If I had to boil it down to a simple, 2 word message from my “otherworld” guides, on this inauguration day in the US, it’s Send Love. Send everyone, EVERYONE love. Now’s the time to chose love over fear and hate. Period.

Today’s our chance to rise to love the “enemies” without and within.

 

It’s easy to give lip service to the ideas of love and compassion. Yet it stretches the ego beyond comfortable limits to love what it’s inclined (not without reason) to fear, or hate, or seriously not understand – that which is truly “other.” This election has brought the shadow of “the other” to the surface and to a head in the collective conscious of our country.

 

While this whole election has baffled, saddened, and angered me at times, my higher guidance says: Hatred is toxic. It’s toxic energy. It’s that simple, in energetic terms. And love is a balm.

 

I know it’s cliché (and may sound like rhetoric at this point) to say it boils down to love and hate, trust and fear. But on a soul level, it’s a basic truth.

 

That doesn’t mean that we don’t experience anger or that we don’t have boundaries. It doesn’t mean we accept the unacceptable, like threats to human rights, safety and dignity and to our living planet. Anger can be channeled into healing and transformation with incredible results. It’s a strong, fiery energy that is part of alchemy – the art of transformation.

 

In fact, it’s dangerous to deny or try to repress anger. It’s crucial to channel and release it safely, mindfully, and constructively.

 

Anger is a powerful energy to be used with wisdom, humility and compassion. Be mindful and wise with anger.

 

It’s time for change, no doubt. What we are called to do will be different for each of us. For me, I believe that engaging in radical acts of love and compassion is part of changing the collective story. I believe it’s the next evolution in consciousness. It’s Bodhisattva time.

 

When I tune in, I Hear:

• Listen to the body, not the mind, for the feelings (anger, grief, confusion, etc.) that are yours
• Don’t take on other people’s feelings and beliefs
• Be mindful of what’s going on inside you
• Look inside to identify how you feel, and what you need
• Find ways to release your feelings safely
• Be aware of the energy and messages you take in and be mindful of what you put your attention on
• It’s necessary to focus on what’s good in life, in other people and in the world, while still confronting the need for change
• Connect to hope and a belief in the power of oneness, of true unified consciousness working toward the healing of ourselves and our planet. It is possible. Believe in the possibility.
• Feed the energy of hope, love, and healing, not fear or hatred.

 

My inner Jungian says:

Watch what you take in from the collective unconscious and entertain inside you.

Be aware of what you put into the collective unconscious and feed.

 

My soul and the world soul say to me today:

Love or hate? Fear or trust? What will you cultivate in your soul and in the world?

 

This is the real test.

 

I send my prayers and blessings for PEACE, within and without, today and all days.

Trust.

Realize.

Know.

Hold the vigil.

Hold the Space.

Attune wherever you are

to the Higher Octave…

with your

Conscious Presence.

Your sacred-yes to

Spirit’s assignment:

Holding the Space…

broadcasting

the Sacred Vibration…

for the good of all..

is your Work…

“Work is Love Made Visible” ~Kahlil Gibran

 

These are wild times. My instinct has been to turn away from the din and seek a higher and deeper sources of wisdom – to look to the stars and the bones. When I tune in I hear: “Focus on presence.”

 

This is what my guidance has been telling me, on repeat, for a while now. Attend to state of being. Pay attention to being before doing. All else flows from presence. It’s not new. It’s more urgent. I’ve been sharing this with clients and students.

 

I am asked: What does it mean to be present? While I’m no expert, I can share my personal experience of it.

 

For me, it begins with pulling my conscious awareness into my body. How do I do this? I start with deep breathing – taking long, slow, deep breaths and bringing my mind into my body. I scan my body to locate sensations in it. I inquire into my own emotional state. I ask myself: How do I feel? and, What am I feeling in my body? Am I holding any stress or emotions in my body? And then I listen. I feel. And I keep breathing deep.

 

This simple routine, that can take as little as five minutes, helps bring me into a state of presence. Once I’m in my body and heart – and only then – I begin working with my imagination to ground myself into the earth (see easy grounding meditation at the end of this post for instructions). Or, better yet, I go outdoors and stand barefoot (ideally) on the earth and imagine my energy roots connecting into Mother Earth.

 

For me, it feels like dropping down from ego, personae, complexes, from external situations, interactions, etc., and connecting to soul. Personal soul and world soul. Soul knows presence. Soul knows the bigger picture and the way forward through the unknown.

 

I get asked, what is soul? I like this description of soul from The Soul’s Palette by Cathy Malchiodi:

 

“Soul is, in a sense, the summation of the self, reflecting body and mind, ideas and perceptions, spirit and the world…It is the essence that signals us when we are not true to ourselves or when we have forgotten life’s purpose because of trauma, emotional loss, physical illness, or unsatisfying relationship… It is the part of us that helps us feel alive, reach down to the bones and awaken us… It is the center of our beings and connects us to other individuals, communities, nature, the divine. Its essence has no boundaries.”

 

Today is Winter Solstice, in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s time to enter into the stillness of soul, to journey into the darkness of the long night, to bring back the light, to illuminate the path for self and others. This is what my guidance says.  Solstice brings the invitation to grow still, to grow quite, to go within and tend the inner spark and then bring that spark back into the world.

 

Sending wishes of Peace and Love to All this solstice and holiday season!

 

Save

Save

Save

Change is upon us all. Like it or not. The world is changing and we must change with it. That’s an unavoidable given. However, we can exercise free will and choose what and who we change into and how we co-create our world. The world is changing and we all have the chance to shape the direction and outcome personally and collectively.

 

We’re in a massive global transition, which is forcing personal transformation. While change can be scary, and even dangerous if not handled properly, it’s also where possibilities lie.  Times of transition contain potential beyond our wildest dreams.

 

We’ve reached a tipping point. It’s been building, (and seen by those with the eyes to see), since before my time. That’s the truth. It’s high time to look, see, and tell the truth about what is seen (ala Maria Nemeth).  I see a planet on the edge of crisis, a human race in transition, communities in redefinition, individuals in breakdowns and breakthroughs. I also see healing, generosity, and incredible strength and resilience all around me.

 

In the work I do, I see what I would call spiritual crises, existential crises and identity crises taking place. Souls at varying degrees of feeling lost or uncertain, trying to find their way forward. We’re all trying to find our way forward and the truth is, no one knows where any of this is heading. It’s unfolding moment by moment.

 

Being fully present in the moment really is the key to connecting to soul guidance, engaging free will and choosing how and where to show up. Moment by moment.

 

From what I can see, each person’s *job* is to initiate into Soul, to transform into a state where Soul is *boss* and ego is a faithful (and well-treated) *assistant*.  Peeps have been saying this for a long time –and they’re right. Soul connected to Spirit, guiding ego is where it’s at.

 

This is it. This is the *secret*. This is *spiritual mastery*. Ego in service to a guiding force – deep soul conjoined with divine spark, inhabiting a physical body. Embodied spirit. Pure and absolute presence. Conscious awareness in the present moment (ala Jeddha Mali). Tapping into the *field*and becoming one with it. Being a spirit in the material world (ala Sting).

 

In Jungian terms it’s about aligning ego with Self -without identification. Identification leads to inflation. True embodied spirit is not attached to ego identity or the physical body. It respects, loves, appreciates and honors them. Without attachment.

 

This is what I’ve learned. This is what I see.  This is the truth as I know it. And all the tools that I work with and teach are the things that have helped me come into this alignment (which is not static, but a dynamic equilibrium that I must continually attend to – it’s an ever-changing state of being, not a fixed destination).

This is what’s on my mind during this lunar eclipse…The world is changing and we must change with it. In that we have no say. But we do have the free will to choose what and who we change into and how we help co-create our world. The world is changing and we all have the chance to shape the direction and outcome, personally and collectively.

Potential abounds when we step into conscious, intentional change.

Peace and blessings on your journey through these changing times!

Creating a solid inner foundation is at the core of being able to sustain a sturdy foundation in any area of life – physical, material, relational, spiritual, etc. How do you create and sustain a solid inner foundation?

The key is to consistently create time and space to go within. You must focus within your heart and get to work discovering and repairing the cracks, splits, areas of breakage and any deteriorating conditions inside of you. It’s like Kintsugi – the Japanese art of golden repair.

Kintsugi involves repairing pottery by joining the broken pieces and filling the cracks with gold or other precious metals and sometimes jewels. The idea is that breakage and repair are a part of the unique history and character of a piece, rather than something to hide. When we do our inner work, we take the broken parts of us and make them precious. It is important and sacred work.

 

I have personally struggled to find the sweet spot of balance between focusing on inner work and addressing outer demands. I’ve spent decades figuring out how to juggle personal healing and growth work (which at times can take a lot of energy and attention) with the myriad outer demands that go along with modern life.

My fragile, wounded human ego can be so dang fear motivated at times – trying to do, do, do all these survival and success promoting tasks and actions. At the bottom, it always comes back to needing to feel safe, to feel in control when a part of me feels shaken, pushed off balance or cracked and broken in some area of my life. I’ll try to do all these things to “fix” it. But really, what I need is to stop doing and go within to tend my state of being.

Even though I know how essential inner work is to my well-being, I can still, at times, struggle to make enough time for it. I can sometimes go into a dilemma around letting go of plans, goals, activities and tasks that keep my life in order, so I can make room for inner kintsugi, inner repair. It takes faith, trust, and patience to let go of clear (and noisy)  life demands to go into the sometimes murky and not always comfortable inner world where fears, blocks, buried emotions and hang-ups lie in wait for some healing magic and transformation.

 

To truly be in balance, we need to balance ourselves from the inside out, which means attending to the inner cracks, breakages, and places of imbalance. While it’s not always “fun” it doesn’t have to be difficult or straining. And the benefits of doing inner healing work include gaining more clarity, more peace and more ease. It’s well worth the effort to carve out time and space for inner work. When we bring the golden touch of healing to our inner cracks, they transform into gifts of great value.

While life logistics have to be handled, they don’t always have to be center stage. They don’t always have to come first. Sometimes those necessary life tasks can be pushed into the margins temporarily. Sometimes we need a reprieve, a chance to catch our breath, get in touch with Self, and gain a broader, clearer perspective.

Here’s some things I’ve found helpful. Try them out and see if they help you find your own sweet spot of balance between inner repair and outer demands.

Take time every day to slow down and quiet yourself. Do restorative activities like meditation, yoga, coloring mandalas, or opening an inner dialogue through journaling – whatever helps you get in touch with you.

 

Tips for doing inner work:

1. Make Time – Schedule regular time to be alone, without any outside distractions. Turn off all devices. Make a date weekly or even daily for unplugged, undisturbed alone time. Try to give yourself an hour, but even 10 mins is better than nothing.

Or better yet, try scheduling 15-30 mins daily and an hour or more once a week. Let your people know you’re not available  at these set times and stick to it. Honor your own commitment to inner work.

2. Gather Tools – Have tools for inner work on hand like paper, pens, journals, art materials, a yoga mat, essential oils, crystals, smudging tools, divination tools, nature – the options are broad. Follow your intuition and gut instinct on what tools would be fun and helpful for you.
3.  Mix It Up – Sometimes new approaches bring new perspectives and insights. Commit to experiment every week with a different way to get in touch with your inner voice through free writing, free drawing, moving, meditating, being alone in nature, etc. When you find something that works well for you keep it available or find a way to make it accessible.

4. Get Support – At times we all encounter areas of inner cracks and broken places that can be too difficult, or too scary to approach alone. We all need to feel the security of knowing we have support at our backs. We all need to have our pain and suffering, as well as our strength and courage witnessed and mirrored back to us.

 

Sometimes, we’re fortunate to have trusted friends with whom we can share our deepest selves. If this is the case for you, be grateful, and also mindful about how much a friend can hold on your behalf. (Visit my Facebook page for a wonderful link to an article about holding space for others.) In many cases, it can be wise to call in the help of a therapist, counselor, healer, or to seek the support of a healing-focused group or circle.  Remember, you do not have to go it alone!

Bottom line, inner repair is possible if you’re willing to commit to allocating time and resources to it. Now’s the perfect time to expand your self-care practices and make even more space in your life for your favorite self-balancing and self-discovery practices and  tools. It’s an investment that will yield immeasurable rewards that will ripple into all areas of your life.

When we get clear in balanced within, you’re better equipped to bring your gifts and your soul’s service more fully into the world. And our world needs you in all your strength and brilliance now, more than ever!

Mixed Media Artwork by Debra Goldman. See more of her work at http://www.debragoldmanstudio.com/

Save

Save

Save

Save

This is mytho-poetic spoken word piece I wrote several years ago for a multi-media performance presented at a shamanic conference in 2013… and some of the video footage that accompanied it. It’s about becoming present to our mythic roots, our ancestors, plants, animals, the elementals, and the spirits of the Earth that are trying to guide us back into a more wholistic and expanded awareness of the world we inhabit.

I hope you enjoy it!

I finally carved out time in my schedule to build a site for my art and writing.

It’s in the early stages of development, with more content on the way, but I’m excited to share the basic site with you!

I’d love for you to take a look when you get a chance. TinaAzaria.com

I was recently asked to sum up the core essence of my work. My immediate response?

Find support, nourishment and guidance from within. Learn to orient from the inside rather than the outside. Pay attention to what’s happening inside. When something’s amiss in our life, the first place we have to look is within. We have to begin with a stable internal foundation. We can’t look to the outside world to validate and prop up the self. If we set our expectations and measuring stick on external markers, we’re basing our sense of self on that which is outside  – the job, the spouse, the kids, etc. If something falls through or becomes shaky on the outside, it shakes our sense of self. Building identity based on the external is building on shaky ground.

When we’ve got an issue or tricky circumstance, we have to move it from the external to the internal. We have to shift away from trying to fix things from the outside, because it never works. It can’t be about the other people or situation “My parents! My spouse! My Kids! My boss! My job! This house! This Neighborhood! This country!” You have to look at you. Bring it from outside to the inside and start working it there. It’s the only place we really have any control. I always say that the solutions to our problems, big a small, can be found within. And I believe it. Every situation, dynamic, relationship can teach us about ourselves if we’re willing to go inside and do our inner work.

Read more →

I’m happy to announce the recent publication of my article Not Set in Stone: Medusa’s Evolving Myth, Part 1 in the latest edition of Mythology Magazine!

This is a great new magazine that celebrates world cultures by discussing historical and modern mythological beliefs and exploring folklore, folk custom, and traditional legends from world cultures.

Here’s a short excerpt of my recent article:

Myths are essential to human culture, past, present, and future. They help form the basis of our personal and cultural identities. Freud and Jung, widely acknowledged as the founders of modern psychology, drew on mythology to help better understand human nature. Mythologies contain fragments of a culture’s history and help to preserve the essence of what has been meaningful to them. Through the exploration of myths we can connect and relate to archetypal patterns of human behavior as well as to the cultural heritage that has, in part, helped form our modern society.

The battle between good and evil is an age-old theme in world mythology, and for good reason. It’s a paradox we live with every day in the “real” world, one that can be hard to understand and reconcile. Although setting up dichotomies can be an orderly way to organize and classify phenomena, in reality, the question of who is right and who is wrong, what is good and what is evil, is never quite so black and white. In mythology, we see these same complexities. Though the hero is usually cast as the good guy and the monster as the bad, when we scratch below the surface, we find the picture to be much more complicated. When we dig back into the origins of a myth, we can find shards of cultural, social, and perhaps political history that start to blur the boundaries between the conquering hero and the conquered beast.

You can get the latest issue, and read the rest of Part 1 (of this 2 part article) here