Sparks in Wisdom's Fire

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Be A Troublemaker

Be a troublemaker, a risk taker, a game changer. Be courageous. Identify unevenness. Go against the flow. Transform yourself, and, in doing so, change the world.

Being a troublemaker is not for the faint of heart. Not for sleep walkers. It requires that we are awake to the moment. That we live with eyes wide open. That we willingly navigate the fog that obscures living from our core. That we courageously name the fear of what lurks in the shadows of souls — ours, others, and the collective.

Troublemaking requires letting go of any complacency, naming what has us stuck in stasis. Breathing through what stops us. Listening to our intuition. Gingerly navigating our way through illusion’s fog with the clarity of our intuition.

There are cautions to engaging in troublemaking. Sometimes we see so clearly what needs to be changed that we do not notice that others are not seeing as we do. What is clear to us is mud to them.

With personal clarity, we leap into the trouble, land exactly where we need to be only to discover that others have not, did not, leap with us. The ensuing backlash — well all I can do is shudder. We have inadvertently caused strife.

Does that mean that we stop troublemaking? Of course, not. With or without our actions, change is inevitable. Things improve or devolve. Things never stay the same. To trouble make is to identify what is not working and discern how we are called to respond to life’s uncertainties and unevenness.

We may discover upon discernment, that a gentle knock is much more effective than a battering ram when we are attempting to bring about change. But, sometimes we do need that battering ram. Troublemaking is all about figuring out what is needed in the moment and then figuring out the most appropriate way to do it.

Action through troublemaking is possible through the power of discernment. Through discernment we answer the questions: What outcome would we like to see? What are potential ramifications of our actions? How might we make trouble in ways that rouse awareness and ruffle feathers without triggering abject fear and irrational anger? While a side effect of troublemaking is the stirring of the pot of fear and anger…we don’t want to trigger a cataclysmic reaction.

I am not saying that fear is a bad thing. Fear is a part of life. Fear, when acknowledged, is a catalyst for change. Fear, when identified, sparks our courage. It invites us to step more deeply into the shadows, to figure out what is really at the foundation of what is happening. Once in the shadows, we gather the sparks of understanding and wisdom that have the potential to transform the world.

Courage asks what trouble shall I cause? Then, our inner wise one strategizes. For troublemaking without strategy, without discernment, has the potential to pitch us into a quagmire of anger and fear. Through the strategizing of discernment, we actively engage our inner troublemaker bringing about transformation in our self and change in others.

So, be a troublemaker, but be smart, name the fear, call upon your courage, understand how others are navigating the unevenness — then, discern strategies. Because, really, the world needs more troublemakers who can stir up the status quo, let go of the uncertainty, and bring balance to the world.

In the words of John Lewis, Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America. I would add only troublemaking can redeem the soul of the world.

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, September 21, 2021

Wisdom Seeker.  Wisdom Keeper.  Wisdom Sharer.

So, it is here! I am less than a week away from my croning — the BIG 6-0. I am intentionally entering my wisdom years. Because, well, croning is all about wisdom — seeking, keeping, and sharing.

While crones are traditionally older women, accepting your inner crone or being wise transcends gender and age. It doesn’t matter if you are male, female, nonbinary; young in age, elderly, or somewhere in between, the crone speaks to us whenever, however, wherever she wants. We have only to be open to the ways wisdom presents itself to us.

Wisdom Seeker

The crone urges us to seek knowledge, gain understanding, and use both to spark our wisdom. Being a seeker requires us to live in the moment, to be aware of how we get stuck in our beliefs and judgments, and to recognize when we are less than objective.

Calling upon crone energy we open to where our intuition leads. Intuition whispers course changes, gives us gems of wisdom, and shows us patterns. Wisdom is nourished when we accept the intuition that flows from our soul.

Wisdom Keeper

No matter where we find our self on this journey, we are a repository of wisdom. From the time we are little, we gain understanding and often unconsciously tuck these tidbits away only to have them rise to the surface during epiphany moments. Sometimes we don’t even realize that we hold the wisdom that changes our life.

Over the moments we gain more and more wisdom. Seldom do we wake up aware of this vast library of inner knowing. No, really being aware is a product of the heart and the head. We reflect with our heart objectively feeling our emotions and the impact of life experience in order to understand. We introspect with our head to find patterns. Within the patterns we gain wisdom.

Wisdom Sharer

What is a crone if not someone who share wisdom? A crone is humble and vulnerable— aspects integral to this sharing. A crone in confident as a carrier of wisdom and share without arrogance. Also vulnerable, a crone shares wisdom without knowing how it will be received.

A wisdom sharers is also a empath and bringer of compassion. They listen with their full body naming what is there and what caresses, and bombards, their being from others. Using their empathy, they share compassion not to enable but to help another walk through suffering in a way that empowers them while alleviating suffering.

Wisdom seeking, wisdom keeping, wisdom sharing is found in each experience that we connect to our soul spark, listen with our heart, and find the patterns fo wisdom within our head.

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

The Bright Light That You Are

May you light shine…may your spirit soar…may you breathe in magic…may you ignite wonder…may you know the beauty of your soul

Life is easy until it is not. Those moments of dis-ease create an illusory dimming of our life. But, do we really dim? Of course not. I hope that you, that me, that we, can find a way past the illusion into the light.

May your light shine

The illusion cause by difficulty often overwhelms. Unable to see past that fog, we wander in the gloom. How do we stop this aimless wandering? We have only to open our eyes. It really is that easy. Awake to the beauty in the world, we see, we feel, we know our light shines brightly. We recognize our self in that light.

During these moments of brightness, we turn our light within. We point our light into our shadows. In the shadows we discover the hidden wisdom gems. Using them we clear the fog from our being. And, in the clearing, we lift off into the sky of our soul.

May your spirit soar

The fog of illusion cannot withstand the courage in our heart. Our courage evaporates the illusion, and a vista of possibility appears. Soaring into the sky of our soul, we gain a new perspective. The obstacles shift into learning opportunities. Looking down upon our life, we are finally able to see the path that leads us home to our self.

So, soar high. Soar free. Within the soul sky exists the understanding to seed the garden of our spirit. Within the sky are the drops of rain that bring our garden to life.

May you breathe in the magic

Within each of us is a spark of wonder, a spark of connection, a spark of the sacred — these are the stuff of magic. Living within these magical sparks, we accept the invitation to change our consciousness. We see the world as it is. And, with this paradigm shift, we blow away the illusion. We see our glowing soul embers.

Blowing upon the embers in our soul, the sparkleys fly free. Within their rhythm, we laugh at the sheer joy the sparkleys bring. Hope is birthed from our laughter. We experience of the magic of wholeness. Made whole, we adapt our heart song in ways that heal the world.

May you ignite the wonder of who you are

The light is shining; it clears away our illusions. Fog lifted, we see what gems sparkle within our shadows. We soar higher and higher in the sky of our soul. We survey a land twinkling with possibility and hope. There is magic to behold in the wonder of who we are. And, in that wonder life shifts. The world is a lot less dim when we illuminate the bright light that we are.

May it be so.

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

go out on a limb

take a risk…go out on a limb…wake up…the world needs the change that is you

That’s a tall order — taking a risk, going out on a limb — heck sometimes waking up is hard enough on any give day. But, what happens when we REALLY wake up? When we pay attention to the world around us? That comes with a big risk. Awake, we cannot ignore what is happening in the world. It is in the waking up to risk taking that we change the world by changing our self.

Risk — when you go out on a limb, you don’t know if the limb will hold your weight or if it will crack. If it cracks, you don’t know if you will plummet to the ground or grow wings and soar into transformation. Living in the unknown is the nature of risk.

When you take a risk, you are never quite sure what will happen. It means that you journey outside your comfort zone hoping that change will occur. But, no matter how you couch it, change is scary. You cannot control what will happen when change happens.

If you are like me, sometimes you take a risk. You think you gained whatever you thought you were risking. Other times you get really discouraged about the results. What I have found is that no matter what the result of the risk, I land in the fertile ground of possibility driven transformation. Think about that. Even when you think you failed; you have not. Because in that perceived failure, change happens.

Risk. What do you do? How do you engage risk? First, get in touch with you. Think about the illusive goal — the prize that you have your eyes on. This is your journey — the one you take toward the prize. No one can tell you if it is worth the effort. Your decision. Your choice. Your change.

Ask yourself:

What is stopping me from grasping the prize?

What one creative thing could I do to grab hold of that prize? To live the life I want?

What is the risk?

What do I have to gain?

If it doesn’t work, what do I have to lose?

Answering these questions demystifies and redefines the risk. It helps put things in perspective. And, maybe it lessens the anxiety, the fear. Maybe in the redefinition, the demystification, you edge a couple of steps out on that limb.

Take a risk; make a choice to live your life fully and without apology. That is all that risk asks of us. Remember that no one but you can take the risk. This us your decision, your choice, your change.

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Walking the Middle Way

Do you ever reflect upon the past? Try to make sense of it? Or, maybe connect what happened then to what is happening in the present moment? I know that I do.

Last week I read through some blog posts from over a decade ago. In retrospect, 2010 was a chaotic year — both personally and weather-wise. I accepted a new position, my mother died, a series of extreme weather events happened, wildfires ravaged the US west…and there was more. It was a chaotic year.

Fast forward to 2021. There’s a lot of uncertainty this year. A lot of calamity happening — geopolitical issues and storms triggered by climate change. These external extremes have such a big impact on us internally. Sometimes I feel pummeled by all this change. I find myself wondering, “what do I do?” Do I erect physical/emotional/mental/spiritual barriers to keep the worst of the upheaval away from me? Sit in blissful ignorance about what is happening? Or, find a middle ground?

I am a proponent of the middle ground. For in that space I wake up — really wake up to the insanity of the world. I can feel how it is battering me. And, in those moments I accept that I am helpless to do anything. In that middle space, I anchor in myself. Anchored I am aware. In this awareness I let the waves of chaos wash over me. As they wash over me, instead of being overwhelmed, with awareness, I ride each wave into a place of understanding.

I mentioned being anchored. Anchoring is the ability to stay in the movement — not get pulled away by externals. When you are anchored, you are balanced and in control of yourself. Less likely to react from your triggers. More likely to notice when you are impacted by the world. You have empathy but are not overwhelmed by it. In fact, you are more likely to turn your empathy into compassionate action.

Back to the waves. I ride those waves not only through the power of my connection to self but also through the power of my silence. No, I do not spend my days in total quiet, not speaking to anyone, not watching television, not surfing the internet, or not having any external contact. No, I train my mind not to get lost in the minutia that pulls me from the moment. I learn from the times that I am overwhelmed by the uncertainty int he world.

As I ride the waves, I gain a new perspective. That silence, well, it quiets the chaos in my mind. I see, with all my senses, more clearly. And, I can choose to respond or, in moments of reaction, choose how to shift and minimize the impact of my reactions.

So, what do we do? We wake up. This means that we accept that while the world will always have uncertainty, the only way to ride the external chaotic waves is to calm the waves within.

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Friction Burns On Your Soul

The more you hold on to what was, the slippery it becomes. In a surprising moment it will slide free of your clinging grasp. Detached, you plunge into change.

How many times have you held on to something long past the time it brought you peace and balance? This could be a job that no longer suited, a relationship grinding to a slow halt, or a situation that just doesn’t fit anymore. Instead of letting whatever go, you gripped more and more tightly.

You might have found that the situation, the relationship, the job, whatever you clinged to got slipperier and slipperier until it eventually slid from your grip. As it slipped out of your life, perhaps you got a friction burn on your soul. I bet that it hurt more than you ever thought letting go would.

Letting go is one of the toughest things that I have ever done. Perhaps you can say the same. I remember a relationship that I continued to contort myself to fit. Intuitively I knew that no matter how much of a pretzel I made myself into, my contortions would never be enough. My clinging behavior wasn’t healthy, but I couldn’t stop holding so tight.

Eventually the relationship slipped from my grasp. And, yeah, I had friction burns along my soul. Those took a long time to heal. This experience is not one I’d like to have again any time soon.

In retrospect there were many signs that I had convinced myself that the frayed rope of that relationship was repairable. I was wrong. Only later did I realize that it wasn’t the relationship that I couldn’t let go of — it was the fantasy, the illusion that I had created about this “perfect” man I was lucky to spend the rest of my life with.

I wonder how many things, people, or situations we cling to not because of what they are authentically but because of the fantasy or illusion we create about them. How many friction burns on our soul could we avoid if we were just honest with our self? Probably a lot.

So, what do you do?

Ask the tough question — “What am I clinging to?”
Listen to the answer. Name it. The naming can be a general statement or provide greater clarity about the situation.
Dig deeper into your clinging with the question “Why am I holding on?” Answering that why gets you closer to identifying the underlying fantasy, the illusion that wraps so tightly around you that your reasons for holding on are obscured.
Then ask, “What will my life look like when I let go and free fall into peace and balance?” Paint a picture with images, words — put your thoughts and emotions into it!

This practice helps you gain perspective. Maybe you find a way to let go of what is fed by the fantasy, the illusion, while still being in the situation. With new perspective your grip loosens. Instead of being attached or detached, you become nonattached. Within the non-attachment, you find balance and peace.

Or, you realize it is time, without drama, without angst, to let go. You free fall into a new way of being. With the decision to be nonattached you create the path to a soft landing in a place of peace and balance.

I’ve discovered that when I don’t let go, the plunge into change can be a slippery ride down the slope of illusion and fantasy. When I let go my free fall becomes a controlled glide into the new, a place of balance and peace.

Life is about letting go of the fantasy, the illusion. It is about trusting that your free fall into change will be peaceful. It is about your letting go, your choice.

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.