Village Lifestyles Blog

Following James Twyman’s message in The Moses Code, I’ve been exploring the depths of the meaning of I Am That, I Am. As images, thoughts, sights and sounds enter my experience, I’ve been learning to feel the beingness of that image, that sound. In meditation this morning I had one of those moments of profound insight. I saw volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and all other natural processes of Earth cleansing and then I knew. I AM THE EARTH. As her volcanoes erupt, the intense emotions in me are exploding, from the fires of passion to the fury of anger. As her tides crash into the shoreline, these are the waves of my human feelings that bring daily opportunities for learning. This incredible sadness wave pulsating through my body shows me where forgiveness is needed in my life. This next wave of frustration is pointing towards judgments I have not yet released and the areas in my life where I still feel separate from another human being.

My mind wanders now to the mountains and trees. In my physical body they are my strength, by backbone. They remind me once again of the importance of honoring my body temple, of practicing strength and suppleness. Yes, I AM the mountains today as my body responds lovingly to the yoga postures I guide it through. The life force energy running down my spine in this moment is the same life that flows through the trees, feeding the branches, nourishing the animals who seek shelter there. Yes I AM the trees.

An image of a cracked, desolate, lifeless desert comes to mind. How is this me, I wonder. As I imagine the deep crevasses tearing the land apart, the drought, the desire in the people, I am reminded of the deep hurt tearing the hearts of countless people apart. This land is my heart. If feels the impact of generations of conflict and strife. It yearns to feel unconditional love and forgiveness over its vast expanse. Now I imagine those deep crevasses mending and water flowing freely from the mountainside. All wars and tension in my own heart are healed now, as I see millions of people in countless war-torn villages, drop their swords and release the hurt of their fathers. I forgive now.

The word cyclone brings forth many images of destruction. The tumultuous spinning round and round of my thoughts, the millions of thoughts that pass like a torrent through my mind, bring disconnection to my life. At times I feel I am those thoughts, those beliefs. And then the chaos sets in. My life spirals like the cyclone trying to make sense of the thoughts and organize my life. I fail to realize that these very beliefs are so limiting, that they are holding me back from experiencing true joy in this moment. And then the stillness. The cyclone has subsided. The torrent diminishes. Oh yes, I think to myself, I am not my thoughts. My beliefs are but a trap devised by my ego to make me think that I am separate from another person. When in fact I am Source; I am Peace. The end of the cyclone is the end of that chaotic mind rant and now I remember who I really am.

Peace flourishes. Love endures. Stillness abounds.

Posted in: on Friday, November 21, 2008 at at 2:12 PM 1 comments    

~turn off your tv~
~leave your house~
~know your neighbors~
~greet people~
~look up when you're walking~
~sit on your front steps~
~plant flowers~
~use your library~
~play together~
~buy from local merchants~
~share what you have~
~help a lost dog~
~take children to the park~
~honour elders~
~support neighbourhood schools~
~fix it even if you didn't break it~
~have pot lucks~
~garden together~
~pick up litter~
~read stories aloud~
~dance in the street~
~talk to the mail carrier~
~listen to the birds~
~put up a swing~
~help someone carry something heavy~
~barter for your goods~
~start a tradition~
~ask a question~
~hire young people for odd jobs~
~organize a block party~
~bake extra and share~
~ask for help when you need it~
~receive help when it's given, abundantly
~open your shades~
~sing together~
~share your skills~
~take back the night~
~turn up the music~
~turn down the music~
~listen before you react to anger~
~mediate a conflict~
~seek to understand~
~learn from new and uncomfortable angles~
~know that no one is silent though many are not heard~
~work to change this~

Posted in: on at at 2:10 PM 0 comments    

I breathe in deeply, enjoying the refreshing, moist hot August evening. The full heat of summer energetically represents the time of year when our passions are alive, when we’re literally on fire with an inner desire to be all we can be. Do you know what your inner passion is? Stop and contemplate in silence for just one moment. What drives you? What is your life’s purpose? Why are you here?

As I am aware of all the projects and umpteen lists I have to complete this summer with the building of a new home, to running my business, to raising three young boys, I am also aware that the choices I make in every moment determine how joy-filled my journey is. I could choose to run around and try to get everything done so the house is ready, we can move in and then life will be peaceful and happy. And then I am gently reminded as a hawk flies overhead that my peaceful and happy place is here now. So I stop, sit on the swing with my son for an afternoon and watch him fall asleep. And magically, as if being directed by a glorious maestro, all my to-do’s get done with ease and grace.

In the midst of the chaos of everyday living, I experienced heaven as I watched my son swaying peacefully on the swing, in quiet slumber. So that is my wish for you today – that you stop and notice heaven right where you are in this moment. Isn’t it divine?

Posted in: on at at 2:09 PM 0 comments    

This past year has been for me a year of letting go and letting God, as the saying goes. When Enid and I sat down over 2 years ago with a similar vision I had NO idea what path Spirit was really leading me down. The bends and curves in the road were completely unpredictable to me. I will share with you and few examples of how I've been guided along the way.

I've learned that it is, in fact, quite possible to start and run a business without an official, conventional 'business plan'. At first I felt like it was necessary to have one, that maybe I was just being lazy and not wanting to conform. Now I see that any and all ideas I had about the Village and Intentional Community 2 years ago have evolved and were limiting the ideas that Spirit had in plan for me. What I've learned is to begin and end each day with a clear vision of the most perfect day for me and top it off with a bucket full of gratitude. This has helped me clarify what is important in my life, my business and all my relationships along the way and continue to stay alligned with that clear intention.

Our journey in this new space began with the help of some dear friends, who volunteered their time and energy to creating this space. I could have wished for such help at the beginning, but never would have conceived of a plan that deepened friendships and enhanced the vision of this centre, as was the case. That was a pleasant surprise for me. I welcomed my new 'Soul Sisters' into my life with an open heart and have such gratitude for the gifts they've brought to my life. And with the help of these 'divine unions' our centre was discovered, renovated and launched in the span of one summer...And we didn't even require an outside loan!!!

We had a plan to create a work schedule at the beginning. We sat down with our best intentions and tried to come up with a way we could have the centre open every day that would work for all of us. Spirit, on the other hand, had a completely different idea for us. After weeks of straining and 'trying' to make it work, we soon realized that this sort of schedule requires all 5 of us to be out of the flow. We no longer had the freedom to practice yoga in the morning, to leave and pick up the kids if they were ill, to be of service to a client or friend who was in need, nor to really truly look after our own deepest needs. So our 'inner wisdom' guided us to only be open for appointment and TRUST (the key word here) that those people who are really meant to journey along with us would easily reach us and our clients' needs would all get met. So far so good!! And now we are all individually dedicated to self-care, which allows us to be in the flow and be where we're intended to be at all times.

Those are some small examples of how I've learned to let go and allow the vision to create itself. In this space of allowing I feel more grounded and more connected to my life's highest purpose. I have all the time and freedom I require to be on purpose and to live my life to it's greatest expression.

My challenge for you today is the find the natural, flowing rhythms of your life and to be in harmony with that flow today.

Posted in: on at at 2:02 PM 0 comments    

I thought my life was quite perfect. Happy marriage, happy career … everything was going according to plan. And then one day it all changed.

My first son, Liam, was born one beautiful summer morning when life was still picture-perfect. Then when we discovered that he had a brain hemotoma, my life changed forever.

At eight months old, his life journey led him down the road of becoming a warrior. He had to spend many days in the hospital and experience not one, but two brain surgeries to teach him the path of strength. Or maybe it was to teach me the path of strength. Either way, it was divine and so perfectly planned. In those dark moments alone with my son, I uncovered lost parts of myself. Our experience together as a family revealed deep hidden truths about me and I began to question the true purpose of my life.

At that time I had been working as an electrical engineer for nearly eight years. I had decided to become an engineer because my father was one and it just seemed the logical choice at the time. I did not realize until later how much of a mask I had to put on to just fit into that predominantly male environment or into main-stream society.

It was during my son’s illness when I awakened to a new life. I began to really question myself: “Where do I belong? Who am I really? What do I truly want out of my life? Are there others who think like me?”

Suddenly I looked around and discovered that there were others who had touched that same place of vulnerability and surfaced with new direction and purpose in their lives. I met a new friend, Enid, who recognized my sense of urgency and desire to make a difference in the world. She saw me for my true self – a perfect, divine child of the Universe.

And with this one new friend my understanding of the importance of being with ‘like minded’ people grew and the significance of ‘community’ changed drastically. I realized that community is a space that can be shared between two people or 100 people once a common thread has been discovered. And for me, the thread of an intentional, spiritual community is the knowing that we are all one and we are all perfect and whole just the way we are.

We wanted to create an environment that recognizes each person for who they really are - one that honors each others’ gifts, passions, talents and that encourages each other to be authentic and follow their inner guidance system always. Our community of two grew to seven (the seven sacred sisters, as seen in the picture above) and now we have hundreds in our group that meet every month. We gather in ceremony. We celebrate life, we eat, we dance and we laugh.

Now on my journey of discovering who I really am, I have the support of my community who consistently encourages me to be all that I can be. And I, in turn, encourage them as they awaken to who they really are.

I would also like to encourage you to be authentic and surround yourself with others who accept and love all your quirkiness, all your idiosyncrasies and all your hidden gifts. Come and celebrate yourself with us if you feel drawn to. You are welcome to join our community.

Posted in: on at at 2:01 PM 0 comments    

Community is such an interesting word. To some it means strong family values; to others it invokes the image of a religious gathering; and still to others it may imply a neighborhood, those with whom we live in close proximity to.

Community to me has deeper meaning, as I explore the depth of my being, in search of my life’s higher purpose. Community speaks to my involvement as a citizen of this planet I call Earth. Community is an opportunity for me to open to greater truths about all of humanity; a chance to look beyond the stereotypes, judgments and man-made borders and see the realness in the person standing before me. And know that he feels the same fears I do. Know that she cries and mourns loss to the same depth tat I do. And to know that all of humanity is a reflection of me. No pain, no anger, no violence can ever happen in the world I perceive that is not happening inside of me.

Lately I have been blessed with truly understanding the meaning of community. I am part of an ever-growing, ever-evolving group of spiritual, Earth-conscious, heart-centered individuals, coming together to experience life in a different way. As our relationships heal and reveal the true beauty of friendship, we know we are doing our part to heal the world.

I start my day with an intention to be the whole, perfect, joy-filled person that I am and envision the entire world healed and healthy. As I intend to emulate the life practices of a light being in Russia known as Anastasia, I focus my thoughts and deeds for the day on a world I wish to create. This world has no borders. This world is a Paradise. All the citizens of this world have their own piece of land, their own ‘kin’s domain’ in Anastasia’s words, land they care for, nurture, plant and live off of. Together we build a New World, a new model of community that lives in harmony with the earth. Together we envision our future. This is a powerful movement. Do you wish to be a part of it? We know that what we focus on as a community, as a country, as a citizen of the Earth IS our future. So let us create a new future together. See yourself in this community, with your own kin’s domain, your own piece of Paradise, co-existing and co-creating your world. See the plants you tend and care for with your own hands. Taste the food grown there, radiating with love, full of life force energy. Look around your community and observe the beauty, the fullness, the joy. No land is left uncared-for. No corner is left unloved. What are you doing with your days? How are you living your life?

Intend your day to be joy-filled, peaceful and full of life. Imagine a New World and join us as we BUILD IT!

If you are interested in reading about Anastasia, you can find the books at Village Lifestyles, our community base here in Edmonton. We open our hearts to all those who wish to experience a new way to be in community. Come join us; you are welcome here.

www.villagelifestyles.com

Phone: 780.988.8804

Posted in: on at at 1:58 PM 0 comments    

I feel the soft gentle warmth of the sun’s rays on my face - the first rays I’ve allowed myself to sit and enjoy in quite some time. There’s just something about the cold, dark days of winter that propels me to seek comfort within. I spend my days and nights hiding from the sun’s rays, looking deeper into the cavernous recesses of my mind, exploring the hidden, deep-rooted feelings and memories locked within my heart. During this time of the year, I find myself almost rejecting the warmth of the sun, hiding from the healing power of Mother Nature. And then I wake up. Oh, what a bright beautiful day this is. I feel real again, whole again, alive again. I remember that I have been asleep for months now. And in that state of slumber I had forgotten to commune with nature. I had forgotten to shower myself with brief moments of love. I had forgotten who I really am.

“This is the first day of the rest of your life,” as was so eloquently spoken by my father on so many occasions. Do you feel the newness? Do you feel the warmth of the sun? Do you know how magnificent you really are? Take a moment today to ponder your brilliance. What circumstances and life events have had to happen to bring you to this very moment? An abundance of situations had to unfold to create this precise, exact version of you. And there were no mistakes; there are no coincidences. You are unerringly sitting in this chair right here, right now because of the perfect and exact alignment of your life’s choices. So what kind of future do you want to create? With this awareness of your life’s manifestation, is it a future that supports and nourishes all aspects of your being? I challenge you at this time to breathe in the newness of this day and decide right here and right now what is the story of your life. Paint the picture clearly and beautifully, including all the splendor and abundance that is your divine inheritance. It is your RIGHT to be happy, prosperous, and filled with peace. Claim your inheritance now!

Posted in: Nathalie, Rays of Love on at at 1:49 PM 0 comments