Four Times My Shadow Had to Embarrass Me to Prove a Point

Have you ever heard someone say, “I don’t know what got into me,” or “That’s not like me at all?” That’s a sign that the person’s shadow has reared its ugly head in their life and embarrassed the shit out of them.

 

I’ve had enough experiences with my shadow to know that it will take you as a hostage at gunpoint and not let you go until it proves its point. But here’s the thing… it’s not trying to prove a point to you… it’s trying to prove a point to someone else.  Continue reading “Four Times My Shadow Had to Embarrass Me to Prove a Point”

Yeah, I’m Double-Minded and I’m Totally Okay With That

I can’t follow too many spiritual teachers these days because most of them lack the ability to hold contradictory perspectives. For example, the person who teaches that we need to transcend the ego, doesn’t also believe that you can listen to and work with your ego. Or, the person who teaches that sexual desires need to be corralled and subdued, doesn’t also believe that those desires are not only natural but spiritual.

Pretty much every spiritual teacher I know, teaches that double-mindedness is bad, and drawing a line in the sand is good. But what if double-mindedness is natural, and denying it is what makes you inauthentic?  Continue reading “Yeah, I’m Double-Minded and I’m Totally Okay With That”

You Can’t Have Freedom Apart From Dark Truths

Is ignorance really bliss? I was blissfully unaware that my mother is a narcissist who abused me emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

I just thought she was normal and that something was wrong with me. But as it turns out, you’re only as free as you are self-aware.

After our last argument, I chose to go no contact with Mom for good. The rest of my family can’t see my point of view, so none of them are speaking to me –not even my dad.  Continue reading “You Can’t Have Freedom Apart From Dark Truths”

Self-Empowerment and “Nasty People”

The self-empowerment road is very strange. It requires us to make some weird connections. In our society we have the “nice people” and “the nasty people.” We look to media and culture for cues on how to define and react to both groups. For example: 1) the nice people pay their taxes, while the nasty people spend the tax payers’ money; 2) the nice people work and go home to their families, while the nasty people lead selfish and sadistic lives; and 3) the nice people will go somewhere relatively pleasant when they die, while the nasty people will more than likely go to a place of torment. Now, this way of thinking would be completely harmless if the world we live in wasn’t built on duality, but it is, and that makes the way we think of and treat the “nasty people” a self-empowerment issue.  Continue reading “Self-Empowerment and “Nasty People””

A Judgmental Empath is an Empowered Empath

“You are very judgmental!”

“Carla, please don’t judge me.”

“I don’t know about your gift of discernment Carla, you seem a little off.”

“When you say things like that, it makes me feel judged.”

“You are such a bitch.”

It bothers me that the word “empath” is not included in any of my word processor’s dictionaries. It’s not even on Dictionary.com, but anyway…I would like to propose a new perspective on judgment because the comments above (that I’ve received) from family, coworkers, and friends have always concerned me.  Now mind you, I’ve been very honest about how mean I used to be, but I’ve also made it clear that I am very sensitive. So let me ask you this? How can a sensitive person be judgmental? Continue reading “A Judgmental Empath is an Empowered Empath”