What Have You Been Learning Lately?

It is said, and perhaps experienced, that when people close to us are hurtful, the betrayal cuts more deeply than it would with a stranger because of the trust established in the relationship. There is no better time, then, to learn how to "un-see" the character flaws of another. Of course, there are situations when further contact with said person is not emotionally and/or physically safe for us, and in those situations ideally our self-love and respect remove us. However, in so many cases the hurt that transpires between two people is worth moving through in order to preserve the valuable connection. But what is it to "un-see"? Un-seeing is a graceful act of unconditional love. To un-see means to see the full reality of someone, blemishes and beauty, and to choose to relate to the beauty. It doesn't mean ignoring the blemishes. Here's a sweet bit about this from my Authentic Relationship manual: "The more you tolerate and relate to the positive and...

Last September, Spirit Voyage , the internet hub of all things Kundalini yoga related, issued a 40 day global sadhana challenge for women: So Purkh. So Purkh is a prayer from the Sikh faith that women say for men ( read more about it and listen to it! ). It is a great blessing for a man to have a woman say So Purkh for him, and has the benefit for the woman's relationships of healing negativity, encouraging resolution and manifesting true love...among other things. With the support and encouragement of my dear light sister, Siri Shakti Kaur, I bought Nirinjan Kaur's recording and began slowly fumbling my way through the lengthy Gurumukhi prayer. Because I'm an imperfect human being among other imperfect human beings, I have had a fair amount of hurt written on my heart. Many of those little wounds have been related to relationships with men, and as such, doing So Purkh seemed to be an appropriate choice for me. If I ever wanted to get married, at some point I would have ...

The Catholic Community of Pleasanton's Friar Chris really came through for me today. First we got into my favorite bit from First Corinthians ("Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are."), then moved on to the turn the other cheek and love your neighbor as yourself business. The sermon was all about compassion, unconditional love, and seeing the Spirit within ourselves and the people around us. I was practically giddy. Yes! After years of searching for spiritual guidance that I could resonate with, I found it in my yogic practice and then found it again in my original spiritual foundation. What a beautiful journey home! But then...oh no! Then the lines were drawn. According to Catholic teachings, the Spirit is only bestowed to those who are baptized and we share our compassion exclusively with other Christians. No...

Have you ever woken up, looked around and wondered, "How did I get here?!" I am speaking not of alcohol and/or blunt force trauma-induced amnesia but the still startling and equally bewildering phenomenon of suddenly coming to from a long stupor. I woke up the other day and experienced the heart sinking realization that, despite my best intentions to have an ultra-conscious 2011, I had been asleep for weeks. Embarrassed, I had to admit that I had been living in a finely crafted alternate reality where the important things didn't affect me, although they did so very deeply. Unable/unwilling to engage with my actual reality, I fled...as far as I could get, with no intention or plans, so far outside my natural flow that I completely lost myself. What really bothered me was that, unlike similar times in the past where everything was hazy, I knew clearly in my mind and heart that I was not behaving consciously but stubbornly barreled ahead. "It'll all work out. It alw...