My basic philosophy

I believe in fostering consciousness around transformation.  We humans are constantly transforming, literally, on the physical level as we shed skin, hair and nails…as cells die, and new ones grow.  I believe that this regeneration and renewal happens on other levels, too: emotionally, energetically, mentally and spiritually we are in a constant process of change.  And here’s the trick: if we can bring consciousness to that process and do it on purpose – proactively instead of passively – tremendous things can happen.  We can create the lives we want and manifest the world we dream of living in.  This is why I’ve decided to live my life as an embodied experiment, and invite others into the experiment with me.

The experiment is one of the primary principles I was taught when I began to study Tantra: the way of life that sees everything, everything as an experiment.  It says that there’s no right, and no wrong; no good, and no bad, just what works and what doesn’t work.  Now, it’s not a cry for anarchy; that’s where the embodiment piece comes in.  I’ve come to view the word “embodied” as meaning “connected to the whole.”

You are connected internally in all the various pieces and parts and maps of dualities that exist within you: heart/mind/spirit/body; masculine/feminine; lower self/higher self; and various sub-personalities, to name a few.  At the same time, you are connected externally; knowing your body to be part of the manifest world, that is one world; knowing your consciousness to be part of one vast consciousness.

As you work to understand that there is a vast oneness, out beyond-the-beyond and in past-the-center-within, and that you and it are uniquely one and the same, there is a longing that develops, to be in alignment with what will work best for the whole.  And so the “what works vs. what doesn’t work” of the experiment is given a context of connectivity; an alignment to guide it.

Bringing the experiment into alignment requires the development of consciousness.  Simply put, you have to pay attention.  You have to gather the data from your experiments.  When something works well, notice why, and when something doesn’t, take note of that, too.  It’s easier to notice what’s working and what isn’t if you can step outside of judgment and let go of self-criticism (easier said than done, I know).  When that sense of being in total alignment shows up, remember where you were, what you were doing, what your body felt like, who you were with.  Then take all that data you’ve gathered, and use it to inform the next experiment.

It sounds relatively simple, but it isn’t easy to do.  And there are infinite layers of understanding: ever-more-expansive and ever-more-subtle.  It’s a way-of-life that takes lifetimes to master.  And for me, it’s worth it.  It has been the framework for my healing; the map that I’ve used to weave bits and pieces of myself into wholeness.