Sparks in Wisdom's Fire: April 2022

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

the earth speaks. what do you hear?

the earth speaks the language of mystery

The earth speaks the language of mystery that only the soul can hear. With each breath mystery twines into our body, curving around our heart, lighting shadows. Lifted into the light, infused with courage, we no longer fear what lurks in the shadows. Curious we move into the unknown.

breathe deeply of its magic

The magic teases our nose, its kaleidoscopic nature dances across our eyes, it pulls us farther and farther from our comfort. Dare we dance in the margins, the place that invites us to breathe deeply of the magic? I say yes. For in that place of comforting unknown we recognize that we are exactly where we need to be on this journey from here to everywhere. The magic ignites our internal-eternal flame that twines throughout our spirit.

push our roots into our soul

Push the tendrils of the internal-eternal flame deeper and deeper into our self. It cracks apart our certainty. The tendrils of mystery flow from us into the great beyond. These roots break us open to a new way of being. They bring us into a place where the lines of our self and others are blurred. We are part of a tangle of roots — some ours and some others, all creates an eternal knot entwined within my being.

spark the wisdom at our core

Mystery weaves through the widening gaps of our spirit. The tangles push us closer and closer to the edge of paradox where we become the tangle of earth whispers. This chitter-chatter calls us deeper into our self. We enter our core where we discover that we have never been alone. Following our roots, we discover the stems of others growing from them. We find our voice within the roots and stems.

give voice to our truth

Resting in the dialogue between us and Earth, we are unsure of where we are called. We know not where we are going or what any of this means. It matters not if we do not understand the words — it is the mystery within the message that matters. It reminds us to breathe deeply into our soul and give voice to our truth.

In the language of mystery, we discover that we are not so different after all. Like trees and flowers, birds and foxes, other humans, we are called to be uniquely our self in this glorious tangle of life. And in this be-ing, we share our self with the world.

Van Hurst, ms, is an intuitive-coach-catalyst. As a contemplative coach, she uses mindfulness practices and intuition tools to create strategies for navigating the mundane and extraordinary. The result of time with Van? Creating a blueprint for your life through a deeper connection to your intuition and contemplative nature.

Van is a professional speaker & author who weaves inner wisdom into all she touches. Her books are available @ www.wildefyrpress.com. Her most recent book, As Natural As Breathing: Being Intuitive, is available on Amazon. Contact Vanessa for life coaching, intuitive consultations, keynotes, and programs.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Illusion and the Beating Heart

Deep inside my heart beats a tattoo — a reminder to be me.

We live in a world filled with illusion and authentic. Sometimes it’s really hard to tell the difference. In the confusion it is really difficult to live authentically. I think we’ve all been there: any illusion is so good that we get sucked into it.

Then there are the illusions we feel that we have to perpetrate. How many times have you’ve found yourself acting in a particular way because it was expected of you? If you’ve worn the false face of that illusion, you know how exhausting it is.

How many times has someone assigned motives to your behavior because of something that they have believed? How many times have you done the same? I have more than I want to admit. What was real was clouded by our relationship with the person, our judgments and assumptions, or our life experience, and we just could not see what was real.

Have you found yourself giving into the illusion because, hey! It’s sometimes easier to go along with the flow — to not ruffle feathers, to be who another person thinks we are or needs us to be.

But, giving in to the illusion has a toll. A fatigue permeates our body, mind, spirit, and heart. The connection to the real is obscured. We lose sight of who we are at our core. We are adrift in a sea of illusion that we futilely try to make real. But it is impossible to make an authentic reality from an illusion.

Finding our way back to the core while not impossible requires a commitment to being who we are. That commitment begins with ongoing self-discovery and a willingness to name the many part of us — what we like, what is messy, what is neutral. It continues as we dive deeply into our core, the place our sacred spark burns brightly.

I bet once you connect to your core, you will discover the you that you fall in love with over and over again. The you that gives you the courage to live in this fiercely beautiful, ever evolving world.

How do you light the path to your core?

Be aware of who you are. Ask yourself, “who am I,” over and over again. Honor the authentic in your response. Notice when you get tripped into illusion. Celebrate the real. Trust in the light you find at the core.
Name the illusions. Maybe you are adept enough in noticing when they show up. If so, name them! You may only notice an illusion sometime after you got sucked into it. It doesn’t matter when you notice it. The goal is to be aware of it. In your awareness percolates your power.
Let the illusion go. Be honest about what is you. What is illusion. You may find yourself responding with compassion to yourself and another as you acknowledge and then let go the illusion. Letting go fills you with the power to be you!
Ask yourself how you can show up as your best, most authentic self. Come up with a plan…it can be as simple as responding in the moment or as complex as a lifelong plan of engagement. To be authentic is to show up as the spark that flares from your core.
Trust that you have the courage to be you! It’s really scary to be you when others believe something else. It’s scary to stand in your own power. You know what I’ve discovered? Each time you show up as your real authentic self, it gets easier.

Deep inside your heart beats a reminder tattoo — a reminder to be you. That is the you who is a gift. In sharing your authentic self with the world you change it for the better.

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Taking Life As It Is…What Does That Even Mean?

When I think about life as it is, I am reminded of a saying that has been attributed to the mystic Julian of Norwich, “All will be well and, in the manner of all things, all will be well.” At times life is messy, chaotic, and filled with what we do not desire. We may attempt to hold tightly to our illusions and create a more palatable, if unrealistic, view of what life, our life, should be. That creation is a fantasy, which supposedly fulfills our desires and wants. Unfortunately it does not, because it is not real.

Chaos is inherent in life as it is. Of course, within chaos lies possibility. In our struggle to live life according to the illusion we hold to, we throw our life and authentic self out of balance. Until we accept life as it is, we lack the springboard on which to launch a life that is all it can be. All will be well when we align our personal experience of reality with life as it is. Only through this alignment will we discover the possibilities that are beautiful, right, and life-giving in our world.

Life is a wondrous roller-coaster ride that gives us both the greatest joy and the deepest despair, and every emotion in the between. We experience life’s roller coaster only in the present moment. We can only enjoy this ride and move in alignment with our authentic self by accepting the joys and the sorrows and the in-be- tweens for what they are. This acceptance is the gate through which new possibility manifests.

Accepting life as it is requires us to integrate what I call the 4nons into all of our interactions: non- attachment, non-judgment, non-defensiveness, and non- violence. When we approach life with these four stances, our ability to respond is enhanced and our need to react lessened. Through the 4nons, we connect to our quiet mind and see our response flexibility increase.

Response flexibility refers to the pliability or ease with which we choose to respond instead of react. Between a trigger and our response or reaction is a pause. How we gear up to act in that moment is a result of our response flexibility. Our ability to respond is made brittle or inflexible when we live out of our preconceived judgments and assumptions. An inflexible response ultimately drives a hurtful or harmful reaction. If our fears and worries are triggered, our instinct is to react. We cause harm.

Each moment of cultivated awareness results in a more flexible response to life and its challenges. Non-attachment, non-defensiveness, non-judgment, and non-violence all increase response flexibility and help us to respond to life as it is, in loving, compassionate ways.

Ready to learn more about living life as it is? Read Engaging Compassion Through Intent and Action (this is an excerpt)

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Showers & Flowers

April showers bring May flowers. Remember that? Lately, I’ve found that those showers that bring flowers don’t always happening in April. With ongoing climate change, flowers can pop up after showers in just about any month. And those other showers in our lives? Well, they bring flowers anytime, anywhere.

What about those showers and flowers in our life? Do you have showers in your life? I know that I do. They can be an irritating drizzle wearing my attention down or the clap and flash of a thunderstorm. Most are every day showers that wet the ground of my soul.

No matter what, those showers say to me, “Hey! Look beyond yourself. Pay attention! You are missing something BIG.” And, when I listen, I see into the splattering of the rain and envision the potential of flowers.

Showers are just another name for life challenges and life lessons. These are opportunities that encourage us to show up as our best, most courageous, most authentic self. They wash away the grime of our illusions until all we have left is our true self and what is really REAL.

As we meet challenges, learn lessons we may even find our self liking the rain. If you are like me, you may find yourself dancing in the rain! Is there a better way to meet those challenges than dancing through the moment?

I remember during my college years donning a pair of cloth Mary Janes when it rained. I would skip through puddles, spin around, and turn my head toward the sky. All the while I laughed for the sheer joy of the rain. I hope that I meet most of my challenges in the same way today.

The rain, like challenges and lessons, invigorates me. I mean, it is only a bit of water falling from the sky. Maybe I get a bit wet, but hey! that’s life. This I ask myself, “What would life be without rain?” The world would be dry and arid. A whole lot boring. While the rain may be challenging, it is also daring and wild and fierce and magical.

As I dance through the rain present in a life challenge, an amazing thing happens. In place of those met challenges and learned lessons, flowers appear. Maybe they are flowers that I might have chosen for more garden. Others might be wild, fiercely beautiful, exotic surprises.

One thing is for sure: this field of blossoms is something that I could never have dreamed would have been created by the showers in my life.

The winds of March have given way to sunnier, warmer weather. April showers are inevitable.

What challenges will you attempt this month as you prepare for the flowers…whenever they blossom in your life?