This week I am on retreat in Northern California adding finishing touches to my Introduction to Embodied Awareness on line course that will launch in April.  Today I am reviewing the Module on the 12 senses as I bask in the sensory stimulation of my current environment.  While I was walking in the hills, I turned off my hearing aids to dampen the din of traffic rolling along the freeway by the nature reserve; one of the advantages of wearing hearing aids.  I am staying on the edge of a nature reserve. . . streams of sunshine make the emerald green hills even more vibrant against the bright orange California poppies that grow wild in these parts. It rained just before I arrived, and the ground is moist and full of life.  The fragrance of Spring is in the air, everywhere.

Our bodies are receiving stations for signals sent between the outer material-physical world and the inner world of the psyche or soul.  We are vibrational beings.  From the molecular vibration of different substances which constitute our sense of smell, to waves of light that impact the retina of the eye, our sensory nerves transmit electrochemical signals to our brain that we interpret as physical reality.

Who would have thought that smell is vibratory?  One of the latest theories, according to biophysicist and perfumer Luca Turin, is the sense of smell is based on the molecular structure of a substance.  The olfactory receptor sites respond to the molecular vibration and send a signal to the brain where the scent is interpreted as a fragrant rose, or exhaust fumes from the bus.  Smell can also be a subtle intuitive signal when it takes the form of a metaphor—like when something smells ‘fishy’ or is a ‘fresh’ idea.

Smell is vibration.  I don’t know why that fascinates me so much; but it does.  It reminds me of the reality that life is not always what it seems and we can ‘smell the truth’.  I have come to view every aspect of being as a signal—the quality of our thoughts, the experience of emotions and all our physical senses as subtle signals—messages between the outer material world and the inner world of Spirit.  It is not the content of thoughts and feelings as much as the quality that is the signal—it’s the vibration our thoughts and feelings emit that signals how important it is to return to the sanctuary of Spirit within the soul before taking action.

We are mediators between inner and out worlds—finding a way to move between worlds with grace and ease.  If we pay attention to the subtle signals, how might that impact our awareness of our relationships with each other?

Yesterday morning I went to an airport, boarded a plane and took and international flight. It was uneventful, except perhaps for the slightly longer line up at security.

How different this experience would have been if I were planning to fly out of Brussels…

I hear that this latest terrorist attack in Europe, which we as a global community are witnessing on TV and through the internet, is being met mostly with a peaceful response. Artists, designers and illustrators have primarily responded with graphics depicting peace, and with hashtags such as #JeSuisBruxelles, #JeSuisBelge and #PrayforBrussels.

Many news editorials and world leaders ask for patience and restraint.

I ask that we consider Forgiveness as well. This horrid event, along with all acts of violence and terror that continue in our communities worldwide, are reminders to come together in new ways.  They are for-giving us each an opportunity to choose humanity and compassion over fear and hate.  Artists have long been the spokespersons with the vision of deeper truth…lighting the path to our collective future.  I am grateful for their reflections.

At this time of heightened feelings, we feel compassion for all mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, who have lost loved ones, as we remember that terrorists and victims all come from families who are suffering from this sorrowful event.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM-MARCH 22: People hold up a banner as a mark of solidarity at the Place de la Bourse following today’s attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed after Brussels airport and a Metro station were targeted by explosions. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels.

(Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

In my book Betrayal, Trust and Forgiveness, I start my Chapter on Betrayal of Society with this:

Wound:   If you suffer from a wound inflicted by society, your sense of relationship to the whole has been injured. You feel isolated and alienated, and powerless and helpless to effect change or get your needs met.

Truth:   Unresolved mother, father, and beloved betrayal wounds are projected onto the collective. Your personal transformation makes you an agent of social transformation. Conscious commitment to be your most creative, fulfilled Self within limits of your physical environment has a profound effect on everyone you meet. This contributes to awakening of humanity.

Healing:   Develop trust in your inner, knowing Self that directs you to ACT in your community, workplace or social group. Let your enthusiasm and joy attract others who share your values and vision. Together with them, practice creating new ways to embody your shared ideals.

In Calgary, where I live, many of us are feeling betrayed as we the find our job security vanishing, our lifestyle altering drastically, and a way of life we have come to expect no longer an option. What is true is that we are not alone in this shift of reality in this city, nor are we alone on this planet. Collectively we are living in a time of great change. Some of us are working together to change society from the inside out.

My student Bianca Sinclair is doing just this.

Through her Laid Off Calgary – empowered community support groups Bianca offers the Calgary community an opportunity to address our wounds, understand the truth, and to ACT in a positive healing way.

Groups are held at a local public library in Calgary Alberta, and are free of charge.

Please share with anyone who might benefit from a community engagement such as this.

For more information on Laid Off Calgary, please send an email.

You can also join the growing community through Bianca’s Facebook group.

And, I ask you to consider and share with us what is happening in your community – and – in what ways are you changing society from the inside out?

Over the last two weeks, I have been sharing with you the journey of Bianca Sinclair, who has just founded Laid Off Calgary – empowered community support group.  Bianca is a student of mine and recently completed her course work in my Embodied Awareness Facilitator Certification program.  She is now completing her practicum hours.  Since last week, Bianca has had more media coverage and a surge in group participation.

This week she wrote to me:

This past week has been filled with changes, with the first big change being an increase in group size. I went from groups of two or four, to 12 attendees with a wait list!

What I noticed about myself after facilitating my first big group of the week is that I felt a combination of fullness of heart yet I felt exhausted and drained. I also felt an overwhelming urge to take time out for myself for rest and renewal. I appreciated having some extra family support last week so I could immediately take some time for myself by going to a yoga class and letting each encounter with new individuals wash over me by way of each vinyasa sequence. Consistent ujayi breath helped to cleanse my mind of my self-doubts and inner-critic and to just be present and intact in my body again.

The second group on Friday went smoothly. However, I was a little taken a back when I showed up half an hour early to set up and there were already new people waiting to talk to me!

During both sessions this past week, I have been more diligent in capturing the feedback from participants of “what is working well for you? What are your coping strategies?” and sharing this back with them on a whiteboard and my on Facebook page.

I’m observing my keen desire to propel this forward, and to be honest I’m a little fearful that the growth could stop (“what if there are no more members or new requests and people stop showing up”, I ask myself). Then I challenge that thinking with the reminder that everything flows at its own rightful pace in its own rightful place.

Everything is going exactly as it should.

Laid Off Calgary – empowered community support groups are for people who are wrestling with the trauma of being laid off and in sudden career transitions. Groups are held at a local public library in Calgary Alberta, and are free of charge.

Bianca has been interviewed by another the local paper and the response continues to be exceptionally positive.

Please share with anyone who might benefit from a community engagement such as this.

For more information on Laid Off Calgary, please send an email.

You can also join the growing community through Bianca’s Facebook group.