A little background: In 2017, when Canada turned 150, I read an article that said Indigenous leaders were asking all Canadians to read Unsettling Canada by Arthur Manuel. So I bought it, but it took me a while to read through it. It's a heavy book, detailing Canadian history from an Indigenous perspective.
(The Reconciliation Manifesto: Recovering the land, rebuilding the economy, also by Arthur Manual came out later and is a much easier read and a great place to start)
While I had always understood that genocide had happened in Canada, this book completely changed my perspective.
I saw that the genocide isn't in the past, it's in the present and will be in the future - unless we do something to change it.
So since then I haven’t felt great about celebrating Canada Day.
So many people in the Live Your Best Life Industry avoid politics because it’s “too negative” but I disagree.
I think ignoring the injustices that happen around you just because they're not happening TO you is negative.
I think showing up for the world you want to live in is EXTREMELY positive. So I’ve been to a LOT of protests and rallies this year.
I always leave these rallies feeling more hopeful, like a healing had happened. Yes - lots more healing is needed, but each time people gather in this way, a healing DOES happen.
When people come together to stand for the world they want to create and make signs and block traffic and scream their truth in unison - THIS is a manifestation practice.
There is so much magic and power in this.
This is what’s missing from the Life Your Best Life Industry - the MAGIC and POWER of looking the hard stuff in the eye while fighting for what you want to create.
You can’t just hold the vision and meditate and wait for it to come.
You don’t dream in a vacuum.
You dream in the world.
This means: You need to be present where you are in order to get to where you want to be.
This is how I have ALWAYS taught creative people how to “manifest” their wildest dreams - by facing the hard parts head on and using them as fuel for healing and growth.
Right now, for me, being present where I am means I am birthing my dreams living in a country that is carrying on an ongoing genocide against the people whose land this is.
And yes I could use the white privilege I have to ignore what’s happening and “not get political” (which IS VERY political, btw) and just focus on my life and my dreams. But this path is becoming narrower and narrower for the people who choose to take it because there is just *SO MUCH* that you need to AVOID and IGNORE in order to stay on this path.
And everything you need to avoid and ignore holds power over you. Your world just gets smaller and smaller... which means your dreams will also shrink.
But everything you face head on GROWS YOU.
Related: we are all connected.
Even though white people in Canada benefit from colonialism in very concrete ways, it’s NOT good for ANY human being to live in an oppressive system.
Your dreams are always calling you towards your TRUE self, your TRUE potential, your TRUE and MOST AUTHENTIC way of living.
This includes NOT living in oppressive systems.
We are all connected. Our dreams are all connected. Our dreams need each other. We need each other.
Part of the work of tending to your dreams is tending to the soil in which they grow.
I dream of a Canada which is fully decolonized. I believe this is the best way to create a country that works for everyone. I believe that in a country that protects the earth and the most vulnerable people there is space for EVERYONE to pursue their dreams.
I know a lot of white settler Canadians are with me in spirit but are like “ummm buttt uhhhhh … like what would I even DO??” when it comes to taking action.
The good news is that you don’t need to know!! In fact, it’s better to let Indigenous leaders lead on this one 😉
I read that one book, and then started following Indigenous leaders closely on social media and then started participating when they put out calls to action and donating money and volunteering for a political campaign to elect an Indigenous woman to my federal riding and with each new step I took I learned more.
It’s like with your dreams - you DO NOT have to know how to get there in order to take a single baby step.
And each little teeny tiny step you take helps equip you to take the next step.
The next thing you know - you're out there actively helping to create a BETTER world for you and your dreams and also for everyone else.
It's all SO connected.
I'm sharing my thoughts here today as tomorrow is Canada Day.
I know most of you are not Canadian.
But ALL of us have the opportunity to stand up for the world we want to create.
You will never learn how to do Shadow Work by reading about it.
It's something you need to need to EXPERIENCE.
I created a healing circle where I lead you through the process, and you can access it for free, by registering right here:
Learning how to do Shadow Work is less about perfecting a specific technique and more about staying open and being willing to feel, explore and experience whatever it is you encounter in the process.
Because Shadow Work is about facing your own shadows - the places inside you that you would rather avoid - it's just inherently uncomfortable.
I mean - you avoid these places for a reason.
And in order to do Shadow Work, you've going to have to come face-to-face with that reason.
There is no one perfect way for learning how to do Shadow Work, but there are two things to keep in mind while you're exploring:
- An open mind - you don't know what you're going to discover. If you go in already thinking you know what's going to happen then you close yourself off from possibilities.
- A willingness to feel your feelings and be uncomfortable. You don't have to LIKE your feelings you just have to be wiling to HAVE them.
It's pretty amazing how easy it is to trick ourselves into thinking we are doing these things when we are actually totally NOT doing them!
How to do Shadow Work: Sitting with your feelings.
Sitting with your feelings means making space for yourself to feel how you actually feel, to explore that feeling and find out more about it.
This tends to be the opposite approach from what most of us are taught about how to handle feelings.
So it's uncomfortable and it feels awkward. Which means - if you feel like you're doing it wrong, you are probably doing it right.
Unfortunately, if you feel confident and sure that you're doing it right, you are probably doing it wrong. This is the nature of Shadow Work. It just feels uncomfortable.
It takes practice and patience to get to a place of actually being open to feeling your feelings.
Your reaction to your feelings tends you get in the way of feeling your actual feelings.
For example: You dream of being a best-selling author. You are afraid that you're not good enough to do this.
Your inner critic reacts to that fear with a "Why bother? No one cares?" story and you get caught up in your feelings about that story. But the "Why bother? No one cares?" story is NOT your actual feeling.
So being with that story just makes more space for your Inner Critic to put on a show for you.
And it feels uncomfortable and scary so you think you're feeling your feelings but you're not. You're staying in this untrue story about your feelings. Your feelings are fear of not being good enough.
Sitting with this fear would feel terrifying in comparison to sitting with the "Why bother? No one cares?" story.
That's the Shadow Work.
As you sit with the feeling without trying to do anything with it, you actually move through it.
And on the other side of that terror there is something else. And once you've experienced that, you'll have a deeper understanding of yourself.
Once you sit with that fear and move through it, you start to see that this fear comes out of the fact that you're not writing regularly! So of course your writing isn't up to par with what it needs to be to be a bestseller.
No need for a song and dance about "Why bother? No one cares".
All you need to do is get to work.
Create a writing schedule and stick to it.
This is the magic of Shadow Work: When you work through the shadow and are able to reach the guidance of your True Self.
In my example you had to first be with all of the uncomfortable stories that your Inner Critic throws you way and then you have to face that unimaginable terror of feeling your actual feeling.
This is a simplified example, you may have layers and layers of feelings and reactions and stories. Your Shadow Work process will likely become VERY convoluted and weird.
Shadow Work means bravely and honestly facing what you find. Exploring by feeling your way.
You don't have to solve anything.
You don't have to discover the gift or perform a healing.
If fact it's best if you're not trying to make those things happen, and focus solely on exploring and feeling your way.
The solutions, gifts and healing are already there - on the other side of the thing you least want to face.
So you know you've successfully done your Shadow Work when you find them.
Again. You will never learn how to do Shadow Work by reading about it.
It's something you need to need to EXPERIENCE.
I created a healing circle where I lead you through the process, and you can access it for free, by registering right here:
I shared this post on Instagram last week about how YOUR DREAMS and THE WORLD are all connected. We're dreaming INTO the world.
That's why, for the last 3-4 years I've been talking more here and on social media about what it means to be pursuing your dreams within the systems of white supremacy, and how our dreams can be a part of CHANGING THE WORLD.
I'm not an anti-racism expert or educator. I'm a white person who is trying to listen, learn and do better. Also - because the whole "live your best life" industry is extremely biased and privileged and the first step to doing better is to be aware of where we're falling short.
Now is NOT time to put your dreams on hold.
Your dreams connect you to your True Selves and inner gifts. Pursuing your dreams is about pursuing your purpose, potential, creativity, authenticity - it gets you into alignment with your most wise, powerful, creative and brave self.
THAT'S the you who knows how to show up and be a part of creating a better world.
But we can't pretend that white people pursing their dreams is going to change the world. Remember I did just say that as white person I am listening, learning and supporting.
ALL dreams are a source of healing and light, and that the work of growing into your gifts and aligning with your inner wisdom, purpose and power will help you serve the world.
This work will help you process the discomfort of exploring your own inner biases so you CAN stay present with what's happening in the world while also staying present with your own dreams and creative projects.
This is what creative dreaming is anyway - being that bridge between your dreams and the world.
It doesn't mean giving up ANYTHING you are doing. It means bringing anti-racism work and perspectives to EVERYTHING you are doing.
Last week everyone was online amplifying melanated voices.
This week it's time to look at what your next steps are in dismantling white supremacy and creating a world where we are ALL free to live our best lives.
How will you bring this work into your daily life? This isn't an easy question with an easy answer, it's a question to really sit with.
And I have one suggestion for you: find your local Black and Indigenous leaders and follow them online. Listen closely to what they are saying.
Let's keep dreaming of a better world together... and taking steps to make it happen.
While procrastination itself is a HUGE problem for creatives - there's actually NO SUCH THING as a procrastinaTOR.
Once you understand this - you can actually free yourself from your procrastination habit.
View this post on Instagram
Today I'm talking about INNER CRITICS: where they come from and what their REAL purpose is.
This one is helpful especially if you want to get better at managing your inner critics so they don't stop you from pursuing your creative dreams.
View this post on Instagram
Today I'm talking about SELF DOUBT and why it's NOT a real problem.
This one is helpful especially if you feel like self doubt is holding you back - you can DEFINITELY have self doubt AND ALO have your dream.
Watch it here:
View this post on Instagram
The Art for Good bundle sale I mentioned in the video is over... but you can still get my free journaling + meditation e-classes for tapping into your intuition and inner power to break through your obstacles and move towards the life you want to be living. Sign up here if you don't see the registration bar at the top of your screen.
We are now in a time of incredible new possibilities.
But first - let me back up because it's NOT all good right now, I know that. I don't usually have a lot of anxiety, but I sure have it now.
I am TERRIFIED about how this will impact the most vulnerable people in our society - those with weakened immune systems, the homeless, the addicted, people living with domestic violence, people who are only a paycheque away from being homeless, in Canada a lot of First Nations still don't have running water and most do not have the infrastructure that settler society has to try to manage the pandemic... All the people our society should really be taking better care of are so much more vulnerable here.
As a highly sensitive person, I feel all of that pain right now. My energy field is so full of stuff that is not mine, clearing it out feels like a full time job.
BUT underneath all of this fear and worry and anxiety I am feeling something totally new waking up.
First of all - I no longer care about the goals I had last week. Which is hilarious to me because I cared SO MUCH about them last week.
But today I'm feeling new possibilities open up, a whole new way of being.
I mean I know I use those words all the time - but now they mean something new.
This time has the opportunity to be the most WILDLY TRANSFORMATIVE time we've ever had on this planet.
I have a weekly practice where I take some time to reflect on how the last week has gone, look at what's happening with my goals and wishes and healing processes, and use what I learn in that process of reflection to decide how I want to show up for the next week.
This practice is what helps me navigate a path that I build as I walk - which is how all dream paths are built. When there is no path beneath your feet to follow, this kind of reflective process is necessary to know where to step next.
Well - this social isolation is an opportunity to reflect.
And it's a HUGE opportunity to make space for more of what we REALLY want in our lives. It's actually an opportunity to CHANGE ANYTHING or even EVERYTHING.
As I said, I feel a lot of anxiety right now but in those times when I DO manage to get my energy field clear - I feel GIGANTIC NEW OPPORTUNITIES opening up for us, and I want to jump in there and PLAY.
Your work is needed. Now more than ever.
Healing, coaching, teaching, mentoring, art-making, writing, magicking... this stuff is DESPERATELY NEEDED to help with the transition.
HOW you do your work is 100% up to you - like always!
If you want to go inward and use your practices just to serve yourself at this time - awesome! Do that!
If you want to offer free stuff to help people who are freaking out - awesome! Do that!
If you want to sell your work to help people who are freaking out - awesome! Do that!
YOU are the only expert when it comes to your work. YOU know how it is needed in the world at this time.
Don't let your fears about money or your worry about the pandemic cloud your judgement.
One thing I will say: I know I am SO worried about the people who are living closer to the edge financial at this time that sometimes I forget to consider how many well paid people are going to have a ton of time on their hands and could really use some healing/coaching/classes/mentoring/art/books.
It is NOT wrong to keep working and selling at this time. Your work is a MEDICINE that the world needs.
I'm NOT saying to be opportunistic about it or use people's fear to coerce them into buying.
But showing up and offering your gifts is a valid way to move through this time.
For me, it's ALL I want to to do.
I'm inspired to really SHOW UP and offer my gifts. Like those words means something different today than they did last week.
I have LONG believed and written about how I feel like we're in a transformative time and that Dream Work is DESPERATELY needed to guide us through. But all of that is on steroids now - it's like THIS. HERE. NOW. GET TO WORK.
I am SO excited about offering new free stuff AND about how I'm helping people in deeper ways Dream Book.
***Anyone who has time on their hands and wants to use it to support their growth, healing and dreams SHOULD BE IN DREAM BOOK***
So what about you?
Your gifts are needed. Either for yourself or for others.
How can you make space for what wants to come through you at this time? (Which, again, does NOT need to be ambitious - maybe you need deeper rest or quiet incubation time)
What support do you need to make that happen?
This is good news because if you don't know HOW to make your dream real - that's fine! NO ONE DOES.
AND not knowing how doesn't mean you can't start today 😉
I explain in today's today and talk about what I've been struggling with lately, and how staying engaged in the struggle has led me to a MUCH better place.
I have free classes to help you get started with this here.
Or join me in Dream Book and I'll show you how to work through all of this stuff and make SIGNIFICANT progress towards your dream, taking just one little step at a time.
This morning I had a bit of an intense experience in my journaling + meditation practice so I wanted to share my story.
It's about a visualization I did, to try to help me figure out what my next steps are.
I visualized where I am today, and I visualized my next level dream, and then I looked more closely at the space between as a way of figuring out what kind of steps I should be taking.
The space between showed up as an IMPOSSIBLE CHASM.
Yikes! I mean no one likes an impossible chasm.
But as I sat with it I understood more and more... and then I got inspired to make a quick video to share with you:
If you've got your own impossible chasm to cross - come do this with me!
I was watching Next in Fashion on Netflix and this crazy thing happened where a really gifted woman lost out on a HUGE opportunity because she couldn't speak up for herself.
This is something I know a lot about, because I have failed to speak up for myself more times than I can count.
It was a journey to get to the place I am now where it's fairly easy to speak up for myself, and even when it's not easy I can still DO IT.
