Dear Common Awakening Companions, 

I stood in the coffee shop’s queue, waiting for the barista to call my name. My reverie was broken as she plopped down a steaming latte and shouted,

“1 grande mocha, no whip, one shot for Lewis!”

(For clarity, our son died in January, and his name was Lewis.)

I noticeably flinched. My mind knew differently, while my heart still expected my son to meander up to the counter and pick up the drink.

A bystander quizzically looked my way after observing my instinctive jump. I could hear her unspoken inquiry. The question hung between us and yet rang as clear as the barista’s.

“Are you okay?”

Even though she didn’t voice the question, I knew it was there. I found myself putting a hand over my thumping heart and nodding slightly before the arrival of another latte broke our silent exchange.

I know you all, our beloved community at Common Awakening, so well. I have heard your own stories of loss, pain, suffering, transformation and change.One of the greatest comforts for me is that I know I am not alone in my suffering, as your experiences bear witness and hold space in in the deeply painful times. I know that you too have have been asked over and over again the innocent phrase that tumbles off our lips in times of suffering.

“Are you okay?”

Recently, I have discovered a new way of responding to the phrase, "Are you okay?" that I offer to you as a practice for this week. It’s convenient for us to murmur, “I’m fine”, as a roll off the tongue, and yet it isn’t true. For all of us who have waded through the murk of discomfort, uncertainty, challenges, or just plain having our world rocked, we know that “fine” doesn’t capture it.

For me, if I pause and reflect within, I can answer with authenticity and candor that I am steady. I am centered. I am here. I am aware. I am awake. This allows me to speak, not of a surface disposition but of my soulful positioning. I can answer that in the midst of challenges, there is a centered position that is unflappable. It lives in each of us.

Even now, I invite you to place your own hand over your own heart and listen to what words or intention capture your positioning in this moment. What would it be like to respond to well-meaning inquiries from this place of Fullness within you?

Finally, I am aware that events like preparing for another pandemic, regular visits to the dentist & paying for insurance are not overly compelling. More bluntly said, any form of sensical prevention is one of those, “I know it’s good for me so I’ll do it” routines.

Consciousness and inner work is one of those preventative sells. When life rocks us, it’s our steady center, awakened state, solid heart and present moment awareness that is our dose of preventative medicine. We work on our state so that when the painful moments rise, there is an innate positioning within (a state) that carries us through, so that can answer that very question of, “Are you okay?”  with a clear and solid, “Yes, I am.”

With love,

Annie

P.S. Do you find that you feel centered and then it slips away? Are you ready to locate a solidness within you that is unflappable? In our upcoming Energetic Presence course, we teach you 5 positions that support you to access a steady center and live from this place. This 5-week, 5-step course can be done at your own pace and we meet every Thursday for a live session to engage with you, answer questions and expand on the course’s teachings. We have run this course for years and our participants report a quieter mind, a steadier state, clarified life circumstances and expanded subtle senses afterward. We begin on August 18th!

 P.S.S. Like our weekly emails and aren't sure about a deeper dive? If you need a personal connection as a starter, you may consider one of our healing sessions. It's a direct experience with us plus a powerful boost to clear those stubborn, stuck places.