Debauchery: A Life Untamed
(Note: the following
article was originally published on November 11, 2009)
Fall
2009
True
debauchery is liberating because it creates no
obligations. In it you possess only yourself;
hence it remains the favorite pastime of the great
lovers of their own person.
- Albert Camus
In the esire: Friend or Foe?">August
issue of theMessenger, I
sought to debunk the myth that "desire" need be
avoided. I invited us to become more aware of how
our longings are shaping who we are becoming in each
and every moment. In this issue, we go even further.
The context of each and every issue of theMessenger is
directly inspired by my life experience in the moment.
This month's feature offers unprecendented
transparency, as I share a message from an even more
personal angle.
I have recently ventured on an experiment of sorts. I
am exploring the many delightful gifts of
debauchery...a
life untamed.
The controversial implications of the word
debauchery make it the perfect choice.
Its actual meaning: extreme indulgence in
sensuality and/or seduction from virtue or
duty. Despite its cultural
baggage, debauchery is quite simply: freedom unleashed.
It is a choice that is unconcerned with the opinion of
others. It is the medicine that every generation brings
to the one that proceeds it as it challenges all that
is considered true in order to evolve humanity forth.
Its powerful nature may reveal darkness; yet, it is a
volcanic force of change. When you embrace the gifts of
debauchery, it holds the potential to launch all
aspects of who you are becoming into orbit. It can be a
bold and chaotic revolution of self. I am wild with
delight in my own personal brand of debauchery.
You might be thinking, "whoa there, girl! why the need
for such rebellion?"
Surrendering The New
Religion
For nearly a decade, I have focused almost singularly
on self-awareness and personal growth. I have studied,
and I have practiced. As a dutiful student of spiritual
inquiry and metaphysics, I did my best to clear the
clutter of my mind. I made sure that my intentions were
defined and directed. I abstained from alcohol and
other substances that might inhibit my ability to
focus. I taught others how to become conscious of their
words, thoughts, and actions. I even became extremist
in my choices; sharing energy only with people who I
felt contributed to my aim for such diligence. This
continual emphasis on being deliberate certainly
created some useful habits in me. Yet, over time, I
became restless, caged, and - truth-be-told - even
slightly judgmental.
In some ways, I had allowed "spirituality" to become my
religion. I let it confine me to
elitist thinking and/or artificial ways of being that
felt misaligned with my own evolving inner guidance.
Like a tiger in a cage, I began pacing the parameters
of my confines, seeking a way out. As a result, I sent
out a signal for freedom from my monastic pursuits -
freedom from principle, form and constructs. I found
myself gravitating towards examples of raw truth and
uncensored self-expression, hoping they held the key to
my release.
Unleashing the Wild
Woman
My desire for freedom summoned the perfect series
opportunities. Zumba arrived on the scene to
liberate me on a physical level. Through wild
girations of my form, I began to embrace my body in
a way like never before. Latin dance has taught me
that my curves are glorious mechanisms for
femininity - round and supple counterparts to
circular, raw, explosive movements. In embracing my
body in this new way, I was introduced to an
unexpected ally: She is bold, wild, sexy, and
physically passionate...a creature who thrives on
freedom.
She is a fiercely-alive, untamed version of
me.
Her hunger was palpable after spending so much time
latent. She began to comb her surroundings for outlets,
and she found more than one. The past couple of months
have sent me into uncharted territories on every level.
My desires have become vehicles for my own liberation.
I have been living uncensored, accepting opportunities
that send me forth in unrefined celebration and
pleasure.
For as long as I can remember, I have resisted the wild
woman within. I tamed my unruly curls; now I let them
pour forth. I covered my curves; now I flaunt them. I
push against the parts of me that revealed uncensored
shadow truths; now I am openly revealing the dark
spaces. I am surrendering my attachment to discipline
and am allowing the grace of the moment to guide me. It
has been a wild and insightful ride. Yet, in shadows
revealed there is a bright spark of self-realization.
And let me tell you, if joy is an indicator (which I
believe it to be), I am on the right track. My laughter
is resonating more and more expansively every day.
Daring to Go
Further
In the spirit of said intention, I am liberating my
voice with you as a witness. I will become a more free
and willing vessel for my work. Up until now, my rawest
musings have been sequestered to the pages of my
journals. Visible posts have been edited and distilled
wisdoms that reveal only the bright spots.
I now realize that the most powerful examples are
authentic and pure transmissions of both shadow and
shine. You simply can't have one
without the other.
If you feel so inspired, I invite you to tune in and
even chime in! Become a Fan on Facebook or subscribe to
the SHiNE Blog RSS feed to view recent and future
postings. Attend an upcoming class or retreat and I
promise to more consciously create space for all shades
of shadow and shine.
Thank you in advance for bearing witness as I allow my
voice to expand. It is my hope that this act of courage
will inspire a comparable unveiling of some latent
potential in YOU.
Delight in the discoveries that your untamed desires
can reveal. Remember, it is the
coupling of your darkness and your light that shapes
the whole of who you are.
Wild & Free to Be Me,
Candice
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Soul Vibes: LoA Demystified
Below I am offering a synopsis of a recent presentation
and coaching forum for those who may not have been able
to attend. This has been a vision of mine for some
time, and it was an honor and a joy to see come to
fruition. The fact that I was offering the presentation
itself is evidence of its content! Enjoy.
This
serves as a great introduction to the Law of
Attraction, and how it informs SHiNE Coaching from a
“soulular perspective.”
Soul
Vibes: Vibrational Self-Mastery & The Law of
Attraction
New
Renaissance Bookshop, Portland, OR
Thursday, August 13, 2009
by Candice Schutter
This coaching forum focused specifically on a teaching
that has gotten a lot of mainstream attention in the
past couple of years – the Law of Attraction. It is my
hope that you will leave here tonight with a greater
understanding – not only of the Law of Attraction – but
of HOW it relates to a deeper aspect of who you really
are. We will explore the LoA from a soulular
perspective in order to make it a meaningful and
practical part of your spiritual practice. This
gathering is about self-directing your energy. It is
about consciously aligning with who you really are in
each and every moment.
I was first exposed to LoA in 2000, through a daily
martial arts (qigong) discipline. It was then that I
was first introduced to the idea that my thoughts were
powerful causal factors in my everyday life. I was
hooked on learning more! Since then, I have been an
avid student of metaphysics. In 2003, I was exposed to
new thought ministries, and I studied how modern
pioneers like Ernest Holmes created an philosophy and
spiritual way of life that put this awareness to work
through affirmative prayer. On my metaphysical journey,
I have cycled through seasons of passionate inquiry, as
well as times of intense skepticism and uncertainty. My
recent studies – namely of the leading edge work
of
Esther and Jerry Hicks
– have led me to understand LoA in a larger sense. Much
of what I will be sharing with you is inspired directly
by their work – along with my own experience and the
clients that I see applying these principles.
It is important to remember that the recent buzz around
the Law of Attraction in mainstream circles is only
hinting at a deeper pulse. We live in a marketplace. As
a result, media created to appeal to the mainstream is
often a watered-down version of the truth. I am
interested in expanding your definition of these unseen
forces, placing them into a spiritual framework that
can lead to a joyful and uplifting existence. Remember
to smile often and have fun!
What
is the Law of Attraction?
The Law of Attraction is based on a number of
progressing premises:
(inspired
by the teachings of
Abraham-Hicks,
among others)
1.
Everything is Made Up of Energy
The
universe is made up of energy – both visible and not
visible. Everything seen and unseen is energy. By
definition, energy is in a constant state of perpetual
motion - thus, it is also known as vibration. The
slower the energy is moving the more dense it is. The
more dense, the slower it is to change. For example:
thought is a faster moving energy than matter. From
this perspective, materialization is the slowing of a
continual vibration into form. Therefore, it is said
that there is a vibrational reality that exists,
proceeding all that we see in physical form. The
vibrational reality is real – it is just unseen until a
continuous holding of that resonance results in matter
(or evidence in physical form).
2.
Energy is Life & Life is Perpetual and
Expansive
Everything
in the universe is in a perpetual state of expansion
and growth. All living things move towards greater
thriving, and change form in order to do so. This
expansion is constant and all living things are an
aspect of this expansion. Since everything is energy,
it can be said that everything is one energy - one
pulsing, expansive force of life. Put in a spiritual
framework, it is Source expressing and evolving itself
through all form that it takes. It is all a part of the
overall expansion of life - even you. There is no
escaping expansion, it is an inevitable aspect of life
itself.
3. Expansion Happens Through Polarity &
Contrast
Expansion
happens through the law of polarity. The physical realm
is driven by contrast. And through contrast, all desire
is born. In other words, in order to become more, all
living things experience contrast – it is in the
not-wanting of things that a new experience is born –
when we have an experience of “no not that” we
co-create a vibrational version that is better – it
happens immediately, as the way of the universe it one
of expansion and continual creation.
The
Law of Attraction (mainstream, material
perspective):
We
have been taught, plain and simply:
like attracts like.
The Law of Attraction says what you put your attention
on will continue to evidence itself in your life.
Whatever you focus on will expand. Therefore, the more
that you focus on “what-is”, the more of the same you
will get. So we are taught,
focus your attention on what you want
instead.
The
Law of Attraction (soulular
perspective):
Put
in a larger context, we can take the Law of Attraction
much further. (Or rather, it takes US further). The Law
of Attraction is working continually. We cannot apply
it any more than we can apply the law of gravity.
However, we can certainly understand it better! From a
greater context, the soulalar perspective says this:
Your desires are born of the polarity of life. When you
desire something (as a result of contrast), you become
a vibrational match to something greater. And
regardless of the form that it might seem to take, EACH
and EVERY desire that is birthed in you is a desire for
soul connection. No matter what desires that contrast
has birthed in you,
there is only ever one desire
at the root of it all – to become more of who you
really are. Thus,
when you experience contrast, you create a new version
of YOU
that simply must be experienced as a part of the
greater expansion of life itself. As soon as it has
been conjured, your soul begins to stir. Suddenly that
potential is ripe and ready in you, and
nothing less will do.
How
can I “use” the Law of Attraction?
It is a bit of a misnomer, for the Law of Attraction is
always at work in your life. In fact, IT is using YOU
in the greater expansiveness of life. What you can do,
however, is understand how it is working. You have all
the guidance you need, built right in!
YOUR
EMOTIONS – YOUR ENERGETIC GPS SYSTEM
You
are hard-wired for expansion. You can very easily learn
how to use the feedback of your emotions to understand
where your vibration is at any given moment. If we use
our earlier definition of energy, we are reminded that
as an energy is contemplated over time, it becomes more
and more dense. Until eventually, it will evidence
itself in our physical reality.
Thought >>>> E M O T I O N >>>>
Form
Therefore, emotion is the intermediary between thought
and form. It gives us immediate and undiluted feedback
about how we are vibrating.
The soulular LoA invites us to take this even further.
Remember, upon desiring something it has become a
vibrational reality for you. Not only that, YOU have
become a match for that (on a soulular level) and
nothing less will do. Thus, how you feel becomes an
absolute indicator of how close or how far away you are
from that NEW YOU that has become. When you feel “good”
you are right on track, in vibrational alignment. When
you feel “bad” you are holding yourself apart from your
potential in some way.
In summary, the LoA (material perspective) says...
think/feel/act in accordance with what you want. There
is wisdom there. Sure. Yet people get what they want
all the time, and then later wonder why it didn’t yield
happiness.
I invite you to evolve in your understanding of this
force of life. The LoA (soulular perspective) says...
think/feel/act your way into vibrational alignment with
who you have BECOME. Allow the perpetual expansion of
self to guide you towards true happiness. You can still
enjoy the ever-changing means through which ultimate
happiness comes. Yet, you experience the joy of
authenticity and soul alignment when you understand
that the physical pleasures of life - enjoy them! - are
wonderful containers through which expansion can occur.
Key Understandings in order to work WITH the
LoA:
You
Attract – The Universe Creates
It’s
called the Law of Attraction for good reason.
Let yourself off the hook when in comes to “creation.”
You attract a possibility through your desire and
subsequent ability to align yourself with it. Reality
is subjective, and you experience what you are
available for. Many different possibilities already
exist. It is really up to YOU which of these realities
you align with.
You Live In An Interdependent Universe
You
are not the only show in town.
Your thoughts are not the only ones out there, and your
energy effects more than just you. The possibility of
something is sometimes collectively determined... the
probability (in your reality) is personally determined
by your match to it. Likewise, trust in the unfolding.
Your good is a part of the greater good. The perfect
outcome is determined by a vantage point that far
exceeds your own, benefiting all involved in the
perfect way and timing.
Feeling
Matters More Than Thought
You
can affirm until you are blue in the face, but feeling
is seeing.
Therefore, it is MUCH more efficient to monitor your
emotions over thoughts. Use how you feel to determine
your vibrational alignment to your desires... then use
thought to re-direct towards better feeling sensations
(alignment). Here is a great tool for changing your
primary vibration on any given topic.
Click Here
to learn about the Focus Wheel Process.
Energy
Matters More Than Content
The
energy of alignment is the only thing that matters, It
matters far more than the content of your desire.
Because the world is a marketplace, we are fed story
after story of people manifesting exactly what they
wanted. And you may just do that! However, the only
manifestation that is ever occurring is alignment with
true power (the soul) and how it can be best expressed
in any given moment. When you get too caught up in the
content, you MISS the point (and the power is lost).
You distract yourself from obvious goodness.
Action
is Essential on the Big Stuff
Action
can help to shift a vibrational pattern.
We have learned that action without alignment can be
futile. Yet on the big stuff, alignment without action
is a tall order! Action can be the missing ingredient
to truly place you in vibrational proximity to your
desires. Thus, action is not creating the perfect
outcome... it is placing you within the vibrational
vicinity of it. Likewise, if you don’t tend to your
vibration, action can be the one thing that is making
you a mismatch to the vibration that is at the root of
your desire. Therefore, action when in alignment is the
most powerful combination there is!
There
are No Absolutes in an Expansive Perspective
What
you don’t know can’t hurt you unless you pretend to
know it all.
This perspective is not meant to be all-encompassing.
We are continually growing in our understanding of this
force in our lives. Be willing to test it out and be
willing to expand and grow in your perspective. Take
what works for you, and leave the rest behind.
At the core of this message is this: follow your
soulular compass to the life that expresses the
continual you that is unfolding!
Do
you want the nutshell version?
Your dreams are drawn to you, if you allow them to flow
you in their direction. Embrace the moments of
discomfort for the clarity they bring, and then release
them by focusing on what they are birthing in you. Feel
good, relax, accept, and enjoy the expansion of life.
We all benefit from your willingness to smile.
Desire: Friend or Foe?
August
2009
It
is never the idol that you want,
but what you think it offers you.
A
Course in Miracles
Desire. Friend or
Foe?
Let's face it: desire has gotten a bad rap for
centuries. With roots in both eastern and western
religious traditions, renunciation of desire has
penetrated the collective psyche as a noble aim in an
ever-expanding material world. We are taught - through
an onslaught of psychological, sociological, and
spiritual influences - that desire is selfish and
fleeting...and that the ego (desire's vehicle) must be
defeated in order to experience true happiness. Yet
despite our best intentions, desire remains a human
epidemic we have yet to overcome as a species. Some
might wonder, if we are truly evolving, why are we
still yearning?
Humans are a species mesmerized by dichotomies. We
continually do the dance of extremes in order to propel
ourselves forth. Desire is a force hard to deny; thus,
when renunciation of the material world wages a war
within, we turn to consumption. After feeding impulse
after impulse, we find we are still left empty. We
pretend our hunger means nothing...we pretend it means
everything...and now we are ready to stop pretending.
Every human longing points to a potential within. Our
minds are magicians, continually whipping up potions
that we think promise us the end we are seeking. We
spend time and resources casting spell after spell in
hopes to manifest the IT that will deliver us the
sensation we so long for. Time and time again, the
end-result is short-lived. Thus, we blame desire itself
for leading us astray.
Yet, what if we are simply missing the point? What if
desire is not the problem. Perhaps it is our approach
to it that needs to be re-evaluated. I have come to
understand that each and every desire (without
exception) point us in the direction of a
universally-desired sensation. Thus, at the heart of
our desire is alignment with a potential that is
seeking to be born through our life experience.
What You Really Want is
YOU
The object of your desire is not the problem; the fact
that you want IT is not the source of your mood swings.
It is in the misunderstanding of these impulses that
you find cause to suffer. Put simply, desire is an
indicator that something more is calling to you. Life's
struggles aren't a result of the cycle of incessant
wanting. Suffering may be due to attachments to the
many forms that your physical creation has taken, or
may take in the future. Or, perhaps more commonly in
our western culture,
suffering is ignoring oneself and never fulfilling the
potential buried beneath surface
longing.
What you really want is to E X P A N D - to express
more of your evolving essence. The objects of your
desire are simply things that you believe will deliver
the goods - the goodness that it your birthright.
Desire is the eager whimper of a more expansive YOU
that is currently hidden from view. To deny it is to
deny your innate tendency for growth and expansion.
Paradoxically, it is the denial of our deepest desires
that causes the ego run amok. Anyone who has ever
stayed the course of a circumstance (or way of being)
long-outgrown knows the blessed tantrums of the ego.
Interestingly, when we finally let go and yield to what
would feel better - in thought, word, or action - the
tempest fades. Alas, could the ego be an ally on this
journey?! Oh yes, indeed!! An
ego-soul alliance is pulsing at the core of
this message.
Metaphorically speaking, your soul is in a state of
perpetual rebirth. (I mean, in this life, you are meant
to evolve continually). Your ego and the world of form
offer vessels of gestation through which you are meant
to grow in and out of. And, it is the contractions of
desire that deliver you forth. They ensure your
expansion by pushing you towards greater degrees of
love, joy, freedom, and well-being.
Expansion through
Form
Some spiritual teachers have told us to seek the
medicine from within. They say that if we sit still
long enough...if we dive deep enough...and if we resist
the dream of the physical world around us, we will be
rewarded with limitless joy. Yet, is the point of this
physical dimension simply to deny it? Or, can we have
both? - the boundless joy of expansion and the
pleasures of human existence? Rather than enlightenment
in spite of the physical world, could this planet of
ours become the container through which we express our
collective enlightenment?
Every aspect of the living world is in a state of
perpetual expansion. Growth and evolution of form is
the way of the physical domain. At the root of this
propulsion forth is - you guessed it - desire. The
longing for something better. Desire is the catalyst
for change. Change is a means for personal expansion.
And personal expansion is the key ingredient in
collective evolution. Accept and embrace your desires
as reflections of latent potential within all of
us.
Join the Dialogue
Those of you in the Portland area, join me this
Thursday, August 13th at New Renaissance
Bookshop. I am honored to be
leading a coaching forum that will shed a new light on
desire, the ego, and the metaphysics of creation. We
will explore and evolve the Law of Attraction through
the lens of the soul. Questions, comments, and
contributions are welcome. Hope to see you
there!
Click here to sign up.
Note: CLICK
HERE for a follow-up post on the Soul Vibes
event.
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