Sacred Witness
By Sacred Witness
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Podcast Description
Witnessing the World Within and Without
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CleanA Beautiful Dead Lady | “Good manners without sincerity are like a beautiful dead lady. Straightforwardness without civility is like a surgeons knife, effective but unpleasant. Candor with courtesy is helpful and admirable.” Sri Yukteswar These words made a deep impression, and the image of the beautiful dead lady stays with me. I grew up in the south and not wanting to make waves. To this day, I find it difficult, at times, to be direct. After all, I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings! Perhaps the deeper truth is that I’m afraid of being rejected. I find that I employ good manners lacking in sincerity more often than I care to admit–which is why the image of the beautiful dead lady hit home. It gives me pause for thought and a desire to examine my habitual southern, good-girl ways. There is something gravely lacking in good manners without sincerity, and frankly, it doesn’t feel good to me at all. I imagine that it doesn’t feel good to the other either–at least at some level. Inauthenticity is selfish, or so it seems to me. Yet, candor with courtesy can be a challenging balance to strike. It takes courage and love. Candor with courtesy can sting a bit at times but it certainly feels better to me than inauthentic good manners. I’m going to keep the image of the beautiful dead lady in my mind as I interact with others. It will be my reminder to always strive for candor with courtesy. What is your experience with being direct and with manners? Are you interested in exploring your cultural and family habits? Would you like support in establishing habits that serve rather than hinder you? Then take advantage of a Complimentary 45-minute Discovery Session (a $120 value) that I am offering for free for a limited time. Contact me to schedule your complimentary discovery session by clicking on the Contact Carla tab. | 9/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanEvery Moment a Fresh Moment | “What if, when I meet another person, instead of being preoccupied with our individual differences or with who I remember her as being last time, I go beyond all that, I see the soul, I see the other being who is just like me? Then every moment is a fresh moment.” Ram Dass I repeatedly fall into the trap of expecting people to be who I think they are. I react to people based on my expectations and assumptions of them. I assume you won’t change–maybe even that you can’t change. I only see an extremely limited view of you. I put you in a box and our interactions follow accordingly. There is no room in that box for something fresh and new. Every moment has the potential to become stale. I did this to my Dad for decades and as a result, we repeated the same old distant, angry relationship for all those years. I have done this to many others, too. I have even done it to myself. Others have done it to me. However, when I let go of my expectations, assumptions, and judgments of you–when I release you from the box–something loosens and breaks free. Possibilities open to us. I begin to see your complexity and richness. I begin to see your paradox and uniqueness. I begin to see your beauty and your soul. I see me in you. Our relationship has the potential now to expand and deepen. The box bursts open and something fresh and new emerges every moment. I experience the fresh and new with my Dad every time I visit with him now. I experience it with others. Beauty emerges. Beauty bowls over the limits I have erected. I am astonished and grateful. Every moment has the possibility of being fresh and new. Would you like help in releasing your expectations, assumptions, and judgments that limit your relationships? Would you like help in finding something fresh and new in every moment with those around you? Then take advantage of a Complimentary 45-minute Discovery Session (a $120 value) that I am offering for free for a limited time. Contact me to schedule your complimentary discovery session by clicking on the Contact Carla tab. | 8/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanFinding my Way Forward | I am moved to tears as I read Ram Dass’ words, in Paths to God, about his devotion to his guru. There is something compelling and yet frightening about that kind of deep love and surrender. I had a similar kind of devotional love for my youth pastor and his wife when I was 12, but when they left for the mission field I was lost. I surrendered to evangelical Christianity for over 25 years but then found the system of thought extremely limited and shallow. Years after that, I surrendered to the “doomer” mentality only to find their view as limited and rigid as evangelical Christianity. The problem wasn’t any of them, of course. The problem was that I wanted to cling to these people and systems beyond their capacity to expand with me. Interestingly, in the last couple of days, I have considered changing my meditation mantra back to one I did many years ago: “Jesus, mercy.” Christianity is my cultural heritage and what buoyed me through many a rough year. I left the church and Christianity because I simply outgrew it. Just as I have no desire to return to grade school, I have no desire to return to the faith of my youth. However, I wonder what an integral Christianity looks like. As I have been reading the integral thinkers, such as Ken Wilber, Terry Patten, Joe Perez, Brian Swimme, and others, I have been introduced to an integral spirituality that is quite compelling: “An integral spirituality will recognize the universal transcendent core of the world's spiritual traditions while simultaneously embracing the multiplicity of religious practices and beliefs. It will provide an integrating framework, grounded in spiritual experience, which unites the disparate theological systems by representing each as a unique but partial view of the same infinite divine reality.” I am deeply drawn to integral theory and through it I may find my way back–or rather forward–to an integral, expanding, and evolving Christianity. Perhaps a return to my old mantra, with fresh meaning, is fitting after all–finding my way forward. Would you like help in finding your way forward? Then take advantage of a Complimentary 45-minute Discovery Session (a $120 value) that I am offering for free for a limited time. Contact me to schedule your complimentary discovery session by clicking on the Contact Carla tab. | 8/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThoughts on Love | I’m visiting my Dad this week. I can hear him snoring in his bedroom as I write and sip coffee. Last night as I put medicated ointment on his rashed back and massaged his neck, he said, “Carla, I’m glad you’re here. You got here just in time. I was really getting down.” Bless his heart. We long for those moments of connection, don’t we? One touch can bring us back from the brink of despair. We forget that we are always connected. We forget that we are one and all that is necessary is to remember that connection. When I remember, it is easier to open my heart to another. It is easier to be present. It is easier to love without attachment and expectations. And, it is easier to receive love. Love can awaken us out of the illusion of separateness, out of duality, and we realize we are not alone. We have never been alone, nor will we ever be alone–but we forget. For most of us, remembering takes work and intention. This is why spiritual practices are important to me. I want to remember. I want to be present and available to give and receive love fully and freely. Spiritual practices help me awaken from the illusion of separateness and love flows more easily. What helps you awaken and remember? Would you like help in awakening from the illusion of separateness so love flows easily in your life? Then take advantage of a Complimentary 45-minute Discovery Session (a $120 value) that I am offering for free for a limited time. Contact me to schedule your complimentary discovery session by clicking on the Contact Carla tab. | 8/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanStill Waters | "Still waters run deep." English Proverb It’s been a month since I’ve written in my journal and probably that long since I’ve sat in meditation and read spiritual literature. I’ve done all three today and intend for this to be the first day of the return to my morning practices. They are important to me. They make a difference in the quality of my life and in my contribution to those around me. They still the depths of my emotional waters, allowing the surface waters to swirl and rage as they will. Do you remember the divers during the tsunami in southern Asia? They were deep in the still waters of the ocean when the wave roared above them. They only knew of its existence upon surfacing. They were safe. They had survived. I’ve been caught up in the surface waters lately and have forgotten the safety, comfort, and support of the deep, still waters. It is not so much that I’ve forgotten really, it’s that I’ve stubbornly remained on the surface, frantically kicking to stay afloat the swirling, rushing, and rocky shallows. I have known that all I had to do was take a deep breath, relax, and drop into the stillness. As I drop down into the still waters, the heaviness eases and I am able to enter the current of peace. I feel the soothing support of the deep calm. Can you relate? Would you like help in finding deep peace and calm in the midst of your hectic life? Would you like to find your still waters? Then take advantage of a Complimentary 45-minute Discovery Session (a $120 value) that I am offering for free for a limited time. Contact me to schedule your complimentary discovery session by clicking on the Contact Carla tab. | 8/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanA Little Lost | Do you ever feel lost? I do. Before we moved to Atlanta, I came to the city to look for a house. On one of those trips, my GPS stopped working and I got lost. I wasn’t the least bit concerned because I knew two things: 1. If I would take the time to pull over and reset my GPS it would start working again. 2. If I simply kept driving, I would eventually run into something familiar and be able to find my way. So, I was able to relax and even enjoy the adventure rather than get caught up in feeling lost. Sometimes I feel lost in life. Sometimes I’m unable to find my way. During those feeling lost times, I generally have one of two responses: I become stressed, confused, stuck, and down, or I relax and let it be, knowing I will find my way again. Thankfully, I have the second response more often these days, but certainly not always. When I am feeling lost, I have learned that I will eventually run into something familiar and be able to find my way again if I simply relax. Better yet, if I take the time to intentionally get still and reset my internal GPS, it will start working again and guide me. I am feeling lost right now. For some reason, I am resisting resetting my internal GPS. I know how to do it. It isn’t difficult, yet I resist. Is there a part of me that wants to be glum for a little while? Can I meet that resistance with a kind of friendliness, curiosity, and acceptance? Can I be in that feeling lost place and find the adventure there? Perhaps, even in this place of feeling lost, there are lessons I can learn and treasures I can find. One thing is certain and comforting, I will find my way again. I always do, and so will you. Would you like help in more easily dealing with feeling lost and finding your way again? Would you like to learn to reset your internal GPS? Then take advantage of a Complimentary 45-minute Discovery Session (a $120 value) that I am offering for free for a limited time. Contact me to schedule your complimentary discovery session by clicking on the Contact Carla tab. | 8/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanWelcoming Life Transitions | “Nothing is secure but life, transition, the energizing spirit." Ralph Waldo Emerson I haven't written in awhile; the longest I've gone without writing since I began this blog. I’ve been in a particularly draining transition. Transitions are interesting to me: so many lessons, opportunities, and challenges. It seems that I can’t keep up on Life’s path–and yet somehow I do. All along the way, there is support though I often don’t recognize it until I think I am unable to take another step. I’ve moved again–this time to the big city of Atlanta. I’ve moved so many times in the last 8 years that you would think I’d be used to it by now. In many ways, this move has been the easiest. It is the accentuating circumstances in the midst of the move that have made it difficult–circumstances like the death of my 14-year-old dog friend, Buttercup, and the news of the return and spread of my Dad’s cancer. Moreover, this move seems to symbolize something I can’t even put into words yet–perhaps a new chapter, or even a new volume in my life. Yes, I think this move may be the introduction to Volume 3. I’ve returned from the wilderness or cave (volume 2), and now it is time for me to fully engage in the world around me (volume 3). I am tad overwhelmed and my spirit isn’t particularly energized in this moment, but I know the energy will return and I know the overwhelm will subside as I welcome this transition. Would you like support in managing a life transition, such as a move, divorce, career change, or terminal illness? Would you like to experience greater ease and peace in managing your transition? Then take advantage of a FREE 45-minute Discovery Session (a $120 value) that I am offering for a limited time. I'll coach you on some actions you can take immediately to help you move through your transition with greater skill, ease, and peace. Contact me to schedule your complimentary discovery session by clicking on the Contact Carla tab. | 8/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanSeen Unseen | Sometimes I can kid myself into believing that things are just as I think they are or as I've been told they are. Our families, cultures, and religions tell us things are a certain way. We hear the messages long before we can understand them. By the time we can understand we don’t question because they are all we’ve ever heard, all we’ve ever known. They are familiar and safe. We don’t consider that things could be far different than we believe or even imagine. Then, I shoot a photo like this, and I am stunned. Stunned that I have never seen a spider web with this much detail. Stunned by the intricacy and beauty that are far beyond my eye and understanding. I realize that all of life is this intricate and beautiful. Moments like these remind me to question everything. To let my imagination run wild. To not blindly believe what I’ve been told or what I can only see with my eyes. To open my heart to the grand expansiveness of Life. Otherwise, I become one of the bugs trapped in the web, believing that is all there is for me. Freedom is expansive, intricate, and beautiful. Would you like help in finding the courage to open your heart to the expansiveness of life? Would you like to experience expansive freedom leading to deep peace? Then take advantage of a FREE 45-minute Discovery Session (a $120 value) that I am offering for a limited time. I'll coach you on some actions you can take immediately to open yourself to the expansiveness of life and experience more peace and happiness. Contact me to schedule your complimentary discovery session by clicking on the Contact Carla tab. | 7/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanOwl Medicine | I discovered owls yesterday. Four of them. It appears that two are babies. This morning, after putting the horses in, I went to the tree. They were all there. I lay beneath the tree watching and listening. They were tussling a bit, then one flew over to nearby tree with a chunk of food (a mouse?). I listened to them make gentle, fun sounds as they settled in from the night's adventures. I watched the babies spreading their wings, as if to test them. I think they have already fledged but they seem to be practicing still or strengthening their muscles. I sometimes feel like those babies: fledged but not fully confident. Pushed out of the nest, but not quite certain I can make it on my own. The owls are good medicine for me this morning. They remind me to trust my wisdom. They remind me that I am fully capable of flying in the darkness. They remind me that I am not alone. Thank you, sweet owl family. Would you like help in finding the courage to leap from the nest? Would you like to become confident in navigating the dark, difficult areas of your life? Then take advantage of a FREE 45-minute Discovery Session (a $120 value) that I am offering for a limited time. I'll coach you on some actions you can take immediately to navigate the darkness with ease. Contact me to schedule your complimentary discovery session by clicking on the Contact Carla tab. Have you seen my new site yet? Relieve Stress Stop Anxiety | A Mind-Body-Spirit Approach. I'd love for you to pop over and take a look around. Let me know what you think! | 7/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTo the Greatest Extent Possible | “It is as though fear has caused something to be lifted out of the riverbed of limitless possibilities to a fallow stretch of shore where nothing happens. For it is not inertia alone that causes the unspeakably monotonous and unrenewed human condition to repeat itself again and again. It is the aversion to anything new, any unpredictable experience, which is believed to be untenable.” Rilke quote My life has been anything but predictable. It seems that my path has been one of complete lack of predictability–my life looks nothing as I imagined it one, two, three, four decades ago. I suppose I’m hard headed enough that it has taken experience after experience to get the message of impermanence through to me. My life lesson seems to be about flexibility and patience. Be flexible, don’t struggle against the waves of life, accept everything. Equanimity. “We must accept our existence to the greatest extent possible; everything, the unprecedented also, needs to be accepted. That is basically the only case of courage required of us: to be courageous in the face of the strangest, the most whimsical and unexplainable thing that we could encounter.” Rilke quote I’m glad that Rilke puts “to the greatest extent possible” in italics. He seems to understand that I am human, that I have my limits, that coming to complete acceptance is a life long process for most of us regular folk. Fierce Grace (Ram Dass’ words) gives out the lessons like candy. Ram Dass tells a story about a young woman who goes to Dass’ guru, Maharaj-ji. She says miserably, “Guru, my life is full of suffering!” Maharaj-ji gently responds, “So is mine.” Only he seems happy about it! He is happy because he understands that suffering can draw one closest to the sweet presence of God. I can’t say that I’m happy about suffering. I can say, though, that increasingly I am finding a place of calm and acceptance within me when I do suffer. I can say that I am learning the ways in which I increase my suffering unnecessarily and how to interrupt that suffering. Still, there are days I rail against the suffering, even though I know it only makes things worse. Thankfully, I can learn to accept even that. Would you like help in finding the courage to accept your existence? Would you like to learn to become flexible, patient, and calm in the midst of your difficulties, thus reducing those difficulties and finding more peace? Then take advantage of a FREE 45-minute Discovery Session (a $120 value) that I am offering for a limited time. I'll coach you on some actions you can take immediately to experience more peace and happiness in your life. Contact me to schedule your complimentary discovery session by clicking on the Contact Carla tab. Have you seen my new site yet? Relieve Stress Stop Anxiety | A Mind-Body-Spirit Approach. I'd love for you to pop over and take a look around. Let me know what you think! | 7/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 10 Episodes |
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