Why the Name LoveAlive?

Love

Our Vision of Loving Interconnectedness

Our Vision is for a World of Loving Interconnectedness with All life.

This is what “Loving Interconnectedness with All Life” means to us:

When we look at the way organisms and elements interact within Eco-systems to create a balanced, life sustaining environment and, how living systems on the micro level within the human body, all the way out to the macro systems of the universe, work together in a form of rhythmic harmony, we see how all beings actually rely on one another to be alive. This is actually Interdependence. This is a Truth of Life.

From this view, we can start to appreciate the power of this interrelated, interdependent system of life we are all a part of. We can appreciate both the individuals and the actuality of the one living organism that all of life is; that we are. Our Love, compassion, and appreciation for this life can deepen when we actually feel into the beauty of this miraculous gift of life.

At this time on the planet, it is clear that humans have strayed from this kind of awareness and care. There is unprecedented suffering being perpetuated within the relations of humanity and spilling over into destructiveness to many animals, plants, waterways, air…our entire world. Even in places where our basic needs are being met, depression, anxiety, addiction, divorce, loneliness, abuse, and so many forms of disconnect are prevalent.

At the same time there is a powerful upwelling of profound Love in service to Great Healing on all levels, through all walks of life. People are waking up, searching for, and discovering the truth of Love that exists within human hearts and the miraculous changes toward peace and harmony that are possible when we learn to cultivate Love and compassion in action.

With this Love, we can choose to function within the one organism in Compassionate ways with all beings we encounter, knowing that they are a part of us and we are a part of them and, ultimately that all of our destiny is intertwined. We believe that, through Conscious, Loving interconnectedness, together we can create a harmonious, healthy, balanced life for all beings.

In the forward to the writings of the the Dalai Lama called “How to see Yourself as You really Are,” Jeffrey Hopkins writes, “Whether we are able to achieve world peace or not, we have no choice but to work toward that goal.”

We deeply resonate with this statement and for this reason we are compelled by our Love to share all that we can on behalf of cultivating Loving Interconnectedness with all beings.

Alive

Gratitude for this Sacred Gift of Life

When we really tune into Life; what this Life really is; how precious and sacred each Life that makes up the one Life is; how wondrous this great Mystery is; and the fact that we are gifted the opportunity to be Alive and Conscious ~ not only to witness this Life but to fully Feel and Consciously participate in it; a deep and potent Wonder, Reverence and Gratitude well up, and accompanying that is a great Joy combined with a great sorrow.

In the Shambhala tradition of Buddhism, this is called “Awakened Heart”.

In his book, “Shambhala, The Sacred Path of the Warrior”, Chogyam Trungpa writes:

“if you search for Awakened Heart, if you put your hand through your rib cage and feel for it, there is nothing there but tenderness. You feel sore and soft, and if you open your eyes to the rest of the world, you feel tremendous sadness. This kind of sadness doesn’t come from being mistreated… …Rather, this experience of sadness is unconditioned. It occurs because your heart is completely exposed. There is no skin or tissue covering it; it is pure raw meat.

Even if a tiny mosquito lands on it, you feel so touched. Your experience is raw and tender and so personal… …For the Warrior, the experience of sad and tender heart is what gives birth to fearlessness… …We are not talking about the street – fighter level of fearlessness.

Real fearlessness is the product of tenderness. It comes from letting the world tickle your heart, your raw and beautiful heart. You are willing to open up, without resistance or shyness, and face the world. You are willing to share your heart with others.”

Alive: Embracing this Sacred Gift of Life

Even when life can be difficult, even in the dark night of the soul, even in the most grave of circumstances, embracing Life through feeling compassion for ourselves and others is our way through to healing.

So with understanding and awareness of life in it’s wholeness; the joys and pain of life, with wonder and compassion, we see the magnificent beauty of Life and with Courage, we choose to Embrace this Sacred Gift of Life; To be Fully Alive. To be fully Alive is to be fully Sensing, Feeling, Aware, Creative, and Responsive in the unique way each of us are gifted; to experience, participate, and harmonize with the dynamic ebb and flow of the cycles and seasons of life; the breath and the tides of life.

Healing through the Wheel of Life

An essential step in healing is: tuning into that which sustains Life; the Air, Water, Trees, Sun & Moon… all Life and interdependent movements; in & out, in & out and harmonizing or syncing with the natural rhythms in the ecosystems that sustain Life within and surrounding us.

It is a first and crucial step of connection to the Truth of who we are and our sense of belonging. This is one of the reasons why tuning into our breath and our heartbeat, the rhythm of the drum, dance patterns, and songs reflecting the movements of the sun moon stars, tides, seasons, and animals have traditionally been a doorway into connection, communion, awakening, nourishment, healing, wisdom, and the deepening of the sacred relationships that sustain Life.

Around the entire Earth, our Ancestors have attuned to these rhythms, cycles, and fellow creatures as a way of life for eons of time and this relationship is planted in the Stone Circles that can still be found on nearly every continent reflecting the Cycles of Life or Wheel of Life. Healing comes through the quality of our relationship to aspects of life within and surrounding us.

Indigenous Nations of what’s known as North America are well known today for Medicine Wheel teachings. Over the last 25 years, we have felt so blessed to be allowed to receive some of these teachings.

We are living in a precarious time when the world hangs in a delicate balance and humans are being called to awaken and make great change.

So much is needed to assist in this awakening and humanity is fortunate that, despite the horrific historic and ongoing oppression of their people, culture, and spiritual ways, many Indigenous elders have declared that it is time to reveal what has been hidden and protected for so long and, share their culture’s powerful wisdom, medicine, teachings, and traditions on behalf of our Earth Mother and all of her children to help us to return to Balance and Harmony with one another and the Earth.

For those of us who are not Indigenous to these lands, we have found that sometimes, when the opportunity is offered, respectfully connecting with Earth based traditions that remain in tact can help us awaken a remembrance of our own ancient Ancestral Earth connection and the Spirit that flows through all things and that, walked with care, this can be part of a healing path creating deeper understanding and respect between peoples.

In the Cycles of life, there is always a cycle of giving and receiving. This is one of the basic principals of life: Both Giving and receiving are equally important. This is called reciprocity. It is through reciprocity that we can receive the healing that is offered and, true reciprocity comes from Love, appreciation, and the desire to give back. When we enter into this kind of relationship with one another, our family, our teachers, our brothers, sisters, and non-binary kin of the plants, animals, and natural world we open ourselves to healing, restoration, and transformation.

The Wheel of Life & Divine Guidance in LoveAlive

The Medicine Wheel is an integral part of our life. Our understandings comes from many different teachers, including direct experience and the Natural world. We will always consider ourselves devotees to learning in Life. Together, over the years, we have harmonized our learnings about the Wheel of Life and this continues to unfold as a guide on our journey. Since the structure and teachings of the Wheel of Life are the myriad of relationships in Life itself, and embracing Life fully is such an important aspect of what we wish to share with you, you may notice that the Medicine Wheel influences the way we walk, talk, and write about Life.

Though the terms Wheel of Life and Medicine Wheel are not so ancient, traditional ways reflected by the concept of the Wheel of Life are carried through many cultures around the world with many rich variations influenced by direct relationship with the land people live on and how they pass this down through generations of culture. Yet the wisdom they hold carries the similarity of coming from the human relationship with the natural world, as part of the natural world; the Interconnectedness and Inter-dependance of All Life.

Our learnings come from some of the ancient traditions of countries and continents known as Europe, North America, and China, along with our own connection with Nature, Divine Source, and our relationship with our geographic location here in what is known as West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, in the traditional unceded lands of the Sinixt, Syilx, and Ktunaxa peoples.

We have received teachings and influence from many lineages, some more than others, over many years. Some of these lineages are: Celtic, Cree, Lakota, Dakota, Siksika, Sinixt, St’át’imc, Seneca, Kiowa, Cherokee, Iroquois, Choctaw, Toltec, Hopi, Norse, and the Huan Yuan tradition of Daoism. Our combined ancestry is Cree, Polish, Ukrainian, French, and the Celtic Isles.

Learning traditional understandings from different lineages is a phenomenon not unique to us. Many people who have combined ancestral lineages, as well as mystics, have found healing and wisdom through finding the correlations and harmonizing the teachings from their various lineages, whilst remembering and honouring their uniqueness.

The sacred Wheel of Life teachings have always found their way of being shared, going where they need to go, and being protected when they needed protection. We are so grateful to the many people who have carried and protected these Wisdom teachings with their lives and how the teachings have been carried forward with reverence and care from ancient times.

The Wheel of Life wisdom and medicine comes through connection with the inter-dependent cycles of Life, and individual beings, from micro to macro, that make up this One Living Being we are all a part of and rely on to be ALIVE.

Awareness through the Wheel of Life

Awareness through the Wheel of Life helps us receive and give what is needed through the Cycles of the Seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter; The Cycles of the Sun, Moon, and Stars; The Cycles and Patterns of the weather upon the lands; the Cycles of Life, through: Birth, Infancy, Childhood, Youth, Adulthood, Eldership, Death, Compost, Refreshment of Spirit, Fertility, Conception, Gestation, Birth… The cycles of Plant and Animal life; The cycles, movements, and powers of the Elements we depend on to sustain life: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water; the Cycles and balances of Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit…

The Medicine Wheel brings us access to the wisdom that dwells in All our Relations, all Life, when we approach with Love, Humility, Respect, and Appreciation.

This way, we can learn how to fully receive the nurturance available to us and, our actions can become powerfully harmonized with the health and wellbeing of All, which ultimately supports our greatest good as individuals and as a planet. It is about deep awareness and loving compassionate connection with all Life ~ including ourselves.

As we move toward embracing ~ fully feeling the beauty of this Sacred Gift of Life ~ Opening our awareness through the Wheel of Life can help us to Create Healthy, loving, balanced Relationships within ourselves, with family & community, with the lands and creatures of the Earth, and the Cosmos. We live in a relational universe where the full spectrum of feeling allows us to experience it all ~ And the quality of our life mirrors the quality of our relationships.

Written by Rebecca Goutal with the support of Vince Wishart