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Expanding your mind one breath at a time
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My guess is that if you stop scrolling long enough to read this, you might be feeling stressed, anxious, overwhelmed or exhausted. With everything going on in the world today it’s not much of a surprise.
However it doesn’t have to stay that way. The warning signals from your body are actually seeking your attention - so that you can learn something - how to gain mastery over your emotional state. If this is you - and you’re overriding the signs that you’re overdoing it - it’s time to pause and reflect (not beat yourself up). Unfortunately this is not something that you’ll find on the school curriculum but it definitely should be (watch this space…) Modern society is fixated on the GO GO GO approach, so taking your time - and a deep breath are not in our modern vocabulary. Until… it’s too late and you’re on the verge of a mental, emotional or physical burn out. Emotional clearing is a way of finding out what mental and emotional patterns are running beneath the surface - the stories that keep you in unhealthy behaviours and thoughts. When you know what’s running you at a subconscious level - you have the power to change it for the better. That’s what emotional clearing is and that’s why you should care. Because it will change your life for the better. It gives you the tools to drop the baggage and lighten the load. And who wouldn’t want that? Remember, Breathe the change you wish to see in the world. Philippa
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Whilst this may seem like a joke, it opens the door to an interesting and important subject. Masculinity. What is it? Who is it? Why does it matter? I believe the work is this - how can we better understand each gender and bring them together into alliance rather than at war?
The title quote comes from the brilliant book the Queen's Code by Allison Armstrong. A book I enjoyed a few years ago that gave me a much deeper understanding of the male psyche than I bargained for. What I took away was this - despite being from the same species - men and women are fundamentally different. Both in terms of biology, mentality and energy. Ladies, if you thought your man was a different version of you wearing hobnail boots and a tool belt you’re dead wrong (as you probably already know ;) ) What does 'masculine' even mean? To be clear when I speak of masculinity I’m referring to both the archetypal energy of the masculine as well as those who are in a male body. We both have masculine and feminine energies, and yet when I look around I perceive that the masculine is being vilified culturally as the ‘bad guy’ (patriarchy et al) when actually as women, we are also failing to claim our masculine essence. This is the interesting part. Claiming our masculine essence. What does that mean and why is it important? Whatever we judge on the outside, we have yet to claim within us. We all have limited perception and experience. Being a woman in a female body I have zero physical experience of being a man. How can I know what that’s like? The same for a man, having not been born into female form, he is flying blind when it comes to the opposite sex. It’s not until you start consciously stepping into the other’s shoes, that you begin to understand how this energy naturally expresses itself in the world. As you may know, I’ve been diving deep with the archetype of the divine dark masculine over the last 6 weeks with the incredible Tyran Mowbray and Mia Mor (plus a load of other badass women and more recently, men) to discover for myself what I’m missing when it comes to understanding men, and learn how to embody a healthy version of the dark masculine energy for myself. Quite frankly it has been deeply moving and revelatory. Why does it matter? My intention was to reclaim the projections I was putting onto men of different varieties - whether that was fear of their power, judgement around their behaviour or expecting them to rescue me. The universe didn’t disappoint. The masculine is matter. It is the physical flesh and bones of the universe. It is pure creation, momentum and action. It is the energy that wants to go out and penetrate the world, give all it’s got, charge forth and conquer every challenge. It is passionate and emotionally charged. It wants to f*ck the world. I don’t mean this in a sexual way, although that can be one manifestation of the masculine energy. It wants to give LOVE, to provide and be purposeful. It wants to build, generate, and create. It is active, vibrant and alive. In essence, it is pure and innocent life force energy. And yet it is so deeply shamed and petrified to be seen in the world. Typically the acts of destruction, torture and horror we see evidenced in the world are a result of imbalanced masculine energy. One that is deeply repressed and unhealthily expressed, or is disconnected from the feminine polarity. When disconnected from the female aspects of intuition and softness, this energy may be perceived as threatening or destructive. The masculine is direct. Like it or not, he stands for truth. When solidly in his power he will fight all day long for what is right and just. But he can’t do that whilst society is continually pulling him down, fearful of the truth and the power of his penetration. What’s the solution? Where do we start? This is applicable to both men and women. Penetrate your own bullsh*t - where are you not showing up in your life? Where are you passing off responsibility to someone/something else for your problems? What are you unwilling to look at? Where are you blaming and shaming others? What are you judging outside of you that takes away your power? Ask yourself where you’re penetrating without consent - Are you sticking your nose into other peoples business? Are you forcing something before it’s ready? Where are you taking away someone else power? One for the women - make yourself a fake penis and wear it for a few hours or even a day. See what it actually feels like, notice what arises for you. Stick a banana or whatever down your pants. You might laugh now, but for something so simple you’ll be amazed at what you learn. One for the men - learn what it’s like to be penetrated. Guys also have a one-sided experience of life, so if you really want to understand women better, and the vulnerability and trust required by a woman to open up to a man sexually for example - this is the fastest way to find out. Sticking a finger up your bum might not be the ‘go-to’ topic of conversation in the pub, but in ancient texts is considered something on the path to enlightenment. Not all roads lead where you might think! Lets speak openly And finally - speak to your male and female friends/lovers/brothers/sisters about this topic. It’s time to come together and actually understand each other, instead of fighting over who is right and wrong. I cannot tell you the number of people who’ve been fascinated by my journey with this topic. Sharing my insights with my close male friends has been revelatory and really helped me to gain a deeper embodied understanding of men and most importantly - the innocence of men's beautiful courageous hearts. The judgements, limitations and fears you hold are the places to look to unearth your part in this puzzle. These hold the most pain and shadow. When you start digging you’ll realise this unease can and will be turned into gold. If what I’m sharing makes you uncomfortable, this is a sure-fire sign to dive deep into this topic. I’m sharing my experience because I believe the solution is to reclaim and balance these energies within ourselves. Women - when you can claim your divine dark masculine essence - you will no longer fear the world or anything in it. Yet, we must avoid moving from the oppressed to the oppressor in an overzealous attempt to reclaim our power. It is only in unison and union with the masculine that we can truly rise. In partnership and in power. In the words of Tyran Mowbray - men have hearts too and love always wins. Remember Breathe the change you wish to see in the world. Philippa x Have you noticed how traumatised we all are? Look around. Fear. Masks. Judgement. Hysteria.
If this isn’t a highly traumatised society I don’t know what is. Let’s get real for a minute. We are at the beginnings of a deep and painful healing process. Your world. Your society. Your family. YOU. ME. EVERYONE. It’s a healing process we don’t even know we need because we’ve been programmed so deeply to believe that everything is functional just the way it is. NOPE. Human trafficking. Racism. Poisoned food. Profit above everything. Does anything about that sound healthy to you? Disconnection. Nihilism. Co-dependency. Tribalism. FEAR. Not a cocktail I’d like to drink but it's being pumped into your system 24/7 by the existing media paradigm and societal ‘normalities’. Far from normal. A long way off healthy. So what’s the solution? First, turn off the TV. Nothing coming through the traditional media channels is going to make you feel any better or assure you. Consuming it will just lead you to a black hole of despair and contraction. The exact opposite of what makes your immune system healthy and strong. Be highly aware of what you are consuming on social media or from anyone in your circle. Nobody has all the ‘facts’ (if such a thing exists) and the only way you are going to know what is right for you - is by connecting to YOU. That’s not possible if there’s continual interference. Right now you might not feel like meditating or going to the gym but I can hands-down guarantee you’ll feel a million times better for it. Whilst you’re being mindful of what you consume, be mindful of what you put out. Nasty media posts, criticism and judgement of others isn’t going to solve this situation, only make it worse by feeding the feelings of separation, tribalism and isolation. This is the biggest part - if you feel emotionally triggered, either by the shituation* you are in personally, or by someone else’s words, actions or the audacity to breathe without a mask covering their face - STOP. Don’t move. Don’t react. Get still. Be guided by how you feel This is what everyone needs to learn. Your emotions are just telling you stuff. It’s not about the other person. It’s about how you feel inside and how you interpret those feelings. The beauty of this is that you also have the tool to resolve your emotional activation - but most people don’t realise it - because it’s not taught in schools - and it’s even poo-pooed as being some woo woo stuff. Well, how about this. Lets start with a breath Instead of dropping bombs on each other, blowing stuff out of proportion and making our nervous systems go haywire - we drop BREATHS. Lot’s of them. DEEP BELLY BREATHS. Into the core of your being. You want to resolve that emotional wound? Breathe. Change how you feel inside? Breathe. Create more abundance in your life? Breathe. Love yourself more? Breathe. Basically, you get the picture. It comes back to the simple thing every time. Your breath is your superpower, should you choose to engage with it. In a couple of minutes, you can take yourself from suped-up nervous Nina to chilled out Cathy - if you weren’t so fixated on someones outrageous internet opinion. Stick to your own lane, use your own breath. Here's how: Find a comfortable position Close your eyes Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4 Hold your breath for a count of 7 Breathe out through your mouth for a count of 8 Repeat 4 times If you don’t feel 100000% times better, then I’ll eat my hat. That’s how easy it can be if you take a moment to think for yourself. You’re in control of your mind and body, now it’s time you acted like it. If you know you’ve got more emotional gunk in your system to deal with - then I’m your woman. Tried everything? Good. You probably haven’t tried this. You probably won’t. But if you do? It will change your life, and you’ll be free once and for all. Remember, Breathe the change you wish to see in the world. Philippa x |
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October 2020
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