My purpose is to explore and express my love of beauty and the beauty of love. Here’s some of what I’ve come up with.

Intuition into Action Takes Courage

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An Invitation to Grow

Intuition is often an invitation to grow.

Your heart, your Team of Divine Helpers, Source – whatever your beliefs – are pulling you forward, showing you the next best step on your soul’s journey.

It’s an answer to a spoken or unspoken need – an answer to your prayers.

Your ego is trying to protect you – wanting to keep you in the status quo, wanting to keep you small.

But staying in that place, ignoring your intuition, leads to dis-ease of many sorts. It’s stifling.

Emerging more fully into your True Self means growth. And growth often comes with a stretch of your comfort zones.

Change is scary. Stretching your comfort zones can be daunting. But it can be exciting too.

That mix of fear and excitement is often a sign that you’re about to grow. Go for it!

Going from intuition into action takes courage, and it’s worth it!

Every time I say “yes” to an invitation to grow (often following a “not again!”), it has led to some amazing experiences – and a life without regrets.

From Baby Steps to Leaps of Faith

I’d say I’m more of a chicken than most – no stranger to anxiety.

But I also have a very strong faith – a trust in my Team of Divine Helpers, in my intuition.

It’s evolved over the years the more I’ve said ‘yes!’ and experienced the amazing results.

From baby steps to leaps of faith, I’ve lived, worked and studied on 3 continents and 5 provinces.

That doesn’t mean I don’t experience the fear. I just do it anyway.

As you’ll see in the story below about how this video came into being, living intuitively can be fun, inspiring, creative, fulfilling, and yes, still a stretch of my comfort zones.

So take those baby steps. When you get an intuitive hit to call someone, go somewhere, do something – and can discern that it was intuition and not ego-driven, then go ahead!

Sometimes, the reason becomes obvious and immediate. Sometimes, it remains a mystery.

I’ve occasionally  found out years later that something I wrote, said or did led to major changes in someone’s life. That’s when I thank Spirit for the Guidance, knowing that my role was to say ‘yes!’ and now to give the credit to Source.

The more baby steps you take, the more you’ll learn to trust your intuition.

The more fulfilling results you experience from your baby steps, the easier it’ll become to take those leaps of faith that can totally transform your life. 

The Making of “The Lotus Lake Cowboy”

Just going to Ananda Village to live in community and volunteer for 2 months was a stretch of my comfort zones.

I’ve written in previous posts how the thoughts of having a roommate, physical labour, and long scheduled hours caused me a bit of trepidation before heading across the continent to be a karma yogi in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains of California.

But when I’m Guided, nothing stops me.

It turns out I loved it so much that I can see myself repeating the experience on a regular basis.

The fact that the scenery was so soul-nourishing helped. I shot quite a bit of video footage.

Walking around Lotus Lake, just 2 minutes from my room, was one of my usual nature breaks in between volunteer shifts and yoga classes.

Weeks into my stay there, I saw horseshoe prints in the dried up mud. I immediately thought: “Oh, I’d love video footage of a horse here”.

Within hours, the first photo on my Facebook feed (the only one I see when I turn on fb to post) was of a horse and person. Inner bells rang!

I looked at who posted it – it was Mai Lee, a local who had just become a FB Friend after messaging me to ask if she could share my photos of the Crystal Hermitage Garden.

I’ll admit, there was a moment of hesitation before reaching out as I can be quite shy. The camera has given me courage over the years. Part of me knew that seeing that post was a gift from my Team of Divine Helpers.  

So I turned intuition into action and messaged Mai, asking if the horseshoe prints at Lotus Lake might have been from that horse in the picture.

She said yes and gave me Andrew Heinemann’s contact information. I only found out later that it was her husband!

Soon, we had a sunrise date and he even brought a change of wardrobe. This guy was ready to play! Yay!

Andrew later told me he doesn’t usually go to Lotus Lake but had felt called to on that muddy day. This was divinely coordinated for our joy (and hopefully yours too through the video above).

Ruby (the horse) and Red (the dog) were just as photogenic and cooperative!

I was thrilled that Andrew had taken his intuition into action and that I’d followed through on mine too.

Was it a stretch of my comfort zones? Sure. A happy baby step!

This is the last video from my Ananda Wishlist with all the footage I captured during my 2 months.

The storyline evolved as I was playing with my 105 clips from our session and the song “The Spirit of the West” from Epidemic Sound (a source of royalty free music I pay a yearly membership to access).

I won’t tell you too much about what I was thinking, but see if you can tune into the themes of:

  • going around in circles
  • circling opportunities
  • transformation
  • darkness to light
  • walking on the Right Path
  • wise Guides

And if you’ve enjoyed this post and are moved to support my creative endeavours, I invite you to donate through PayPal here. Thank you!

To learn more about taking intuition into action, sign-up for my free 75-minute tutorial here.

 

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The People On Your Path

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Soul Agreements

Something shifted for me decades ago when presented with the idea that our souls had made agreements with many other souls to meet in this lifetime so we could experience something that would help us on our path to enlightenment.

How does it feel to contemplate that you chose your family – your parents, siblings, children?

What about those who have graced your life with encouragement, acceptance, love? How did you grow from that?

Now what about the petty tyrants whose presence you likely would have preferred not to encounter?

Why do you think your souls pre-arranged such conflicts, mis-treatment, challenges?

What have been the gifts hidden under the layers of pain & suffering?

It was only decades after being bullied in elementary school that I recognized that those challenging years offered me a crucial choice between peer pressure and following my already strong sense of Self, my intuition.

I chose the latter and am who I am today because of that defining yet painful chapter of my life.

It took years to heal the wounds, but I now focus on the gifts of that time and am grateful for them.

Would I want to go through that again? No way! But I don’t feel I need to.

It’s time for other teachers, other experiences along the continuing Path.

How is Your Presence on the Path of Others?

While volunteering at Ananda Village for 2 months last spring, I was blessed with many welcoming, heart-warming encounters.

You would expect people living in a spiritual community to have a higher vibration.

But people are people. Everyone is on a Path and has both good and bad days.

In that environment, I was even more aware of both love in action and calls for love.

I sometimes felt triggered and I triggered others. Luckily, our common goals made it easier to discuss such things.

For example, it was much easier for me to shine my Light and radiate love & joy when surrounded by the beauty of the Crystal Hermitage Garden, following creative inspiration with my camera, or at the morning breakfast shift – being a morning person.

Late at night, however, past my usual bedtime, it took a lot more work to be people vs. task-oriented.

I apologized more than once for my irritation and task-master tendencies when all I wanted to do was get the kitchen duties done so I could go to bed, knowing I had to get up early again the next day.

Overall, despite being an introvert, I was pleased with what I brought to my roommates, karma yogi team and community at large.

By the time I left, I could imagine signing-up as a karma yogi for a few months every year. Not bad since the whole experience was a stretch of my comfort zones that had me squirm in fear when intuitively guided to go.

How about you? What kind of impact are you having on the lives of those around you?

How can your self-awareness help you be more of the light & love that you were always meant to be on others’ Paths?

Role Models: Ram & Denise

One of the greatest blessings of this karma yogi experience was being around so many loving people, when I’m used to a more hermit lifestyle back in Newfoundland.

Meeting Ram and Denise (featured in the video above) is a great example of that.

I didn’t get to know them well. We may have crossed paths only 4-5 times in 2 months.

But their impact was heart-felt. Their light shone bright, providing a beautiful model for how I’d like to be more of in the world.

During my first Sunday service at the Temple of Light, Ram was to the left of me in the same pew. His singing went straight to my soul, enhancing the spiritual experience.

He introduced me to his wife Denise and their welcoming smiles always felt so genuine.

Then, one day, Denise invited me to drop by their home inside the Vana Deva Sanctuary. I’ll admit, I felt awkward just knocking on their door – perhaps because this kind of “unannounced interruption” isn’t something I’d enjoy.

Inballah, one of my fellow karma yogis, gave me a ride after one of our shifts. We soon felt right at home and delighted to be there.

Ram & Denise gave us a private concert and tour of their garden. When I asked if I could film it, they didn’t hesitate to say yes.

The results are not only in the video above but in my heart.

And this is only one of the many examples of the beautiful encounters I had during my 2 months.

Some people and circumstances bring out the best in us. I was obviously ready for this kind of experience since my soul guided me there.

I’m aware that my own joy, openness and giving attitude contributed to what I was experiencing at Ananda Village. We get what we give.

I wouldn’t consider myself someone with the greatest people skills, but I can only hope that all the examples of love and authenticity I experience are helping me be more of that myself.

How about you? Who inspires you to be more of your True Self without the layers of fear and conditioning that may keep you small?

Remember. You are the gift.

Thank you for being you – in your good days and more challenging ones.

Now go back to the top of the page  if you haven’t watched the video yet and enjoy your visit to Ram & Denise’s home too.

 

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Intuition is the Way of the Future

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The ways things work are changing.

The recent epidemic had many people question the structures and systems that govern both public infrastructure and their personal lives. It seems that many are realizing that the way of the future won’t be the way of the past. It simply can’t be.

According to the authors of the latest book I’m reading, “The Yugas: Keys to Understanding Our Hidden Past, Emerging Energy Age, and Enlightened Future”, our age is very slowly ascending towards an era called Tetra Yuga:

“This is when many people realize how connected we all really are — and work towards enhancing those connections. Many discover a higher purpose in life, which includes developing their life force. Many have acquired a sound intuition and know where to take their ideas.”
~ Joseph Selbie and David Steinmetz

Although this era will begin far in the future for the population at large, some are leading the way.

Intuition is crucial in order to tune into new ideas and new ways of doing things.

It’s no longer about following social norms and living a life based on others’ expectations.

It’s time to forge your unique path that is aligned with your Highest Good and the Highest Good of All. 

To do that, you need to tune in to your inner wisdom, making decisions that may go against what’s typical in your area but are designed for you to emerge more fully as your Self.

Intuition is like having a direct line to Spirit, through your inner & outer senses, to know what is right for you.

Paramhansa Yogananda, the Indian yogi who brought yoga to the States back in the 20s and the guru to those at Ananda Village, where I recently spent 2 months volunteering, said:

All of God’s children are endowed with the highest intelligence: intuition, the all-knowing wisdom of the soul.

and

To progress and to avoid the misery of mistakes, you have to find what is the truth in everything. This is possible only if you develop your intuition. That is the practical truth of the matter. That is why I am asking you to cultivate and use intuitive power in everything. In your relationships with others, in your business, in your married life, in every part of your life, intuition is essential.

But intuition in our culture isn’t often encouraged in the young. So that gift has lost its power and needs to be re-awakened and strengthened.

To do that, some tools can be helpful. That’s why I developed my Divine Storytelling Time intuitive reading packages 10 years ago.

Divine Storytelling Time as an Intuitive Hearing Aid

So, how do you develop your intuition?

Meditation is highly recommended.

For those who prefer to have a more playful and active approach, a Divine Storytelling Time package is a wonderful intuitive hearing aid.

This is a customized self-study guide for your transformational journey – a tool in your self-discovery and decision-making process.

It holds layer upon layer of intuitive data that can help guide you for months or even years to come.

What it offers is imagery and dream-like stories that are yours to interpret. I channel the visions. You figure out what they mean to you – and that meaning can change depending on the questions in your heart at the time you listen / look / play.

That’s why these Divine Storytelling Time Packages require repeated listening and contemplation – as well as inspired action.

With this unique style of intuitive reading, you’re provided with 4 resources that help you develop your intuitive muscles.
  • Spirit Calling Card reading: a 5-card spread that you can pull your own meaning from – either from the words / images or combination.
  • Your Divine Storytelling Time: a 1-hour audio recording of the channeled visions I receive from your Higher Self & Team of Divine Helpers. It’s a lot more than entertainment!
  • A Visual Gift: This is a high resolution energy-infused digital art creation with and without affirmation (that you can have printed as big as desired) with 5-8 layers of my photos from around the world. You’ll also get to see the original photos in case they  hold intuitive clues for your interpretation.
    – the Visual Gift at the top of this blog is from my most recent reading & included 8 layers from 5 countries
  • Instructions & Worksheets.

If you like to play detective and like to be empowered by tuning inwards to find your own answers – this is for you.

These packages take me 4-5 hours to co-create with Spirit, connecting through the aether without your need to be present or online. I send you a link to your package by email.

Some clients return every year or two, reporting that it’s becoming much easier and taking less time with every reading to make intuitive decisions that have transformed their lives. Their intuition has become stronger with practice.

“Because you’re a lightworker, you focus on the positive steps to live your best life. I wasn’t depending on you to make the meaning out of the story. That’s my job. That was the fun and really empowering part for me. … I felt more involved. Sure, it was more of a challenge, but so much more powerful, personal. I feel you reach people at a deeper level of their soul – letting them figure out where their potential can take them.  …I’m so much more self-aware and intuitive now because I was willing to do the work… And I believe in myself more because of it.”  ~ Cynthia Ferrie (read full testimonial here.)

8 Spots for September

It’s time to live your best life and take empowered decisions that are right for you.

Is this the right time for you to experience one of my Divine Storytelling Time packages? Ask your heart and take action if the very first answer you receive is a sense of expansion.

I now have 8 spots open for September.

Your investment is $247 Canadian (~$183 U.S.).

Interested? Order yours here.

Want to try a 6-minute sample first to get a better idea of how it works? You can do so here.

It would be my honour to serve you in this way.

Dominique

 

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Blue Lotus Feet Music Video

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I’m elated to finally share this “Blue Lotus Feet” music video with you! I say “finally” because if you know me, I like to go from inspiration to realization in as short and intensive a burst of creative energy as possible.

This music video took over a year in 3 countries to create!

First, was the joy of manifesting my vision of the dancer Paramjyoti C. Stieber in front of the blue roof of the Temple of Light at Ananda Assisi in the summer of 2023.  This was at the tail end of my 2 months in Italy getting my Transformative Art Certification.

I fell in love with the iconic blue roofs of Ananda – they remind me of both a lotus flower and some sort of bloom arched over to protect its precious people.

Once I had Paramjyoti on video, I had a vision of what I wanted to paint on my own personal drum (featured in the video above). I’d painted & sold 26 drums, but didn’t have one of my own yet.

When it came time to write my blog post introducing the Temple Dancer Drum, I decided to make a video, licensing the chant “Blue Lotus Feet” composed by Paramhansa Yogananda sung on the Divine Mother Chants album available from Crystal Clarity Publishers.

But then, I was guided to spend 2 months volunteering at Ananda Village in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains in Northern California. So I decided to bring my drum – not only to chant at the weekly kirtan sessions, but also to finish shooting the music video.

I was looking forward to drumming in front of the Temple of Light (seen at the end of the video).  I also discovered I could do so in front of the blue roof of the Moksha Mandir (Swami Kriyananda’s final resting place) in the Crystal Hermitage Garden (seen at the beginning of the video).

I received plenty of inspiration at the Crystal Hermitage Garden during my many visits throughout March & April 2024. Shooting through the sprinklers at sunrise was pure awe-inspiring joy! My eyes and heart could hardly contain the beauty of the sun rays piercing through the water streams.

Then, one day, fellow karma yogi Kelsey Britton showed up to our volunteer shift with blue toe nails and well, that clinched it. I had her personify Divine Mother’s blue lotus feet by standing on a carpet of pink Chinese camellia petals I found by the gate, stepping out of the century-old Burmese standing Buddha statue at the upper pond, and gently enjoying the water of the lower pool. I also included the blue feet of a Shiva statue in one of the village’s residential neighbourhoods and the lap of a Babaji statue in the Crystal Hermitage Garden laden with floral offerings.

There are layers of footage and symbolism in this video. Enjoy discovering what they all mean for you. Chant along and feel your vibration rise!

And if you’re interested in donating towards my creative efforts, I welcome your contributions through PayPal here.

Who is the Divine Mother?

The Divine Mother is the feminine aspect of the Divine. For you, that may be the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary, Mother Earth, Kali, Lakshmi, Dhurga or so many others. She is both personal and impersonal.

Paramhansa Yogananda says:

The Divine Mother is so beautiful! But remember, in Her higher manifestation even that beauty is formless. She is in everything. Her divine, compassionate love is expressed in the raindrops. Her beauty is reflected in the colors of the rainbow. She offers fresh hope to mankind with the rose-tinted clouds at dawn. Above all, be ever conscious of Her presence in your heart.

If you’d like to read more about the Divine Mother, I recommend these 2 articles:

  1. “Who is Divine Mother?” by Swami Kriyananda
  2. “The Many Faces of Divine Mother” by Tyagi Jayadev

Want a Drum?

I currently have 2 other one-of-a-kind drums available for sale for $999 Canadian.

The Labyrinth Drum – see it here

The Mother Drum – see it here

Drum commissions are $1111.  Contact me to discuss your vision or allow my Team of Divine Helpers to channel it with the help of your own.

 

 

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2 Guided Video Experiences of the 12 Universal Laws

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This 21-minute journey into the 12 Universal Laws was recorded live during my recent Enter the Mandala exhibition open house & artist talk.

Actually, the video above is more of a 2 in 1 experience. Feel your way to which activity you want to do first.

1- Guided Journey into the 12 Universal Laws

Close your eyes, listen and open to both your own intuitive experience and / or a deeper understanding of each of the 12 Universal Laws. 

Why?

Because they hold the keys to a happier healthier life. 

The Laws exist. We either use them to our advantage or disadvantage.

The more we understand them, the more powerful co-creators we become of the life we were always meant to live.

May this short exercise nourish your transformational journey from the inside out.

2- Ask Your Question & Contemplate

This time, turn the sound off. 

Ask your Higher Self & Team of Divine Helpers, whomever that is for you, a simple open question on how to improve an area of your life.

For example,

  • How can I be more loving in my relationship with…?
  • How can I live more in alignment with my Highest Good?
  • What can I do to improve my work / life balance?
  • What is the next step on my life Path?
  • etc.

Then, contemplate each of the 12 mandalas in the video – absorbing their life-enhancing Universal Energy Flow and contemplating the symbolism, interpreting it in your own way.

Keep asking your heart, what something that catches your attention might mean.

Pay attention to all your intuitive channels: listen, feel, see, taste, smell, know inside & out.

Your answers are within – in the silence and calm of contemplation. The mandalas are but portals into that Universal Energy Flow, unlocking your own inner wisdom.

As you Enter the Mandalas, may you access your inner treasure chest of answers and Guidance.

Dive Deeper into the 12 Universal Laws

If you’d like to dive deeper, you can also find these resources on my website:

  1. Summary mandala and text of all 12 Universal Laws – click here
  2. Index / Guide to the 12 Universal Law Mandalas – click here
      • Here, you’ll find my introduction to this year-long project and links to all 12 webpages for each of the mandalas. You can listen to the original intuitive reading (Divine Storytelling Time channeling) from which I pulled the symbolism, witness the painting process, and dive deeper into the symbolism interpretation.
  3. Buy the Universal Laws Guided Visioning Meditation album (12 x ~30-minute meditation mp3s for $44 Canadian) – click here to download
  4. Order prints on canvas or paper in your choice of size – click here

 

Co-Creating this collection with Spirit changed my life.

Almost 10 years later, I still use what I’ve learned to get back on, stay on, and strengthen my steps on my journey through life.

May your work with these mandalas help you do the same.

Please Donate

If you benefited from this and my other offering, I invite you to donate to my intuitive visionary art practice, allowing me to continue co-creating and sharing what I do. 

Every dollar helps.

In Canada, you can send e-transfers to [email protected] or use this PayPal donation link here for PayPal or credit/debit card contributions.

Thank you. Your support means a lot.

Dominique

 

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Not Forcing It This Summer

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When I left for a week in a cabin in the woods at the Tree of Life Retreat Centre, I had no expectations but to relax.

It took 2 days to decompress and another 3 days to finish reading an inspiring 650-page biography. I took a few photos on my nature walks, but was happy just being. Yoga, meditation, reading, eating & sleeping. A time of quiet and stillness. That was about it.

On Day 4, when my good buddy Leslie joined me, I took a few videos, thinking I’d post a few Story clips on Facebook. But by the time we left on Day 8, I had spent several hours shooting and editing this video. It just naturally emerged from the joy I was feeling.

Creativity isn’t something that can be forced. But it can be inspired or sparked. 

Sometimes just sitting at the studio table with paint and a blank canvas, or walking in a beautiful setting can get the creative juices flowing. It’s not forcing it. It’s giving it space to come to life.

There may be lulls in life. Or crazy busy times. This summer, I encourage you to create the inner and outer space (in your schedule, for example) to allow creativity to naturally emerge. 

Follow your bliss. Play with your camera, with paint, clay, music, movement, found treasures on the beach, etc.

Remember when summer was a time for play? Bring some of that back into your life. Welcome the childlike curiosity and wonder that leads to magical moments and uplifted spirits.

May it be so.

P.S. I may not be blogging every week this summer. I don’t want to force that either. If I come up with something inspiring to share, I will. Just giving myself permission to do that feels necessary right now. Thanks for your understanding.

 

 

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The Gift of Letting Go Meditation

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Here’s the guided visioning meditation I channeled at last week’s Body Mind Spirit retreat. I named it “The Gift of Letting Go Meditation”, but so many other names could have been chosen for the many gifts it includes.

As usual when I decide to record these, I ask my Team of Divine Helpers to tune into those who were there at 7am for this optional gathering as well as to all those who would ever listen to it. So I received it for you too.

For some retreat participants, this was a calming or joy-filled experience. For others, it was a cathartic transformational one. For you – it will be exactly as you need it to be. Trust in the process.

The meditations I channel come to me through visions that I relay as I receive them – like a movie behind my closed eyelids. At some points, the visions pause to give the meditator the opportunity to tune into their own guidance in between following the journey I describe. For that reason, your experience will be different every time you listen to it.

Trust what comes to you – through imagination or any of your intuitive senses: inner sight, hearing, sensing, smell, taste, knowing (memories, downloads, ideas, etc.).

May this 36-minute experience bring you within our circle of beautiful souls at the retreat and within your Self – raising your vibration and leading to inspired action in your life …

Enjoy this gift as a part of the Intuition into Action Treasure Map to your best life.

Meditation Collections Available to Download

You’ll find 3 collections of guided visioning mp3 for sale in my online shop – $44 Canadian each.

1. Chakra Balance Meditations:

Chakra Balance Meditations - 9 Guided Visioning Audio Files

9 channeled guided visioning meditations to help you balance your 7 main chakras: root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye & crown.

Each meditation is enhanced by the chakra-specific musical compositions of Christopher Lloyd Clarke from his Seven Sacred Centres album.

Buy it here for $44 Canadian.

 

2. Universal Law Meditations:

Universal Laws Meditations - 12 Guided Visioning Meditations

12 guided visioning Universal Law meditations to help you transform your life from the inside out.

Consciously co-create your life.  Use each of the 12 Universal Laws to your advantage. Start by doing so in your inner landscape with these 12 guided visioning meditations. Then watch your outer life change too.

Learn more and buy it here for $44 Canadian

 

3. Guided Visioning Journeys

cover image - guided visioning journeysEnjoy 11 guided visioning journeys to help raise your vibration for a happier healthier life. Each meditation will help you connect to your intuition to open to inspired being and doing.

Connect with your Team of Divine Helpers and benefit from this dedicated time and space on your spiritual path.

Learn more and buy it here for $44 Canadian.

 

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Retreat, Reassess, Re-Engage

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Introspection is key on the path to self-realization. Without awareness, how will we know what changes we need to make on our transformational journeys?

Self-study before falling asleep is very beneficial (much more than Netflix!, which is my bad habit). Take a few moments in bed to review your day. Were your thoughts and actions in alignment with your Higher Self?

Sometimes, a longer session out of your ordinary environment, especially in nature, can be such a gift.

A change of scenery can help you to retreat, reassess, and re-engage in what truly matters to you.

You might choose a weekend group retreat with workshops, like the one I taught at this past weekend.

Or you may prefer a self-guided personal retreat at a cabin in the woods for a week, like the one I’m leaving for on Thursday?

How about a 2-month intensive one like my March & April karma yoga experience at Ananda Village in California (where I shot the video above)?

Whether nightly, at the end/start of your week, or for a longer period of time, regular self-study can bring you back to your Self. And oh! how that feels good.

Back to Same Old, Same Old?

How many wellness or spirituality workshops have you attended, techniques you’ve learned, or books you’ve read that you believed you’d implement into your life but didn’t? Or not to the extent you felt would benefit you at the time?

Maybe you did integrate them …but only for a while or until the next workshop or book.

Why?

In these modern times, it’s so easy to let good things slip.

Life is busy. Practices take time.

Distractions abound. Our attention and energy is drawn in every direction.

Money is necessary. Earning a living can so quickly take precedent over living a life.

Will power can be weak. Self-discipline can easily turn into giving up, beating ourselves up for not implementing something, or becoming so rigid that nothing we do will be good for us, leaving us forever feeling like we’re not good enough. So why bother…?

So even if you resonated with a philosophy or were passionate about the practices, it’s not easy to create and keep new habits.

As Paramhansa Yogananda ,author of “Autobiography of a Yogi” and guru to those at Ananda Village, says:

“Environment is stronger than will power.”

My Transition Time

While I was at Ananda Village, I thrived on the sacred routines and practices.

My intentions as I left ashram life on May 1st were good. But I’d get to them later, as I had a 1-week stop in Calgary for heart-warming visits with family and friends.

I could’ve fit in a shorter routine than our 4 hours of yoga & meditation, but chose not to. Instead, in my free time before, after, or in between social visits, I enjoyed reading one of the many books I brought back from Ananda Village. That too was great!

Once home in Newfoundland, I got busy settling back in and catching up on running my soulpreneur business – being a full time artist and lightworker.

After a slow start, I’m now doing my 1 hour 45-minute energization/yoga/meditation routine most days of the week. My goal is still to do it once a day, but sometimes something else “gets in the way”… including myself.

I’m enjoying my books, nature walks with friends/ my camera/ the neighbour’s dog, and focusing on healthy eating.

On Sundays, when at home, I continue to attend the Ananda Village Sunday Service online or the one from Ananda Assisi, where I was last summer. But if I missed it Live, I haven’t gone back to the recording at the end of the day, choosing a movie instead.

Yup! I’ve way too easily slipped back into my Netflix habit. I love movies! When my energy crashes after a long day, it’s so easy to lie down to enjoy a good film … (or a bad one if I can’t find a good one.) The problem is that it can too easily turn into 2 or 3 or more…. There’s a difference between enjoying a good flick and binge-watching in what I call cocoon-mode.

I’ve always done everything intensively – painting marathons, long focused concentrated projects, blog-writing, movie days, etc. That’s why I loved having a solid 2-month karma yoga experience. All in and fully present.

After a few weeks back home, I felt the energy shifting. My daily introspection revealed a lot that I’m doing right. But it’s also revealed that:

  • My physical energy levels aren’t as high, and although I know what would lift them, I often choose otherwise.
  • When a big art-acquisition project fell through, I dipped into disbelief, disillusionment, and financial fear (for a day), even if on some level I knew that if it didn’t happen, it was obviously not meant to be. What a great opportunity to see I need a lot more practice in becoming even-minded and cheerful no matter what. Yogananda says even-mindedness the most important condition for happiness.
  • My thoughts and words in those times didn’t reflect the deeper truths I’m often so connected to – listening to myself talk to my Papa on the phone about it didn’t feel right. I was just perpetuating the little-self pity party.

Basically, I’m not consistently making the healthy choices that I loved making at the ashram…

So, it’s time to retreat, reassess, and re-engage.

Retreat Time

Know thyself! I do. That’s why, 1.5 months after my return from a 2-month California ashram experience, I’m going on another retreat. This time, it’s self-directed and for a week.

Some may say that as a single solopreneur who’s been away from income-earning for months, that doesn’t seem like a smart thing to do.

But could anything be smarter than taking a week to step back from what’s happening to reconnect to God/Nature, recalibrate the inner compass, practice the habits I want to integrate more fully into my lifestyle and seek Guidance for the journey ahead?

If the same old same old doesn’t work, a change of scenery for more intensive introspection and to raise my vibration yet again can help reset life.

It was amazing being a part of the Body Mind Spirit retreat on the weekend, leading and witnessing 35 beautiful souls as they did this for themselves. I always come home with my cup full. In between my workshops and meditations, I did participate in 3 other leaders’ workshops. Fantastic. But I’m hungry for more.

So I’m heading to the Tree of Life Retreat Sustainability Project and Retreat Centre, not far from the city of St. John’s, where I live. This is where I was inspired to create my first documentary – a project that naturally emerged from a weekend at the Airbnb on location.

Before I left for California, I worked on several testimonial videos for their upcoming fundraising campaign. Part of my payment was to spend a week in the cabin there.

I’ll be a few days off-grid on my own and a few days with two close friends to also offer them the opportunity to retreat and regroup.

Daily yoga and meditation. Daily nature walks & contemplations. Reading. Journaling. Simple living and vegetarian cooking. Asking for Guidance and opening to intuition.

To attune my will with the will of God/Source, I have to tune in. And for me, nature is one of the best places to do that. It’s great in little bits and pieces, but a good dose is even better.

As always, I share my process with you as I can only inspire through what inspires me.

Perhaps my story will help you realize you need time away from your routines to make different choices in your lifestyle. It could stimulate creative ideas through bartering or karma yoga opportunities if finances don’t presently allow it.

Is it time to retreat, reassess and re-engage? Know that if you’ve read all the way to the end, it’s for a reason. Enjoy discovering what that is, through your own introspective process.

Namaste.

Dominique

 

P.S. The video “Sacred Stillness” (top of page) is one of the ones I created at Ananda Village to share my experience there. The Expanding Light Retreat across from the Temple of Light is where I lived & volunteered for 2 months. At the end, you get a glimpse at their weekly purification ceremony, which precedes their Sunday Service.

“The fire ceremony is but a symbol of the true fire ritual which takes place within each of us through our spiritual practices. In this ceremony, we offer up all of our desires, attachments, and past karma to be transmuted and purified. 

The fire ceremony includes the chanting of two ancient mantras: the Gayatri Mantra which is for enlightenment and the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra which is for liberation.

During the Gayatri Mantra, the ghee is offered into the fire, representing our devotion and longing to know God. During the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, rice is dropped into the fire, representing our past karma, which will be transformed and offered up to the Divine.”

 

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Letting Go of Limiting Beliefs – karma yoga style

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Oh how natural it is to get into patterns of thoughts and beliefs that keep us small and fearful. It’s time to let go of limiting beliefs!

Our egos, our small selves, hang on to these untruths, illusions and delusions because it thinks that’s what’s needed to keep us safe. All it does though, is keep us in the status quo. And how is that working?!

Letting go of limiting beliefs is part of that essential stretch of the comfort zones that leads to emerging more as our True Selves.

Here’s a story from my life that illustrates how feeling the fear and doing it anyway, when intuitively guided, can open up so much!

When my Higher Self clearly guided me to sign-up for the karma yoga program (volunteering through service) at Ananda Village in the Sierra Foothills of California for 2 months, my little self balked. 

“I haven’t lived on a set schedule for years! What if I can’t stay awake in the evenings? I’m so used to getting up before dawn and watching movies energy-less in bed after supper?!”

“What if I can’t keep up to all those young ones?! I’m not a very physical person. Apart from long sauntering walks in nature and restorative yoga once in a while, I don’t do much. My upper body is so weak. I never use my arms except to type at the computer or sit at the painting table.”…

“I thrive on being alone! As an introvert, I need a lot of alone time. There, I’ll be sharing a bedroom and constantly working in a team. I’m a much better leader than team player.”

“What!? the toilets are in a separate building than the bedrooms? Last year in March they were buried in snow. I’ll never get back to sleep if I even make it to the toilets in that cold.”

These are only some of fear-based thoughts and limiting beliefs that spun in my head along with the excitement of knowing that if I was guided, it was for my Highest Good. Now, I chuckle as I type them out for you.

From baby steps to leaps of faiths, I’ve had a lifetime of learning to trust my intuition. So if Guided, nothing can stop me.

As you know, I did sign-up for this stretch of my comfort zones.  I was part of the karma yoga team for the full months of March and April. And I thrived, so grateful for this gift from the Universe!

Sure, I was really tired, especially that first week. But I was also happy. The group was great. The variety of ways we served kept my mind, heart, and body active. The prayer, chanting and spirituality in every part of the day was so aligned with who I am. And when I put my head down on the pillow, I slept solidly.

Yes, there were adjustments. I learned not to drink water after supper, even if the evening shift sometimes ended past 9:30pm. That way, I only woke up at 4 or 5 am. I’d grab my pre-packed bag of clothes and quickly run up the few flights of outdoors stairs up to the washrooms for relief and a good shower before moving on with my day – reading before the 6:30 am yoga class when I wasn’t scheduled for the breakfast shift.

I ended up loving the simplicity and flow of our busy schedules. I like routines, and I like variety. We had both!

Our karma yoga shifts worked my body in a way that motivated me to attend, when possible, the 2 yoga classes a day (3.5 hours). Oh how those stretches, affirmations, energization exercises and meditation fuelled me. And the yoga made it possible for me to fulfill my physically demanding service duties.

This body had been used to way too much sitting in a day. But as you can see in this Breakfast Boogie Timelapse video (top of page), I benefitted from lots of exercise during my 2 months. I’m now stronger and healthier!

What you’re watching in the video is the end of the dishes shift after a light supper and my solo breakfast shift the next morning from 5am-8:15 am. Being on my own, I decided to play with my 2 iPhones to create this 4-minute glimpse into my life there. That shift officially starts at 6:15, but if I wanted do it in a relaxing & playful way, and since I could only carry 1 floor mat in from the back dock at a time, I decided to give myself an extra 75 minutes …. and needed it, especially when we had big groups. On this day, it was a small group.

As for thinking I couldn’t keep up to the young ones, it turned out that at 57, I was of average age. And the beauty of teamwork is that if I couldn’t lift the mop bucket to empty it in the tiny sink room, others could & would.

By week 3, I felt such joy that I could lift the heavy wooden cover to the large garbage storage container outside, something I couldn’t do on my first day.

Evening shifts remained more challenging for me, but it gave me great practice at observing and controlling not only my energy levels, but my irritability and patience levels. I (and everyone else) noticed that I had a tendency to be a task-master if I became afraid we’d be there too late. Some got engaged in conversation, slowing down the completion of everything on the checklist. I was given plenty of opportunities to recognize how I valued the goal more than the process. After all, this wasn’t just a physical boot-camp, it was a spiritual one too. Luckily, I went into the experience already knowing that if I were triggered, it was more about me than anyone else.

Our days were beautifully balanced between yoga, meditation, karma yoga shifts, delicious vegetarian meals, spiritual philosophy classes, special activities, Sunday service, and yes, once in a while, alone time.

There was always a table for those wanting to eat in silence instead of socializing. There were plenty of nature spots to retreat to in order to read, take photo walks, etc. And every week we got to indicate what shifts we wanted off. I’d always ask for the lunch shift off after the Crystal Hermitage Garden shift so I could stay to picnic and bask in the beauty with my camera for an extra couple of hours before the beautiful 1-hour walk back through the forest and village. I’d also ask for Friday evenings off so I could join kirtan (devotional chanting) in the temple.

By the end of April, I could envision doing this for a few months every year, either in California or at Ananda Assisi community in Italy. We’ll see…

I’m just so glad that I didn’t let my fears or limiting beliefs stop me from a Spirit-guided opportunity to experience 2 beautiful months fulfilling my life purpose – to travel the world exploring and expressing my love of beauty and the beauty of love.

Your Letting Go of Limiting Beliefs

What about you? What limiting beliefs are standing in the way of your emerging more fully as your True Self in the world?

What are you being Guided to be, do or have that requires a stretch of your comfort zones? Can you take baby steps? How about leaps of faith?

Ask your Team of Divine Helpers to

  • guide you to what’s in your Highest Good
  • help you see and let go of your limiting beliefs
  • feel the fear and do it anyway
  • live the amazing life you were meant to live.

May it be so. Namaste (the Spirit in me bows to the Spirit in you).

 

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With Childlike Curiosity and Wonder

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You’ve heard me say all this before:

  • Follow your bliss.
  • Tune into your intuition by paying attention with childlike curiosity and wonder to what awakens your spirit.
  • Ask and you shall receive.
  • Take one inspired action at a time to see where it takes you.

I’m so glad I did!

The first thing I noticed as my taxi from Sacramento turned into Ananda Village in the Sierra foothills of California were the donkeys and goats. I craned my neck as we climbed the road past them.

The grin on my face told me it wouldn’t take long to come back to that spot to commune with them. I didn’t even have to do that!

It turns out that the Mowing Team’s fenced-in territory extended right below my bedroom window, where I could see them making their way to and from their various chomping grounds.

Soon after, I met Virani Ramsden, aka the goat lady, and Ian Allen, one of her WWOOFers (an international volunteer program separate from my karma yoga one – World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms).

Needless to say, I asked if I could come to the milking barn for a visit. 

Next thing I knew, I had sore smile muscles and over a hundred clips for what became the video above.

What fun! The 12 hours I spent on the video were more than I’d spent at the milking barn, but I got as much fun creating the video.

On an aside, I do believe that I’ve had such a hard time appealing my “under age” ban on my video editing app because Divine Mother wanted me to do more yoga and meditation instead of spending all my free time … and sleep time … creating videos.  But that’s another story.

The point is, if you’re curious about something, follow through!

For me, asking to come to the milking barn after feeling such joy at just spotting the goats and donkeys on my way in led to some beautiful opportunities and connections. It helped me become a part of the village. For that, I am so grateful.

Reawaken Your Childlike Curiosity and Wonder

So many villagers told me after watching the video that they didn’t know what the inside of the barn looked like. They weren’t aware that Virani had acquired equipment to help her do the milking. They got an education and a few chuckles too.

I remember when I worked at the National Capital Commission and later taught English as a Second Language at the University of Ottawa. I organized so many activities that had me discovering my hometown in many new ways.

It’s so easy for locals to take things for granted or simply be unimpressed by what tourists travel the world to see.

Don’t you find that you get to know places you visit much better than your own hometown? Maybe that’s why I’ve been inspired to move so many times in my life. I love discovering new places.

It’s kept my childlike curiosity and wonder alive.

But now that I’ve lived 13 years in the same city, I’ll admit, I don’t nearly do as much tourism and culture as I used to. It’s true, my attention is often more on my inner world than the outer world, but again, that’s another story.

The challenge is not to become blasé about where we’re at – inwardly or outwardly. Challenge yourself to see the world with new eyes… including the people around you.

After all, nothing in life is constant but change itself.

No one wakes up in the morning exactly as they were the day before. This is just as true with nature, cultural programming, or relationships.

So why not wake up like children do – open, curious and in the flow of the evolving mystery of every day. Let’s not get blasé about life.

If you’re curious about something, follow that impulse. Take inspired action. And see where it takes you. Remember to wear the right boots!

 

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