Tag: #bethechange

America the Beautiful?

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

This morning, I came across a post on the Internet in which the author was discussing the silence and lack of action over the political and economic crisis that is happening right now globally, but particularly here in the US.

 In the article, she compares it to an (true) experience she had on a flight to New York, in which the hydraulics of the landing gear failed completely. The pilot announced what was happening to the passengers on the plane and explained that he was going to have to cruise at altitude for several hours to try to burn off as much fuel as possible so that when the plane caught fire on the runway when he tried to land, the fireball would be minimized.

The plane flew in circles for more than four hours. What surprised her the most about this experience is that the passengers didn’t scream or cry, didn’t pray loudly to God. Instead, they remained “eerily silent“ as the plane circled the airport, waiting to see if they would live or die.

She believes this silence to be essentially what is happening in America right now, and as I read the article, I had a bit of an “aha“ moment.

I’ve  been thinking a lot about this “eerily silent” phenomenon, and trying to understand what is happening in the minds of so many Americans over the past several months.  

I’ve questioned it as masked agents, intent upon deporting “illegals” (even when they are not) invade school campuses, farms, churches and businesses, break car windows to forcibly pull folks from their vehicles, and seemingly without accountability, other acts of violence, ironically, against those who fled countries rife with corruption and violence, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. 

I have questioned the dismantling of public systems put in place to protect the elderly, the infirm, and others most in need.  

When that same leader (illegally) sent the National Guard against our own people in our own states, I questioned how this could be happening in our country; the so-called “Land of the Free”.

I’ve questioned why we aren’t doing more in protest of the monstrous acts against #Gaza 

I’ve questioned why people that I know and love support a man leading our country who is a convicted felon, racist, (was convicted in court of blatant racism and bias in his rentals, amongst other on-record incidents) sexist, (“I just grab ‘em by the 🐈 “ and the many, many other comments and actions against women), pardoned men who are convicted abusers, pedophiles, and rapists, has direct links to Russia/Putin, Epstein and child exploitation, 26 allegations of sexual abuse and rape, has had multiple bankruptcies, draft deferments and fraud judgements – and that’s not even naming all of the convictions, judgements and allegations against him.

I’ve heard “It’s in God’s hands”, suggesting we should just “let go and let God” –  and I agree that in those things that we can not influence or control, we have to be able to surrender.  

But right now, I believe we have a responsibility to stand against these injustices, illegal and unconstitutional acts.  We have a responsibility to stand up and speak – and act where possible – for those who are not strong. 

We have a responsibility to protect our democracy, our citizens and those that are here genuinely trying to make their own lives (and of future generations) better, and are contributing to our economy and the betterment of the United States.   We have a responsibility to protect our beautiful country and all that inhabit it. 

Coming back to those that claim to be “biblically based Christians”, what about the parable of the three Stewards?  Aren’t we commanded from Genesis onward to care for and protect not only our lands but ALL of its inhabitants? 

In biblical scripture including Romans, James, and Matthew, we are commanded to protect the elderly, the infirm, women and children.  Jesus himself spent his adult years preaching this gospel, healing the sick and feeding the hungry. 

One of the things I’ve especially is questioned why, on multiple occasions, I’ve been told to stay silent, stay in my lane and stick to the positive, “rainbows and butterflies” content that I have been known for for over a decade.  To pretend that our country is not on fire – and as a result, let it burn.  

My father is a mechanic, and has told me stories of how, when he was a child, he would be compelled to take apart household appliances and machinery to understand how they work, then would put them back together again. Cool, right?

I have no talent for machines, but I have the same compulsion when it comes to understanding the nature of reality, humans, and spirituality.  Perhaps because of this, learning (at least those topics I find interesting) is one of  my most fundamental character traits and “love language”.   I literally learn every single day; reading, listening to podcasts, audiobooks, or YouTube.

As a result, I have, for decades now, studied world religion and mythology, multiple facets of psychology, relationship science, neuroscience, physiology, quantum physics, environmental sciences.  And a fair smattering of history, which ties into all of the above. 

Though the most recent research shows that our thoughts and desires directly affect our physiology, magnetic field and reality itself, I can tell you for a fact that burying our heads in the sand and pretending that “everything will work out” would be “magical thinking”.  

We have to balance the reality that we wish to see with the reality that actually is if we want to create lasting change.  

We have to heal ourselves, our societal dysfunctions and the harm we continue to inflict on the planet in order to build something better. 

I understand that many people are afraid, and perhaps that causes us to be silent.  I’m sure there are many that genuinely believed,  and still wish to believe, that our current leader is going to “Make America Great” again, and perhaps this wishful thinking, along with the mass of  propaganda and misinformation out there, makes it hard to recognize the slippery slope of fascism we are sliding down right now.   

We humans also tend to stick to our pre-programmed belief systems, especially in times of challenge or difficulty.  

Yet, all we have to do is look at world history and how many countries transitioned from democratic to authoritarian rule with just one leader, even within the past century, (Russia, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, most South American countries, Poland and Hungary) to understand that the direction we are going is the opposite of ”great” for the average American citizen, though a  May 2025 analysis by Oxfam found that the 10 richest U.S. billionaires increased their wealth by $365 billion in the preceding 12 months and $196 BILLION between Trump’s taking the Oval Office and May of 2025.

Remaining silent in the face of grave danger, challenge or even the unfamiliar is our primitive brains’ (primarily the amygdala) way of keeping us “safe”.  

Beyond that, many of us who tend towards optimism (myself included) truly want to believe that good will win out, in the end.

Ultimately, I believe it will.  Again, looking at history, we can see that when humans decide on the right course and act accordingly, we can create tremendous change for the good of humanity. 

We can defeat despots.  We win wars, feed nations, stop disease from decimating populations.  We can invent miracles and what would have been called “magic” only a century ago.  We can stop this speeding train, or plane, or bullet, before it harms many more.

But what will be the cost,  if we stay silent, hoping for a miracle, in the meantime? 

How many will suffer, as we pretend that our engine isn’t failing and we don’t need to find a safe place to land?  

What will be the cost of our souls, if we continue to ignore the magnitude of wrongness that is happening right now? 

We are the miracle we are waiting for.  We are the heroes (or the villains) of this novel.

We can write a new, better story for ourselves, our country, and our children, if we speak up against what is wrong and stand together against evil.  

But we won’t change anything by staying eerily silent. 

It is my  personal belief that the entire point of our existence here on this planet is to love, protect, and care for and appreciate ourselves, those around us, and the planet, and to create a better world for generations to come.  I want my children to live in a country where they feel safe, abundant and happy.  I want them to inherit a country they are proud of.  An America the Beautiful; Home of the Free and The Brave.🇺🇸🌄🌾

I will continue to post tips and tools for increasing our “happiness baseline” and optimizing a better reality on my social media platforms – https://www.facebook.com/TerahDrake or my IG – @terahrosecatalyst or @thisblessedsacredlife

But I will also continue to speak out against those things that are wrong, harmful or even evil in our government and beyond.  

And I hope you will, too. 🙏🏻

Big love.💖

  • Terah

Pray for peace

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

Mother Nature seems a bit pissed off atm… Not just here in America but just about everywhere – 

👉United States: Flooding and severe storms have impacted the Northeast, with flash flooding in New York and New Jersey, and devastating floods in Texas. Wildfires have also been a concern in California. 

👉Japan: Deadly floods have occurred in central Japan. 

👉Africa: Flooding has been reported in several countries, including Chad, Morocco, Algeria, Tanzania, and Kenya. 

👉Asia: Typhoon Yagi caused significant damage in Asia, and Southern China has been devastated by deadly floods. 

👉Central Europe: Storm “Boris” caused widespread damage. 

👉Papua New Guinea: A landslide flattened a remote village, killing hundreds. 

👉Taiwan: A massive earthquake caused casualties and trapped mine workers. 

👉Hawaii: Kilauea, a Hawaiian volcano, has erupted dozens of times in the last 28 days.
👉 Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted again July 7, sending an ash plume 11 miles into the atmosphere.😬
👉Mount Etna in Italy recently erupted
👉Mount Rainer in Washington State has seen dozens of seismic swarms over the past week

👉Panama: A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the Pacific.  

These are just some of the recorded natural disasters that the Earth has been experiencing over the past few weeks.

According to quantum physics, everything in the world – and the universe at large – is connected.✨

We are all microorganisms in a larger macroorganism, much like individual cells in a human body. Or perhaps, we are more like the bacteria residing in a human body; a population even greater than human cells. 

Given all of the negativity in the world right now, it makes perfect sense that our physical environment would be a reflection of the stress, strife and unrest that so many are experiencing.   

If the negative emotions that we hold in our magnetic field are projected into the unified field, perhaps the mass of anxiety and strife is contributing to the upheaval of the Earth. 

If this is true,  we should also be able to influence the Field positively – to set our differences aside, allow our anxieties and hostilities take a backseat, and focus on the positive.  On healing ourselves and the planet.  On building a better future for ourselves and future generations.✨

Skeptical?🤔

Here’s something to consider➡️

In 1993, a three-week experiment was held where 4000 participants gathered to pray and meditate in Washington DC; at that time the most crime-riddled place in the nation.  (I can attest to this – I lived in DC for several years at that time, and though I absolutely loved it, there were areas where I would not have gone for fear of being shot on the spot).  

The Maharishi Effect in action

The intention of this experiment was to significantly reduce stress and increase coherence(peace), lowering the crime rate in our nations’ capital. 

👉 A 27 member project review board monitored the experiment and weekly crime data gathered from the DC police department.  

👉 During this time, crime decreased by nearly 25%!  The decrease could not be attributed to outside factors such as weather, additional police staffing, etc.  

👉 the probability of this drastic of a decrease happening by chance was estimated to be impossibly low –  (p < 2 x 10-9 )!

This experiment became known as the “Maharishi effect”.  

There are hundreds of other examples of how we influence our environment every day – most of us have had the experience of thinking about somebody and then they call or text, or we meet them at some random and unexpected place.  We have a song in our heads and turn on the radio to find it playing.   We need healing and it happens.  Or we are desperately in need of something; be it money, health, a partner, or just a kind word, and it shows up in a way that feels like a miracle.  Like prayer answered.  And it is.  

✨In most world religions, it is called Prayer.

✨To the spiritualists, it is manifestation. 

✨To the Wiccans, it is spellcraft.  (Spelling=magic✨)

✨In spiritual philosophy, it is coherence with All That Is.

✨In quantum physics, it’s vibrational alignment.

How are you “spelling” your reality?

At the root of our belief systems, it’s all the same, regardless of language, belief system, or philosophy.  We are in constant communication with everything that is, or God/Allah/Shiva/Goddess/Unified Field, etc.  As my favorite “guru” Wayne Dyer once said: 

Our futures are formed by the thoughts we hold most often. We literally become what we think about, and we are all given the gift of being able to write our own story.

✨We can change our story, individually and collectively.  

✨We can make the earth a place that we all want to live in. 

✨We do not have to accept as norm the destruction or downfall of our civilization and the strife, upheaval, divisiveness and warfare we are currently experiencing throughout the world.  

Here’s how we can change things, from the inside out: 

✅Start with gratitude. Before you fall asleep and when you wake each morning, take a few moments to acknowledge all of the good in your life.  This not only projects into a magnetic field, but also sets our neurobiology to release happy chemicals such as dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin, rather than stress hormones. (cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine) 

✅Request good in your life.  Every spiritual tradition has the equivalent of “Ask and ye shall receive.”  It works. 

✅ Focus on the good.  Spending too much time focusing on the negativity of the past and present, or holding anxiety for the future only decreases our personal power.  Perhaps one of the reasons why there’s so much focus on it in the media; a term called hijacking the amygdala.  The amygdala is the area of the brain responsible for emotional regulation.  When we are in a place of stress or fear, the amygdala overrides the rational thought and decision-making part of the brain; the prefrontal cortex.  This can create a vicious cycle of stress and anxiety.

✅ Reset – when you’re feeling stressed, anxious, or dysregulated, your amygdala is likely in control of your emotions.  Take a moment to center.  Breathe deeply into your lungs and diaphragm.  Hold for a few seconds followed by a slow exhale. Put your mind’s focus on your heart rather than your head.  This resets the parasympathetic nervous system from flight or flight into rest and create.  👉You can also use havening or anchoring techniques to create greater peace and calm – cross the arms and gently stroke down the length of the arms from shoulder to fingertip.  Alternatively, gently stroke the tops of the thighs.  Feel into your body and really notice the sights, sounds, and feel of the body and environment of your immediate vicinity.👈

✅Connect.  Spend time with others who make you feel good and raise your vibrational frequency. Hug often. Physical touch not only increases serotonin and oxytocin (the “love hormone”) but lowers stress hormones, increases immunity, and just makes us feel good.🥰

✅ Spend time outdoors.  Henry David Thereau said “We need the tonic of the wilderness.”   The disconnection from our natural world and into one of rampant technological use is one of the reasons why we are becoming more sick and unhappy as a population.   Being outside reminds us of the beauty of our natural world, but it also exposes us to negative ions, which increases positivity and immune function, decreases stress, increases cognitive function and creativity and can even prevent disease.  

✅Empower yourself.  We have all heard the adage “knowledge is power”.  Pay attention to what is happening in the world, but don’t involve yourself emotionally to avoid the “amygdalic hijacking” I referenced earlier. (Stay frosty😉) 

  • 📰 If you wish to be involved, crossreference everything! Truth has become more and more subjective and even that which should be true must be questioned with the advent of AI, deepfake technology, and increasingly sophisticated psyops employed by governments, tech giants and individuals looking to influence the population to one particular mindset.  
  • Look to your values.  Whether it is a personal relationship, spiritual leader or political figure, the people you spend the most time with should be a reflection of your personal value system.  If you are seriously questioning the alignment of your values with someone else, there is probably not only an energy drain but a potential future disaster. 
  • 🥋As a martial arts instructor and longtime practitioner, I highly recommend at least rudimentary self-defense classes as an excellent way to gain confidence, a deeper sense of personal empowerment and self knowledge.  I also teach and practice yoga and can not recommend it highly enough for the deep sense of calm and connection it creates in the mind and body. 
  • 🖌️🎨Self expression through any form of art – painting, sculpture, dance, writing, cooking, fashion, etc., is an excellent way to not only create greater authenticity and self empowerment, but also can dramatically escalate the level of joy we feel on a daily basis.
  • Power Pose! Tune in to your stance and walk.  How are you resting in your body?  Are your shoulders hunched and back curved, decreasing range of motion and putting you into “prey” mode?  Or is your spine long, shoulders back and head high; all signs of confidence, strength and power? If you are needing an extra dose of confidence, try taking a Wonder Woman/Superman pose – back straight, feet wide and hands on hips.  Studies have shown this to reduce stress and improve cognition and new research indicates decreased cortisol and an increase in levels of testosterone when we “step into our superhero”.  Here’s another interesting fact – our primitive brain does not know the difference between reality and what we create in our minds, see on a screen or dream up on ChatGPT.   A fun tool is to use  AI to create a superhero image of yourself and put it somewhere you can see it daily to remind yourself of how amazing and powerful you are, and to begin to rewire your neurocircuitry to build a more confident, radiant version of yourself.  Here’s one that ChatGPT built for me using one of my favorite photos:

Cool, right?  Here’s the prompt I used: “Please create an image of me, using my photo, as a superhero in a classic hands-on-hips pose.  My chest emblem should be a heart with a sunburst radiating outwards.”  And I’d say AI absolutely nailed it! I’m thinking I might use it as a future book cover…😉

How is your field potentially affecting the mindset of our population – and Mother Earth herself? 

Big Love. 

  • Terah 

Label Less, Love More.

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

We are all narcissists, to varying degrees.

I  know this goes against current popular opinion which loves to vilify anyone they view as self-centered, but hear me out. 

I had an unexpected experience today that left me feeling quite sad.  It is not because anything awful has happened; really, just the opposite. I have had a particular abundance of blessings in my life recently.  As  a result, I try to share a little extra of that abundance whenever I see or feel someone in need.  

Today was one of those days. I had been doing some shopping at Safeway in Lynden. A man passed me in the produce area, and at first, I didn’t see him so much as I felt him. I felt a sense of darkness that was connected to a deep sadness. I glanced up to see where those frequencies were coming from, and saw a young man passing me, walking away, maybe four feet past. He was dressed all in dark colors, his clothes shabby and his shoes falling apart. He held himself like somebody who has experienced deep pain; his shoulders hunched and head down, hood drawn deeply over his face though it was a gloriously sunny afternoon.

{ This is not the person that I had this experience with.  Just an illustration. }

It’s rare to see someone so broken in the tiny NW Washington hamlet Lynden. I don’t necessarily think that the town has any less dysfunction than anywhere else – I just think that the powers that be tend to make sure that anyone with extreme outward signs of mental disorders, addictions or emotional trauma is either well hidden or… elsewhere.

Please note that I am not in any way disparaging the town. I lived there for several years, raised my children there, and owned a business. I made many happy memories there and still have a large part of my most loved community in the area.  I love how clean and safe it feels. 

But in order to create that sense of cleanliness and safety, there is just not going to be outward evidence of anything that does not support that feeling.

If I want my flower beds to look their best, I’m going to pull the weeds, right?  

The problem is, sometimes it can be easy to forget that most weeds have just as much value and often greater medicinal properties than the flowers do because they don’t look as pretty.

But back to the man at Safeway. 

I felt such a deep sense of sadness as he walked away.   I don’t think that drugs were the issue, but there was definitely some mental illness.  I have often wondered how someone becomes so very broken – what  child ever decided that they wanted to be homeless when they grew up? I don’t think this man could have been more than mid 20s so childhood wasn’t that far away.😣

I wished that I could do something to help him in that moment – but it was pretty clear that he did not want to be approached. 

But I had an opportunity to try to help a little later when I got up to the register. 

He had finished his shopping just before me, and was at the register directly across from where I checked out, digging through his pockets; ones spread out on the counter as he searched  for coins to pay for the last of his groceries.  The cashier looked on in impatience and low-grade disgust.  (We do love our petty judgements, don’t we?🫤).  I happened to have a $100 bill in my wallet, so I walked over, handed the cashier the money, and said “I would like to help“ and then walked back to my register to continue to check out.  

My heart felt a little bit happier, knowing that maybe I might have made some small difference in this man’s day.  

He did not look up at all, and left shortly there after. I finished my own checkout and walked past the register where he had been.   The cashier stopped me to hand me my money back. He said the man would not accept it. 

Honestly, I was a little bit crushed. I know this probably sounds strange, but when I experience either happiness or sadness, I often feel it as a physical sensation in my heart center. When I am happy, my heart feels buoyant. Sparkly.✨. But at that moment, I felt my heart drop and compress a little. The heaviness there doesn’t feel good.

His shoes had been barely held together and he obviously did not have enough to pay for his groceries, so why wouldn’t he let me help? I didn’t understand, but as I walked out to my truck, I saw him walking quickly across the parking lot, carrying his one bag of groceries; head down as before, but clearly swiping at his eyes with his free hand.  I am certain that he was crying. 

I think maybe he was just so sad to be in that position, but  still had enough pride that he didn’t want to accept help from a random stranger.

I found myself weeping, too. Honestly, I’m still in tears and my heart heavy, an hour later, thinking about it.

And here’s where the idea of narcissism comes in. Each of us exist in our own private little universe. We can only truly understand or relate to that which we have personally experienced in some way. We have others in our life who we care for, of course, and those who care for us, as well. Most of us generally wish well for others and I believe want the best for those around us in the world at large.

But how much of that is self-centered? How much of our desire to “save the world“ or care for others comes from a place of wanting to live in the best world that we can as individuals, or be cared for by others?  Just look at the rampant hate that has happened in the last few years.  We often don’t even try to understand other people’s perspectives. We just hate because they are different. 

Because they are “other“.

There are 1000 different ways this manifests (racism, sexisx, ageism, political polarization…the list goes on), but all of us have experienced it one way or another.

When I help someone who is in need, usually, it is because I am deeply empathetic, and I literally feel other people’s pain as my own. It is also easy for me to put myself in another’s shoes and imagine how it might feel to be them. I help people because I want to help, but I also help people because I don’t want to be in pain. Does that make sense?

I’m not saying that there isn’t altruism involved with me or anyone else. Of course there is. But it is also true that some of the source of that altruism is really selfishness – what many right now like to label as narcissism .  

I’m also not saying that there are not people in the world who are genuinely narcissistic. I have known some who just lacked empathy so profoundly that nothing existed besides themselves, unless it was someone or some thing that was there because they served a purpose.

But actual, pathological narcissism is estimated to be less than 1% of the population. So the hundreds of thousands who are on the “pin the tail on the narcissist” bandwagon are spearing a whole lot of innocent bystanders…

We have become so accustomed to throwing around labels such as “narcissist”, “snowflake”, “boomer”, “Karen” or “Chad” that it feels to me that we have lost much of our ability to be compassionate towards others, and the “education” we receive (largely on social media) in understanding psychological behavior has swung so far to one side that we are hurting more than we are helping.

 And I guess that is the purpose of this particular blog, though it is made in a roundabout way.  

If my desire to help others comes at least in part because I want to alleviate the emotional and physical pain that I  experience as a result of another’s suffering, does that make me a narcissist? 

 According to many folks’ definition of the term right now, I believe it would.  And perhaps I am, to a degree; though my guess is that most who know me would say the opposite to be true. 

But my point is that maybe, rather than being so quick to judge or label another, perhaps we might take a step back and try to ask where that judgment might be coming from, and recognize some aspect of it in ourselves. 

Or, at least, try to understand and have compassion for another’s experience and perspective. We all know the old adage “judge not, lest ye also be judged”, but I think a more appropriate version might be “Judge not, for when we judge another, we are really just judging something we recognize within ourselves.”  

We are all stars reflecting each others’ light, and like the stars that light up the night sky, we are all beautiful, bright and shiny – in our own way. And also like the stars, we hold the power to warm – or to burn – those around us.

This beauty, warmth, and capacity for destruction is true for everyone, and everyone is deserving of compassion, value, and care.

Even the homeless person that we avoid downtown – who is likely there because past trauma has broken their spirit.

Even the Karen throwing a tantrum at the cafe – likely because her inner child just wants to be heard.  

Even the Chad that acts like a dick as an adult because he was bullied as a child.  

Even the “Trump supporter”, looking for a better America.  

Even the Biden supporter, also looking for a better America.  

Even the neurodivergent, just trying to get by in a word of “normies”. 

Even the gender-alternative. 

Even the person of another race or color.

Even the addict.  

And all the other Evens and Odds out there that make this world an infinitely interesting and varied place – and thank God for that, right? 😎

Loved one, I hope that wherever you are reading this from, you are safe, and happy.  I hope that your life is filled with love and blessings. 

And I also hope that the next time you find yourself beginning to label someone in a way that negates all of who they are, you pause for a moment, and send love instead of negativity.  I hope you can see that perhaps who they are reflects a little of who You are, and you are able to love yourself a little more for that understanding.  

And if you are able to share a little bit of that love, or some of your own abundance, you just might make someone’s life a little bit better, their day a little bit brighter, and do some good for yourself, all at the same time.🥰

Big love.💖

  • Terah

Perceptions, Presets, and Personal Relationships

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

The human brain is an organic computer; a recognition machine that every moment is creating stories and constructs to fill in the blanks of the world around us, largely based upon our individual sets of life experiences and preset patterns.

Put into scientific terms, the reticular activating system; the brain’s “reality filter” sorts through the roughly 6,000,000,000 bits of information we take in per second through our primary senses and magnetic field, and translates that information into 4000 or so usable bits of information that we then view the world through. This filter is essentially created through our unique early childhood programming.

This is why confirmation bias happens. Why we so often end up exactly like our parents or caregivers; for better or worse. This is also why learning and incorporating new experiences into our adult lives is so vitally important if we are to continue evolving as individuals and as a species.

But that is a big and multi-faceted subject. For now, let’s look at how it applies to our self-perception and the way that we create relationships with others.

Our relationship with others can only be a reflection of some aspect of the relationship we have with ourselves.

“The world is looking glass and gives back to every man their reflection of his own face.” – William Make-Peace Thackeray

Because of this, It is nearly impossible for any individual to fully understand who another human is. But we can learn to know ourselves better through how we respond and relate to others and the world around us, and in turn broaden our ability to have a greater scope of understanding of who someone is.

When we meet another person, we create an image of them based upon what our own previous life experiences have been. We build assumptions based on our own identity; an identity that is often an egoic construct based on those childhood patterns of survival and “safety”, or lack thereof that we have continued living well into adulthood.

It is estimated that 98% of our thoughts and actions are habitual (and largely based upon this early programming) before we turn 40, unless we are actively working on neuroplasticity – altering that circuitry and growing a better brain.

What we see in the person we are interacting with at any given moment is an amalgamation of recognized aspects of these preset programs and patterns; often having very little to do with who they truly are as an individual.

Unfortunately, in the same way that we often cannot smell our own bad breath, we are usually unaware of the background programs that are controlling our real-time thoughts, words, and behaviors. It is difficult to see our own dysfunctional patterns until something happens that forces us to confront those damaging subconscious belief systems. We can not know that we are in a dark room until someone opens a window and sunlight pours in.

We can only understand another based upon our own identity patterns.

I have seen this pattern in myself plenty of times. I meet someone and I have this “Wow!” moment in which I see their gorgeous inner child or something especially fabulous in their manner; in their incredible potential, and the beauty of their soul, and I fall a little bit in love. Or sometimes a lotta bit.

When I say that we can not truly know another soul for who they are, I am not negating what I see in that person – I know that when I see that beauty and potential, it is absolutely there. But my own preset patterns of recognition don’t always allow me to see all the other aspects of their nature that might not be as compatible with my own. (Reticular Activating System…). What I also don’t always see is how my own dys-functional pre-sets from childhood might be playing into accepting partners or friendships who do not treat me with value.

Often, the recognition of those things I might not see, whether it is in those relationships or in myself, comes months or even years down the road when I have an “aha” moment or realization that I have been accepting sub-par treatment or that the vastly different, difficult, challenging, or impossible aspects of who they are will not change. I have to either accept the whole person rather than the “potential” that I see, or I need to reframe the relationship that I have with that person.

I very recently had one such epiphany; realizing that an unhealthy situation I had gotten myself thoroughly entrenched in was connected to unresolved (unbeknownst to me at the time) patterns that traced back to my very first relationship. This realization hit me like a ton of “holy sh#t” bricks and made my shadow side do a happy dance, feeling significantly lighter for the understanding and letting go of that heaviness.

Haven’t we all experienced this at one time or another?

I really appreciate the Pollyanna aspect of my nature and her ability to want to be besties with the wise, beautiful, Divinely -connected Starseed inner children she sees in others. I like to think that that sparkly, Rainbow-Brite aspect of my nature is my essential nature. The one I was born with, rather than the one that I learned through a complicated childhood.

But that other, darker side; based upon learned behaviors and belief systems from that oftentimes difficult childhood is not nearly as sweet, and has negatively influenced my personal relationships and the way I have viewed the world.

I grew up in a home where there was a tremendous amount of volatility and instability. I could not trust the adults in my life to care for me, protect me, or keep their word to me. Because of this, I learned to be fiercely independent and would not allow myself to trust or be truly vulnerable in my closest relationships. Or if I did, at the first sign of any kind of “betrayal”, I shut down and shut them out. I created self-fulfilling prophecies of being treated with less-than love and value in my closest relationships, based on faulty belief systems. I couldn’t even recognize that they were there or how much they were hurting me until I began to observe myself from the outside.

For me, learning to recognize the patterns of both my inner “Pollyanna” and my darker, less-than-trusting side, and look deeply into my own reactions and behavioral patterns with others has allowed me to cultivate healthier relationships.  As an added bonus, it has also helped me to recognize that humans are complex, and sometimes we fuck up.  I can be okay with those that I love (myself included) being less than perfect, and loving them through their own bullsh#t while maintaining some healthy boundaries for myself, when necessary.   

This is not to say that I am willing to be treated as less than the beautiful soul and gorgeously complex creation that I am, (nor should you) but it does give me a greater ability to have grace for the patterns and presets of those that I choose to surround myself with.

God knows, I am still working on all of this every single day, (#growthmindset) but awareness of my own presets and choosing to see the light in myself, others, and the world around me, rather than the mistrust I was taught, has been huge in altering every single aspect of my life from personal relationships to how I allow myself to see and create reality. 

So if we find ourselves feeling cynical, critical, and judgemental of others, we can learn to recognize that it is our own self-identity that is cynical, critical, and judgemental. We just project onto others what we feel critical of in ourselves.

If we are convinced that humanity is destined for destruction, hell, or just a life half-lived; a life of “settling”; if our view of the world is cynical or fear-based; this is all based upon our own internal belief systems and dialogue.  

But the opposite is also true. If we can learn to see ourselves as essentially good; of being capable of beauty, growth and evolution, we will see that reflected in the people and the world around us. The mind is always listening in on our self-talk, and if we begin to shift the way we speak to and about ourselves, those neurological patterns can begin to reshape themselves, too. I get bonafide nerded out just thinking about how amazing the human brain (and body) is…😉

If we can see the possibility and potential, the magic and miraculously Divine nature of our own beautiful Self,  we will believe others to also be miraculous, magical, Divine beings of infinite potential.  

If this resonates, maybe it’s time to step out of the shadow of a faulty and untrue belief system that was instilled by people who didn’t know a better way, and step into the bright, shiny, fabulously Divine being that you are. Maybe it’s time to unravel from the collective cocoon and way of being taught to us by our parents, society, religion, educational system, and political figures, and start embracing your own unique beauty, capability, and intelligence.

Because that is where your power is, babe. That is where your joy is. Where your magic and freedom and fun are – In the fullness of who you are, and the wisdom of what is right for you.

Through your own awareness, growth, and evolution, your relationships will improve.  You will attract others of a similar mindset who wish the same for themselves.  Through choosing to create your best possible life, and fully loving the Who that you are, you give those around you the permission to do the same. 

Ripples on a pond, babe. 🌊. How cool is that?

Big Love. ✨💖✨

  • Terah 

Judgement

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

Hold my coffee because I need to jump up onto my soapbox to rant for a minute. 😑

Well, maybe more than a minute, because this is an encompassing subject that affects every single aspect of who we are and the world around us.

I’m referring to judgment and limiting beliefs systems – and how damaging it is to us as individuals, and society at large. It stunts out growth and limits our possibility.

Saturday, I went to a local casino with friends. I’m not really a gambler and rarely go to casinos. The energy makes me feel sad. But a few of my friends go somewhat regularly, and I thought it might be a good opportunity for me to see the experience from a different perspective. The first little bit was fun, although we all lost money. Half an hour in or so, some other friends joined us.

They had been there less than 10 minutes, had not been drinking and hadn’t had a chance to get a drink yet, but one of these friends  has a very boisterous personality.   The floor manager, along with a couple of the security came over to ask her to leave. 

They thought she was drunk and told her that she could not order any more drinks or gamble. Needless to say, I was shocked and confused. She hadn’t had a drink yet, so how could she be cut off from ordering more? 

I was sitting right next to her at a line of slot games to watch her technique, and although she didn’t behave like most of the other people in the casino, who seemed to me a little bit like depressed zombies as they lost their financial security to slot machines or tables rigged for the house to win, she was not in any way being unruly or extreme in her behavior. 

But her personality apparently did not fit into the accepted order, so she was kicked out. 

It’s interesting how things are brought to us in multiples, isn’t it?

The very next morning, one of my very good friends called me in tears because something similar happened to her at church.  

Apparently, she was too enthusiastic in her worship of God during the music and when the pastor would say “Can I get an Amen?”.  

As she was leaving, two men took her side to tell her that while they appreciated her spirit, could she please take her joy and enthusiasm down from a 10 to 5 or six?  Because “God“ likes us to be quiet and obedient, right?

We humans really love to put things in boxes; tiny little hidey – holes where we need things to fit in order to feel safe in the world around us.  

We put the idea of “God“ in a box that looks just enough like us in to feel safe, but enough different to feel like something we can rely on.

We judge each other and ourselves by our skin color, sex, personality, career choices, how much money we make, by the homes that we live in, our social status, age, looks, diet, exercise regimen, and 100 other things in this quest to create familiarity with every aspect of our existence. Because that which we don’t know or understand is often frightening.

But what is the old expression?   “Familiarity breeds contempt”

Or how about “When you label me, you negate me.”

We take the mystery and magic out of those people and things around us; we label, judge, and make smaller everything and everyone; ourselves included, and then we wonder why we have a habit of feeling deeply unhappy.  

We wonder why the rate of depression in the United States is estimated to be hovering around 46%, yet continue to hold to societal norms that were relevant or to our primitive ancestors in a time when a certain amount of assimilation was necessary for the safety and continuation of our species.

 I believe we are seeing such a tremendous uptick in neural divergence because we are living in a time when we are meant to evolve beyond our past limited ways of thinking.  We are meant to evolve beyond the fear that keeps us bound and shackled to a system that hasn’t worked well for a long time.  

Honestly, sometimes it is enough to make me weep – or pull my hair out. Or a combination of the two.

This frustration stems from the understanding that when we make small the world around us, we shrink proportionally. When we judge others, we also judge ourselves as lacking in some way.  We judge out of fear, out of lack, out of hatred.  There is no room for love in judgement. 

When  it comes right down to it, we are each living in a microcosm of our own making. 

We can only see reality based upon our minds’  acceptance of what is real and what is not. What is acceptable and what is not.   What our past experience and neurological programming deems appropriate.  This is why critical, judging, and destructive behaviors are often passed from generation to generation. 

Our programming begins with our parents or caregivers in childhood and continues throughout our lives, but the Reticular Activating System; the mind’s sensory filtration system, located in  a part of the “primitive brain” called the amygdala, will only allow us to “see” that which is acceptable or appropriate; largely based upon our past experience and preconceived ideas and notions.

 If our parents and those around us told us that the Earth was flat, well, of course, the earth must be flat and anybody that believes otherwise must be crazy.

But then, at some point, we learn that the Earth is in fact, round – and it is those that believe it is flat  that are crazy.

Do you see my point here? Truth is subjective and relative only to what we have created in our minds.

  • “Of course, there are different truths on different levels. Things are true relative to other things; “long” and “short” relate to each other, “high” and “low,” and so on. But is there any absolute truth? Something self-sufficient, independently true in itself? I don’t think so.
  • Dalai Lama

Let me make this a little bit personal with some examples from my own life.   

For those that know me, I look younger than what society says I should based upon how many trips around the sun I have had. I believe a large portion of this is because I do not agree or subscribe to whatever it is that “age” is supposed to be.

This has been true for my entire adult life.

 It was rare that older  “adults” who didn’t know me saw my value as a human being because of the way I looked.  Instead, they saw a “pretty young thing“ who was fun to look at, but the idea of me being intelligent and intuitive was not in the realm of possibility.

A poignant illustration of this was a night when I was at a party with my then fiancé’s parents, his brother and sister, and their spouses. 

I was 20 at the time.  My fiancées brother’s wife was in her early 30s and had recently gotten her doctorate. When a group of family friends approached us, I was introduced as the “sweet, beautiful“ daughter and Layla was introduced as the “smart” daughter.  Never mind that Layla was quite pretty, and I am quite intelligent; the Who that we were was instantly not only degraded, but negated to everyone in that group.  

Even now, I find myself judged as a result of my appearance.  In a group of people older than me I am the “baby”, but to those  in their 20s and 30s, I am a peer –  until my wisdom and experience  gives me away, and then I become the “mother“ or the “MILF” instead of just another soul enjoying a human experience of fun and connection.  

I become the flat earth, because of what they have been taught and continue to believe.

For much of my young adulthood, I exclusively had relationships with men significantly older.  

Then I met my ex husband, who was nearly eight years younger.  My past programming said “no effing way” to anything beyond friendship, but when, a month or so into spending time together, I realized that I quite enjoyed him as a person with a beautiful soul, I questioned my own doctrine.  I didn’t “see” the age difference in a man twenty years my senior, so why did I judge someone who was younger?

Because of the way I judged myself.  

This realization allowed me to open to the possibility of more, and friendship led to dating and eventual marriage.  We stayed together for 15 years, and I don’t think it ever occurred to either of us to think about the difference in our age.  Most people assumed I was younger than him.  

I, like most of us, have experienced the way people judge in every possible form. I have been stopped on the road by a police officer when I was out walking with a good friend, who happened to be an African-American male. The Officer wanted to make sure I was “safe“.  Because I was a white female out walking with a black man.  Wtf?

One of my best friends happens to be gay. I have known him since childhood, and knew he was gay before he did.  In my mind, it was no different than the fact that he has a mole on his left cheekbone or the way his heart feels, but society says that instead of being a perfect and beautiful soul, he is a “sinner”.  He’s bad.  Wrong. 

 F#ck that shite.  How dare any of us judge what makes someone else happy?  

I know that every single person reading this can relate in some way, whether it is feeling judged because of your career choices, your race, your looks, your age, your gender, your sexual preference or any of the other physical, emotional, or intellectual aspects of who you are as a person. 

 We judge who we will connect with based upon race, religion, age, sexual identity or a hundred other petty assumptions based upon personal “truths” that are not only subjective but likely completely untrue, but we limit the degree to which we live our lives as a result.  

So let’s just agree to stop.  Stop judging each other.  Stop judging ourselves.  Recognize that we are all souls having this very individual human experience, yet also connected.  And that is a beautiful thing.  

Much love and big hugs, always. 

  • Terah💖

Relationships and the Journey to Wholeness

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

Let’s talk about love.  

Specifically, love and connection in our most intimate relationships – marriage or committed partnerships, whatever that may look like to you.  

I’m not necessarily talking about romance, sex, or all of those neurochemical butterfly-inducing aspects of meeting a romantic partner/soulmate/twin flame, etc., though we all find all of those delicious feelings to be absolutely wonderful. But rather, I would like to have a dialogue around finding and/or maintaining a healthy, loving relationship; hopefully one that is based upon a journey to two people becoming whole as individuals and as a couple.

This conversation is about relationships that are based upon mutual empowerment, shared values, a commitment to honesty, vulnerability, transparency and effective communication. This is about connecting to and creating a deep and abiding love that promotes continued growth, individually and communally, and as a result, also contains passion. Chemistry. Excitement and electricity.

Questions to ask when ready for committed relationship:

  1. What do I need from a relationship? Write it down. Be as specific as possible. What are your emotional/physical/financial needs, values and desires? What are your “love languages”?
  1. What am I bringing to the relationship? Be honest. What gifts, talents, and loveable traits – and what baggage, toxic traits or unhealthy patterns? We can not expect a “perfect partner” if we aren’t bringing an equal energy to the table. This can also help us to identify those things that we might want to work on before we begin looking for our soulmate.
  1. What will I not tolerate in a relationship? We can be a part of the process of our partner’s healing and growth, but it is important to identify those traits in another person that feel deeply harmful or unhealthy to us.

I’ve never believed in holding regret. It does not really serve our growth – if anything, it can create a cycle of victimhood that we never really grow past, rather than taking the lessons from each experience life brings us and applying those lessons to the future.

But I do wish that before I ever became involved with my first romantic relationship, I had some of the understanding I have learned in the last few decades – and the last few years, especially, as I have delved deeply into understanding the science of how we create our reality, both individually and collectively.

This particularly applies in acknowledging and addressing those unhealthy relational cycles that we perpetuate without realizing; largely based on childhood trauma or unhealthy parenting styles.

Growth can not happen without accountability, which is the opposite of victim mentality.

Of course, we can really only learn when the timing is right – when the student is ready, the master will come – but 😣 It could have saved so much heartache and stress had I known that we bring our past programs into every single relationship in our lives.

This is exactly why I write now, in the hope that a little of my knowledge and experience might create better for someone else.❤️

Recognizing those long-held patterns can be a catalyst for growth and even joy, if we follow a few not-always-so-simple but worth the effort steps:

  • Awareness: Acknowledge the shiznit. Create greater understanding and recognition around our past programs and patterns. The wounded inner child cycle will continue until we get to the oringination point of our core wounds. What we resist, persists.
  • Access/Heal the Past: Begin to acknowledge those memories, experiences, events and emotions that have been keeping us stuck in unhealthy patterns and self-sabotage. Identify triggering behaviors that put us in a place of dysregulation. Find ways to gradually increase baseline levels of dopamine, serotonin and endorphins if you have been chronically depressed or anxious as a result of those past programs. Spend time in nature to expedite the healing process, especially near trees, mountains, or water.
  • Self-Love. Showing ourselves the same degree or more of love and value that we have given to others can be one of the best gifts we can give ourselves. Identify those things about yourself that make you amazing and begin celebrating those gifts, talents and traits. Give to yourself the “love language” that you most share with others. Speak kindly to yourself.
  • Learn: Find the tools to begin to work through and heal that unhealthy way of thinking and relating to others. We live in a time where there is more knowledge and information available to us than any other time in the known history of the world. Sometimes this plethora of information can be overwhelming, but there is really no reason why we cannot find those tools and modalities that might work best for us to begin our healing journey towards lasting happiness. Finding a good therapist (I highly recommend someone with IFS experience) can be a wonderful way to jump-start your path to wholeness, too. I will share a few of the modalities and ways that I have found that seem to work well for me, but your journey is your journey and hopefully you will continue the process of growth and evolution long after you have read this book.
  • Connect: We humans are created for connection. Without it, much like plants without water, we either become dry, prickly things or we wither and die. The “baby warehouses” of Nazi Germany or the research done on rats and addiction illustrate this fact starkly. Touch creates oxytocin. Connection with others floods the brain with serotonin. Sex releases dopamine and endorphins. All of these neurochemicals increase our immunity, decrease addictive behaviors, make us generally feel good and have a host of other amazing benefits that I have mentioned in previous posts.

There are many folks out there that espouse the value of independence in finding our best path to healing. I do absolutely believe it is important that we have a sense of self sufficiency in every day life and enjoy our own company. I believe that an unhealthy Codependency does not serve anyone in the long run.

However, it is equally true that humans are made for connection. Made for partnership. Choosing a partner who will not only hold a safe space for us as we work on our self-growth, but that we can do the same for can make the journey to wholeness so much more beautiful and even expedite the process.

– TDrake @baselinehappy

This is where things can get tricky. We will continue to choose partners who perpetuate unhealthy past cycles rather than help us grow and heal to wholeness unless we have an awareness of our own childhood patterns of behavior and bonding. I believe this is habit on a neurological level and a desire to confront and move past our toxic history on a spiritual plane. Unresolved issues will continue to repeat themselves until we figure our sh*t out.

I wrote a while back about relationships and trauma bonding.  Trauma bonds are relational bonds that commonly form as a result of past toxic and/or abusive relationships, often beginning in childhood.  

I have heard some relationship therapists believe that 80% or more of adult intimate partnerships are based upon trauma bonding; relationships that are formed as a result of shared trauma or because the childhood wounds of two people match up.

Care. Consistency. Respect. Faith. How are you showing up for your parter?

For example; girl has avoidant or abusive parent and grows up with an anxious attachment style.  Girl grows up to meet boy who has an avoidant attachment style as a result of toxic patterns in his own childhood and they fall in “love’, but continue to perpetuate the unhealthy patterns of their youth because of this faulty programming.  

This seems pretty accurate based upon what I have seen in the vast majority of my own patterns and those of people close to me.

The way that the parents and caregivers of our childhood “teach” us sets up our neurological processes for the rest of our life. I believe that most parents and caregivers are doing the best that they can, based upon what they have learned, themselves. But just because something is a learned behavior, it doesn’t mean it is a healthy behavior – and there are so many ways that parents can fuck their kids neurological programming up from an early age without realizing they are doing so.

There are also plenty of unhealthy parenting styles that are not necessarily “abuse”, (the “coach”, the micromanager, the “helicopter parent”, the “tuned out” parent, the “follow the rules” parent…the list goes on) but can still leave us with destructive behavioral patterns that can be incredibly hard to recognize, let alone change. And so the cycle repeats itself over and over, often for generations – until someone along the line becomes aware enough to say “enough”.

Parenting is quite possibly the most important “career” in the world yet we do not require any form of marriage or child rearing education before we start creating another generation. 😑

At some point in every relationship, the intensity begins to fade.  Typically, it takes 18 months for the bodies’ elevated levels of oxytocin (the love hormone) to drop; a built-in chemical process that ensures (historically) that when we fall for someone, we will remain together for long enough to procreate.  

As these chemicals begin to wear off, unfortunately, often so do the “blinders” that we put on in the first phases of infatuation and we may begin to be triggered by our partner. The way that we once seemed to relate on every subject becomes a task of how to relate on any subject. If the relationship is one that is built upon trauma bonds and both partners aren’t working on healing and growth – as well as maintaining comparability and connection – inevitably the relationship fails. Sometimes it takes many years of unhappiness for us to move on.

Sometimes those programs and belief systems are so ingrained that we never do.

We just suffer and assume that is what a “partnership” is.  

But Babe.  That is the furthest thing from the truth.  We are meant to be happy, fulfilled and supported in our marriages, cohabitations or partnerships. Truly.

It doesn’t mean that our relationships won’t be challenging at times.  A healing/healthy relationship requires a great deal of honest communication, empathy, respect, trust, and understanding and love/self love to work towards a healthier way of being, both together and individually.  It requires making ourselves uncomfortable at times in order to give our partner what they need rather than what is familiar to us.  It is finding ways to love each other that are a collaboration; a meeting in the middle, rather than running away or waiting for our partner to make the first move.  

When we do find ourselves dysregulated or “triggered” by our partner, (or anyone, for that matter) if we can stop, take a few deep breaths and ask our minds and bodies “Why”, we can begin to access those deep wounds in order to begin to heal them.  In order to heal it, we must feel it.  

Conversely, if we don’t deal with our sh#t, we will just continue to remain a victim as we play out, over and over, the same rejection/abandonment/humiliation/betrayal/injustice wounds that we suffered as children.  What we resist, persists.

Again, if both parties are not on the same page for growth and forward movement, (change is hard the brain does not like change.) the odds of a successful and happy future together are slim to none.  

I recently posted a video short on my social media pages about “laziness” being the number one red flag to look for in a potential partner. It really hit home for me as historically, I have chosen partners who were incredibly unmotivated to grow or put in effort in nearly every aspect of the relationship. I chose these partners based upon my own unhealthy childhood patterns of needing to be the “caregiver” in a partnership in order to feel valued. This takes us back to that beginning statement about regret… Can you relate?

This is not only common sense advice, but there have been hundreds of studies done since the forties (and earlier) on relationship science and generally, they point to the same outcome of unhappiness or failure of a relationship when both parties aren’t doing the “work” to maintain a happy, healthy partnership.  

I would recommend looking into some of the studies done at the Gottman Institute in Seattle. #@gottman.com  Dr. John Gottman has been able to predict with nearly 94% accuracy whether a marriage will fail, based upon his “Four Horsemen” philosophy – Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling.  Dr. Andrew Huberman @hubermanlab.com has some excellent podcasts on increasing the success of partnerships and he also refers to the Gottmans as a go-to source for understanding.  

But let’s cycle back to the main point of this letter.  Healing our own trauma patterns in order to have successful relationships.  

Once we have begun the healing work of accessing and re-programming old, dysfunctional programs and patterns, we must begin to create a new personal and relational identity based upon healthier ways of viewing ourselves and how we navigate in the world.  We must embrace and live our new personal belief systems.  We must become a mirror of the change that we want to see in ourselves, our relationships and our world at large; a reflection of our healing rather than our brokenness. 

And that is a beautiful thing.❤️

Today and all days, much love and huge hugs.💖

– Terah

Rainbow Warriors/Love Vs. Fear in creating a better world.

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

Have you heard of the “Rainbow People” prophecy held by many Native American cultures?  

“There will come a day when people of all races, colors, and creeds will put aside their differences. They will come together in love, joining hands in unification, to heal the earth and all its children. They will move over the earth like a great Whirling Rainbow, bringing peace, understanding and healing everywhere they go. Many creatures thought to be extinct or mythical will resurface at this time; the great trees that perished will return almost overnight. All living things will flourish, drawing sustenance from the breast of our Mother, the Earth.”

The Navajo-Hopi Prophecy is not only similar to this but also very similar to the Christian belief of the “New Earth”:

“The great spiritual Teachers who walked the Earth and taught the basics of the truths of the Whirling Rainbow Prophecy will return and walk amongst us once more, sharing their power and understanding with all. We will learn how to see and hear in a sacred manner. Men and women will be equals in the way the Creator intended them to be; all children will be safe anywhere they want to go. Elders will be respected and valued for their contributions to life. Their wisdom will be sought out. The whole Human race will be called The People and there will be no more war, sickness or hunger forever.”

There are many Versions of this legend, but most speak of a time of darkness in which greed and division would prevail.  The earth would become sick and many creatures would die, fish going belly-up and birds dropping from the sky. (we have seen this happen many times in recent years)  This excerpt from Steven McFadden’s book Legend of the Rainbow Warriors is another example:

“The Native People would be all but helpless, but then Light would come from the East, and the natives would begin to find their strength, their pride, and their wisdom… I see this happening now with the tribe of People in my area, the dear to my heart Lummi. … At the same time, many brothers and sisters of the other nations – white, yellow, and black – who would feel strongly the calling of Spirit. (This is certainly happening right now. Never before has there been such a vast call of Spirit for people to teach their wisdom, thanks largely to the internet and social media) They would understand the basic fact that it is the Earth which gives us the water, food, clothing, shelter and beauty necessary for the circle of life. These awakened souls would find each other, and together they would teach all the people of the world to have respect for the Earth Mother, of whose very stuff human beings are made. Respect would prevail.

Under the symbol of the rainbow, all the races and religions would band together to spread the great wisdom of living in harmony with each other and with all the creations of the world – and thereby restore the Sacred Hoop. Those who teach this way would be the Warriors of the Rainbow, but they would do no harm. Using peaceful means alone, and by becoming examples of right living, after a great struggle they would bring an end to the destruction and desecration of the Earth.

The tasks of Rainbow Warriors would be many and great. There would be mountains of ignorance to conquer and they would meet prejudice and hatred. THey must be dedicated, unwavering in their strength, and strong of heart. They would find willing hearts and minds that would follow them on this road of healing. Peace and plenty would then reign through a long and joyous Golden Age. “

It sometimes feels like the earth is, indeed, doomed to destruction.  I see so many people – intentionally or inadvertently – bringing darkness into this world through fear and anger.  I occasionally find myself feeling frustrated or unhappy by the choices people choose to perpetuate when I know for a fact that we all have the potential to choose better.  To live well.  To be happy. 

From media negativity to social media algorithms pushing hate in our face, everyone joins in the shouting and stick-rattling on government control, vaccines, guns, rampant violence and shootings here in the US and abroad.  Then there’s the war with Ukraine, potential war with China and Russia, oh, and let’s not forget the sh#t show of the Grammys.   

This and a thousand different topics of current events keep us surrounded by darkness and angst.  

But here is an essential truth: 

We can not be in the light and hold another person or thing in darkness. 

We can not spread good and light while expressing darkness.  

We cannot hold and have light in our hands or in our hearts if what we are feeling and sharing is darkness.  

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about these things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into practice.  And the God of Peace will be with you.  – Phillipians 4:8-9

For those who are of a religious or spiritual bent, is not God the Light?  

Is it not written that God is Love? ✨❤️

So how can we be in the Spirit of God if our thoughts, words, and actions spread anger, anxiety and fear?  

Here is something to consider:

Our thoughts are energy; molecules vibrating that become things – just as much a tangible aspect of reality as the roadways that we drive each day to work, the trees that purify our air, and the molecules that dance within our own body.   If our thoughts are continuously creating our reality, what reality are we putting out there when we continuously project darkness? We can incorporate brain biology to this concept – the more we invest in negative thinking, the more our neurochemistry and eventually, the neural networks of the brain will reflect this and become who we are rather than a passing dive into fear and anxiety.  

What reality are we creating not only for ourselves but for everyone else, when we, as a society, collectively dwell in fear, angst, and anger?  Certainly not a happy, healthy place to live, to grow, to raise children and evolve as a species.😑

So here’s a proposition.  

What if, instead of dwelling on all of this end of the world bullsh#t, we instead kept our focus on those things that were noble, pure, light, and beautiful; as Paul said to the Philippians?  

What if we stopped throwing sticks at our hearts and God and recognized our grace and ability to change the doctrines and dogmas we have been holding to create something good in the world?  To see that, as Hafiz said nearly eight hundred years ago, that everything is sacred.  

If God is in every molecule, then all is God, right?  Even those things, circumstances or people that we may not approve of.  

It’s also important to remember and acknowledge that we all have times when we lose our way.  

All of us – whether we are a celebrity or a stonemason.  So what if, instead of casting stones, we held ourselves and others in love, in grace; in Light, and started creating the heaven on earth that I – and many others – believe we were meant to live?  Not only would we be happier and healthier as individuals, but the world just might become a beautiful reflection of who we are rather than a mirror of the darkness we hold for and within ourselves.  

Just a thought. 🙄

There are those who DO step forward, every day to bring light into the darkness.  To create a better reality.  To wake up and not only smell the coffee but share that motherfxcing goodness.  To all the other Rainbow Warriors out there, Thank you.  I love you.  I honor you. I appreciate you.  

To those that keep sowing those seeds of discord, anger and angst, babe, I see you.  I understand that you are expressing yourself from a place of fear rather than love, but believe me when I tell you – it does not have to be so.  Fear is an illusion that we create or accept, largely because our primitive brain functioning wants us to stay safe in the cave rather than step into the light of what may feel unknown.  

But when you come to the light side, you will see some of the joy we hold over here.  Some of the healing.  Some of the grace.  And yes, we, too, have cookies. 😉

Much love, big hugs and many blessings for this and every day.💖

– Terah

Mud to mountains 2 – Fake it until you make it!

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

Hello gorgeous;

We’ve all heard the adage “Fake it until you make it”.  

This advice can help us to get to the place that we want to be – or cause an emotional trainwreck if we aren’t being honest about where we currently are at the same time.  

Does this sound like a bit of a contradiction? 🤔

In simple terms, we are creatures of habit.  Our brains are vast fields of neurological pathways, and these pathways are the tracks for our physiological, emotional and psychological patterns, conscious and subconscious.  

The route we take to go to work each day is a pathway.  The apple oatmeal and black coffee that we enjoy for breakfast each morning.  The way we respond to our partner, parents or friends when we are joyful and excited – or feeling criticized and devalued.  Our habits of industriousness or sloth.  Our temperament, routines and rituals, tendency to isolate or our extroverted qualities, the way we value others – or ourselves.  

All of these and every other thing we do and think are pathways through the dense field that is our mind and brain matter.  

This is good news because it means when it comes to pulling ourselves out of the mud to begin the trek to the top of the mountain – that place of expansive views, joy, connection and the deliberate creation of our best possible life – it is, more than anything, just an action that we continue practicing until it becomes a habit.  

In the same way that we learn and improve when we practice the piano, painting, a new profession or study habit, picking ourselves up out of the mud to move on to something better after a period of grief, depression, anger or inertia is essentially the same mental action as picking up that paintbrush, textbook or laptop to prune old programs and replace them with new habits and neurological subroutines.  

It might feel uncomfortable, difficult or challenging to begin, but once we practice envisioning a new reality for ourselves – or maybe a new identity would be more appropriate – and we begin to act upon what it is that we wish to see and become, eventually, that vision becomes our new way of being – our new reality.

Imagine • Practice • Do • Become

So what is it, ultimately, that you would like your life to look like in six months?  A year?  Three years?  Five years?  

How would you like to see your personal reality unfold? What would your close relationships look like?

Where would you like to live?  Do you see yourself in a villa by the ocean, living in an urban setting – or maybe a tiny cabin in the woods?

What would you see yourself doing for a living – what do you think or feel that your purpose is?  

What would your income be?

What would you imagine your daily habits being?  Do you go to the gym or run each morning, do you meditate, or sleep in until 10?

How will you change your life?  Whatever you can envision, you can achieve.✨😎

Let me give you an example from a friend/client of mine:

“Rebecca” grew up in a dysfunctional home.  She was taught that her value was in what she did rather than who she was and it was best if she was “seen and not heard”.  

So of course, Rebecca grew up to behave in ways that reflected this value system.  

She neglected her own well being.  She put all of her energy into caring for others.  She withdrew when there was conflict or when she was emotionally uncomfortable.  

She topically believed she had successful relationships, all the while avoiding real intimacy.  

Eventually Rebecca found herself depressed.  She assumed it was just the “pressures of life” and took antidepressants – but while it seemed like she wasn’t really depressed and unable to function anymore, she still didn’t feel emotionally connected to her life. 😓

In fact, she didn’t feel very emotionally connected to anything other than a growing sense of desperation and anger, emotions that she desperately tried to suppress.  

Can you relate to Rebecca’s story so far?  

Eventually, Rebecca began to see a counselor 🥰 who helped her look at childhood patterns that were causing huge blocks in her ability to experience joy, to value herself, to adapt and evolve – and how those patterns were reflected in her current relationships. 

She spent some time grieving for the many years she had neglected to care for the physical and emotional needs and wellness of herself and her inner child as a result of those patterns.  

She learned to reset her vibrational field to allow good to come to her rather than repelling her wishes and dreams due to her subset programs of scarcity and lack of value.

She discovered that she had to learn to self-care and nurture her personal growth, set healthy boundaries with others, and began to prune some of the toxic people who couldn’t accept her boundaries, growth and the radical responsibility for the shaping of her personal reality.  This was a process that was deeply painful but also deeply cathartic.  

Fast forward three years.  Rebecca is living the life that she hadn’t realized she was missing.  She has a truly successful relationship with a partner who enjoys healthy dialogue and honest communication.  This honesty also means intimacy and she understands what real vulnerability and intimacy means.  

She has taken up several hobbies that had interested her in childhood and although she reports that it is sometimes frustrating to not be “better” than she is, she loves the process of learning and slowly gaining skill.  

She had quit her corporate job a couple of years back,  and now works largely from home contracting her skills to large companies.  She loves the freedom this gives her.

She also makes it a point to spend time with friends and family each week to recreate and build personal relationships.  

In short, she has radically turned her life around.  

Rebecca still has occasional days when she feels a little blue.  But knowing that feeling connected, happy and deliberately creating her life is just so much better, she gives herself some grace and space to deeply feel on those days, but also keeps envisioning an ever-expanding future – and joyfully continues to expand into that future.

And you know what?  Rebecca’s blue days will become less and less the more she practices bliss, curating and cultivating the life of her dreams, healthy communication and community with others and most importantly, loving herself into wholeness.   How cool is that?

If Rebecca’s story resonates with you, I’d love to hear your story, too.  How do you lift yourself from the mud after those days that you need to give yourself a little more grace and space to feel deeply and acknowledge those past parts of yourself that might still feel a little broken?  

What habits do you practice that keep your vision clear and ever-expanding and your vibrational field humming at a frequency that allows good to come to you – rather than repelling it with hidden subconscious programs?  

Drop me a comment below!⬇️☺️

And just in case you needed to be reminded today, you are amazing.  You are valuable.   You are a magnificent creation and capable of achieving anything you can dream of, and babe, you are so very loved.🥰

Healing, hugs and much love;

  • Terah💖

Celebrating our fellow be-ings

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

We live in a society where topical perfection is a status symbol.  Social media, television, magazines, even our own self-talk affects our ability to be able to celebrate ourselves and the unique perfection that each of us holds.  Instead, we experience chronic low self-esteem that many of us keep tightly bound in our skins and around our spirits. As a result, instead of the joy we should experience bathing in the freedom of our authenticity – and sharing that freedom with others, our insecurities often lead us to treat other humans, particularly those we find intimidating, with meanness, cutting each other down instead of building each other up.    

But here is a small miracle that each one of us can try that will change nearly every experience you have with those we encounter, whether the clerk at the grocery store or the barista making your favorite morning brew:  When you find yourself reacting negatively to someone, take a breath, smile, and Be Kind. Compliment one thing you genuinely like or appreciate about that person – maybe they have incredible hair, a great smile or an inflection in their speech that you find interesting.  Or just ask about their day. They might feel a little awkward with the compliments, but nine times out of ten, if the energy was negative to begin with – whether it was due to your insecurities or theirs – (or maybe they were just having a bad day) your kindness will turn it around, and you just might learn something about yourself.  

If you find yourself having a negative reaction to someone you meet or even on social media, television, etc., with no visible reason, do some soul searching – what is it that is causing your reaction?  How does it feel, really? Being positive, feeling blissful and at peace always feels better, doesn’t it? How can you feel your best and share that good feeling with others if you are angry, resentful or insecure?  So start celebrating yourself, darling, because you are fabulous. You are worthy. You are amazing! You deserve to shine your light – and you can help others to do the same by celebrating the good you can see in them, even if they can’t see it themselves.  

Share love!  Give genuine compliments.  Build others up – you didn’t get to be the fabulous person you are today without some help and a lot of love from others, so let’s pay it forward.  Celebrate others along with yourself. “Love” those efforts people make to share their own authenticity and creativity, even if it isn’t your brand of authenticity and creativity.  Remember that when someone shines brightly, they aren’t dimming your own light, but rather giving you loving permission to shine just as brightly.