Tag Archives: Mindfulness

A Full Strawberry Moon On June 29th & Then Tracking A Firecracker Felt Sense Of Independence With A Full Buck Moon In Late July

Posted on by under Consciousness, Spirituality, Uncategorized
Sleeping lion with glowing floral decorations under a crescent moon in an enchanted forest
A magical lion adorned with glowing flowers sleeps peacefully in a mystical forest at night.

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

-Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Please enjoy the following videos below that capture the sentiment. Perhaps listening to them together in peaceful alignment, will be music to your ears, if you’ll pardon the pun . . .

We Shall Overcome

A Full Strawberry Moon on June 29 reflects lineage connections to the Algonquin and other North American nations who noticed the connection between the wild berry harvest to this Full Moon.

Also, Mercury will be in Retrograde on June 29 – July 23. These energies are in alignment with slowing things down, reflecting on the past, and focusing on the here and now.

Energetically, Mercury in Retrograde is a good time to be mindful of subconscious thoughts, including past programming. These energies can be a healing and highly intuitive time when we work with its energies intensionally.

Moreover, our psychic abilities and dreams can become triggered so that we can tap into deeper insights by working with our subconscious minds in ways where the unseen realms yield useful information to light our way.

A colorful New Moon in Cancer rises in the skies on July 14, 2026. Cancer season continues till July 22nd.

As always, new beginnings are in the air. And specifically, the new waves coming into the shores bring back feeling safe in family matters of the hearth, and other related activities like cooking and gardening.

Crabs are known to weather their emotional fluctuations. Might as well be mindful of co-creating a sense of belonging in the world.

Cancer the Crab is a time when we are encouraged to focus on nourishment, self-care, and our emotional health that breathes in a softer tone that supports reconnecting with ourselves and our hearts. Crabs reflect emotional sensitivity and tapping into the feeling realm.

Remember there is God in forgiveness, and it can be good to get out of our heads; especially when getting seduced into negative self talk narratives.

Or perhaps merely an atheistic appreciation the mysterious forces of Nature are enough to be shelter from the storm.

Looking ahead, a Full Buck Moon will happen on July 29. This Moon gets its name from the Native American observation that male deer antlers began growing in late spring and reach peak growth in July. Many Native Alaskans called this moon the Salmon Moon for its timing with salmon runs.

Whereas in Celtic culture, this moon has been known as the Wyrt (Wort), Mead or Herb Moon because most herbs can withstand harvesting by July. And in Anglo Saxon lineage, this moon was known as the Hay Moon. Bees buzzing out and about reinforce that honey is the elixir of life.

It is important for all humans to remember our shared history. This includes our lineage connections to our indigenous ancestral roots that are part of our planetary history before Colonization. This has impacted everyone and continues to do so.

Of course knowing our spiritual roots connects to that truth as well. Because we all have stardust in our DNA, not to mention oral traditions passed down about our cosmic connections to the Sky People.

Speaking of cosmic connections, a growing body of people are talking about Disclosure these days:

Late July’s full moon cycle amplifies a strong need for emotional freedom that can heighten emotional complexities.

Whether you’re an ET, human or otherwise; the resonate point is that harmonizing with groups can be challenging for everyone till you get into the right vibe, if you’ll pardon the multidimensional pun.

Moreover, Aquarian energies that also constitute July’s full moon cycle can intensify in those of us with strong rebellious streaks, our need to assert ourselves, and can make getting along in groups feel more challenging.

But then again, that’s just part of the human condition.

Speaking of the human condition, fear, anger and jealousy aren’t particularly healthy emotional cravings. And yet, all emotions are fleeting and transient, so we might as well see them as they are; no more or no less.

Besides, the power of community shows that people can be good mirrors for each other to reflect on what triggers us, and can shed light on better understanding of our humanity.

Finally, the tides of Leo season roll in from July 22-August 22. Tis the season to broadcast radically confident self-expression through the heart chakra, and a friendly reminder to nurture our inner child. Leo’s energies encourage movement out of the shadows, and stepping into the light with courage and passion.

Of course dominating the spotlight and always stealing the show can be blinding; as is self-stimulation as a form of meddling into the affairs of others. Besides, it can come across as an arrogant form of defensive pride.

Truly, the 3D realm we live in still carries a strong identification as an outer directed culture. Might as well see this reality as a friendly reminder that we stand in a deeper and higher personal authority when we stop chasing after happiness in the form of “praise, likes, or applause.”

May all Beings awaken to God Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness, Unity Consciousness, Diversity within Unity, Inner Peace and the Universal Pillars of Love and Truth,

Ari

Podcast Episode: A New Moon in Gemini, Solstices, Full Strawberry Moon & Mercury in Retrograde

Posted on by under Consciousness, Podcast, Spirituality, Uncategorized
Full moon rising over fields and a country path with a farmhouse nearby
A glowing full moon rises over a peaceful countryside at dusk

Check out this newly created experimental AI Podcast feature that aligns with my writing, compliments of WordPress.

Full Disclosure: Truly, I do take pride in my writing, and have yet to use AI for the written word. However, I have been having fun with playing around with AI for illustrations.

This podcast version of 1 of my more recent writings stars 2 AI created characters named Pip and Mara.

Please enjoy the podcast & transcript below:

Pip: Gemini season, a solstice, a strawberry moon, Mercury going sideways — June is apparently doing a lot.

Mara: This episode covers one post from Ari Joshua Bouse, mapping the celestial events of late June and what they invite us to pay attention to — new moons, seasonal turning points, a full moon with Indigenous roots, and a retrograde worth taking seriously.

Pip: Let’s start with the sky.

A New Moon in Gemini Through Mercury Retrograde

Mara: June opens with a New Moon in Gemini on the fifteenth, and the question this post is really asking is: what does the sky this month want from us, and how do we work with it rather than against it?

Pip: The post frames the Gemini New Moon as a prompt to balance thinking and feeling — and it puts it plainly: “Harmonizing with our heads and hearts helps support effective communication.”

Mara: That’s the throughline for the whole month. The New Moon opens a window for setting intentions, connecting socially, and letting communication projects move more freely. The post specifically names storytelling and sharing topical truths as things that can come to life with greater ease right now.

Pip: Then June 21 arrives carrying two things at once — the Summer Solstice and Father’s Day, a pairing that won’t repeat until 2037.

Mara: The post draws a real contrast there. In the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice carries what it calls Grandfather Sun-Yang energy — outward, expansive, growth-oriented. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the opposite: the longest night, Grandmother Moon-Yin energy, a turning inward.

Pip: The planet literally experiencing opposite seasons at the same moment — that’s the kind of thing that makes the phrase “duality of living on this planet” feel less like a bumper sticker.

Mara: The Full Strawberry Moon follows on June 29. The post traces that name to the Algonquin and other North American nations who connected the wild berry harvest to this moon, and notes that other cultures named it for whatever mattered most to people on the land at midsummer.

Pip: History embedded in a calendar. That’s not nothing.

Mara: June 21 also opens Cancer season, running through July 22. The post frames Cancer as a softer emotional register — nourishment, self-care, reconnecting with feeling. Then Mercury stations retrograde on June 29, lasting through July 23, and the post treats that as a genuine invitation: slow down, reflect, and pay attention to subconscious patterns.

Pip: So the month ends with two overlapping energies asking for the same thing — quiet and inward attention.

Mara: And the psychic and dream life, the post says, can surface real insight during that window if you’re working with it intentionally rather than just waiting for it to pass.

Pip: Which points straight toward how we actually tend our inner lives day to day.

Mara: A month of thresholds — new beginnings, a solstice, ancestral moons, a retrograde. The invitation seems to be: meet each one with some awareness.

Pip: More sky ahead. We’ll see what it asks for next time.

Please enjoy the original post that inspired this new podcast version at the link below:

A New Moon in Gemini, Summer Solstice, Full Strawberry Moon & Mercury in Retrograde at the End of June

Podcast Episode: Embodying Paradox, Change & Humor In The Everyday Moments Of Life

Posted on by under Consciousness, Podcast, Spirituality, Uncategorized
Abstract swirling streams of water twisting around glowing blue and teal geometric crystals
Swirling water streams intertwine with glowing geometric crystals in an abstract composition.

Check out this newly created experimental AI Podcast feature that aligns with my writing, compliments of WordPress.

Full Disclosure: Truly, I do take pride in my writing, and have yet to use AI for the written word. However, I have been having fun with playing around with AI for illustrations.

This podcast version of 1 of my more recent writings stars 2 AI created characters named Pip and Mara.

Please enjoy the podcast & transcript below:

Pip: Classroom Mothership Earth — where the curriculum includes falling off your bike, losing on purpose, and calling all of it wisdom.

Mara: That’s actually a fair summary. Ari Joshua Bouse has a new post up exploring resilience, paradox, and how everyday stumbles become the practice itself. Let’s start with what it means to stop fighting the dark and work with it instead.

Embodying Paradox, Change and Humor In Everyday Life

Mara: The central question here is how resilience actually gets built — not by avoiding difficulty, but by changing your relationship to it. The post argues that resilience is cultivated, not inherited, and that the everyday moment is where that cultivation happens.

Pip: And the frame for all of it comes from a Taoist concept the post calls Investing In Loss. The setup is direct: “you might lose a game 99 times out of a hundred. But if you lose 99 times and you are paying mindful attention about your partners moves, you can learn their tricks, and spring the trap to win the 100th game.”

Mara: So the upshot is that losing, done consciously, is actually data. The mindset shift the post is pointing at is the difference between defeat and apprenticeship — same outcome, completely different relationship to it.

Pip: The bike and the swimming pool make the same case more viscerally. Most of us got water up our nose and fell off the handlebars and somehow did not develop lasting trauma from either. We just got back on.

Mara: Right — and the post uses that to ask a genuine question: how do we stay present in everyday life the way we were present when we were learning something genuinely new and a little scary? That’s where Dan Millman enters. The Way of the Peaceful Warrior gets name-checked as a long-running personal touchstone — a book recommended in high school, not fully read until after college, but never forgotten.

Pip: There is something quietly honest about admitting the book sat on the to-do list for years before it landed. Delayed absorption counts.

Mara: The post opens with two epigraphs that frame the whole thing. Eckhart Tolle on bringing in light rather than fighting darkness, and S. Kelley Harrell going further: “bless the darkness, hold the light, because the two aren’t divisible.” That’s the paradox the title is naming — not resolving the tension, but inhabiting it.

Mara: The shadow-boxing image the post offers — awakening to shades of your hidden self in a mirror — suggests the inner work and the outer stumbling are the same practice, just different angles.

Pip: Lose on purpose, get back on the bike, and hold the light and the dark at the same time. Straightforward advice, if you don’t mind the bruises.

Mara: That tension between difficulty and openness seems like the thread worth pulling next time.

Please enjoy the original post that inspired this new podcast version at the link below:

Embodying Paradox, Change & Humor In The Everyday Moments Of Life

May all Beings be free of suffering, and awaken to God Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness, Unity Consciousness, Diversity Within Unity, Inner Peace and the Universal Pillars of Love And Truth.

Happiness As A Way Of Life Does Not Mean That You’re Happy All The Time

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Daily writing prompt
What’s a common misconception people have about happiness?
View all responses
Rural landscape with sun rays breaking through dark clouds over green fields

I remember when I worked with a single parent who said, “I just want my son to be happy.” Regardless of where they are at in their life cycle, that’s what most parents want for their children.

But there is a difference between getting what we want, things not going our way and experiencing happiness as a way of life.

Awareness of the truth that we all suffer and that desire and attachment are the root of suffering is key to unlocking a common misconception about happiness.

Happiness as a way of life recognizes that an open, passive attitude and mindful approach by allowing the present moment to unfold as it will (regardless of what feelings we’re being visited by), is what’s up.

Moreover, it is freeing to be present with softening our sense of craving that often accompanies happiness (like any other state of being)- pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.

We often crave moments to happen or not happen . . . Or by wishing them to begin or end in ways opposite of what’s really going on.

Moments are what they are. We are the one’s that project our “stuff” onto them. We’ve all done it.

Truly, these moments are what they are, and will be nothing more than fleeting or transient.

Might as well be curious about these moments as they arrive, and surf them as they happen, like riding a wave with the grace of a swan.

Just as an example, the pursuit of happiness is a setup in our constitution, if you’ll pardon the multidimensional-revolutionary pun.

Pursuit connotes suffering. Like striving, being in pursuit of something is really just another unattainable craving because the pursuit of something (such as an attached mental concept) never really happens.

Or if it does happen that you manifest, reach your goal or get what you want . . . chances are that you missed the magical moments of the process as they unfolded because you were still in hot pursuit of reaching your lofty ideal.

Perhaps you identify with a dystopian view of your lowest self portrait. Comedian George Carlin captured the sentiment in my favorite one-liner by stating, “if my goal is to fail and I succeed, which have I done?”

Happiness is seeing beyond the smoke and mirrors, bells and whistles, and bling in the world of 10,000 things.

Happiness is the radical self-acceptance that an interplay between form and formless are always flowing together. Happiness as a way of life lives in a space that transcends the clinging and grasping to our judgments, justifications and mental concepts.

Like the old saying, it’s the journey not the destination.

Take care of yourselves everyone,

Ari

Remembering The Great Invocation

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Happy Wesak Full Flower Taurus Moon today Folks!

In the spirit of Christ Consciousness, Buddha Nature & the Earthy grounding energy of Taurus…

Please scroll down to the Great Invocation below that was shared recently by a spiritual teacher that I have had the good fortune to work with.

Person meditating cross-legged on rocky mountain at sunrise with clouds and peaks

Meditation on and speaking the Great Invocation aloud & telepathically “combines world service, a major shift in our karmic trajectory, and an overall raising of our vibration.”

-Gene Ang

May speaking the following lyrics of the Great Invocation aloud amplify your presence, and be an embodiment of a positive self talk mantra in everyday reality:

From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into human minds.
Let Light descend on Earth.

From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into human hearts.
May the Coming One* return to Earth.

From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide all little human wills –
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.

From the centre which we call the human race
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.

Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.

May All Beings Be Free From Suffering and Walk In Alignment With God Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness, Unity Consciousness, Diversity Within Unity, Inner Peace and the Universal Pillars of Love and Truth.

Ari

Taking An Energetic Forrest Bath With Taurus The Bull & Basking In Buddha’s Light Of Compassion on The Forthcoming Wesak Full Moon on May 1st

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Although Aries season is coming to an end, it’s fiery energies are not to be missed on a New Moon in Aries on April 17.

This New Moon is a powerful time for reaching out to the Universe, asserting our needs, asking for guidance, and then allowing for manifestation to show up in the creation of our lives.

Energetically, Taurus season is a period of grounding and embodiment. Time to slow down into a more deliberate rhythm that is in alignment with Nature’s cycle. 

Following the spiritually assertive fiery energies of Aries, the Bull lands and builds foundations.

From an energetic perspective, the root chakra governs our sense of safety, survival, and belonging to the Earth.

I remember when I first felt drawn to spiritual power of shamanism by creating meaningful and purposeful rituals around mundane experiences.

Creating rituals can awaken seeing the sacred in everyday moments that can breathe in new air into the dead air of stale old ways of doing things that have become robotic.

Just as an example, we can help reduce anxiety and increase our sense of stability when we recognize our inner abundance, and imagine roots growing into the ground from the soles of our feet.

Besides, this practice makes for a healthy walking meditation ritual.

When people choose to work with these energies consciously, we are invited to reconnect with the physical world as a sacred space.

And we also become equipped to develop our spiritual fulfillment through the felt sense experience of the five material senses typically associated with the 3D realm.

We are in alignment with the spiritual nature of Taurus when we turn ordinary routines such as; making tea, showering, working out or even grocery shopping into intentional rituals where we are present.

Instead of spiritual bypassing, may we give ourselves permission to be fully present in the physical body rather than escaping into abstract thinking.

Because our bodies are our sacred vessels to connect with the present moment.

Remember that a sense of Divinity awakens by stopping to smell of flowers, mindfully tasting a meal or feeling the grass underneath your feet. 

Does your daily life align with your soul’s true values?

Keep in mind that when we are working with our shadow sides, it is wise for us to be mindful of the cravings to our creature comforts or familiar routines that ends up avoiding deeper inner work.

Perhaps instead, choosing rest or a walk out in Nature could be better options for you than attending a ritualistic social engagement that will probably leave you feeling exhausted at this time.

The Wesak Full Moon will happen on Friday, May 1st, which is in alignment with the Buddha’s birth, attainment of enlightenment and physical death.

Further, the spiritual and sacred ceremony around these energies reflects Divine Love, Divine Light and Divine Power flowing down to Gaia and all Sentient Beings.Friday, May 1, 2026.

Many of our ancestors considered the Wesak Full Moon as the most powerful full moon of the year. And to this day, many spiritual travelers honor our sacred connection to the consciousness of this full moon as Master Co elaborates on in the video below (with Master Choa Kok Sui’s picture in the background) :

As you can see, May can be seen as a high octane spiritual portal month, amplified by many powerful energetic shifts and new beginning frequencies beaming in. Wide open windows to cosmic vibrations are more perceptible at this time.

For example, 2026 marks the start of a new 9 year cycle.

The beginning of May is a good time for initiating new projects, setting new foundations, emphasizing independence, leadership, and authentic identity.

See revolutionary changes in communication, connection, and social networks as on their way.

Manifestation is in the air, and those of us on a spiritual path should especially be intentional with our words and thoughts because they will carry unusual weight this year.

Keep in mind that spiritual awakenings are part of these manifestations.

Are you experiencing sudden inspirations, intense dreams, or emotional highs and lows?

Will old patterns or relationships that no longer resonate gently fall away during this time to make room for a deeper frequency version of yourself? 

May all beings be free from suffering, and awaken to Inner Peace, Diversity Within Unity, Unity Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness and God Consciousness.

Ari

Spring Singing With Robin, Kundalini Rising & Diving Deeper Into The Sacred Energetic Medicinal Waters Of The Blue Pearl

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Robin’s unique Spring singing is tuned to the key of inner peace.

What I mean by that is the singing of these birds echoes peaceful and non-violent forms of communication through song to settle any territorial conflicts they might face.

Moreover, the blue hue of their eggs, coupled with their singing reflects the energies of the Throat Chakra.

May humans heed the call to tune into our Throat Chakra to awaken the power of communication by the way we play with our voices.

Photo by Rachel Fuerstenberg on Pexels.com

Robins rusty-red colored bellies resurrects reawakening kundalinis.

Robin’s red bellies realign red Root Chakras.

Consider that the Root Chakra is the primary residence of the powerful spiritual energy of the kundalini.

After the kundalini is tapped, it begins flowing more abundantly through the rest of the Chakra system.

Photo by Jay Brand on Pexels.com

Speaking of Chakras, I recently finished reading a recommended book called, The Spiritual Essence Of Man: The Chakras And The Inverted Tree Of Life, by Master Choa Kok Sui.

Master Sui is considered the founding soul of the Modern Pranic Healing and Arhatic Yoga.

And I can hear the callback of a spiritual teacher that I have had the honor to work with, who studied with Master Sui, and reinforced the importance of “meditation on the Blue Pearl”.

Long before I read Master Sui’s book, I felt inspired to incorporate a Chakra balancing meditation into my everyday meditation practice. The one that really got my wheels churning was reportedly passed down from Andean shamanic lineage.

My daughter and I have laughed about the time I tried to teach her this mediation while we were on a hike together back when she was in Preschool.

Ah, it’s still funny to me how these moments taste better organically with unforced errors, so to speak.

Truly, a sense of humor does breathe forgiveness into those moments of attempted ‘doer-ism’.

Like drinking a good tea, it’s important to take our time with digesting a spiritual diet by gently allowing the energy to steep in our consciousness, and let the wisdom percolate.

I remember a time when I experienced feeling pressured to compress spiritual understanding, transcend, and feel the need to figure it all out.

Of course this is impossible, and doesn’t just happen on the spiritual path.

Back in the T’ai Chi classes at The Studio, we used to joke about “disappearing in the mirror”. It was a real perceptible experience shared by many of the teachers and students there.

Besides, seeing from the soul, emptying the mind or cultivating spaciousness reveals that, as the ego shrinks and presence expands, a bell of mindfulness gives us another case of what we no longer want.

Meditation on the Blue Pearl reminds me of Eckhart Tolle’s commentary on the “lower i (and) the deeper I”; parts of a person’s form and formless identity.

The video below helps amplify the sentiment:

But just as the examples of the surface and depth of the ocean, they really aren’t separate identities at all.

Furthermore, an awakening softness around the cravings melt away into the remarkably unremarkable present moment as it is.

Like a good folk song, the experience can just happen without the frills, if only we allow for it without being invested or a sense of expectation.

Check out the short video below to get a feel for the meditative Blue Pearl vibe:

So what is the motivation to develop our spiritual powers?

Keep in mind that they can become behavioral traps “when used for ego aggrandizement”.

It is always important to remember the humility that none of us are any better or worse than anyone else.

As diverse expressions of one whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, we just have different talents and abilities that are part of our uniqueness.

May All Beings Be Free From Suffering, Awaken To Inner Peace, Unity Consciousness, Diversity Within Unity, Cosmic Consciousness and God Consciousness.

Ari

Embodying Paradox, Change & Humor In The Everyday Moments Of Life

Posted on by under Consciousness, Spirituality, Uncategorized

“Instead of fighting the darkness, you bring in the light.”

–Eckhart Tolle

“In the end, bless the darkness, hold the light, because the two aren’t divisible.”

–S. Kelley Harrell

Now more than ever, our resiliency needs to show up in our everyday humanity.

We all have the capacity for resiliency.

Resiliency doesn’t come from having a charmed life, not having to deal with stress, nor facing obstacles that get in our way or living in a bubble.

Rather, it’s something that we cultivate, like building energy for better strength and conditioning.

In much the same way as the Taoist idea of Investing In Loss, imagine the darkness you face is like a ghost that you are playing with rather than fighting.

Just as an example, you might lose a game 99 times out of a hundred.

But if you lose 99 times and you are paying mindful attention about your partners moves, you can learn their tricks, and spring the trap to win the 100th game. Your mindset of losing shifted, like the saying, “if you had fun, then you won.”

That’s Investing In Loss in a nutshell.

Because you remained open, let go of perfectionism, and learned that it’s the process that matters along the way.

As you are shadow boxing in front of a mirror, imagine yourself awakening to shades of your hidden self.

Perhaps blind spots will be revealed when you allow the light to come in, and shine brightly on your soul.

Just as an example, do you remember learning how to ride a bike or how to swim?

Some of us never did learn how to do either for different reasons.

But most of us who did learn how to ride, and swim know that novel learning curves didn’t come without falling off our bikes or getting water up our nose.

Somehow, most of us made it through learning a sometimes painful new skill without losing a limb from the bike accident or drowning in the water.

And most of us got back on the bike, and back in the water without developing PTSD from falling or sinking.

So how do we allow ourselves to be mindful of the present moment in everyday life?

I remember an old High School teacher who recommended a book called The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman, during my Senior year. I didn’t read the entire book till after I graduated from college. But I remained intrigued, and never stopped looking forward to reading it

In fact, the Peaceful Warrior message resonated so much that I read some more of Dan’s books after that, and then watched the film adaptation many years later, after it came out in 2006.

Check out the short video below that reinforces his mindful approach to life’s everyday moments:

May all beings be free from suffering, awaken to Inner Peace, and open up to the realm of Cosmic Consciousness,

Ari

Racoons Unmask Natural Internal Martial Arts Wizardry & Magicianship

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 Whenever suffering occurs in your life, whether coming down with the flu or not getting the job you wanted, you seek to know it fully rather than resent or deny it. Instead of distracting yourself, with fantasies, or worries, you focus your attention calmly upon the felt sense of what is happening. As you perform this task, you become acutely conscious of your reactive “arising’s” and the potency of their force. They too, are to be included within that, same wide, still embrace. You do not free yourself from narcissistic or self-disgusted longings by suppressing them, but by accepting them as the arising of habitual inclinations, which may be psychologically, culturally, religiously, or instinctively conditioned.

–Stephen Batchelor

When contemplating darkness and disguise in the throes of this wintry dirge, I think about the sacred energy medicine of Racoon. These sentient beings embody the self-defense mastery of the internal martial arts. When we play around with opening and closing our eyes in the 3D realm, we are playing with form by putting on a mask, and accessing a primordial creative power within. For those Star Wars geeks out there, the clip below reinforces the felt sense experience of letting go of our conscious minds by seeing without seeing:

Stepping into new dimensions and accessing deeper realms are real possibilities with Racoon consciousness. This spirit guide is a friendly reminder to do a deep dive into the popularly unpopular fear of the unknown. Rather than avoidance, we become inviting of spiritual awakenings into new ways of looking at ourselves. But if we choose to ignore such soul promptings; perhaps the reality based, felt sense experience might otherwise remain hidden or unavailable to our naked eye’d view our previously unexamined selves.

Racoon’s transformational vibrational frequencies align with traits that can support growth in fine motor skills, such as dexterity; as well as a sensory diet, like self-stimulation forms like self-massage, and bodily compression. They certainly can also inspire cleaner eating approaches, like washing our food, and emphasizing a plant based diet. Or maybe you like to pluck away on a musical instrument. Close your eyes, picture a racoon and see what happens organically.

From a heartwarming and mindbending felt sense of spaciousness, the internal martial arts help us cool down from the inside out. This differs from the so called external martial arts; which have traditionally emphasized relaxed on the outside, intense on the inside. But like astronomers and astrologers, social workers, psychologists and many therapists and other energy workers; you can be both and we need all of them.

Speaking of the internal martial arts, check out William C.C Chen’s demonstration below. He used to come to the place that I took classes many moons ago. The ‘Studio’ was heavily influenced by his teachings. And sometimes he would come visit, and do special weekend workshops. I remember meeting him once. He certainly filled the room with his form, which was a real shared felt sense experience by many of my old teachers and peers in that community:

May all Beings be free of suffering, and experiences Inner Peace as a way of Life,

Ari

Letting Go Of Getting Stuck In Life By Being Present With Our Stuckness Through The Power Of A Sweet Surrender

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“You can’t feel good when you’re feeling bad about feeling bad.”

-Rhonda Byrne

Looking back in the rearview mirror, I remember working with a spiritual counselor for many years, who reminded me that people get stuck in life, and can have a really hard time getting unstuck. His empathy statement still sounds true because, the truth is, we all get stuck.

Upon reflection, my old spiritual counselor’s wise guidance invited a personal awakening of an awareness that a big part of my own getting stuck at that time was that I was getting stuck on other people’s stuckness . . . and taking it personally. It can be hard to not to become moved by other people’s stuff. Although experience teaches that it is freeing to stay centered, and observe those entanglements soften and relax. Ah, letting go of victim consciousness is a process, like peeling away the layers of an onion.

Awakening to our true nature as spiritual beings having human experiences happens when we are surrendering to the will of the Universe by getting in alignment with it. Ancient meditative movement practices like Tai Chi supports this process by integrating the right and left hemispheres of our brains, and facilitating emotional regulation of our neurological systems by re-patterning them.

In addition to Bruce Lee’s beautiful introduction, the video below also features Professor Cheng Man Ching, who brought Tai Chi to the West, and some of his students who reflect back on their experiences with him. Both of these men had very strong rebellious streaks because they brought secrets of their people to the West. Sharing their knowledge with outsiders was strictly forbidden, and against the orders of their masters.

But they both knew that the West needed to be clued in to the mysteries of the martial arts. Although Professor’s students deeply respected him as a master, some have also said that he wasn’t an enlightened being, and that he had an ego. His playful soul and competitive spirit is probably what made him so approachable to his students. Not long before he died, he said that he was approximately 70% Confucius and 30% Lao Tzu. He also emphasized that he was interested in learning how to be human, and that it takes a long time to do that:

Reflecting back on my own experiences with getting stuck, and what to do about it reminds me of my last semester of college, many moons ago. At that time, I took an extra class as an independent study with one of my psychology professors so that I could graduate on time. Part of my stuckness back then was procrastination. It’s not that Grandmother’s Stop Procrastination tapes with subliminal message hidden underneath ocean waves didn’t work. It’s just that building ‘Righteous Chi’ works gradually, like the power of water. Once enough momentum is present, there is no stopping it.

Back to my last semester in college . . . I took a heavy course load to fulfill my academic requirements for graduation. My psychology professor was also a part time psychotherapist, who worked with a colleague who was also a therapist with his own full time practice. These two progressive men were both concerned about when their clients would get stuck during their therapeutic process, particularly between sessions. Part of their stuckness as psychotherapists was when their clients would get stuck. As therapists, they felt a degree of responsibility and helplessness about that.

Given that, both clinical psychologists were very interested in exploring a newly emerging therapeutic idea at the time called bibliotherapy. Basically, bibliotherapy is a medium to utilize reading, and other multimedia forms (movies, videos, podcasts, quotes, articles, etc.) to reinforce the power of the therapeutic process for change to occur. The independent study explored a deep dive into how bibliotherapy might be utilized as a medium to help clients get unstuck; especially during the interval between sessions or when they were outside of a therapy session. The three of us met weekly to discuss and unpack bibliotherapeutic experiences. I read a bunch of literature on the emerging subject, and wrote a paper based on my research, our clinically oriented weekly conversations, and reflections about what I learned from the experience.

Many years later, I collaborated with librarians, who were aware of the growing body of research on bibliotherapy’s efficacy. Plenty of counselors out there will assign “homework assignments” to their clients. In many cases this involves utilizing bibliotherapy as a medium to water the seeds of change so that they can take root.

Flash forward to today, experiences with getting stuck in therapy appears to be akin to how meditators talk about applying what we learn during sitting meditation to when we’re off the cushion, and going about the business of living our lives. A big part of why we get stuck has to do with our habituated mind, and cravings that block us from experiencing the present moment. Truly, this is a relatable experience to anyone who is taking an honest look at themselves, or in many cases feeling triggered by looking at others.

Finally, check out the video below by highly respected veteran spiritual teacher and nun, Pema Chodron, that further amplifies the sentiment. She has been a leading catalyst in bringing Buddhist principles to the West:

May all beings be free and awaken to inner peace,

Ari