Are You in Edmonton? Do You Have a Spiritual Community?

My Deepest Desire
For the longest time, I have had this vision of being part of a loving, supportive community of spiritually aware and earnest individuals. This has been one of my deepest desires, because I have often felt like there were very few safe spaces in this society where I could freely express my non-dual way of perceiving reality without being judged or misunderstood.

Craving Genuine Connection
My heart and soul craved ways to truly connect with others on a profound level. By that, I mean having conversations and interactions that sometimes go beyond the current content of what's happening in our individual lives. I'm talking about not being afraid to dive right into the essence of our being. Who, or what are we? What are we doing here? What really matters? How do we reach our full potential as spiritual beings? What can we do to heal our hearts and our planet? What role does the ego play in our lives?

What Matters to Most...
My experience has been that for the majority of people, these topics are of little interest. What seems to be more important are things like "How can I experience more pleasure and less pain?" "What can I do to distract myself from those repressed negative thoughts and feelings I never want to face and feel?""How can I improve and reinforce this idea of a separate me by gaining more power, status, wealth, success...etc." Of course, nobody has these thoughts consciously, but these give us a glimpse into the basic survival programs that run most human behaviours on a very unconscious level.

Our Civilization Built on a False Premise
Spiritual devotees eventually discover that ultimately, there is no self, and there is no other. We don't "have a life". Life, or consciousness itself lives through us, but the ego takes credit for everything that happens and it completely distorts our perception of reality. Thanks to our neurotic and controlling egos, our entire civilization is built on a false premise of separation and individuality. This illusion is the source of the totality of our suffering!

The New Earth?
The ego was a natural part of our evolution and now we have reached a point where we are ready to transcend it. Our survival depends on it, actually. Many people nowadays are waking up from the ego trance and they understand the difference between the self and the Self. Still, it takes perseverance, willingness and courage to want to break free from the ego's old habits, thought patterns and conditioned programs -especially considering how unpopular this is in our modern narcissistic world. There are not many "I want to break free from the ego" support groups at this point in time!

We Are Stronger Together, as One
Over the years, I've had some wonderful experiences here and there that provided opportunities for genuine soul to soul connections with people who are brave enough to want to transcend the ego, however, they were not as frequent as I had hoped. The internet has allowed all kinds of spiritual groups to flourish, but let's face it, it doesn't compare to interacting face to face with another human being. We are social animals and we truly need each other. Communities have always allowed us to thrive and to survive.

A Dream Coming True
What we hold in mind tends to manifest, and so I am extremely grateful for the community that is growing and blooming at the Himalayan Meditation Centre here in Edmonton where I now work. I met Amchi Kunga -the owner of the Meditation Centre who was a monk for 15 years in Tibet- back in October 2018, and things have really been evolving since then. I teach mindfulness to kids and their parents on a weekly basis there and offer a variety of other classes / workshops / meditations. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to go to this welcoming place on a regular basis and participate in the meditations with other like-minded souls. It's so refreshing to be in a space of total acceptance and open-heartedness. I have made some wonderful friendships and I look forward to meeting other members of my extended soul family at this joyful centre.

Please Join Us!
We offer all kinds of conscious events for people of all ages (many of which are free or donation-based), so if you'd like to know more about the centre and/or be kept up to date with what's happening, please visit my website or sign up directly here.

Thanks for taking the time to read,

Lise Villeneuve
www.lisevilleneuve.com

I Had the Strangest Dream Last Night...

When I first opened my eyes this morning (January 2nd, 2019), I was unsure of what "reality" was. I was still immersed and captivated by the vivid dream world I reluctantly left behind. And what a dream! It all felt so incredibly real. From this newly awakened state that was likely precipitated by the smell of coffee, reality shifted. THAT was just a dream. The familiar sights and sounds of my bedroom were real. Or were they? From my new bodily perspective, it was easy to assume that all those images, sensations, thoughts and feelings from my dream were just an illusion -all just wild creations from my mind. Yet, what was so unusual about this dream is that it seemed to convey that from the perspective of universal consciousness, or "I am", the "real world" was just as much of an imaginary bubble as the dream that I so easily dismissed as unreal. Confused yet?

The point is we can't know we're dreaming unless we are in a position of awareness, such as being the observer or witness. When we dream at night, we have no idea that what we're experiencing isn't "real" until we find ourselves in a new state of awake awareness in the morning. Could this also be what happens when our being merges with the universal mind? Do we become detached enough to know that "real life" is also just a dream? From this hightened state of knowingness, are we able to see that "real life" is no different than our dream world?

So what was my dream about? It was about snakes. I was in a cave, accompanied by children, and there was this big, yellowish-green snake. I was not particularly afraid of it, but the children were, so I chopped it up with a metal tool. A little while later, there was another snake. It was a white viper. Something in the dream specifically told me it was a viper. I really don't know much about snakes, but I looked it up this morning and it turns out white vipers are extremely rare. Anyway, this viper was right in front of me on the sand and I knew just how dangerous it was. Next thing I knew, it had a hold of my left hand with its fangs (I am left-handed). I knew that I had to stay calm and not let my fear take control of me. The viper was testing me. It was staring at me with its black, shiny eyes. It knew that I knew it had the power to kill me instantly. I remained calm and noticed how beautiful his eyes were. At that moment, I surrendered my life to a higher power. I knew I would be protected because I trusted divine will. I was gentle with the snake and was communicating with it -sending it genuine love. Very slowly, I moved its head off my hand with my right index finger. The viper was then out of the picture. I felt fine, but I could see the trace of its fangs pressed into the skin on my hand. My mind was telling me to go to the hospital to get the antivenom just in case, but I felt good and decided to trust that all was well. I woke up feeling refreshed and uplifted.

The meaning? After having looked up the symbolism of snakes and their different colours, this is what I believe my subconscious mind was communicating: the yellowish-green snake I so easily chopped up represented my attachment to the physical body, thoughts, emotions and the "real world". The white viper represented spiritual life, universal consciousness, surrendering to the divine will as well as the death of the ego and all its deep-rooted fears. I relinquished control, surrendered my fears and personal will and trusted that everything was unfolding in perfect divine harmony. I know this was no ordinary dream. The universe is always communicating with us in so many different ways. Are we listening?

With love,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Are You A, B or C Today?

Which One Are You Today: A, B or C?

-A-

Some days I feel so inadequate.

My heart is restless, forlorn and heavy.

Like a prisoner trapped in a cell made of flesh and bones,

I am unable to escape the dissonant noise of my own cruel mind.

My past wounds and fears keep me confined, confused and paranoid.

Life feels like a burden, my days are filled with angst.

Self-loathing, I begin to wonder if there is something deeply wrong with me.

-B-

Some days I feel so confident.

My heart is filled with joy, I feel competent and fortunate.

The world is my oyster, I have everything under control.

My mind flatters me with kind words, I feel fantastic!

My past wounds and fears have been tucked far, far away from my consciouness

I feel strong and invincible. 

I am in love with all these positive aspects of myself.

-C-

Some days I feel so very aware,

My heart is peaceful, I feel alive and present.

I hear the noise in my mind and watch the thoughts go by without clinging to any of them.

I notice the positive and negative feelings in my body and let them pass right through.

I observe my unconscious human programming and feel compassion for myself and others.

Instead of running away from them, I allow my past wounds to come up to the surface.

I fully feel the trapped emotions, surrender and release them so they can permanently heal.

Life feels more gentle and more predictable from within

I remember that I am a spiritual being living in a temporary human body.

I am not my thoughts, my emotions or my conditioned responses

It makes no sense for me to cling to these or to even want to defend them

With this understanding, I remember to be patient, kind and forgiving with myself 

Especially when I fall back into the trance of duality (A,B or a mix of both)

What I truly am is a Love so pure, so powerful, so miraculous that -when allowed to shine through the layers of ego, instantly obliterates this illusion of who I think I am. Once the illusion is shattered, there no longer is a personal self. No more suffering. Only freedom, joy and deep peace.

Which one are you now?

Peace, my friends. Peace!

Lise

www.lisevilleneuve.com

Confessions of a Homeschooling Mama

Yikes! We're about to dive into our seventh year of homeschooling next week! I absolutely LOVE this lifestyle and truly believe it was one of the greatest and most empowering choices we could have made for our family.

Emma is starting grade 9 and Théo is now in grade 4. They are both receiving all their education en français. Over the years, we have developed a system that really works for us, and a wonderful support network of local friends and other homeschooling families has organically grown around us, enriching our journey along the way. Knowing where to find the best resources and educational materials has made the task of planning each academic year much less daunting.

Homeschooling allows us to integrate education as a fun and natural part of a balanced life without having to compromise our physical or emotional well-being. In our household, learning happens all the time, and it's associated with feelings of joy, passion, enthusiasm, curiosity and creativity, as opposed to stress, pressure, competition, anxiety and resistance.

I am very grateful for the flexibility we have in our schedule that allows the kids to self-regulate their moods by trusting their inner-guidance system, or emotions. Nobody can perform like a robot! Sometimes, we're just not in the right state of mind to learn anything, and that's OK. Other times, creativity flows through us like a raging river and we could write an entire play, or a song, or paint the Mona Lisa all over again. Although we do have a weekly schedule, the kids are always encouraged to follow their hearts and honour their true feelings.We make a point of spending lots of time outdoors too. The kids know more about gardening and plants than I ever did at their age.

Every day is not always smooth and perfect, because life naturally has its ups and downs. That's one of the things I love the most about homeschooling: we can take the time to allow and work through the tough emotions, the resistance and the negative thoughts when they show up, because they will, and they are welcome here. In fact, they are healthy, whereas suppressing, repressing or projecting negative thoughts and feelings are extremely unhealthy strategies, but they are often used unconsciously as coping mechanisms when there is no room for an alternative. Releasing or dealing with negativity directly is generally frowned upon or considered too "disruptive" at school or at work, so we learn to tuck it into our little box until it busts open again by the next unpredictable trigger.

In our home, there is space for imperfections and disruptions. Actually, some of the greatest learning happens when we work through our tough, uncomfortable emotions. Once these are understood, surrendered and released, magic happens. Boundaries are removed. Fears are overcome. Energy, joy and lightness return. Chez nous, holistic well-being is valued over academic perfection. Individuality and curiosity are encouraged through a curriculum that is flexible and adapted to a unique child, not a system. Compassion, mindfulness and kindness are taught and valued over popularity, or conforming to the current norm or trend.

The purpose here is not to criticize the actual education system, as it is simply a by-product of our current society and its values. We're all doing the best we can right now. I know many wonderful teachers who give their hearts and souls to their students daily. Many children thrive in schools, and as the world becomes more conscious, I believe our social structures will radically change as well. In the meantime, I am grateful to have the option to enjoy this very special time with my kids.

Simply watching the daily news is enough to see that we live in a world that values productivity and relentless hard work above joy, well-being and inner-peace; competition over sharing and cooperation; success over compassion and mindfulness; materialism over spirituality. There is hope for the future, as we are changing it this very instant with our collective thoughts and intentions. But are we aware of this? Are our children aware of the power they hold?

Here, in our humble home and school, we learn that the most effective and direct way to change the world is to start by changing ourselves first -to fully embody the changes we wish to see outside of ourselves-, as Gandhi expressed so eloquently. So each day, we learn with love, with presence, with patience and forgiveness. We learn to love and accept ourselves fully so that we may love others unconditionally. We aim to raise our level of consciousness so that the world may also become a wee bit more aware and loving. Class is never dismissed at our school of life. Thanks for reading!

P.S. I recently wrote about emotional intelligence and self-regulation in a printable document called "Dealing with Strong Negative Emotions: A Guide for Parents and Teachers." It is free to download on my website.

All the best,

Lise Villeneuve
Creator of Conscious Kids (aussi disponible en français!)
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Things I Wish I Knew: The Paradox of Pain

Things I Wish I Knew:The Paradox of Pain

I wasn’t consciously aware of it, but I have been searching my entire life for something I only recently discovered. How different things could have been had I known this earlier on! So much unnecessary suffering could have been avoided. I wasn’t even aware that I was trying to escape my pain at any cost.

Just Fitting In

Like everyone else around me, I was just doing whatever I could to avoid feeling those queasy, raw, edgy feelings of discomfort whenever they showed up. Denial, projection, repression and suppression were my strategies of choice to run away and escape from those negative feelings. I kept myself as busy and distracted as I possibly could in order to ignore or numb the underlying pain. I was fortunate enough to have a fairly normal childhood with no major trauma, yet the pain had been building up over the years, simply as a condition of living in a world that encourages and rewards disowning and projecting our negative feelings onto others.

What Problem?

Since I didn’t even know there was a problem - this denied pain I was carrying around everywhere was preventing me from experiencing true joy and inner peace - how was I to know there was a solution that could dramatically improve my quality of life? Why wasn’t I taught this simple solution in elementary school, or in University, when I got my psychology degree? Maybe it was best that I discover these things on my own, when I was ready to truly hear them. After all, I believe everything in this universe unfolds in perfect divine order. My journey into the heart of consciousness has allowed me to grow, to unlearn and to peel off many of the layers of protection I had built around myself. Now, I am happy to be able to share what I have discovered with others. And what is that?

The Exact Opposite Of What We Do

The pathway to true freedom and inner peace is so simple, yet it is counterintuitive and rather uncomfortable. We are all wired to seek pleasure and to avoid pain. Evolutionarily, this has ensured our survival. However, we are now at a stage in our evolution that allows us to soar beyond mere survival. Now more than ever before, we have the potential to thrive. We can reach levels of bliss that allow us to transcend the drama and suffering of this world. But for that, we have to stop running from our pain. There is no other way around it. We have to willingly welcome our pain and then let it go. We can learn to see pain for what it is – trapped emotions from our past – not who we are.

Breaking Free

As unpleasant and challenging as it may appear, we can all find the courage to face those uncomfortable feelings that make us squirm, hide, run, blame, judge, and sabotage ourselves. Once we become aware of the many avoidance behaviors or crutches we desperately cling to in order to push the pain away (keeping busy, alcohol, food, sex, television, isolation, projection onto others...etc), we can start to crack the walls of the prison that has been keeping our pain inside all these years. We can stop reacting to life from a place of fear and instead start to see our triggers as opportunities, or invitations to actively release the hurt we have been carrying inside for too long.

Run, Forrest, Run!

So when that queasy, edgy feeling returns, we can stay present with it instead of trying to make it go away. We can observe what’s happening inside our body and let the emotions come out instead of running from them, or demanding that people or circumstances stop poking us where it hurts. Once the negative feelings have been released and we feel ok again inside, all our energy becomes available for problem solving, for simply enjoying the moment or for actively creating the reality we choose.

Healing From The Inside Out

It takes a while to get used to it, but this process of facing and surrendering our pain can be embraced daily. At first it might feel strange and terrifying, but as you keep releasing the negative feelings and then consciously refocus attention on positive things that allow you to feel good, you will heal your life from the inside out. When we are brave enough to face our pain, we eventually become fearless. When we are fearless, all the boundaries and limits we set around ourselves crumble. Paradoxically, fully feeling and releasing our pain is the quickest way to end our individual and collective suffering.

So there you have it. Now I know... and so do you! Thanks for having taken the time to read!

With Love,

Lise

www.lisevilleneuve.com

The Priceless Gift Our Pets Give Us

The kittens are now six weeks old and extremely playful. They are fully litter trained, eating dry kitten food and still drinking milk with mama -although Mitsy has slowly started to wean them off. They explore all over the house now, including up and down the stairs with no problem. Above is a picture of the only little female in the bunch. She makes this adorable little chirping sound.

Mitsy continues to be a wonderful mom. She's extremely sweet and dedicated to her little ones. She has always been a very vocal cat, and even more so now. All day long, we hear her chatting with her kittens.

Look how much they have grown in six weeks! They each have their unique personalities, and we love them all!

We set up a little Christmas village under the tree this year, with a railroad, a train that really moves, and the three little cardboard houses we made for the kittens. They enjoy derailing the train, playing tag and jumping in through the windows of the houses. I'm surprised they haven't attempted to climb the tree (yet!)

In the picture above is kitten Archie with his auntie Precious -our Bengal cat who has impressed us with her acceptance of the new little family. In fact, the kittens have made (sometimes grumpy and temperamental) Precious more playful. She enjoys watching them and often joins in the fun.

I think it's safe to say that co-raising these kittens has been one of the best experiences in our lives. The little fur balls remind us of what's most important each and every day: love, joy, aliveness and presence. They mirror our true essence back to us. That's priceless.

With Love,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

These May Look Like Kittens But...

There is such a beautiful, pure sweetness that shines through the eyes of a kitten. This is pure consciousness manifesting itself through physical form. The kittens haven't individuated themselves from this divine life force yet. The survival mechanisms and programs of the animal ego have not yet kicked in to create a sense of separation between themselves and "others". But it's just a matter of days now. This is just how things have evolved on our planet. However, the kittens will be just as cute with egos! :)

Thankfully, WE (thank you Yvon Loiselle for the correction) humans have arrived at a time where it is possible to transcend the very limiting programs of our ego. We no longer need to rely on the ego for survival. In fact, the ego holds us down and keeps us trapped and unhappy in so many ways. We now have the very real possibility to become aware of this and to live in a state of pure bliss. But we have to be willing to let go of everything.

When we were very young infants, we were totally free, just like those kittens. Unbounded. There was no "me." For a very brief time, there was just absolute peace, joy and freedom -regardless of our circumstances. We knew experientially that we were part of All that Is. We knew we were taken care of. We were not separate from Divinity itself. Deep down inside, we still remember this state of Unity. We crave it. We look for it everywhere. And we're still looking...

As we grew older, from babies to toddlers, our programming started to shape our views of reality. Now, most of us fully buy into the illusions of the physical world. We are completely invested in our individual personas. What if they weren't real?

Many of us will just continue to play the game until it just hurts too much to keep going. Then awakening will happen. The ego will be seen for what it is, and freedom will be the reward. It may take a few more lifetimes, but it will happen. It is our destiny.

To lighten things up a bit, can you spot the kitten in the picture above? :)

All that to say that the kittens (who are now 1 month old) are a good reminder that we are ALL beautiful manifestations of pure Divine essence. Their form -as adorable as it is- is nothing more than a temporary disguise. Just like our bodies. Consciousness takes many forms. In the end, Reality is formless.

With Love,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

My Spiritual Diary: Week 3

Day 1:

To be honest, I find that relationships are the biggest challenge on the path towards self-realization. In many ways, becoming a hermit, a monk or a nun is easier than swimming daily in the unconscious currents of the world. However, it's through these sometimes difficult interactions with the people who are closest to us that our illusions become shattered. This is a good thing, because shattered illusions mean we are getting closer to the ultimate Reality. I am learning that every kind of relationship -whether it's with a lover, a parent, a child, a friend or a co-worker- is defined through the perspective and expectations of the egos involved. By default, a relationship implies separation: two people, different views, differents needs, different wants. Relationships between individuals are constantly changing and evolving, therefore they must continually be redefined and renegociated. This is all part of the great illusion -the game we're in. As our illusions shatter one by one, we begin to see that there is only truly One relationship. There is only unconditional Love. But the ego is already disagreeing with me!

Day 2:

I am sitting in the garden with my bare feet touching the ground. I am physically and mentally grounding myself. After only about 10 minutes of doing this, I already feel more relaxed. I think my cat Mitsy knows this too, as she's rolling on the ground next to me, purring. Touching trees also does wonders for grounding. Reconnecting to Mother Earth daily is important for our health, and it just feels soooo good!

Day 3:

There is so much mental noise exchanged in conversations. Silence allows the being-ness and the fundamental Love to shine through to Other. Most of the content exchanged verbally generally has to do with labelling, defining the perceived separation, justifying positionalities, planning the future or dwelling on the past. Sometimes important, valuable information is being shared or exchanged, but very often, if we are very honest with ourselves, we can notice how much of what we say originates from the ego's deep insecurities and need for validation. Most of the time, my prefence is to stay quiet, but that can be pretty boring or even awkward, because we, "socialized beings" have been taught that there is something fundamentally wrong with silence during a conversation. Would you agree?

Day 4:

It's easy to feel blissful these days, with such beauty all around me! I am in Love with the fragrant flowers, the tranquil trees and the varicoloured vegetables growing everywhere. I even welcome weeds these days because I am learning all about how to use them as food and medicine. Each morning, I am surprised by the new bloom of the day. Today, I was pleased to see how this gorgeous Delphinium plant just popped up without having been officially planted. Mother Nature, you are truly amazing!

Day 5:

I picked up a little book at the Edmonton library and finished it in an evening. It's called I Knew Their Hearts, by Jeff Olsen. Wow! It's a heart-breaking, eye-opening, inspiring true story. Here is a quote from the book:

"I felt the hustle and unrest of the hallway of a hospital. I watched the doctors and nurses as they went about their duties. I moved with ease all around them. I realized none of them were aware of me. They could not see me, but -wow-could I see them! My perceptions were expanded. I knew each person I saw perfectly. I knew their joys and their sorrows. I knew their love, their hate, their pain, and their secrets. I knew everything about them, every detail, every motivation, and every outcome. I knew every emotion they were feeling, and I knew intuitively why they were feeling it. In an instant, with no contemplation, I knew them as well as I knew myself. I knew their hearts."

What a beautiful description and manifestation of Oneness! If only each one of us could experience this for one hour, all our illusions of separation would be shattered! The world as we know it would change in an instant.

All the best,

Lise Villeneuve
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Free Energy To Raise the Consciousness of your Home Anyone?

What if you could receive an uplifting wave of free energy that raised the consciousness of your home or business. Would you be willing to try it out for free for a couple of weeks? What would the benefits be? How about better health, increased well-being, more clarity and concentration, heightenend creativity, deeper sleep, emotional balance, more abundance, increased energy, improved relationships and clearing of old negative patterns. It sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?

FLFE innovations Corp. (Focused Life Force Energy) is a Canadian company located in British Columbia that offers precisely what I described above. Although what is being offered sounds a little flaky, or maybe even ridiculous to some, it's really worth looking into. But don't take my word for it! Try it out for yourself. You really have nothing to lose. You don't even need to give out a credit card number to start receiving this instant wave of uplifting energy. How did I hear about FLFE?

I discovered Focused Life Force Energy this week by watching an interview on Gaia. For those of you familiar with Gaia, Regina Meredith was interviewing the founders of FLFE, Clayten Stedmann and Jeffrey Stegman. These men have devoted many years of their lives to accessing and utilizing high consciousness fields for deep healing on all levels. I've included the link to the interview below, but it will only work for the next 48 hours.

In the interview, Clayten and Jeff talked about the work of the late Dr. David Hawkins (map of consciousness), how it's possible to calibrate levels of consciousness via kinesiology, and how this method is not always reliable. They were looking for alternative ways to measure and raise levels of consciousness.

On a personal note, I always thought it would be cool to have some kind of device capable of reading our exact energetic frequency, or level of consciousness. And what about our home, our workplace, our school, our city or our country? Wouldn't it be enlightening to know what kind of energetic bath we spend most of our time marinating in? Our energetic environment obviously affects us tremendously, whether we are aware of it or not. Well, I was blown away by what I heard in this interview.

Jeff and Clayten went on to explain that one of their colleagues, an inventor, had created what was originally meant to be a free energy device, but instead, what he discovered was a way to redirect and focus large amounts of life force energy (subtle energy, chi, prana) on an object. Today, after many years of research and development, the device can read the exact consciousness level of a person, place and country! Not only that, but it can instantly broadcast a high consciousness wave to specific remote locations around the world, using only an address. You guessed it, this instantly raises consciousness levels! How is this possible? Think quantum physics.

I am including a link of the Gaia interview with the founders of FLFE that will only be functional for the next 48 hours. You can also learn more about them at www.flfe.net

Here is the link again:
https://give.gaia.com/cj2sfp1ux002t01m85c6nxog8

My mind has officially been blown.

All the best,

Lise Villeneuve
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Are We Being Honest With Ourselves?

Why is this happening to me again?

Did you ever notice that we re-experience painful scenarios over and over again until we finally learn what we need to change in our life? The people, situations and places may change, but we all have recurring issues that keep recreating themselves until we learn our lessons. Life is designed this way to facilitate our evolution.

No, that's not me...

For some, the issues revolve around dysfunctional relationships. For others, it's more about self-worth, or control. Whatever the theme is, we will continue to experience uncomfortable, negative emotions until we get right down to the root of the problem. Denial and suppression of these negative feelings will only work for a short time, since repressed energies get stored in our emotional body and can create illness. We can run, but we can't hide!

I feel great!

It's time to be honest with ourselves. What is causing us the greatest sadness, anger, anxiety, fear, frustration or apathy in our life right now? Do we want to keep running away from these negative feelings, or do we want to finally free ourselves from them? Yes, it may be terrifying to face our shadow -our dark side- but it's the only way to remove the phenomenal power it has over us.

Emotional energy drain

Whether we realise it or not, it takes incredible amounts of energy to keep these shameful aspects hidden from our awareness. Instead of wasting our energy trying to deny our wounds, we could release this energy and use it to manifest a fulfilling, empowered life. To be free from the weight of our repressed negative emotions, we first have to accept them, reintegrate them and then release them.

Wound? What wound?

The good news is that life gives us so many opportunities to do this. Each time we feel annoyed, frustrated, angry, fearful, sad or just plain numb, it's because something on the outside has touched our wound on the inside. If we didn't have a wound in the first place, then we wouldn't feel so vulnerable. We wouldn't use projection to blame others for how we are feeling inside. At the core of this wound is a deep fear that we are powerless, that we are too insignificant to make a real difference in this world. Is this true?

Our thoughts create our reality...

What do you  think would happen to the world if everybody started to accept, reintegrate and release their own negative emotions in appropriate ways? If we were comfortable with our own "dark side", we would stop blaming others for theirs. We could help each other to nurture our more positive qualities by tipping the scale from global fear and competition to universal love, compassion, forgiveness and cooperation. Do you think our leaders could get away with some of the things we are seeing today if the majority of humans resonated at the higher frequency of Love? No!

Who am I?

When we respond to events with fear and negativity, unfortunately, we are reinforcing and supporting the old paradigm of separation. It helps to ask this question: who am I? Am I merely a separate, isolated, physical being, or a deeply connected, eternal, spiritual being? When we experience fear, it's usually from the perspective of the ego-self.

The greatest awakener = suffering

The time has come for us to face our individual and collective shadows. We can all see that things aren't right on the planet. We are all well-aware of the collective suffering that seems to be increasing. That's because suffering is the greatest awakener. If we don't learn our lessons and evolve, life teaches us the hard way. Is this the route we are collectively choosing? Unfortunately, it seems like it.

What can I do?

When we each have the courage to face our individual shadow, this reduces our collective shadow, and it reconnects us to the most powerful forces on earth: Love, compassion, forgiveness and cooperation. These are necessary to ensure our survival.We cannot truly be light workers unless we reintegrate, love and forgive our own darkness.

Thanks for reading,

Much Love,

Lise Villeneuve
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Nobody Ever Taught Me THAT In School...

School's back in full gear for many of us. Believe it or not, every morning when I wake up, I feel extremely grateful to have the opportunity to home school my kids. I'm not going to lie, we don't like being rushed in the morning! We're now starting our 5th homeschooling year and I feel like we're really starting to get the hang of it. We know what works for our family, and we're more confident about this alternative way of life.

In anticipation of all the people who will be asking the kids 'What school do you go to?' this year, I think we will just call ourselves L'Académie Francophone Villeneuve-Carver. Sounds legitimate, right? That should at least reduce the number of awkward conversations with cashiers who think homeschooling is only for hillbillies. But hey, this post is not really about homeschooling. It's about the Art of living.

I wish that someone had taught me about the Art of living a happy, fulfilling life when I was a kid! I learned plenty of practical, interesting facts in school and University, but like the majority of us, I had to figure out the  most important questions on my own: What makes us truly happy? What's really important in life? What can we do on a daily basis to create a fulfilling and meaningful life? How do our thoughts matter? Where's the nearest Starbucks? Good, you're still paying attention.

The bottom line is, school didn't teach me that happiness is a choice I make every day. Did it teach you that? Maybe I just went to bad schools. Lol. I just felt like I had to go to school and things were largely out of my control. I never knew that I was creating my reality with my thoughts. I didn't know that my emotions were my inner-compass and that I could wilfully move myself up the vibrational scale of emotions. Nobody ever taught me that I would eventually get what I focused on, even if I was focusing on what I didn't want! If I had known these things, I would probably have felt much more empowered and confident. Thankfully, times have changed and these notions are now becoming more widespread, even in some schools.

Back to homeschooling for a minute. One of the things I love about it is that I can sneak in some of these 'Art of living' notions when challenges come up with the kids - because they always do- especially during school time! When the kids get frustrated or discouraged, I can immediately intervene and help them become more aware of the thought patterns that are creating their negative emotions. This helps them keep things in perspective, and it may prevent really bad habits from eventually forming. I can remind them to focus on what they wish to reinforce in their lives.

Education is super important, and it becomes even more powerful when it's combined with a growing self-awareness. As their teacher, I get to practice teaching mindfully each day, and that's a real gift!

Here are some of our rules at L'Académie Francophone Villeneuve-Carver:

Teachers:
1. Thou shall stop teaching immediately if you are unable to give loving, compassionate energy.
2. Thou shall stop teaching your lesson if there is no sense of joy, play and wonder in it.
3. Thou shall remember: your energy sets the tone. Be in the moment. Breathe.

Students:
1. Happiness is a choice you make every day. You are in control.
2. Your thoughts create your emotions. Choose your thoughts wisely.
3. You get what you focus on, so focus on what you want, not what you don't want!
4. You are the creator of your own reality. Your intentions are powerful.
5. Negative emotions tell you you're out of alignment. Raise your vibration!

Wishing you a wonderfully mindful school year!

Lise Villeneuve
Creator of Conscious Kids -downloadable mindfulness stories & activities
Get your free mindfulness card deck here
www.lisevilleneuve.com

I'm Just A Nobody

This was me a few years ago (in the attached video). At least that’s who I thought I was. I wrote songs, performed, and toured in a lot of cool places. I won some music competitions and I received a grant to produce my own album. I was even lucky enough to record a duet with the wonderful Daniel Lavoie on my CD. I was young, ambitious and determined to “make it” as an artist in the music industry.

I guess there’s nothing wrong with that, except that in my case, I eventually realized that my relentless desire to “make it” and become a “somebody” implied that deep down inside, I felt like it wasn’t ok to just be “a nobody”. I was searching for something that would ultimately make me feel better. I wanted to feel loved, accepted and validated by others. I wanted to step out of the shadows and yell “hey! I exist!” I needed to prove that I was worthy. I truly believed that my success as an artist would make me feel happy and content. Boy, was I wrong!

I climbed up the ladder of success, but the higher I got, the worse I felt. Something was off. I couldn’t just enjoy singing and writing anymore because I became obsessed with the game.  My success or failure rested entirely in the hands of a few key players in the music industry: the radio stations, the record companies, the music producers, the press agents and the media. In order to move forward in a way that was significant, I needed their approval. In a split second, these people could decide if I was star material, or completely worthless. This made me feel insecure and powerless. I knew clearly by then this was not the road to fulfilment!

I started to look deeper for answers to my insecurities, and what I discovered was that I had spent many years strengthening and repairing my damaged ego. I was very attached to this idea of “me” being a girl with brown hair, an artist with certain opinions, feelings and experiences. I had never seriously considered that maybe we, humans, were much more than our physical form. It dawned on me that my deep longing for love and peace could never be satisfied on a material level. I realized that even if I played this game of society and succeeded on a very large scale, my ego would still find a way to make me feel insecure and dissatisfied. I would still feel like I needed to do more, be more and receive more love and acceptance.

What about you? Can you relate? Are you completely content with who you are right now, or is there something in the future that you need to do, or work on, or achieve first, before you can feel completely fulfilled and at peace?

Well, that feeling sucks, doesn't it! It’s sort of like your self-worth and power are largely in the hands of others, and you can never really be content in the moment. Even when you play the game and are successful in the eyes of society, you still feel like something’s missing, something’s not quite right yet.

I felt like that for many years, until I finally understood who I really was. And who is that? Well, it turns out I’m simply the light escaping through the cracks of my ego shell. I hate to break it to you but, that’s who you are, too.

I discovered what consciousness, or awareness, was all about, and it completely changed my life for the better. Things started to really make sense. I started to feel truly empowered on a whole other level. Consciousness was my ticket to real freedom. The search for that something or someone that could fill the void was over! What a relief to finally have some clarity.

It all comes down to two choices. Either we stay attached to who we think we are on the surface and we play the game of ups and downs, successes and failures, happiness and unhappiness, me versus you; or we recognize that we are the light shining through the cracks of our individual ego shells. When we truly see ourselves as the light, we’re ok with the idea of being “a nobody” in society’s eyes, because we already know the true value of who, or what, we are. We can play the game without getting attached to the outcome. Everything becomes lighter.

So yes, I’m working on being the best nobody that I can be. I have learned so much over the years and I now enjoy teaching others about consciousness and mindfulness. It’s a humbling but incredibly beautiful and liberating journey. I believe awakening to our essential self is our true purpose here.

Namasté,

Lise

www.lisevilleneuve.com

Peace Starts Today

This is my daughter Emma. I'm very proud of her for wanting to do this little video today. Normally on Sundays we go to the pool and this is something she enjoys very much, but she preferred to work on this video instead.

Peace!

Lise

Have We Suffered Enough Yet?

Just A Cruel Cosmic Joke?

It seems like a bit of a cruel cosmic joke to be born into this world as unified consciousness, then to grow egos that seem perfectly justified and socially acceptable, only to realize later in life that they are at the root of our deepest suffering. Then, once we become aware of our shackles, we commit ourselves to unlearning everything we have ever known to be real and meaningful. The little ‘separate self’ was just an illusion all along! We start to let go of the idea of ‘me’ and begin to let consciousness take up more space inside. Once again, just like when we were an infant, our life is no longer ‘ours’, but it flows effortlessly. We are at peace, we are free, we are “home”.

Lasting peace and freedom arise when we simply allow ourselves to Be who we truly have been right from the start. Who we truly are has nothing to do with our personality, our story, our thoughts, our emotions, our opinions, our deep conditionings or even our beliefs. Our egos prevent us from accepting and surrendering to our true identity because it threatens the very survival of our small, individual self. And who are we really? We are all part of the one unified consciousness. Nothing could be more empowering and terrifying than that!

“Home” is a state of being where our small self is no longer in control. When we are truly “home”, consciousness itself takes over, cleansing out all the remaining traces of the small, separate self that used to inhabit and restrict our being. We can finally feel at home when we wake up and recognize the illusion of ‘me and you’, ‘happy and unhappy’, ‘past and future’, ‘good and bad’, ‘success and failure’.

Once we realize that our small self was trapped in a world of superficial and limiting polarities, we can willingly surrender to who we truly are: consciousness. At this point, we are fully content being nobody. There is nothing to prove, nothing to fight for, nothing to gain, nothing to lose. We finally accept that we are complete simply by being. We finally stop creating suffering for ourselves and others. We are free from the drama of the world and our own minds. We are at peace. We are filled with joy. We are compassionate and loving. Isn’t that what we ultimately all want?

The truth is, at this stage in our evolution, arriving “home” is not likely to happen without an epic battle with the ego first.  The ego says “why on Earth would I want to become a nobody and give up all my attachments? I would get eaten alive in this world.” It’s true, there is so much letting go required, so much at stake for the little self. Our conditioning and our resistance run deep. “Home” seems utopian and unattainable. Yet at the same time, it’s within our reach right here, right now. We can only access it by allowing ourselves to be who we truly are. No amount of doing will show us the way back to simply being.

What do you think?

Lise

www.lisevilleneuve.com

Do You Get Daily Drama From Your Kids?

Lately, our house has been a Conscious Kids factory! We've been so busy preparing our free online mindfulness course for kids that starts October 5th, 2015. Emma has been doing the illustrations for each story I write -that gets reviewed by my ex-journalist husband Rob. Emma (who has loved to draw since she was a baby) illustrates the pictures inside mandalas that she also creates from scratch. All the children who are signed up for the course will be able to colour these, so that's pretty exciting for an 11 year old!

We have families signed up from all over, from Australia, to the UK, the US, across Canada, Bulgaria and more. The world is ready for mindfulness on a big scale, I have been feeling this for some time now. I feel extremely motivated and grateful to be able to share what I have learned about consciousness / mindfulness over the past few decades with others. I know how these essential skills can better the lives of children and their families, I see it with my own children. As they grow older, Emma and Theo increasingly need a roadmap to help them navigate the unpredictable waters of their emotions, thoughts and perceptions. Writing this course has given me the opportunity to really think about the best order in which to teach the basic skills to kids. The funny thing is, the majority of adults would also benefit from learning these! For example, here are some of the questions that are answered in the course:

-What creates your emotions?
-How can you tell if your thinking has been predominantly negative or positive?
-What can you do when you feel intense, overwhelming emotions?
-What are your emotions telling you?
-When you're stuck in a negative mood, what can you do about it?

Theo, Emma (and our cat Precious) participate in brief videos we make that explain what each weekly lesson will be about. I'm already pleasantly surprised to see how simply participating in the making of these videos has helped Theo and Emma deal with bursts of emotions and moodiness! It's one thing to teach them about emotional self-regulation with words, but it's an entirely different thing to teach them with real-life examples.

When Theo and Emma act out a scene for the videos, then watch themselves back and are asked "what would be a better way of dealing with this situation?" they really get it. When a daily drama outbreak happens in our home, as it inevitably does, I simply remind the kids of what they did in the videos, and they instantly calm down and remember what they can do to make themselves feel better! I honestly didn't foresee how these little videos we are making are probably going to teach Emma and Theo more about mindfulness than the weekly stories from the course! I read each story I've written to the kids and I carefully notice if they are looking bored, not paying attention, or loving every bit of it. They are my quality control process! So far so good!

Anyway, I won't be blogging quite as much for the next little while, there's just too much to do with Conscious Kids. You can still register for the course for FREE up until October 1st, 2015. We'll see you in virtual class! Thanks for sharing, the more the merrier!


Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Becoming a Mindful Superhero

I'll have to make this post short and sweet, but the video above says it all. I'm really excited about offering this free online mindfulness course for kids that starts October 5, 2015. I'm super busy preparing everything, and it's SO much fun! The kids are excited too, and they're eager to help out. I'm really enjoying writing short creative stories that explain the mindfulness concepts simply to kids. I think another book may be in my future...you never know!

Anyway, if you have kids, and even if you don't, I hope to see you in virtual class soon! The deadline to register is October 1st, 2015. Here is the page to learn more and register.

http://www.lisevilleneuve.com/#!consciouskids/ckgl

Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

I Turned 40 and Almost Shaved My Head!

Yesterday I turned 40. Whatever, it's just a number. I can still be as immature as I want for the rest of my life :)

Seriously, turning 40 made me realize how easy it is to get attached and totally identified with our bodies, our looks, our hair, our sagging parts. I think this is especially challenging for women as we get older. We look at ourselves in the mirror, and whether we like what we see or not, we think to ourselves "that's me". But is it really? Only on a superficial level. I thought it would be a fun "detachment experiment" to chop off most of my hair myself, in the back yard. I was prepared to shave my head if it got too ugly, but thankfully, I didn't get that far.

The physical body is just the shell holding our higher Selves, but Mr. Ego trick us into buying the expensive anti-wrinkle creams because he convinces us that WHO we are is, in fact, the bones, muscles, organs and skin, and IF we make ourselves look better, we will feel better, receive more love and ultimately be happier people. Right? Wrong. Let's be honest, the true motivation behind anything we do to improve our appearance is to feel better, to receive more love and acceptance from others.

There's certainly nothing wrong with wanting those things, it's in our nature, but it's good to become aware of what we're really chasing when we push ourselves to extremes at the gym, when we try to artificially change our bodies or wish we looked different somehow. All these behaviours are driven by Mr. Ego who tells us we're not good enough to be loved just the way we are, therefore we need to change ourselves to be worthy and to feel better. But when does it ever end? When do we reach that state of lasting satisfaction?

What if instead of trying to fix / improve our physical appearance, we worked on our self-love and acceptance instead? What do you think would happen? If we became so content with who we are as a spiritual being and started to radiate love, peace and joy to others, don't you think our bodies would naturally start to look and feel better? Do you think that if we aligned ourselves with our heart and spirit, we would intuitively know what to eat? Of course! We would also exercise because it would bring us joy and make us feel good, we would know exactly what to do to heal ourselves, and our aging process would automatically slow down.

Does this scenario seem too good to be true? Well it's not! Our society is simply conditioned to want to change things from the outside, to fix the symptoms, not the root causes of anything. You intuitively know that any lasting change happens from the inside-out, don't you? It makes perfect sense, because it is our thoughts that materialize into matter.

Being 40 is just a concept, a thought. I choose to not let it condition my body with any preconceived notions of "what's supposed to happen when you reach that age." I will diligently keep working on noticing how my ego tries to convince me that I am my body. It's much simpler than that. I am.

Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Should We Slay Our Inner-Dragon?

I had fun colouring this mandala today as I was listening to Pema Chodron's CD "Walk the Walk". She was talking about learning to be gentle and kind with ourselves, because so many of us have such a harsh inner-critic inside. Sound familiar? She was also mentioning how important it is to learn to be alone with ourselves, to be still, so that we can observe our ego-mind, and see how it's at the root of our unhappiness and suffering. Now that I think about it, the colours I picked for the mandala remind me of a fire-spitting dragon, and from now on, I think that's how I'll picture the ego.

Most of us do just about anything we can to keep ourselves busy and distracted from our inner-tyrant. For many, sitting alone in stillness is pretty much the equivalent of torture. Why is that? Why is it so difficult and painful to face ourselves? Because we've become completely identified with our thoughts (which are predominantly negative) and our emotions. We believe that we ARE what we're thinking, we ARE what we're feeling, therefore when we sit there, and our dark, compulsive thoughts and feelings start to make our heads spin, we conclude that we must be bad, or very screwed up people.

Fundamentally, we're not bad or screwed up, we're just confused about our true identity. We're not the dragon, it just happens to have set up camp in our psyche. The way out of this nightmare is to face that dragon and to shed the light of consciousness onto it. We'll never be able to completely kill it off, but we can domesticate him. We can learn to observe it fearlessly, and it will gradually lose its power over us.

We're experts at either tip toeing around the dragon so that we don't wake him up, or keeping ourselves as far away from him as possible. In other words, we avoid our pain. It's understandable because our hectic, largely unconscious society encourages us to suppress a lot painful emotions in order to appear "functional" on the outside. Unfortunately, suppressed thoughts and emotions don't just vanish into thin air, they remain in our bodies and resurface over and over again until we are ready and able to heal them. When all our outside distractions dissolve, we are faced once again with our dragon, and these painful signals suddenly emerge from the core of our being.

A profound transformation happens when we realize that the dragon we were so terrified of was our friend, all along. He was simply trying to get our attention so that we could heal our wounds. He knew from the start that any pain we allow ourselves to feel (whether physical or emotional) is an indication of a part of us that wants to heal into consciousness. It takes great courage to face that pain, but if we can embrace it, understand it, love it and release it, we will break free from its shackles.

Warmly,

Lise
Health Coach / Reiki Master
www.lisevilleneuve.com