Rev. Lori Erwin-Johnson

Wishing yuletide blessings to our Pagan family and all who observe around the world!

We can't worry ourselves safe.

WE CAN’T WORRY OURSELVES SAFE. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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we can’t control what people do. we can’t make them different, or stay up all night worrying enough to keep them the same. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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i need him to stay sober. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
i wish she could just leave that abusive marriage. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
i can’t stand watching him struggle with depression for one more day. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
if she would only value herself...⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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i know how badly you want the things you want. the problem is, stressing about wanting them is changing nothing except your own sanity. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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and it’s also likely making you sick, hurting, anxious, or all of the above. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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breathe. pause. change what you can change - your actions, your mindset, your self-care routine, and so on. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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shocking truth: NO AMOUNT OF WORRYING MAKES IT EASIER WHEN YOU ARE DISAPPOINTED. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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i’m so sorry, because i want it to be true that we can prepare ourselves for heartache. but in actuality it just ruins every minute prior to the heartache, and the heartache still aches. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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the only way out is through, my loves. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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take back your moments. you can do it. let’s keep trying. xoxo n. ✨⁣⁣⁣⁣
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I will be co-facilitating this class over the next 6 weeks. If you want to deepen your own spiritual practice, this is the class for you.

We begin our study of Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O'Donahue tomorrow, Tuesday October 11th at 6:30 PM PT via Zoom. If you would like to join us, please PM us or fill out the registration form and we'll sent you a Zoom link. You do not have to have read the book to join. It's going to be great discussion. https://form.jotform.com/222687080389163

Join me at Unity of Tacoma tomorrow at 10:00 AM.

Join us tomorrow, October 9th at 10:00 AM as Rev. Lori starts our Faith in Action talk series on the book Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O'Donahue. Our theme color for the day is Blue. Her focus will be on defining the Anam Cara as Soul Companion. Our musical guest is Stephan Plummer. Join us in person or online at https://unityoftacoma.org/faith-in-action-2022-wk-1/

Timely

Spirituality and Its Contribution to Mental Health A neglected construct in an age of anxiety, depression, and addiction.

March 21st marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination observed by the United Nations.

Today we invite you to share the inspiring words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the nonviolent civil rights movement, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

"We are the children of the Unknown. We are the ministers of silence that is needed to cure all victims of absurdity who lie dying of a contrived joy. Let us then recognize ourselves for who we are: dervishes mad with secret therapeutic love which cannot be bought or sold, and which the politician fears more than violent revolution, for violence changes nothing. But love changes everything."

Thomas Merton
Raids on the Unspeakable
https://sbee.link/q8pmbfgrv6

Yes to all these

7 Books That Have Shaped My Spirituality Here is a list of seven books that have shaped, and continue to shape, my spirituality, emboldening me to live a more engaged life.

WHAT MADE YOU FEEL AFRAID TO SPEAK YOUR MIND?⁣⁣⁣
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was it your father’s anger? your mother’s judgement? fear of being abused, or ignored? bullying? ⁣⁣⁣
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the wounds we sustain in childhood lead to very painful places: fear and shame. ⁣⁣⁣
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as human beings, we are hard wired to seek connection. ⁣⁣⁣
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as children, we are taught in subtle and unsubtle ways that our opinions and intuition are not welcome. ⁣⁣⁣
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we adjust by shutting down. ⁣⁣⁣
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we figure out that we are most desirable when we are allowing others to have their way, or get what they want from us, or manipulate the situation. ⁣⁣⁣
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we don’t have a clue that boundaries keep us safe. instead, we decide that boundaries keep us alone. ⁣⁣⁣
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it’s time to wake up now, love. ⁣⁣⁣
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with empathy and self-compassion and patience, and kindness, it’s time we understand that we are no longer children. we are grown adults who get to decide what’s actually keeping us safe. ⁣⁣⁣
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boundaries are safety. ⁣⁣⁣
boundaries are self-love. ⁣⁣⁣
boundaries are self-worth. ⁣⁣⁣
boundaries are awareness. ⁣⁣⁣
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and having boundaries for yourself teaches those you love how to do this in their own lives. ⁣⁣⁣
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a precious gift. ⁣⁣⁣
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if you need more guidance on this, there’s a boundaries mini retreat recording on my website. link in my bio ❤️⁣
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it’s time, and you can do this. ⁣⁣⁣
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xoox n. ✨⁣⁣
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Join us tomorrow, January 13th at 10:00 AM, as we conclude our talk on the book Why Woo Woo Works by Dr David Hamilton. We will explore the law of attraction. Join us in person or online at https://unityoftacoma.org/2022/02/10/sunday-message-law-of-attraction-2-13-2022/

Amen!

Why Woo Woo Works: Energy Healing We are continuing with our 4 week book series, on the book “Why Woo Woo Works” by Dr. David Hamilton. The book examines the science behind some of the Alternative therapies, healing modalities, and spiritual practices that are often referred to as ‘woo-woo,’ – but many of these approaches ...

Yes. I see you and hear you. I love you. You are safe.

I USED TO THINK INNER CHILD WORK WAS LIGHT AND SILLY. ⁣⁣
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something for people who wanted the latest “healing trend” and were going to seek some concocted story about who they REALLY ARE (please hear appropriate sarcasm in my voice.) ⁣⁣
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guys, i was dead wrong. ⁣⁣
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in all the years of healing myself and teaching others to heal, inner child work has proven to be one of the most powerful and profound tools of transformation i’ve ever encountered. ⁣⁣
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literally, there is a little kid in there running the show. ⁣⁣
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they are scared and unsure and enraged and full of bravado. and they are making decisions that are hurting us. ⁣⁣
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when we pause, and acknowledge the existence of this little being in there, we are finally on the road to taking back our lives. ⁣⁣
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this is a practice, and it takes education and patience, but it can be done. ⁣⁣
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and it can change your life in ways you might not have imagined. ⁣⁣
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i believe so passionately in this work. i teach it at my retreats (come learn with me in NC or NY, or virtually!) and i have a recorded inner child retreat if you want to experience my lesson (all links in my bio).⁣⁣
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i also live it. every day. checking in with her. feeling into my reactions. knowing now, after all my personal practice, when it is *she* who is responding, not me. ⁣⁣
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and being able to attend to her right there, and not f*ck something up that could have been great. ⁣⁣
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it’s all so beautiful. and poignant. and touching. and real. ⁣⁣
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i send you love. i know how hard it is. i really do. i really really do. ⁣⁣
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xoxoxo n. ❤️⁣
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it’s been a long pandemic. ⁣
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FORGIVE YOURSELF FOR THAT THING YOU DID. ⁣
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Did you yell at your kid? Snark at your partner? Fall apart on the zoom call? Sometimes we just gots to melt down. We are soft chewy humans. There’s only so much we can take before we lose it, just a tad. It’s okay. ⁣⁣
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It’s okay. ⁣⁣
It’s okay. ⁣⁣
It’s okay. ⁣⁣
In fact, it’s expected. ⁣⁣
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Here’s an incredibly great place to melt down that has no side effects except getting you out of pain and symptoms: ⁣
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your JournalSpeak practice. ⁣
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Tell tell tell. Say all the things. Be rude. Cry like a toddler. Make fists. Kick feet. ⁣⁣
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Ice cream is yummy but when it melts all over your life it’s a sticky mess. You are forgiven. We can’t pick and choose our humanness. ⁣
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Use all the tools you’ve got. You can do this. So can i. I love you. ⁣We’ve got this. ⁣
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Xo, n. 🥰

The mind is where your reality exists. Create your experience. You choose how it will turn out.

Managing the Mental World for Sports Managing the Mental World of Sports How can we help athletes manage this crazy and chaotic world? Coaches and athletes are very aware of the...

WHEN “PERFECT” KEPT YOU ALIVE, THE STAKES ARE HIGH. ⁣⁣
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i’m order to understand this, we need to take a closer look at the word “perfection”. ⁣⁣
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some people equate being a perfectionist with having high standards. ⁣⁣
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some feel that it leads to their best work. ⁣⁣
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but as a therapist and your greatest cheerleader i have to ask, “but what are the side effects?”⁣⁣
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when we are unsafe as children, we find places of safety wherever we can. being “perfect” is one method kids can grab onto.⁣
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perfection is a posture of control. ⁣
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the straight A student ⁣⁣
the one who never makes a fuss⁣⁣
the “good” sibling⁣⁣
the best athlete ⁣⁣
the kid who no one needs to help because they’ve always “got it”⁣⁣
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the problem with this kind of trauma response is as we grow, any lack perfection in life feels like a panic. ⁣⁣
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remember, when we were little it was survival. ⁣⁣
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now it feels the same, even though it isn’t. it creates a state where we live in a constant stream of anxiety, and fight or flight. ⁣⁣
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why?⁣⁣
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because there is never, ever, everrrr a way that things can be perfect enough. ⁣⁣
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my love, i so get you. i have been you. i still struggle to not give in to my desperation for perfection. ⁣⁣
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but as i embrace my perfectionism for what it is - a lovely sweet soft babygirl trying to survive - i am able to allow for cracks in the exterior. ⁣⁣
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i am able to allow the light in. ⁣⁣
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our lives are magical, if we let them be. our lives are ours, even when we don’t always remember that this is true. ⁣⁣
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this is your life. replace your fear with curiosity, and let’s keep walking. together. ⁣⁣
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i send you love, and a few gentle cracks. ⁣⁣
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i have a mini retreat on perfectionism if you need more help! link in my bio.⁣
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xoxoxo n. 🌦⁣
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What Would Happen If Everyone Truly Believed Everything Is One? New research suggests a belief in oneness has broad implications for psychological functioning and compassion for those are outside of our immediate circle

IT’S THE CONFLICT THAT KILLS. ⁣⁣⁣
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our most complicated relationships can cause the most pain, and leave the biggest mark. ⁣⁣⁣
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when someone loved you ferociously, and also neglected or abused you… it feels like the worst confusion. ⁣⁣⁣
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sometimes this “love” you seek is simply a result of the role they played in your life. ⁣⁣⁣
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we instinctively attach to our parents, regardless of how they treat us. it’s built into our DNA. ⁣⁣⁣
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as adults, even when we realize that it was “about them and not us” it doesn’t always unravel this confusion. ⁣⁣⁣
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it takes intention. ⁣⁣⁣
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as i walk through this work with people, i am reminded of the deep power of intentional self love. ⁣⁣⁣
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pause. know that these relationships have deeply affected you. your journalspeak practice can begin to make sense of the complexity of what you’re lived through. ⁣⁣⁣
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i know this stuff is SO HARD AND CONFUSING. i know the pain runs deep. i am here with you. ⁣⁣⁣
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if you want to learn more, click the link in my bio. there’s so much more for you in this life. ⁣right now if you sign up for my virtual retreat in May, you get the Freedom From Chronic Pain course and 4 original meditations for free with your retreat fee. you can start doing the work right now. ⁣⁣
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i love you. thank you for being willing. you can do this. ⁣you can change your whole experience of life. i know this, because i watch it in you every day. ⁣⁣
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i know this, because it’s happened to me. ⁣⁣
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xoxox n. ❤️⁣⁣
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What do you want in a spiritual leader?

What Is Contemporary Spirituality? (+ A Practice for Shared Awareness) – New Harbinger Publications, Inc Edited by Zaya & Maurizio Benazzo, co-editors of On the Mystery of Being When we began our spiritual journey, we searched long and hard for a teacher

Missed me and Stephan Plummer this morning? Follow the link to watch it.

Missed the service this morning? No problem! You can watch it any time by going to https://unityoftacoma.org/2022/01/03/sunday-message-burning-bowl-white-stone-ceremony/

Sometimes that's how it is, lol. Happy Saturday!

I can’t be the only one!

🧘🏿‍♀️😬

"God is Sat-Chit-Ananda, ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new Bliss. We, as soul, are individualized Sat-Chit-Ananda. 'From Joy we have come, in Joy we live and have our being, and in that sacred Joy we will one day melt again.'” [Taittiriya Upanishad 3-6-1.]

You set the tone for your day.

Conscious Beginnings: The Benefits of Starting the Day on Your Terms Try these 5 practices to face the day in a new way.

Blessed All Souls Day. Remembering those who have made their transition.
"Until we see your beautiful face again
In that land where there is no more separation,
Where all tears will be wiped from our mind,
And where we will never lose you again." - John O'Donohue, from ON THE DEATH OF THE BELOVED

If you missed our first Sunday message of Faith in Action, you can watch it by going to https://unityoftacoma.org/2021/09/29/sunday-message-faith-in-action-week-1-silence/