"It takes courage to live in this world and it takes courage to love in this world."

A quote from Dan Millman

I agree. It takes a warrior spirit to keep choosing to open our hearts and dive into our vulnerability in order to be an expression of compassion for change.

My inner dialogue might go something like this: 

I feel a surge of disappointment rising. Like a dark cloud passing in front of the sun, I am plunged into the darkness. I know this place. I don't like this place. Oh no! not again. I feel my rib-cage tightening and my heart closing as my thoughts get heavy and the whole world - out there - seems dull and disappointing through these darkened lenses. I feel bad so my mind thinks I am bad. I feel worthless and unloveable, so I judge and push everyone away. I resist. I fight. But I'm firmly stuck here in the mud and it feels ugly. 

"My love. Be gentle with yourself," says my inner Warrior of Compassion. "How human of you to feel this....

Dear brothers, 

Yep, you will see quite a few posts and programmes here for women. This one is only for you because you are important. At the core of all I do, the deepest longing in my heart, is that we come together, consciously, compassionately and support each other as human beings, beyond gender, to bring out the most potent, vibrant, healthy versions of ourselves. 

This was text I included in my recent message to the women in the Living Sacred Womanhood project:

____________________________

What about the Men ?

We acknowledge the real challenges and honour the greatness of men, our brothers. We, as women, come together to do our work to heal and cultivate that which is uniquely female, in order to be better prepared to initiate our brothers, bow at their feet, receive their gifts, meet heart to heart, and stand side by side, in equal measure.

We respect and are grateful to the men that do their own work together to heal and cultivate that which is...

Dear friends, 

It's 2019. At this time of year we're bombarded with predictions for the months ahead, techniques and tools to plan your life and manifest your dreams, and practices, mindsets and products to make a better, happier and healthier you! 

In all honesty, no-one knows what's gonna happen. 2019 is a mystery. 

I absolutely love dreaming up the future and focusing my creative energy. How about you? We must do this, yes! 

I believe we are responsible for creating our reality. AND. I believe we're in control of nothing. There's a way bigger 'brain' at work than the little one in my head! 

Both are true for me. 

So what about the mystery? What about the big unknown? Is it way too scary to accept that we just don't know?

Yep, it's pretty scary. It's means we are VULNERABLE. 

Every single one of us. Rich and poor, old and young, gluten and gluten-free, house owners and nomads, politicians and yellow vests, men...

In Ireland we use words like ‘gloomy’ and ‘miserable’ for these rainy, grey, late Autumn days.

There are plenty of ‘them days’ in Ireland, which support the Irish romance with melancholy, as well as the green grass, so lush I want to eat it.
 
You’ll also hear a lot of “ah sure it’s GRAND isn’t it?”
 
“Grand” is a matter-of-fact way the Irish get on with life, with acceptance and resilience. 
 
Let’s face it, there’s no point waiting for the weather to improve, to transform your mood. You might be waiting a while!! 
 
There’s no point waiting for the sun to shine to let your face brighten with a smile and share the warmth in your heart.
 

This time of year can feel difficult if we are dependent on something outside of ourselves being responsible for our happiness and how we feel.

 
It can be uncomfortable if we resist the natural cycles of life and our...

1. Spend time in nature.

We adapt naturally like nature. Observe how animals and plants are adapting. In the forest soak in the smells and colours, take deep breaths of fresh air, lean against a tree for support. Charge up on the energy in the wind and waves across the lake. Watch in awe and wonder the changing skies as the mystery of the season unfolds.
 

2. Get lots of sleep, every night.

Set up an evening routine to support deep restorative sleep. Write your schedule for the next day, finish work and turn off all screens by 8pm. Eat lightly and finish eating by 8pm. Wind down with a good book or a cuddle with a loved one or pets to raise feel-good hormones. Dim the lights. Meditate or do a restorative pose by candlelight. Remember 3 things you are grateful for this day, announce with satisfaction that it is complete, and envision how you want to wake up tomorrow. Make it a habit.

3. Sit.

Daily. Every morning. With yourself. Don’t do anything. Just sit. Start with 10...

Die, my love, die.
She lures me in.

Shivers in my body. My head throbs. My eyes sting. 
She lures me in. 

100 things to do.
Expectations. Promises. People need me. 

A heavy heart. A confused mind.
I've been denying her, avoiding her, by all means.

Come my love.
Give me your blood, she whispers.

My grip of resistance weakens. 
With mud under my finger nails, I give in. 

I slide down the slippery slope. 
Down and down. She beckons.

The dark embraces me. More and more. 
Welcome. There is nothing to fear, my love. 

She sits, without stirring, in the darkness.
Hooded, in a long black cloak. I see no face. 

Her voice is deep, soft and gentle. 
She calls for my offerings. 

Offerings of pain, of grief, of rage, of fear. 
My burdens, she receives them all. 

We sit there, silently, with it all. 
I shed some tears. She is unmoved.

Everything melts into the same darkness. 
All is one. Empty and full. 

There is nowhere to...

Imagine for a moment...

Imagine a world where you feel intrinsically safe and welcome.
What would that feel like in your body? 

Imagine that because you feel safe and welcome, you relax deeply in being you.

You focus all of your energy on enjoying, experiencing and sharing the potency of Life and Love in your Being.

You are not trying to prove anything or defend yourself from anything. You do not live in fear of being rejected, abandoned, humiliated, abused or betrayed.

You feel seen, felt and heard by others, so you know you are not alone meeting the challenges of life.

You can open your system to the natural intelligence or energy of the universe, making yourself available to health, wisdom, creativity and ecstatic states of aliveness.  

You put yourself wholeheartedly into exploring and sharing your unique gifts in ways that serve others and this planet. 
 

Imagine this world. Imagine the...

Just like me you are doing your best to be a good and loving person.

Just like me you don’t like to feel pain.

Just like me you make mistakes and feel shame and guilt.

Just like me you deserve to be felt, heard, seen and loved for who you are.

The difference for someone living an awakened life is not that they feel no pain but that they transform their pain into a gift and an opportunity for growth.

Rather than feeding disconnect, blame and separation due to pain, they lean-in with gratitude for their connection to humanity.

I am very much inspired by the teachings of Pema Chödrön, the wonderful American Tibetan Buddhist nun. She writes: 

“When things fall apart and we can’t get the pieces back together, when we lose something dear to us, when the whole thins is just not working and we don’t know what to do, this is the time when the natural warmth of tenderness, the warmth of empathy and kindness, are just...

No matter where I am, my practice is to sit there and be still there for a moment.
.
No matter what I am feeling, my practice is to sit and be still with that for a moment.
.
There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to be here now or to feel this now.
.
There’s a part of me that prefers to create another reality and make up stories of what is real. Stories that try to prove my beliefs. Beliefs about who I am and who I am not in relation to this world. In relation to you.
.
That part of me is desperately trying to make the world and my existence more understandable, more worthwhile, more controllable, safer.
.
That part of me is desperately trying to deny my pain, my suffering, my inability to really control anything, and my mortality.
.
And so here I am. I sit in stillness with that part of me too.
.
Because that part of me is so ok, so welcome, so human.
.
And in that moment of awareness I chose to increase my presence to that part. To love her more and give her my undivided...

“Let it go my love,” she whispers, “let it all go.” She caresses me with her gentle waters and soft breeze.
.
I feel the waves of relaxation start to move through my body.
.
My breath begins to reflect this gentle caress now across my inner landscape.
.
I feel the relaxation wash over my mind.
.
My body sinks deeper into her loving embrace.
.
Like falling back into a safety net, Yes, I am so completely held.
.
A deep sigh releases as I feel how much I am loved. All of me is loved.
.
As she rocks me gently I know it is time to surrender completely.