Spirituality

I don’t believe in hocus pocus and I do (Jury’s out). It’s a constant struggle with me. Wounded and distorted by the New Age movement or what my dear friend Jeff Brown calls “New Cage”. I have grown skeptical and even quite cynical of anything that suggests hocus pocus. I feel perhaps I dove in too deep, desperately searching for my tribe of weirdos, for truth, for a path through my pain only to realize that no one, or no one theology had that answer.

And as I stepped away from it I began to realize I was being caged in (my choice) by yet another limited ideology and began to awaken to my own, not my own ideology, but to the presence of the inner voice that always knew the way. I did perhaps get a little angry, disappointed in those who’d made grand promises that if I followed their path, bought their program or signed up to their retreat I would be freed. At a point I even convinced myself that I had the power to create a program that would do the same. I “drank the Kool Aide”. Perhaps because it was easier to buy or sell someone else’s promise than it was to look in the mirror and face the pain.

And like a razor I began to cut them all out of my life one by one. Some intentionally and some unintentionally but after it all, after I looked back at the story that had unfolded for me. I realized I was living somewhat of utopian fantasy. It all began to look like a circus, every teacher like a magician performing wonder in front of your eyes while their team picked your pocket as you left. Except I/we, if this is resonating with you, chose to hand our wallet, or our power over.

Please don’t mistake my personal experience for shaming a movement that at the heart of it, at least I hope, had/has good intentions. Regardless of my experience I met many a good hearted human on that path and as Ram Dass has said “we are only ever being walked home”

And it seems it was exactly what I needed to get where I am today. Working with a more grounded perspective, while exploring the possibility of a master puppeteer who orchestrates it all.  But for now as my husband always says “I don’t know what I don’t know” and I’ll let that be a mystery. People have spent thousands of years trying to uncover “the truth” behind this cosmic experience and all have come up empty handed only to find what has been left behind by others searching for the same answer. And then we spar over who holds the monopoly on truth. And quite frankly I’m tired of sparing. Aren’t you?

But what I do know for sure is what I am directly experiencing and what rings true for me. And for the last couple of months an old “New Age” thought has arisen (at least one I learned through that movement), “Is everything coming up to be healed?” cause it seems like the majority of what I am experiencing has picked at old wounds. Old wounds of being bullied, ostracized and beaten into silence. And the fear that if I push back, or stand up, there will be consequences that my soft heart might not be able to bear.

But like the spiritual warrior I am. I feel the fear, sometimes for a while, a very long while. Sometimes falling into a temporary depression, spending days even weeks inside, feeling the feels, processing the pain through my emotions, and then taking it all to self-inquiry, and staying still long enough to listen to what “the self” has to say. I deeply feel that unless we face, or surrender to our pain, unless we allow our emotions the space to do their thing. We will always carry a heaviness with us which adds up experience after experience, eventually causing us to break down mentally and physically, sometimes spiraling into a psychological abyss from which we may not be able to return from.

And from my experience there is no teacher, theology, pill or hocus pocus that can usher us home but ourselves. Every experience giving us the opportunity to look deeper, to listen with more intensity, and to draw from it the light we need to find our way.

 

There I am planting a Marula Tree at a rural school in South Africa. I never would have imagined this kid from the ghetto with his feet firmly planted in the earth planting trees on the other side of the world, or did I?

Is this all just a dream I created? Did all the imagining on the jungle gym while I was playing captain of my ship bring me to where I am today.

Did my inability to accept that “the ghetto” was the way my life would play out and my strong desire to dream a bigger dream for myself get me here?

Law of Attraction experts would say so.

But it was more than just me desiring, hoping wishing and dreaming.

It was putting one foot in front of the other, taking action, and never, never giving up (Ok I gave up a few times but I must not have truly wanted whatever it was I gave up on) that got me where I am today.

An let me tell you it wasn’t without a shit ton of suffering. Sorry to burst your bubble but I’m not sure it stops, I just think we get better at moving through it and not taking it personally (Read this in the Four Agreements and learned it through experience)

I’ve been beaten to a pulp, told I was a worthless faggot, spit at, thrown in lockers, I’ve been laid out on my bed sobbing for days, been so angry I’ve punched holes in walls, created undue conflict out of the depths of my undealt with emotions, and because I believed others projections of who I was, of my value, I even tried, and almost succeeded in taking my own life,  but after the dust settled there was one thing that always lifted me higher and that was my ability to self inquire to the depths of my soul for answers and come out like a metaphysical lion, turn my wounds to wisdom, and document my “all in” journey in hopes of inspiring others.

Because life is just that, life, and it shows up in a myriad of ways, some sunshine and rainbows and some like a hurricane seeming to destroy everything in it’s path but the core, it can’t touch the core.

That place is untouchable, epically wise, like a grandmother that never leaves our side.

And there in-lies our VividLife (truth).

That place untouched by conditioning, not fooled by resistance, and cosmically authentic.

The sage, the guru, the teacher…. YOU!

Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, there it was all along, we just needed this journey called life to discover it. All the Tin Man’s, Scarecrow’s, Cowardly Lion’s, Witch’s and yes the charlatan Wizard’s “were only ever walking us home” to ourselves.

Yesterday. I signed a publishing agreement with Watkins Publishing, one of the oldest spiritual and personal development publishers on the planet, who also happens to own the oldest spiritual book store on the planet in London, England, and who happen to be some of the most cosmically authentic people I have ever met.

The purpose,

To, in the simplest (Kindergarten clear) way possible, tap into that untouched place, shine perspective on my story and light the way for you (and a reminder for me) to live Your VividLife with cosmic authenticity.

Here is a little video announcement I made on my personal Facebook profile. Please take a minute to watch.

Connection is so important and sometimes in this digital age, especially when most of my correspondence is written, It’s nice to see someones face in action and to feel their energy.

I love to connect, face to face, heart to heart.

So if spirit moves you, reach out, even if it’s just for a minute, I would love to see your name come to life through your beautiful eyes.

Sign up to my newsletter, and you will always be the first to know what’s on my mind, what’s coming up and you are always welcome to join me on my VividLife Journeys.

We’re in this together,

 

Oprah Winfrey sits down with public speaker and author Charles Eisenstein to discuss how to make the shift to a culture of empathy and what he feels is the world’s greatest wound. After graduating from Yale with a degree in mathematics and philosophy, Charles moved to Taiwan to educate himself on Eastern spiritual traditions and soon began working as a translator. In his late 20’s, he started to question his life’s purpose and entered into a long period of searching. Charles Eisenstein will share his thoughts on the current political climate and how to transition from the old story of divisiveness to a new paradigm that will create a sustainable future beginning with empathy.

 

In the original ‘Super Soul Short,’ Farmer John discovers an orphaned lamb struggling to find a new mother. In spite of being rejected by all of the flock, he finds more than just another way to get what he needs. The power of separation from the flock drives him to evolve far beyond that of an ordinary lamb.

 

Things have been a little heavy lately; emotions are running high, longer commutes for affordable housing, less pay more work, family tensions on the rise, and your news feed is filled with political doom and gloom. The shift has hit the fan, the underbelly has been revealed and it’s time for us “warriors of the light” to step up our game.

We have a job to do. One that we have been prepared for our whole lives. But it’s got to be real and we’ve got to be operating at full capacity, deeply grounded and rooted in authenticity to do it. Otherwise we’re going to burn out.

Time to start training our warrior selves, and that involves a shit ton of self-care. Something that we givers seem to struggle with. Always giving out, but rarely filling up. There could be a plethora of reasons for that, a deep rooted belief that we are undeserving or self-protection, but whatever it is, we’ve seriously got to kick it in the ass, to do the work – feel it, to reveal it, to heal it, right?

Cause we’re being called on to take us all higher, to usher in a world that is lead more from the heart. I know this all sounds like foo foo, mystical, I ain’t got time for that, I’ve gotta bring home the bacon kind of stuff, but it’s not foo foo at all,  it’s realer than real. It’s what we’ve manifested here to do.

Spiritual work.

But we can’t do it on an empty tank. So time to fill up, and I wanted to share with you some of the things that fill me up, that bring me home; grounded and soaked in the light of authenticity. But I’d also like to know what brings you home, so, if spirit moves you, please reply to the comments below with whatever it is that brings you to that place.

We’re in this together, right? You’re learning from me, I’m learning from you. There is no guru here, except life itself, at which we are all students.

So here goes…

What brings me home is music and nature (natural music; birds chirping, thunder, waves crashing against the shore) and lying down on my Yoga mat (Jade Yoga mats are my fav, and green is my colour – heart chakra) and listening to the following songs (I’ve provided the links so you can listen):

Ong Namo by Snatam Kaur

Deva Premal –  Gayatri Mantra

Alanis Morissette  – That I Would Be Good

Andra Day – Rise Up

C.C. White – Surrender

India Arie – Ready for Love

Lisa Gerrard & Patrick Cassidy – Elegy

Lennon & Maisy – In Love

Phillip Phillips – Home

Ahhhhh feeling bliss, full and so clear after listening. Ready to bust out my lightsaber and kick ass within and without. How about you?

Oh and don’t get so caught up kicking ass you forget to reply with what brings you home.

We’re in this together!

 

In a special edition, Oprah Winfrey asks today’s top thinkers, teachers, and spiritual leaders life’s big questions. A regular feature on “Super Soul Sunday,” Oprah’s soul questionnaire poses thought-provoking questions such as, “What is the soul?,” “What is the purpose of human experience?,” and “What is the most difficult decision you’ve had to make to pursue your destiny?” It is a soul-stirring celebration of viewpoints from a remarkable roster of guests, including international speaker and entrepreneur Tony Robbins, bestselling author and activist Janet Mock, Emmy-Award winning writer and producer Shonda Rhimes, Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church Joel Osteen, life coach Iyanla Vanzant, global advocate and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize Malala Yousafzai, and many more.

To watch the full episode, please visit the following link the morning after the episode airs: http://www.oprah.com/app/super-soul-sunday.html

Please join the conversation on social #SuperSoulSunday, @SuperSoulSunday, @OWNTV, @Oprah

 

There’s Nothing You Can Do to Be Better. Not a thing in the world, not an action or accolade can or will make you better. The truth is you already are. Your own true self is something inside to be realized not outside to be discovered, however you need to stop long enough to notice.

I know, that “New Age” language again right? “your true self”, “something inside to be realized” but it’s true. You will only discover the truth of who you are by being still. You know through Meditation or Mindfulness. I’m sure you’ve heard of it since it seems to be trending at the moment.

So many Meditation and Mindfulness gurus, so many techniques, as with everything else. Everyone seems to have the key, the practice that works, the “cutting edge” technique that guarantees to change your life, make you happier, healthier and wealthier.

Meditation and Mindfulness have seemed to become that key, the new weight loss, fix everything, fad. Just like the eighties weight loss programs, some work, and some don’t, but the key is… does it work for you? Did it feel like a fit? Did it feel effortless or did it cause more struggle, more weight gain, or in the case of Meditation and Mindfulness, more thoughts and more stress?

When’s the last time you gave yourself even just five minutes to be still. I know some of you are saying “well I Meditate all the time”, “I have a regular practice”, “I use mantras”, “I meditate in Yoga class”, but do you really? Do you really take the time, alone, to be still? Or is it just another thing you do that you’ve been told works but you try so hard to do and be better at it you cause more suffering?

Only you have that answer, but you need to stop long enough to hear it.

If you have you’ll already know what I’m talking about, that is if you’ve had a moment with no thought. Not that there is anything wrong if you haven’t, but if you have you’ll get what I’m about to say and If you haven’t, that’s totally ok. It’s not a competition, there’s nowhere to get to, and there is no test at the end. Just do yourself a favor and give yourself 5 minutes, just five minutes a day and then one day it will all just open up. You’ll have a space between your thoughts, pure bliss, pure perfection and you’ll realize in that place, “there’s nothing you can do to be better.”

You already are that. You are everything you are striving to be and more, but you don’t have to strive,. There’s no more need for power suites, multitasking, or corporate ladders. You are exactly what you have always been searching for. Which always reminds me of the Alanis Morissette song “That I Would Be Good”:

“That I would be good even if I did nothing
That I would be good even if I got the thumbs down
That I would be good if I got and stayed sick
That I would be good even if I gained ten pounds
That I would be fine even if I went bankrupt
That I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
That I would be great if I was no longer queen
That I would be grand if I was not all knowing
That I would be loved even when I numb myself
That I would be good even when I am overwhelmed
That I would be loved even when I was fuming
That I would be good even if I was clingy
That I would be good even if I lost sanity
That I would be good
Whether with or without you”

These words are packed with such truth. There’s a reason they hit you right in the gut, or perhaps bring tears to your eyes. No matter how many times I listen to the song I feel the feels, I shed the tears, I give myself the time to “be still and know” that I don’t need to do or be anything to be better. I am better, I am good and none of that depends on anything outside of me.

Like a maple tree in the winter when the sap retreats to its’ roots, only to return once the warmth of the light kisses its’ limbs. Our truest self is available the moment we’re still enough to let the light fill us with awareness.

 

What If We Were All Buddhas? This morning, as usual, I was reading to my husband. This week’s book “When the Shoe Fits, Commentaries on the stories of the Taoist mystic Chuang Tzu” by Osho given to me by my friend Etan of Watkins publishing while I was in London, England last October on my way to South Africa.

The book has been a constant platform for contemplation and growth since I picked it up. My husband and I engage in conversations after reading each section, contemplating what the world, mostly our world would look like if we put into practice the principles of Chuang Tzu.

Today’s question…

What If We Were All Buddhas?

In “When the Shoe Fits”, Osho speaks about the Ego and how it is wrapped up in thinking that one thing is better than the other. A dualist perspective. Always having to fight to survive. And that spirit is always surrendered to what is. Pure surrendered spirit being referred to as a Buddha and ego as an ordinary man. That being wrapped up in things of the ego creates suffering and war. Both in and outer.

I learned of this long ago when reading “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle. This theology really spoke to me and it still does, however like getting rid of one of your favorite things; leaving a relationship, a job, or moving to a new town, just the thought creates resistance.

For me what happens is my breath begins to shallow, my mind begins to race and because of the discomfort, most of the time, I resist.

But what would my world look like, what would our world look like if we didn’t?

If we all surrendered to spirit and became Buddhas?

First thing that comes to mind is that we wouldn’t have war, or conflict at all because there would be no opposites. Leaders would be unnecessary, winners and losers wouldn’t exist. It seems that everything would be in unity, at peace.

This is a Utopian view of life I know, but what if?

I wouldn’t wake up every morning thinking that I had to do to be better. That I need more to be enough. That this or that person was better, richer or wiser than I. That this or that person wasn’t lesser than. People would just be, nature would just be, but both would live in harmony, surrendered to their purpose, flowing together but never impeding the other.

This is life as Jesus, Muhammad, Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, and of course Buddha and many others described. But why after thousands of years and thousands of teachers have shown us “the way” are we still wrapped up in our egos, perpetuating the way that creates the most suffering and resisting “the way” to freedom?

I certainly don’t think that I’m going to figure it out in this short blog, however I at least wanted to pose the question for contemplation, for myself and for you.

So what if we were all Buddhas, what would life look like or what if we just begun in baby steps to incorporate the practices of a more peaceful life.

What would that look like for you, for the world? Where would you begin?

Would love to read your answer in the comments below.

 

Are you ready to shut out the noise, take a road trip through your mind, focus on what you want to do the way you want to do it and deliver that in a way that is easeful and fulfilling?

I can help you.

Since I was a little boy I always knew that I was different. That the dream I had for my life didn’t look like the options being presented.

So I choose the road less travelled. A life of openness and adventure. A VividLife.

It took me many interesting places, brought forth many enlightening challenges and an abundance of joy.

From retail and health food stores, to the music industry, television and radio, fitness and wellness there was a common thread.

From the lemonade stand desire as a child, to writing, producing and organizing journeys for personal development, it was my personal legend to create, connect and inspire.

But where the struggle presented itself, was in the how.

And as soon as I was faced with a decision every school teacher, bully, librarian, friend and parents voice rose as a collective resistance.

“You can’t”

“You won’t make any money”

“That’ll be hard”

“Are you sure”

“What will people think”

“You’ll be letting us down”

“But, what if you fail”

You know the voices right?

Everyone else’s but your own creating a sort of anxiety and confusion that keeps you stuck and afraid, a deer in headlights.

And “until the pain of remaining the same is worse than the fear of change”.

You will remain the same.

A victim of fear and resistance.

A prisoner of the collective idea as opposed to your own.

And until you care enough about yourself and living the life you desire.

Until you give yourself the space to eliminate distractions, conditioning and get silent enough to listen to your own desires.

To listen to the whispers within that are effortlessly guiding you in the direction of a life that is easeful and fulfilling for you.

You will be but a puppet that is picked up and put down as others desire.

Am I resonating with you?

Do you have a desire to change?

To become more of who you are?

To live a VividLife?

Open, Connected and Soulful.

Whether personal, business or social.

I’ve done it and I’d love to show you how you can too. 

Join me on a road trip through your mind where I will assist you in eliminating conditioning and distractions and help you gain the clarity you need to live the life you desire in an easeful and fulfilling way.

 

Take the 21 Day VividLife Quest

 

Step into a braver more adventurous life of clarity. connection and inspiration.

 

Join me on a 21 Day Virtual VividLife Quest

 

In ancient North American Native traditions, “a Vision Quest is the ritual seeking of personal communication with the spirit world through visions that are induced by fasting, prayer, and other measures during a time of isolation.”

In this experiential program I partner ancient and modern wisdom to help you discover your deepest desires and assist you in incorporating them into your everyday life with ease.

Rather than complete isolation, or fasting – we will work together one on one focusing on disconnecting, undoing conditioning, finding your authentic voice, and breaking through resistance so you can propel yourself into a higher state of being every day.

 

Clarity. Discover your authentic voice and unlock what’s been blocking it.

Connection. Reconnect with yourself, your surroundings and others with authenticity.

Inspiration. Discover what brings you to life.

 

It’s time rediscover yourself and radically focus on giving that to the world with all you’ve got. 

 

Join me on this virtual 21 Day experiential VividLife Quest.

 

21 Days, 4 1:1 Virtual Mentoring Sessions, eliminate distractions, undo conditioning, break through resistance, connect with your true self and radically focus on balance – mind, body and spirit.

 

Upon completion of this program you will:

Have clarity on who you truly are, what  brings you joy and how to incorporate that into your everyday life.

 

Program Includes

21 Day program mentorship

4 personal 1:1 60 minute virtual sessions

A custom VividLife Map

Ongoing Group Support

 

Cost

$595 USD

 

 

About Me

After over 20 years of marketing, promoting and producing others I decided to open a new chapter in my life.

“My VividLife”.

I’m a writer, VividLife mentor, producer, the founder of VividLife.me and am producing and starring in my own inspirational docu-series titled “My VividLife”.

I founded VividLife Radio in 2009 which I recently retired in June of 2016. VividLife Radio reached millions around the globe and entertained “A” list celebrities, and the very best experts in personal development over the course of over 5,000 episodes.

 

What Others Have to Say 

“To put yourself as the priority in your own life is the greatest gift you can give the world.

After a series of events in my life culminating with the loss of 2 friends far too soon, I questioned whether I was living the life I had always envisioned. Living my life on my terms could wait no longer. Along came VividLife Quest to assist me through that journey.

Each day I delved further into the aspects of my life that get me off track of what fills my cup. I was challenged by my own perceptions about how I was living my life. Being off social media for 21 days allowed me to focus on me.

I now have a map and direction of where I am going towards living my life to the fullest.

Do yourself a favour and put yourself as a priority in your own life.  VividLife Quest will help you make it happen!”

Brenda Bryson

 

“It’s incredibly that my life could change over 21 days and yet it has. I started this journey to focus on my happiness and future success. After experiencing the 21 Day VividLife Quest and working with Shayne, I’m creating a plan to accomplish my dreams.  I now understand the meaning of the statement “Everything you are searching for is already within you.”  Once you block out the many distractions of life and really focus on you, your perception of life and your place in it will never be the same.

Here is what I have experienced during and after program:

Calmness

Less Worry

Less Anxiety

Less Tension

Less Fear

Less Resistance to doing what I know I should or should not do

Answers coming easily to me

Eating better food for my body & well being

Take a close look at this program, make the decision to jump on board

and never look back!”

Linda Wheeler Williams

“As a wife, a mother of four boys, a business owner, a caregiver, and not to mention the endless other roles that I take on, I was at a point of losing myself.  My decisions were no longer mine, my time was no longer mine, and my feelings and thoughts were being compromised by everything else that began controlling my life.

After a life changing journey to South Africa with the Vivid Life travel group, I began a journey of transformation.  I realized that my inner light was still shinning bright but was being dulled by everything else that I allowed control my thoughts, emotions and ultimately my life.

When I returned from South Africa I was gifted with more self-realizations and I recognized that when standing in my truth, the universe collaborates with you in so many ways.  I then made the conscious decision to take my journey a few steps deeper by joining Shayne Travis’s Vivid Life Quest.

The Vivid Life Quest encouraged me to take 21 days and focus on beginning to create a balance in my life so that I can fit the roles I choose to participate in, into my life, and rid myself of the anxiety, stress, guilt, and preconceived ideas and thoughts that were controlling my life and ultimately make time for ME.

I am beginning to find myself again and allowing my light to shine! I have realized that it is all about having balance and when you are in alignment with all the things that fill you up as a person, you are then able to walk through life with joy, clarity and purpose.  I know I am not alone in feeling like you are losing yourself, The Vivid Life Quest is a gift that you can give yourself that will ultimately create a ripple effect in all areas of your life!

I promise you!

Thank you, Shayne, for guiding me towards creating a life of balance and realizing the importance in restoring my inner self.  This shift has helped me include and prioritize self-care so that I can continue to be my best self in all the roles that I chose to participate in on my life journey!”

Eloise Morrison

 

 

 

For more information or to set up a 1:1 Q & A session please email me at shayne@vivdilife.me

Looking forward to our journey together!

 

Wow! What a week. What a great decision.

So much realization in such a short time and I owe it all to something that a week ago I felt would be the cause of a downward spiral, and it could have been, however as always, I allow myself to process the emotional consequences of it all and once clear take it to self-inquiry and care.

In this particular case I decided to embark on a 21 day journey through my own program, currently known as the “21 Day VividLife Quest”, which boasts rave reviews of life transformation and renewal.

Through my life, as through many of our lives, I seem to flip flop between suffering and peace. However a few years ago I begun to take note of the many areas in our lives, that regardless of outer circumstances, create more peace, and after years of applying these principles to my own life I decided to mentor others, and in that pursuit I seemed to have forgotten about myself.

Slowly I stopped being active, connecting with others, became a recluse, started eating poorly and solely focused on mentoring others.

For obvious reasons this rapidly started to affect my physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing and lead me on the path to becoming a hypocrite which synchronistically, once I decided to take a step back, I read this passage in my of my all-time favorite books;

“I cannot share that which I do not have. I cannot share meditation with people, I cannot share love with people, I cannot share my joy with people, because I don’t have it. I am a beggar; I can only pretend to be an emperor.”, “But that pretension cannot last for a long time. Soon people will start seeing that ‘This man is just a hypocrite. He himself is tense, he himself is worried; he himself lives in pain and suffering and misery, and he is talking about creating the world as a paradise.’” Osho, Living Dangerously

Aha, the reason for no sign ups to my “21 Day VividLife Quest” this time around was because I myself was not in alignment, and by the grace of God I was given this opportunity, perhaps before it was too late, as my own wellness was on the line.

And what an incredible opportunity it’s been.

In just one week of participating in my own program I started to truly understand the programs rave reviews and remember my original intent for building it; to help others to discover their purpose, or as The Alchemist by author Paulo Coelho so eloquently presents it; their “Personal Legend”, and to mentor them to live it with the best of their ability, from their heart.

However as The Alchemist presents; through a story about a young boy visiting a King to discover what happiness is, I myself became so focused on helping others find their “Personal Legend” I forgot to lift my head and enjoy the journey.

And once I did, Wow oh Wow!

I started to develop more clarity. I’ve felt better physically, mentally and spiritually and have begun to remember my deep desire to connect. I mean really connect, not just via social media but in person and I’ve remembered how much wisdom comes from those connections, through their stories we see ourselves.

We are mirrors.

This week I learned, yet again, the importance of self-inquiry, self-care and connection and how each is interconnected and essential to the whole, not only to a life well lived but in cultivating the wisdom required to lead others.