When Ships Leave the Harbor

Upheaval is a sudden change or disruption to the familiar 

It requires each of us to move forward with our lives in the face of uncertainty Uncertainty infers that the means and ends which lay ahead are unknowable 

It reveals control over outcomes to be illusionary 

while accepting the irresolute as reality

We can either choose to embrace the unknown or we can seek to avoid it 

but we cannot do both

In regards to Covid19 and the social influencers connected to it 

the outcomes are so far, unknowable 

The extent of risk is unknowable 

The efficacy of recommendations as well as prohibitions are unknowable 

Some seem logical, and some do not

Yet, without the passage of time and irrefutable results 

determined by exhaustive scientific research, we are left with speculation. 

It is this speculation that is currently dictating both government policy 

as well as individual sense making  

In light of this, it is understood that engaging in anything at all 

outside the safety of home is a willful subjection to risk

 Risk is inherent to life.

Quotes such as

"Fortune favors the bold"

or

"Ships are safe in the Harbor, but that's not what ships are for"

are part of our lexicon of inspiration for a reason

They offer us a middle path

a distinction between unrestrained arrogance and restrictive fear

It is a place without judgement

A place where we can decide with clarity what it is that serves our highest need

Risk is how we grow and how we challenge ourselves

to learn

understand

and make peace

with the things that initially inspired only fear and confusion  

It is with that understanding that we choose to connect and give 

and it is with that understanding that we choose to connect and receive 

Anything less will not do  

 I encourage us all from time to time to loosen the restraints of fear

and set down our bundle of beliefs

to separate that burden from our being

and allow our selves to feel the freedom

flowing within and around

of natural rhythms

of the cosmos

the human body

the spirit

to listen to a different sort of knowing perhaps

One without electricity

without internet

without headlines and soundbites

To do so is to meet ourselves anew

without the weight and masks of

identity

politics

governance

conspiracy

religion

law

Though these things do provide security for some and guidance for others

they do not provide us morality, not really

they do not provide us with freedom, not really

That is the work of Self

Leaning in to the innate

the incarnate

the sentient

the mystery of life

of existence it self

I encourage us all

to not be so sure all the time

so rigid

so righteous

I encourage us all

to seek awe

to become better acquainted with the feeling of not knowing

to acknowledge our vulnerabilities

to experience the unconditional joy of simply being

Then,

when we pick our bundle of believing back up,

may we seek information as an adventure,

as though we are embarking upon explorations of learning without an agenda

with interest instead of indignation

with wonder rather than seeking to prove or disprove

No longer obsessed with the definitive

but seeking instead to explore the space where conflicting information meets

Perhaps holding our questions with open hands

the hands of curiosity

Rather than clutching with curled fingers to answers

like a zealot with a fist

like a fanatic with a flag

so sure

they are the best

they are right

they are the chosen

When in fact there never was a competition

There never was a battle for dominion

There never was a conflict

save the ones within each of us.

Unprocessed Emotions and the Body

We cannot be victims of emotional distress if we are allowing ourselves to fully feel the culmination of our experiences. As students of our own lives we are committed to knowing thyself. Self knowledge is the fruit of authenticity which is itself the growth initiated from the seed of vulnerability.

Did you know that in addition to treating structural imbalances, pains, and tension patterns in the muscles, ligaments, and soft tissue, that bodywork can also assist in dislodging, processing, and ultimately dissipating repressed emotions?

Allowing ourselves the experience of vulnerability in a therapeutic setting creates a safe opportunity to cease and release the repression of emotional traumas while the psyche is in a state of suggestive pliability. As ominous as that may sound to some, it simply means that if a person can enter into a state of relaxation or "rest & digest" as it is often referred to, they can feel supported, at ease, and nurtured enough to subconsciously disengage the guarding mechanisms their personal physiological make up has created to keep perceived threats at bay. Difficult emotions that are avoided can translate to our nervous system as a threat we are in need of escaping, placing us firmly in the well known realm of fight, flight, or freeze. In basic terms, we become reactive rather than responsive to external stimuli, making it extremely difficult to maintain a sense of wellbeing in our day to day lives. If left unchecked, it will manifest physically as sickness, pain, or even a visceral pathology. However, if we can feel good while allowing difficult thoughts and emotions to flow uninhibited through our body-mind, we can recode our nervous system's default programing. Recoding such conditioning can often require on going commitment in trusting the process as there is no quick fix when one confronts one's own self. It takes as long as it takes. Yet ceasing to run the program of armored guarding and reactive dissociation and choosing to change towards a practice of responsive integration and inquiry when confronted with difficult emotional experiences is transformative. Transformation via somatic and proprioceptive intervention has the potentiality to restore our sense of mental clarity and vitality in often rapid and profound ways.

Integrating previously unprocessed emotions absolves our will of the need to repress, thus enabling it to once again be of service to our present needs as well as our future hopes and dreams. When we choose to take care of our wellbeing through means of manual therapy such as bodywork and massage, we are essentially choosing to reclaim our strength. Often, we may not understand the tension and pain our body is utilizing as a means of communication, and even when we can, we may not be able to release it without assistance. To explore one's vulnerability while receiving healing touch is a powerful act. This act of empowerment is driven by the realization that self responsibility is the only way to mitigate division and propagate unity within our very being. When we choose self responsibility, we choose self care for our emotional and physical states of being, we choose to know ourselves deeper. We choose empathy and understanding by allowing ourselves to feel what we strive to ignore. We choose to be more than the sadness, fear, guilt, anger, or whatever emotion may be haunting our joyous expression of life.

We choose to know thyself and thus we choose to let go of defending ourselves against our selves.

In so doing, the fluids and energies of the body can once again flow unimpeded and restore our sense of wellbeing.

To experience the benefits of bodywork for wellbeing, visit www.soulfiresomatics.com

For some introductory comprehension around unprocessed emotion read this great article: https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/unprocessed-emotion/?fbclid=IwAR3rl86Cl2v_Uz8UvRCH-hFm2T2kLbWB_JSpJ7VUcCEcSH417rqn6wZga3A