" It was the Constitution that welded them together politically, legally, and economically,  but it was nature that provided a transcendent feeling of nationhood ." When I read the profound introduction to Andrea Wulf's Founding Gardeners , I couldn't help but find comparisons between the time in which Benjamin Franklin was constantly sending seeds back to America for the cultivation of a future independent nation and Washington uprooting all native British trees and shrubbery from his land to the homesteading and off-grid living explosion that's happened in the last 20 years. Yes, there's been talk originally of another civil war but, lately, more of a united movement of a quiet revolution that's happening on both sides of the aisle.  Pre-American Revolution was an ever-increasing, tension-building intensity between the British Empire and the colonists. Most of us were taught that the revolution was fueled by the amplified raising of taxes but, in reality...

Narcissists leverage your greed .  I came across a video one day on narcissism that had me floored. The host, Richard Grannon , explained narcissism from a point of reference I've never been exposed to before. Using the movie Renfield , he offers a picture of this psychological disorder that hones in on the crux of the manipulation technique. What is it that a narcissist seeks? As my first line indicates, they seek what you are greedy for [3:40] and then use that to trick you "into being complicit in your own servitude" so you'd have no one to blame but yourself [7:55]. I don't know about you but that's rather revelatory to me.  For those of us who have dealt with the narcissist, what are we greedy for? Well, in familial and romantic relationships, it's usually love and affection, to be seen and heard, and to be valued. When it comes to business relations, however, it may be the standard money, prestige, and title or merely acknowledgment and appreciation....

We've all heard of astrology influencing the character. Perhaps, many of us also know Myers-Briggs or even the Enneagram. But, if you're anything like me, you've either never heard or just come into awareness of Human Design. Somehow I came across it over a year ago and the more I delve into it, the more a rabbit hole it becomes. Someone recently (on a Reddit post) stated that it's a theory, not science, which might be the best way of looking at it. It's a very good theory though, perhaps rather genius. On the surface, it's like our introduction to astrology - rather generalized for the masses and can work across the board depending on how we're feeling that day or how we're choosing to identify. However, like Human Design, the more you delve into the details, conjunctions, nodes, planets, and day-to-day minutiae, it becomes more apparent that it holds validity.  My purpose today though is not to get into whether or not Human Design can be authenticated ...

  Let's talk JK Rowling. This subject has been on my mind since the day of her latest tweet that garnered international attention as highly offensive and bigoted. Honestly, I agree with her that the world's gone mad. That's evident in how her tweets have become so misinterpreted, deliberately. First off, she uses sarcasm which obviously has become so little used that much of the world fails to recognize this. Secondly, in her older tweets (when she originally caused offense) she clearly stated she is a supporter of anyone who wishes to identify as the opposite gender but goes on to differentiate between that socio-cultural gender identification versus biological sex and why the distinction is important. In the case presented, Scotland Police "will record rapes by offenders with a penis as being committed by a woman if the attacker 'identifies as a female'" [ Source ]. Scotland law states that rape is defined as being an action only men may perform as a pe...

  Have you ever made that decision to change your life? I'm not speaking of changing a job or moving. I mean EVERYTHING. Literally, everything. I'm talking about delving deep into all your deepest, darkest secretive places that you hide from even yourself, rediscovering your joys, shunning people who have manipulated you so thoroughly that you became imprisoned in your own mind (even if they are "family" and you're supposed to love them no matter what), and relearning how to truly love yourself and know your worth. I'm talking about the 180° turn-around that seems to scare the shit out of those around you. Yah, that. Those of us who have been under the imprisonment of enmeshment trauma or other psychological manipulative tactics can understand this. We've spent our entire lives under such enforcement of "never good enough" - unless you are like me, or the determination of our worth is congruent with what we provide to others, never what we may ...

  I've had different understandings of what the subconscious is over the years. Originally I thought of it as those thoughts and ideas that lay buried within us that motivates us, causing emotional responses or actions from us. When I became knowledgeable of Dolores Cannon's work in Quantum Healing Hypnosis Therapy, the idea of the subconscious became more equated with the Divine Self of the I AM. The first known use of the word was by the English essayist Thomas de Quincey. In his use of the word, it is argued by Markus Iseli that current usage has it confused with the definition we have today of the unconscious. Iseli claims de Quincey uses the word in such a format that indicates “implicit thought, automaticity, implicit perception, and implicit motivation" ( Source ). What this entails then is thought, action, or reaction is based upon a developed, habitual, and, therefore, known response to how things are supposed to operate. It doesn't matter if it's true or...

  Sometime in my twenties, I wrote a mission statement. I found it. Surprisingly I still like it and do my best to adhere to it, though I'd strike commandment #6, mainly due to the word "ought." That one's right up there with "should." Follow the desires that align with your heart/mind/body/soul complex and you need not worry about the oughts. Do you have a mission statement? What would yours look like? Mission Statement I am committed to fulfilling my creative potential. By utilizing my core beliefs and values I shall endeavor to live a spiritual life that inspires and transforms. The core beliefs and values are: freedom, honesty, faith, love, creativity, spiritual growth, discipline, generosity, gratitude, happiness, health, silence, ritual. My purpose: Survival – to provide the basic needs for my physical survival by making money, having healthy food to eat, having a comfortable home in which to live, and having a car as needed. Relationship – to de...

  You know that feeling like you've been wearing a leaded vest and then one day, you just decide to take it off? Yah, that feeling. The feeling of lightness almost sends the body and mind into an apoplectic fit. I'm having one of those moments right now. Though I have been known to go on the offense in a vicious dog attack mode in the past, for the last couple of years, for the most part, I've been pretty even-keeled due to the wonderful effects that qigong has on me. To clarify too, the only time I have gone on the attack was when someone had taken their bullying, words, or behavior too far. It was always when I was at the end of my rope. (And, mind you, I always mean what I say. Even in anger, I believe in absolute truth as well as absolute love.) There was one time I remember that I had been bullied for months by a coworker that I finally snapped so hardcore that the entire office was like "Oh, shit." I never lost my cool. I've spent the last year centerin...

First a brief story in quotes: “I want to write a novel about Silence," he said; “the things people don’t say.” [Virginia Woolf, The Voyage Out] "So, the sounds emerging from us are ultimately a manifestation in our physical experience of the thoughts we are having. These thoughts are coded through symbols by way of our past experiences and memories. That coding is produced from something, for how else do we translate language into symbols? Therein lies the truth: we are the coding." [Jarrod Byrne Mayer, The Architecture of Sound and the Alchemy of Transcendence] "If you do not run your subconscious mind yourself, someone else will run it for you." [Florence Scovel Shinn, The Complete Works of Florence Scovel Shinn] “When you connect to the silence within you, that is when you can make sense of the disturbance going on around you.” [Stephen Richards] First off, if you want to read a story of sound and/or silence, I cannot say enough about J...

 "   ...a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presumptions." ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method ) Though I've heard of Socrates, it wasn't until about 15 years ago that I began hearing about the Socratic Method. Socrates was an Athenian philosopher from around 400 BC. It is through his most famous student, Plato, that we know anything of Socrates or his philosophical methods. Socrates had a way of annoying people, and that's putting it lightly. He was ultimately put to death because he pissed off the wrong people. In some ways, Socrates could be considered one of the wisest men due to his method of garnering wisdom. On the other hand, it did bring about his death. The basis for his method was simply this: trust that you know nothing. Most of us, believe we know much more than nothing. We know our experiences. We k...

  What is the ultimate, the most fantastical color in the whole of the world that makes you sing with joy every time you see it, wear it, are surrounded by it? If it's blue, what kind of blue? If it's orange, does it have more of a yellow tone or a red? ***(Please resist saying black. Black is the absence of color. Yes, I have way too much black in my wardrobe too. It's a "color" that allows you to blend into the crowd, to hide. I would say, if black is your favorite color, you don't know yourself too well or are afraid to reveal yourself to others. You have a light, you need to learn how to use it. If you insist on black, use this exercise to play around with how different colors feel. See: https://www.colorpsychology.org/black/) Tell me about it. Describe the color with all its richness of hues and shade. How does it make you feel? When you think about it, what words come to mind? Come up with a list of descriptive words of how it looks to you, how it mak...

  "Don't ask kids what they want to be when they grow up but what problems they want to solve. This changes the conversation from who do I want to work for, to what do I need to learn to do that." -Jaime Casap I love this quote. There is much to be desired in our educational system, and this quote speaks volumes for me. I would bet anyone $1,000 that had I been asked this question as a child I could've explained the precise path that I have placed myself on today. But, like you probably, I was never asked this, only the question "what do I want to be when I grow up?" The only real answer to that question I ever had was "I just want to be me," though I knew that's not what was being asked. In my last post, I wrote about listing all of your skills - any and all that you could possibly think of. Today, we're going to formulate a mission statement. A few years ago, I came across the idea of personal branding - like a company brand, but this ...

  I got skills. And, I bet you have them too. Have you ever sat down and just figured out your skill set, perhaps for that potential job? I've done it at least a hundred times, or so it seems. A year ago, I came across an article about the skill set of an Artist, and it blew my mind. I hadn't thought about being an Artist in such a way. And, I bet, with whatever title you give yourself job-wise, you've never really thought about what you fully do either. Not to mention, what about the things you do in your personal time? Here's what I want you to do: Make a list of all the different tasks you do during the day and feel confident about. When I compiled my list, I was working as an Activity Coordinator alongside my WaterlilyandVine jewelry business. This is the list I compiled: Recognize the unique ways that different groups of people absorb information and ideas   Creative problem solving from idea generation to implementation     Conceptual and informational...