Brett: sit with your anger Lana, invite it in your space (like Rumi says), let it linger, don’t fight it, don’t rationalize with it or judge it, it will eventually, quietly pack up and leave.
Sitting with your anger - teeter-totter style - or whatever the hell emotions you’ve been wrestling with (just look at my vocab, they don’t inspire healing) ain’t a walk in the park. But it needs to be done if you wanna swiftly sail through the next stage of your life. A big part of this torturous endeavor is that unlike therapy where you get to pick who to blame for all your misfortunes, the name of this game is “own it” … full responsibility is the MO. It is also a slow process, and require much self-introspection and reflection. Having said that, this is not the instagram guru typa motivational talk, there is no beating your ego with a stick, it is gentle, non-judgmental and conscientious … yeah yeah and painful.
See, life can suck and contrary to the very privileged mantras of people who have no real problem in their lives, the majority of hoomans struggle/ suffer in real. For example the biggest predictor of chronic disease and early death isn’t not enough saunas or organic produce, but poverty, full stop.
So it’s not all mindset, and the world ain't anyone's oyster (ok but a few). Therefore I am not talking about that, how dare I preach to people who have very little control over their lives. What I am referring to here is the life of the soul, your inner most intimate existence (nope not the weird stuff you do behind closed doors … jeez)
Now we know that – to a point – if things are kinda sorted inside there, you can be happy, fulfilled and kicking ass no matter who/ what/ where, but if your innards were like dungeons and dragons, even if the whole world was at your fingertips, you will still be found spread-eagle on the bathroom floor sniffing laundry detergent. No need to prove my point just check the delightful news of the rich and famous (and thier wannabees)
Nothing makes a hooman happy and at peace than living their true authentic self and treading the path set for them. And let me astonish you here, your truthful self, your path may be further from your current reality than Pepsi becoming the next superfood.
I’m no infant in the world of healing and spirituality, I’ve been dipping my toes, sometimes diving head on in those deep waters for ages. I just don’t like the culture of it, something about those new age tribes/ cults/ groups …etc - though nothing against them - make my skin crawl, so I keep a lid on this secret life of mine and share it with less than a handful of people.
One of those people is Zehra (not her real name) aka, my soul sister.
In previous posts I obsessed about the idea of perception as it has been a major subject of research, (reading / courses) and discussion with Zehra for more than a month now.
Zehra is American, a pretty known writer, her essays appeared in The New York times, CNN, The Sunday Times (London), and elsewhere, this woman kicks ass as a mom, athlete (runner), and healer … a true superwoman if ever was one. I first got introduced to Zehra way back when I came across something she wrote for Oprah magazine. I recall that as I finished reading her article my sentiments were WOW, a woman after my own heart, I was hooked ever since.
Fast forward a few months, one non too thrilling day (I was up to my ears in studying) I check my email (emails were all the rage then) and BOOM, her name in my inbox. I never wrote her, or commented on an article she wrote so you can see my amazement.
Zehra introduced herself; a mutual friend (whom I did not know was mutual) suggested she write me. Story is, she was on this spiritual retreat (it is more than that but vague is sexy) with non-other than a student of mine (told ya I had many lives) The leader of that pack, aka group was a world renown scholar that I literally and to this day adore and idolize – and whom Zehra was on first name basis with - so my gal told Zehra this: if you wanna meet the female equivalent of this dude scholar, you gotta meet my mentor LANA, and that ladies and gents was Dat. We have been intimate friends for almost 10 years, and our connection seems to evolve and strengthen as time goes by.
Last month I collaborated with Zehra on a beautiful project, one that is so close to my heart. She was commissioned to write a few chapters for a book that will be published by a prestigious college in California, my job was a consultant. I loved every bit, the brain storming, the weaving of the story and characters, the research …all of it, and I am grateful (it is addicting).
Now Zehra and I have been talking about a next project, something so serious that it may alter the course of our lives (had to sprinkle some drama here, I mean we are writers), we make a good team, besides, she has her hands in the publishing world and I have mine in the world of action and risk taking (deadlifting means zlich here)
Ok, i wanted to talk about perception and all that I have been toying with lately, but we kinda don’t always get what we want do we, next post then
Here’s a link to check if you were ever interested in the subject I spoke about at the beginning (merely a place to start)
To be continued …