Find Your True North

We each have a calling in life, whether we are aware of it or not.  The problem is, though, that our culture presents way too many options at times or no options at all — like graduating college with lots of debt and no job perspectives or we get bombarded with some unique opportunities that we don’t know how to approach because they don’t offer a great salary.   We live in a time when we aren’t expected to pick up a family trade or business that has been handed down for generations.  We aren’t expected to take on the old societal norms of settling down, getting married, having children, and working a normal 9-5.  Those options aren’t available as much as they used to be, and the younger generations are coming up with new creative outlets.  Sometimes it consists of ditching the corporate job and traveling the world and writing about it.  Sometimes it consists of not going to the office, but rather waking up and working in your pajamas from your living room.  We are coming up with a new way of living because the world is changing, and we need to adapt to be able to survive.

How do you find your true north in this crazy life?  Do you do it by dropping everything to become a yoga teacher?  Do you take the risk to try and open up a studio?  Do you try to start an online business or blog, hoping that you can find your niche market and audience?  Or do you go through the old system — go to school, get an entry-level job, and hope to work your way up the latter?  The answer is both simple and complex, and when it comes down to it, there is no right or wrong answer, no right or wrong way to go about it.  The most important thing is to just start walking.

Here are some ways to find your true north and begin walking your unique path.

1. Show Up: One of the best things you can do is show up.  In fact, that is about the only thing you can really do in this life. Wake up every day and be ready to show up to whatever presents to you.  Be ready to approach the day with an open mind and open heart.  Sometimes, showing up is the toughest thing to do, but it is the only thing you can do.  It doesn’t matter what you show up to, just do it!  Whether it is showing up to a job that you hate, or starting workshops that no one attends.  Sometimes it is the job you hate which teaches you the skills you actually need in life, and it is the workshop that no one attends that eventually becomes popular.
2. Find Your Practice: With the advent of the internet, resources are unlimited and there is no reason that you can’t find something that resonates with your beliefs.  Find a practice that resonates with you and dig deep.  Whether it is meditation, yoga, prayer, or just being out in nature.  Find your practice and try to commit to it daily.  My practice is rooted in shamanism — I enjoy being out in nature, drumming, and meditating.  What’s yours?
3. Inner-Work:  Your inner-world is like a garden.  When not tended to, it can become overgrown with “weeds” and other stressors. It is helpful to take the time to till and weed the soils of our inner-world so that when you plant seeds, they  have a nurturing environment to grow in.  This comes back to your practice.  Magnificent transformation and growth can take place if we take a little time to work on ourselves.
4. Identify with Symbols and Archetypes: The famous movie, Star Wars, is based off of Joseph Campbell’s theories of myth and archetypes.  Star Wars is a classic story of the “hero’s journey.”  Luke Skywalker is called into action by a string of unsuspected and unfortunate events.  It’s not an easy role to step into, but the universe calls for him in some way.  It may be helpful to study and identify the different symbols and archetypes that pop into your life.  Taking on a role that you know a little bit about makes it much easier than taking on a role you know nothing about.
5. Just Keep Walking: No matter what, just keep on walking.  If you fall, get back up.  If you fail, try again.  If no one shows up, just keep showing up for yourself.  The most successful people have failed many times in life, and most likely suffered embarrassment along the way.  The most important thing is to just keep walking — even if you have no idea where you’re headed to.  Just set out somewhere!  Go to the beach, go to the mountains, go the desert — just get out there and start walking.  Your role models and idols didn’t just get to where they’re at by staying in one place.
6. Slow Down And Enjoy The Scenery:  Life isn’t a competition, and we shouldn’t be racing to cross some sort of finish line.  Instead, enjoy the ride.  Walk gracefully, and take moments to pause to enjoy the things around you.  Don’t rush your life — it will fly by and you might realize later on that you really missed out on the simple and small things in life.  Sometimes the small and simple things in life can be more significant than the big flashy moments.  We live in a culture that rushes you through each stage of life.  We need to do well in school to go to college.  Once we get to college we compete with ourselves to do the best so that we can land the best after school.  We rush school because we want the credentials to buy our jobs.  We work so hard to keep the job, so we can buy a nice graveyard to rest in.  Slow down and enjoy where you’re at in life.  It will tick by so fast if you keep rushing through it.
7. Ditch The Extra Baggage: Let’s face it.  We carry a ton of baggage, both emotional and material baggage.  Find ways to get rid of some of the clutter that holds you back.  If it is material things — throw some of it out.  For emotional and spiritual baggage, here is a quick metaphor.  You are walking down the path that you have chosen.  You throw every experience in your backpack, and you continue on your journey.  You will meet so many people along this path and some of the people you will end up traveling with.  There will be many laughs as well as tears.  Some people will make you carry their bags for a little.  Some may return the favor when your bags become too heavy.  Some will leave when you ask for help, and are only interested when you are willing to carry theirs.  Let the one’s who throw their baggage at you carry their own.  If they become angry, let them be and keep walking.  Take time to sit and explore the items in your backpack.  Throw the things out that don’t serve a purpose anymore.  Your backpack will become too heavy to carry if you do not take the time to clean it out from time to time.  And for those who keep throwing their bags your way — wish them well on their journey and hope that they will find the time to clean their bags out too.  We are all carrying so much weight on our shoulders all the time.  It is important to help one another.
8. Ditch The Compass: Lastly, ditch the compass and the idea of finding your way.  Life isn’t perfect.  You’re going to get lost.  You’re going to fall down, and you’re going to experience a lot of bumps in the road.  The magic is to enjoy those moments.  Life is made up of chaos.  You believe you’re on a specific path, following your truth north and your compass, and something is bound to come your way that will knock you off the path.  Just stay with it, and trust your gut and intuition — it is the best compass you have!

Be sure to check out our new website — www.settingsunwellness.com

New Site! Www.settingsunwellness.com

We have moved!  Check out our new site at, http://www.settingsunwellness.com

Holotropic Breathwork — Lowell, Mass

Come join us Lenny and Elizabeth Gibson and friends at Umass Lowell for a weekend of Holotropic Breathwork.  This workshop is a great workshop for anyone interested in self-exploration, self-discovery, and inner-work.  For more information and registration, check out Boston Holotropic.

Being Here: Death and Rebirth

As I set up this page, I was thinking it would be more for events and announcements, but I got myself in a situation over the weekend that shook me up.  It reminded me of a lot of things, so here I am, making the first post.

I met up with a friend to go snowboarding.  It was a perfect bluebird day and the conditions were prime. We were bombing groomers all day, which always gives me an adrenaline rush — going as fast as I can to get to the bottom.  As we were riding the lift to the top, we got talking about a particular run that looked super narrow, and how it would be fun to ride.  We joked around that it would be for our last run of the day.  There is a superstition in the skiing and snowboarding community that you should never call your last run — if you do, you are asking to get hurt.  I mentioned to my friend that when I was younger I called “last run” and ended up crashing and rupturing my spleen — it certainly was my last run, and almost forever.  It almost cost me my life.

Ironically, just before closing, we rode the lift with an employee that works at the resort.  I asked him if that narrow little cut out was actually a trail.  He mentioned that if we took that trail and dipped into the woods we would be able to ride some of the best tree runs at the resort — those are the type of runs I love because you can usually find some awesome untouched powder.  How could we not go adventure into the woods now that this employee told us there was some awesome tree runs?

The first part of the run was pretty steep, and the forest was dense.  It was hard to maneuver through without running into branches and what not.  Then the woods finally opened up.  We found nature’s playground with some untouched powder.  I got a little carried away and bombed through the trees with excitement.  Then we hit a section where it started to become “skied out.”  I was paying attention to the bumps and turns that other riders had made.  I looked down for a second, and then looked up — as soon as I did, I froze. I noticed a tree right in front of me.  BAM!  I smashed into this tree full force.  I felt my rib cage compress on the impact, and was immediately knocked onto my back.  I got the wind knocked out of me, and I started to see stars in my vision.  I sat up and began to panic.

As soon as I hit the tree and felt my ribs compress, I noticed I hit where my spleen used to be.  I immediately had a flash back of the impact I took when my spleen ruptured.  I started to think that I really messed up this time, and I might have done some internal damage.  I literally felt like I time warped back to incident and began to panic.  How would I ride out of the woods if I really had some serious damage?  I sat up, and thankfully, I felt alright.  My chest did hurt, and I did have the air knocked out of me, but I was alright — thankfully.  I got up and was able to ride out of the woods and down to the base lodge.

I felt a bit embarrassed and angry that I hit this tree.  It felt like an amateur move because I normally try to ride in control and really try to plan my turns ahead of time.  But part of me believes that this happened for a reason.  I remember reading somewhere, or maybe hearing from a teacher, that in many indigenous and wisdom traditions, accidents happen for a reason — they are a sign from the spirits or the creator to help one slow down.

Hitting this tree was a reminder to slow down and to be in my body, and to take care of my body because it is the only one I have — a body is the only thing you have in this life.  After hitting that tree, I felt like my spirit was jolted back into my body, a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time.  It was a reminder that I am alive on this earth, and that I have a role to play.

I believe many of us, including myself, take this time that we have (in our bodies on this earth) for granted.  We often distract ourselves from being alive and feeling life.  It is a blessing to be here — to be able to breathe, to dream, to walk, to eat, and simply to just be here on this planet and wake up everyday.

We live in a very fast paced society that struggles to slow down and to just be.  Whether you’re always working, going to school, or supporting/feeding your family — it is important to slow down and appreciate that you’re here.  Remember, you do not have to be the best, or try to create the perfect life — all you have to do is just be and appreciate all that is here.

Yes, we can acknowledge the fact that many of us suffer, and that life can be utterly depressing and hopeless at times, but it seems important to acknowledge that we are all here to be part of a much bigger process.  We may never know what that process actually is, but it is important to remember that there is a process, and when we become aware and conscious of it, that is when you begin to live our lives.

I believe we are all down here to work on whatever it is that we need to work on, and to play the smaller role of the bigger picture.  Maybe someone has broken your heart and you wander why that had to happen?  But what if that person never came into your life and played that role?  You would have never experienced what it was that you needed to experience. Sometimes life can really suck, and it always feels like life throws us a curve ball once we have it all figured out, but I think that is the magic of life — it always keeps you on your toes so that you continue to grow into what you are meant to grow into.  Seeds need pressure to crack open and grow — just like you need changes in your life to help you move forward.

Life is chaotic and unpredictable.  Life is strange and unknown.  We may never figure out what it is all about, but one thing is for certain — life is full of magic and beauty.

Spend your time here wisely, time is all you have — it can be taken away from you in a heart beat.  Set out to learn something new everyday.  Take time to relax with loved ones and the people you truly care about.  Write or create something new.  Inspire the people around you.  Don’t be afraid to try something because you might fail.  As a little five-year old once told me, “Fear is just an opportunity to try harder.”

If you happened to read this whole post and you’re reading this part — start paying attention to your own process.  When odd situations arise, just stay present, and be with the process.  You may find that the whole thing may unfold in ways you’ve never imagined.

Blessings and gratitude.

SettingSun

No Time for Inner Life:  If people find no room in their lives to pray or meditate, to reflect deeply on why they have been created and what they must do with their lives, and to listen with all of their being to the guidance of the universe, then those people are like birds who have not yet learned to fly.  All the parts of the bird are present, but something is still missing.  To be a whole person is to be alive in a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual way (Bopp, 1984, p. 56).

SettingSun is a wellness group that stems from the culmination of research, practice, and life experience, specifically in the realm of transpersonal psychology and transpersonal theory.  The term transpersonal refers to experiences that are “beyond one’s self.”  Transpersonal experience can also be described as spiritual, religious, or mystical experiences.  SettingSun is dedicated towards exploring and educating the community about the transpersonal paradigm in regards to health, healing, and wellness.  A few of SettingSun’s interests include:

• Psychology — traditional and nontraditional.
• Shamanism and Indigenous Traditions
• Death & Dying
• Herbalism and Plant Medicine
• Storytelling and Narrative Therapy
• Ethnobotany
• Breathwork
• Yoga and Meditation
• Cacao Ceremonies

SettingSun strives to create a community of health and healing by connecting and sharing local resources of local healers and teachers from around the area.  For example, SettingSun will be sharing workshop and course information that is taught by Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork and JourneyWorks.  If you would like SettingSun to share your work with the community or collaborate, please contact us at — settingsunwellness@gmail.com or connect with us via Facebook.