THE PORTAL OF SHAME

Shame. We try to overcome it. To get rid of it. To cover it up with bravado and smiles, with cleverness and wit, strategically placed to hide the unwanted, the unforgivable. If only we were not so scarred, not so tarnished, not so cracked and grimy that we had to bury it deep inside, so…

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THE TRICKY TOPIC OF TRAUMA

Trauma. It’s a tricky topic … especially in spiritual circles. Some seekers want to awaken in order to heal from trauma. Others believe they cannot awaken until they have healed from trauma. Some spiritual teachers include trauma-work as an integral part of the awakening process. Others do not consider the emphasis on trauma to be…

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WHAT IS YOUR DEEPEST LONGING?

I ask you, what do you long for? You tell me you want to find fulfillment in the work you do, to do something meaningful, to express your authentic voice. I ask you, what do you long for? You tell me you want to find happiness in relationship, to meet your soul mate, and finally…

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IS IT OK TO FALL APART?

To fall apart. It sounds scary. It sounds like the end of the world. The end of us. We do everything in our power to not fall apart. We keep our emotions in check. We keep our feelings hidden, even to ourselves. We contort ourselves around family rules. Don’t rock the boat, they said. Don’t…

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The Energy For Emptiness – Guest Blog

This blog was written by Jennifer Billig, Santa Fe. In my experience, it felt like my ability to access emptiness, or what Amoda calls ‘presence,’ was dependent on my level of physical energy. When I slept well and felt vigorous, it felt mostly easy to make contact with this vast, bright nothingness. If I slept…

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THE OPENNESS THAT HOLDS IT ALL

The innocent longing to come home – what we call the spiritual search – is so often hijacked by an unconscious psychological agenda for comfort and perfection. Along with the desire to end the suffering created by ego’s tenacious story-telling comes a hope that this ending means we no longer have to feel what we…

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THE PATH OF LOVE

You want freedom. From your self. That pesky self that berates you when you get it wrong. Nags you for not being perfect enough. Condemns you for not living up to expectations. Yours or others. That annoying self that coils into a tight ball of defense when it feels rejected. Lashes out like a scorpion’s…

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THE YOU THAT REMAINS AFTER AWAKENING

There’s a question that is often bothersome on the seeker’s path … Does awakening erase the personality? Do all personal traits, tendencies, and idiosyncrasies get wiped away in one fell swoop? Does our astrological imprint become obsolete? Do we transcend our conditioning completely? Do we return to some kind of innocent tabula rasa? It boggles…

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The Gift of Giving

An invitation by Kavi. I would like to invite you to participate in an adventure. It is simple but potentially powerful. It is based in the ‘pass it on,’ theory of doing good. If you have read this book by Amoda, ‘Embodied Enlightenment,’ and you have been touched by it in some way, I want…

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LIVING AS THE OPEN HAND

The metaphor of the open hand is very resonant. It speaks to the innermost in each of us. But I am often asked … how do we live as the open hand? Well, it has nothing to do with how awake or enlightened you are. It has nothing to do with how spiritual you are….

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THE ARTIST’S OFFERING

I’m not interested in upholding lofty spiritual ideas, or regurgitating spiritual truths, or following spiritual traditions. I’m interested in the bare bones of direct experience. I’m not interested in doing spiritual things, or looking like a spiritual person, or pretending to be higher or better than those who are not being spiritual. I’m interested in…

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PRESENCE

You cannot be more present. You cannot practice presence, or try being more present, or learn how to be present. You cannot lose presence, move away from it, find it, or move towards it. Presence is not a thing, or a commodity you can possess, or a state of mind. It can, however, dawn on…

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