Thursday, April 11, 2013

The Convenient Truth of Transformation


Simple and easy are not the same thing.

But simple is simple, and it simply takes commitment. 

Over the past year, I've developed for the first time in my life what some might call a "spiritual practice". More important than the word "spiritual" is the word "practice". I have solitary intentional rhythms that root me, that I love, that make me feel safe and held. And I live inside of them. I breathe them. I dance them, sometimes I scream them. But without them, I'd be doing any number of things: floating, willing, doubting, floundering, forcing myself to be somewhere I'm simply fucking not.

When I meet new people now, they tell me I exude spirituality, sensuality. I think I wish they knew me two years ago. I wish they could've seen my resistance the first time I was told to pray, asked to sing in a sweat lodge, invited to dream what seemed unreasonable. I wish they could've seen my HAIRCUT, my body, my bras.

For most of my adult life I was the first in line to get-shit-done. Self-starting projects all the time. Forcing myself to finish. Berating myself for the natural way that some things fall away. I was also hiding my feminine beauty, magic, mystique.

It's taken nearly a year to unwind the spool of stress and sink into divine desire, deep intuitive listening, humble acceptance of the call I actually hear, as opposed to the one my ego craves.

Here are the most important things I've learned about transformation:

  • If you don't create a regular routine of checking in with yourself deeply, you run the risk of skimming through life on the surface of yourself, walking your life in dissonance. Ouch. 
  • If you set aside an intentional daily time to be intimately connected to what's below the surface of your conscious mind, you will tap into the force of your limitless being. It's unavoidable. When you give it space and attention, it shows up, grows. 
  • And when you grow your life-force from the inside out, one day at a time, small practice by small practice, eventually, you have more might than you ever would've imagined, and you find yourself emerging with clarity and ease into the dreams you barely thought possible before.

You sign up for adult circus camp. You heal your sexual trauma. You make your art in public. You let yourself love in a totally new way. You earn the big bucks because your work has real resonance. Your body shapes itself to match your actual spirit. Really.

It's so simple. Be intimate with your spirit 20 minutes a day and your spirit will wield wild authenticity in your life.

But that's what makes it hard. It's not easy to shed the shallow, known parts of yourself, for what's real and true, and living in an unknown land. It takes courage, faith, trust.

But if you want the deep, juicy, sexy, scary stuff, surprise is essentially required.

~~~~~~~

If you know you're longing for a spiritual practice, but aren't quite sure how to go about creating one, I work specifically with each of my coaching clients to help them develop personalized meaningful practices. I'd be honored to work with you if you're feeling called. Shoot me and e-mail and we can get the ball rolling: rachmadlove at gmail dot com.

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