text: Darkness has no power over light; rather light overcomes the darkness. Ernest Holmes
  This is not the post I thought I’d be writing this morning. Rather, it is the one that showed up upon waking and putting pen to paper (yes, that’s how a post starts for me). I had another focus in mind yesterday, and I fought with myself, asking ‘what does this have to do with success, redefining success, ancient wisdom, The Zone?’
  Then, I looked at this piece of art (Circles of Life by lisa knaggs**) as I do every morning. A particular square popped out (lower left with three circles). It’s perhaps not what you expect given what’s come before, but it fits. That’s my aim for this message as well.
  Perhaps it’s the government shutdown and political upheaval here in the U.S. coupled with my own personal journey of shining light in the dark spaces of my being, I simply feel abandoned by the systems of our world. Of course, systems of themselves cannot ‘do’ anything. They are operated by we mere mortals, each with our own purpose, agenda, and lessons in this life.
  I observe that we have evolved most systems with little regard for what I call their dark side, the shadow, the risks, the seemingly negative impacts and consequences. And, we have been ‘sold’ on this basis. Take cigarettes for example. The story told was one of not just their safety, but the glamour (for women) or power (for men) that smoking evoked. Decades and many legal battles later, we finally learn that wasn’t the complete, truthful story.
  Today the battle over GMOs in food, the less publicized health risks of electromagnetic pollution*, and our economy and financial systems themselves provide rich ground for shining light into the darkness. From this light, we have the opportunity to choose differently and to create new stories from our new choices.
  Just like in our personal lives, cleaning out the basement (for real or metaphorically) requires that we use our energy and our time dedicated to that process. In order to consider new perspectives we need to shine light on the dark places. We need to expand our knowledge base and look beyond what we are fed daily by the media sources of the system. As on our spiritual journey where we dig deeper inside, informing ourselves fully asks that we dig wider and deeper outside, to actually search for information to inform ourselves anew. It seems to me this commitment is a key element on the path to making different choices and creating the new stories so needed today. Ultimately it is those choices that build in us the wisdom of consciousness that lives infinitely.
  Experiment for the Week: Shine some light on the dark corners of your sources of information. Challenge what you hear/read. Search for new, different, deeper information on an issue of interest. For example, watch the BBC documentary Century of the Self (you can find it online with a simple Google search). Discover what it evokes/provokes in you. Share what you discover here (Yes! The comment section of our blog is now open.)
  *Full disclosure/shameless promotion: My research (and the concerns I’ve awakened) around the effects of electromagnetic pollution evolved into a business interest offering products that provide protection from these effects. I’ve personally used them for over a year, with noticeable positive impacts on my health and energy. You can check them out here: http://www.giawellness.com/cindycoach/products/terra-gia/. Or, email firstname.lastname@example.org and I’ll provide links to the information that woke me up on this issue.
  ** lisa knaggs is a Certified Canine Massage Therapist, Trainer, Behavior Consultant at Relax your Dog™, Chief Visionary Officer at Bark for Peace! in Denver, Colorado. She was foster mom to Luke, is a fabulous artist, and can be contacted through the Bark for Peace! Facebook page.