November Newsletter

In a world where Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States in the midst of a humungous economic and financial catastrophe; in an era when Proposition 8 barely passed in the state of CA; where thousands of babies in the world continue to crave for nourishment and nutrition – their parents frantically trying to make ends meet; our biggest challenge as radically present spiritual beings, is not to get caught up in the chaotic spin of dissonance and dichotomies - between hope and despair, anticipation and apathy. Instead we are called upon to open our primordial minds that have been saturated with paradigms of constricted consciousness; to expand our belief systems and to surrender to a power greater than us. This is the power of change and transformation, the intricate interweaving of safety, sanity and sacredness, with conscious awareness, connectedness, certainty and creativity.

The 4C’s mindset (Conscious awareness, Connectedness, Certainty and Creativity) is a transdisciplinary approach to self-realization stemming from psychology’s humanistic philosophy stating, that as human beings individuals naturally strive towards opportunities that will enhance the self-actualization and manifestation of their dreams and visions, by bringing meaningfulness and purpose to their LIFE:

L – love and light, unconditionally given and received




I – inspiration and innovation to change and transform




F – freedom to forgive and free one’s self and others from
suffering, oppression, intolerance and uncertainty




E – empowerment and embodied enjoyment of our authenticity
and genuineness

In order to create the 4C’s mindset a strong sense of inner equilibrium, balance, flow and harmony must co-exist within an individual’s energetic field. This can be achieved by creating a healthy balance between our innate rhythm and our intrinsic life force. I have searched deep and far to develop this Inner Wisdom of Self i.e., the balance between two powerful forces: innate rhythm and intrinsic life force.

Human scientist Eugene Gendlin refers to the Inner Wisdom of Self as a “radical philosophy of what is needed to create change.” It embraces a being/allowing approach which acknowledges that change and transformation are indeed the natural course of our LIFE. Fixing the situation or running away from it; or simply doing more of the same are not the solution to the predicaments that we often find ourselves in. By developing a healthy attitude of allowing things to be as is, while remaining fully open and accepting of the next phases that will organically evolve is the key to the awakening of our authentic self.

Three basic philosophies facilitate the psycho-spiritual growth of our authentic self:

Enlightenment Philosophies - focus on the mental and spiritual realms, helping us to reach upward
and beyond, concentrating on transcendence and reaching higher levels of consciousness and
elevated planes of awareness. Enlightenment is the illumination of wisdom and knowledge,
awakening and self-realization.




Embodiment Philosophies – focus on achieving tangible mind, body and spirit engagement
with ourselves and our surroundings. Their goal is to concretize genuine manifestation of our innate
intentions and intrinsic passions.




Integrative Philosophies – focus on integrating the opposite forces of our lives: mind/body,
spirit/matter, male/female, light/darkness, internal/external, scarcity/abundance, certainty/confusion,
etc.

As we learn to individuate ourselves from the extremities of society’s conditioning we begin to realign with our innate sense of Self, by becoming whole and complete. In order for that to occur we need to enter the Circle of Transformation. The Circle of Transformation is a safe, sane and sacred space of Self-Empowerment which revolves around:

- Conscious and Mindful Choice Making




- Focused Intention and Guided Alignment




- Truth, Integrity and Love




- Compassion, Kindness and Acceptance

As the Executive Director of LEI – The Life Empowerment Institute it is my strong belief that when we remain connected at all times to the LIFE force of the Divine we can achieve genuine joy, meaning and purposefulness in our everyday lives. According to the Kabbalah there are 10 gateways that guide us on our path to the enhancement of our true self. The first gateways are: intention, wisdom and understanding. Entering through these gates allows us to let go and release our old limitations and bondages and invites us to open up to new borders of consciousness.

The next three gateways focus on our emotional capacity to balance compassion, strength and harmony in our lives. This is where we learn to embrace the concept of generosity and kindness without any attachment to the outcome. This is where we begin to see the positive

in every situation by giving and receiving unconditional love in a way that nurtures LIFE. As we embark upon a journey through these gateways we learn to attune our traits of discipline, devotion and determination, so that we may work through the obstacles that appear on our path, without judgment of criticism.

The next three gateways emphasize motivational and inspiring pro-actions of our physical realm: success, creativity and splendor. This is where we learn to create an infrastructure of purposefulness, meaning and significance in our LIFE, as we joyously embrace spaciousness and abundance in everything that we do. Since we are now present in the moment we no longer need to cling to our wounding of the past. Or fantasize on our future endeavors. The final and tenth gateway moves us towards a sacred place of integrity and impeccability. This is the ground from which all LIFE is born, upon which all LIFE stands, and the canal through which all LIFE passes. This is where we reclaim, redeem, and redefine our authentic self so that we may live and function in safeness, sanity and sacredness.

I have gathered many spiritual, ethnic, historical and earth-based beliefs in my cornucopia of co-existence in the world. The guiding light that continuously shines on these beliefs is based on an eco-spiritual connectedness to Mother Earth. Also referred to as Eco-spiritualism, it is based on three core concepts: immanence, interconnection, and community.

• Immanence refers to the belief that the Divine is embodied in the living world, in human and
nonhuman communities and in the interrelationships that exist between these diverse entities. In this
earth-based spiritual belief, “the sacred is imminent, each being has a value that is inherent,
that cannot be diminished, rated or ranked” claims renowned eco-feminist and author Starhawk.




• The second core concept is Interconnection. It is deeply associated with Starhawk’s concept of
“all parts of the living body of the earth are linked. All things are interconnected, including
humans and natural worlds”. This interconnectedness transforms itself into compassion, kindness
and care. It helps us develop the ability to feel and identify with all others of the universe. As a result
our own definition of self expands and we are able to connect with and not separate from nature. We
learn to align with nature; the monkeys, the redwoods, the dolphins and the stars. In this state of
compassion, our ability to value another’s life as if it was our own, opens us up to “a multifaceted
view of the world that allows us to understand problems in their true complexity.”



• Community is the third concept in our definition of eco-spiritualism. As Starhawk states, “our
deepest experiences are experiences of connection with the earth and with the world” and if
“we understand that the earth itself embodies spirit and that the cosmos is alive, then we also
understand that everything is interconnected”.