Five Life Lessons from Spirit Junkie Masterclass- A Review

A year ago today I finally made it to Spirit Junkie Masterclass in NYC with my mentor and teacher Gabby Bernstein. I met Gabby seven years ago at Kripalu after I found her books in the most serendipitous way and then realized we had a friend in common. If you don’t know what masterclass is you can check out the digital version here. Since the first masterclass in 2014 I knew I wanted to go but was held back by limiting beliefs and the reality of being a mom to two little ones. I thought who am I to be at a “masterclass” or “to teach” when I have so much to learn. This year I got over myself and told my ego to F off and bought my ticket within five minutes of them becoming available. In true spirit junkie style I said “F it let’s go.” So here I am two weeks later, still processing the miracles of the weekend but ready to share five major life lessons I learned there!

• Life Lesson 1: Don’t dim your light to make others feel comfortable: As Marianne Williamson said “Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.” When we step into our light and our power (even just a little) it can make others uncomfortable. Sometimes relationships can even end as we raise our vibration and are no longer a vibrational match for past friendships or relationships. It is not our responsibility to play small to make other people comfortable or good enough! In fact, when we do shine and step into our authentic truth it will in the long run inspire others and give them permission to do the same.
• Life Lesson 2: There is a distinct difference between empathy and compassion: When working with a client or even just supporting a friend going through a traumatic or upsetting experience it is more beneficial to everyone to step into a place of compassion rather then a place of empathy. When we tap into empathy with someone who is experiencing a low vibration we end up taking on that vibration and from that place we cannot help. If we choose to instead come from a place of compassion we can remain in our high vibe state which will allows us to have clear thinking, divine guidance and truly will permit us to serve with grace.
• Life Lesson 3: Hold sacred the space between what you’ve left behind and what you want: Nancy Levin, one of the masterclass speakers, talked about this beautifully. When you’re in a transition period and shedding layers of your past self there is no need to rush into your new being. Spend some time in the in between stage- listening, being curious, integrating, learning. There is much to learn in this beautiful space so really honor it.
• Life Lesson 4: We teach what we need to learn: So often the things we feel called to teach are the things we most need to learn. As Yogi Bhajan said “If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it.” It’s not a coincidence that the subjects we passionately read about and want to build a career on are the very areas in our life where we have needed or occasionally still need to work on. This goes along with the idea that we don’t need to be “perfect” to serve others. We can embrace our flaws and our imperfections while working on them and still be a resource to help people.
• Life Lesson 5: Don’t wait until you are ready: There is never a “perfect” time to get started and pursue your dreams. You don’t need a fancy website or to have it all figured out to teach and to serve! All you need is the willingness to show up for what the universe has in store for you and be committed to serving others- the rest will come. Whatever you are experiencing right now in your life is the very thing you are meant to teach and share with others.

Pretty amazing right? Let me know what you think of these five life lessons! Also stay tuned on my instagram/facebook/website for an exciting announcement related to this that could very well change your life! To be the first to know you can join the waitlist here.

This post was originally published on huffington post in June 2017