Tag Archives: Peace

Living in Flow: Clues and Initiation

Day 29 of 100 days of blogging.

To read the first blog in this series of Living in Flow: Tuning In

 

On the train to Santa Barbara, I found myself taking a deep, deep breath and releasing a level of tension I didn’t realize I was carrying. I needed a time of recovery after the whirlwind of the year and packing a storage unit and 2 suitcases for the road.

I hung out with my friend Lucky Sweeny, the co-founder of Evolutionary Women, an astrologer and a coach. I spent time meditating, processing, sleeping, getting an updated astrology report on my year and a Pleiadian reading from Lucky.

It was here that I received my first clue of what the year would hold. During the next year, at each location there would be an initiation that would come in the form of an experience, a blessing, or a spotlight on one of my talents and skills and wisdom. A song, words from a person, a memory. The clues would remind me of who I am and point me in the next direction.

The connection to my intuition gave me a sense of knowing what was next. None of this was based on my logical, linear mind. It was a feeling and it required trust. All I needed to do was keep my eyes and ears open and feel it when it arrived.

Initiation:

The definition of Initiation:  the act of starting something : the beginning of something; the condition of being initiated into some experience or sphere of activity.

 

Santa Barbara: Altar InitiationIMG_1729

There was an altar with powerful, spiritual women. I slept on the futon in the living room with the altar pointed towards the top of my head. My crown chakra. The first night, I was sound asleep and I heard a loud clap that sent a sharp, shaking tremor through my body from head to toe. Just one clap and then silence. I fell right back to sleep. In the morning, Lucky told me I had received a blessing called: Shakti Pat from Gurumayi.

 

 

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Santa Cruz: A younger woman’s words

After spending a week with my friend Tomas, helping him with social media platforms; Eating great food from the Farmer’s Market, OMing every day in morning circle, receiving a full body massage and resting, I packed my bags and headed to one more OM circle.

Initiation: A young woman said, “Next time you are in town, I want to sit at your feet and listen. You are carving a path for the next part of my life. I am learning from you.

 

Flew to Baltimore.

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Baltimore: A man’s words and gratitude

Initiation: Orgasmic Meditation training and coaching

His words: “You have opened a doorway to connect to a deeper part of myself”

 

 

 

Bus to New York

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New York: A younger woman’s words.

Initiation: “I am grateful for your existence in the world. You are an amazing person. We have so much to learn from you”

 

 

Plane to Sweden

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Sweden: A younger woman’s words

Initiation: “Look around the room. See all the women who are part of this community. Thank you for starting the Heal My Voice projects. Look at the impact you are having around the world.”

 

 

Initiation of Mastery and doors opening that were pointing me to the next steps in my life. In New York, San Francisco, Baltimore, Washington, DC. San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, and Los Angeles. Clues and desires awakening in me. On puzzle piece at a time.

According to the Genome Flow Project, this is one of the cycles of Flow. The area of struggle. I was traveling, working, listening, asking questions and one piece at a time was appearing. This organization I had started in 2011 called Heal My Voice was impacting women and families and communities and businesses around the world. I was being called into owning my wisdom and experience and encouraged to become more visible in the world. To share what I have learned and to claim areas of Mastery.

When I arrived in Sweden, I was questioning if I would continue with Heal My Voice. Was I complete? And then the passion from the women in Heal My Voice Sweden and the dedication of Marie Ek Lipanovska, founder of Heal My Voice Sweden were all encouraging me to continue. I said yes to continue and to co-lead the next book program with Marie. To create a bridge between our countries. We began in October 2014. When I arrived back in the United States, I discovered that Heal My Voice had received tax exempt status. Time to move forward and look for the next clues.

One question was how my training and experience with Orgasmic Meditation was going to evolve or fizzle. I taught 35 people how to OM during that year. But how to integrate all of these different pieces. All I could do was stay open to the question and to wait.

 

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Sensual Voices: True Stories by Women Exploring Connection and Desire. was the project and it was published in June 2015.

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Andrea Hylen believes in the power of our voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, an organization that inspires women and men to heal a story, reclaim personal power and step into greater leadership.  Andrea discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to live life fully after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. In addition to serving as Heal My Voice’s Executive Director, Andrea is an Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and Sexuality Coach.

She is following her intuition as she collaborates with women and men in organizations and travels around the world speaking, teaching and leading workshops. Her passion is authentically living life and supporting others in doing the same. To connect with Andrea and learn about current projects go to: www.andreahylen.com and www.healmyvoice.org.

Spiritual Gifts: Living a Charmed Life

Screen Shot 2014-07-05 at 2.21.42 PMMy friend, Kate and I were drinking our morning coffee on the deck of her beautiful home in Baltimore, Maryland last week. The sun was shining, birds were flying from one tree to another. A family of baby blue jays were learning to fly. The flowers were in full bloom, filling the yard with red, orange, yellow, purple and pink. Kate and I were sharing the latest stories from our lives. It is one of the things I treasure in life. Moments like this with family and friends.

In one of our stories, the idea of someone living a charmed life came up. I told Kate that I feel like I have lived a charmed life.

Now, someone looking from the outside might disagree. The definition of a charmed life: “extremely lucky or prosperous.” I have also heard it described as someone who has lived without “hardship or challenges.”

Of the top 20 stressors that can trigger anxiety, depression and sadness, I have experienced 16. And many of them, I have experienced more than once. Here is the list:

Death of a family member

Terminal illness (family member)

Physical incapacitation, chronic pain, or chronic illness

Drug or alcohol abuse (family member, partner)

Divorce

Marriage

Loss of job or job change

Moving house

Change of school (primarily for children or teens, but this can effect adults, too)

Primary relationship problems (spouse or parent/child/sibling)

Persistent Relationship Problems, non-primary (difficulties with other family members, conflict and loss of friends, difficulties with coworkers)

Victim of abuse

Victim of crime

Criminal actions towards others

Extreme loneliness/lack of community membership or friendships

Severe financial problems

 

So, why do I think I have lived a Charmed Life? Because my life has been filled with rich experiences where I have discovered things about myself that I did not know were possible. I feel blessed that even in moments where I was hitting bottom, there was always a gift. I have been surrounded by signs and messages and people who were students and teachers. I have been surrounded by spiritual gifts.

And at the foundation I have a belief that my life is to be lived as an experience with a wide range of feelings. It is all in the perspective.Screen Shot 2014-07-05 at 3.51.10 PM

 

One of the foundational teachings of my spiritual journey has been The Course in Miracles.

The Course is a unique process for teaching forgiveness and how to remove barriers in the student’s mind to the awareness of love’s abiding presence.

Lesson 25:

I do not know what anything is for.

“Purpose is meaning. Today’s idea explains why nothing you see means anything. You do not know what it is for. Therefore, it is meaningless to you. Everything is for your own best interests. That is what it is for; that is its purpose; that is what it means. It is in recognizing this that your goals become unified. It is in recognizing this that what you see is given meaning”

Some of the things I have learned from this lesson.

Be present to the moment.

Let the little things delight me

Feel gratitude for everything

See life as a series of experiences

Feel the interconnectedness of life

 

For more about the course go to this link: https://acim.org/Lessons/lesson.html?lesson=25

 

I would love to hear about your charmed life and the spiritual tools and resources you use in your practice. Post in the comments and connect!

 

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 IMG_1306Andrea Hylen believes in the power of a woman’s voice to usher in a new world. She is the founder of Heal My Voice, a Writing and Transition Coach, Orgasmic Meditation Teacher and co- author of Conscious Choices: An Evolutionary Woman’s Guide to Life. Andrea has discovered her unique gifts while parenting three daughters and learning to celebrate life after the deaths of her brother, son and husband. She currently lives in Los Angeles following the inspiration to collaborate with women in organizations and to travel around the world speaking and leading workshops. Her passion is connecting women to support each other in the full expression of who they are.

Oklahoma City: An Example of Peace on Earth

Oklahoma City: An example of Peace on Earth by Andrea Hylen
(This was originally published in Beloved World- Voices of Peace Newsletter Sept 2008)
July 7, 2008 – A journal entry
Words seem so inadequate on this day.
By spending the morning and the evening at the Oklahoma City Memorial, I feel that my life has been touched in a profound way. I sit here staring at the blank page feeling the stillness, not knowing how to capture this experience in words.
A field of empty chairs represents the lives lost on April 19, 1995. My heart felt like it was bursting open when I first entered the Memorial. Tears ran down by cheeks, as I opened to the emotion. I felt that my heart was bursting with love and gratitude. Love and gratitude? This took me by surprise. I found out later that the entrance we walked through was the Door of Hope. And that is what I felt.
Through the tragedy of loss, the powerful emotions of forgiveness, healing, hope and love have arisen here. Beginning with the people who responded with help immediately, to those who came from afar, to the words of love from children, this is an example of the hope and beauty that is arising on the planet.
The people of Oklahoma City have risen from the ashes and chosen peace. They are an example of peace on Earth as we each make conscious choices for inner peace.
An educator shared the peace that has been birthed here. Conflict resolution classes in schools; Cards and artwork from children, like the tile that reads, ”The world cares.” Sharing tools of peace with the children.
Every night when the sun goes down, the lights below each chair shine brighter and brighter. As the darkness spreads throughout the city, I see the moon at the highest point in the sky. There is stillness. The chairs that represent loss are transformed and emerge into brilliant candles of hope and light.
I see in this moment, it is in the greatest times of darkness that we become the brightest lights.