The Poison Becomes the Medicine

One of my favorite quotes is "What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger." There are many variations to this idea: "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade," "Every cloud has a silver lining," and so on. But the one I'd like to discuss today is "The Poison Becomes the Medicine." What do I mean by that?

Many times it is the "awful" things that happen to us in our lives, the trauma suffered, the "poison" ingested, that help us discover our greatest gifts, the healing "medicine" that we can then use to help others. For when we go deeply into our pain and uncover the corresponding lesson of that pain, we can use our experience to relate to others going through similar situations. In some homeopathic remedies, in fact, the poisonous substance itself is diluted into a remedy for the condition caused by that original substance!

For myself, the "poison" I ingested early on was a message that I could not fully express myself and my creativity. My suffering around this led me to study The Artist's Way and other tools for unblocking creativity and eventually to a career helping others fully express themselves in the world. It was only because I had gone through that experience myself that I could then help others in a similar situation. In effect, my "poison" became my "medicine." My greatest trauma became a gift that I could offer others.

How many people go into a certain line of work because of a personal story or traumatic experience, because they want to help others "get to the other side" of what they or someone they knew went through?

It is said that we are never given more than we can handle. I would go one step farther and say whatever we are given in life, all of our experiences, ARE the riches we can use to help others. Every "curse" is actually a "blessing," if only we can figure out how to transform it into something useful for the world. There are numerous ways to do this and an abundance of help is available.

Play Time: I invite you to consider how YOU have transformed any "poison" in your life into a "healing medicine" for others? If you cannot think of an example, take a look at some current "poison" in your life and ask yourself if there is some healing lesson that, once you are completely through it, you could then share with others in a similar situation?

Remember, it's ALL useful--ALL of it! What riches and gifts can you find in your life experience today?

What is Conscious Co-Creation?

We are always creating, whether we think we are or not. We are not always aware of what we are creating, or even that we are creating. So the question really is: what are we creating and are we conscious of what we are creating?

How many people do you know who focus on what they don't want and then wonder why they always get it? Wouldn't it be better to focus on what we do want? If we realize that we're always creating, then we can consciously create a life we want, not one we don't want.

So what is "conscious co-creation" anyway? Here are a few definitions I like:
"conscious"=aware of one's thoughts, feelings, etc; knowing oneself
"creation" =the act of producing or causing something to exist; the act of creating
"co" =together; jointly; mutually

Conscious co-creation then, is the process of being aware of who one is and what one is creating in the world, and taking steps toward that, together with that source of all creative energy (call it what you will). In short:

"conscious co-creation"=awareness+action+working with Universal Flow.

But what if you think you don't create because you're not "creative"? Here again, a definition: "creative"=having the ability or power to create or cause to come into being. We all do that, right? In this sense, we are the co-creators of everything in our lives. We don't just create paintings or books or songs or sculptures...we also create relationships, family, work, hobbies, etc. In effect, we create everything we see in our world.

Play Time: I invite you to contemplate: What is it that you are creating in your life and how conscious are you of that process? Can you bring more awareness to that act? If you're not sure, what's one thing you would like to have, do, or be more of in your life? What's one way you can begin to create that for yourself today? Please leave a comment; I'd love to hear what you're creating!

Remember, you're always creating...So what are you choosing to create today?

Fear or Excitement? The Choice is Yours

One of the best things I've read about fear is the following (from an article by Vered Neta entitled "Manifesting: Create Your Own Reality" from Natural Communities Magazine):

"Fear is the same energy as excitement. If you lean away from something, you get fear. If you lean toward it, you get excitement."

I have this article posted by my desk and look at it often, to remind myself and my coaching clients of this principle: that fear and excitement are really two sides of the same coin. Which one you're feeling at any given time depends on where you're putting your attention.

If you're feeling the fear, chances are you're focusing on the painful, scary aspects of doing that thing or taking that action. However, because it is really all the same energy--the energy of change and transformation--all you need to do to shift things is to turn your gaze toward the positive aspects of taking that action.

In doing so, you change the dynamics of the whole situation, and you move from Fear to Fun. And honestly, which one you would rather spend most of your time in?

SO! Wanna start having more FUN in your life right NOW? Here's one way to "play" with this principle and learn to work with the energy of transformation....

Play Time: The next time you feel afraid about something, whether big or small, ask yourself if there is ONE positive outcome, any potential benefit or good that could come from the situation, and then shift your attention to that outcome. Start to feel the energy of that outcome and see if you can let yourself get excited about it manifesting. It could be increased confidence from public speaking, a new relationship from asking someone out on a date, etc. Even if you feel silly at first, just play with it, and have fun! And leave me a comment; I'd love to hear how it goes!

Remember, it's all the same energy...So which do you choose today?

Birthing My Blog!

Howdy folks!

I finally DID it! I started a blog! It's amazing to me that I didn't start one till now, since I am a writer and all! But anyway, here it is: an opportunity for me to express myself in words and for YOU to enjoy that self-expression!

Because that is what my life--and Tribal Visions Studio--is all about after all. Self-expression. Helping People Birth Their Visions into the World. A writer, artist, and actor myself, I facilitate this work of "spiritual midwifery" through one-on-one creativity coaching, classes on The Artist's Way, and most recently, my upcoming 9-month tele-course, "Spiritual Birthing" A Course in Manifesting Your Creative Dreams." (see my website for more info about that or to sign up!)

So today I ask you: What is in YOU wanting to be born?? What creative ideas, dreams, longings, aspirations about ANY area of your life are ready to see the light of day? And how can I help support you in that journey of discovery and self-expression?

I look forward to sharing my inspiring thoughts on living a creative life and to hearing your wonderful comments! I really appreciate your feedback!

To your blossoming,

Tara