Sparks in Wisdom's Fire: imperfect

Showing posts with label imperfect. Show all posts

Sunday, March 2, 2025

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!

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Who is right?

How was your January? Now that we are moving though the beginning of February, that question has come up a lot. More than one person told me “it was the longest ‘year’ they had been through in a while.” I smiled. Year, not month.

The opposite was true for me. As I wrote my daily reflection arcs and posted them to Facebook, the month flew by! Now we are in February which seems to be zipping by, too.

Who is right? The Other? Me? Neither? Both? It depends upon your perception. An awareness of the way we see the world. Lately, I’ve been realizing how fluid the world is. How it is changing constantly. As things change, the way we see the world shift. I have been trying to shift my perception, to inject a little fluidity into it.

How do you see the world? Have you ever really thought about your perception versus the ways that others see the world? Some things to reflect upon to gain a greater understanding of how you see the world:

Do you seen life in the big picture, the details, or a combination? What does that look like for you?
It life literal or figurative for you? How does that present itself?
Is life static — you get what you get — or do you reframe?
In this moment how do you see yourself and your interactions in the wider world?

These are just beginning ponderings. Perhaps they will provide greater clarity. Don’t feel like you need to know the answers to each questions. Our perceptions shifts as we transform. Sit with the questions. Allow the answers to percolate up inside you. Spend time in reflection. Open yourself to an epiphany of meaning.

How was your January? As you answer that question look for shifts in how you see this moment knowing that your moment flows into the hours that become days that become weeks that become months that become years that become your life.

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.

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Magic Shimming from the Cracks

Magic is in the air. Can you feel it? A wild, wonderful effervescence of being. The magic twines through life’s uncertainty and illuminates the imperfections in our being. Within each of us is the mysterious beauty of imperfection. This wild beauty draws our attention to the mystery hidden within each imperfection.

This is not an awareness that smack our hands and whispers, “bad!” No, this awareness invites us into the mystery of who we are. It awakens our curiosity of the why and how this imperfection, a crack, came into being. From this crack our spirit sings forth and soars high into the stratosphere of our soul. This song urges us into our true self.

Any crack that we discover is not bad; it is not good. Each fracture is a beautiful necessity for our growth. As Leonard Cohen reminds us, “there is a crack in everything, that is how the light gets in.” Through those cracks in our being the light gets into our self. Through these cracks, our light escapes into the world. Through the cracks we connect.

These cracks are badges of courage. We practice bravery when learning lessons and meeting challenges. Each crack calls us into our self. As the light shines through the cracks, we breath in sacred light and heal. As the light flows from our cracks, we share our healing with the world. Within the mystery of this healing, magic shimmers. This magic makes us who were are.

Really what is magic? Dion Fortune reminds us that magic is “changing consciousness at will.” When we change our perception of our imperfections, when they are no longer bad or good, our life transforms. When we operate from a place of neutral, we take full advantage of the wisdom within those imperfections. Through that wisdom, we hold on tight to this wild ride and show up exactly as we are.

So, there’s magic in the air. Breathe deeply. Let it seep into your cracks. There is much light to share — yours, mine, and the sacred. Within the sharing, we become whole.

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Oh Those Scary Places!

The world is this magical, wondrous, uncertain place. Sometimes I grapple for the words that will make the world a little less uncertain, a bit more harmonious, somewhat more in alignment with who I am. Then I realize that this world is a magical, mysterious uncertain place that I am meant to navigate with fierce courage.

Yes, the world is devastatingly uncertain. That can be scary. Don’t we all want some certainty in our life? I know that I do. What’s that saying? Oh, yeah: the only things certain are death and taxes. True or not, we want so much more to be certain while never realizing that life is meant to be lived courageously within the cracks of uncertainty.

What are within those cracks of uncertainty? Drawer nearer. Listen closely. Seeping through those crevices are our hope, our dreams — the very essence of life.

It’s in the navigating of uncertainty, the rising to the inherent challenges, that is so fulfilling. We can dive fiercely into those cracks and discover what is hidden in the crevices OR we can timidly squeeze our eyes shut refusing to go into those places that scare us.

Oh these scary places! If you are like me, you’ve spent a lot of time with eyes scrunched tightly shut followed by moments of lamentation. “How much opportunity did I miss?” & “Could that opportunity have been the BIG one?” When we don’t glide through those cracks of uncertainty, we cannot know for certain those answers.

Because we did not take the leap into the chasm of uncertainty, we weren’t able to discover the shimmer of hope, the mystery of our potential, the magic of possibility. We could not follow the iridescent threads leading to dreams sparked by the essence of our life.

How do we meet challenges? By showing up fiercely, wildly courageous? Acknowledge the uncertainty. Own the fear. Actively question where the opportunity is. Even if you cannot identify the uncertainty, the fear, the possibility, know that they are present. Know that opportunity doesn’t always manifest on our timeline. It happens when we intentionally listen to our intuition and respond to what is said.

Be mindful. Possibility rises up in the most inopportune moments. Our intuition is a trickster. It wants to see if we are truly listening, paying attention. All we can do is trust that within us is the knowing to guide us through the magical wonder of uncertainty and into the possibility of living with purpose. And, that we are prepared to listen to its guidance.

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? Being the change you want to see in the world by creating a blueprint for your life through a deeper connection to your intuition and contemplative nature.

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Totally own who you are

Sometimes I return to my Reiki roots and the intentional practice of mindfulness. Those three words that begin each Reiki Principle: just for today bring me into the moment. These just for today words tumble from my intuitive core: just for today totally own who you are, be your own person, shine your light, the world needs you as you are.

Let’s break down that intuitive message.

Just for Today: Totally own who you are

I don’t know about you, but I seldom totally own who I am. Yeah, I can embrace the me reflected in moments of listening, being compassionate, practicing patience, listening my intuition, and exercising. But, those other ways of being: impatient, frustrated, ignoring my inner wisdom, and overeating, are times that I don’t even want to acknowledge much less own who I am.

On my good days, I can see how all parts of me — the light and the shadow — create the total picture. The shadow represented by my frustration, impatience, ignoring, and overeating gives me opportunity to pay attention to what is triggering these reactions. In befriending my shadow, I can understand how my peaceful self gets blotted out by all those triggers.

When I totally own my loud brash as well as my quiet calm, I can appreciate that those that ways of being I’m not so thrill about are actually powerful. Their energy helps power the parts of me that are more shy and reserved about showing up as my best self. That loudness reveals not only the weeds but also the rutted path of my growth.

Just for Today: Be your own person

Will I ever be a calm gentle listening person 100% of the time? Will you ever be the person you most desire? I hope so for both of us but probably not. Owning all parts of myself creates that wildfire of me — you know, being my own person. Through those sparks within the fire, I see more clearly who I am. I can choose where I place my energy and how to temper the wildfire energy in parts of my life that need change.

Just for Today: Shine your light

In the light I can be my own person. I set boundaries. I am gracious. I share compassion. I learn to be comfortable within the shine of my body/mind/spirit/heart. I can enter the shadows knowing that I am my own light. Whatever I find in the shadows become opportunity. While I feel fear, I also call upon my courage to transform into my truest self. Yeah, shining that light means being my own person no matter what I find in the corners of my being.

Just for Today: The world needs you exactly as you are

I am not perfect. I am wounded like everyone else. Without an awareness of our wounds, we navigate our self into one detour after another. But, it need not be that way. Might I recommend the book I wrote about navigating our lives in awareness of our woundedness? Imperfect in an Uncertain World.

The world cannot wait for us to do everything just right. We don’t have the luxury of getting everything right. We are imperfect, wounded beings who are here to make the world a brighter place.

In the crazy of the day the uncertainty of the moment, the world needs us to show up and be the compassion, the peace, the light that makes the minute changes that truly transform the world into a better place. I hope you will join me.

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

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

simply beautiful, fierce, & wild

Life is experienced in the moment. It is a journey not spent scurrying from here to there but taken relishing each step along the way. To live simply, beautifully, fiercely, and wild is an experience of taking time, of noticing, of be-ing.

When we are truly present, we notice what is causing imbalance in our life. We name what pulls us from the here and now. In those moments, the worry, the frustration, the fear leach from our being. Any tunnel vision widens until we gain a new perspective. It’s not that the worry, frustration, and fear just magically disappear; no, through our awareness their hold on us loosens.

What does it mean to be in the moment? For me, being in the moment is about where I place my awareness. I notice what is happening —

What is going on physically in my body as well as what is happening in the natural and human made worlds.
How my emotions are speaking. I listen to the conversation happening in my body, my mind, my heart. I attend to how the dialogue impacts my body and inform my mind.
What is going on internally: how is my mind noticing words, images, sensations. What judgments, assumptions leap from that noticing. How I am prepared to respond/react?
How my spirit weaves through the other aspects of my being. Where the sacred is present in each moment.

As you can see, being is the moment encompasses all four aspects of our being. When we fully engage with our body/mind/spirit/heart, we do not have the energy to explore the past or leap into the future. We live fully in the present recognizing that there is a lot going on in each evolving moment.

For me, when I focus in the present, I discover the roots of my worry, my frustration, my fear. Through reflection and introspection, I better understand why and how I get pulled from the moment. I better understand how my triggers can explode into reactions. I see avenues to neutralizing triggers and responding.

The moment is a place of external and internal understanding. I know at a soul level that the imperfections and resulting behaviors of another have nothing to do with me and everything to do with them. And, I can own my imperfections in ways that channel my energy away from reaction into gentle response. In this understanding I can resolve to be simply me.

Life is simply a moment by moment journey through the beautiful, fierce wild. I can approach each tangle with fatigue or with curiosity. With curiosity, the tangle becomes an intricate weave of opportunity. An opportunity that gifts me with the resources I need to navigate fully, completely to my sacred core.

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is an intuitive-coach-catalyst. As a contemplative coach, she uses mindfulness practices and intuition tools to create strategies for navigating those scary places. The result? Creating a blue print for your life through a deeper connection to your intuition. She 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, August 10, 2021

Resilience: Because Change is HARD

Resilience. How flexible and open to change are you? As I slip from one year into the next, I am increasingly more aware of, well, how stuck in my ways I can be — how resistive I am to change because change is HARD.

But, then, that not-so-little voice inside of me asks, “Are you ready to atrophy?” I shudder. Then it reminds me, “You’ve seen people who are stuck in their ways. Heck, you’ve even bee stuck in your ways too many times to count. Do you want to be the person who stubbornly clings to what isn’t working because you are afraid of change?” Yeah, that voice can be harsh at times.

So, I scoff, “Of course not.” Honestly? It is all too easy to be that person who stubbornly clings to what it. I can convince myself that to move to the rhythm of change is just too hard. Sometimes, more than I want to admit, I am resistive to change. This resistance is born from the fear of what if.

An amazing thing happened. One day I woke up. I noticed how I was getting stuck in the mundane, the rout. I noticed that while I wasn’t particularly happy, my emotional state was not enough to jar me into a change. To take those chances that would bring me into a new way. To be flexible, resilient.

Then not-so-little things happened. When I didn’t exercise, I notices how stiff I was. When I read only fiction, I noticed how difficult it was for me to identify logical patterns. And, when I became a hermit, I noticed how difficult it was for me to meaningfully engage others. My conclusion? These activities contributed to a lack of resilience. Too stuck in my ways, I had become inflexible.

I realized how my lack of resilience was impacting the whole of my life. I hadn’t just isolated parts of myself — body, mind, spirit, and emotions. My inflexibility impacted the whole shebang. I recognized that if I continued on this path of rigidity what my future would hold. Peering into the future I saw the the possibility of my life look like in five months or five years if I refused to even contemplate change.

As my awareness increased, I began to notice how I reacted to anyone who suggested change. I identified my resistance. Next, I trained myself to notice how my body reacted to potential change, what flitted across my mind, and what emotions were roused. I noticed what was likely to shut me down.

Next, I reminded myself to identify the fear, the uneasy, the uncertainty. To breathe through my resistance. And, I learned to say to myself, “tell me more.” The more often was enough to untangle the inflexibility and feed my resilience.

From this mindfulness practice I shifted from being stuck in what was to being open to possibility. I discovered that while I do not always say yes, I am resilient as I dig into my no — to discover if I am resistive to change or if my intuition is saying, “tread lightly.”

Maybe I am not as resilient as I would like to be, but I am now able to use my wisdom to choose which change I will integrate in my life and which is not possible in the moment. That is the power of my resilient heart.

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

You. Are. Loved.

I. Am. Loved. Say those words. Let them flow over your being. Feel them sink into your soul. Allow them to resonate in your body.

I. Am. Loved. Let the sweet nectar of those words flavor burst inside of your. Breathe in the wonder, the joy, the grace of those words. Awaken to the beauty at your core.

I. Am. Loved. Believe it. Be it. Know it without a doubt.

Doesn’t it feel wonderful to know — to feel in the marrow of your being that you are loved? I know that when I feel loved, the world shifts. It becomes brighter. I feel lighter. And, I admit that accepting that knowing is one of the most difficult things that I do. Sometimes it is hard to really believe that I am loved with that intensity. That I am loved unconditionally.

Maybe you are one of the lucky ones who has never experienced that moment of doubt about being. Maybe you have always recognized the love that surrounds you. Maybe you have always known deep at your core that being loved is a right not a privilege. If so, can you teach us how to make the leap across the chasm of self doubt into self acceptance?

Because with self acceptance come possibility. We recognize that all things are possible with love. So, when love wraps me in her warm embrace and I hug her back, the struggles aren’t so tough. In fact, they fall away. I not only have a place in the world, but love reminds me that most of all, I belong to myself. Love reminds me that I am worthy and incredible things are waiting for me to accept them. With love I take my place in this world of enough.

I. Am. Loved. Three radical words that bring with them self acceptance. That are the light that brings you ever closer to recognizing that you am not becoming anything. You am exactly who you need to be in this moment. And, that is awesome.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

I am my dream

that is all the hope I need

As I edge closer to a milestone birthday, I find myself returning to the dreams of my younger self. Wondering why they didn’t quite manifest. How I went in a totally different direction of where I thought I’d be. Sometimes comparing where you are now with those dreams from time past can be difficult if not downright depressing. If I am not careful, I can get stuck in the if-only doldrums.

Then I remind myself that there are no guarantees, and life is not a static line from here to there. It is a sobering thought to realized that any of those dreams could have been attained only to have a kink occur in my lifeline. The dream could have imploded as my life was jerked off course into another path. My motto has become when dreaming, expect the unexpected.

Then I thought, “what if I am my dream?” Instead of taking a micro-view of my life — saying if this, then that — what if I took a macro-view? That is seeing my hopes and dreams not as the goal, but as guides to living with soul purpose. With this stance, I can live firmly in the moment where every thought, action, and words creates the dream that is me.

If I truly believe this, then there are no wrong decisions, no wrong steps. Everything that I do — that you do — is a manifestation of the dream. We live that dream even when we cannot connect our thoughts, words, and actions to the dream. I see it like this: even when the night is so dark or the sun too bright to see clearly into our core, we can act from our core. When we act from that core, we are our dream.

Do you feel a sense of relief at not having to decide upon THE dream or fearing each step you take will lead you further and further away from the dream? I know that I do. So, let’s reframe the dream: when I am the dream, everything that I do, all that I am, is a reflection of the me at my core. It really is that simple. Kinda.

Now I am not saying that you, or me, that we cannot have hopes or long term goals. No, those are important. What I am saying that we, step-by-step, create this wondrous life wherever, whatever, and however we find ourself. We create this not in a planning session, but in each moment we choose to be true to ourself.

Maybe as I edge ever closer to this milestone year, I am finally accepting that I am the dream. No matter where I have found myself or will find myself on this journey, I will always be my dream. This dream has nothing to do with external accomplishments and everything to do with the beauty that sparks from the center of my being.

I am my dream...and that is all I need. HBU?

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

An Emotion Is Only An Emotion Until We Give It Power

There is a brightness in the world, a turning of perception. Can you feel it? I can. I am not sure what it means, but the world appears different — it pulses with opportunity. I feel change within each breath.

But, change is a tricky thing. Just when you are certain that every thing has slipped into place, you discover another piece of the change. As change realigns, the whole image of what you believe is happening shifts. Sometimes that realignment is really tough to move through.

What do you do in that moment? Do you give up? Plow through the unexpected? If you are like me, you spend a long moment filled becoming almost overwhelmed by the frustration of plans thwarted. Then, after allowing the frustration to rise up and then slid off your being — you know, let it ride its course — I get back onto the new path of change.

Let’s back up. How does frustration run its course? For me, it begins with identifying the feeling. Saying to myself, “I am frustrated!” Although it is really hard, I need to find a way to be okay with the frustration. An emotion is only an emotion until we give it power over us. So, I don’t cling to the frustration. I am objective about it. I don’t make it any more of a part of me than the passing emotion it is.

I notice the emotion while not judging it as good or bad or not-this-again! I don’t defend my right to be frustrated. I just notice the frustration and how it is attempting to get its grappling hooks into me. In this noticing, I do not give the emotion any real energy. Yes, being objective is as hard as it sounds. Remember, this is about practice making our skills permanent not making our execution of these skills perfect.

For you see, when I identify the emotion instead of identifying with it, I no longer take it so personally. It is just another challenge on this journey of transformation. I curiously and objectively enter the change with all its twists and turns. My daring and courage propel me into exactly where I need to be.

Change is rarely straightforward. It is messy, uncertain. In the unknowing comes the power to be who I truly am — who you truly are. Feeling an emotion is about finessing it, learning from it, and using the power behind it to be the change. That is what is so desperately needed in this world.

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Name It. Reframe It.

The world is a wild, wonderful, gentle, ferocious place. Yeah, it’s a place of contractions. Both external and internal. Do you feel the internal contradictions simmering? Do you feel them boiling, edging closer to the rim of your being? Maybe they slip over the edge and splash into the contradictions of the world.

When that stuff boils over, it scalds away our veneer of illusion revealing a truth that cannot be denied. I am not sure this is the truth we want or even expect. This truth sheds light on our imperfections. I know, imperfection is not a pretty word. It is one that we like to hide from.

What is an imperfection any way? Two definitions: An undesirable feature. The state of not being complete. But, what if we expanded these definitions? Instead of seeing an imperfection as undesirable what if we viewed it as part of the road map the leads us deeper into who we are? An imperfection isn’t something that makes us incomplete; no, an imperfection is a tool that leads us to our authentic self — it makes us whole.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve committed to stop running from my imperfections. There is no escaping them. I like to believe that each imperfection that I uncover serves a purpose in my life. I believe that when we name and reframe our imperfections, we live into who we are and better understand the world — people and situations. To sum it up: we become more compassionate to our self and others.

Okay, so the world is filled with contradictions. We are in this world, so we, too, are filled with contradictions. I see these contradictions as imperfections. I named it (contradictions). I reframed it (imperfections). How do we use the energy of our imperfections to shine the beauty of our soul?

Go a step further in naming/reframing.

Name your imperfection. Just name one thing that you don’t do perfect. It doesn’t matter how big or small — just name it.
Then dig into the imperfection. What are the limitations? What are the benefits? Take a sheet of paper. Draw a line down the middle. Put a + at the top of one side. Put a - at the top of the other. Set a timer for five minutes. Just write. Don’t think about it. Create a list from what comes to you. There is time for reflection later.
After the five minutes, take a look at what you wrote. Find the truth behind each limitation. Reframe the limitations into learning moments. How do the limitations help you to shift your behavior?
Acknowledge the benefits of the imperfections. Then ask: Is there another way to get these results other than reacting from the imperfections? Name how to get the results you want by reframing your reactions to responses.

The world is a scary place. I think that our imperfections are some of the scariest parts. It is what lies at the root of our so called imperfections that force our reactions. So, how can we shift from living with imperfections to thriving through imperfections? Now means not running away; taking charge. It is about being in the moment and staying in the moment no matter how difficult naming and reframing your imperfection is.

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is a Master Reframer. As a contemplative coach, an intuitive-coach-catalyst, she uses mindfulness practices and intuition tools to create strategies for navigating those scary places. The result? Reframing imperfections into personal transformation. She 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.