Compassion's Power Dance: Response

Each moment of every day is an opportunity to  make choices that draw us closer to who we truly are or cast us in to the murky shadows of who we do not want to be. I believe that most of us would say that we do not want to be “that person” who lives in the margins of reaction and struggles to step into the sunny warmth of response. All of us spend time in those gloomy shadows because, unfortunately, sometimes our triggers get the best of us. 

At the root of every reaction and every response is a trigger — something that a stirs our emotions. This catalyst may catapult fear or anger or some other unsavory emotions to the surface of our being. Caught unaware it informs our thoughts, words and actions. We react. This subsequent reaction hurts our self or another. The dankness of those shadows surround us.

A trigger does not always bring about a reaction. Sometimes our triggers are noticed before they wrap us in reaction. We feel the churning of uncertainties and feel our imperfections rise to the surface. But, we are aware of the potential for reaction. Instead of allowing this percolation to burst to the surface of our being, we lovingly acknowledge it. We gently make peace with it. We choose to respond with compassion. Just. Like. That. 

Each time we are aware of a trigger and choose to respond we are empowered. There is a Reiki symbol that means “put the power here.” For me, each response is a way of affirming that we need not be manipulated by our triggers. With each response we recognize that we can live a life of compassion. With each responsive thought, word, and action, we power our self with the light of our authenticity. 

How do we get there? The power of response is seeded in the silence of our quiet mind and nourished by the clarity of our spirit. As we learn from our triggers, we get better at listening to their cries for help.  We understand that they are not bad, but lesson-imperfections that guide us to being our best, highest self. 

So, be forgiving. Be compassionate. But, never forget the triggers that force a reaction from the depth of your being. Don’t give away your power that shines the way of your true self.  

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is an Intuitive, Coach, Catalyst, who uses mindfulness practices and intuition tools to create strategies for personal and relationship transformation. She is a professional speaker & author who weaves inner wisdom into all she touches. Her books are available @ www.wildefyrpress.com. Contact Vanessa  (vanessa@intentandaction.com) for life coaching, intuitive consultations, keynotes, and programs.

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Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2019

Fatigue & the Twining of Self Compassion

I know that you are tired. So am I. Let the fatigue wash  over you. Own it. Really own it. Feel it to the depth of your being. Seek it out. Don’t ignore it. Fatigue hides in the corners and crevices. Listen as Fatigue speaks, “Know me. Love me. Befriend. Once you do, you will see a way forward.”

We all have those moments when the weight of our life crashes down on us. Acknowledging our fatigue is the first step to gaining the power to rid our self of its miasma. The second step is discovering the cause(s). The third is creating strategies to clear the fatigue. The last? Transformation. 

The strand that twines connecting the steps to one another and the whole is self compassion or the recognition and alleviation of suffering. What do you do in your life to heal the aches caused by mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical suffering? Whatever you do is an act of self compassion. 

Maybe you think you do not have time for self compassion. Even the littlest acts can be self compassionate ones. Let’s go through the four steps:

• Acknowledge your fatigue: recognize that your reactions are life depleting. They zap your energy until you cannot respond to the world. Stop ignoring what is preventing you from living a vital life. Name your reactions.
• Discover the cause: begin with full body listening to gain a clearer image of your fatigue. Use your five primary senses to describe your fatigue symptoms. Identify the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual components of your fatigue. (You may find components in one, two, three, or all four aspects.)
• Create strategies: name one or two things you can do to blow away the fog of fatigue. Don’t overwhelm yourself with an anti-fatigue prescription of musts and shoulds. Start small and build with more self compassionate acts.
• Transform: make small changes in the moment that add up to a big difference. You do’t have to accomplish the ultimate goal in the moment. Compassionately walk toward it. 

I know that bone numbing tired feeling seems to have no end. Sometimes it feels that the miasma will never go away. But, it can and does diminish. The goal is to identify the symptoms and roots so when it happens again, and it will, you can take quicker steps to alleviate your fatigue though self compassion.  

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is an Intuitive, Coach, Catalyst, who uses mindfulness practices and intuition tools to create strategies for personal and relationship transformation. She is a professional speaker & author who weaves inner wisdom into all she touches. Her books are available @ www.wildefyrpress.com. Contact Vanessa  (vanessa@intentandaction.com) for life coaching, intuitive consultations, keynotes, and programs.

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Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2019

A Pilgrimage of the Heart

The heart yearns and the soul listens. The  response is a pilgrimage to a place where the song of your spirit sings with unfettered joy. With a yearning heart, a listening soul, and a joyful spirit, I undertook such a pilgrimage on my birthday.

Into the sunrise, I drove the almost three hours to the Great Serpent Mound, the largest earthen effigy in the world. My  eager anticipation, mimicked the lightening of the sky lightened and the sun peaking over the horizon. I wondered if the Serpent Mound of memory would be as wonderful as reality.

Of course, Siri decided to direct me down a different path. But, what is a pilgrimage unless it is tinged with the unknown and unexpected? As I turned onto Tranquility Pike, I chuckled. Did I ever need tranquility! The road was scarcely bigger than a path and had so many twists and turns. It felt like I was riding the serpent to the mound! 

Once I arrived, I breathed in the beauty of the place. After weeks of hot weather, I was graced with a fall day. I walked the mounded, practiced Tai Chi, and journaled, but mostly I let its serenity permeate my bones. I felt a resolute connection to the land and the mystery that pulsed from it. My jagged edges were soothed. I connected to my sacred spark and my spark connected to that of the Mound.

Was the pilgrimage a magic balm that made everything right in my world? No. The pilgrimage allowed me to touch upon the sacred created by an unknown community from the past. The energy of the snake twined around me and rooted deeply into my heart igniting the sacred spark within. 

That is the true nature of a pilgrimage. We travel outside of ourself not expecting a miracle, but as a means of paying homage to the divine spark within. This spark connects us to not only the the sacred but to all of creation. The pilgrimage is less a panacea for what ails us and more a gentle reminder that within  us is the capacity to live our sacred purpose in the many ways we are invited. 

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is an Intuitive Coach, who uses mindfulness practices and intuition tools to create strategies for personal and relationship transformation. She is a professional speaker & author who weaves inner wisdom into all she touches. Her books are available @ www.wildefyrpress.com. Contact Vanessa  (vanessa@intentandaction.com) for life coaching, keynotes, programs, and intuitive consultations.

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Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2019

We live in a time of effervescence — a joyous  never-ending rising of possibility. If we are mindful, the pop of our action follows. We must remain vigilant for we never quite know when the bubble of possibly rises and where potential pops into our life. If we listen intently to our inner wisdom, we hear the rising fizz and prepare to ride that possibility bubble to the height of our potential.

There is so  much happening in our life. When we are so in the moment, we cannot miss an opportunity when it arises. In those moments when we breathe in the anticipation possibility and potential merge to create the path of purpose. Through our breath, we experience the joy and incredible lightness of hitching a ride on that bubble. We living our soul purpose.

Sometimes life doesn’t go as planned. Sometimes we slide off the bubble and wind up where we never thought we’d be. This can trigger a time of despair and soul searching. We may ask, “Does this mean that we are a failure?” Certainly not. It is means that the bubble provided an autocorrection in our life. We wound up exactly where we needed to be. We meet a challenge or learn a life lesson.

Isn’t it exciting to be cast out of a mundane, not so reliable existence into a place that is wildly daring and curious? In a place where we daringly ride the bubble of possibility? I think so. For this place resonates with possibility when we open our fierce heart and courageously try one more time. And, one more time. And, one more time knowing that this “one more time” is the rhythm of our journey. 

In this effervescence of living, we understand that we control nothing but our response. It takes vulnerability to accept that within every emotion, every situation, every person is the power to change us. It takes humility to accept that another may not be changed by the interaction. Fiercely remind yourself that you have no control over the healing of another. You can only heal yourself. 

So, choose to heal. Practice self compassion. Forgive yourself and others. Give your self permission to release any grudges while not forgetting the lesson. Know that the next effervescent bubble is beckoning you to be your best, truest self.  

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is an Intuitive Coach, who uses mindfulness practices and intuition tools to create strategies for personal and relationship transformation. She is a professional speaker & author who weaves inner wisdom into all she touches. Her books are available @ www.wildefyrpress.com. Contact Vanessa  (vanessa@intentandaction.com) for life coaching, keynotes, programs, and intuitive consultations.

Website / LinkedIn Profile / Facebook / Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2019

Life's Little Road Blocks

Sometimes on the road to the future we happen  upon a barrier. We come upon a wall that prevents us from reaching a milestone. Instead of being discouraged when that happens, how about peering through the slats of the fence to see the possibilities just beyond the barrier? Look at the barrier as a way station — a place to regroup, take a breath, mindfully engage our spirit as a powerful means of reframing the situation.

For within each barrier is the ability to reframe through discernment. This thoughtful process is one of reflection and introspection. During discernment, we

• are present to the situation by noticing without judgment or defense what we are feeling. We name our experience using all of our senses.
• recognize that there is no shame in our reactions to the barrier and no blame for the barrier’s appearance.
• We welcome the barrier as a time of respite, of regrouping, and of recreating our path.

Through discernment we move through the initial phases of the reframe. Next, we notice what is happening and what we have control over. We name what is outside our sphere of influence. Naming both of these empowers us to create a new perspective. We move from feelings of hopelessness to filling with potential and possibility. 

Think about this — is there something that you really wanted — a job, a car, a relationship, a home, or something else — that you were prevented from obtaining? The barrier that appeared stopped you from gaining the future that you had planned. In the reframe, perhaps you find another path that leads to another goal that is more satisfying or more in alignment with your sol purpose. 

For example: a friend of mine did not get a job he wanted. In retrospect, he said it was a great thing. He started a nonprofit more in alignment with his soul purpose. He, and the nonprofit, have thrived. This would not have happened if he had devoted his time and energy to the mission of the first organization. 

Barriers are not bad; they are not good. They challenge us to look at our lives and discover what is important; what we really need. And, in that discovery lies the power of our soul purpose.

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is an Intuitive Coach, who uses mindfulness practices and intuition tools to create strategies for personal and relationship transformation. She is a professional speaker & author who weaves inner wisdom into all she touches. Her books are available @ www.wildefyrpress.com. Contact Vanessa  (vanessa@intentandaction.com) for life coaching, keynotes, programs, and intuitive consultations.

Website / LinkedIn Profile / Facebook / 

Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2019