Access the MP3 at www.empathicwriter.com. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uabwaCGteB4

TRANSCRIPTION: Hi. This video is about innocence. I meditated on that word, innocence... honestly, because I miss it! I miss seeing it in the world. There's a lot that is showing itself. Presenting itself. And innocence seems to be one of the things in deficiency. Obviously babies, infants, and kittens and puppies and animals -- all animals -- those are things that evoke (a sense of) innocence. What comes to mind when you think about the word 'innocence'? Perhaps virginity. Maybe a white dress. Maybe, a fair amount of naievte? The reason I'm bringing it up, is because my understanding of it expanded, and I would like to share that with others. Innocence is defined as having been kept free of injury. So, in this sense, innocence isn't necessarily a moral matter. It isn't about, necessarily, one's choices or behavior, or the way they dress, or they way they carry themselves... or how promiscuous they are, or are not. It actually has to do with whether or not you have experienced harm and injury. And the interesting thing about that is... my understanding was always that it would be a reflection of how a person chooses to conduct themselves. But it actually is something far more vulnerable than that. It almost even has to do with luck and fortune -- (I meant to say 'chance.') -- as to whether or not you were a victim of crime. Whether or not you have experienced abuse, or abandonment, or poverty. These are things that are injuries. Whether you've experienced poor health -- poor physical health, or poor mental health. These are injuries. This is harm. And there is a state of being before one experiences great injury and harm. And there's a difference of being after injury or harm have been experienced. So after one has received an injury or harm, that's when wounded behavior shows up. It's hurting people, that hurt other people. And when you have an (entire) WORLD that has been injured, harmed and traumatized -- that has lost its innocence, and acts from woundedness -- what happens?? I wanted to bring this loop to light. It's something that's really subtle, but I hope by teasing it out (as I tried to), that you would be more compassionate with yourself. That you'd be more patient, kind, and gentle with yourself first... SO THAT that can later be reflected in your treatment of others.​ But if you don't give that tenderness to yourself first, it won't be available for others. ​One way to regain and restore our innocence -- to be resilient after injury, harm and trauma -- is to acknowledge the fact that it is so. (Acknowledge the revelations, rather than deny them.) The awakenings are rude. These awakenings are painful, and disorienting, and hard! To wake up to the fact that, you name it, X, Y, and Z was not at all what you were led to believe. The betrayal that humanity has undergone, and is undergoing... it's going to take time for us to even get vocabulary for the grief, and the fall-out that comes. Background Song: Inspiring Space (https://www.hooksounds.com/ref/erikaharris/) Looping GIFs: giphy.com ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VUw52yVKf8

? LINK TO MindfulMerch ? https://www.redbubble.com/people/SativaYoga/shop?asc=u ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3wskChlVx8

TRANSCRIPT: As long as I have been online, I have been normalizing mindfulness, and trying to remove any and all unusualness, religiosity, sense of difficulty, or inaccessibility. MINDFULNESS is a state of being, and way of being, that is owned by no one, while also being owned by everyone. It's deeply bothersome that such a PRIMAL and ORIGINAL way of being, is mostly perceived as Buddhist, Eastern or some other brand, ritual or tradition. It's deeply bothersome that an INNER art, seems to require so much outer instruction. Certification. Regulation. But does it really?? People hold a lot unnecessary confusion about meditating "right," or "not being good at" mindfulness. I think this comes from the long-time veneration of OUTER "authorities" -- both dead and alive. Over time, it amasses into lots of learned helplessness and self-doubt about one's own inner landscape. I do reject the idea that you need highly precise instruction on how to know your own mind. On how to become the master of your own internal state. By describing meditative states that arise from mundane activity, I am demonstrating mindfulness and internal authority. And you are encouraged and empowered to do similarly, right away. There is plenty of "Follow my lead" guidance out there for those who want to follow. But not nearly as much material that purely LEADS YOU TO YOU, now. That is what I've been called to do, have been doing all along, and will continue to do. "As above, so below" means "What is done in your car or kitchen, HAS MIRRORED IMPACT BEYOND YOUR CAR OR KITCHEN." So, this is how my multi-dimensional mopping unfolded... If you haven't yet listened to "Mopping Can Lead To Elaborate Gratitude," please do. It's the foundation for this experience. VID LINK = https://youtu.be/vvp6ZaMJh7c Also, keep in mind that metaphor is the language of in-between, liminal spaces. Fluency in metaphor frees your brain. Okay, so I traded the incense stick, for a mop. In the beginning, the mop was an eraser. Later, it became a pen. You'll see :-) But first, I prepared the bucket with hot water, bleach, and palo santo essential oil. The floor was my heart. I washed it with extreme care and thoughtfulness. I erased any scripts that were dead or untrue. I wrote new scripts that are alive, beautiful and true. I deepened my commitment to my path, and became even more inhospitable to distraction or procrastination. This is a time of war, and I am wide awake and watchful. One surprising thing that happened is... every previous time I can remember fusing mopping with fruitful mind-games, I've always erased Cinderella programming, and rewritten princess programming. My rationale and understanding at the time was that I was raising my sense of worth, and up-leveling my consciou ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FMVNxqQ9Is