Living Curiously

 

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. What strikes me is the fear and anger that oozes from them. I know that our current reality triggers both of those emotions, but I wonder — shouldn’t blogs be uplifting? How do we move from the fear, anger, and reaction to a placed of peace, resolution, and response? It is only in that place of peace that we quiet our self and begin detangling from both the internal and external fear, anger, and subsequent reaction. 

Fear and anger grab us. Spin us around. Discombobulate us. In this bombardment, we get tangled. We lose control. We react. Our power slips away. We become a puppet to be played with by not only our fear and anger but also the situations and people triggering our fear and anger. 

Are you tired of those puppet masters pulling your strings? I know that I am. Here’s the thing — if we want to be our own masters, and I know that I do, we need to surrender into those very emotions that catch us. Now, that may seem counterintuitive, but hear me out. In the surrendering, we no longer hold on to what has triggered us. By disengaging from the uncertainty and the chaos, we engage our curiosity. 

You may be wondering: Why the heck am I so angry? What is causing my fear? Those are the queries of curiosity. Be with those questions. Engage them. Introspect. Be a witness to your own life. Even if you do not feel that you can begin to unpack those questions, at least recognize that you are caught in the maelstrom of uncertainty and chaos. 

Once you are in a place of quiet calm, you can dig a bit deeper. Ask yourself, “What the heck is going on? Why am I so caught up in this feeling? What is this anger, this fear trying to tell me?” 

Listen, without judgment, without expectation. Listen with curiosity. You may hear the same old tired script playing in your mind. Other words, feelings, images might surface. Don’t discount anything. Get out a pen and paper, art supplies. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes. Write, doodle, draw in ways that represent what you heard. Don’t think. Do. 

Once your curiosity is appeased in the moment, ask yourself, “What can I do going forward to slip from this entrapment and become more powerfully me?”

It’s times to realize that the beginning of changing the external chaos isn’t out there. The beginning of transformation is inside. It starts when you understand yourself. In this understanding you begin to heal those parts of yourself rubbed raw by the fear, the uncertainty, the anger. Maybe you walk this journey of transformation alone or perhaps you find someone to help you more strengthen the connection to your core. 

Community Minister Van Hurst is a spiritual director and intuitive mentor. She has a master’s degree in Natural Health, spiritual direction certification, medical intuitive training, and life coach certification. 

Through individual sessions, programs, and books, she assists others in navigating the uncertainty as they cultivate a lived experience of the sacred showing up in expected and unpredictable ways. The result? Her clients shine forth their most authentic, unapologetic spirit.

Are you ready to shine your most authentic, unapologetic spirit? Reach out.  hurst.vanessa@gmail.com

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/uabBDCkyOAY

Listening with your Body

I cannot help but be aware of how uncertain the world is. & how my imperfections are flaring. But, then I realize that imperfections will always be a part of me. I believe that it is part of our life mission to prune some of the most uneven imperfections from our garden. In doing so, we are able to adopt a more nonviolent approach to life. This pruning is not easy. In fact during this chaotic time we find ourselves in, it is very difficult. Difficult but not impossible. 

We begin the process by understanding how our imperfections are integral to who we are and how we interact with the world. Those cuttings of imperfection have a purpose. They are the compost used to grow ourself into the person rooted in our soul. Remember: nothing is our spiritual life is without use. 

The first video in this series led you through the process of listening to imperfections — ours and others. That is just the beginning of the journey and a step that I encourage you to repeat over and over again. The more your understand your imperfections, the greater the chance that you will identify what is triggering you and learn to prevent your reaction switch from flipping. As you become more in tune with your imperfections and prune those that are getting in your way, you begin to create a more nonviolent stance. You show up in ways that don’t diminish who you are while forging a path of compassionate presence.

A teacher of mine, Thomas Merton, reminds us that “mistakes are part of life…it is by making mistakes that we gain experiences…the repeated experience has a positive value.” Imperfections are only negatives when we allow them to be. They are tools for learning. They are our teachers and fellow sojourners on our life journey. We have only to listen.

How do we become aware of what our imperfections are telling us? Through full body listening. This way of attending is being aware of all of your senses while noticing how they are speaking through your body, mind, and emotions. Noticing how those sensations are impacting your spirit. 

Let’s practice: Get comfortable. Move into your core. Find a rhythm within your silence. In this moment,  acknowledge the angst.  Let it go as best you can. Feel your peace well up. Rest in your stillness.

• Remember a situation this was triggering for you. Allow the memory to wash over you. Feel what you feel without judgment, shame, or blame. 
• Notice how your body responded to it. 
• What was going on in your mind? Or, what was your self talk?
• Connect to your emotions. What were you feeling? 

Use your answers to create a picture of how you responded and reacted to the situation. Remember, there is no shame or blame. This exercise is a way of understanding exactly what happened. The goal is to increase your awareness of the triggers until you are able to stop the trigger from flipping.  

Are you on the ultimate quest — living into a stronger, more durable relationship with their sacred in ways that make a difference in their world. I am available for spiritual companioning. Schedule a get-to-know-me chat. Fill out this form.

Van(essa) F. Hurst is an intuitive, a mystic, and a contemplative. As a spiritual director she journeys with seekers on the ultimate quest — living into a stronger, more durable relationship with their sacred in ways that make a difference in their world. She is the author of five books and believes that through our lived experiences, we become the people we are meant to be. Questions? Reach out!

Living in an Uncertain World Imperfectly

In 2018, I wrote the book, “Imperfect in an Uncertain World.” If you do not remember, there was a lot of uncertainty and fear raging across the globe and in the US. Families and communities fractured. This book was an attempt to address some real internal repercussions of what was occurring externally. To put it another way: “Why were we feeling so much personal discomfort and dissonance?” 

It's now 2025 — the way of life in which I was raised is no longer. Looking back I can see where the US culture had these alt right tendencies for much of my 60+ years, but I was either unaware or had just bought into the illusions. By the time I woke up — about 25 years ago — we were thigh high in the muck. 

Like many of you, I am discouraged. Somedays I feel really impotent. How can I be the change that Gandhi calls us to be? That is where my book, “Imperfect in an Uncertain World” comes in. I am going to offer a series of blogs and videos with activities that encourage us (you and me) to dig into who we are. To tether to our core. To act from that tether. 

I don’t have many answers, but I’ve got a slew of questions and plenty of suggestions. I am inviting you to start at the core, your core. How can each of us mine the gold and the shadow and weave them together in ways that has us showing up authentically? 

We are imperfect. The world is uncertain. While we cannot change life’s uncertainty, we can shift how we view that uncertainty and how we show up in the midst of the turmoil. We can see our imperfections not as bad but, once befriended, as the basis of our superpower. Our imperfections power our abilities to act effectively in a chaotic world.

Each of us is being called to a paradigm shift — to radically change how we show up in this world. That shift will make us more authentic, more vulnerable, more humble, and much more durable. 

So, let’s begin.

Get comfortable. Move into your core. Find a rhythm within your silence. In this moment,  acknowledge the angst.  Let it go as best you can. Feel your peace well up. Rest in your stillness.

Deep in your core is an imperfection wanting to be heard. Invite your imperfection to make itself known. 

Step1: Identify this imperfection that is calling to you. Spend sometime fleshing it out. Bring it to life. 

• Recall how this character trait/attitude/ way of showing up negatively impacted you. 
• How is this imperfection causing suffering? Allow your self to feel all of the emotions around this. Remember: this is about you. You need not share this with anyone other than you. 
• Identify the challenge in the imperfection. (If you are not quite sure, that is okay for now. What is important is that you can name the imperfection.
• What have you learned from this time of reflection? 

I find it helpful to write this down. It allows me to better understand. Sometimes writing will trigger other knowings, epiphanies for me.. 

Step2:  Name an imperfection in another. It’s often easier to see the issues with another than with our self. 

• What does the imperfection trigger in you?
• How did you react when you were triggered?
• What did you tell yourself about the other person? The situation? 
• Identify your challenge in the imperfection. Or, how are you being called to be within the experience?

Step3: Using the experience in Step2, name the imperfection that is being triggered in you. Use the questions in step1 to better understand how your imperfection is part of the schism. In this, come up with one way that you can change. Not the other person, not the situation — you are changing you.

These steps are a practice of better understanding you. You can practice all three steps together; you can practice step1 by itself, you can practice step2 and step3 together. Do not practice step2 by itself. It will only add to triggering your own imperfections and widening the schism.

This is the foundational practice. I will offer other practices that will help you to strengthen the foundation from which all of your thoughts and actions and words are triggered. 

Are you on the ultimate quest — living into a stronger, more durable relationship with their sacred in ways that make a difference in their world. I am available for spiritual companioning. Schedule a get-to-know-me chat. 

Van(essa) F. Hurst is an intuitive, a mystic, and a contemplative. As a spiritual director she journeys with seekers on the ultimate quest — living into a stronger, more durable relationship with their sacred in ways that make a difference in their world. She is the author of five books and believes that through our lived experiences, we become the people we are meant to be.

 

A New Year’s Blessing

2024 will soon be a wispy memory. 2025 is here! It will be a year filled with transformational energy and uncertainty. One things is certain was we move into the New Year: we have nothing if we do not have each other.  Community and relationship is so important now. So, hand-in-hand, let’s dive into the new!

As I write this, I remember being younger…you know that time when using paper money and coins was a thing? I would be so excited to get that first new shiny penny each year. A new penny symbolized bright hope for me. I’ve long since transitioned to Apple Pay, so most pennies that I find are littered on the ground and are often battered and grungy. I’ve discovered that I don’t need those bright shiny pennies for hope any more. There is  magic and hope in those battered pennies — the stories it could tell!

Where is my hope this year? I am beginning my 10th month of community ministry certification and a year of building a spiritual direction practice. What have I learned in 2024? To channel Margaret Wheatley as she reminds us that “relationship is all there is.” I have been living into that more and more as I explore this leg of my journey and help others explore theirs.

Life is scary and uncertain. Lots to grieve; lots to find joy in. No matter where we find our self, this year, we are called to connect, to enjoy one another, to stretch outside our limited boundaries, to reach out without any expectations. A year of opportunities:  a chance encounter with an intimate strange. A fleeting connection that  changes you. Engaging and deepening a relationship. Connecting with nature.  All of these connections, and more, are reminders that we are not alone — that we are in this together. 

I have never been so ready to begin a new year. To let the year 2024 slip into my past. To gather what I have learned into my rucksack and enter 2025 poised to find ways to make a difference. I want to show up and support those in my circle. To widen my circle. To take risks and appreciate the possibilities. I hope that you are poised to do the same.  

Thank you for being in my circle — for allowing me to journey with you, for challenging me to step into the margins and leave the constraints of boundaries behind, for being part of my courageous journey into the new. 

#inthistogether, van(essa)

Van(essa) F. Hurst is an intuitive, a mystic, and a contemplative. As a spiritual director she journeys with seekers on the ultimate quest — living into a stronger, more durable relationship with their sacred in ways that make a difference in their world. She is the author of five books and believes that through our lived experiences, we become the people we are meant to be. 

Reach out to me: hurst.vanessa@gmail.com  vanessafhurst.com

A Magic Iridescence in the Air

There is a magic, an iridescence in the air. It invites us to surge past worries, anxieties, fears into a land of hope where the possibilities of our dreams and desires rest. What is this magic? How do we get it? Well, I have a secret. I have to confess. We already have it. That magic rests within us — it’s rooted deeply in our core and blossoms with our courage, confidence, creativity, and conviction. 

Courage

I don’t know about you, but countless times I have convinced myself that I couldn’t apply for that job — I wasn’t qualified. Or, I couldn’t offer my services — imposter syndrome, anyone? These are just the tips of my fears. But, those times that I called upon my courage and submitted the application, I often got an interview. Maybe I didn’t always get the job, but I got the interview! When I submitted the program idea, I often presented the program. You know what happened? It buoyed my confidence. 

Confidence

Sometimes we are so busy convincing our self what we can’t to that energy of can-do is deflated. An amazing thing happens when we have the courage to try. We begin to understand how capable we are . We own our skills and abilities. We become conscious of our power and celebrate the unique wonder of who we are. We push the boundaries past our perceived limitations and find ourself in the realm of creative.

Creativity 

We do not have to be an artist in a conventional sense to be creative. One who uses their imagination and abilities to produce something unique is an artist. What you create is a reflection of your core. Share it with the world. When you do, your creative spirit bursts forth in ways that intensify that magic, the iridescence in your life. 

Conviction — yeah. Without conviction you would not have the courage, the confidence, the creativity to show up as you. If you have’t realized it yet, that is the magic — being your imperfect self in an uncertain world.

Here’s to the beauty of your spirit shining through each courageous act, every confident moment, and every creative sharing. Here’s to living with conviction that you are who the world has been waiting for. 

Vanessa Hurst is the author of Imperfect in an Uncertain World filled with resources for you to live with magical conviction. As an intuitive catalyst/spiritual director, she guides individuals in recognizing and responding to their intuition. Curious? Schedule an intuitive conversation.  

Intuition Incoming!

Lately my intuition has been on fire. Everywhere I turn, I hear, “incoming!” Sparks are flaring in dreams, on walks, in the words of another, even in emails. Exhausting? No. Exhilarating? Heck yeah! I do admit that it is easy to get overwhelmed by all the stimulation.

How not to get overwhelmed? I don’t get too concerned by the little blips that spark and, in a curls of smoke, go poof! If I need to attend to them, they will return with a brighter light. As the spark flares its way into my life, I can no longer ignore it. I must breathe into it…make it mine.

Aware, I attend to it in the moment. I can ask myself: What is that murder of crows cawing at me? What is the meaning of the dream symbols? How do the words of a friend trigger an inner knowing? These are just examples. The ways that intuition comes to us is varied — and longer than I can list here!

Don’t have time to decipher your intuition in the moment? Jot down the key noticings. You can write it down, use the memo app on your phone, or even audiotape it. When you have time, return to it. 

Here’s what I do to use the notes as a spark. 

• If it is a symbol in a dream, I begin to write what I remember and then let my intuition fill in the rest. As I write, I am mindful about any meaning I attribute to the symbols within. I don’t stress if things don’t come. The key is to keep my pen on the paper and write. I don’t think, I just write what comes to me.  You can do the same.
• If it is a symbol or sign, write what I remember and what surfaced inside of me. Then I look up online the symbol or sign. For example, search for “crow meaning.” I see if anything brings an aha to my search. 
• If a conversation triggers an intuitive aha, I spend sometime reflecting on the message. I find that writing it down works best for me. What comes from what the person is saying? I write until I have exhausted your understanding of the message.

Intuition is not an exact science. The more you dig into the messages, the easier it will be to decipher, understand, and respond to them. In time you will be flowing within the mystery and magic of your intuition regularly. 

Vanessa Hurst is the author of As Natural As Breathing: Being Intuitive. As an intuitive catalyst, she guides individuals in recognizing and responding to their intuition. Curious? Schedule an intuitive conversation. 

Big Fluffy Flakes: A Tale of Curiosity

Big fluffy flakes of wet float down upon a chilly world. Peer closely! Within those flakes twinkle wonder. Breathe deeply of the wonder, and the world changes if only for the moment — the barren trees and ground, coated in those big fat flakes, appear magical. I, and maybe you, cannot help but laugh at the joy of those magical snowflakes. 

Several hours later the world has returned to its wintery, weary monochrome. Peer into the monochrome. What do you find?  Silence. Step into the quiet, rest in the moment. What is there? The ghosts of those flakes that beat with simple wonder.

The ghost whispers seem to say, “Life is uncertain. Sometimes within this unknown, life is really hard. It is filled with blips. Don’t give up. There are messages in the the unknown, in the blips.” I sigh accepting this truth. Another truth resonates through me. It is the magic, the mystery, twining in those impermanent flakes. 

I sense this iridescent thread of mystery that connects me to the other and the other to me. Yes, we are in peculiar times. It is true that the world is uncertain. These “truths” are just part of the picture. Those falling snowflakes fill me with curiosity. I ask, “what else is there?” I ponder, “what if I dance and laugh and feel the joy in the beauty of each moment?”

Curiosity. We choose to see the sparkling magic or we can choose to ignore it. Sometimes the ignoring isn’t conscious. We are scurrying from what was to what will be. In the scurrying, we miss the moments of wonder. When these magical moments slip past us, we stay stuck in the mundane. 

Mindful, we feel the fear threaded through the uncertainty while seeking to know what is just beyond our knowing. We know that courage will lift us into another space. That space? The extraordinary that is hidden in plain site. 

To discover the extraordinary, we attend to the moment. Aware we notice the steps that we take from what happened before to what will happen. Only within those in-between steps do we see the mystery unfolding…feel the mystery unfolding…know the flare of a spark deep inside ourself echoing the mystery. 

Aware we dive deep into our life. Each moment of the dive helps us see our purpose and live it with unbridled glee. Life is uncertain, impermanent, but with mindfulness we can experience each magical moment. In the experience we are made better. 

Van Hurst, ms, is an intuitive-coach-catalyst. She uses mindfulness practices and intuition tools to create strategies for navigating the mundane and extraordinary. The result of time with Van? An evolving blueprint for your life that sustains 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. 

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