life lessons

Going Back to the Beginning: Fundamentals

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To say that this month has been chaotic would be an understatement.  I’ve been witness to a lot of upheaval, lots of drama and lots of change.   We are also about to enter the “dark months” of the year, and introspective times are creeping up on many of us.  Many of us are hearing our souls call to move into greater states of awakening.  It’s important to find space, to breathe and to trust our process.

I am finding myself going back to basics, going back to the places where I first met the divine.

I can remember my grandmother telling us bible stories when we were young.  We would sing “Yes, Jesus love me” and I can remember her having us place our hands on the TV screen with the televagelists of the time.  My foundation is in Christianity.  I can still remember the first time that I saw someone speaking in tongues, and have always had a deep fascination for how spirit grabs us.

I find myself going back to the beginning.  Many turn an odd eye when I mention my love for my Christian path, and my deep love for it.  For me, its more than a religion, it’s family, it’s memories of when things were easier, it’s where I first met the divine on this road.  I just started reading Mark Townsend’s “Jesus Through Pagan Eyes”, and I’ll be posting a review on it soon.

 

I’m also going to devote another blog to my spirituality beginnings.   I’m hearing the call of my past, and I’m taking time to sit with it.  To open to my safe space, and to be more engaged in my process.

Where did you first meet the divine?

M. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

Intentional Breathing: Creating Sacred Space

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According to a world population data 108 people die every minute.  We never know when we will say our final prayer, that deep exhale.  These numbers also remind me of how often so many of us take for granted the fact that we are breathing.  When life gets chaotic we hold or breath.  We forget that it is the breath that helps things to move.  We have to remember to breathe.

Intentional breathing helps us to make each breath count.  To go into a place of purpose with each inhalation and each exhalation.  When we connect into this space of intention we invite spirit into that moment with us.  We “bring in” something that we might be missing, and create space for clarity, connection, and movement.

So, here is an easy process that will help you to start a process of intentional breathing:

1)  Pick a word, a concept, or something positive that you want to bring into your experience. (love, hope, peace, joy, connection, compassion)

2)  Bring that word into your mind’s eye.  Focus on it, begin to feel it move through you.

3) Take a deep in-breath.  Breathe that word into every fabric of your being.

4) Exhale and create space for the next breath, create space for the intention to become reality.

5) Keep this process going.  The pause throughout the day and re-connect into this space of intention.

 

Where do you hold your breath?   When do you feel that you need movement?  What do you feel you need in your experience that you are lacking?

 

Mahayogi Das

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

 

 

PBP2012: “O” is for Owning all parts of the self

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Integration seems to be a key spiritual them that is coming up across the board for many people this year.  Going into the shadow parts of our path and seeing what might be buried deep in the dark soil of our experience.  When we dig a little deeper we see the seeds that are starting to blossom.

Integration is more that just coming into alignment with our path, but I feel we need to fully own those parts of self so that we can truly become whole within our working.  I feel that we have to become the magick, we have to be the divine spirit, we have to claim that divinity that is the driving force behind all the wonders we see in this life.  Holding ourselves apart from the journey gives us an out.  I feel too often we look to escape from our great work. It is time that we move into states of greater connection with the parts we might be ignoring.

So, how do we begin this process?

What are your taboo topics?  What are the issues of your experience that you’d rather keep buried in the soil?  Where in your life do you feel fragmented?

As we move through life, we often leave little pieces of our soul buried in those moments.  These tend to be the tough spots that draw us into the past through deep emotion.  This can be hard.  There are moments of our life that we might not want to re-acknowledge.

Bringing all of our parts into alignment (event the vicious ones) allows us to own our shadow.  It allows us to breath new life into those moments and to acknowledge the lessons we’ve learned about ourselves along the way.

Take a moment to ask, “What parts of my life am I ignoring?”  “Where might I have left pieces of myself along the way?”

Owning all of our parts puts us back together.  It allows us to be whole.  It allows us to be the divine soul that we were always meant to be.

 

The Pagan obesity discussion… and debate

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The interwebs is alive with discussion regarding obesity and the nature of it being a taboo topic within pagan circles.  Peter Dybing recently posted an article on his blog Pagan in Paradise regarding this oh-so-taboo of topics.  I applaud Peter for taking a step in creating space to have a discussion regarding health within out spiritual communities.

To start off, Obesity is not a “body image issue”, it is a health issue.  Many have lashed out with the thought that this is going to create polarization within the community, that judgment will occur due to body size, etc.  Rather than taking this as an opportunity to discuss creating positive change for health within our pagan circles, we have taken it as an opportunity to attack and tear down each other… see anything hypocritical about this?

Obesity is a global issue, to think that we as magical culture are exempt from the issues that plague society is a narrowing viewpoint.  What I do feel however is that we as a magical community have the power to effect change globally by taking a deeper acceptance of where we are in our pursuit of health.

Before the attacks begin, let me give you a bit of my back story:

I have been on a yo-yo existence with my weight ever since childhood.  I was healthy, but I did not feel satisfied with the extra weight.  Weight even now, is a struggle.  I’ve also had the opportunity to see this issue from multiple perspectives.  I am a certified personal trainer, nutritionist, and yoga instructor.  I am vegan.  I’ve worked for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), and have worked in gyms and studios across the east coast.  It was also my responsibility while in the Navy to be a fitness instructor for the Special Warfare candidates.  I have competed in bodybuilding competitions and I have also suffered through struggles with being overweight.

There is a reason why the fitness industry makes over 8 billion dollars a year, and an its the same reason that the pharmaceutical industry makes even more… we surrender our power away to others rather than taking responsibility for where we are.

If we look at the body as a temple.  The soul as the energy that moves through us, it is important for us to improve that temple by whatever means necessary.

Now, lets step this away from a body image issue.  This is not about body image… again, let me stay… this is NOT about body image. 

The problem that I have seem as a fitness professional that is also a member of greater spiritual community is surrender to non-health.  I think that we should absolutely love ourselves no matter what size we are… big, small, and everything in between… However I do not agree with surrendering to poor states of health, poor habits, and poor lifestyle choices.

As members of spiritual community we have a responsibility to our divine work to be part of this experience for as long as possible.  We cannot use our spirituality as a shield to the reality we face as a community.  Obesity as a health issue is an epidemic.  We can pull facts, stats, etc and we can argue both directions.   We begin feeding into a greater illusion that being overweight does not have a damaging effect on the body.  Carrying excess weight not only puts excess stress on the joints, spine, and hormonal system, but it may limit how we engage the world around us.  I agree, greater society does at time make this more about body image than health… why are we feeding into this same illusion?  Are we, as spiritual individuals not able to see through this to the core of what we are supposed to be engaging?

Each of us holds weight differently.  Each of us has a unique beauty.

This is an opportunity for us to have dialogue to create opportunities to engage health in a new and fun way.  Locally we have monthly Pagan Centered Fitness gatherings.

Having these discussions are moments for us to engage in expansion instead of limitation.  We are a spiritual family, and it our responsibility to reach out with compassion and acceptance.  Size is not always an indicator of health, but by the same token, size does add some restriction especially when it is coupled with poor eating, lifestyle, and fitness habits.

Where are you within your body now?

What changes would you like to make to improve overall health and well-being?

How do you feel in this moment?

Where are you giving power away in regards to food?

***This last question is one way we can bring the spiritual aspects into how we relate to food.  Food is a powerful way for us to connect as community.  It brings us together.  Does our spread reflect healthy connections to food?  Do we surrender to certain foods because of emotional attachments?

 

I am going to do a series of posts on this topic, as I feel this needs to be an ongoing discussion.  Perhaps we can even facilitate an open discussion on conference call to bring actual voices to this issue.

If we don’t talk about issues of health, how are we supposed to engage our communities towards positive evolution?

Michael Brazell, CFT CSN MAT PAT

 

 

 

Coming into alignment with my life: Fasting, Contemplation, and Yoga

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Today I kicked off a new direction.  A new re-engagement of my path.  I am choosing to live a more whole-hearted existence.  Even as someone that engages a more direct spiritual path, I sometimes find myself at odds with what I truly want from life and from my path.   I feel at times we really get caught in the actions of giving, and we do not take time for receiving.  I am now going into a place of balance.

When I feel the world around in flux, I move into the internal landscapes.  I am about to engage on a new path, and its time to cleanse and take responsibility for all that is in my life.

So it begins.  I am starting a 40 day (maybe longer) fast.  Now, to some this sounds like an impossibility and/or perhaps a bit loony.  Well, of course!  Taking full ownership of what we put into our bodies is a radical idea.  Food is a source of power and potential.  Its is energy.  It gives us fuel, but we often surrender power away to our food choices.

When I engage in a fast, I go hardcore.  So here are my eating parameters:

  1. I am only drinking water
  2. I am only eating simple non-processed raw foods
  3. I am only going to purchase foods with minimal/no packaging
  4. I will eat a balance of carbohydrates/fats/proteins
  5. I will be kind to myself and those around me while in the detox phase of this dietary transition.

Ok, so why line number 5?  Well, I am starting this in the middle of a Mercury and Uranus retrograde, after being bombarded by solar flares… So, I have to be sure that I am kind to myself, but more so those around me.  When we detox the body starts to purge away toxins stored in the organs, the muscles and fatty tissues.  This can make us initially feel sluggish, weak, and for lack of a scientific term.. BLAH.  We tend to lash out at those that are closest to us in these times, so we have to watch where our actions may be taking us within this space of cleanse.

**Also a special note to loved ones of those engaging in a fast/cleanse:  Be kind to those engaging in this spiritual pursuit.  It’s not easy aligning the body, mind, and spirit through relinquishment of our favorite food stuffs.  Don’t tempt us away from the journey by offering us things that are not in alignment with our goals, support us in our journey towards alignment, and be part of the process through actions of love.

Along with the food parameters I am also adding some lifestyle changes that to this process, as well as some daily tasking that I am to take on:

  1. I am going to do 1 creative thing a day.  Draw, paint, write a poem, sketch, write a story, etc.  I’ll be posting those on this blog.
  2. I am to reduce my ecological footprint as much as possible.  (I’ll discuss this in a bit)
  3. I am to reduce the amount of stuff that I am holding onto.  This is to include clothing, books, ritual items, etc that is no longer serving me towards my goals of alignment.
  4. I am to live a more simple life.  In action and words.  (more on this in a few)
  5. I am to hand make one or two outfits by hand (this is something I’ve always wanted to do.. I’m going very yogaish… and this is gearing me up towards creating the clothing line for the website launch).
  6. I am only to travel with minimal stuff.  I tend to overpack, and carry too much.  I love my books, and instead of taking 4 books with me on one single journey.. I’m making a resolution to take each book I pick up from start to finish.
  7. Daily personal yoga practice/meditation/contemplation of sacred text
  8. I am to start my day at 4:30 am daily to make full time for spiritual practice.

This sounds like a lot, but it really is just about coming into alignment on a deeper level with a lot of things that are currently in my experience.

I am also taking this time to engage a higher level of responsibility for the world around me.  I’m reading a pretty amazing book called: “Radical Simplicity by Jim Merkel”.  The book helps takes you through a process of acknowledging what your eco footprint is and how you can start to reduce that by leaps and bounds.

I am also taking this time to journal more.  To engage introspection on a deeper level.  Daily readings, predictions, channeling and being in spirits energy.

I am also moving towards aligning myself with my community more, which is another reason for the new website.  This will have its own post soon, and its going to be pretty amazing.. so stay tuned!

I am also going to move towards living my yoga completely.  I at one point thought about the possibility of taking my initiated yoga name as my legal name, I’ve been in contemplation of this for a few days now… I am going to realign with that name energetically as I feel it helps me to integrate my spiritual self into my mundane life.

There are a few of you that have expressed coming on this journey with me.  This is a great time for alignment.  Fasting, centering, and breathing are great ways to begin this process.

What are you willing to part with, and for how long?  Fasting can take many forms, and not always food.  You can fast from Facebook, talking, sugar, coffee, etc.  The idea is to regain your power, to hold onto center and to be in alignment with what you want from this experience.

Set a time limit, and remember–there is no failure. We start, and then we stop.  If we stop before we reach the finish line, it gives us a chance to see where we still may be in limitation… this will allow you to come into alignment with actions of expansion.  When we are aware of where we are, we have the power to move forward.

I am also going to be more cautious with the things that I say.  So, if I appear quiet, it is not that something is wrong, or that I am upset, or that I am ignoring you.  It is me, absorbing the beauty of each experience, and then reaching out through that energy with words that are filled with spirit instead of just reacting and giving power to things that do not deserve it.

There are lots of positive changes just on the horizon.  What are you doing to engage your path?  What are you doing to be more in the body?

Stay tuned, much, much more to come!

Mahayogi Das, CFT CSN MAT PAT

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

Engaging the Shift

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Where are the waters of this life taking you?  What do you feel your purpose is within this divine experience?   Where are you within your body in this moment?

This is a year of engagement and integration.  Who we “were” is now changing into who we have always supposed to be.  Our greater purpose is coming to alignment, and more importantly we are being called to show up to our divine experience.

Most of us will go joyfully, others will go kicking and screaming.  Those that find themselves in struggle need to see where their anchors are located and being the work of deep release.  It is time to continue to see the shadow, to release our limitations, and to move into the breath.

There is work to be done.  We have to engage life and spirit daily.  This shift, this movement in consciousness requires us to show up.

Where do you feel the need to show up in your life?  What is calling you in this moment?

 

The Changing Face of Spirituality

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One of the beautiful things about my job is that I get a front row seat to the world of spirituality.  Managing a book store gives me access to not only what is entering the world, but what people are seeking.

“I’m spiritual, just not religious” is a common phase that is tossed around a lot these days.  I am seeing more and more people coming into a greater state of alignment with their own vibrations and this is causing them to question old patterns, ideas, and concepts.  Questioning the world around us is powerful. It is common ground that we can all reside in.  The beauty of life is all the unknown.  Even in debate and disagreement we are able to grow.  If we only sit at the table with people who share the same ideas and beliefs as us we only get more of the same.  It doesn’t mean we have to accept someone else’s reality, but it allows me to at least share in a moment.  Challenge is good.  Challenge allows for us to move through resistance.

For me, spirituality is about expansion and not limitation.  I am seeing so many people reaching across the aisle to connect with others.  We still have a lot of disruptive energy in the world around us and communities are coming together to respond to these shifts in consciousness.

We are becoming more active in our spirituality.  Yoga, Qi-gong, breath work, and nutrition have been areas I’ve seen a lot of people starting to come into alignment with.  We must honor the temple the soul resides in.  New energy is coming in constantly, and we need to be able to hold and channel that energy out to be of the highest service.

The new generation of light workers are awakening to their purpose.  We all are.  Latent healing and intuitive gifts are activating in everyone.  Many of us have felt some resistance in the shift.  Resistance is not always bad, but let your resistance open you to expansion and not limitation.  Do not let your fears get the best of you.

I’ve noticed many drifting into old places.  Others are drifting into the future.  We only truly have the singularity of one breath in any given moment.  Don’t take it for granted.  The past shapes us, and the future helps to guide us… remember that the destination is the road beneath us.

Find joy and appreciation in all that you do.  Even if you do not like your job, appreciate it.  The resistance you feel from going in to that place day after day will only inspire you to grow into new opportunity.  Everything can be “good” if you find the gift it is bringing you.  Upheaval is a state of cleansing.  The more we tune into our intuition daily the more we come into greater alignment with that divine flow.

What are you moving yourself into?  Where are the waters of the divine taking you?   What is your resistance?

Michaell A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT
www.michaelbrazell.com
www.deviantyogi.com (yoga blog)
www.soulinteraction.com (spirituality blog)
www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell (radio show)

It’s Time to Pay Up: Universal Contracts

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Change is in the air… and not just because it is spring.  One of the beautiful things about my job is that I get a front row seat to the lives of others.  Normally, I might get to do one life path reading.  This is where someone is deciding to do something new, make a big change, or step in a new direction.  The majority of the other readings were the usual: money, love, job, etc.  Every week, I am seeing more and more people making massive changes.

The one common denominator in these changes is a move towards spirituality. People are looking to be of service, to connect to community, to be part of something and not just another cog in the machine.  I’ve seen doctors become painters, CEOs become writers, and people finally living their dreams both big and small.  I find a beauty in the finality of 2012.  What if it does all end?  How did you live your life?  Did you live it in joy and love, or are you anchored into tons of regret?  What would you change if you only had one more day, or a few more months?  At times it feels like the universe is calling in contracts that we made in the “in-between” life.   I am seeing people go through these rapid awakening cycles.  It’s a beautiful thing.

I am a firm believer that our purpose in this life is to just be happy.  The only thing we are required to do is breathe.  Everything else we do is a choice.  We can choose joy or sadness, love or hate, and everything in between.

Change can be incremental.  You don’t have to go out right this very moment and quit your job… unless you truly want to.  If you could do anything for the rest of your life, and be completely happy… what would it be?   Whats stopping you from doing it?   What steps can you take to get there?

We forget to dream.  It’s time to sit with a piece of paper and start dreaming.  If you have ever wanted to do anything with your life, but have held back… write it down. Let your imagination soar.  Clown college, starting a business, becoming a professional poet, etc.  If you are drawing a blank, even better.  Blank is a good starting point, it just means that you are allowing fear to block your outcome..

What do you feel your purpose is?  What did you come into this life to do?  Are you doing it?  If not, what would get you jump started in to making it a reality?

We’ll be going deeper in the coming weeks.   For now… get that paper/journal out and start dreaming.

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.deviantyogi.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

Grounding Through Gardening: My Unfolding Journey

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So, I have never been one to garden.  It’s not that I have a black thumb, but for me time seems to move so quickly that I barely have time to breathe much less connect to nature.  In one of my recent meditations I was asking what I could do to ground more, and the answer came in very clearly “Ground though touching sacred earth”.   I love nature and being outside, and it makes sense that connecting to the earth in a very tactile way would be fundamental in grounding down all this new energy that is coming in.  I’m lucky in that I have some wonderful friends that are avid gardeners and I can pull from their wealth of knowledge.

It will be a new way for me to engage my spirituality as well.   For me tactile spiritual experiences are important.  It lets me see spirituality in action.  I’m planning a little indoor garden and a small outdoor box garden.  I am having fun choosing my herbs and many of them I plan on using in my Deviant Yogi hoodoo mixes.  I’m also looking forward to the depth of discovery that I know will come from connecting to the souls of these plants.  The essence of life and spirituality in action moving through them as they breathe into this world.  I am going to work in specific meditations, utilize focused healing, and music.  I’ll also document my entire process so that you can all share in my joys (and struggles) as I move into this new and fascinating direction.

It is also important to have plant life inside.  It brings life and love into a home. I know this will be a great addition to my yoga room.  Plants are one of the most tactile ways we can connect to the divine.  There is a scent, touch, life, death, silence, and breathing– and they are all manifest at the same time.

What are your favorite plants?  What are your most memorable encounters in a garden/while gardening?  Share any spiritual experiences you’ve had in nature!

 

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

http://www.michaelbrazell.com

http://www.deviantyogi.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

Alone in Our Connections: Technology and Seperation

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The world is moving faster than we are. I am actually sitting on the metro writing this blog post. Joyfully connecting into each word as a world moves by around me. It is a beautiful thing that in an instant we can connect around the globe. We have access to countless bits of information, and this access can even come in the confines of a tunnel running under the nation’s capital. As I look up to scan the crowd I see that almost everyone else is doing something similar. Rarely do people make eye contact, and even more rare is the reaching out of a voice or even a smile to a stranger. Our technology allows us to be separated but not alone. I find that it is hard for me to sit at home and write, but if I plug into a coffee shop the words flow with ease. There is something about being in the energy of others that allows me to connect into myself. It allows me to see where I am in this world, and even though many of us are not connecting, we are still in some way sharing this moment. Not having to be alone, connected through our disconnection.

There is a theory that the 2012 incident that might actually happen is an elimination of technology due to a giant solar pulse. What would that look like? What would it be like if all the walls of our disconnect came tumbling down if even for a moment. Texting, tweeting and “liking” things has enabled us to share our thoughts in an instant. We can project out into the world pieces of who we are instantly. We can reach out to loved ones and say “Have a great day!” or “Hope work isn’t too stressful!”. Tho, I notice that the same people we send those text to, when put in the same room with us, we pull away from. May of us remain plugged in even when in the presence of family, friends, and partners. The art of conversation is dying. When instead of sitting down and planning out a future, you are restricted to having to check each other’s online calendars to determine when it will be okay to be present in each other’s experience. Technology allows us to scar someone else with ease. We can send passive aggressive texts, tweets and posts. When is the last time you said “I love you” in full presence and connection with someone you are sharing this life with? We don’t even really need to type it out fully on our cell phones, we only need pre-program the message to fly out at the touch of a button.

How does this impact our compassion for one another? For some, caring is sending the text, and I’m not saying that we shouldn’t use technology as a tool to reach out to those we love. I feel that it is more important to balance that out with a step into this reality. We have to connect to one another on the tangible plane of existence. When we “text argue” or “text talk” we get to plan out every word. Every thought gets a level of control, and we can avoid vulnerability like a plague. When we are face to face with someone else, standing in each other’s presence we can truly be in a place of deep feeling. When our partner, family, or friends have had a bad day we can be present. We can show empathy and reach out in compassion. If we stay plugged in we only may notice this on the perepherial. We seen the slumped shoulders, the tired look, but we don’t connect. Sometimes we only find out about the lives of those we share lives with through their Facebook updates or tweets. Rather than having intimate moments with those closest to us, we share with the masses. I’ve even seen people end relationships via the internet. When we can close down at the touch of a button we get this sense of control that is lost when we have to come face to face not only with others, but with ourselves. When lives are planned out in 2 month intervals via online appointments spontaneity dies. Spontaneity is one of the fuels for passion, and without it the flames eventual turn to embers that barely sustain heat. But what does it say about where we are in this society when we live our lives 2 or more months into the future. We do are not in the now, and that robs us of being fully aligned and present in our divine experience. It keeps us in full disconnection from those that are in this moment with us. THe further forward we live, the less room we create in the moment. I am not saying that we should not plan ahead, but when we become so rigid in our lives that deviations cause panic then we are damaging ourselves. Compassion to the self is something we forget about.

Our interpersonal disconnection is harmful. There are many cases where people won’t call for help when they hear someone in need, “Someone else will call.” We not only forget about the people we share this life with, but we absolutely forget about the earth. I can tell you how many Pagans I know that spend more time behind a computer, on their phone, or inside rather than actually celebrating the earth by going outside. Nature based faith requires us to at some point to connect into nature. Setting our computer screen savers to a woodland image is just not good enough.

Technology and advancement are wonderful. I mean, you wouldn’t be reading this blog without it. Take time to be in this world, and more importantly in your life. Connect with those around you, and create sacred time and space where technology is not allowed in. What would it be like to feel the love of all those around you fully? To unplug from the masses just long enough to embrace the idea that we can live in the moment? What would the passion of spontaneity look and/or feel like? Take a moment to give gratitude and thanks to what technology has brought you, then take a moment to make a commitment to re-connect back into your life. Plug into this moment, right now… what are you waiting for?

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.deviantyogi.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com