Roots and Wings. Committed and Free.

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{Roots & Wings by The Infinite Source}

Imagine this:

You are taking a walk in a small forest. You have just entered a grove of trees and feel magnetically drawn to one. It is large, powerful.

You walk up to it and feel an overwhelming urge to be as near to this tree as possible. So you climb over the roots that have snaked their way above ground until you are standing face-to-trunk.

You press your cheek against the bark noticing the roughness. You splay your palms against the jagged edges of bark, hoping to become part of the tree. You wonder if a woman has ever been absorbed into a tree before.

You wrap your arms as far around the trunk as they will go – noticing that you can’t complete the hug because the tree is bigger than your arm span. You lift your head to the sky and revel in the sunlight that has traveled through leaves to warm your face. Your spirit lifts.

Craving more sunlight, you begin to climb the tree. Higher and higher you climb in search of the sun’s warm kiss. It takes time. Patiently, you traverse branches. Thirty minutes or an hour later, you find yourself atop the tippiest-toppiest of the branches.

You have reached the summit. Clinging to the branch, you wish to be freer, more mobile. In a moment of genius, you wrap the branches round your calves. Like stilts, you have created a safe support.

You stand stall on these newly formed branched legs. You look out above the forest. You spread your arms wide, like wings. You lift your shoulders and face, heart towards the sky, like a living Winged Victory.

The sun shines down on you, through you, and through the tree.

You, rooted & in flight, are illuminated from above and within.

>> This image surfaced during my work in Bridget Pilloud’s Alignment Circle. I wholeheartedly recommend this monthly call if you are looking to align your energy and forge a deeper connection with your intuition.

Have experience being rooted & free? I wanna hear about it:  facebook | twitter | email.

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Life Is Breathtakingly Beautiful

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{via The Great Gracie Tumblr}

Speaking of Spirit Medicine, or what I call heartbreaking + heartwarming, this is my new desktop.

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A Spoonful of Spirit Medicine.

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{Seascape by Kelly Angard.}

I don’t think you will need literal medicine this week. Your physical vigor should be good. But I’m hoping you will seek out some spirit medicine — healing agents that fortify the secret and subtle parts of your psyche. Where do you find spirit medicine? Well, the search itself will provide the initial dose. Here are some further ideas: Expose yourself to stirring art and music and films; have conversations with empathic friends and the spirits of dead loved ones; spend time in the presence of a natural wonder; fantasize about a thrilling adventure you will have one day; and imagine who you want to be three years from now. ::Rob Brezsny {Free Will Astrology, Sagittarius Weekly Horoscope}

I love that phrase – Spirit Medicine. I’ve definitely been feeling the need for a little healing magic. Days before this delicious horoscope landed in my inbox I started plotting a seaside adventure with one of my dear friends.

I’ll be taking Friday off to spend the weekend doing what I love most –swimming in the sea, reading in the sun, napping on the beach, and writing ‘til my heart is content. I’ll probably be disconnected (except to access an online thesaurus).

I hope you take time this week to nourish your spirit.

>> What is your spirit craving? 
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Grieve & Let Go. The Journey Changes. Forward, Darling.

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{Central Park Photo by Brian Tuchalski.}

On a wintry New York night my best friend met up with past colleagues from a company & industry she chose to leave. After years of pursuit, she realized that paths wind and dreams change.

In many ways, she had succeeded in her first industry. She had a covetable position at an enviable business. She ran in a cool crowd.

Yet, she chose to start fresh with a new dream. Any other day, she’d tell you how excited she is to learn the inner workings of her new organization and the secrets of her new sector.

But on that cool New York night, my best friend was confronted with a vision of her former self. She saw her old life reflected in the eyes of old colleagues, and was deeply disappointed to be an outsider.

In that moment, it didn’t matter that she chose to leave, to start anew.

All that resonated was her disappointment that dreams & careers veer and grief for the life she could have been living (still).

It’s okay to be sad about what was or what could have been. It’s ok to worry about whether you chose right. In case you’re wondering – yes, you did.

Every choice we make is destructive (hat tip to Anne Bogart who writes about this in one of my favorite books). Zeroing in on one option eliminates all others until we select again.

In choosing one possibility, we eliminate all other potentialities in that space and time.

Grieve what could have been. Embrace what is about to be. Forward. Onward.

What former versions of yourself do you need to release in order to move forward?

What old dreams need to be let go in order to pursue the new?

What’s your next destination, darling? Commit to that

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You’re Scared. You Don’t Know What To Do. COMMIT.

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On the threshold of giving up? Just fucking commit.

Commit to being yourself.

Commit to no-matter-what.

Commit to your business.

Commit to an awakening.

Commit to diving into difficult.

Commit to healing.

Commit to playing big & achieving wild success.

Commit to your artistry.

Commit to the challenge.

Commit to wellness.

Commit to the thing that terrifies you.

I don’t care what IT is. Just fucking commit.

>>What do you need to commit to?
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Emotional Honesty Requires Vulnerability & Beauty Comes To Those Who Risk Being Ugly.

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The only way to achieve emotional honesty –devoid of artifice– is to be vulnerable. You have to open yourself up and leave yourself exposed in all of your flawed glory.

Think of a performance that hit you in the gut. Think of a performance that felt so real you forgot you were watching a film or a tv show.

A few nights ago, I watched 50/50 with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anna Kendrick. There’s a scene towards the end of the movie where Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character unleashes all of his frustration & hurt in a guttural screaming temper tantrum.

The sound he utters is almost grating and his face contorts in very real pain and anger. In that moment, he embraced messy. Beauty lives in the commitment to being real, especially when it’s ugly.

If you’re not an actor or actress, you might be wondering what this has to do with you. Everything.

Vulnerability is the underpinning of connection. We cannot connect without allowing ourselves to be seen. This is true for people & businesses.

How can you persist through distress to remain accessible? What do you need to do to let your guard down?

I am convinced communicating vulnerability is the secret to personal & professional success.

Therefore I have to ask, are you willing to risk vulnerability?
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Soul Food: Change Is Hard. You’ll Be Ok.

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I’m having a rough week. Rough, I say. Like, don’t-want-to-get-out-of-bed-tough.

I’m getting all introspective to bust my rut and find a way to be abundant, rooted, and healthy. Deep change is hard.

Naturally, I’ve been collecting (er, pinning) art that reminds me that it’s ok to struggle and it’s possible to let go of former versions of myself.

If you’re in the midst of big change and feeling the squeeze, I’m here for you. I get it.

On to the art – the soul food:

{The End or a New Beginning, Kelly Angard}

{Fear Clouds Everything, Raphael Vicenzi}

{wall decal via wanelo}

>> Got soul food to share?
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Let’s Keep It Real. There Will Be Days You Don’t Want To Get Out Of Bed. Get Up Anyway.

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{Sleeping Girl by Jamie Tifft}

Do you have days when you have to use every ounce of willpower you possess to get out of your damn bed in the morning?

I do. I regularly want to completely divorce myself from the outside world and languish in bed all-effing-day.

Some mornings (& afternoons & nights), I am paralyzed by the fear that I could really fuck things up at any moment and the consequences wouldn’t just affect me, but would jeopardize everything.

I know it sounds melodramatic, but that is truly how I feel. Like the weight of the organization & business we’re building in Cambodia rests squarely on my shoulders.

Yes, I have a boss but he’s in the States. In Cambodia the buck stops here, with me.

And yes, my boss is using all of his money to fund this biz-dream-baby. But that doesn’t fill me with relief. Instead I feel indebted to him – to proving that he was right to trust me with the operation of this cause we both believe in passionately.

There are days when I think about the 49 people who report to me and am completely overwhelmed.

I would never want you to think otherwise. So when the alarm sounds and all you want is to hide under the covers, know that you are not alone. When you are immobilized with fear, know you are not alone.

Know that the terror wants to keep you from trying. It wants to stop you from starting or continuing. It wants you to quit.

Know that it is possible to move through the both the paralysis & underlying fear. Know that you can claw your way out of bed and gather the strength and courage to keep going.

Know that the path to living tenaciously is difficult, but rewarding. Know that a sweet victory is awaiting you a little further down the road. That moment of joy will be amplified by every challenge you conquered.

Know that you can & will get out of bed. 

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Bathe In Beauty: Khmer Art by Phin Sophorn & Khchao Touch

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Last summer I attended the first art opening at Sammaki, a community arts space in Battambang, Cambodia. My heart was broken open by the beauty, depth, & vulnerability on display.

 {I Love My Job by Phin Sophorn}

 {The Sun At Night #5 by Khchao Touch}

I am heading back to Battambang at the end of the month and cannot wait to stop by Sammaki to see what’s on display.

 

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Social Wisdom

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This poster caught my eye on pinterest. These words of wisdom would make an excellent addition to your tenacious tribe building arsenal.

 

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