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February, 2025
Shine Your Light Bright
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Shine Your Light Bright
This is something that everyone should have heard, pondered, and hopefully integrated: We are only responsible for our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Whatever anybody around you thinks, feels, and does is not your business.
“Do not seek for things to happen the way you want them to, but want them to happen the way they do” Epictetus (Discourses 3.24)
There is an energetic dance between the events and situations we perceive around us and how we respond to them. On so many occasions, we react mindlessly, following an instinct programmed in our subconscious, and because it comes from us, we may not question it much. We can try to learn from others' experiences, but the reality is that the only true knowing comes from our trials and tribulations.
Some recent studies claim that the highest vibration available to humans isn't love, as some poets and philosophers discuss, but authenticity. Finding our true essence in the most absolute darkness and getting rid of everything that isn't truly ours but absorbed from the surroundings and culture around us is a tough exercise worth the effort. It requires shedding the masks and versions of the ego that we constructed to fit into a space and time while we learned some lessons. If you take boxing lessons, you put your wraps and gloves on for the class but then remove them to return to the "normal" life. You will probably shower to wash off the sweat and put on fresh clothes afterwards. Taking boxing classes for fitness doesn't mean you are going to become a professional fighter or be wearing gloves and combat boots around full-time. We get to try things in life, wear the gear, give it a try, and figure out if it resonates with us.
We tend to be more authentic when we are kids and in our younger years. As we grow up, we develop fears and a need to fit into a group, and we want to belong to a community, feel held and supported. But what happens if we end up in the wrong group, the wrong relationship, the wrong environment? You will know. Energy speaks, and it will trigger events that resonate with what you are bringing forth into the world. That's why it's so important to find the courage to remove the masks that don't feel right and extract yourself from the situations where your heart isn't singing. This is one of the best actionable techniques that I practice: Let silly childlike joy be your north star. Your inner child never leaves you; it knows very well what it likes and dislikes. Practice asking yourself how you feel about people and situations. Feel your body, your gut, observe your thoughts, examine your emotions. Some will feel expansive, making you feel bigger, like a balloon filling up with pure fresh oxygen. Those are the pointers in the right direction.
Work on finding your light, and then let it shine bright. This will attract the right people and situations to you and also will scare the wrong people and situations away. It may take time to work, and it may feel heavy and dark while it does. Trust the process - the light in a dark room only sees the obscurity around it until it realizes its own brightness.
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Vibes on Repeat
DJ Madden - January 2025 - Crew Wanted
I left home about a month ago for what was going to be a one or two-week work trip. I wanted to travel light; I brought only the basics (way too many warm clothes than required for the Caribbean), but I didn't bring any wings, foils, or my portable mixer that I always carry with me. I ended up regretting it when I started craving mixing a new set. DJing is one of my favorite art forms and a very healthy form of expression and connecting with my soul, so I become creative and came back to the roots, recording this set with a ton of new music only using Serato from my laptop, no controller or fancy equipment. This makes it less elegant technically, but the music talks and the emotion is there. Where there is a will, there is a way. Enjoy!
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The Book Nook
12 Laws of the Universe - Manhardeep Singh - Audiobook included in Spotify Premium
I recently came across this very enjoyable narration of these universal metaphysical laws. I love its structure and completely agree with its content, not just from the author's scientific, philosophical, and spiritually contrasted exposition, but also from my own experience.
La Locura Lo Cura - Guillermo "Memo" Borja - Descarga Previsualización en Español
This one is in Spanish, I will work on finding a proper transcript to translate to English, as it is a beautiful essay about what being a therapist is about and all the kinds of healing methods that Guillermo Borja examines from his personal and professional experience. From the back cover (translated):
"An unconventional psychotherapist is arrested for organizing indigenous-inspired ceremonies with hallucinogenic plants in the Mexican desert. Imprisoned for four years, Guillermo Borja manages to transform his grim fate into a path of self-discovery when the prison's deputy director invites him to take charge of the psychiatric ward, where 72 mentally ill patients progressively recover their health thanks to his unique approach to therapy and life.
This is how La locura lo cura (Madness Heals) was born—a remarkable humanistic therapeutic manifesto in which Borja shares the pearls of wisdom that helped him shape his unforgettable experience of collective transformation. Its pages blend Gestalt techniques with the teachings of his mentors—unconventional psychiatrists, indigenous healers, and Huichol shamans—resulting in a profound treatise on health and happiness that encourages us to embark fearlessly on our journey to consciousness."
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The Wisdom Drop
I recently enjoyed this wonderful "Take Your Mind Back" podcast episode where spiritual maverick Michael Beckwith interviews New York Times best-selling author Marianne Williamson in a timely discussion for the Christmas season, about some of the main topics she covers in her latest book "The Mystic Jesus: The Mind of Love".
I love the down-to-earth approach of their spiritual insights. Their conversation adds rich texture to some relevant topics that I've been pondering lately, such as "the eternal now," and they provide actionable tools that can be used to navigate the inevitable storms of the unruly mind.
Enjoy!
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Fitspiration Hub
It is difficult to build solid workout and exercise habits. Especially in the beginning, your body may tell you it's too tired from yesterday, or you will not feel excited or motivated enough to put on your workout clothes and get all the way to the gym. Maybe something silly happened, some call, some disturbance in your day, and now you are cutting it too close to get to that class you booked, and the negative self-talk starts kicking in. Guess what? This message is your "get free out of jail" card.
Just do ANYTHING. It counts. Go for a 15-30 min walk listening to some nice music or a funny podcast. Don't even leave the house, do a couple of sets of 15-20 squats, some downward/upward facing dogs, planks, and soft stretches... do 35-45 seconds on 15-20 seconds off. 5 rounds go quick, and once you're in motion maybe you want to do 5 more!
In my experience, the worst feeling is when something has happened to you and you're dealing with some sadness or low energy from whatever it was. Guess what? Moving your body and getting some - ANY - action will trigger your body to secrete some endorphins and once you conquer a small challenge out of your comfort zone, YOU WILL FEEL BETTER. And maybe tomorrow you feel stronger and more inspired to take it up a notch, but please, never stop your practice. Keep going, little by little.
Being physically active will improve your mental health, elevate your vibration, and improve everything in your life over time. I'm going to do 20 pushups right now, only because I can, and because writing this little hype up for you, hyped me up too! Will you join me?
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Reflection Corner
Reclaim your energy. Reclaim your light. Reclaim your vibration. Practice conscious breathing, and clear your mind of negative, unproductive thoughts. Be kind to yourself above anybody else. Remove any expectations that don't resonate with your current state. Build muscle before you move the heaviest rock. Babysteps. Speed doesn't matter - Forward is forward.
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