Cynthia, thank you for sharing those amazing pictures! What a stunningly beautiful place. I'd like to experience it with my body in that area of the planet someday. I love this form of confession - truth telling - paired with responsibility taking. As always, the time you take to notice and name these things for yourself allows for resonance and noticing/learning for me, so I really appreciate it. In response to your invitation.... somewhere in the realm of your #7 and #8, I've been playing with some ideas from Vanessa de Oliveira Andreotti's book Hospicing Modernity and a course she designed "Facing Human Wrongs" that I'm taking through the University of Victoria. She talks about the inner multitudes, complexities, and contradictions of being human using the metaphor of all of us having a bus with many passengers who respond differently to inputs - different perceptions, emotions, reactions, viewpoints, and things to say. That part was not so new to me, having been in touch with many parts of myself and my spirit team. I have found it a relief, however, to explicitly give myself permission to embrace contradiction and complexity when my parts are having very different experiences. But the thing that promises a juicy shift for me was her invitation to pay attention to the perception of other decks on the bus - mind blowing new dimensions! - such as the deck containing my ancestors past and future or the deck of non-human life forms of the planet. There is something about situating myself as deeply embedded in the metabolism of the living planet and the continuity of its past and future that somehow integrates my experiences as a highly sensitive human into something larger than myself, which I find creates more ease and freedom. Okay, so now that I write this I find myself amused realizing you and I have talked about similar kinds of ideas before .... about being part of the living earth... one expression of an interconnected whole.... But at any rate, that's where my thoughts went in response to your invitation. Grateful to be in the dance with you.
Thank you so much for this powerful piece, dear Cynthia. It really echoes something that I'm having an intuitive sense about -- that an increasingly large part of transformation in these times is about our inner awareness and our willingness to accept responsibility for each of our limits and capacities. Not from the trauma responses of blame or shame, and instead just a willingness to look and learn, with humility, a sense of the sacred within, grace for our messiness and complexities, presence, and forgiveness. I love how you share the 'confessions' and what the noticings invite you to practice going forward. Really beautiful. Thank you.
Stunning photos. It is reassuring and liberating to know I am not alone, your words inviting a deep sense of belonging-to myself, to the me-of-me, to a wider community, all made possible because of your heart-felt confessions. Thank you, Cynthia!
Thank you sharing this vulnerable essay. The past two years have been highly informative and affirming as I do less and love myself for the HSP that I am. Dancing has sustained me as you reminded me when got re-acquainted although I’ve had to limit/monitor my ZOOM interactions to protect my nervous system. That aside—honored to know you and appreciate your work. The pictures are breathtaking. Peace.
Cynthia, wow. Thank you so much for writing and posting your eloquent confessional piece. You have helped me with what I am experiencing today. I find I must slow down often; I need to focus on the small and cultivate gratitude, or the big information coming in full-bore overwhelms me. The beautiful part of being a HSP is that I also can feel the heart-to-heart energy of all the people I've ever done a hand dance with... so grateful to you and Phil for what you created. And even though I have not done any Interplay in a long time, please know that I am spirit-dancing with you all... xoxo
So right on time for me Cynthia. I notice a hyper state in my body when I’m having navigating exciting things- that flippy space between excitement and anxiety. Then to feel safe I start attending to tiny details that other people think don’t matter. And maybe they’re right! 💜
I love this post and appreciate your confessions. As an HSP myself, I recognize many of the challenges that we face from "micro-aggressions," to not forgiving those who aren't even aware of what they are doing. I also note that I attempt to mitigate my negative HSP perceptions with positive HSP perceptions such as stopping and listening to the birds on my walk in the morning or watching how a bagger takes pride in his work at the grocery store.
I guess I'm trying to figure out how to have better tasting lemonade out of all those lemons that seem to keep coming at me.
Cynthia, thank you for sharing those amazing pictures! What a stunningly beautiful place. I'd like to experience it with my body in that area of the planet someday. I love this form of confession - truth telling - paired with responsibility taking. As always, the time you take to notice and name these things for yourself allows for resonance and noticing/learning for me, so I really appreciate it. In response to your invitation.... somewhere in the realm of your #7 and #8, I've been playing with some ideas from Vanessa de Oliveira Andreotti's book Hospicing Modernity and a course she designed "Facing Human Wrongs" that I'm taking through the University of Victoria. She talks about the inner multitudes, complexities, and contradictions of being human using the metaphor of all of us having a bus with many passengers who respond differently to inputs - different perceptions, emotions, reactions, viewpoints, and things to say. That part was not so new to me, having been in touch with many parts of myself and my spirit team. I have found it a relief, however, to explicitly give myself permission to embrace contradiction and complexity when my parts are having very different experiences. But the thing that promises a juicy shift for me was her invitation to pay attention to the perception of other decks on the bus - mind blowing new dimensions! - such as the deck containing my ancestors past and future or the deck of non-human life forms of the planet. There is something about situating myself as deeply embedded in the metabolism of the living planet and the continuity of its past and future that somehow integrates my experiences as a highly sensitive human into something larger than myself, which I find creates more ease and freedom. Okay, so now that I write this I find myself amused realizing you and I have talked about similar kinds of ideas before .... about being part of the living earth... one expression of an interconnected whole.... But at any rate, that's where my thoughts went in response to your invitation. Grateful to be in the dance with you.
Thank you so much for this powerful piece, dear Cynthia. It really echoes something that I'm having an intuitive sense about -- that an increasingly large part of transformation in these times is about our inner awareness and our willingness to accept responsibility for each of our limits and capacities. Not from the trauma responses of blame or shame, and instead just a willingness to look and learn, with humility, a sense of the sacred within, grace for our messiness and complexities, presence, and forgiveness. I love how you share the 'confessions' and what the noticings invite you to practice going forward. Really beautiful. Thank you.
Stunning photos. It is reassuring and liberating to know I am not alone, your words inviting a deep sense of belonging-to myself, to the me-of-me, to a wider community, all made possible because of your heart-felt confessions. Thank you, Cynthia!
I appreciate you sharing this. I see your heart.
Thank you sharing this vulnerable essay. The past two years have been highly informative and affirming as I do less and love myself for the HSP that I am. Dancing has sustained me as you reminded me when got re-acquainted although I’ve had to limit/monitor my ZOOM interactions to protect my nervous system. That aside—honored to know you and appreciate your work. The pictures are breathtaking. Peace.
My first time to hear/see Confessions accompanied by Responsibilities.
I feel like saying ... Your sins are forgiven & rewarded ....
Cynthia, wow. Thank you so much for writing and posting your eloquent confessional piece. You have helped me with what I am experiencing today. I find I must slow down often; I need to focus on the small and cultivate gratitude, or the big information coming in full-bore overwhelms me. The beautiful part of being a HSP is that I also can feel the heart-to-heart energy of all the people I've ever done a hand dance with... so grateful to you and Phil for what you created. And even though I have not done any Interplay in a long time, please know that I am spirit-dancing with you all... xoxo
I relate to so much of this. Thank you!
So right on time for me Cynthia. I notice a hyper state in my body when I’m having navigating exciting things- that flippy space between excitement and anxiety. Then to feel safe I start attending to tiny details that other people think don’t matter. And maybe they’re right! 💜
Beautifully said! Thank you.
I love this post and appreciate your confessions. As an HSP myself, I recognize many of the challenges that we face from "micro-aggressions," to not forgiving those who aren't even aware of what they are doing. I also note that I attempt to mitigate my negative HSP perceptions with positive HSP perceptions such as stopping and listening to the birds on my walk in the morning or watching how a bagger takes pride in his work at the grocery store.
I guess I'm trying to figure out how to have better tasting lemonade out of all those lemons that seem to keep coming at me.