Breathe Fire? by Laurie Frazier

       One does not become enlightened

 by imagining figures of light, 

but by making the darkness conscious.”

~Carl Jung

Consciousness expands only when we integrate something from the unconscious/shadow. When we are fully aware of and embrace our own darkness within, is when we truly become whole, stop living in fear, and step into our true power.

I’ve had this fridge magnet for years with a picture of a lady in a dress smoking a long cigarette and looking cool af that says, “She had not yet decided whether to use her power for good or evil.’  (Insert mwahahahah)

What that quote has always communicated to me loud and clear is the power of choice. She is just observing. She isn’t reacting to a fucking thing. She is surveying the scene with amusement….watching all the fuckheads, deciding if it’s worth her time to retaliate, and if the entertainment value will be worth it or if she’ll be better served by just turning and walking away. She can choose either. That’s where the power lies. 

If she had not integrated her own monster (see Jordan Peterson), she might be afraid. She may not know what to say or do when somebody fucks with her. She’ll have to talk to her friends about it and see what they think…yawn. 

The thing is if you never fight back, if all you give out is love and light, if you let people walk all over you, and never say a peep, for you to continue with that behavior…. Is that virtuous? No. You lack courage and balls and hide under the guise of virtue signaling. 

“ If you are not capable of cruelty, you are a victim to anyone that is.”

~J. Peterson.

On the other end of this scale are the pathetically evil people. They tend to be reactive, emotional powder kegs, ready to explode with any given trigger. They have no control over their choices. They are not the observer. They are the reactor. They react to their lust and addiction to sex, drugs, and alcohol, they react to their desperate need for validation, and they react when they realize they have no power or control over even themselves. They are powerless to choose from a place of goodness and morality that doesn’t involve manipulation. 

Both are a result of the total denial of their shadow, and the fear of taking a deep, hard look within. It’s easier for all of them to just point their fingers in the direction of those who’ve done them wrong, or to those they themselves have wronged (reverse victim mode). 

The thing about really good people is that they are consciously choosing to be so. They’re not choosing it bc they don’t know how to fight back, they’re not choosing it because they are afraid to do otherwise or are fearful of what others may think of them. They are choosing it because they can. 

Let me speak for mySelf as that’s really all I know….

Because I have real-life experience of standing up for myself over and over, because I’ve verbally bitch-slapped numerous people in the face with no fear, because I have taken from those that have taken from me with no shame, because I have sent evil straight back to the sender with no concern of any repercussions…and I’m not afraid to use my darkness against the forces of evil and feel 100% justified while I'm doing it….that makes me whole—and according to Jordan Peterson, “dangerous.”  

Because of this, when I choose not to return evil with evil, it’s a conscious choice because I’m also not easily triggered. It's very easy for me to walk away. 

Howeverrrr, there may be rare situations when I do choose the dark, and it won’t be unconsciously or because I’m being reactive to another’s injustice. Rest assured, it will be calculated and exacting for maximum impact and all the forces of Light will be on my side if I choose to do so. My choice to invoke the powers of hell will come from ancient wisdom, the ancestors, and the law of reciprocity—not stupidity and my ego. 

I believe that wherever there is the potential for the greatest good, the opposite must also be true. One must know oneSelf as capable of both— therein lies the virtue. To observe. To respond and not react. To put on your armor or walk the fuck away. These days I just ask myself, which one will be more entertaining? 

What about you? Have you integrated your 'monster'? Do you know what he/she is capable of? It's not an easy task for those (especially women) who have been taught their entire lives to "be nice". It's nothing I've ever aspired to when there are soooo many more interesting things one can be.

I was fortunate to be raised by a looong line of badass women that knew how to speak their truth and had the power to control their own destinies. I passed that on to my daughters, and I hope you'll stop telling yours to "be nice". 

 "As for my girls, I'll raise them to believe they breathe fire."~Jessica Kirkland

The Fall Equinox—the First Step on Your Path to Enlightenment

"Blessed Fall Equinox. 

May you journey to the depths of your own shadows 

and discover a beautiful darkness, 

the likes of which you have never known." ~laurie frazier

If you are a spiritual seeker—a new initiate perhaps, and heading out on that psychonautic journey of self-discovery, just like we prepare for winter in the fall or before going on a long hike, there are preparations that deserve to be made for spiritual advancement on the path. And if that journey corresponded with the seasons, which I believe it does, that journey would begin with the Autumn Equinox. I could quote things like Joseph Campbell who said, “The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with nature” or the Hermetic Law, as above, so below; as within, so without, to better convince you, but that’s better left for my book BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS. For the sake of brevity, Fall has a few main themes: the harvest, darkness and purification. Which all distill down to one thing: clearing our space.

Applying these themes to our lives would look something like this: 

Harvest: In order to clear our space, we get to take an honest accounting of it. It’s a time of recapitulation. What do I have to show for myself? Who have I been being? What actions, thoughts, beliefs, and awarenesses have I been swimming in? What’s been fruitful and what has not? Where am I making progress and where have I come up short? Where has my harvest become unacceptable and no longer a reflection of my current consciousness? 

Darkness: Just as the Fall Equinox in the northern hemisphere, begins the descent towards the shortest day and the longest night at the winter solstice, before we can ascend into the Light of consciousness, we must first descend into the depths of our own sub-consciousness/darkness. It’s time to shine the light on all of our dark places, to acknowledge, be accountable for and either integrate, transmute or purge what we find there. All in preparation of clearing our space. 

Purification: One need look no further than the falling leaves to asses that letting go, is a major theme of fall—and why is it even called ‘fall’ in the first place, huh? Once you take that accounting and see your own darkness, now the question begs, what are you ready to let go of? Of all that shit— toxic emotions, unhealthy relationships and habits, addictions, limiting beliefs, your past, what is no longer serving you? What can you see that would be a hinderance to your spiritual evolution? Yuh…that. An integral piece of this purification process is forgiveness. You can’t really move forward without it. Forgiveness of yourSelf for all the shitty things you’ve done, not only to others but yourSelf. And forgiveness of everything you deem unforgivable that you mistakenly perceive has happened to you and not for you. 

A tall order…not gonna lie. However, essential to your progression, growth and evolution. No magic wand of love and light, holding rose quartz, or smudging yourself with sage will ever take the place of your own accountability and actually doing this work for yourSelf. It’s like that. You are in the process of giving birth to the glorious Soul you came here to be. Like I said to my purging friend in the middle of a plant ceremony, “Giving birth is never pretty…but it is always worth it.” There are beautiful gems of wisdom and self-awareness to be mined in the darkness of your own be-ing. Don’t miss the show. 

If you’d like to take a deeper dive into this, I’ll be doing an on-line work-shop on FB on this very topic. DM me for details at https://www.facebook.com/laurfrazier .  I have other resources available as well as one-on-one coaching. My book BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS— A Journey through the Shadows to Emotional Freedom, will be out in the Fall of 2020.  

#lauriefrazier #mavenofmoksha #fallequinox#autumnequinox #shadowwork #darkness #mabon #samhain #halloween#WritersLife #Fall #Awareness #Enlightenment #Consciousness#NatureHeals

Eid Al Adha and Trusting the Voice of Your HigherSelf, Like Abraham

Eid Al Adha and Trusting the Voice of Your HigherSelf, Like Abraham

I have always LOVED learning about the traditions of other cultures and religions. For me, it helps me to see how we are all ONE. I have this belief, that if I can show the world what is important to different religions and cultures through their holy days, celebrations, and traditions that they will see that we are more the same than we are different. I often find that there is a reason the tradition is still around and that there is something beautiful to be learned if one digs a little deeper.  Such was the case with Eid Al Adha. 

I encountered this Muslim holy-day, just by accident. I learned that it commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son to God. It is called the Feast of Sacrifice.  As you know in the Bible story, God commanded Abraham to offer his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. After Isaac is bound to an alter, and Abraham is about to slay him, a messenger of God stops Abraham at the last minute, saying, ”… don’t harm the boy. Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your only son.”  The point was that he was willing to obey the voice of his god.  I always like to turn these stories around as to what they may mean for me, and if there is something here for you, too, well—bonus!! 

Let’s break it down. Abraham represents us—you and me. God, for me, in this story, represents my HigherSelf. My HigherSelf represents the eternal/god-like aspect of mySelf. My HigherSelf represents my truth, my heart and my essence. My HigherSelf is all about the evolution of my soul and if it is not Source, it is my direct connection to Source. (Insert your own beliefs here.) 

After decades of personal reflection and tuning in, I know the voice of my HigherSelf well, as Abraham knew his Lords’.  I can distinguish between it and the voice of my ego. Isaac represents all that we hold dear—whatever it is that you value above all else. For some it may be your wealth and career, for others, your relationships, and/or your things. For Abraham, it was Isaac. 

I believe there is a Universal lesson/test to be learned and overcome/conquered in this beautiful story. I fully understand why it is celebrated, for I celebrate the conquering of this lesson within mySelf,  for it is no small accomplishment. 

Let me tell you what it’s like to pass this test. For me, it’s been just like it was for Abraham with countless blessings that continue to unfold as a result. When Abraham passed the test, all of a sudden, he found a ram stuck in a thicket that provided him with his sacrifice and burnt offering. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. When he did that, the angel showed up again speaking for the Lord and said, “… because you have done this and have not withheld your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky… because you have obeyed me." When I listen to that voice, I never cease to be blessed and am always provided for when I do.

In my life, there were times where I felt that everything I held dear was being taken from me and I was not a willing participant. It was devastating and completely crushing to me at the time. I fought it with all my might, felt victimized, done wrong and was full of anger, rage, grief and sorrow. Nothing seems to work out in that space and the journey feels all uphill and frought with angst.

As I have grown and become more aware, I’ve learned to willing surrender and give up everything I have, know and love, to answer the call of my HigherSelf. That willingness has allowed me to pass this universal test of Abraham over and over. It has made my life much more effortless and I am always blessed beyond measure when I stay true to the voice of my Soul. 

Two of my more recent examples of heeding that call and sacrificing all, were for love and another was to be a humanitarian. Both situations I felt were the highest  and best thing I could imagine to do with my existence, at the time. I felt completely compelled by my HigherSelf. Both times I was in ecstatic places in my life. First was at the Enchanted Cottage, doing the Moon Show, youth group, and teaching, coaching  and speaking all over the place. Life was sooo good. I thought if I ever left that cottage, it would be kicking and screaming when I was dead. That place was like my Soul-mate. I was extremely attached and I knew it. When I was presented the opportunity to move to Detroit to be with a man I loved, which would require giving all of that up, I knew I would have to be super clear about it. When I  had clarity, and knew that it was the right choice for me, there was no doubt about my answer. I said yes, willingly and joyfully with no looking back. Unequivocally—just like Abraham did. (If you are having a hard time with me comparing myself to Abraham, get over it, please. It’s a metaphor…and—I’ve had to give up my children at times too, not just a home and career).

The second time, I’d spent a winter in ice-olation , on Solitude Mountain, and I could not have been more in love with that place, or my time there, when I felt called to leave it all once again to be of service in the world. When I agreed, immediately, an opportunity arose to go help build a school in Romania and another opportunity in Nepal. I willingly went overseas and gave it all away— again. Funny. I didn’t spend more than one month in either place, before I got the message it was time to go home. The second time, the message was to go home and write my book. I didn’t listen, and got to experience near death. I’m working on that book, now :)

Abraham had no doubt the voice he heard was that of his HigherSelf. As a result, he did not question or hesitate. He knew what I knew. When you feel the voice of your spirit calling you to do something and you feel no doubt about it, know this: It doesn’t always mean that it is leading you to some blissful experience or even the Promised Land. That thing you feel called to do, may be leading you to a devastating, life-altering, or heart-wrenching experience. But guess what? It is always leading you to an evolutionary experience and that is why you are here: To grow your soul, stretch beyond your current capacity and experience the full range of humanity. So like Abraham, I willingly submit with a ‘sign me up!!’ 

There were people in my life that felt I shouldn’t be going to Detroit or to Romania. I knew exactly what they knew, and that was that it may not go according to plan. What I knew that they didn’t, was, that whatever happened, was EXACTLY what my Soul needed to grow. I was at peace with that—whatever the outcome. 

All I needed was the clarity from my HigherSelf that I was on purpose and that my heart and HighestSelf were leading my choices not my logic or ego. Just the act of giving up everything I knew and loved— from people I adored, to a career that I was in love with, to places that lit my soul on fire, was in and of itself, an amazing feat that most humans would find difficult.

I wanted to know myself as a human that was not trapped by my attachment to people, places and things. I  left it all willingly, it wasn’t taken from me. There is a big difference between learning to be ok with what is, once it's been taken, and willingly giving up what you love and are attached to. I joyfully submitted to the flow of my life. I knew without any doubt, I was exactly where I needed to be.

Do you understand the courage it takes to do such a thing? Can you even comprehend the kind of confidence and character those choices might forge within you? Do you know what it’s like to trust yourSelf and that Higher Voice within you so much, that you would step into the unknown, knowing full well it may lead you to your demise or ultimate death? I do. It is nothing you will ever know, until you experience it for yourSelf. It’s priceless. 

Learning the law of detachment and how to let go of all that is precious to me has been a theme in my life. Detachment has been such a great teacher for me. It’s taught me to give up the need  I may have had to control any outcome and to trust what is organically unfolding.

Through detachment I’ve learned the impermanence of all things and that it’s because everything is so temporary and potentially short-lived that it’s all so beautiful. That alone has deepened my sense of gratitude, such that it has become a way of being for me. I know one of the reasons the things I loved became so easy for me to let go of, was because I appreciated them so much every day and never took them for granted. 

There was rarely a deer that entered my yard, that I didn’t stop for a moment to acknowledge, feed, or commune with. Rarely a client session or class I finished, that I wasn’t grateful for the opportunity to do what I do and have it bring me such joy. Nobody important in my life that I hadn’t expressed how big for them was my love. Because of the depth of appreciation, I felt no regrets.

I am grateful for all of the experiences, circumstances and events of my life—the heart-breaking to the blissful, the near-death to vitality, the scarcity to the abundance. I know that it will all pass. I am so clear that it is all for my benefit and can recognize it as such in the very moment, not just in hind-sight.

What I have learned is total trust. Trust in mySelf, to recognize the voice of Spirit and what’s up next for me. Trust and courage to follow through with what I hear and know. Trust and knowing that all is working out in my favor for the evolution of my Soul. Knowing that an army of the unseen is cheering me on for the brave earth warrior I have become.

So Eid Al Adha...I will celebrate you, along with my Muslim sisters and brothers. I will celebrate my own willingness, like Abrahams’, to give up all that is dear to me, for my Soul’s journey and evolution. I will celebrate, that because of the attunement and obedience I have cultivated to the voice of my HigherSelf (or whatever it is to you want to call it), and because of the positive outcome of heeding that call over and over,— I have total trust that all is unfolding perfectly in my life. Knowing this, there is little to fear and only beauty and presence left to experience through this lens. 

If the Great All that is, is for me, who can be against me? There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the eye cannot say to the ear, I have no need for you, like joy can not say to pain, I need you not. We all need each other, we are all just walking each other home. We all have things we value, and those things come and they go for all of us. Only by knowing pain and losing what’s dear,  do we know what’s dear and appreciate joy. The same thing that gives us joy, will inevitably be the source of our pain. It is all as intricately intertwined, as we are as the human race. Christian, Muslim, Jew…black, white, yellow….American, Russian, Korean…first-world, third-world…we are all one humanity, all citizens of Planet Earth.

I bow to my fellow humans, may we continue to raise the collective consciousness, by seeking first to understand that we are more alike than we are different. May we celebrate our differences, choose love over hate, peace over power and unity over separation. I see you. Through my lens of oneness, you are all a beautiful marvel. Eid Mubarak!

 "May Allah/God/Source/Universe/HigherSelf flood your life with happiness on this occasion, your heart with love, your soul with spirituality, your mind with wisdom, wishing you a very Happy Eid.”

~Muslim greeting on Eid Al Adha

8 Tips to Forever Young

Some Words of Wisdom Approaching My 52nd Birthday...

Something interesting happens inside of mySelf every year 2-3 weeks before my birthday. I get super excited with anticipation, like a kid awaiting Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. I start feeling even more energetic, more beautiful, and more bad-ass. Truly though. It’s like I don the Wonder-Woman cape and sassy pants and cannot be stifled, hushed or dimmed. In true Aries fashion, let’s just say, I get a lil full of my cute-lil-Self. I start taking more selfies, being flirty, wearing cute clothes and let’s not forget that very confident attitude—oh wait, I do that shit all year. Anyway you get the idea. 

Call me crazy, but I have always been happy and excited to get another year on this planet under my belt! I signed up for the evolutionary fast-track in this life so there never seems to be a year without epic challenges or events. This past year I spent a good bit of my time in Solitude mostly snowed in for the 10 months that I was there. Then I left indefinitely to do humanitarian work by myself on the other side of the world in Romania, was planning to stop in India, do a lil yoga and sight-seeing, then off to Nepal for more humanitarian work with no return date. While in Romania, I got several messages (inner-voice/higher-Self/aka God) to return home, work on my book and do what only I can do. My stubborn Soul refused to listen and went off to India where I contracted Dengue Fever by a freaking lil mosquito (a.k.a. the gods) and was literally dying and HAD to return home! It has seriously taken me a good 6 months to fully recover. Anyway, enough of all that drama, it’s a new year approaching for me and I’m excited. 

I’ll be fifty-two!! Yuh, you read that right. What woman is excited to be 52?? I AM!! For some reason, I always feel like my life is just beginning. While most people tend to see their lives as starting to walk down the mountain at this fifty-year midpoint, I feel like I’m just about to hit the peak and stay there for the next 2-3 decades before I start that decent—if I ever do. 

So what are some of my secrets to looking and feeling at least 10-20 years younger? Wouldn’t you like to know. I freely share, you can start now and it will help. However, the things I’m going to share, I’ve been doing for DECADES…so I got a good jump on most of you…just sayin. It’s never to late to grow young!! 

Here they are in no particular order:

1. Drink lots of water!!  Drink good water. Drink the best water you can afford. (I like Water & Wellness PH balanced water about $10 per 5 gallon.) Drink more water than you drink any other beverage. And never drink fucking soda pop!! WTF don’t you know that shit is POISON?!?!?! Have never had more than a splash here and there for my ENTIRE life!!

2. Eat good, clean, healthy and organic food!!! Eat lots of veggies and some fruit!!! Avoid bread, flour, sugar,    pork and artificial everything. Eat grass-fed, organic meat, if you eat meat. Do your research and never stop trying to figure out what makes your body happy. 

3. Meditate & do some fucking yoga already…yes, it is for EVERYONE!! “Gee, I wish I hadn’t meditated or done yoga today!”, SAID NOBODY EVER!! I’m not even going to comment more. Do your own damn research. There are more benefits than all the fucking pills you pop for every bullshit disorder you have that you wouldn’t even have if you did these two things semi-regularly!! For fuck’s sake!! 

4. Take in some nature! Don’t miss the show happening all around you no matter where you live!! Nature is happening and it can teach you a lot about life and about yourself if you have eyes to see and ears to hear. Nature heals whatever ails you from a broken heart to life-threatening diseases. 

5. FORGIVE already. Stop carrying your stupid grudges. Nobody cares about your victim story because we are never victims!! Life is showing up for you, only ALWAYS. Your Soul is a request for whatever comes your way. Get over yourself. Forgive your shitty parents, they were doing their best. Forgive your ex—you were no gem either! And guess what?!? It’s all in the PAST!!! Even if it happened yesterday. It doesn’t even exist anymore. YOU are the only one carrying ‘it’ around. It’s time you let ‘it’ go before ‘it’ kills you because I can tell you, it is having a deep effect on you and has already shortened your life. 

6. Accept & Allow all that comes your way. Say yes to life. Say yes to whatever makes your heart smile. Allow yourself to love whatever it is that you love, (as long as it’s not creepy). Just be okay with whatever happens in your life, make the best of it and move the fuck on. Don’t get stuck. Don’t get stuck in the pain, your story, the heartache, the bull-shit, the success, the money or lack thereof, but feel it all. Keep moving with grace and gratitude. All is as it should be. Trust in that. 

7. Create your own spiritual practice with something you feel truly connected to and that resonates deep within you. Feel free to explore different traditions, religions, and cultures. Nothing is taboo. Just because you love Jesus, doesn’t mean you can’t love and learn something from Buddha, too. Jesus won’t be mad, I promise! And for the sake of hell, don’t be a Mormon, Catholic, or whatever just because your freaking parents are!! That is NOT a good enough reason!! If it doesn’t resonate with you, have the balls to do something different!! You will not go to hell for having your own thoughts and opinions, but you will live hell on Earth when you adopt everyone else’s thoughts, opinions and beliefs that do nothing for your own heart. 

Doing the opposite of all the above will make you old, send you to your grave early and make you unattractive!

And finally #8  Drum-roll, please!!!!

8. Life is fucking magical!! Never forget that! The Universe exists to surprise you. It is always beckoning you with every ray of sparkling sunshine to come into the Light and play!! With every bloom of Spring, it shares it’s vitality. When you are open, self-aware, brave and courageous, this beautiful planet will show you ‘six impossible things before breakfast’!! #ForThoseWhoHaveEyesToSeeAndEarsToHear #ThroughTheLookingGlass

Life is too short to feel old!! You know the old adage, ‘you are only as young as you feel’? Spoiler Alert: You choose your feelings! Take your cues from nature and Spring forth into life, stop refusing your own flowering and start fucking blooming some shit! Stop being stingy with your gifts, another reason you feel old—all that talent bottled up inside. Share and shine, peeps. It’s a new day. 

And in the words of Bob Dylan, “May your heart always be joyful

May your song always be sung

And may you stay

Forever young.”

  Much love and vitality on your journey, friends <3 3="" font="">

I See Beauty

I wish you could understand how my heart breaks when confronted with the beauty of this lil Planet that I love so much. And I’m always confronted!! I live in this constant dualistic dynamic of so much joy I can hardly contain it and in the same moment, my heart is breaking knowing I may never see a sunset exactly like this one ever again. 

Then there is this other place I go, that this may very well be my last life on planet Earth.    Deep breath. I lose it every time I have that thought. Most people won’t get it…but it is as real as anything gets for me. The knowing that “this is it.’ Crushes me. To my knees. I have lived my whole life in awe of this planet’s beauty. Everywhere I have every been. From India and Detroit to Bali and Bora Bora and everywhere in between. I have a vivid memory of being a child in Maine, high up in one of my favorite trees, just watching how the Sun danced playfully from leaf to leaf as the wind gently blew. Noticing how it made the green of the leaves different hues depending on which angle the Sun was hitting it. I tell you then, what I consciously know now, that I was imprinting that beautiful memory into every fiber of my being, Soul, and DNA so that I could carry it with me into whatever incarnation next awaits me. This is what I have been doing for my whole life as Laurie Frazier and I have no doubt many others. Taking visual notes of my Beloved. How she feels in summer, how she smells in spring, her many colors of fall, and her heartbreak and purity of winter. I feel her heartbeat within me. I feel her strength and energy course through my blood. I feel her vibrancy in my unwavering health and her exuberance in every Sunrise. I feel her peace at sunset as she dims the Light. 

If I leave anything of myself behind, may it be my eyes, that you may see the all-encompassing beauty of this Big Blue Marble, Spaceship Earth. There has never been a planet like Her, I am sure of it. There will never be another like Her, just like there will never be another you. See Her. Appreciate Her. Teach your children to appreciate and enjoy Her many wonders. Don’t miss Her show. Please care for Her. She needs you. 

Let Her in and She will give you comfort in your darkest hour. She will nourish your Soul, not only with oxygen from her verdant forests, water from her powerful seas, and ambrosia from her bounty but with breath-taking beauty. For humanity can not live without any of these things. Beauty has been more sustainable than bread for me at many times in my life. I completely get Sun-gazing. Nature heals on the very deepest level. I dare say, there is nothing that can’t be healed by simply inhaling Her. Deeply. Into every fiber. 

If this were your last life here, how would you treat your sacred human existence? You don’t have unlimited time here…our days are indeed numbered. What will you do to ensure that your grandchildren get to enjoy her like you have? What will you want to see before you leave here? Will you be more present when you do? What is it that you will miss most? What can you do before you leave so that you will have no regrets? What do you want to know and experience in this sacred human temple? Seriously, I really think you deserve to ponder these things. Because what if? 

Just some random thoughts on a snowy winter eve….