It’s been awhile since I have written. I’ve been busy with my new online meditation course, Falling in Love with Silence.

It’s been a lot of work designing and producing it, in a virtual format, which I am not used to working. Being a “hands on” kind of person, loving the intimate atmosphere of a retreat setting, this new format has been an interesting journey and I have seen a lot about myself in the process.

When I led the first class, I was surprised afterwards to see how much I used the various challenges to turn it in on myself, telling myself that I can’t do it, its too much, and noticing how much my inner critic used that to tell me I was a failure, and why even bother. Then during the course of the first week, in posting the reminders and messages to the group, when I didn’t get a response, my mind would use that as evidence that its true, what I have to offer is not of that much value, no one appreciates it, and why bother? A lot of self- defeating messages brought on by this mind that believes the story that I am a failure and no one want’s what I have to offer.

This is the difference between being identified with the story in the mind, and being dis-identified with the storyline, and through our awareness being in touch with Love and Truth as the fundamental fabric of Life.

I am so grateful for inquiry, meditation, and devotion in my spiritual practice. The three things keep me sane, humble, and in touch with my own essential goodness.

Inquiry is about shining the flashlight of awareness on our inner process to examine and explore whether the stories we tell ourselves are actually true, and helps us return to our True Nature, and our essential goodness once again.

Meditation brings us into the silence beyond the mind, where we can access universal intelligence, silence, stillness, spaciousness, trust, and deep inner peace.

Devotion brings us in touch with the Universal heart that knows that Love is all there is, and allows us to trust and surrender to life’s gifts and challenges

When we use these tools of the ancient wise ones we are able to see that every person, and experience is given to us as medicine, and while it may not always taste that sweet, it is given to us by Grace for our own awakening. Our choice is whether to use it as evidence that we are a small separate person, and life is just doing it to us again, or whether to use it as medicine reminding us of the Truth of Life, and the eternal presence of Love.

I am starting a new online course, called Gifts of Grace, where you will receive more juicy tools, techniques, guidance, and coaching to move beyond the mind and into the vast expanse of the heart. If you are interested, stay tuned!

Now this is vulnerable stuff and I could go into shame around sharing it. But fortunately for my meditation practice, I know I have a choice about believing the stories my mind tells me.

In talking to clients, I notice how often we believe the stories our minds tell us, especially when there has been a lot of wounding or early childhood trauma that has created a strong impact on the nervous system We often use the people and life circumstances we find ourselves in as evidence that we are un-loveable, unworthy, un-able, bad, wrong, etc. Or the world and other people are..( fill in the blank). We can use whatever situation we find ourselves in as evidence that confirms and solidifies the story we are telling ourselves. This creates a hardening of the shell of our ego identity, making it less porous and available for the gifts and blessings that life has to offer.

As one wise teacher of mine said “The mind is like Velcro for the bad stuff and Teflon for the good stuff!”

However, we can retrain our brain and nervous systems to choose to use what we are given as medicine for our healing, growth and expansion. Whatever we are being given, if we see it as a gift of Grace, we can open to the possibilities in each moment and the potential within ourselves.

This is the difference between being identified with the story in the mind, and being dis-identified with the storyline, and through our awareness being in touch with Love and Truth as the fundamental fabric of Life.

I am so grateful for inquiry, meditation, and devotion in my spiritual practice. The three things keep me sane, humble, and in touch with my own essential goodness.

Inquiry is about shining the flashlight of awareness on our inner process to examine and explore whether the stories we tell ourselves are actually true, and helps us return to our True Nature, and our essential goodness once again.

Meditation brings us into the silence beyond the mind, where we can access universal intelligence, silence, stillness, spaciousness, trust, and deep inner peace.

Devotion brings us in touch with the Universal heart that knows that Love is all there is, and allows us to trust and surrender to life’s gifts and challenges

When we use these tools of the ancient wise ones we are able to see that every person, and experience is given to us as medicine, and while it may not always taste that sweet, it is given to us by Grace for our own awakening. Our choice is whether to use it as evidence that we are a small separate person, and life is just doing it to us again, or whether to use it as medicine reminding us of the Truth of Life, and the eternal presence of Love.

I am starting a new online course, called Gifts of Grace, where you will receive more juicy tools, techniques, guidance, and coaching to move beyond the mind and into the vast expanse of the heart. If you are interested, stay tuned!