Words of wisdom from a self proclaimed unsuccessful dating professional

facebook post from 12/30/17 
Words of wisdom from a self proclaimed unsuccessful dating professional: DON'T, under any circumstance, trust/believe a married man when he says he's separating from his wife (of 21 years) and in two weeks he wants to come visit you to "explore what's there". 

Seriously, can somebody please slap some reality into me? I consider myself to be an intelligent person but when it comes to dating I feel like I am missing some of the higher functioning neural pathways that result in me making decisions that end in the result I am looking for: a healthy, balanced and nourishing relationship. 

I recently got off all dating apps and instead have started having date-night with myself which includes eating popcorn and watching videos of Mooji on subjects such as "beyond the concept of aloneness" and "Stop Wasting Time On Nonsense! Just Stay In Your Beingness". 

So far, I am finding a pull to go to India and sit with Mooji and also to just sit in silence more and inquire who it is that is wanting all of this... I repeatedly decide against writing many FB posts regarding my dating failures because, well, there have been so many --- and it brings up so much shame for me which is hard to admit and hard to feel. It's been a source of the most grief and sadness in my life and I am still left bewildered by what it is I am missing or not seeing. 

To be clear - I am not looking for any advice here, I just wanted to purge some of this energy before 2018. It feels important to express my frustration, sadness, loneliness and confusion about dating and relationships. 

I have seriously heard it all. The common sentiments being: it will happen when you're least expecting it, you just need to love yourself more, you're too picky, your standards are too high, you never like the ones that like you, etc.... 

I honestly think it boils down to alignment. right alignment for the type of partnership I am desiring is calling for me to step into a part of myself that I haven't yet. If I desire a man who has certain qualities then I need to be cultivating those within myself. If there is an ounce of longing in me for another to fill any sort of void, then I know there is more growth for me to do. Even though I thought I had done enough personal growth work to land me a masters in personal growth work, that would make me Emily Lewis, MA, MPG ;) 

I am turning ever more inwards and inquiring into what is actually here that is seeing through these eyes. awareness itself. pure spacious presence that requires nothing from life. the suffering all feels really personal in some sense but then when I inquire more deeply and hear the sage wisdom that comes through Mooji, I know deep down that the path of the spiritual seeker is such that the universe is aiding in my release of all attachments, especially this attachment to a partner, the attachment to the fairy tale that isn't happening. all things must be let go of in order to serve highest alignment and this i know to be true. 

But it doesn't make it hurt less to the little Emily who wants to be chosen and loved...  #redflagsfordating #moojionawakening#whenlifegivesyoulemonsturnthatshitgold #yesthisreallyjusthappenedtome#donedating #awakeningintobeingness

Fierce Grace

Tonight I am Wild

Wild with freedom

Skin soaked Passion

Clarity of mind

Heart bursting open

All these feel good on me

As the letting go unfolds

Layers layers layers dropping away and I am the lightness of being

I am being

I am

I

Am

Concepts of who I was, am and will be - dissolve

Once, these concepts binded me

The confining layer breaks open - chunks, pieces, bits, particles, atoms

Cascading, a string of pearls breaks off the neck of the perfect one

And scatters into nothingness on the universe’s floor

What I am is in process of becoming undone

Unraveling in the best way imaginable

Before this, all I could taste was the longing

And now, drops of sweet liberation bless my tongue

This life is one long moment of fierce grace

But tonight I am Wild

I am Wild

And you are fierce grace

Is Creativity a Missing Link to Our Well-being & Happiness?

It is not sufficient to treat disease by addressing only the physical symptoms that display in the body. In order to achieve greater balance and well-being it is essential to look deeper into the root of what ails us and to see where there is stagnation (mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually). I believe that an important piece of the wellness puzzle lies in our creativity and our ability to express ourselves fully. This article approaches the wellness conversation from an intersection of creative expression and maintaining a balanced energy system in the body. It is possible that putting more attention on these aspects of our lives can create an optimal foundation for a healthier and happier life.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), balanced energy (Qi) is thought to be a critical component  maintaining health and wellness. According to TCM, Qi stagnation is one of the main correlates of disease and illness. In another field of study, Thomas Hübl, a modern day integral mystic, discusses the concept of completing the “loop of full expression” and how this helps clear the energy system of stagnant energy. Hübl says that we all have certain impulses and a unique inner expression that longs to be fully expressed in order to complete our soul’s mission in this lifetime. Hübl quotes Lao Tzu’s words from the Tao Te Ching on this matter, saying “express yourself completely then keep quiet”. Both of these center around the movement of energy; as an antidote to stagnation.

So how is creative expression interconnected with health & happiness and how can we bring creative expression more fully into our daily lives? First off, I would like to share with you my definition of creativity as I think there is a lot of misconception about what creativity is and isn’t. Creativity is making something from (seemingly) nothing at all. It is the art of opening, allowing, deep listening and allowing energy to flow freely in and around out of the body. Creativity is energy, vitality, life force. Creativity is expansion and contraction. Creativity is anything that stems from inspiration, longing, imagination, and spontaneity. It is a cathartic dynamic process.  

Creativity means many different things to many different people. I want to dispel the myth that only some people are lucky enough to be creative. Creativity is a natural impulse and innate part of being human. Creativity is not limited to the select lucky few who have been blessed with the genetic make-up like Mozart or other successful and acclaimed artists. Why do I think all adults possess some sort of creativity? Because every child I have ever come in contact with has had a spark of creativity. I have worked with hundreds of children over the years and the one thing they all have in common is that they ALL possess an imagination and inclinations of this spark of creativity. This imagination lends to exploring creative impulses and various ways of creative expression, be it playing make-believe, dressing up, making up stories, singing silly songs, playing sports, etc. As children grow into adults this spark and creativity can become covered over, dismissed and shunned. But I believe it is essential to reclaim and own our full expression as adults.

So what are some of the ways that we can move energy, express ourselves fully and bring more creativity into our daily lives as adults? How can we nurture the spark that we once had as a young child so that can bring more vitality and happiness into our lives?

Here are a few easy ways to start:

1. Acknowledge that you ARE a creative being and that there are many ways to express creativity
2. Explore the activities that put you into a “flow state” (sense of losing yourself in an activity or give you a sense of timelessness)
3. Give yourself permission to be expressive and creative
4. Create at least one time block in your schedule per week for creative exploration
5. Track your energy levels before and after you do something fun, playful or creative and consider that this may be correlated to your overall sense of well-being

Three Powerful First steps towards a more creatively charged life

Some key aspects that I cover in my creativity coaching work with my clients:

1.   Cultivate a deep listening practice

2.   Create your creative life vision statement

3.   Cultivate a creative growth mindset (approach your day to day challenges from a place of curiosity and possibility, rather than pessimism and frustration)

Emily Lewis, MA holds a Masters degree in Integrative Health with a focus in sound therapies and wellness coaching from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. As a holistic organizer and creativity coach, she sees the connection that our outer environment plays in our day to day energy levels and our capacity for creative expression. Her passion is to help others live more empowered and creatively expressed lives through achieving more balance in the mind, body and heart. For more information on her organizing and creativity coaching work visit: www.emilymaylewis.com . Emily is a singer/songwriter and just released her first album with Sweet Medicine. Listen and download here: sweetmedicine.bandcamp.com.

Upleveling my financial reality

There is ONE reason I am not make the $$$ that I want to be currently. A wise person that I am growing closer to every day pointed me to a truth about this that I was really able to finally understand in a profound way. Don't get me wrong. I have always had enough to eat. Not one day have I ever been hungry or thirsty. I have always had the essentials covered. I have a car. I have a home. I go to festivals, I buy organic food. I go out to eat whenever I want. I belong to a gym. I go to concerts. I go to movies. I buy plane tickets to visit friends and family. So from some perspectives I am doing really well and I am grateful for the lifestyle I have allowed myself to achieve up until this point. So what is the ONE thing that has been holding me back from up-leveling my financial success? I'll give you a hint. It starts with a B... Yes, it's my Belief system. I 100% believed that I deserved and was worthy of getting just what I need to get by. I have believed for many years that I am ok with just getting the essentials covered and maybe a few bonus things here and there. But underneath that belief was the larger belief that I couldn't have more (or I didn't actually deserve more). Limiting beliefs around what I am worthy of getting has kept me bound to only have just enough and until I shift this particular belief I will stay at this same just enough level forever... I am being 100% transparent about this b/c I think that many people in my community are experiencing or have their own version of this scenario. I don't want to have shame as another aspect of this conversation so by airing it, I am normalizing it so that it can de-pressurize out of my system. I am shifting my belief around what I deserve and I am installing a new belief system that I have places for more $ to go, I deserve to have whatever I want in my life and I am worthy of it. I know that I stand in integrity and have such a huge prayer for my life which is to serve communities (both privileged and underserved populations) and in order to manifest my vision I am choosing to up-level my capacity for holding wealth and abundance. May the chalice be open to receive. May it be so. Aho. #creatrixcollective #creativitycouragechallenge #loveisthekey #igniteyourdivinespark #blessmylife

Stop Outsourcing Your Wisdom

I cannot give you creativity. I cannot teach you how to sing. I cannot explain a proven method on how to further your spiritual path. And I sure as hell can't help you find God. I am not here to help you add things to your life. I am not here to show you the three steps to living a more fulfilling life or the 5 steps towards reaching your full potential. I have to speak out as an individual who has an aversion to the formulaic way that so many coaching programs and self help gurus over promise and under deliver. If someone tells you they can help you make 6 figures in the next 90 days beware, or better yet, run far away! I have been sitting on the sidelines of this whole explosion of the coaching business in the bay area and I have to say that it has always left a bad taste in my mouth - it's the part of me that doesn't believe that we can fit an entire group of people into some formula and if they all follow it they will surely be successful. I kept thinking I would try it, I would pay $10K and join a program and be in for a year and then I would understand the magic formula to making over $100K/ year. I would finally be rich! And my problems would melt away... But I couldn't do it. Instead I hired a business coach. I have been working with him (Andy Lambert) for about 5 weeks and it was the best decision I could have made. I needed one on one coaching tailored specifically for my needs and what I am going to accomplish. This is where I saw a lot of the other programs falling short. I know I needed special attention! I needed someone I could brainstorm with, someone who was going to hold me to the fire and make me clarify my vision in a detailed way. Someone who was willing to listen to my vision and totally believe in me.

It feels authentic. It feels like it's helping me. And it's getting me excited to build my own coaching programs and teaching modules.

Presently I am refining my own individualized coaching program. I know I am here to help creative beings be more creatively expressed but I am also excited to explore coaching the population of silicon valley corporate executives to help them burst their hearts open, help them expand their own consciousness so that they can utilize their creative potential to inform & balance the exploding tech sector with heart centered wisdom, depth of awareness, spontaneity and playful lightness of being. Creative problem solving, heart opening, energy cultivation exercises, deep listening are just a few of the tools I will be teaching to help individuals move from repression to expression. I am forming a new language through this work. I am bridging tech lingo with whoo whoo and I am here to remind individuals to stop outsourcing your wisdom! It is time to learn the deep listening practices that are available. there is much wisdom medicine within your heart and your body and I am here to help those who are interested in learning about soul time and how to find the natural flow and pace of life your soul is asking of you to move with.

I am here to help individuals subtract the layers. The extra layers, the pretense that cover who they/you came here to be.

You hold infinite wisdom in your heart and in your body. As you read these words you know the truth I am speaking of. The quiet knowing that resides within you. That same knowing that resides within each of us. Do you hear it?

I am here as a gentle reminder that no matter how slow you think you are moving you could probably slow down even more and that may not be slow enough to align you with your soul-time.

What is your soul-time? How can you stop outsourcing your wisdom?

Interested in learning more? Let me know if you're interested in going on a deeper journey with me. I offer individual coaching as well as training modules on how to move from Repression to Expression! If you resonate with this message and feel intrigued to join me then please do! Send me a private message or sign up for my Divine Spark Newsletter on my website (emilymaylewis.com) #igniteyourdivinespark #creatrixcollective #creativecouragechallenge #loveisthekey #blessmylife