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Enhance your wisdom guided life so you feel healthier, more vibrant and have a greater sense of true wellbeing as you
journey inwards towards your True Self.
Draw upon Stephanie’s extensive training, over a decade of experience and inspired writing with a touch of humour from real life application.
Explore selected issues below…
In Praise of Humanness: A Patterned Tale of My Wayward Bag
April 28, 2024
“Baggage services” feels like a repository for unhealthy patterns that go around on an unseen carousel with no actual connection to real life.
In our life cultivation efforts, we strive to be self-aware in every moment and in every event there is an opportunity to see where we’re at with our patterns. As you read this tale about my self-observations on my way home from retreat, perhaps you can notice your own patterns in your own mind as you read?
Continue reading …
The Legend of Condor and Eagle: A Modern Retelling
March 3, 2024
A long time ago, in a land quite near here, there lived a bird - a beautiful bird with massive black wings. She wore a ring around her neck, a white beak and white flight feathers to help her soar. Her name was Condor.
Condor loved to circle above mountain peaks and feel the air lift her body higher and higher. She adored views of rich mountain meadows, luscious green hills and bright blues of the river. When she finished soaring over the trees, she would swoop down and carefully clean up scraps left on Earth. She would kiss Earth, circle the trees, and begin her journey upward again….(Art by Lauren Raine, Roses & Wildflowers Journal, Spring 2024)
Continue reading this fictional tale of love, hope, and connection soaring us into a new era of harmony and uplifted consciousness….
Life-Cultivation Buckets of Skills
February 18, 2024
When I returned to music after not playing the violin for 35 years, it took a lot of patience both with myself and with finding a teacher who could meet me where I was on this musical journey. I was neither a beginner nor an advanced player. Some skills returned quickly and others I "never had."
I met a teacher who explained that we could view music as a series of buckets. Some buckets were more full than others but we needed all of those buckets to develop musically. Each was important and each could be learned - even the ones like improv which I thought you were just born with:)
Continue reading to learn about a model to help enhance your life-cultivation efforts
‘The Book Thief’ and the Source of Our Creations
February 3, 2024
If we aren’t aware of what’s inside of us, how do we know what we are truly radiating into the world in every moment? How can we know if we are creating uplifting change on any level?
With or without words, our Qifields are constantly conveying information or telling stories. Every bit of information sends a message whether conscious or unconscious. Everything about us has an effect–even the things we hide from ourselves. This has profound effects on what we create in life and community–first within ourselves and then rippling outward in ways we can’t possibly imagine.
Continue reading …
Exploring Identification
January 28, 2024
If it brings about an uplifted life, moves us toward unconditional love, openness, Gongjing (true respect, humility, oneness), and into peace, harmony, real joy and wisdom -
– why would we not put in the effort to free ourselves? What is it that you might consider more important?
Continue reading for inspiration and a few ideas on how to begin uplifting patterns…and why…
Patterns at the Podium
January 7, 2024
Lights dim, hushed audience awaits. A deep voice over the PA reminds them to turn off their phones, remove distractions. They wiggle in their seats vying for elbow space. A cough in the back, something falls to the floor. Finally, attention turns to center stage.
Prized speakers emerge from the wing. The first stomps towards the spotlight. Chest slightly puffed, dress shoes and jeans..
Continue reading this lively fictional tale as these personified patterns take over and create havoc.
Commonality Among Pilot Speak, Popcorn, and Life Cultivation
October 30, 2023
… As we learn and grow, it's like we are a little expanding kernel exploding into popcorn joy. At first, we each pop out of the popcorn maker one by one but our learning is still in the Qifield and the others learn from that too. It's like adding heat to the popcorn maker so that eventually there is enough heat (information and heart qualities) for more kernels to expand. The expansion creates momentum and there is a force moving all the popcorn upward in a large mass together.
Continue reading…
Global Awakening Photo, Connection, Resources
October 2, 2023
It warmed my heart to spend time with you yesterday. Whether you came live or via the Qifield only, you were part of a global movement with a pure intent to cultivate your life and thereby uplift the world.
When it becomes available, I'll share the collection of photos and videos taken from the gatherings around the world.
Today I'd like to share some of what was created in our online gathering yesterday and provide some resources and connection points.
The group added these qualities and intentions for our gathering and to be sent out into the world. You may wish to connect to your heart as you read and absorb the information and heartfelt wishes sent your way during our gathering:
Continue reading…
Jingshen Through Storm and Stillness
September 17, 2023
Jingshen is the everlasting you, the true YOU that continues life after life. It’s the non-physical entity of Shen, heart, and consciousness. At the core of Jingshen is Shen (True Self). Shen manifests the wisdom of totality through the heart and consciousness.
Let’s try an analogy of Jingshen as a family. Shen is the parent communicating through a full body hug to heart and consciousness. A healthy Jingshen is fully unified – Shen, heart, and consciousness as one - the full body hug. A healthy Jingshen operates according to Dao (laws of the Universe).
But most of us are not operating fully in accordance with Dao. We are instead filtering that information through unhealthy patterns, closing our hearts, and depleting our Qi. In other words, we are blocking the communication from Shen to heart and consciousness.
Continue reading…
Embody Hope
August 27, 2023
The wisdom, love, and hope radiated from Heart and Shen bring inspiration and creativity that can dramatically alter life and help the hearts of those around you remember that another way is possible.
Today’s story is inspired by a message I received last week.
It said: “...Steph, the expression in your eyes expresses hope, love, and gratitude.”
He was referring to my 30 Days of Gratitude live-stream project on Facebook and Instagram.
This message had meaning for me on many levels. Some of them are: a) My internal fire of fear has subsided….
How do you remain calm and hopeful when your world is on fire – literally or metaphorically?
Continue reading…
Wisdom Poetry for Heart and Shen (True Self)
August 18, 2023
When I began practising Yuan Qigong, poetry began spontaneously arising. Since then it has continued more often as I cultivate my heart qualities and practise Ling Yuan (the 8th method of Yuan Qigong).
Cultivating my self-expression and creativity is a large part of my growth and pattern work. I've taken a big breath and begun posting readings on Youtube. Ren Xue messages and themes are really not just for me:)
You may find the first reading, Identity Arising here.
Blueberries and the Pattern of Greediness
August 5, 2023
"I found a patch where the berries practically fell off and filled the bucket all by themselves. I’m exaggerating of course, but there were a lot of blues on that bush! But then I noticed I was looking to the other side of the bush and wanting THOSE ones. AND the ones further down the line. Hmmm… the pattern of greediness was picking with me:)
This seems like a small thing but it’s the act of awareness in my moment by moment activities that enables me to go in more deeply. The small things in daily life are the threads to follow on the path to realization..."
Find Yourself Flailing in the Deep End? Tips for Making it Through.
July 4, 2023
Sometimes life tosses us into the deep end and we feel like we’ve been given that sink or swim moment. Other times we’re like a crab in a pot and we don’t notice that the heat’s been turned up until things are boiling over.
A steady front crawl through the deep end with a solid two-handed touch on the other side to mark the end of that tortuous race should do the trick right?
But most of us find ourselves tired and just trying to tread water and breathe at times.
So, whether you’ve just dipped a toe into the kiddie pool of self-discovery, you’ve stridden into the deep end, or life just tossed you overboard and you find yourself flailing, here are some options…
In Search of Self
June 2, 2023
In Search of Self.
Does that make you uncomfortable?
Just the suggestion of looking inward?
If you haven’t been there – within yourself – where have you been and why did you go away?
“In search of self” is kind of a funny phrase.
There is no search here – you are within, where you’ve always been, and where you shall remain until your body gives way.
Then your SELF – your Jingshen[1] – that unity of consciousness, heart, and Shen[2], will carry on without its shell of skin and bones.
But let’s get back to your body …
Moving Out of the “Either-Or” of Polarized Thinking
June 2, 2023
Is it black or white? Good or bad? Right or wrong?
Choosing an "either-or” option limits our ability to see the whole picture. Can we really see all of the factors that caused this moment's event? Can we accurately predict all possible outcomes?
Our True Self is capable of manifesting wisdom gathered from the totality of the situation. Its capacity for creativity to find solutions beneficial to all – people, nature, the collective world - takes us past either-or and into a higher perspective not seen by closing ourselves to other possibilities. But how do we more consistently receive the information our True Self is quietly waiting to provide?
Spiralling into Trust and Qi Writers
May 25, 2023
Trust is one of the five heart qualities we focus on in Ren Xue. It is the gateway to our hearts. Without trust how can we open? Without openness, how can we give and receive love? Without love connecting us all, how can the natural flow of gratitude move between us? Without all of those qualities plus compassion, empathy, acceptance and more, how can we possibly begin to understand the oneness of us and everything……