Sparks in Wisdom's Fire

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, November 3, 2020

Real Beliefs, Shadow Beliefs: Growing In the Garden of You

Beliefs are curious things. They speak to us from the depths of our being . Each whispering is a reflection of who we are. They provide limitless opportunities to share the truth within. Each belief is a stone in the foundation of how we engage others.

I don’t know about you, but these past several years have given me ample opportunities to survey my foundation. To name what I believe — to rejoice in what is truly me and confront those shadows that tangle deep inside me. I recognize that these tangles are not who I am. Instead, they provide the arena to unravel the shadows. Once free of the tangles I can truly live my true story.

Once in a class longer ago than I like to admit, I told the participants that only when I am embarrassed by an action stemming from a shadow belief, do I have the energy and courage to change. The response was a tittering of unease. But, think about it. What happens when you really own the truth? Who we are is birthed by being uncomfortable enough to change.

Let that sink into the depth of your core. Then ask yourself, “When was I so uncomfortable that change was inevitable?” Name the shadow belief that was too tight, too raw, so totally not you that it left you gasping for breath. What did you do? Invite change or hide within its shadows?

Now, I am not a proponent of running through the streets shouting my sins — I mean fallibilities. I am not that public. No, I am the quiet sort who turns within and experiences the stuff seeping from my core. Through reflection and introspection, I listen to the lessons of the seepage. Then I use the resulting compost to nourish my truth. The rest of the compost I toss into a communal bin to be used at later time.

The benefit of the last four years, and I am all about the reframe, is the number of opportunities I have had to dig up the ground of me, to pull up those invasive shadow beliefs, and plant seeds of who I am. I hope you have had the opportunities to do the same.

What have I discovered in this process? The work is not in the harvest but in the nurturing of these seed beliefs. So, in this moment I ask, “What invasive beliefs am I ready to pull out? What do I truly believe?” Within those answers is found the stuff — the compost and the seeds to grow the garden of you.

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Who is the Enemy?

I admit that the word enemy makes me really nervous. Sure I have people in my life that I have perceived to be antagonistic and seeking to cause me harm (the definition of an enemy). But, can we really know the motives of another? I wonder if those people were truly an enemy or if there was something deeper, something more insidious festering within them that caused their reactions. It was probably the latter.

A comment said to me this morning triggered a re-awakening in me. I was reminded that our actions are based upon our beliefs, assumptions, and judgments. Unaware, we get tangled in them. We react. Then someone we have labeled as an enemy reacts to our reaction. Or vice versa. The tangle gets tighter, more knotted. We are no longer seeing the other person as a person. Instead we other them. It is easier to see an “other” as the enemy.

For me, the enemy is not the other person but ignorance — I am sure we can all admit to being ignorant a time or two. Ignorance manifests in reactions that come from a lack of knowledge, education, or awareness. And, honestly? We all find our self there at some point. But, that is an intellectualization. Let’s dive into the reality — the lived experience of the enemy called ignorance.

Recall a time when someone disagreed with you. A time when their views and beliefs resulted in actions that were harmful or hurtful to you. Let’s reframe the situation: they are not the enemy. The actions that stem from their ignorance are. And, the root cause of that behavior is the enemy, too.

Being proactive, you may give them a whole barrage of information in an effort to change their mind. You give them facts about why you are right and they are wrong. Does it work? Maybe. Probably not. By the way: I’ve also tried to point out inconsistencies in the belief of another. Not sure that I’d recommend it. The conversation either devolves or ends abruptly.

So, what do you do? How do you approach the so-called enemy? You turn within. One of the best questions that I have ever asked myself is, “Why do I believe what I believe?” I really dig into the answer. I suggest that you do, too. When I am actively engaged in uncovering the answer, I find a belief that is part of the solid foundation that my life sits upon.

Other times, when I am knee deep in “I don’t know that I don’t know,” I discover the belief is one of the minute cracks in my foundation. This recognition presents opportunity. We can evaluate the belief to reform it or even toss it out. During this process we remember that the purpose of this life is to gain wisdom while evolving into our truest self. We can’t do that without going down a rabbit hole or two.

That is the internal. Let’s go to the external where we identify and respond to the so-called enemy. In what ways did you identify with the enemy? Did you get into a heated discussion about who was right…and who was wrong? If you did, you might have slipped into down the rabbit hole into the land of futility. Instead of seeing the person as the enemy, look at the ignorance or conditioning that created their belief system. That is truly the enemy.

How might you raise awareness of how these beliefs and a lack of awareness and understanding, are suffering producers? Reframing the enemy to a producer of suffering is huge. It is the initial phase of a response that countermands ignorance. How do we continue to respond to ignorance with wisdom?

When someone calls you a name, do not react. Take action in ways that are not violent. For example, I once had someone call me a name when I was working. Instead of addressing the slur, I called security.
Practice nonviolence. Become what I call a blank wall when being insulted. Take yourself out of the situation. Remove yourself physically if necessary.
Find ways to subtly educate. Take opportunities, use examples that makes real the suffering inherent in a belief.
Repair the fissures in any social control systems or work to create new systems. Be a part of community.
Vote. ‘nough said.
No matter what, do not let yourself be gaslighted. Reflect upon the words and actions of another. You do not have to accept another’s view as your own.

Know that whatever you do, when you look past the superficiality of naming a person or a group as an enemy and dig deeper into the ignorance that is the enemy, you will be given the strength, the energy, the determination to battle the enemy with awareness. Through your awareness you change the world by changing yourself.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

The Key that Unlocks the Door to Yourself: The Video

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Be the Key that Unlocks the Door to Yourself

What if I told you that all your answers are within you? What if you had the power to access those answers and harness their power to create a wave of transformation? What would you do? Would you rise to the challenge of self discovery or say tomorrow is soon enough knowing that tomorrow may never come?

Well you do have the answers inside of you but there is one big catch. You have to become the key that unlocks those answers. Seldom does the key we become unlock every door without a bit a jiggling! And, sometimes those doors don’t stay open. Unlocking the door and keeping it open takes practice. We are not aiming for a practice that makes perfect; rather, we practice in ways that create a permanent connection to our inner wisdom.

Inner wisdom. Intuition. That is the key we hold. Our ability to unlock those messages is strengthened by self compassion. Both self compassion and accessing our intuition are possible through mindfulness and living contemplatively. Let’s look at each of these four aspects to being that key that turns the lock of the door of transformation.

Let’s break it down.

Mindfulness is being in the moment.
Being contemplative is focusing our attention on the many ways the extraordinary manifests in our life.
Self compassion manifests in conscious acts that alleviate our personal suffering.
Intuition is our internal guidance system.

The four combined create a powerful synchronicity in our life. Through them we sustain an inner calm where the bubbles of intuition float to the surface. We gain clarity to hear the message and have the courage to act upon it.

What stops us from connecting to our life guide? Fatigue is our greatest foe. It is almost impossible to stay in the moment when we are exhausted. Through self compassion we engage in activities that re-energize us. Energized we return to our core. At the core, we begin anew. Refreshed, it is easier to slip into the moment and stay there. Our senses come alive; we align with the extraordinary. Instead of being bombarded by the constant chaos, our attention seemingly self-focuses.

So, what act of self compassion can you do? Whatever you choose, take a moment to acknowledge your suffering. Be objective about the messiness you are experiencing. Be in a place of no attachment, no judgment, no defending, no violence. Acknowledge how you are being impacted as the messiness rolls over you again and again. Be gentle with yourself — that is the foundation of any self compassionate act.

Next, ask yourself, what can I do in this moment to care for me? Maybe it is going for a walk. Reading. Journaling. Creating art. Taking a long bath. Reaching out to a friend. Self compassion is anything that alleviates even a bit of your exhaustion and gives you the strength to try one more time.

Within moments of compassionate respite, you rest in the eye of the storm and begin to notice those bubbles of intuition rising to the surface of your consciousness. As they pop, their messages splatter you with particles of possibility. Message received and decoded, you act upon intuition’s voice. This is the cycle of increasing our intuition with self compassion. The more you listen, the more you recognize how you are depleted. The more acts of self compassion, the greater you energy to connect to your intuition.

Continuing this cycle of self compassion and intuitively listening, the spiral of clarity tightens until you are consistently living contemplatively in the moment as a self compassionate intuitive being.

Ready. Set. Manifest! Contact me for intuitive mentoring.

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Tuesday, October 13, 2020

As Natural As Breathing: Being Intuitive

There is a magic, a mystery of the world that is revealed by opening the door of the unknown. Entering this unknown is not a fear-filled adventure undertaken in the stealth of night but a courageous stepping forth with eyes wide open to intuition.

We are intuitive. This much is true. However our intuition comes to us, it beckons us into relationship with the unknown. In this relationship, our steps are taken with curiosity — don’t you want to know what waits just beyond reach? Aren’t you eager to take that next intuitive step? These steps are taken with daring and trust as we have the courage to seek answers to questions we fear to utter.

No matter how uncertain, no matter how imperfect, life waits for no one. It glides across the rough spots reminding us that, we too, can glide across them or get scuffed by the jagged rocks of challenges and wishes unmet. Listening to our intuition we gain the ability to glide on its thermals. Soaring over our challenges, we see from a different viewpoint. We become more objective.

Navigating through the uncertainty happens by listening intently to the many voices of our intuition. These voices manifest through all of our senses — sight, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting. Each intuitive message invites us to be, again and again, the person we are. Intuition is nothing extra; rather, it presents the skills and information that allow us to thrive — to express our soul purpose.

Intuition is as natural as breathing. It is the energizer of our being; the trailblazer through uncertainty into the unknown. The voice of intuition is a life guide intent on bringing us back to our self. It calls us home. Isn’t that what life is all about? No matter where we find our self, ultimately we make the journey back home to our self. We gain a deeper understanding of who we are by not giving into the fear that we are not exactly who we want to be. The voice of intuition sings away our doubts and urges us onto the path of being exactly who we are.

You may be thinking, “Enough, Vanessa! How do we get to this space?” I give you a simple hint: through a3 awareness — being awake, alert, alive.

Not the awake the jerks you into the moment with the annoying beep of your alarm. This is the awake that has you noticing the truly extraordinary in the world. Awake, you are aware of triggers and potential reactions while depending upon your intuition to guide you into response.
Being alert not in the sense of fight or flight but being vigilant to the many ways that your intuition speaks to you. You are alert to your ongoing dialogue with intuition. You listen, reflect, and fashion responses to the world based upon this dialogue.
Now, we are all alive. We inhale, exhale; our heart beats. The alive I speak of comes from being truly awake and alert to the messages of our intuition. When we are alive, we identify, decipher, and respond to our intuition.

Connecting to our intuition is as natural as breathing when you accept that you are intuitive. May it be so.

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Compassionate Honesty

The responses to Donald Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis were fast and furious. Some were supportive while others were not. Yet another group of people took the road of neutrality. Needless to say, this was a hot topic. As I reflected upon my first reaction to his illness, I asked myself how compassion would call us to respond? A little voice whispered, “With the compassion of enough+.”

I am the kind of person who reframes every challenge into a life lesson. For me, a challenge is a situation or occurrence that calls me to use my skills and talents to live from my best self to overcome obstacles. A challenge is a paving stone on the road of soul purpose. Challenges can be huge and life changing or small course corrections. Most challenges are found somewhere in between.

The compassion of enough+ asks us to courageously and honestly confront our thoughts and feeling about any particular situation. Take a moment to reflect upon your strong feelings regarding the Trump diagnosis or reflect upon some thing else for which you have strong feelings. Choose something with the intent to understand the lessons the challenge is presenting.

With compassionate honestly, name how you are feeling. Dig deep into it. Be objective about what you find. This means don’t defend or judge. Gather information. Notice what illusions are surfacing. Notice the triggers without reacting. Realize that sometimes our internal monologue carries us away. We react. But, when we anchor into our core and listen to our intuition, there is less of an opportunity for us to be carried on the current of reaction.

What does happen is that we honestly name our triggers and neutralize any shame, anger, fear, or anxiety that we may be feeling. We use the power of our anger to formulate a response. This is foundational not only to compassionate honesty but also to the compassion of enough+. Through this practice we say to another, “I love you enough to allow you to experience your own challenges and their companion suffering. I stand by you while not interfering as you learn from your suffering and emerge stronger.”

The compassion of enough+ asks that we practice self care in ways that increase our awareness. Only through intuitive awareness do we notice how we slip into reaction or stay strong in compassionate response. We connect to our core as we allow another to experience their challenges.

Compassionate honesty demands that we fashion our compassion into a vessel of support. This isn’t about saying the right, enabling words. It is about understanding that suffering has a purpose. Within our suffering is the potential of learn our life lessons and step more securely upon our path of soul purpose.