Offerings, Gifts & Invitations
Layers of Reality
It's dark out, and my shoulders are aching again. Even though I am not carrying anything, my body keeps responding as if I am holding something heavy. I feel something pressing down on me.
Thoughts that challenge me, ideas that ask for my full attention, I keep finding myself pulled into a space of weighted focus. Thoughts loop. This layer of experience feels dense, but when I reach out to touch the ideas I am exploring, they turn out to be ephemeral.
These thoughts move through me as I drink my coffee. I am waiting for a trace of light to appear so I can head out for a run.
A glimmer of light appears. I head out for a run.
My eyes track the road in front of me. I run down a hill. As I reach the bottom, I look up from the pavement.
I’ve seen this view a thousand times, but today I am struck by its beauty; the glow of the sunrise warming the darkness of the horizon. It’s more vivid and dimensional than it has been on other days. Is this true? Maybe it is me who is different. My attention softens, and I feel the view shift something within me.
For a moment, everything goes quiet.
Even though the day is about to kick into full swing, I feel like I am moving through a dream. Time slows down, the air hums with possibility, and a wave of anticipation moves through me.
The beauty of the scene before me draws me closer to this moment of fullness.
I stop running, and my breath deepens. I feel a breeze brush past my cheek, and I hear branches rustle beside me. The awareness of my upcoming meetings fade. The vibrancy of the scene around me captures my attention.
I stand there for another moment, taking it all in, and then I continue running.
As I hit a stride once more, the timeless quality of the sunrise continues to echo within me. I begin to feel more spacious. The things I need to do today no longer feel as pressing as they did earlier. There is a shift. It catches me by surprise, as I feel the different layers of reality.
Earlier this week, I felt limited by the constraints of time given what I needed to accomplish. I focused on the measurable tasks of getting things done, things I could quantify. When I spend too much time focused on this layer, time can start to feel scarce. I begin to believe that the constraints I am working within are a rigid reality.
But my experience of this sunrise defied those constraints. My environment had just offered me something I had been craving without knowing where to find it. Now I feel bigger and more capable.
Cues from my environment remind me that other layers of reality contrast with what I am experiencing. If I allow myself, they draw me in, opening me to feel and notice things I wasn’t connected with before.
Going closer to what I felt at that moment, pausing on my run, and connecting to this opening, I noticed a wider perception of reality that’s always available. I felt held by something much greater than the container of my body.
The places we move through have layers. When we get stuck in a certain layer of our experience, the places in which we find ourselves can reflect a different layer back to us, showing us a glimpse of some other possibility that reconnects us with the immensity of life.
As I continue to run, I notice anticipation fluttering in my stomach. I look up and see the buds on the trees. The sun has risen, and the day is gaining momentum. Even amid the bustle, the spaciousness of the sunrise persists. I think to myself; I wonder what possibilities await me…
What I’m listening to:
Marriage, Dating & Love -Shannon Curry and Lex Friedman
In this episode, Shannon Curry, a clinical and forensic psychologist trained in the Gottman method, discusses relationships with Lex Friedman. She explores ways to build intimacy by noticing ‘bids’ our partners and friends make for affection and highlights behaviours that erode trust. Throughout the episode, she busts myths of what constitutes a fulfilling partnership. Listening to this episode, I learned many useful tips for navigating relationships.
What I’m reading:
What is Orientation? A Philosophical Investigation
This book explores the many forms of orientation, including economic, media, political, legal, scientific, artistic, religious, moral, and ethical orientations.
According to Stegmaier, the first thing one does in all life situations is orient oneself. Orientation is foundational to navigating life, and the questions involved in orientation are as old as humankind. I bought this work a year ago and am just reading it. I appreciate the way it illuminates the unseen and often unacknowledged ways we move through the world, including how we make decisions. If you’re curious about how humans relate to uncertainty and find supportive ways of engaging with change, I highly recommend this book.
The Places in Which We Find Ourselves: Sparking a Dynamic Relationship with Place. A 2-Part Class
Friday, April 14th, 4:30-6:30pm PDT/ Saturday, April 15th, 9:30-11:30 AEST
Friday, April 21st, 4:30-6:30pm PDT / Saturday, April 22nd, 9:30-11:30 am AEST
The Places in Which We Find Ourselves is an online experiential class that supports individuals to deeply connect with their surroundings and transform the way they engage with the world.
Through dreamlike, immersive practices, this class guides participants to uncover inspiration and access hidden cognitive abilities within the familiar spaces they traverse daily.
As we move through this unique shared experience, we will transcend conventional self-help approaches and cultivate a sense of enduring belonging and well-being through the power of place. There are still three spots left! Learn more and register here.
New Offering!
Works in the Center - Live Sessions in a Co-learning Format
Friday, June 2nd, 4:00-5:30pm PDT
How do I work with someone's process?
How do I identify the structure within a flow of information?
What patterns and signals do I follow?
If you have questions like these, you may be interested in joining Works in the Center; a 90-minute co-learning session focused on a live case study. The case study will be a 30 demo of Elsa working with someone from the group who has volunteered to explore a question that is alive for them.
Over the years, students have asked for more work's in the centre! They say it is a wonderful opportunity to see work happen and learn more about themselves.
Together we will unfold the process through a holistic and process-oriented approach to surface more information and increase our awareness of what is present and emerging for that person.
We will then discuss the structure of the work and have time for questions and insights from the group about the work.
The flow of the session will be as follow:
Inner work to arrive and connect with a question
Demo
Debrief
Discussion of themes that emerged
Closing
As with supervision, the sessions will honour confidentiality, and the appropriate practices will always be in place. Groups are limited to 8 participants. Register here.
