Friendship Connection
March 2008
A friend is one before whom I may think aloud.
- Ralph
Waldo Emerson
It is a rare and most precious gift. Friendship. To
give it is an honor - friendship teaches us how to be
present and unconditional with another like us. To
receive it is an art - to allow another to peer into
our hearts requires a surrendering to self-love.
Whether it's talking with clients or holding space for
community in a class, I see the power of connection at
work. There is no greater expression of divinity than
opening our heart to another. When we offer ourselves
in communion with others, it is our purity that
determines the degree of reciprocity. Empathy (I see
You) coupled with Honesty (You see Me) creates a
brilliant synthesis that transcends the drama of any
given moment.
Many of us (myself included) are sometimes afraid of
true connection. Our vulnerability is our best kept
secret, and so we reach out in our communications with
a facade of togetherness. Or better yet, a
misrepresentation of where we are in the moment. We are
drained by interactions because holding ourselves
hostage is exhausting. Such instances most often happen
on subtle levels. Consider an interaction with a
grocery store clerk where a smile is forced and
- How are you?...Fine,
thanks - is as routine as our form
of payment. You might say, but I don't even
know
that person!
Ah, but you know what it is to be human. You know that
the desire for connection is universal. And if you take
a single instance (and by the way, time stands still
when eyes lock) to reach forth with authenticity, you
will receive the salve of oneness - a transparency that
unites and heals us from the inside out.
Consider your friendships a training ground for true
connection. Authenticity, vulnerability, and generosity
are potent powers that can be cultivated in a loving
friendship. I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by
loving and conscious friends, committed to sharing in
the journey towards expressing the Highest Love.
Become your own best friend this month by welcoming the
many aspects of you into your awareness. If you should
feel moved to, join us on Monday evenings as we share
in the journey of A New Earth. This is a rare
opportunity to self-reflect through a 10-week course
designed to awake us in order to know ourselves better.
I am committed to holding a space where you can be you,
raw and true. Bring your joys and your fears, thePortal
is vast, expansive, and most potent when authenticity
is present.
No matter who you are and what your challenges, I see
you whole. I see your divinity, and I see your purpose.
And, I consider you a friend.
My Door Is Always
Open,
Candice
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Integrity
August 2007
Walking the talk. It is the
ultimate journey. Hungry for integrity, the spiritual
seeker in us reaches out
for connection
to resources that will nourish the very foundation of
who we are. Paradoxically, we discover that the more
developed and trustworthy the roots at our feet, the
greater potential for wingspan above.
Integrity (integrated truths as guiding principles) is
a function of witnessing ourselves and others, in each
and every moment, and embracing an honest approach to
all of life. It is an energetic environment where the
ticking time bomb of fear is diffused through
acknowledging the true nature of our intentions each
emerging moment. Integrity is an ally that whispers
over our shoulder in search of the truth:
What is my
intention? Am I walking my talk to the best of my
ability? How are my actions impacting the whole of life
around me? Am I acting in alignment with my core
values? What is motivating my actions in this
moment? And most importantly - when
we feel stuck face-to-face with a truth we can't
swallow - it asks: What exactly am I
afraid of?... inviting us to embrace
the answer as the most potent and powerful truth of the
moment.
Knowing the truth is fairly useless.
Feeling it is profound.
Living it makes all the difference.
David Deida
from The Blue Truth
I love this quote by Deida.
It speaks to my journey to find integrity... a
slow-moving maturation to greater and greater alignment
with my values and practices. I have discoverd
that learning
is an
elementary frolic with the truth... and that
embodying
is the
adolescent struggle to hold tight to truths that we
hope to find salvation in. Yet when we
master
the truth as a
way of being, there is no longer need to hold on to
anything. Integrity becomes a way of life, an
integrated and effortless way of being that embraces it
all. And so, wholeness finds us... again and again and
again... as we are willing to let the light of truth
in. In short, living truth (how ever-changing) is the
path that leads to integrity.
Riding the winds of change,
I am doing my best to welcome truth in. In order to
develop greater intimacy with my own integrity, I have
been openly sharing my truth with you, via my blog, to
get to know its resonance as a way of life. You see, I
believe that truth is not at its best when it is a
static adherence to values and principles. It can
better be experienced as a living resonance that can be
sensed... a tonal quality that speaks of integrity in
the moment and says, "I am delivering the truth of who
I am, right here, right now."
Truth at its worst is the fragmented reflection of
self-righteousness. Truth at its best is the integrated
experience of self-acceptance, wholeness expressed in
thought, word, and action.
I want to invite you along on this journey of
self-discovery with me. Invite the illumination of the
truth of you. There are a number of avenues for you to
travel that are offered here in theMessenger. It is my
hope that wherever you may choose to plant yourself for
a season of discovery, you accept the ways in which it
awakens you to wholeness. Rest into the truth of each
moment so that your roots may spread deep into an earth
that feeds you. Welcome each and every opportunity, and
push against it to reach higher than you ever thought
possible.
Rooting in Richer Soils to Soar Higher,
Candice
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SHiNE Seminars - Coming Soon
We just completed Day One
of the Level One HoopGirl Teacher Training. I am in San
Francisco through the weekend for another 3-day
intensive, preparing teachers in the HoopGirl Format.
This is the fourth training that I have led with
Christabel Zamor (HoopGirl Founder). It is such a joy
to train teachers to facilitate and guide others. I am
ever so grateful to Christabel for inviting me to be
the first Master Trainer to work alongside her. We have
such a graceful synergy together. It is a testament to
collaboration... and the power that comes from
combining energies to serve in the best possible way. I
look forward to bringing this training to Portland in
September of this year.
Although I am passionate about training in this
capacity (as the HoopGirl organization is one I believe
in), I know that my experiences leading others in this
way is destined preparation for SHiNE Seminars to come.
I witness myself light up
when I have the
opportunity to inspire another individual to recognize
his or her unique genius. When I notice that sparkle in
the eyes... the one that emerges when a trainee
realizes that they do
have something
to offer... that everything needed to reach his or her
ultimate potential exists within...
when I see that brilliance reflected in their eyes even
for a moment, I know that I am living my
purpose.
Certainly, my experience as a somatic educator lends
itself to training teachers in a movement modality.
Yet, in the past six months, it has become very clear
that so much of what I bring to the training
environment has to do with my passion for the
illumination that can be found in seeking out
truth.
Truth, to me, is shining a loving light on what is
there. And what is
there may in fact be changing
from moment to moment... yet, the truth speaks only to
the moment. It says, "this is what is here now." It
says, "I dare to shine light on what is here... and use
this awareness to transform my reality from this moment
forward." In that way, honoring the truth of our
experience in each moment IS what makes transformation
possible
As a facilitator, I find that
telling the truth is a
medicinal art
to be delivered with purity... the purest aim: to
liberate the light within. We can each learn to tell
ourselves the truth about who we are... what matters to
us... and how we are keeping ourselves from being the
most luminous version of ourselves. When we are able to
see with this degree of clarity and an open heart, then
awareness dissolves fears and freedom is found.
I look forward to moving SHiNE to a place where we can
do this work together. Regardless of your medium of
self-expression in life, you have the option to live in
dim lit awareness... or bask in the glory of truth and
illumination.
Truth
says, "ah, there is light in
here... let us move towards it."
I look forward to offering the first SHiNE Seminar in
the coming months so that we can share the journey with
one another. Stay tuned... and let me know if you have
areas of interest that might inform the creation of the
SHiNE seminar programming. What are your interests as
it relates to SHiNE? What fears do you want most to
overcome as it relates to living a brilliant life? What
stops you from doing more of what you love today? I
would love to hear from you! Email me with your ideas and
insights...