energy – Presence and Positivity

Crystalline Consciousness

I was so tempted to title this one “Christ Consciousness” but I realized that what I want to share goes beyond that in a way and many folks are turned off by what they immediately assume has a religious correlation because of misaligned beliefs or negative experiences with religious practices. So many have experienced shame around their desires and their body not to mention that many religions have purposefully blamed the feminine and deleted Her from holy language. How interesting, considering we live in a world where no person may exist without the portal of the womb held within the sacred vessel of women. What is not to revere in the mystery of creation and honor in the bodies of both female and male? We are all both masculine and feminine energy inhabited to various degrees that may require balancing and it makes sense that our belief system may feel better supported by spiritual practice that holds both masculine and feminine energy as well as male and female bodies with reverence, however they may express. Please flow with me as I speak about the masculine and feminine in their energetic forms as well as refer to the physical genders while not getting caught in the details of labeling beyond what feels true as your personal mix of energy and your own relationship to religious experience as it pertains to the feminine aspect being honored. Many women (or the feminine energy crying out within a man) feel a loss of the feminine aspect and disconnect from Church or Temple environments if they’ve not totally been conditioned by patriarchy or fear for their lack of acceptance within the herd. (Being rejected by the herd is nothing to belittle. We have a very strong instinct to be accepted and included as a survival response and I’ll tell you as a women who was partnered early in life and became a single mom at 35, the herd will reject you if you’re not playing the game in the way they see as most safe to sustaining their ideas of conformity even if the opt out was not your conscious choice.) But back to that loss of feminine aspect within the Church — there can be a stirring in the heart and defiance in the bones knowing there must be something more, something not spoken in the world of belief their parents handed them — something that isn’t quite right. Of course, that all depends on the parents and what they have to hand over, but in a general sense of a collective religious experience, I have heard this from many people. I’d say they’re right to feel this and if they were inspired to go digging for information, they’d find hidden manuscripts and evidence of altered texts that offer a new understanding and more inclusive truth.

In New Age spirituality, the term Christ consciousness has evolved with growing use that feels so much better in my heart space which is the meter by which I decide on all truth (literally laughing out loud as I type that because it feels so good to choose with your heart). I was prepared by various meditative practices found inside and outside of religion that led me to embody a more curious nature which opened me to a fresh understanding of “Christ”. This form of consciousness refers to a supreme state of unconditional love, of deep compassion for all of creation, and for unity with the divine. A person living from Christ consciousness has cleared the mind, the body, and soul to connect to the grid of reality with pure energy while Spirit can now work through that person with the virtues of righteousness. Crystalline consciousness is even broader than Christ consciousness and what some call a higher-vibrational frequency that transcends duality. It’s said that the grid of reality can become a Crystalline interface for all through the mass awakening of souls stepping into Christ consciousness by practicing a state of unconditional love, of deep compassion, and seeking unity with the divine from within. As these practices become more embodied, they take shape as habit, and then the truth of the person’s presence; they become Crystalline too.

What I find to be most beautiful here, is that all the while we stay human as we work towards embodying Christ consciousness and Crystalline consciousness. That means we can live in a spiral that is inherent to all of creation, moving between states of being and should we find ourselves in the shadowy corners of our humanness then we can work our way back to unconditional love, compassion, and unity while witnessing radical forgiveness as an active choice that shines through our beliefs as the ego is silenced for the most authentic expression of self to be realized. Fear and Doubt may creep in but cannot exist for long periods in the being that has experienced these states of consciousness . The need for Control, other than control of self, falls away. Love and Trust take deep root within. Radiance dances in the eyes. Peace pervades the presence with a healing quality that is palpable to others. Everything becomes lighter from this heavenly place possible to experience as you walk the Earth.

Mindful Eating

I grew up in a household that valued eating out. A lot of meals were in or from restaurants which I remember preferring as a teenager and into my twenties. I did shift gears during those teenage years to cutting red meat, pork, and fried foods when I developed an interest in keeping restaurant options to healthier choices and when I became aware of my body as an instrument. I found that when I ate healthier I felt better and I sounded better too. During my first pregnancy I let the guidelines slip as my cravings with that babe included burgers, bacon, and salsa; it was super out of character for the foods normal to me at the time but I went with it. The second pregnancy was totally different with wanting more bread, cheese, and jams and thankfully felt a bit more in line with what I may choose when not pregnant. As I shifted out of the impact of child bearing into nursing with each infant, I found myself brining in new lenses on what I was eating and what I would be feeding my children. Being responsible for their bodies too began to shift my relationship with what was on the plate and eating out. As nursing moved into a time period for me to reset my body, I found myself only wanting to reserve eating out for special occasions or if restaurant meals picked up because life was busy, sticking with salads, healthy grains, and protein to get a better handle on exactly what was in the food. I needed points of regulation and this helped me tremendously. I also picked up reading material such as different cultural relationships with food (Reading “French Woman Don’t Get Fat when I was in my late twenties gave me a lot to think about as I saw such striking differences between how I grew up relating to food in America versus what this author shares.) as well as other ideas like eating for your blood type, choosing natural sugars, whole dairy in moderation, increasing fiber, and at one point being pescatarian with my son for a year when he wanted to try this.

Considering different ways to approach my relationship with food alongside cooking at home gave me a satisfaction in caring for my body and my family in a way that didn’t happen when I was only invested in taste and ease. Sure, if the meal were executed in fine dining style, then maybe I did go at a snail’s pace savoring every bit of the way and let taste rule but there’s something exquisite in reserving that for a sometimes treat. For ordinary daily living, the act of planning what to prepare, shopping for meals, letting it be simple more often than not, going slow with the process of cooking, and then eating in our home turned into a practice of mindfulness and joy. I know that even though we are unfortunately fast eaters, this slowed at least me down. I learned to consciously bring love and care in my mind and then into my body while making the meals so that the food would be infused with good feeling energy. The entire experience of nourishing yourself and others can work as a multilayered meditative process.

Over the years, the impulse to eat out and the draw of new food novelty or familiar indulgence comforts more often than not was replaced with: “I’ll feel better after if I make it at home.” or “How can I get creative with what’s in the house and caring for myself / loved ones?” Do I still have moments of ease with ordering out and is it sometimes fried? Yes, I do and it is! Have I cut desserts? Absolutely not. I love them. ☺️ However, it’s a choice made with awareness. I don’t have rules about cutting anymore outside of heavily processed foods. These changes over the years have cultivated gratitude for the food before me. Not only did my food waste significantly fall off but I learned that there are many gifts in food prepared with love in a space that is your sanctuary.

Basque Cheesecake we enJOYed last week. 💕

Attention

“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Energy follows intention and attention. People see what they place their attention on and whatever that focus is, is what grows. The moment you are in now has the potential to be filled with joy and happiness if that is what you seek.

What happens if you allow just a few moments to notice the joys in both your external and internal world?

Let simplicity hold your experience as expectation falls away.