Common Vitality

02/10/2017

"You are not a drop of water in the ocean... you are the entire ocean in a drop."

~ Rumi

03/21/2016

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Informed Descent"

She's making something,
shhhhhh....
All the true work
begins
as unseen work.

"Where are all the protestors?
Where is the commitment, the work ethic,
the Doers?"

We've entered the Cave.
We've gone underground
where our passions and our ancestors
have drawn us.
The entry places we sought
matched us completely,
like a keyhole.
The way in is unique for each of us.

We are now underground,
slow moving, mycelial.
We are forming a matrix,
a new topsoil,
the placenta for this new life being gestated
by Earthbody.

The old ways are honorable-
many of them, very; all of them, some.
But they are already outlasting their calling
to die and become the humus;
to transform.

We are not disengaged
nor lazy, no,
our language has shifted with the new shapes
of mouths filled with loam
and compost.
Listen to these new sounds, and
let go
into your own Event Horizon,
the one shaped just
for you.

© 2016 Laurie Hobbs

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

12/30/2015

How is it that this universe, and each of us, are both emptiness and bliss simultaneously? Fullness and the unmanifest?

Enjoy this beautiful ear and soul candy, a piece of gorgeously recited prose from Andrei Armeanu, called The Short Sutra of the Buddha and the Goddess which describes it so eloquently...

If you enjoyed this recording, please consider supporting my Patreon campaign! www.patreon.com/StoryWeaver

12/18/2015

"All of my personal relationships.. (with others AND myself) deepen and strengthen when I remember to be curious about feelings instead of defensive.

When someone says: "You hurt me" - that's an invitation into her heart. When we respond with: "I'm sorry. I'm listening. Please tell me more" we get invited deeper.

(Couldn't have said it better myself, thank you for this Glennon of Momastery!)

12/10/2015

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Out of a great need
We are all holding hands
And climbing.
Not loving is a letting go.

Listen,
The terrain around here
Is far too dangerous
For that."

~ Hafiz

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

11/20/2015

Before you scoff, check out the exciting research happening around the globe on the idea of a Universal Basic Income. Smart system changes like this are how the principle of the Gift and the unlimited renewable new energy platform of Love are entering the world in very real ways. Slowly, slowly, we are realizing that in a very objective (e.g. measurable) way, TRUST is simply more efficient, less costly, and more effective than FEAR. Right, who'd da thunk?! ; )

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Rutger Bregman (1988) studied at Utrecht University and the Univers...

11/04/2015

"It's in the nature of being human to forget how to be one on occasion... every culture has always practiced 'human-making'.... it has to be taught." ~ Stephen Jenkinson

Enjoy this gorgeous short film about Stephen and his School of Orphan Wisdom...

The relentless pursuit of self reliance and self improvement is rooted in our lost connection to common stories, homeland and ancestors that bind and unite us. The times now demand that we recognize the world’s suffering in our own. Short film, shot & directed by Ian Mackenzie.

04/23/2015

Two thoughts that have been swirling in my mind today... putting them together actually makes each make more sense. ; )

"Mindfulness is the opposable thumb of our consciousness." ~ Wes Nisker

&

"Love... is ALWAYS a wild ride... strap in!" ~ me, from my dream last night

04/08/2015

What is that one question for you today? The vulnerable one? The one under your tongue.. the one tucked just behind your heart? The one you’re afraid of asking…

Perhaps you’re afraid of the question, perhaps it’s more a fear of the answer. Perhaps you fear the answer may only bring more confusion, or do you fear the potential of stark clarity? Perhaps the fear is that the answers which come might not be what you want, or perhaps the fear is that they might be exactly what you want. Maybe you’re afraid the asking will change things, or afraid it won’t change anything.

Be bold. Have faith, dear ones. We deserve to be that close to our realness. Can you have the answers you want? Maybe not. Can you have the question? Always. It is yours. It is your own pure asking, your beautiful naked curiosity.

So, what is that question for you, today?

Speak it. Ask it.

Out loud.

09/26/2014

They say our bodies are roughly 65% water. We came into existence in the warm waters of our mothers' wombs, and even life seems to have originated in the warm waters of our Earth's ocean womb. The great water cycles of the earth work similarly to the cycles of our blood moving through our bodies, we are cleansed and replenished from deep aquifers with essential nourishment. When we step into water, our bodies are instantly electrically grounded - water, literally, grounds us, cleanses our bodies of free electrons and returns us to equilibrium. Our (often) daily ritual of bathing is more than just for cleanliness if we really feel into it. It renews us, purifies us, baptizes us anew each day. Water is an integral part of life and of our healing journey together on this planet.

09/09/2014

This week I want to talk about psychotherapy as a fundamental component in the Common Vitality vision that serves the healing of our selves, our communities and our planet.

Psychotherapy, or therapy of the psyche, stems from the Greek words ‘therapeia,’ meaning healing, and ‘psykhe’ meaning the soul, mind, spirit, breath, life, or the invisible animating principle or entity which occupies and directs the physical body. Psychotherapy literally means ‘to heal the soul.’ Pretty effing beautiful, if you ask me.

The healing of the soul is what I’m dedicating this life to –my one, wild and precious life, as Mary Oliver says. In particular, I’m absolutely riveted by the powerful array of holistic and transpersonal psychotherapies available today, many of which are deeply informed by the vast depths of humanity’s spiritual and mystical wisdom roots.

We live in a time like no other. You no longer have to live with the stigma of being “crazy” to go see a “shrink” so that you can do your part of the healing of our world. Healing is an inside job. We know this now. Many more people are waking up to this fact. Karma, or whatever you want to call it, is an equal-opportunity weight that burdens every human alive. To work on and heal even one small corner of our selves is to affect the entirety of our universe. This is a fundamental principle of our unity as an organism. As David Whyte says… “Being far from home is hard, but, at least we are all exiled together.”

So dig in, my friends! I’ll meet you out there along the path. And may we all be healed. Aho.

08/27/2014

I've decided to do a series, one post each week on one of the fundamental aspects of Common Vitality's vision. May it inspire you as much as it does me. : )

This week... Oh, For the Love of Juice! Juicers, you know that moment when you stare into your just-pressed concoction, eyes dilating, heartbeat rising in anticipation, serotonin streaming... it makes a morning wake up oh-so-yummy.

Cycles of cleansing, fasting and eating a raw food diet interspersed with cycles of my regular diet do my body some serious good. It's not for everyone, and its certainly not for all the time, but I fundamentally believe that what we put into our bodies for our daily sustenance has a role to play in any psychologically and spiritually integrated health practice.