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We live in a universe that can be seen and experienced from many different perspectives. We therefore need to look at the universe from many different angles. Everything and everyone is a form of the universe being expressed in a particular way. In other words, each one of us can say with absolute certainly “We are the Universe!” Since we are the universe, each one of us provides a valuable perspective that complements the contributions of everyone and everything else around us.Each of us is the universe being expressed in a particular location in a specific way. We’re all part of the same moving and evolving cosmos, but the view of it is unique from each of our respective locations. This suggests that the universe is not only omni centric, but that it is also multiperspectival – there are many different, and equally valid, viewpoints on this. Each one of us is a cosmic laboratory within which we can discover the secrets of the universe. We speak in various ways, we are each the universe having become aware of itself in our own unique way. The insights that the universe has many different perspectives and is both cosmic and personal has great transformative potential, and is worth reflecting on deeply. AMAZON, ALEXIS KARPOUZOS OFFICIAL SITE Creativity and Modern Science Creativity and Theory of relativity In Einstein’s theory of relativity, the notions of events (space and time simultaneity), mass and energy equivalence (special relativity), space expansion (big bang) as well as space and energy-mass equivalence, are introduced. General theory of relativity combined to quantum mechanics leads to the emergence of the whole universe from zero and absolute nothingness. Such “emergence – creation” of the universe from zero does not take place in space or time, since both are identical to the universe, space as energy expansion of the vacant space and time as a measurement unit of movement and change. Hence, the event, as “something” that takes place, and since it takes place, creates space, time and matter – mass – energy, constitutes a novelty of the theory of relativity which suggests that the world is eternally being created and is not static and perpetual. Creativity and Quantum mechanics In quantum mechanics, the term “creativity” is amplified, since natural events form the constant transition from possibility to reality, according to the ontological probabilism of the Schrödinger equation. The completion of the quantum theory through the concept of the Grand Unified Theories, and especially through the yet incomplete superstring theory, reveals that at the micro level of creation of sub-atomic particles or space, motion literally comes prior to Being and objects are forms of a motion which suggests a constant transition from possibility to reality. In non – linear physics of complex systems, the term “creativity” does not simply correspond to the initial emergence of the universe (big bang) or to the sub-atomic scale processes described by quantum mechanics, the Grand Unified Theories and the superstring theory, but is expanded to all aspects of nature: i.e. physical – chemical, ecological, psychological – mental aspect. So, through the non – linear physics theory, macroscopically viewed beings are constructed, holistic forms of motion, in order for the whole to gain a non reducible (therefore the whole is constantly being produced) ontological meaning which characterizes the operation of the part. Combining the theories of quantum mechanics and relativity, it could be stated that modern physics abolishes the customary perception concerning the natural phenomena, which were concerned as a constant transformation of a fundamental substance. On the contrary, the contemporary description of the natural world by physics and mathematics corresponds to Morphodynamics, i.e. the description of the world as creation of all cosmic shapes from a zero point, on all cosmic levels. From this point of view, zero is understood as the absence of shape, while the notion of an unshaped eternal substance is weakened and does not seem to be able to be justified by the evolution of scientific thought. The “beings” and their “substance” are assimilated to forms of movement that have already been created or that are being created, and constitute motion inside motion. Creativity and Non-linear and Chaotic systems Physics of chaotic systems attributes a mathematical description through bifurcation theory to the notion of creating cosmic shapes, according to which when a physical system tends to critical situations, it develops new structures of existence and function through atopic interrelation and information processes in an unpredictable manner. Generally speaking, it could be suggested that new structures of existence and operation, that resemble to a virtual form scaling on the physical system and tuning its parts in order for the whole to gain meaning and being as a whole and not as a simple result of microscopic processes, are formed and created inside nature. This means that the world is revealed as information apart from being matter and energy. This procedure of creating cosmic figures seems, or is, indeed capable of being considered as a kind of expression of a “cosmic discourse”, of “cosmic words” and “cosmic sentences” in the sense of which, the fact that is indicated, is constantly supplemented by the fact that is about to be indicated. Ιt can be stated that the arrow of time, which is introduced by cosmic functions (thermodynamics, electromagnetic radiation, big bang, information procedures, Markov procedures, etc.), corresponds to an irreversible and irrevocable direction of a cosmic “sense” which is constantly being created and enriched. Hence, what came to birth from zero point, even if it is corroded in the future, has contributed in order its corrosion does not correspond to a cosmic situation similar to the one existing before its creation. In other words, birth and corrosion make the future always asymmetric towards the past. By this point of view, even if the whole universe reaches zero point at a time, this does not mean that zero point after the creation of the world is similar to zero point before it. Possibly, time equals to an unchangeable and irrevocable “cosmic memory” and to a development of cosmic correlations which can never be eradicated even if the world and the universe die completely off. Creativity and living systems – Networks – Relationships `Over the past thirty years, a new systemic conception of life has emerged at the forefront of science. New emphasis has been given to complexity, networks, and patterns of organization leading to a novel kind of ‘systemic’ thinking. `The view of living systems as networks provides a novel perspective on the so-called “hierarchies” of nature. Since living systems at all levels are networks, we must visualize the web of life as living systems (networks) interacting in network fashion with other systems (networks). For example, we can picture an ecosystem schematically as a network with a few nodes. Each node represents an organism, which means that each node, when magnified, appears itself as a network. Each node in the new network may represent an organ, which in turn will appear as a network when magnified, and so on. In other words, the web of life consists of networks within networks. At each scale, under closer scrutiny, the nodes of the network reveal themselves as smaller networks. We tend to arrange these systems, all nesting within larger systems, in a hierarchical scheme by placing the larger systems above the smaller ones in pyramid fashion. But this is a human projection. In nature, there is no “above” or “below,” and there are no hierarchies. There are only networks nesting within other networks. ‘ ` The realization that systems are integrated wholes that cannot be understood by analysis was even more shocking in physics than in biology. Ever since Newton, physicists had believed that all physical phenomena could be reduced to the properties of hard and solid material particles. In the 1920s, however, quantum theory forced them to accept the fact that we cannot decompose the world into independently existing smallest units. As we shift our attention from macroscopic objects to atoms and subatomic particles , nature does not show us any isolated building blocks, but rather appears as a complex web of relationships between the various parts of a unifield whole.’. Cells are parts of tissues; tissues are parts of organs, organs parts of organisms; and living organisms are parts of ecosystems and social systems. At each level the living system is an integrated whole with smaller components, while at the same time being a part of a larger whole. Ultimately – as quantum physics showed so impressively – there are no parts at all. What we call a part is merely a pattern in an inseparable web of relationships. Therefore, the shift of perspective from the parts to the whole can also be seen as a shift from objects to relationships.’ All living systems are networks of smaller components, and the web of life as a whole is a multilayered structure of living systems nesting within other living systems – networks within networks. Organisms are aggregates of autonomous but closely coupled cells; populations are networks of autonomous organisms belonging to a single species; and ecosystems are webs of organisms, both single-celled and multicellular, belonging to many different species. What is common to all these living systems is that their smallest living components are always cells, and therefore we can confidently say that all living systems, ultimately, are autopoietic. However, it is also interesting to ask whether the larger systems formed by those autopoietic cells – the organisms, societies, and ecosystems – are in themselves autopoietic networks.’ From objects to relationships – Throughout the living world we find systems nesting within larger systems. While mechanistic science concentrates on reducing things to basic material building blocks, the emerging holistic paradigm recognizes that systems are integrated wholes whose properties cannot be reduced to those of smaller units. The two fundamental themes of this systems view of life are the universal interconnectedness and interdependence of all phenomena, and the intrinsically dynamic nature of reality. Systems theory accepts neither the traditional scientific view of evolution as a game of dice, nor the western religious view of an ordered universe designed by a divine creator. Evolution is presented as basically open and indeterminate, without goal or purpose, yet with a recognizable pattern of development. Chance fluctuations supposedly take place, causing a system at a certain moment to become unstable. As it ‘approaches the critical point, it “decides” itself which way to go, and this decision will determine its evolution’. The theory of general systems recognizes two principal phenomena of self-organization: self-renewal, ‘the ability of living systems continuously to renew and recycle their components while maintaining the integrity of their overall structures’; and self-transcendence, ‘the ability to reach out creatively beyond its physical and mental boundaries in the processes of learning, development, and evolution’ [4]. He argues that adaptation of species through genetic mutation (genotypic change) is only one side of evolution. The other is creativity: the development of new structures and functions of ever increasing complexity, independent of environmental pressure, as a manifestation of the potential for self-transcendence inherent in all organisms. Creativity and society On anthropological level, the term “creativity” gains an extended level since it is revealed that the human is not a simple creation of a cosmic process, but has got a sense of belonging and co-creates in collaboration with Thought, its forms, its meanings and mental contents, the feelings and the emotions of theories, institutions, etc., which are not raised on the level of simple biological or physical – chemical processes, even though they are directly related to them and are produced by one another without being identified and without losing their self – efficiency. The world and the human are being co – created and co – produced in a two-way relationship, a feedback relationship that is unfolded as Time. It may be stated that cosmic creation from zero point or the absolute nothing of the cosmic forms of existence, is identified to a connected to time, ontologically unpredictable and innovative course of the world towards the asymmetric and the unique, through constant physical symmetry disruptions. Thus, the world is constantly enriched ontologically by a neo – innovation that renders the future asymmetric to the past. The arrow of time means that literally the world and the cosmic forms of being are constantly created from zero point and the absolute nothing and “return” to the latter, recreating it. Creativity of Unity / Multiplicity Our Universe exists as a unified field or whole. Creative energy swirling as atoms, giving rise to molecules, forming galaxies, stars, planets, mountains, rivers and the bodies of all living beings. If this is so, why do we not “see” the world this way, experience our lives for the miracle it is? Forests, lovers, galaxies, flowers, rivers, mountains, moons and countless living beings- our Universe moves and dances as each of us. Born of Earth, animated by solar winds , we are the children of evolution’s story, Nature’s emergence on the stage of cosmic history. Birds calling, hurricanes swirling, bees passing by, waves crashing on beaches, leaves waving hello from a neighbor’s tree. All flowering into this moment, creative expressions of our sacred totality. Waiting, just waiting, for our minds to quiet, our hearts to open and our eyes to see… Our physical bodies function as a harmonious whole, all the cells and systems working together as one, in synch with the surrounding world. We breathe in oxygen given to us by the trees, drink water from lakes and springs, take in materials from trees and plants that grow in the earth, their leaves gathering energy from our local star, the sun. Every moment of our lives, whether we are aware of it or not, we live in unity and intimate connection with the creative wisdom of the natural world. Thinking and behavior that is in tune with Nature’s wisdom is more compassionate and holistic than the mechanistic ways of complex civilizations. All it requires is mindful observation, curiosity, a creative imagination and a peaceful heart. Transformation of Thought And Evolution of Consciousness The challenge for humanity now is to transform and transcend our fractured views of the world, to shift paradigms, to return to a more wise and holistic understanding of ourselves and our place in the Universe. A change in thinking and behavior will result naturally from a change of heart. As Einstein put it, “Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” Once enough of us open our minds and collaborate together, there’s a good chance we’ll find many of our problems can be solved quite easily. By aligning our species with the wisdom of Nature (and our own hearts), the health of our planet and communities could be restored. We just need to recognize our interdependence with the rest of the Universe, be more generous and grateful, care about one another, re-evaluate our priorities and change the way we think. The whole Universe pulses with complex interconnections and a mysterious beauty far beyond our imaginations. There’s a deeper truth that our limited conceptions ignores- that the Universe is not something that exists outside of us. You and I are creative living expressions of ALL that is. We are born of atoms forged in the heart of long gone stars, energized now by the photons of our local sun. Kept alive by the nutrients and air of our World. We are Life manifesting as people, mountains, rivers and trees. Seeing this deeper truth and experiencing our connection to the Universe is the beginning of wisdom. Sharing that wisdom with others- and using it as the foundation for redesigning the human systems that we build together- is how our world can be re-created and transformed. alexis karpouzos, twitter45.mp4

I am a beginner and have started meditation and the search for inner peace, balance and happiness a little more than a month ago. I am hoping to find in this forum knowledge from people who have more experience in this subject than me and to share and better understand the forms I am using now. I have been using youtube as I have found many videos there, but that is also the problem, there are to many different ones. I am thinking of purchasing meditation music, but would like would like some insight from someone who knows this better before I continue. Any advice or feedback would be appreciated. Recommendations or links to better resources than youtube would help a lot. Thank you and have a blessed day.

Why must I lose everything I own?Why must I lose all I have lovedAll that I desire, all that I've known?Time is Relentless, dauntless.Like a fleeting moment, like a speck of dustIn a quick heartbeat, in a fleeting breathLoss descends like darknessLike the deep calm of death.but love Declares a war on loss, on the inevitable, asserts its arrogance, love shines its sword.Such valiance is what makes one standWithout fear or dilemma, unguardedChallenging death's aggressive blows.Yet again and again, life’s designs must fail.Yet there is a need so great, a longing so strongTime's lesson unheeded, all defeats ignoredLove asserts its arrogance, love shines its sword."You're not real , death, you do not exist"Life asserts proudly, as death smirks onPride stands firm, love marches aheadKnowing unknowingly…. that all will be gone.that the Tears evaporate. alexis karpouzos - zen.mp4

I have many fathers and I have many mothersAnd I have many sisters and I have many brothersMy brothers are black and my mothers are yellowAnd my fathers are red and my sisters are white.And I am over fifty thousand years oldAnd my name is humanAnd I live from light and I live from loveAnd I live from the air and I live from the breadAnd I know someday, we will live togetherAnd we will be lovedAnd the planet EarthIt will belong to all of us, to all our brothers, animals, plants and lakes, rivers and mountains.And everyone will have what they need. Amazon official site of alexis karpouzos Goodreads, official site of alexis karpouzos alexis karpouzos, vk.mp4

Hi, I am a traditional Himalayan Yogi. A happy spiritual soul. Offering health, wealth, happiness and healing. I live in the Himalayas.

Friends, Come to wilderness to have good health. Good health leads to happiness. Happiness leads to Holiness.

At the dawn of the third decade of the 21st century, the existence of humankind has become highly perilous. We are cutting down our forests, exhausting our fresh water aquifers, and losing our vital top soils. We are stripping the life from our oceans and replacing it with hundreds of millions of tons of plastic waste. We are flooding our environment with toxic industrial chemicals. Our pollution is driving climate change that causes heat waves, droughts, and wild fires that shred the fabric of life on the continents. And we are bringing new generations into the world, millions who require access to the resources of a dignified existence. The scope and breadth of the threats to life are increasing day after day. This is not a sustainable mode of development.Goodreads, alexis karpouzos official siteThe root cause of our ills stems from a mistaken way of thinking. What exactly does this mean? it means that we have been thinking of ourselves mainly as material beings, while denying our spiritual nature. Because we think that we exist as material beings and nothing more, we place first importance on protecting our bodies from harm and prolonging our material existence. Our spiritual nature, if considered at all, is treated as a secondary aspect of our physical being—something not to be taken seriously. To us, the only things that matter are the phenomena that appear in the material world—things that can be seen, or heard, or touched, or measured, but we know that our senses deceive us, the senses are a construction of the brain. What we consider a real world is an illusion. The domination of the positivist and materialist thought leads to irrationality and destruction.IMDB, alexis karpouzos official siteYet where has this approach led us? Has it brought us a sense of happiness and fulfillment? Rather than living each day in a spirit of joyful cooperation, with our hearts filled with bright hope and happy anticipation, we have isolated ourselves from others and viewed them as rivals or enemies. Our thoughts are flooded with suspicion, fear and greed, leading to an endless cycle of war, poverty, starvation, and environmental destruction. Unless we wake up soon and pay attention to our spiritual nature, there will be no future for humanity on Earth.Words are life. Words are light. Words are power. Words are energy. Words are truth. Words can enliven and words can also kill. Words can give hope, or plunge us into despair. People use words to build peace, and use words to make war. Words can create walls between cultures, religions, and nations. And words can also build bridges. The existence of an individual, a family, a community, a country, and our planet is being led to good or to evil through the power of the words we speak. The words we speak are responsible for everything that happens in this world. We, therefore, must be responsible for the words we speak. On behalf of future generations, I hope that each of us will do all we can to speak only bright, light-filled words, so that one day, our descendants will be born into a world filled with light. There is no time to lose. Starting at this very moment, I hope all of us will take a close look at the words we have been using and make constant efforts to fill them with brightness.Amazon, alexis karpouzos official site No one is going to change our lives for us. No one is going to change the world for us. It is time for each of us to recognize the prodigious, creative power that is unleashed by each word we speak, and to consciously speak only words filled with gratitude, encouragement, and good intention. From this moment forward, let us choose words that resonate with love and forgiveness for ourselves and others. We can certainly do it if we take just one step forward. One step at a time, one word at a time, we can uproot the germs of tragedy and of isolation in our consciousness and convert them into waves of happiness and conciliation. For the sake of ourselves, for the sake of Mother Earth, and for the sake of future generations, let us use words that contribute to the positive evolution of humankind on Earth. alexis karpouzos, visual art1.mp4 alexis karpouzos_ The world in the flames.mp4

Embracing our oneness with nature be key to our survival. The unity is the invisible Intelligence and is embedded in the rhythms and relationships that observed in nature, we are the work of this cosmic intelligence. What is good for the whole system? On Earth, to the web of life on the planet, what is good for the whole system is good for us all. However, what may be good for a few of us in the short term is not necessarily good for the whole system. Because a few can distort the dynamic, the structure of the whole, by biasing it to work for their immediate benefit, for greed, selfishness and vanity. So, let’s look at the whole system, let us act as if we are part of it—because we are. We are part of nature, and nature is part of the universe. This recognition is probably the deepest guidance we can have. AMAZON, alexis karpouzos official site The open Oneness doesn’t mean that we lose our individuality. The open Oneness means that we are joined together, each of us bringing something to the whole system, we are the whole system, we are all the others. This is what we need to understand; that we can, we must be, one with nature, without losing our individuality. We are not separate mechanical elements outside of nature. Every individual is a complex system running on the same information that orients all of nature. By following the intelligence implicit in the laws of nature we are not losing anything. We are gaining everything, because the secret of our health and wellbeing is to be one within ourselves, and to be one with others. Every event, every action impacts the whole system. If we know that, then we can freely choose to act as part of the whole. Every living system is alive and healthy when all its elements, every one of the trillions and trillions of cells, are working together with and for the whole system. If in the human body there is a group of cells that is out of step, moving on its own, if it just grows and multiplies on its own we have the condition of disease. Every disease is basically a condition where some parts of the body do not cooperate with, are not fully aligned with, the whole. All of us, all of the web of life on Earth, on Universe, must come together to form the symphony of oneness. That is the purpose of our existence. It is our contribution to the world. When we use our mind, our spirit, our consciousness the natural way, the way they were born to be used, we will find our way to oneness in our family and community, on Earth, and in the universe. Alexis karpouzos alexis karpouzos, iam the universe (1).ogg

We are in the midst of a sudden “bifurcation” in the evolutionary trajectory of a complex dynamic system. Bifurcation creates crisis, and crisis, as we know, is both danger and opportunity. Either way, it is a prelude to change. The challenge is to choose the change that leads to a sane and flourishing world. This is a real but non-recurring opportunity. Failing to seize it means returning to where we have been: facing the prospect of our collective demise. Because for the past several decades we have been exposed to a plethora of crises, and these are likely to be as global as the pandemic, but not necessarily as temporary. They include conditions as bad or worse than a pandemic. For instance: millions dying of starvation and penury—and through epidemics and violence taking further millions with them. Hordes of displaced refugees tearing apart the fabric of more and more societies. Droughts turning fertile verdant land into arid, lifeless plains. Rising sea levels flooding a third of the human habitations on the planet. Violent storms destroying the homes of rich and poor alike. And local conflicts escalating into regional wars and turning into a global nuclear confrontation. The unsustainable processes we have created could reach fateful tipping points— points of irreversibility. We either learn to live sanely and sustainably, or we leave the stage of history. This is a lesson we have learned on the level of theory. Amazon, alexis karpouzos official site Now we are facing it in practice. global pandemic is an opportunity for consciousness change .Even if some people are depressed and do not see the light at the end of the tunnel, the pandemic we are experiencing is temporary; it will pass into history as all the previous pandemics did. But the change it brings may be lasting. It can be change for the better, or change for the worse. Making it a change for the better is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss. In a way, the pandemic is a blessing in disguise. It made us realize that we are an interdependent and either co-evolving or co-devolving living system. If we fail to make good use of the opportunity this gifts us, we expose ourselves to a plethora of crises. But if we make good use of it, we can create a better world. We can build a better world if we stop being fearful. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. What is it, then, that we need to do? we need to act differently; act as if we were part of the web of life on the planet. Because we are that, even if most of us neither realize nor act like it. We have been harming the planet, and so harming ourselves.We have ignored the interdependence and ultimate oneness of life. We need to adopt better goals. It is not “our people, our nation first”—not even all of humanity first. It is the web of life first, as it exists and evolves on Earth. When that web is safe and sound, we are safe and sound. Then we can flourish, instead of having to fight crisis after crisis. Our body is healthy when it is whole, and the body of humanity is healthy when it is whole— when it embraces and values all the beings that walk the Earth. We know this, and we have always known it. But in the modern world we have suppressed this knowledge, buried it in our desperate scramble for money and power. We have used the fabulous fruits of the human genius maibly to ach. alexis karpouzos, visual art1.mp4

I am part of nature, and nature is part of me. I am what I am in my communication and communion with all living things. I am an irreducible and coherent whole with the web of life on the planet. Nature, the human community and the universe is connected with the Cosmos. We recognize the deep truth that I am the other. This expresses the concept from contemporary physics of “entanglement”, which is a quantum phenomenon. All atoms, all cells are connected, deeply.” The friendship is the connection we feel for each other, wherever he is, other people, animals, plants, stars. I am part of society, and society is part of me. I am what I am in my communication and communion with my fellow humans.I am an irreducible and coherent whole with the community of humans on the planet.Goodreads, alexis karpouzos official steThe separate identity I attach to other humans and other things is but a convenient convention that facilitates my interaction with them. My family and my community are just as much “me” as the organs of my body. My body and mind, my family and my community, are interacting and interpenetrating, variously prevalent elements in the network of relations that encompasses all things in nature and the human world. The whole gamut of concepts and ideas that separates my identity, or the identity of any person or community, from the identity of other persons and communities are manifestations of this convenient but arbitrary convention. There are only gradients distinguishing individuals from each other and from their environment and no real divisions and boundaries. There are no “others” in the world: We are all living systems and we are all part of each other. Attempting to maintain the system I know as “me” through ruthless competition with the system I know as “you” is a grave mistake: It could damage the integrity of the embracing whole that frames both your life and mine. I cannot preserve my own life and wholeness by damaging that whole, even if damaging a part of it seems to bring me short-term advantage. When I harm you, or anyone else around me, I harm myself. Collaboration, not competition, is the royal road to the wholeness that hallmarks healthy systems in the world. Collaboration calls for empathy and solidarity, and ultimately for love. I do not and cannot love myself if I do not love you and others around me: We are part of the same whole and so are part of each other. Alexis karpouzos

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR VULNERABLE HEART (From a letter to a friend) “Your vulnerability is a gift, my love, of course. But please, offer it only to those who truly want it, tender it only to those who sincerely appreciate it and can offer their own tenderness in return, otherwise you will hurt yourself in the long run, and a kind of lonely, resentful despair will take root. Give your precious fragility to those who truly desire – and are willing - to step into a sacred field of deep listening with you, who want to work hard with you to create a safe, empathic, trustworthy and enduring connection. This will not happen overnight. It will take more than words. It will take time. Months. Years, maybe. Perhaps decades. As you are learning, it’s easy to talk about vulnerability. It’s easy to say “I love you”, and speak convincing, uplifting, inspiring words about closeness, love, empathy, deep connection, and “sharing our hearts”. We feel good speaking these words and we want to believe in them. But words are meaningless, empty, unless they are proven in the crucible of connection. Let us not live in hope, and let us not merely pay lip service to the idea of closeness. True friendship, which is love, asks of us our blood, sweat and tears, and even “empaths” can have trouble with being empathic, as you are finding out. Here is the truth: Some beings want your vulnerability and some do not. Some are willing to put in the work, and some are not. Some can handle your vulnerability, and some cannot, at this point in their lives, anyway. Some will say they want your truth and your love and your friendship, but are incapable of actually offering or receiving it. (No judgement here. We all can be more or less self-absorbed or narcissistic at different times in our lives, can’t we?) At worst, those who do not want your vulnerability will ignore it, shame it, or blame you for feeling how you feel, needing what you need and thinking what you think. They will use your vulnerability against you, break your trust and break your heart, ridicule you for being how you are, even call you names. You will leave interactions feeling reduced, unworthy, unheard, unsafe. You may end up blaming yourself, but this may just be a sign that you need more protection from such a person, better boundaries, more space, less closeness. Listen to your body. Yes, if you listen to your body, you will learn who to open your heart to and who to distance yourself from emotionally and even physically. You will learn who is safe, and who is not, despite all the words. You will sense - energetically - who is truly ready and willing to receive the gift of your vulnerability, and who is not. Who truly wants your fragile, open heart, and who does not. It’s okay to draw and redraw boundary lines over time. (Your boundaries are an expression of your power). It's okay to share more then to decide to share less. To open up, and to close down again as you gather new information and perspective. To take one step forwards… and two steps back. Love loves the opening and the closing too, the forwards and the backwards of the dance of intimacy. You do not have to be vulnerable with everyone you meet, and especially not when you first meet them. You do not have to share your heart – your truth, your thoughts, your feelings, your desires, your dreams, your hopes and your fears - until you feel ready, and you may never feel ready, and that’s okay. Don’t let anyone pressure you into opening up. You do not owe anyone anything at all. (And remember, you don’t have to share anything with me that you don’t feel safe to share, dear one. Anything at all, ever.) Your vulnerability is a gift you can give to those who have proved they are ready, willing, and able to receive it. Sometimes you may have to learn through trial and error. You may feel you have shared too much, so you can pull back. Or perhaps you will find the courage to offer a little more vulnerability than before, and see how it’s received. You will spot patterns over time. You will see how someone responds to your open heart. You will not be able to see everything in the beginning. Hope and the mind’s fantasies of love can blind you. Stay connected to your gut. It will not lie. When you find someone who can truly receive your vulnerability, over time, and can offer their open heart in return, rejoice! As you know, it is this safe, empathic, consistent and reliable relational field, this sacred space that accepts us exactly as we are, brokenness and all - in other words, the presence of God - that ultimately heals our deepest trauma.... whether you find this warm love in a friend… or a lover, a partner, a family member, a therapist, a healer, a pet, an imaginary figure of light, a two hundred year old tree… or in the deepest recesses of your own beautiful self…. So yes, your vulnerability is a precious gift, my love, but to whom are you offering it? Who has the maturity, courage, trustworthiness and strength to fully receive it, and consistently reflect it back to you? Who truly wants you, the authentic you, the unmasked you, the raw and unfiltered and imperfect you? Who simply talks about love and empathy and connection and family… and who actually does the hard work of meeting you, deeply listening to you, valuing and honouring you, in a real and embodied way? These are the questions you are being guided towards now, my love, as you rediscover your true worth…” - Jeff Foster

We have quite a few articles here on the site about different mindfulness/meditation teachers and experts: Jon Kabat-Zinn, Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield, etc. I was curious as to which ones you follow and why: why do some resonate more closely with you? Personally I like Ruby Wax a lot: she's a comedienne and author who later studied for a Master's degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. The way how she mixes advice with comedy really works for me. ? Who are your faves and why?