Emerging into and from True Self is the adventure of a lifetime. The initial discovery of the truth of "I Am All That I Am" is like the high we experience when we fall in love because that is exactly what we are doing. We fall in love with ourselves because we now understand that there is no judge, no condemnation, no punishment. There is only the unfolding into the depth and width of this True Self, this divine being currently having a human experience.

This morning as I rummaged through several drawers looking for a journal with study notes, I came across one with entries from 1996. They all were from a series of retreats that involved long periods of silence and solitude. At the end was a short poem I wrote from my heart, without thought for rules or forms, though it actually rhymes! I will share this and trust it touches a chord in others as it did in me. There is a blessing in looking back for a moment to acknowledge the beginnings of our awareness and to see how far we have...

Yoga and Meditation have brought me to understand that body, mind and emotions are not separate things. They are all one manifestation of the soul or the life essence that is currently in human form. Ancient religions and philosophies, including yoga, teach us to overcome the flesh, to control the mind and to subdue the emotions. None of that ever worked for me. It created so much conflict within myself that it resulted in depression and a sense of hopelessness because I was never going to be good enough, never going to get it right.

Now, through the love, compassion and guidance of my teachers and mentors over the years, I have begun to understand the truth of non-separation, non-duality, oneness and wholeness. Last night I watched a show I had taped on the OWN network. Jane Fonda spoke of her life journey to wholeness. Several times she said, "We are not here to become perfect. We are here to become whole."

Every particle of my being resonates with that truth. The journey is one...

For me, conscious creating is about being mindful in the moment rather than controlling how my life will unfold. Because I do not live in isolation, I can see and understand that my interactions with others brings an overlap in our life experiences, even in our karma. My karma is just that: mine. Yet there is family or bloodline karma that I am walking out as well. There is karma resulting from my participation in relationships of all kinds. So, yes there are experiences that come into my life - both blissful and highly uncomfortable - that I have not consciously created. I have agreed to them on some level, however, by entering into partnerships, either personal or professional.

Life has taught me to be very aware of who and what I am bringing into the inner circle of my experience. At times this learning journey has been profoundly painful as well as profoundly beneficial.

This mantra filled my thoughts, my being for an entire day recently:  Om Brahma Namah

Deepak Chopra...

In 2000 the internet was still very new. I was still developing the habit of checking email every morning. As I checked early one morning, I discovered an email from a stranger who later became a delightful teacher and friend in my life. 

Jim Dreaver sent that email to yoga teachers to introduce his book The Way of Harmony. In the introduction, Jim presents the core insight of the book. These few sentences set me on the path of discovering my True Self: 

The core insight involves a subtle shift in the way you see yourself and your life. It is a stepping back, so to speak, and beginning to see that you are not the person you thought you were.

Specifically, you are not your "story." The reality you've created inside your head about who you are - your beliefs, personal history, attitudes, identity, and self-image - is not who you are.  (The Way of Harmony, pages 4-5)

For some of you, this is not new information. For...

True Self - so simple it needs little said. So eternal it can be explored forever.

True Self is that Essence of Being that I Am. Often called one's spirit or soul, it is the eternal that outlives and transcends this third dimensional reality. It is Divine Love manifesting this bodymind. It is Divine Love manifesting in and through this bodymind, personality, identity. I could write lots of words about this. Lots and lots of words.

True Self transcends words. It is felt and experienced and known and quite indefinable. It is unseen and real in the sense that it outlives physical existence which is temporary, transitory. It is love, peace, oneness, wholeness. It emerges from the Great I Am, Great Mystery, All That Is. It is the real or true me.

Third dimensional reality, this physical life, seems in opposition to this truth.

Remember that the shadows give definition and clarity to the light (black and white photography is a beautiful example). Life presents us with paradoxes. In...