A Love Story About Monsters on Halloween 2020

Many of us are scared. None of us knows what to expect in the days to come, and most of us (regardless of political affiliation) believe that if the “wrong” Presidential candidate wins, hatred and/or tyranny will have prevailed. We anticipate violence and civil war.

Surely there are people whose unhealed traumas are surfacing, and they/we will act out in the weeks ahead. Because, as you know, hurt people hurt people. And none of us can shove our hurt and fear into our subconscious any longer. What we haven’t yet dealt with is demanding to be seen and reckoned with…otherwise it has been coming out (and will continue to come out) sideways, so to speak.

That’s why it’s time to heal the parts of ourselves that perceive reality through the lens of “The world is full of bullies, full of hate and violence, and there isn’t enough love for me to want to be on planet Earth.” And “the other side is bad.”

The truth is, the majority of us are loving, compassionate, good people. We’ve just become spiritually sick and we can no longer suppress it. There is a bright light in almost all of us. Kindwhile, that light is shining more brightly than it ever has and is exposing and provoking all of what lay hidden in our shadows. All of us are experiencing a collective purge.

When I was a child, I got stomach aches every single morning before going to school. Because anywhere beyond my bedroom felt dangerous. The nuns were cold. The kids were mean. As I grew into a teenager, I’d scream at my poor mom in rage, “Why did you give birth to me?! I don’t want to be here!”

When I got my driver’s license, I’d journey at top-speed through hills and valleys, caring not whether I crashed and died. I wanted off of this planet. I hated “the humans,” as I referred to people whose behaviors I loathed or whom I let intimidate me. It wasn’t until I became a therapist that I realized that hatred protected me from feeling compassion so deep it felt like heartbreak and twisted my gut into knots.

A few years ago, I started to re-remember what motivated my Soul to embody in this life, here and now. The words “Father, they know not what they do” started running through my awareness unbidden. The thoughts were not mine. I was being urged to forgive people for not being the way I thought they should be, acknowledge that I wasn’t unlike “them,” to make peace with my Soul’s decision to be a part of this Shift of Ages, to open my heart and let love in and out at its own divine will, and to perceive people at the soul level…which I now understand does actually stoke the fires of who they really are underneath of who they are not.

I get you who look around and wonder how we ended up in what feels like a hell full of goblins. But we are no different from the goblins. They are projections of what we all have disowned within ourselves. Where within ourselves do we feel like a monster? What part of ourselves are we ashamed of or hide for fear of being deemed unlovable and unworthy?

The truth is, we all have narcissistic, psychopathic, and sociopathic tendencies. There isn’t a soul on this planet who hasn’t played the role of perpetrator at one time or other and won’t do so again. We do it every single time we judge another person as wrong, bad, or less-than.

In order to feel less triggered and afraid of the “monsters,” can we look with unconditional compassion at the goblins within? Can we remember that we aren’t innately awful but that we adapted to circumstances early on that frightened or wounded us by creating monster-selves? The monsters aren’t who we are. They are parts of us that have lived in the darkness for so long, they’ve contorted into something ugly to get our attention during our dream states.

It’s time to love those monster-selves back out of the dark, to feel their hurt and usher them into wholeness. If you don’t know how to do this, ask me. Set the intention for it to happen, and you’ll be guided.

When we’re triggered by the social media post of a friend with whom we disagree, can we first notice what it’s evoking in us? Can we pause before responding and allow ourselves to feel the discord within? Can we breathe into and out of it wherever we feel it in our bodies and ask it what it fears and what it needs from us? Can we spend a little time with the feelings, holding them with compassion and love? We can alchemize our pain this way. And it will make it so much easier to listen deeply to each other. I mean REALLY LISTEN and understand each other’s motivations and points of view.

(Side note: I just watched one of the kindest souls on the face of this planet, someone to whom I’d entrust my life and my friendship, be attacked verbally and viciously online by longtime friends because his vote on Tuesday is not to vote. These friends of his were unable to take the time to understand his point of view because they were so triggered, upset, and in fear, and unable to courageously and vulnerably take responsibility for their emotions. They projected their monsters onto him and thus cut off someone whom I suspect would have given the shirt off of his back for them if ever they needed it without even being asked.)

You see, until we heal our spiritual sickness and integrate the parts of ourselves we are projecting onto others, we’ll continue to experience a world full of dark teachers. They’ll appear as tyrannical leaders, domestic terrorists, corrupt systems, or cruel neighbors, depending on our personal perspectives. They won’t go away until we’ve made peace with ourselves.

When at last we love every aspect of ourselves, we access the exquisite pain-pleasure of compassion for all living things–no matter who they are or what they do. This is how we achieve unity mindset and at-oneness with all living things and never, ever again feel alone or unloved. And this is how we will change the world. For as I sit in full presence with all of my clients’ self-perceived goblins and love them with all of my heart, they transform before my very eyes into the bright beings they were before they ever believed the lies that they are less than perfectly imperfect. We are all called now to see each other in this way, giving each other 110% permission to be EXACTLY as we are NO MATTER WHAT (which, by the way, doesn’t mean we don’t set healthy boundaries; we can still bless those who insist on intentionally hurting us and send them with unconditional love to be on their way).

On this Samhain, when the veil is thinnest and the light of the full moon illuminates what we’ve been trying to hide from ourselves, let’s ask our ancestors for guidance and support. Deep soul work is not for the feint of heart—and that’s why WE are here. Because we knew we could do this, NOW. We knew we could heal the trauma of our ancestors and purge the wounds from the human collective. The payoff, I promise, is well worth our efforts. And it’s getting closer. There is a dawn that will come that I’ve felt in my belly and seen in visions, and it takes my breath away. It’s so close, I feel I can almost touch it.

So together, let’s get through these birthing pains. We’ll soon enough find out just how stunningly beautiful and amazing we all are underneath of all of what we are not. The truth is, I already see it. I see YOU. ❤

Allison Brunner, LCSW, Body Talks Therapy

We Are One Human Wolfpack: Group Reading, Channeled Messages, and Activities to Ready Us for Our Peacemaking Mission (a Fundraising Circle Benefitting the Wolf Sanctuary of PA)

We hear the drum beats and trumpet calls of a potential civil war when we check social media or peak at national news. We’ve witnessed people taking sides, and we quiver at the power of impassioned outrage to pull us in and participate.

But when we chime in, our hearts cry out and our intuition sounds an alarm, warning us that the train carrying the peacemakers and way-showers to humanity’s highest potential is about to leave the station and embark on a mission we know deep inside is ours.

We freeze at the platform, conflicted. Our egos tells us that if we truly care we’ll grab a sword, that the way of peace is for the woo who bury their heads in crystals and sage. News breaks. Words like weapons fire from the left. Return fire from the right kicks up dust, and we lose clarity. Before we know it, we’re triggered, hypnotized by the cadence of battle.

One more warning whistles to hop on the way-shower train. What will you choose?

Circle online with Rachel Grundon, psychic channel and medium, and Allison Brunner, psychotherapist and coach for sensitives and empaths (see full bios below), on Wednesday, September 2, 5:30pm to 8:30pm EST, for tools and hands-on learning on how to step out of judgment, duality, and conflict and see through the lens of your heart to ready yourself for your soul’s purpose, shine your light in this collective dark night of the soul, and steer humanity to the next level of our evolution.

Rachel, intuitive/holistic health care practitioner, psychic channel, and clairvoyant medium, will offer a group reading and insight on what we might expect in the months to come. Allison, owner of Body Talks Therapy and Coaching for Sensitives and Empaths, will guide us through experiential practices to help us expand our vision to perceive all humans at the level of soul. (See below for more details.)

All proceeds from this meeting will be donated in full to the Wolf Sanctuary of PA, hard-hit by this year’s statewide lockdown and social restrictions. The suggested cost of this meeting is $30—but you may may offer more or less depending on your circumstances. We’ll call on Wolf medicine for courage in stepping into our roles as teachers, guides, and path-leaders; for trust in our psychic senses and mysticism; and for the ability to see all “others” as ourselves and part of one human pack regardless of backgrounds and beliefs.

Attend the first circle only, or sign up additionally for weeks two through four of the series for an additional $111. (If you feel especially called to this work but cannot pay full fee or prefer to make two smaller payments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Allison.) We’ll connect from 6pm to 8pm EST during weeks two to four on Wednesdays, September 9, 16, and 23.

In these online circles, we will:

Week One:

  • Call in wolf medicine and the six directions and archetypes of the ancient Andean mystical tradition, particularly jaguar and hummingbird to steady ourselves amidst conflict and see each other at the level of soul.
  • Receive a group psychic reading and channeling on what’s to come.
  • Experience in real-time a sense of oneness with fellow participants.
  • See through the lens of the heart, the seat of our intuition.
  • Honor rather than vilify the ego and the ways it has helped us as it now shifts roles in the days to come.

Weeks Two through Four:

  • Learn how to step off of the Triangle of Disempowerment and back into our sovereignty.
  • Engage in shadow work to retrieve the parts of ourselves that feel powerless and afraid.
  • Participate in fire ceremony and medicine-stone healing.
  • Journey to and receive messages from our Higher Selves and the Higher Selves of those we’ve deemed Other.
  • Use our words to uplift, heal, and bring people together.
  • Affect change from our center vs leaving our body-mind-spirit and creating more drama.
  • Claim the lessons from the many lifetimes we’ve lived in duality for the expansion of our soul’s wisdom.
  • Use the power of observation to bring out the best in ourselves and others.
  • Become a Divine Witness to and transmute the suffering of those struggling through The Great Awakening.
  • Shift our energy to create that which we want to see in the world.
  • Commit once and for all (if you’re ready) to the positive, service-to-others polarity and experience all that we came here to create (oneness, unity, balance, and unconditional love) in this lifetime.

RSVP for Week One here. RSVP for Weeks One through Four here. Make a donation to the Wolf Sanctuary of PA here. Any questions? Send an e-mail.

Thank you in advance from the bottoms of our hearts for not only your donations but for your willingness to carry out one of our most important missions ever in the history of this planet. We cannot do this without you!

Much love,

Allison Brunner, LCSW, Body Talks Therapy, and Rachel Grundon, Lotus House of PA.

110114863_156938705936309_3776904975963635762_nRachel Grundon is a psychic channel and medium who has been pursuing her desire to help others using her healing gifts as a clairvoyant, clairaudient, and clairsentient. Developing an intuitive connection with her clients, Rachel facilitates deep-healing through self-actualization and self-empowerment. She fully acknowledges the lack of personal fulfillment in those entangled in the “daily grind,” and works with individuals to uncover their true life’s purpose. 

An evidential medium, Rachel is also able to connect with loved ones that have passed on from their physical bodies. She focuses on providing evidentially detailed psychic information for her clients to bring healing and confirmation.

To contact her with questions, or for information on private sessions, e-mail luxconvergence@outlook.com

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Allison Brunner, LCSW, of Body Talks Therapy, facilitates deep healing through guided shadow work, shamanic energy healing called Illumination, and somatic, experiential psychotherapy or coaching for highly sensitive people and empaths. She’s an old soul big sister, guardian human, and rebirth midwife to old souls experiencing personal growth and sacred transformation.

Until she realized and cultivated her personal power, Allison struggled with trauma and embodiment on what felt to her like a dense, violent planet. She experienced extreme mental and emotional distress, not realizing that at times she was inadvertently taking on the suffering of others. As a shaman’s apprentice in the ancient Andean mystical lineage of the Q’ero, she created a map to assist others in finding their way back to themselves and the remembrance of their power and divinity.

To contact her with questions or to schedule free phone or video consultations, visit bodytalkstherapy.com.

Celebrate the Full Moon With a New Monthly Women’s Circle

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Photo by Amber Johnston Photography

Body Talks Therapy (BTT) will host our first women’s Full Moon Circle on Sunday, September 23, from 6pm to 8pm. (These will replace the former new moon circles.)

Aligned with BTT’s mission to support people in carrying out their soul purpose, our full moon circles will feature ceremonies of release and letting go of who we are not and what no longer serves us so that we may step fully into and remember who we really are.

Drawing on the power and intensity of the full moon, we’ll allow our inner wisdom and creativity to illuminate aspects of ourselves we’ve outgrown and that which wants to be purged. We’ll engage in meditation, song, journaling, drawing, fire ceremony, and somatic exercises or dance to facilitate release.

September’s Harvest moon is in the sign of Aries, a time for looking forward and taking initiative. At the same time, the full moon asks us to pause and reflect. We’ll do both in this ceremony, engaging our intuition, inner guidance, and heart longings to determine where we’re called to take our next step. We’ll meet and engage with our Future Self or Higher Self; and for those of you for whom this is the first time you’ll make contact we’ll get to know these aspects of ourselves via journey  into the subconscious.

Bring a journal and pen, markers or colored pencils, and an object to represent your Future or Higher Self.

Please also RSVP here in advance and save your confirmation e-mail, which will contain the address and directions on where to park at this event. Most importantly, update your RSVP as soon as possible if you cannot attend, because space is limited to those occupying 9 parking spaces.

Allison Brunner, LCSW, Body Talks Therapy

Reclaim Your Personal Power: Celebrate the New Moon in Leo in Rural Lititz

You have something to offer the world that no one else can.Body Talks Therapy will once again host a new moon circle in rural Lititz on Saturday, August 11, from 6pm to 8pm! This time, I am honored to welcome and partner with members of Lancaster’s Wild Woman Project as their leader, Emily Alvarez, takes the day off to begin a new chapter in her life!

Some of you may know that while I’ve taken several months off from group events to focus on rest and self-healing, Emily graciously opened her circle to members of the BTT community.  In gratitude for the nurturing, sisterhood, and sacredness her group offered over the past year, I will facilitate practices Emily includes such as guided meditation, journaling and/or drawing, oracle card reading, and group discussion and sharing.

This year’s New Moon in the sign of Leo affords the opportunity to reflect on leadership, creativity, and self-expression. During a small fire ceremony, we’ll shed obstacles to self-confidence and set the intention to step fully into our personal power.

Bring a journal or paper, pen, and your creative instrument of choice (your words; markers or paints; your voice or a musical instrument; dance shoes or bare feet; and any poem, essay, or song you’d like to share). Weather permitting, we’ll gather outside; thus I strongly urge you to bring your natural mosquito repellant and a blanket or chair to sit on.

Attendance is limited to whomever can fit into 10 cars since parking is limited. Therefore, please RSVP here in advance. If your ability to attend changes prior to the event, please update your response as soon as possible to allow others to fill your spot. A $10 donation is suggested but not required.

I am thrilled to see, listen to, share, laugh, and shed tears with all of you again in August!

Allison Brunner, LCSW, Body Talks Therapy

Art Imitates Life in The Last Jedi: the Power to End the Battle Between the Light and the Dark Resides Within Us All (Part Two)

WARNING: Spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi follow. Read at your own risk if you haven’t yet seen the movie.

When I was 9 and my sister 6 years old, a group of kids from the elementary school we’d just begun attending followed us home. They called us names and threatened physical harm. The intimidation escalated a week later as the girls chased us to our front door demanding we fight them. They tried to break in through windows where we stood defending ourselves with bug spray.

My sister and I told our mom, who paid a prompt visit to the children’s home to put a stop to the bullying. Their mother pushed and threatened to punch my mom who attempted to address the matter civilly. Later I learned that this same parent used physical violence daily to not only discipline her kids but to vent her frustrations and solve interpersonal disputes.

I cannot recall how the situation was resolved; I only know the confrontations ceased in our case (though not with our peers). The experience changed the way I perceived bullies, however. Every time I crossed paths with those kids in school, I felt sorry for them. They never seemed happy, and teachers didn’t seem fond of them. Eventually they were expelled due to continued misconduct. I saw through their inflated postures and defensiveness and sensed their pain.

This became the lens through which I viewed human behavior. I understood that almost no one is innately horrid. [i] Dig deeper into those who commit atrocities towards others, and you’ll find most perpetrators feel somehow afraid and unlovable. This doesn’t mean we tolerate nefariousness—that’s what healthy boundaries and a justice system focused on rehabilitation (preferably one like Norway’s) can address.

“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love.”  —John Lennon

Part one of this article began exploring how we can end millennia of war and today’s increasing polarization between the light and the dark, as depicted in the Star Wars saga, including its most recent, The Last Jedi.

First, we realize that all humans have within us both light and dark. We see this in Episode V, Empire Strikes Back, when hero and Light warrior Luke Skywalker gives into his anger when fighting Darth Vader and consequently loses a hand. Shortly after, Darth Vader, the galaxy’s most villainous character after the Emperor, succumbs to the pull of empathy by saving his son’s life.

Second, with regard to nature vs. nurture, we understand that most who act like scoundrels are not born; they’re created. [i] (Read part one to understand this further.)

For centuries, we’ve seen each other as other. Each of us perceives at least one person or group as opposite us, a threat, someone with whom to compete or to overcome. But what if we experimented with the notion that we’re all the same fundamentally, connected by the heroism of being human, our imperfection, our power and our frailty, our love and desire to be loved, and in our fear of losing love or of being unlovable?

“To condemn you would be to condemn me, and we are the same. ”      —Garret John LoportoHow You Change PeopleWayseer.org

If there is someone whom you despise, can you at least acknowledge that “the Force” is within each of us and all that lives (in the plant kingdom, animal kingdom, etc)? Recall the Hindu greeting Namaste, meaning I bow to the divine in you. It doesn’t mean you have to like those to whom you nod inwardly.

Once you’ve got that down, consider the ways in which you’ve participated in harming those you scorn, perhaps not personally but people who remind you of them.  Let’s consider some of the most obvious recipients since these are the object of worldwide focus.

U.S. President Donald Trump demands hefty doses of attention, praise, and validation, while his former rival, First Lady, and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, stands accused of dishonesty and corruption. Might there be someone in your life whom you’ve coddled or idealized, used to feel safe and loved or to build yourself up? Whom have you belittled for being authentic, attacked for being vulnerable, or teased for not measuring up to impossible standards? Whom have you emotionally or mentally hurt or neglected in the past?

We’ve all engaged in these types of behaviors. Waste not energy on self-blame or guilt. Rather, let’s take responsibility for the ways in which we can foster healing and bring our planet back into balance and harmony.

 

We could begin with the ancient Hawaiian prayer or mantra, Ho’oponopo, used traditionally to heal relationships between two or more people. It can also be used privately to heal your relationship with and forgive yourself or to send an intention to heal past hurts and traumas between you and another person or group.

It goes like this:

Please forgive me.

I’m so sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Don’t force it. Notice your emotional response. Is there resistance? If so, then simply say it to yourself. Be patient and kind with yourself. Let this be a practice, a journey.

Kylo: Did you come back to say you forgive me? To save my soul?

Luke: No.

[Kylo advances, drawing his lightsaber. Luke defends with his, and they fight.] 

Luke: I failed you, Ben. I’m sorry.

You may also enjoy this guided version.

Worldwide conflict will not end long-term until we’ve resolved the battle between light and dark within ourselves. It’s much easier to love our enemies, so to speak, when we’ve healed and learned to love ourselves.

Another favorite practice of mine is metta bhavana or loving-kindness mediation. For 15 or 20 minutes, breathe gently and recite the following to yourself:

May I be filled with lovingkindness.

May I be safe from inner and outer danger.

May I be free from suffering and healthy in body and mind.

May I be happy and at ease.

Feel each word and experience its effects in this now-moment. When you are full, either in this session or in a future one, extend the prayer to others, changing the “I” to “you” or “they.” Practice first on someone whom you love easily, until you feel able to pray for a national or world leader or someone you’ve labeled foe, for whom you struggle to find compassion.

May you be filled with lovingkindness.

May you be safe from inner and outer danger.

May you be free from suffering and healthy in body and mind.

May you be happy and at ease.

Prefer a guided meditation? Try this one.

Notice over time how your attitude towards others changes. You may even begin effortlessly to treat others with radical kindness.

What happens when someone’s poor behavior is met with grace instead of the shunning or criticism they expect? It confuses them. It even rewires their brain. If this occurs repeatedly, they begin to see themselves in a more positive light. Depending on the individual and how deep their wounds, it could take between a few days and an entire lifetime. Try not to think about how long the road ahead. Consider the power you have to in each interaction to make just a tiny bit of difference.

You have the power, with your love, to alchemize fear and hate and to light up the world, putting a stop to the cycle of fight, win-lose, peace, and more fighting. And don’t forget: you’re not the only real-life Jedi. There are thousands of us around the world who have chosen once and for all to put down our lightsabers and open our hearts. We don’t have to convince everyone. We need only to tip the scales.

That’s an ending I’d like to see in the Star Wars saga’s Episode IX. Does anyone have access to (and could share this with) J. J. Abrams?

Allison Brunner, LCSW, Body Talks Therapy

[i] Oxford University Research Psychologist Kevin Dutton argues that between .75% and 1% of the human population is born with untreatable psychopathy or brain abnormalities precluding the Hannibal Lectors of the world from feeling empathy or remorse. For the purposes of this article, we’ve focused on the remaining 99% to 99.25%. As noted above, though, this is all about tipping the scales.

Art Imitates Life in The Last Jedi: the Power to End the Battle Between the Light and the Dark Resides Within Us All (Part One)

WARNING: Spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi follow. Read at your own risk if you haven’t yet seen the movie.

When will the fight between the dark and the light end once and for all, I wondered wearily while watching The Last Jedi a few weeks ago. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the film; I loved it. The epic battle provides a backdrop for sage wisdom from brilliantly archetypal characters we love and with whom we can relate.

It also reminded me of the world we live in, our current state of affairs, and that for millennia we’ve engaged in the same dramas but have worn different uniforms representing different campaigns, time and time again. They’ve all led to the same results: winners and losers. An imposed peace and quiet follow for a period—until tension and intolerance build and fighting recommences.

We’ve lived in a world of duality (good vs evil, right vs wrong, Left vs Right) for thousands of years. It plays out on the international stage and we see it in the news every day. People speak passionately about and promote their causes and dress down those with whom we disagree via shouting matches, video and written blogs, arguments on social media, and behind each other’s backs.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to move on.

We’re going to win this war, not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.” —Rose Tico, The Last Jedi

When I was a little girl, I threw temper tantrums. When imperfect, I lost patience with myself and wallowed in self-loathing. My mother, whose nerves I’d wear thin with my brooding and crying, would note how my behavior reminded her of my hot-headed father. She’d left him when I was 5, and I knew there was no love lost in that separation. Therefore, I interpreted her remarks as “When you act like your father, you’re unlovable.”

Add to that messages I received in church or in Catholic school, that when I did not follow the Ten Commandments or behave the way Jesus would in each moment of my human life, I put myself at risk for being abandoned to the fires of hell. God loves us, the priests proclaimed (but only when we’re good). Die with sin-stained souls, and “He” will damn us for eternity.

Thus intensified the war within me and my own black-and-white perception of the world. I strove to be flawless; when I failed, self-hatred intensified. When others did not live according to the high morals of Christian doctrine, I judged them. In fact, sometimes it was easier to evaluate others than to contend with my own insecurities.

And so it is for most human beings, including our beloved Star Wars heroes.

Upon sensing great darkness in Kylo Ren, Luke Skywalker pulled back in fear and almost killed him. Not unlike Luke, we abhor others’ shadows, because we’re averse to our own. As the battle rages within each human being, it persists globally.

You may have heard of Harvard professor and psychologist Robert Rosenthal, who, in 1964, conducted a study on how teachers’ expectations affected student performance. Teachers tended to smile, exhibit patience, and nod approvingly at students whom they were told had higher IQs. Students internalized their teachers’ warm attitudes towards them and thus increased their IQ scores.

Imagine how we must look at and interact with people from whom we expect the worst and how it affects their self-image and behavior. Awakening to the sight of his own uncle poised with a light saber pointed at Kylo’s head reinforced the younger man’s belief that he was some kind of monster—thus motivating Kylo to take up his light saber in service of darkness.

“What you stand witness for in others is strengthened in them by the power of your observation. When you look for the worst in someone, when you make them wrong in your mind, when you refuse to see the best in them, you are committing a spiritual assault of the worst kind. For you are testifying against their ability to choose the light, standing witness for the darkness in them and strengthening its power over their heart and mind.

“If you’ve ever face a hostile crowd, a hostile cop, a hostile lover, you’ve felt the destructive force of another’s contempt for you. Do not give into this way of seeing. Stand witness for the light in others. The unassailable divine spark forever shines in the hearts of every man, woman, and child just waiting to be called forward.”

Garret John Loporto, How You Change People, Wayseer.org

That divine spark is the Force, so to speak, and it’s within each of us. So too is the power to choose whether to use it in service of self or for the greatest good of all—and the survival of all humans and our planet depends, in this very lifetime, not only on the choices each of us makes; the way we interact with and see each other will determine whether we usher in a final era of cataclysmic destruction or of everlasting unity.

Luke: What do you see?

Rey: The island. Life. Death and decay, that feeds new life. Warmth. Cold. Peace. Violence.

Luke: And between it all?

Rey: Balance and energy. A force.

Luke: And inside you?

Rey: Inside me, that same force.

As art imitates life and vice versa, Rey represents all of us. She holds the power to free Kylo (who too represents all of us)—and thus the galaxy—from the clenches of his inner demons. It was apparent when the two saw and communicated with each other beyond third-dimensional space-time that it was she, his equal, in whom the Force runs equally strong, who could see most clearly through Kylo’s layers of hurt and pain into his true self. In doing so, she was the one who came closest to melting the ice around his heart.

Rey to Kylo: “You don’t have to do this. I feel the conflict in you. It’s tearing you apart.”

That ability lies within each of us for each other.

So where do we go from here?

Stay tuned for part two, coming in January 2018.

Allison Brunner, LCSW, Body Talks Therapy

 

September New Moon Healing Ceremony Benefits Texans Hit by Hurricane Harvey

Join Body Talks Therapy’s next New Moon healing circle, Friday, September 22, at 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Cash donations paid upon arrival will benefit people and pets via the United Way of Greater Houston and the Houston Humane Society. Suggested donation is $10.

TexasWe’ll open sacred space, sing, set intentions for the new moon cycle, send healing to those hit hardest by the 2017 hurricane season, and engage in group sharing and connection.

Bring a journal, an object sacred to you for the altar, art supplies you’d like to use, and your authenticity. All open-minded highly sensitive people are welcome regardless of spiritual background or beliefs who share the desire to impact the world with your inner light, wisdom, and love.

If you would like to share a gift, meditation, prayer, ritual, or heart-thoughts with the group, please contact me by September 20.

Space is limited to participants who can arrive in nine cars or fewer, so please RSVP here in advance and update me as soon as possible if you cannot attend. After you RSVP, I’ll send you the address of our meeting in rural Lititz, PA, as well as parking instructions. We’ll gather outdoors, weather permitting, so please bring a lawn chair or blanket and mosquito spray if current climate conditions still require it.

I look forward to creating miracles with you!

(Note: Proceeds from our August New Moon ceremony are being donated to the National Urban League to support civil rights for Black Americans. Deep thanks to all who contributed!)

Allison Brunner, LCSW, RM, Body Talks Therapy

Turn and Face the Strange: Changes at Body Talks Therapy and August’s New Moon Solar Eclipse and Healing Circle

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Let’s connect once again on Sunday, August 20, at 6:30pm, to celebrate the New Moon Solar Eclipse and all she reveals, at my residence in Lititz, PA. Parking spots are limited, so you must RSVP in advance. Cost is $10.

 

The New Moon Solar Eclipse peaks on Monday, August 21. The eclipse will be visible from the Northwest to the Southeast of the United States. We won’t see it here in Pennsylvania, but we’ve likely begun to notice a shift well in advance and will continue even after.

A new moon solar eclipse brings into our awareness all that we’ve hidden from ourselves that we didn’t want to see. It’s time to return to wholeness and balance.

My ancestors believed that while in the astrological sign of Leo, we’re encouraged to acknowledge our inner royalty and honor ourselves in more dramatic ways. We’re called to become better friends to ourselves, set healthier boundaries, focus on self-care versus abandoning our own needs to meet others’, and step into our power.

When we spend time immersed in the drama of government corruption or arguing with people who live in fear and intolerance, we become drained and give away our power. We forget that our light is alchemical and can transmute hate. If we remembered and lived each moment as though we are the changemakers, here to share our gifts and create a new reality (because we are), what would we do differently? With whom would be share our precious time? Where would we plug the leaks?

With so many inner and outer changes upon us, it may be helpful to ask ourselves what’s important to hold sacred, how to stay centered, and what’s important to release. We could re-evaluate our requirements for those we allow in our inner and outer personal and professional circles and whom to respect as fellow human beings then simply bless and be on our way.

Time Has Changed Me 

One effect of the person transformation in which I’ve been engaged this summer is a desire to orient myself differently as a healer. While I’m proud of my hard work in obtaining my credentials as a clinical social worker and the financial and educational investments I’ve made to maintain licensure in Pennsylvania, the current paradigm of psychotherapy feels a bit weighted and outdated to me. I’ll continue working with current clients in that role for as long as you ask.

Meanwhile, I’ll work with new clients in the capacity of bodyworker (or somatic therapist), energy healer, and/or coach, which will afford me the freedom and creativity to construct the truss of a more effective way of practicing so that I can later bridge the divide between old and new. I’m not abandoning psychotherapy; it is a mix of science and craft that has served humanity well for decades. It simply requires an upgrade.

Further, to ensure the sustainability of Body Talks Therapy as a community offering one-on-one services in an era that has become a bit chaotic for some, I’ve made changes to some policies (which you can read and download here). Engaging in inner exploration, growth, and integration with me by your side is an important personal and financial commitment to Self. I promise to continue to prepare well in advance for and respect our time together and ask clients to do the same. I consider it the highest privilege to be a part of your journey.

As of next week, I’ll require payment when scheduling sessions, and I no longer offer refunds for sessions canceled within 72 hours of our planned time. Clients have the option of engaging by phone or video when unable to see me in person.

Ch-ch-changes 

(Thank your for patience as I get ridiculous with the theme here.)

I’ve never seen so many monarch butterflies in one summer, and it’s not over yet. Meanwhile, I’m still in a cocoon phase, dreaming of what’s to come with regard to workshops and group gatherings here at Body Talks Therapy. Surely as I change, so too will my approach to facilitating community. You can look forward to more news on that before harvest time.

Now I’d like to encourage everyone to frolic and play as a Leo would, basking in the August sun, swimming in sweet summer waters, and connecting more deeply to your own inner fire. Join our next New Moon ceremony and healing circle. It’s going to be a potent one.

Allison Brunner, LCSW, RM, Body Talks Therapy

Ditch Doom & Gloom and Birth a New World While Living It

A friend observed recently that I smile most of the time and seem “oddly at peace” in the midst of what feels to him like the Apocalypse.

“What Apocalypse?” I asked. I pointed to the lush green countryside, to squirrels chasing each other up a tree, and to orange lilies blooming near a horse pasture.

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While joking, as many people have, that my head must be in the sand, he pulled out his iPhone and tried showing me CNN’s web site.

I held up my hand, assuring him that I know well that current news reports a plethora of horrors each day. I don’t deny any of it or pretend it doesn’t exist. I know that people are suffering and that others are freaking out. Polarities (good/evil, kind/cruel, conservative/liberal, war/peace) have become more extreme.

What lay hidden in the collective, residing formerly in the world’s subconscious, has begun to shift into our conscious awareness so that it may be acknowledged, healed, and brought back into balance. This process, whether personal or large-scale, can look wild and messy, or even frightening. Meanwhile, entire systems are crumbling, creating space for those that better serve our highest good to arise. Whereas in the past we waited for others to lead us out of despair, we’ve become the leaders proposing heart-based solutions aligned with our noblest and wisest intentions.

When I utter these truths, some people insist that I must express concern over current threats to our safety, sovereignty, and basic humanity, lest I be deemed callous or privileged. “Aren’t you worried that XYZ issue will affect you directly?” Or, “You’re lucky you don’t have to care.”

In fact, I do have to care. What affects the least of us affects us all regardless of the way we categorize ourselves. I care so much that I’ve dedicated my life purpose to designing a brighter tomorrow. But I’ve chosen a new manner of engaging, and it’s one I share with you here in case it resonates. I invite you to try it to heal yourself personally, as a community, and to impact others globally without having to take on the heaviness of the planet.

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Years ago, I read or listened to hours of news each week, educating myself on the problems of the world. I immersed myself in humanity’s miseries, believing that if I felt others’ pain it meant I cared more deeply. I brooded with like-minded friends. Unified in our outrage, we insulted privately and on social media the intelligence of peers, family members, neighbors, coworkers, and strangers alike who disagreed with our views. We argued, resisted, and protested our way through conflict, believing our cause was just and our strategy true.

My friend James came to visit me one day in 2010. “You’re listening to the news,” he said when I opened the front door. When I asked how he knew, he said, “I could hear from outside [the anchors and pundits] yelling.” When I turned off the TV, my ears rang in the silence. I stood motionless for a bit, noticing how tense I was and how much anger my body held. My forehead and temples throbbed most times I tried tuning back in again thereafter, so I ditched my cable TV subscription and stopped listening to NPR during my morning commutes.

As my nervous system recalibrated over the next half-decade, there was a slow and deliberate adjustment in my attitude towards other human beings. I understood that we’re more alike than different, unified in our desire to feel safe and loved—even if our ideas of what the means or the end look like are different.

Neither humankind nor my physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual health were any better for my former us-versus-them mentality. It took me several years more though to admit that in my self-righteousness, I’d created little of service to the greater good. Rather, I’d mostly added fuel to the fire.

Fast forward to the Presidential election campaign of 2016, when people played the game of duality by aligning with Red, Blue, Green, Independent, Progressive, anti-Trump, Hillary haters, pro-Earth, anti-establishment, conspiracy theorists, Tea Party, etcetera. They vilified each other, bickering, name-calling, tweeting, blaming, and shaming on Facebook, podcasts, and other media outlets paid to shock and awe us into a perpetual stupor of conflict and battle.

I was disturbed by the division and tried pointing out how destructive it all was, thereby drawing more attention to the problem.

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“What you water grows,” a mentor told me once. I thought of her wise words when I realized that no one paid attention to or wanted to hear my Chicken Little rants about how we were all creating the very thing that we hoped to avoid.

So I considered instead the seeds I wanted to scatter, ones that would blossom into a world beyond winners and losers, filled with unity, harmony, peace, and love. Instead of talking about these qualities, I needed to embody them as best I can; it’s a daily practice of being the change, one in which I’m imperfect (and that’s okay). When the road gets bumpy or I’m feeling out of alignment with what I’m creating, I simply acknowledge what’s present, give it space to be felt without reacting from it, and then shift my attention back to my heart center.

We live in a realm of infinite possibilities; within them, in each now-moment, we have choice regarding which reality we want to create. There are some complexities to this, of course, but for the sake of this essay, allow me to demonstrate what I’m talking about.

Become cognizant for a moment of how you long for our world to look in 5, 10, or 20 years. Anchor it by visualizing and feeling it.

Peek then at a mainstream national or world news Web site, for example, or turn on the news for just one minute. Glimpse briefly at the social media pages of your like-minded friends who are the most outspoken on political matters. Notice the emotions that arise from within you and their associated physical sensations in your body. I wonder, from your current experience, do you feel inspired to create what you desire from a place of joy, happiness, or inner-peace? What would you end up creating from that space?

Alternately, I invite you now to become aware of your breath. Take a few moments to come back to center, remembering all that you love about your life and the people who are part of it. With your eyes open or closed, begin to notice everything that is already in alignment with your dreams. Mentally, emotionally, and physically note the ways in which the world is already exhibiting that which you envision. Keep a checklist as evidence, and seek out data to add to it each day.

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Imagine moving from here toward that which you wish to birth; as you do, notice your experience. How does it compare to your experiment with the former example?

Play with the latter daily. Give yourself a few weeks and reassess. You may or may not experience symptoms like those of a detox or withdrawal from the drama and noise or the ego gratification of touting how “right” you are (I sure did!). This is normal, and it’s more tolerable when we note the extra time available to play, have fun, hold doors for people, send love notes, exercise, and make people laugh.

How has your perception of the world changed? Do you feel more empowered, connected, and motivated to lead a movement toward the one you intuited lay just beyond the horizon? Does it feel as though you’re already living it now, and can this help you build momentum? What changes do you feel called to make in your life in order to sustain this state of bodymind?

Ask yourself now about whether or not you need to keep hearing the “bad” news and debating with people who have different opinions or viewpoints than yours. Do those behaviors still serve your purpose? It’s OK to be honest; your experience may be different from mine; it’s not right or wrong.

Feel free to send me a message describing your discoveries or whether you’ve begun to perceive through new lenses, seeing pots of gold where once there was gloom at the end of your rainbows.

Allison Brunner, LCSW, RM, Body Talks Therapy

Spiritual Director Erin Miller Shrader Now Offers Counseling at Body Talks Therapy in Lancaster

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Spiritual director, yoga teacher, Registered Nurse, mother, wife, and friend Erin Miller Schrader

“One of my first memories occurs around the age of 4. I am on the swing set in our backyard in the hour just before sunset. I feel the breeze on my sticky summer skin and watch the last golden rays of sun dancing on the treetops. Suddenly a sense of deep recognition fills me. It feels like home. Like belonging, and peace, and incredible joy. Like a deep exhilarating sigh through my whole being.

For the rest of my life, I have been finding ways to re-experience the magic of that moment and to help others have that experience. I have come to understand that I was resting in our true and eternal nature in those precious moments.

“As a spiritual director, yoga teacher, registered nurse, mother, wife and friend, I find ways to move in the world that help us all to experience the homecoming and the joy of our true nature. I have also had many experiences of feeling deeply exiled from this joy, what has been termed the Dark Night of the Soul, or Spiritual Crisis. Even in those times, when I had no felt sense of the Holiness of my nature, I blessedly carried the memory of my child self and drew hope from it like an amulet.

“It is my great joy in this world to aid others in accessing their own experience of deep joy, peace and belonging. My work is to help you create your amulet, something to hold when the darkness sweeps through, as it inevitably does in this Earth life. One of my favorite quotes from Ram Dass captures my work exceptionally well: “We are all just walking each other home.”

— Erin Miller Shrader, Sacred Grove Wellness

For more information or to schedule an appointment with Erin at the Body Talks Therapy office in The Lancaster Trophy House at 237 N. Prince St., Suite 303, Lancaster, PA, call (717) 870-4225 or e-mail onesacredgrove@gmail.com