Sparks in Wisdom's Fire: reflection

Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts

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, November 23, 2021

It Is What It Is. Or, Is It?

It is what it is. Now that is a phrase that means different things to different people. Some believe that it is a statement of defeat. Others believe it is an objective statement of life that hold the possibility of growth.

Where is the truth? It is one or the other? Is it both? It might be one or the other. It could be both. It depends upon how you see life. Is life dynamic and ever-changing or is it static? Can you live into your best self or must you live within the narrow straits you find yourself in?

Here is another thought: do you believe that fate is unchangeable or do you believe that you control your fate? If you are like me, you believe that to a certain extent, you control your fate. I believe that while I can’t control the externals, I can control how I respond or react to them. I can find the loopholes through which to leap into my best self.

It is what it is. Sometimes we are in situations in which we feel paralyzed. There is no way we can see to change them. It is easy to spiral into a dark moment as suffering and futility wash over us. Once we are in the downward spiral it is really hard to reverse the trajectory and move toward a better place.

Do you like being stuck? I don’t. I’d like to suggest another way. It is the way of a Buddhist vow: to take life as it is. This vow invites us to identify the suffering in our life and move from this dark place to a place of healing through compassion.

Taking life as it is is not about complacency or giving up. No, within this slogan is the energy of compassion swirling into our being. It lifts us out of the darkness and into hope. How do you breathe into compassion and turn suffering into opportunity? Let’s practice.

Reflect upon a situation that seems tough. A situation that isn’t as you would like it to be but one that is. A situation in which you feel really stuck or trapped.

Notice how the experience is impacting you physically. Do you feel a heaviness? Are you tight? Do you feel an absence? Notice and name without judgment.
Notice your mind — thoughts, images, memories — those things that are mentally drawing your attention. Notice and name without judgment.
Notice your emotions. What is crying from your soul about this situation? Notice and name without judgment.
Notice how you feel spiritually. Name without judgment.
Breathe into what you notice. Go to any place within your being that feels tangled. Ask for guidance on how to release the suffering. Ask, “What one thing can I do to release my suffering?” Listen to the answer.
Breathe the light of compassion into your body. Feel the tangles letting go as compassion permeates your being. Invite peace into your being.
Now at greater peace, look at the situation. Ask yourself where the opportunity for change is?
Name the change.
Vow to do one thing that will make your world a little less dark.

Taking life as it is does not have to be a grower of suffering. It can and is a way to move from the darkness of suffering into the incredible lightness of being that fills us with compassion.

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, November 10, 2020

A Day Unlike Any Other

As I look outside, I realize that soon all the leaves will have transitioned to a carpet of detritus crackling as the squirrels dance through it. But, that is soon — not today. Today is a day unlike any other. It has never been before and shall never be repeated. In this knowing is a letting go. Today is a letting go that lays bare what was and invites us into deep contemplation of what truly is.

What is true for you? Sometimes we spend so much time chasing the illusive that we lose sight of who we are in the moment on this unfolding journey. As a friend told me — we’ve got to stop chasing the next shiny thing and be who we are. In the chasing we fail to realize that shiny thing may be what we want but not what we need. It is not a reflection of who we are; it is an illusion of how we want things to be.

Letting go creates this wide, wondrous, expansive space of exploration. Within it we are free — that thing, that person, that situation no longer hauntingly clings to us. Breathing into this space stirs motes of possibility. In deep reflection we notice how our divine sparks glint off these motes. Through discernment, we choose which motes to make our own.

To separate the shiny things and the motes of possibility by letting go takes courage and resolve — both fuel discernment or decision making through deep contemplation. Discernment is a heart-head activity the integrates reflection with introspection. We dive deep into who we are — our beliefs, motives, judgments, agendas — and in this knowing, step more fully, more firmly into who we are.

Letting go is an outward expression of non-attachment. But, we don’t stop there. In addition to being nonattached, we reflect without judging or defending. We recognize that life is not a rigid road that takes us from here to there. Life is organic and evolving. It grows even when we are not paying attention. Though discernment we trace its course and decide our next steps. We open to what is occurring.

We create a wonderland by letting go. Here we have the courage to face our fears and the resolve to discover our path step by step. That is what is important. There are so many possibilities out there. How many of them look great on paper but just don’t resonate with us? Unless we let go, we are unable to truly discern what is really possible and what is wishful thinking.

Today is a day unlike any other. In this moment what do you choose to let go? How is that letting go instrumental to moving forward?

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 for life coaching, intuitive consultations, keynotes, and programs.

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

A Refractive Reflection

Life is a kaleidoscope of colors; a never-ending growing into our self. On this nonlinear journey, we discover time and time again that we don’t have everything figured out. Life is in the figuring not in the out. For the out is the end of this journey; a respite before we begin the next. But, we have many twists and turns and joyous shouts before that occurs.

Our kaleidoscope refracts creating a new vision of the challenges and possibilities in our life. Through this shift we view a never-ending display of possible colors shapes. Reflecting upon what is revealed means listening with all of our senses to intuition wafting up from our core. That voice provides a wealth of information that can only be discerned by being nonattached to the message and being nonjudgmental about the information itself.

Once our connection to intuition is recognized, how do we strengthen this connection? By being nonattached and nonjudgmental. This is HARD! So, I recommend beginning with a big dose of self-compassion. Recognize that you are not always going to interpret your intuition accurately or even hear what it saids. Be gentle, be kind with yourself as you connect more fully to your intuition. Self-compassion reduces performance anxiety while increasing your intuitive awareness.

Then listen to the voice of your intuition. Is there something that is just a step out of the ordinary? Perhaps the intuitive clue is easily identified. Begin with whatever you notice. Breathe deep. Connect with your inner calm. Then with curiosity and without expectation, follow the thread of your intuition to wherever it leads.

Here is an example: early this morning, 3:30-ish or so, I was awaken by a doorbell. Now my home doesn’t have a doorbell. But the sound was insistent enough that it woke me up. I listened as it faded away. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I felt no fear. Just a knowing that something was attempting to grab my attention. Although I could not decipher the message in that moment, I knew that I would later.

I often process my intuition, enter into refractive reflection, when moving. As I walked later this morning, I reflected upon the message of the doorbell. As I followed the refracting kaleidoscope, I recognized that I didn’t need to struggle. I could stop trying so hard. The ground work for my next great adventure is laid. I needed to continue on the path for something was coming to me. That was the message in the ringing of the doorbell.

We engage in refractive reflection more often than we realize. Sometimes those moments are truly brief and spontaneous. Other times, like my morning walk, we intentionally set the stage to decipher the message. However we decipher the message, we do so by listening to our intuition and following its guidance.

This sounds simple, right? Well, not necessarily. That is where the self compassion comes in. There are times that we do not understand or even misinterpret this guidance. We may be just too caught in the bending light as our life kaleidoscope shifts. That is perfectly okay. A fortune cookie once reminded me that “we learn more from our failures than from our successes.” That is a truth I chuckle about over and over again.

Refractive reflection is a willingness to actively and curiously engage whatever we find in our life. We quietly listen to the message in whatever we find. It is a call to courageousness; to willingly enter our life adventure over and over again as we discover exactly where we are meant to be.

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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Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Don’t Cling So Tight (The Art of Letting Go)

I grew up in an era where the phrase “let go, let god,” was the way to connect with the Sacred. Seldom did I experience what I thought was letting go: a total fall into the arms of the Sacred. I wondered what was the matter with me until I understood it wasn’t me — it was my interpretation of those four words.

For some time I have grown more and more tangled in a situation. No matter how much I tried to let go, I found myself more tangled. The tightening bands of attachment cut deeper and deeper into my spirit. I despaired that I would ever be able to let go. Taking a step back from this experience, I recognized that I was clinging too tightly.

After a particularly bad moment that resulted from clinging to what I could not change, I finally had the talk with myself. I could not continue on the path I was on. I knew that I needed to take two steps back from the situation that had me so tightly tied in knots. I needed to be objective about the experience before I could find a way to slip from the knots that bound me.

The stepping back began with reflection. I objectively reflected upon what triggered my clinging. Then through introspection, I gained an understanding of why I was clinging so tightly. What followed the identification and understanding of what was triggering my clinging was the difficult part — paying attention to how I was getting hooked over and over again. I used the power of my breath to flow through my addiction-like tendency to get trapped by the tightening knots. Through my breath I discovered in real time how and why I was being caught.

This was not easy. As I reflect upon the past several weeks, I see that things have lightened — knots have loosened. Instead of my frustration morphing into anger, I now identify the frustration at the root of my clinging. It doesn’t have anything to do with another; it has everything to do with my reaction to the situation. So, I ask myself, “What you can do in the moment to alleviate your frustration?” I listen to the answer wafting from my intuition. Then, I act upon it. Any potential reaction is neutralized. The energy of letting go powers my response.

Slowly by slowly the grip of my clinging has lessened in this situation. I have discovered that letting go is less about flinging myself into an abyss and trusting that I will fly and more about leaning into my awareness with courage, trust, and resolve. When I lean into awareness, I catch the thermal of letting go and ride it on sacred wings.

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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Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Dream With Me

Dream with me. Open your heart, your mind, your soul, to you deepest desire. Pull aside the curtains of your illusions and peer through the window of possibility. Breath deep into your potential. Your dream is on fire for your belief.

What do you dream? Maybe you want to build a life with a soulmate. Perhaps you want a fulfilling job. The list of possible dreams is endless but one thing is certain: your dream issues forth from the depth of your being beating a drumroll louder and louder until it cannot, will not, be denied.

Dream big. Dream long. Birth your dream with your heart and soul. Now is not the time to deny or edit. In the beginning, allow your vision to expand beyond your current reality into unlimited potential. Within this limitless, you resonates with who you are, with your soul purpose.

Next, create the path to manifesting the dream in your reality. Your dream is your goal; how you get there is the plan. Remember, every good plan has strategies that help you accomplish short term goals that flow into the long term one — your goal realized. Each strategy offers opportunity to revisit your dream and tweak it into clarity.

Begin your strategic plan by asking:

What one small step can I take into my dream today?
How will this step combine with others to bring me closer to my dream in 6 months?
What will living my dream look like in a year?

This way of realizing a dream may sound daunting or even boring. It is neither. Realizing your dream is manifesting who you truly are at the core of your being. Your dream is as alive, dynamic, and evolving as you are. The seed of your dream may remain the same while the blossom may look very different — just as we do with time.

Dream with me. Create a vision that is a mirror of your heart, and soul’s, desire.

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Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Growing the Real You...With Compost

Deep within us beats a heart yearning to grow our best self. With just the right amount of fertilizer, sunlight, and water, our stem explodes from the ground of our soul into the world. Even if we do not have the exact right ratio of nutrients, through the resilience of these plants called you and me a way is found to grow strong and true..

Our resilience is sustained through self compassion. This is not self-indulgence; rather, it is doing good for our self. Self compassion begins by noting where you suffer and how is has depleted your. Note where are you fatigued and what triggers your suffering. Your awareness provides clues to the roots of your suffering.

Now, I am a big believer in using the compost of suffering to grow our best self. All can be used to help us grow stronger, more resilient. Suffering is a variety of life compost. Turning a smelly heap of suffering into usable compost requires reflection and introspection. Through discernment, we uncover the lesson-gifts within the suffering.

You may be thinking, “No good has ever come of my suffering. I see no gift in my suffering.”

I would say, “Look deeper. Let go of the grief. Open your eyes to what suffering is saying.”

Because, really, suffering always has a message. To say that it is there to teach us, to make us stronger is really too simplistic. We have to dig into the smelliness searching for message clues while being open to hearing the truth. Are you thinking this might be too much work? When you change your frame of reference and engage suffering mindfully, its message become clearer. This discovery is worthy time spent.

How do you dig through the compost of suffering? Here’s an example: I have been underemployed for seven years. I did not receive job offers for positions that I believed perfectly aligned with my skill set and life goals. I did receive a job offer for a position that I was not really qualified for and one at which I was not making a living wage. I took that job because it was my only option.

There were parts of the job I loved and much that triggered suffering in me. I engaged in ongoing discernment about my suffering throughout my tenure at that job. What did I discover? From the compost my self worth has grown. I see the positives in my self and my limiting beliefs. I know that no matter where I am, I can have positive, measurable outcomes.

I also learned more about social justice through this lived experience. I understand in a very different way the direct impact of economic injustice. This knowing has made me a better writer, program presenter, and advocate. Being underemployed could have created a spiral into deep despair. Instead of allowing despair to overwhelm me, I grew a stronger me.

So, I ask you, “What have you learned from your suffering? How has it made you a better, more resilient person?” Share your answers in the comment section. Thank you!

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