This was the intention I set at the start of August. I thought it would be a good theme for the month, given my YTT intensive in the art & science of transformation. It bubbled up in interesting ways throughout the month.

One example: every morning we began our practice with puja – a prayer/intention setting at the alter. Part of puja is making an offering and I liked to find a frangipani flower on way to class. One morning class started at 9 instead of 7am and so by the time I was walking there, all the flowers on the ground were dirty. I noticed myself saying mentally as I screened each flower I walked by, “I can’t offer that – it’s too soiled/brown/smushed/flawed in some way.” And witnessing those thoughts, I caught myself and intervened. “Umm, who do you think created the dirt?” I asked myself. As though something is less deserving because its decaying or deformed in some way. It’s all equally divine.

From that morning, I just started picking up the very first flower I came across, no matter what – not searching for the “best” one to offer up.

What’s that got to do with right now? Well I had a spiral session with Alphamama this afternoon and one of the things that came up was the ease and comfort from which I can share from Self, but the challenge I experience in sharing from self. In Sanskrit there are different words for small self – ego – jivananda and big Self – Spirit – Atmananda so it’s easier to understand the distinction.

I did a photoshoot a while back with Diana McLaren when she first took over IBI’s social media and of the hundreds of pics she took, Alpha asked me how many I’ve shared. 1…

I see that as yet another sign of valuing Divinity moreso than Humanity. And my intention is to transcend duality consciousness in every possible way.

So, since action is the bridge between insight and integration, I’ve been issued a challenge to share a photo everyday of my face for a week. My initial response was “No one needs to see photos of my face. That doesn’t enrich them in any way.”

“They might not need to see it, but you need to feel comfortable sharing it, and that’s what this is about.” She has a point there, doesn’t she?