Going no contact with my narcissistic family was the most difficult time of my life. I was submerged in a whirlpool of tears: Would I be sucked down? Could I catch a breath? Or emerge anew? My son’s recent high school graduation allowed me to reflect further upon the pain of leaving family to become whole, to gather strewn parts of myself and bathe them in love. The Dance at 18 As my son and his classmates danced hula during […]
I did a detox this summer that wasn’t meticulously planned. Rather, my cleanse slowly seeped in after a tentative encounter with a BOSU ball. The detox was from yoga. Rather than a standard fare of teaching yoga and meditation, I delighted in not speaking and simply being told what to do by instructors. I journeyed into kickboxing, circuits, boot camp, barrecore, jazz aerobics, cardiotone and Pilates. During a solo outing, I was in awe of another gym goer walking in […]
We all experience fear and anxiety. A feeling of being afraid is an assembled experience that assesses threat. While fear is more immediate (being fearful of barbed wire or a coiled snake), anxiety is often associated with worry in the middle of the night or fretting about the future (when no immediate threat is present). We often associate anxiety with an earlier hurt or trauma, yet the threats of old often have little relevance to the current moment. As such, […]
Spiritual maturity will not be charted on a spreadsheet nor have percentages tallied in its favour. Yet tangible symptoms of spiritual maturity do lend themselves to a well-lived life. Here are ten signs of spiritual maturity to help you savour the moment and inspire you to learn more. You are selective about how to spend your time. What is time well spent? You seek mutually nourishing relationship. Also, rather than attending an event and being drained through obligation, you now […]
Attend the May Day breakfast, serve lil’ smokies and you’re good with God for the year. That’s my childhood interpretation. Sundays were something to be endured and church time and real life were very separate. Now as an adult spiritualist, I see a continuum: Life is spirituality and spirituality is life. With this mature understanding, I gravitate toward empowered practice that supports skilful contribution to our world. Through authentic practice, we remember–and an adept spiritual teacher readily acknowledges–that the teacher […]
Communication with a narcissist is beyond frustration. A narcissist is more interested in dominance than collaboration and your hopeful attempts usually come with the hefty price tag of emotional and mental health. Letter writing and journaling provide outlets for the crazy you’ve experienced and help reclaim voice and self identity. A proper letter does not ask anything of a narcissist for a narcissist only gives as means to assert power. FOUR POINT TEMPLATE: LOVE LETTER to THE NARCISSIST What you will […]