“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.” –@eckharttolle

My time in Portugal has been challenging, for many reasons. But I keep coming back to this. That I am here to learn something from my experience — and from my fear and sadness — rings profoundly true. Shadow work is not easy. But by allowing the dark to coexist with the light — by accepting and not resisting — it opens up a path to go deeper.

Today I let myself go into that pain during a voice healing session with  Smadar on the beach. I cried and screamed and sang as the waves crashed upon the sand and rocks around me. The energy that moved through me, the resonance of my voice, the connection to Spirit, and the deep release I felt was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

There is tremendous power in accepting the darkness with the light. In allowing all parts of the whole to simply be. To acknowledge the shadow as a teacher and allow it to bring us on a profound journey to the other side.

My heart is grateful for all of the teachers in my life and that Spirit led me to Smadar, for her Light is the purest gift. And to my internal teacher — to the light and fire within me — I bow. Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo.