I first saw this book on the shelf at my book store over a year ago. The title intrigued me so I bought it. It has sat on my bookshelf for over a year, and little did I know the impact this book would have on my life. This year did not start out on the smoothest of notes. It seems that has been the case for a lot of people. This is a year where we begin to come into greater alignment with our “soul self”, or divine nature. We only need to look outside to see that things are deteriorating in rapid speed, but things are also coming together. In March I had the opportunity to take T. Thorn Coyle’s “Self Possession” workshop. I really had no idea to expect. I just knew that I was at a crossroads in my professional, personal and well, just overall well-being. I felt that I really had no clue what it was that I wanted to do with this experience, and part of me just wanted to go sit on a mountain somewhere and meditate and live on berries. This would not be the case.
The workshop was based on the book “Kissing the Limitless”, and it is really hard to put into words what happened during that weekend workshop, but the effects of the soul ripples are still being felt. One of the big things about self-possession is coming into your own, and then owning it. As a professional
psychic, and one that helps others through difficult times in their lives, I came to a realization that I was not tuning into my own needs. I was not sure how I would react to Thorn’s teaching, but she is a teacher that is truly living her talk. One of the things that we discussed in the workshop was the establishment of a beloved community. The coming together of like-minded people for the cultivation of peace, soul energy, and alignment. Once the workshop was over and we all blew back into our lives, I felt that I wanted to be more like a dandelion seed, carrying this energy back into my own community.
I sat with this for a while, and realized the answer for community was sitting on my bookshelf, and my partner David and I decided it was time to start a study group. I looked around our first meeting and we were an eclectic bunch. David and I both lead two very different meetup groups and decided to merge our energies to see what would happen. His group is more focused on magical traditions and mine is geared towards soul/psychic development. What I found even more interesting is that many in the group had bought the book before we even decided to start the group.
One of the big parts of the book is the establishment of a daily practice. It has exercises that are challenging and in the introduction you are told it could take a couple of years to fully work through the book. The time limit is variable depending on where you are in your practice, but for many of us it was the first time that we were able to go below the surface. More importantly we were in realization that we were not alone in our struggles. We created safe space for everyone to share where they currently were in their process, but where we wanted to go.
The title of the book really sums up what I am hoping this year to be. Each day we are presented with limitless opportunities to grow and to connect. Every breath is a chance to connect to that divine part of ourselves, and for some the road will be easy… for others the road will be challenging. Sometimes the destination is the road, and showing up is so very important his year. I never thought that a book I did not give much thought to would be the thing that would drive me into a completely new direction and focus in my life and work. The beauty of our spiritual path is that it allows us to experiment and step outside of the box. Eclectic spirituality is a blessing in that our teachers show up in many forms, and usually when our guard is down.
Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT
michael@michaelbrazell.com
Movement + Ritual + Grief Care 