Intriguing Visionaries
As my journey continues, I have become more immersed in curious concepts about 4D and beyond, lightworkers, oneness, the collective consciousness, tapping even more into our incredible resources as spiritual beings and these beings offer vibrant and expansive perspectives.
Gahl Sasson – We are right where we are meant to be when we are there. As much as living for a month at Esalen Retreat was incredible with so many profound moments, the absolute gift of the experience was participating in an immersive weekend workshop with Gahl, being introduced to Kabbalah and the Tree of Life. Gahl has an incredible depth of history that he intertwines seamlessly with a gift of storytelling to weave it all together through the lens of astrology. Truly an alchemist of merging many things and bringing it back to an understanding and connection of all. He provides so many opportunities to learn and offers so much amazing content as a gift.
Guru Singh – After 7 years of practicing Kundalini yoga, I felt called to take that practice to the next level and enrolled in Teacher Training Level I. While I was unfamiliar with Guru Singh, there were many other reasons that made this program stand out. And yet, ultimately, the words, the presence and the grace of Guru Singh, is what I am most grateful for during the 9-month intensive course. His intuitive aura, harmonious music, ability to articulate what is transpiring in our culture and relay divine messages are truly from another realm.
Amanda Lorence – just watching one video recording, it was clear that this beautiful messenger is living her dharma and purpose with authenticity and congruency. This has long been my desire as I navigate societal norms and comforts of the familiar in contrast to what feels misaligned in my body and being. So not only is she living what she speaks, her approach is so incredibly gentle, wise, caring, clear and knowledgeable. What is amazing is that she showed a drawing, which practically mimics something Guru Singh had shared with us. Their terminology was different, yet the ultimate message was unified. It is collectives, like these beings, who are the lightworkers and connectors and I am humbly grateful to be able to be a facilitator in introducing them to support others that are curious about the cosmic energetic shifts and rapid transformation that is in motion.
Kyle Cease – I went to an in-person weekend event with some WDS friends (see Chris Guillebeau below) and experienced a truly immersive, authentic brilliant experience…and found out Kyle had a career as a comedian – so it was fun and light and deep and intense and totally amazing for anyone just getting curious. “True Transformation that isn’t Boring“! Now, years later, Kyle continues to show a remarkable evolution as his work has maintained a simple approach and yet goes into a new depth to awaken our inner knowing.
Abhigya – Amazing, young astrologer in India who has an incredible depth of knowledge for his age and has shared information that included predicting the broad events of 2020 six months earlier in August 2019. Much of his work has since been censored on YouTube – you can still find some of his videos and messages, including those of his sister and mother, which are very sweet.
Charles Eisenstein – Author, thought leader, in his own words: I’m just as much in the learning as anyone else, wandering as best I can toward “the more beautiful world my heart knows is possible,” encumbered by the programming and the wounds of our civilization. His ability to take a step back and share about culture and society from a neutral vantage point is eye-opening and riveting. From The Coronation: “None of the world’s problems are technically difficult to solve; they originate in human disagreement. In coherency, humanity’s creative powers are boundless.” Keep reading.
Jason Estes – Just watching one interview with Jason and it became even more clear how much technological inventiveness is happening – the creativity of solving challenging world scenarios in conjunction with energetic frequencies. Hard to even put into words – if you are into telepathy, curious about currency and new opportunities, planting trees to assist the world move into a new age – then check out https://earthchange.org
Early Inspirations
Here is a list of inspiring beings that were instrumental as I got started on the path of introspection and deeper awareness about living in the present moment and some who continue to be guiding sources along the path. I think of this as my “Best of Gurus and Guides” list. And remember, guru stands for: Gee, You Are You because we are our own greatest teacher:
davidji – epic guru, guide, mentor and friend. Humorous, direct, knowledgeable and grounded. If you like the idea of a straight talkin’ guy with a NY accent sharing a lot of spiritual and daily living wisdom with you, this is the man! Oh, and did I mention that he is an internationally renowned author, certified Vedic Master and meditation teacher, just to name a few.
Gabrielle Bernstein (aka Gabby) – talk about the other side of the spectrum. Besides sharing roots in NY like Davidji, this girl is all about the sass and channels a feminine energy with a bold, bright, contagious excitement. She takes so many concepts of spirituality and translates them into a modern day practice. Fabulous for anyone who is cutting edge, curious about cutting caffeine and wants to know more about kundalini yoga.
Marie Forleo – in the same genre as Gabby, although Marie’s best known for her B-School. This course, currently offered once a year, as promoted by Marie “offers the tools, strategies, and insights you need to make your business more profitable, more impactful, and true to your ideal vision.” She has found a way to bring wit together with concrete action items to inspire momentum to create a business and life you love. I love that that concept!
Marianne Williamson – “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Need I say more? In addition to being known for her knowledge and teachings of A Course in Miracles, Marianne is also running for Congress and she states, “Love should be our bottom line, in politics as well as in everything else.”
Deepak Chopra – World renowned author and spiritual guide, this man needs no introduction. That said, I knew very little about his teachings, ideas and background until I attended an incredible 7-day experience called Seduction of Spirit in stunning Whistler, Canada in July 2013. The best part was I didn’t even really know what I signed up for. Just weeks before the event began, I realized it would be ideal to take some personal time – this course just happened to line up perfectly (ahem, manifestation). Through this time, I learned the basics of meditation and before the week was up, I received primordial sound for meditation and learned about Vedic history through Deepak’s teachings. A truly eye-opening experience and one of the many pivotal chapters in my exploration.
Jean Houston – Not only is Jean one of the most incredible storytellers, she also brings everyone along with her and we become active participants as she describes the concepts of archetypes and reminds us who we really are – we found this out at Seduction of Spirit by playing “Are You God in Hiding?”. She can also be described as a scholar, philosopher and researcher in Human Capacities – one of the foremost visionary thinkers and doers of our time…and even that doesn’t come close to a complete depiction.
Martha Beck – Martha was also a speaker at the Seduction of Spirit event I attended. She immediately caught my attention when I learned about her adventure retreat called The African Star. Talk about speaking my language! For any of you who know a little bit about me, I hold some locations very near and dear to my heart – Africa is one of those places, especially an appreciation for the wildlife..and so does Martha. Rock on, girl! And it doesn’t stop there – Martha planted a seed about the idea that maybe we’re all just avatars in a fun video game right now. There’s way more to that concept – quite simply, I use it to remind myself to take it a little more easy when I’m stressing about something that really won’t matter hours, days and especially years from now.
Scott Dinsmore – The catalyst to make this site a reality! On January 7, 2014 Scott challenged LYLers (Live Your Legend) to join up for the first same-day global meetup. I have no idea how this site even made it into my inbox – I just know I am grateful. Without ever meeting Scott and knowing virtually nothing about this community, I took a chance and showed up at a local event with 20 other people, equally curious about what this might hold in store. We went around the room and discussed our ideas and it became clear in an instant that I just needed to do something – anything. Take a first step! I knew I was interested in creating a website, but what topic to choose – there were too many ideas. So I didn’t really choose. I kept the theme broad and just started writing. What was really cool was that suddenly people started asking for me tips and questions about my meditation practice and so I simply followed the questions and kept writing. I am still narrowing down my focus…or maybe I won’t! Either way, I am creating content. Hope you enjoy it :-)
Niurka – My first self-selected spirituality course (high school religion class with Ms. Daurio doesn’t count) was with an incredibly dynamic personality in Niurka. It was presented as an intensive communications course was that created a safe space for me to jumpstart learning about other ways of viewing the world and getting comfortable sharing it with others. Beneath that concept was powerful teaching about forgiveness, empowering states of mind and transforming limiting beliefs. Built on the premise of NLP, Niurka’s unique approach highlights a process to align your thoughts, words, and actions with your true purpose and authentic self. You create as you speak. Your word has that much power.
Tony Robbins – When a man makes you walk on fire and yells “bullshit”, what’s not to be inspired by?? Stop making up stories and living behind excuses. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up! And his 2006 TED Talks is so energizing – he even high fives Al Gore after calling him out about resourcefulness and passion. It’s only been viewed 11 million times, so maybe you want to check it out now, too…
“You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn
Other Notables
Chris Guillebeau – the art of non-conformity. Need I say more? What a great title for a site and this guy is a living example of it. He made a goal to visit every country…before his 35th birthday and did just that in Oslo, Norway. His site has also sorts of travel advice, so obviously I’m already hooked (especially all the tips for using miles – I am a junkie).
James Altucher – random, out there, kooky and fabulous…I think. Sometimes I can’t keep up with the way this guys thinks, and that’s okay. He is authentically himself and raw and brutally direct.
Adam Braun – Love the casual confidence about Adam. If there’s an issue, go do something about it. Don’t look around and see who else is going to make a move, just take action. That’s exactly what Adam did with Pencils of Promise.
Brene Brown – I recently watched a video segment where Brene discusses how perfectionists work. She summed it up that if perfectionism is in the driver’s seat, then shame is riding shotgun and fear is the annoying back seat driver. Always. Wow – powerful…
Dorothy Richards – Well, I didn’t “recently stumble” upon this woman who birthed me – this is my fabulous mother! While I’ve obviously known her my whole life, its only been recently that we’ve really begun having amazing chats about beliefs, spirituality and sharing techniques to navigate our environment. With great phrases like FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real and reminders about telling the committee in my head to keep quiet! She’s also responsible for nicknaming me Buddha Buddha when I was little because I resembled the big bellied, smiling Budai. Thank you for everything, Mom!
Of course, this is just a very short list of a long and distinguished community that all share a passion to do what they love AND make a difference at the same time. In giving, we receive.
Love your blog Nicole..All of it! There is so much inspiration and so much to ponder here. I especially love your Mom’s acronym for fear.