weren’t fully evolved. I would anxiously ask: Why can’t we accept, respect and love each other? Why can’t we end war and live in harmony? Why do we need borders? Why don’t we see each other as One family? I could not understand why everyone didn’t think the way I did. I thought my way of thinking was so simple, basic… true…

When I’m in a funk, I don’t like it. I don’t want it. Something is bothering me and I don’t want things to bother me. I want to be happy. I want to be loving. I want to be accepting. Yet, I don’t want to accept that I’m in a funk - or that there’s something causing me to feel funky: out-of-harmony…

Mindfulness is the psychological technique, process and practice of bringing complete and non-judgmental attention to one’s present experience. Here are 4 Mindfulness TIPS and some science to help you understand how they work…

There are so many inspirational books, articles, posts, films, podcasts & courses to read & engage in. There’s a lot about politics, the environment, and - Valentine’s Day. I thought maybe this week, I’ll share someone else’s words. So many are saying the same thing - why add more of the same? Or, I thought I’ll meditate & see what comes up. So I did. And what came up were a couple of parts that are way back - behind a fog & barely audible - needing rest…

I just saw the film ‘Just Mercy’. The story - written by Bryan Stevenson, the attorney who founded the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama in 1989 - is focused on Walter McMillian’s proven innocence and release from death row in 1993. The film led me to the Equal Justice Initiative…

I’m preparing to teach an online class about Self-Love & Confidence. This is good subject matter for me to teach because - it’s what I’ve needed to learn & therefore worked on the most…

To honor the past, present, and future of Wisdom & Love & needed Growth and Change on planet Earth - I am going to listen to Martin Luther King Jr’s speech “I’ve been to the mountaintop”. I invite you to listen to it, too…

Today, you are invited to ‘Wake Up’ to different versions of yourself, to hone in on your realistic ideal self, and to choose which self image fits you, right now, as you move through this day. To prepare for this exercise, gather 8 sheets of blank paper & your favorite writing and drawing implements…

It’s a new year, and I randomly designated the first Sunday of every month as “Inspirational Sunday”! I had forgotten this when I started waking into the day. I wanted to sleep more but my body wanted to move. So, I let it. What happened was a body scan kind of meditation meets ecstatic dance…

This week, people all over the planet are looking back at 2019 and looking forward to 2020. I’m asking myself to do this from a compassionate and present-centered perspective. You are invited to do the same…

Sit back and relax. I'm going to tell you a story about you being the Light - about us all being the Light - just in case you forgot. It's a children's parable by Neale Donald Walsch called: the Little Soul and the Sun.

‘Tis the ‘holiday season’ and I want to gift you acceptance, appreciation, and love.

It’s not always easy to access acceptance, appreciation, and love. And though it may seem strange, I’m going to try to help you access these illusive qualities by talking about death and grief.

I realize this does not sound like a fun gift! Stick with me, though - I promise, this turns out well!

There are 2 weeks left until Winter Solstice. Here in Vermont, these are progressively and literally the darkest days of the year. As daylight time grows shorter and shorter, we may feel the reflection of this in our psyche, and we feel darker.

A tender Thanksgiving to you…