Hello my beautiful souls,

Happy Thursday and hope you’re doing great.

On the the 22nd of April, a large number of people in India will be celebrating the very auspicious festival called Akshaya Tritiya.

You will find women investing in gold on this auspicious day because what you invest in on that day or what you begin on that day, is believed to expand and bring you blessings in many folds. ✨✨

It is believed that it was on this day that the holy river Ganga came down toEarth and blessed us with her free-flowing abundance.

It was also on this day that the childhood friend of Lord Krishna, Sudama went to Krishna for help after suffering silently in poverty for months and years. But given Sudama’s devotion to and respect for Krishna, he could not ask for help. In fact, he was too embarrassed to even offer his meagre bag of puffed rice to his prince friend. But Krishna happily takes the rice and they reminiscence about their time together as children. And when Sudama reaches home, he realizes that his shanty has been replaced by an opulent palace with enough riches and food to keep his family comfortable for the rest of their lives.

So what is the lesson here?

Superficially, we may be tempted to make investments in the stock market on this day in the hope that it will bring us massive returns.

And it might just.

I am very happy to share that on this auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya on 22nd April 2023, I will be conducting a workshop where we learn to go within and connect with our higher Self - our Divine Shakti and tap into our soul’s deepest yearnings and desires. Because connecting with our Soul’s Desire is the key to unlocking our true abundance and fulfillment.

If you feel called to connect with the voice of your soul, please find details at

Connect With Your Soul Desire and divine-shakti.com

I look forward to beginning this journey with you towards our true fulfillment and abundance on this auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya.

To your deepest fulfillment,

Vishanka

Hello all beautiful souls! A very happy New Year.

We had back-to-back eclipse energies towards the end of last year followed by retrograde energy (we are currently in Mars and Mercury retrograde). But sandwiched between these two, we had a burst of spiritual energy - like a portal had opened pulling us out of any lower energy vibration into and closer to our divine Self.

I hope you’ve been doing okay during this massive period of transformation.

The reason for my radio silence is (apart from hibernating during this phase of transformation) that I have been working on creating a course to help with your Spiritual Ascension!

This course is called Unleash Your Divine Shakti and it will benefit all those of you who have a dream very close to your heart, or if your heart is yearning for something but you’re feeling blocked by past karmic cycles.

This course is to help you step into and unleash the Divine Shakti within you so that you can tap into your inner discernment and strength to cut away all that no longer serves you, and fearlessly move towards your dream!

If this resonates with you, you can join the waitlist for the course here.

You will receive all the course updates and launch dates.

Have a beautiful weekend and happy New Year!

This year adds up to 7 - a highly spiritual number - so lets really lean into our spirituality and unleash the divine within us!

Love and light,

Vishanka.

What or whom do you revere from the deepest part of your soul?

Is it God? Is it a certain human being? Is it nature? Is it Mother Earth herself? Is it your guardian angel? Or is it an inanimate object?

In times of crisis, reverence is that rope that can pull you out of deep dark waters.

In times of confusion, that whom you revere can become your guiding light-the only candle burning when all others have extinguished.

In times of joy and abundance, that whom you revere can celebrate you beyond your wildest imagination.

But most importantly, reverence will pull you out of feeling consumed by your ego or fear. It shows you your true nature and purpose in this cosmos.

That whom you revere will never leave your side, because they want to be able to guide you, to help you, to support you, and celebrate you! They are your forever team.

What or whom do you revere from the deepest part of your soul?

Call upon them today and let this be the start of a lifelong conversation.

I experienced something strange this morning. I slept last night with thoughts of inner child healing and this morning YouTube prompted me with a video on healing the inner child. And I had not spoken the words out loud, in case you’re wondering if YouTube was listening to my conversations, I had only thought about it at a sub-conscious level right before going to sleep.

This is not the first time this level of quick manifestation has happened because at a fundamental level thoughts have a frequency and when that frequency is particularly strong, things matching that frequency get attracted.

That’s how manifestation works.

But after going through the video on YouTube, I realized that it was good to know the details of inner child healing, but it’s not really a key piece of my path at the moment.

In fact, it felt more like a detour on my path.

And, everything that you’re presented with is not necessarily your path.

You have to be discerning about where you’re going to put your awareness. Where exactly are you going to choose to invest your conscious time and energy?

So, how do you know whether you’ve attracted something from a place of your heart or whether it is from your unconscious energy field?

When you’ve manifested something, before acting on it, pause and check in with your inner compass on how does it really feel? Does exploring that opportunity fill you will expansive love and joy and free-flowing energy, or does it fill you with hesitation and questions about whether you should invest in the opportunity or not?

I’ve always believed in the power of Mother Earth, and very recently I was reminded of her magnificence, absolute brilliance, and most importantly, her grace towards us.

As her crystalline waves crashed over me with power, I felt her strength, and yet underneath that strength was evident her nurturing and healing self. I felt dizzied and admittedly fearful of her rolling waves slowly but surely gaining momentum as she rushed towards me, and released all that power as she finally crashed into me. And yet it was the most liberating experience as she washed away my limitations, my self-imposed worries, and fears—at that moment, I thought, “I want to show up like you. I want to arrive into this world with your power, your uninhibited sense of self, and divine grace. This is how I want to show up in my life.”

Even as I traveled on a ship, her strength could not be ignored. Her choppy waves swayed my ship dangerously, as though communicating that within her is the strength that if unleashed, can engulf this world in a way that would leave us buried deep into her depths. But she shows us grace and her true divine spirit by protecting us from her own strength and making sure that we reach her coast unharmed by her volatile side. She reminded me of Goddess Durga, her benevolent presence matching the strength of her inner power to defeat the most destructive energies on Earth.

And then there were the tall mountains, protecting me as a long undulating fortress. From where I stood, the mountains towered over me, their density a reflection of their unwavering wisdom, as old as time, exuding stillness and grounding from their magnificent being.

Just as we turn to Gods and Goddesses, or devas and devis as archetypes for help, support, and guidance, turn to Mother Earth for healing, for tapping into your inner strength, and stepping into your inner power, because her magnificence shines brightly through us all.

Love and light,

Vishanka

These are moments of high source-driven opportunities.

Acknowledge the past and lovingly release them so you can now confidently step into new horizons.

The past has served its purpose, but it is now time to change your narrative about it. See them as important milestones in your life, but it is now time to experience new milestones.

Take that step and see miracles unfold for you.

The key to manifestation is awareness. And not just awareness, it is the awareness of your awareness that helps you get into conscious manifestation mode.

Take three long deep inhales and exhales and reflect on what is it that you were subconsciously focused on.

Were you lost in memory? Were you focused on hurt or pain from the past? Were you thinking about a meeting that went well or didn’t go well? Were you focused on your dinner plans for tonight? Or perhaps, a big decision you need to make soon?

Being stuck in a loop of thinking or worry is the second barrier to manifesting the life of your dreams.

The first barrier is the complete lack of awareness of what you were focused on in the first place.

This lack of awareness manifests as blocks in your energy field, which you feel as worry, doubt, anxiety, and a lack of coherence or clarity of thought. This unconscious focus on lower energy thoughts and feelings, so much so that, you feel like you are that, becomes what you manifest unconsciously.

For conscious manifestation, you need to be in a state of flow with the universe. For example, when you’re giving an exam - do you find the answers flowing when you’re really worried about your preparation, or do the answers flow when you are relaxed and completely present in that moment in that examination hall?

Make it a practice to be aware of where your awareness is at at any given moment. Observe without judgment and when you catch yourself focusing on the negative, or feeling out of balance, try to get back into balance by taking deep breaths, listening to uplifting music, or doing anything that gives you a break from feeling entangled in confusion or worry.

And thus, we become alchemists of our own energies, and through this alchemy of transformation, we are able to manifest the life of our dreams.

On 11th August, I joined the Life Force Academy’s 11-Day Intuition Meditation challenge. And for the first time, I felt intuition as a tangible sensation, just like the sensation of feeling hot or cold.

Jai Dev, the founder of the Life force Academy, is a practitioner of Ayurveda and the life force he refers to is the Prana.

Prana is our essence, our spirit, it is what breathes life into our physical body. Think of it like the essence without which you will cease to exist. Dr. Smriti Pandey, lecturer at State Ayurvedic College, Lucknow, says, “The elements agni, soma, vayu, satwa, raja, tama, five indriya and bhutatma are considered as prana. These twelve live attributes constitute the human body. It is the vital essence of all dhatu i.e., ojas is also considered the site for prana.”

So prana is the subtle part of us. It is that which can be felt only when we bring our awareness inwards. But during the 11-day meditation challenge, I learned of a more radical way of experiencing the life force. Jai Dev taught us how to fire up the prana so that the subtle becomes so magnified that it’s impossible to ignore it.

The meditation practice involved some intense breathing asanas that eventually fired up the prana such that it could be felt like a tingling sensation in parts of the body where the heat from the breathing was most concentrated. Think of this like air versus wind during a cyclone - there is air all around us, but often it is too subtle for us to take notice of it. But right before a cyclone, the air gets fired up, which we feel as strong wind.

Why is it important to connect with the subtle part of us?

It is extremely important, if not the most important part of our experience as humans, to connect with our subtle life force energy. Because without experiencing our prana, we are missing out on basically what gives us life.

We are very used to living life from our mind space, and our heart space, making decisions on a daily basis on what feels right, or what is logically the best thing to do. While thoughts and emotions are waves that we can ride to take us through life, our prana or life force is the ocean that ultimately manifests as waves.

Thus, if you want to experience the wholeness of life, if you are curious about going beyond the mundane, if you believe in any capacity that there is more to you than what meets the eye, if you feel that you are guided by a higher purpose or calling, if you want to truly know you - you are essentially yearning to experience your prana, which becomes a pathway to experiencing your higher Self, your Soul.

What are some practical applications of experiencing your prana?

1. Prana is subtle. By practicing tuning into this subtle sensation, you get better and better at getting in touch with your intuition. You will gain discernment, and with practice, you will be able to discern between your intuition and other feelings. This will make navigating life smoother and you will feel more in flow with life.

2. Prana is blissful. And who doesn’t want to feel bliss? Don’t we all want respite from the madness of the day-to-day and experience bliss for even just a moment?

3. Prana is a balancing force. When we feel imbalanced in life, often it can be traced back to an imbalance in our pranic elements as mentioned above by Dr. Smriti Pandey. Tuning into our prana can help regain our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual balance in stressful situations. Proactively balancing the prana on a daily basis helps us not lose our balance easily in stressful situations.

4. Prana can be regulated. As you get more adept at understanding your prana, you will be able to regulate it to heal any bodily ailments like headaches, stomach issues, even emotions, and many other conditions like balancing energy blockages in the body. Prana is what is known as Qi in Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM). Through techniques like acupressure and reiki, you can learn to give healing to your body and others, filling you with vitality. By regulating your prana, you will be able to improve the quality of your thoughts and feelings.

How to experience your prana?

1. I absolutely enjoyed the “active” meditation method, where through focused intense breathing asanas, I was able to fire up the prana and thus experience it as tingling sensations. So you could try that.

2. Or, you could spend time in nature and allow yourself to be enveloped by nature’s healing and vibrant energy. Sit with nature and that blissful feeling for a few moments - that is your prana rejoicing because it feels at home.

3. You could also sit in meditation and slowly empty yourself till you are no longer distracted by your thoughts and feelings, but you are left with a feeling of lightness and calmness. You can get into this state by bringing your complete awareness on long deep breaths and by focusing on your third eye space.

Side note: Is prana the same as source energy?

Yes and no. Everything is a manifestation of source energy - every single thing.

So just as thoughts and feelings are manifestations of our prana, the prana is a manifestation of Source energy.

But ultimately, if you want to experience pure Source energy, that field of energy is more subtle than even our prana. So tuning into our prana is definitely a stepping stone to experiencing our source energy.

Just as we need to train our minds to think helpful thoughts, we need to cultivate a practice of tuning into our prana, our life force energy regularly, so we can regulate it rather than experience the outcomes of unregulated prana.

Love and light,

Vishanka

READING RECOMMENDATION

Intuition and its Five forms by Paramhansa Yogananda.

All the people, the places, the events, the opportunities that have brought me the most joy, the most love, and the strongest bonds are not those that I chased.

As I reflect back on those moments when an opportunity landed on my lap, when a stranger invited me for a gathering, or when life took me to a totally different place from my expectations, those are the ones that have led to the best outcomes and the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

All I had to do was stay tuned in to your signs so I could pick up on these marvelous doorways to my eternal freedom.

I had to acknowledge all the things that brought me happiness before but I would have to let go now.

I had to find the strength in me to be able to walk the unknown path with courage.

And I had to find deep trust and faith in my own abilities and inner wisdom, as well as deep trust and faith in your guidance.

I am openly receiving doorways brought to me by you, I am lovingly releasing that which no longer serves me, I am connected with my inner knowing and courage, and I have unwavering faith in me and you.

There is major talk in the spiritual community about ushering in a New Earth (not the same as Eckhart Tolle’s book by the same name.) The New Earth refers to a massive paradigm shift in life on Earth where people will be more soul-led, more in tune with their higher self rather than living lives that doesn’t bring any real happiness.

The reason for this imminent transition is because astrologically the stars are aligned to trigger our spiritual sides, to be our authentic selves, and to speak up against injustice. I would recommend looking at astrologer Pam Gregory’s YouTube channel to understand exactly how astrological alignments are bringing in the New Earth.

In addition to astrological alignments, there is something very unique happening in the cosmic plane. For the very first time in many thousands of years, our planet Earth is being flooded with the divine, high-energy light. I’ve always said that source Energy or God energy is a very high energy source that manifests or can be felt as love and seen as a very bright, protective light. That is what makes us all, but we have lost touch with our sublime nature because we have let that true self be covered by layers of emotions, thoughts, beliefs, patterns, programs, and many other things that we have held on to for support. And that is alright—it is all a process. But then when we find ourselves in an environment that is absolutely soaked in this divine source of energy, what we have is full-blown chaos.

You don’t have to look far to see that we are indeed experiencing a very chaotic time in history - there is mass resignation happening which companies are not happy about at all but those very companies are having to layoff people because of poor business forecasting, people are feeling pulled to leave their 9-to-5 and follow their dreams and passions but understandably, it’s not an easy decision at all because we need to think about our financial and emotional stability and not rock our families because of our decisions, and of course, there are wars and mass boycotting of movies, and upheavals against authorities.

The list is long, but do you see the inner turmoil that is gripping us all?

With this massive influx of divine energy, each of us is having to face that which we have consciously or subconsciously suppressed for years, or even lives.

It is said that Earth is one of the few planets in the universe where free will exists. But evidently, we have used this free will to our detriment in many cases (climate crisis, capitalism, nuclear power…) So it is believed that this influx of high-energy light is the universe’s intervention, so to speak. This light is manifesting in our lives by making us question every single belief, thought, feeling, goal, and desire that is not in alignment with our highest truth.

It is judgment day for us, but here’s the thing - there is no one outside of us judging us. As our true nature is empowered by this divine light—as we undergo a deep cleanse with this light—part of us is yearning to come out and show its brilliance, and hence we feel compelled to weigh up who we have been against who we are feeling called to be.

We want to shine, but we still have one foot in the old world, while the other foot is mid-air, ready to step into the new world.

So how do we find calm in the midst of this chaotic transition?

1. Recognize. Recognize that our bodies are vessels for universal energies. No matter what, we will be impacted by the energies flowing through us, which include:

   1. Our pure higher Self energy

   2. Accumulated energies from the past (through thoughts, feelings, beliefs, karma, things we’ve held on to, ancestral energies, etc.)

   3. Surrounding energies of the day-to-day

   4. Major astrological and cosmic energies

Recognizing that we are affected by all of the above energies at any given point helps us be more compassionate with ourselves as we try to process conflicting energies.

2. Become aware of the areas of inner turmoil. As we gradually step into our new roles, and thus help move Earth into the New Earth, we are going to face turmoil in 4 main areas:

1. Karmic lessons. To become a clear vessel for the new, we will find ourselves in situations where we will be faced with old wounds and lessons we need to learn and let go of. This may get quite exhausting as lessons come up one after the other.

2. Things we may have held on to consciously or subconsciously but that don’t align with our new version. Think limiting, self-sabotaging beliefs, thoughts, patterns, fear of stepping into our power, fear of releasing control, and allowing the universe to guide us. Deep healing and clearing work is required to empty our vessel of these energies.

3. Consequences of choices that we made recently but no longer align with the new us. This brings up some very practical challenges. For example, you may have paid $1500 for a course that you were absolutely sure of, and almost out of the blue, after spending months working hard in this course, you realize that that is not aligned with your soul path. What do you do? That’s a hard decision and very tough to navigate when you have a family depending on you.

4. Risk management. Sometimes the call of the universe is so strong that you may feel drawn to taking some risks like leaving your job and plunging into the unknown. In this case, the universe’s advice is to trust because it really does have a plan for us. But we may find it difficult to jump right in without proper planning. In this case, balancing the call of the universe (and your soul) with that of your physical reality and responsibilities may become very difficult to navigate. In this case, find some peaceful time and check in with yourself for guidance and act soon.

3. Tap into your inner strength. As Estelle, a dear soul I used to follow, would say, “We are born for these times.” Our soul knew of these challenges when it decided to be born on planet Earth in these chaotic times. We already have the strength and wisdom to navigate these turbulent times. But this requires some deep inner work. Make time to step back from triggering situations and conversations to check in with yourself for guidance. We are at a very crucial time in history where the universe requires us to step into our innate power. But there is also the reality that we cannot let this fast-paced transition get to us. And if we do find ourselves feeling overwhelmed, take a step back to find your ground before you take any decisions.

It is certain that these chaotic times require us to face our inner turmoil head-on, let go of things that we may have spent a lot of time and energy on, find the patience, trust, and faith to wait for new things to come into our lives as we make room for them, and allow ourselves the grace to openly receive.

4. Pray. Pray for guidance, direction, strength, support, and healing. Lightworker Melanie Beckler says in her meditations, “With an open heart, a clear mind, and a strong will.”

We need these three to walk the path that will help bring in the New Earth.

Love and light,

Vishanka

There are two main ways of living life -

You can either chase or you can allow.

A life spent chasing often feels hard, full of obstacles and never-ending. It is deceptive as chasing goals fills one with a sense of purpose and achievement. But most of those goals and dreams come from deep unfulfilled desires and karmic residues (prarabdha karma), thus becoming hard lessons meant to free us from attachment. One can either choose to work directly with those energies of lack and want by focusing our attention on them and consciously releasing them, or we can let ourselves be carried by those energies till they are released from our system through experiences. By chasing, we are also adding to our desires and karma, resolutely tying us in a loop of chasing to release old desires and karma, and simultaneously chasing as a result of new formed desires and karma (agami karma).

A life spent allowing on the other hand, feels effortless, it feels empowering as you realize that you are a medium for the universe and your soul to act through you. You are in receiving mode, receiving inspiration and guidance from the universe, rather than in chasing mode. It is liberating and manifests through creativity, a sense of oneness and inner peace. In the allowing mode, with an open heart, a clear mind, and a strong will, you are in a state of equanimity, neither affected by highs nor lows. You just are. Because you are fully aware that are just a medium for the energies of the universe to flow and manifest through you. Actions are not born out of your desire but rather out of service.

Are you in the allowing mode or the chasing mode?

There is nothing wrong with being in either of the two modes because we all have our own journeys and work on our own unique timelines. But ultimately, the goal is to surrender and allow. So why not surrender to it sooner than later?

Hello, hello, this is a quick short message on releasing and finding empowerment as a black sheep.

Since learning more about the zone of genius (read here and here), I’ve been spending most of my meditation time releasing all that no longer serves me. And honestly, I am amazed at how much there is to release! Things that you had long forgotten make a come back when you ask the universe to show you what is it that you've been holding on to that you no longer need in your life. And, since we are active beings, even as I’m releasing things from my past and even my ancestors’ lives, new things come up on a daily basis, which makes me go back to my clearing board and release some more.

To be honest, I don’t mind this exercise because I can physically feel lighter from within like my heart and mind are expanding because of all the empty space.

But recently I realized that though I may feel triggered by something, that something is really not for me to release but is actually someone else’s burden to release.

For example, say you’re an artist in a family of doctors and engineers and MBAs. Now, you may try to share your creative journey with your family, but instead of acceptance and support, you may actually receive judgment and non-acceptance. That is understandably triggering, but it is important to have the awareness that that judgment is not for you to release. It is for the person judging to deal with whatever it is that they are consciously or unconsciously holding on to as beliefs that are not allowing them to accept your journey as a creative.

The most you can do is to find inner strength that helps you accept yourself without needing validation from others.

Love and light,

Vishanka

In a world that values the go-getter, sometimes you need to take a step back and simmer.

Allow for your spirit to settle into your new body after intense cleansing.

Allow for your mind to find its bearing after going through major life changes.

Allow your heart to open and receive, even as you don’t know the way forward.

And allow yourself to simmer, as you let the universe and your higher self bring to you that which you need in your life.

Anxiety comes in like an unexpected wave, slowly gaining momentum till it bubbles up to the surface like a tsunami.

It feels mighty and all-consuming, like the wave under a stormy sky.

To come out of this panic mode, find a way to ride that wave, rather than feeling thrashed by it from side to side.

First, bring your awareness to that wave and see exactly where and how is it manifesting in your body.

Thoughts and feelings will come, but don’t be distracted. Those are the ripples that have come together to create that wave of anxiety.

Stay focused on intentionally breathing light and love into parts of you where anxiety feels the strongest.

And slowly, but surely, find yourself riding the wave of surrender and trust, letting go of all those thoughts and feelings that triggered the wave of anxiety in the first place.

Do this consciously and repeatedly till you find yourself in calm, peaceful waters again.

Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Indians! It’s the 75th anniversary of our Independence and a truly proud moment for us. I am currently working on an anthology titled Being Indian Abroad and hope to share it soon. But today, I want to share about fasting.

Freedom fighter Gandhiji spent many days fasting in jail as he continued his non-violent struggle for independence against the British.

Gandhiji is known to have been a follower of the Vedic text Bhagavad Gita that he fondly referred to as his “eternal mother” (do read this text here to know more about how Gandhiji got acquainted with the Bhagavad Gita in London and how it became a part of his life).

The text says that he imbibed 11 main principles of the Gita in his daily life, namely -

Satya (truth), ahimsa (nonviolence), asteya (non-stealing), aparigraha (non-covetousness), brahmacharya (abstinence), parishrama (physical labor), swadeshi (using homegrown or local products), asprushyatanivaran (removal of untouchability), abhaya (fearlessness), sarva-dharma-samanata (equal respect for all religions as well as people), and aswada (palate control).

The last one—aswada or palate control—informed his fasting practice. But why fasting? Yes, he did the Dandi march as a part of his non-violent uprising against the British rule but fasting had a unique power that is deeply embedded in Indian Hindu culture. Banu Bargu beautifully explains the merging of the very inward i.e. spiritual and the very powerful i.e. divine masculine nature of fasting -

“What then is a hunger strike in Gandhian terms? First and foremost, it is a nonviolent form of action. It is characterized by the overarching philosophy of ascetic discipline by which one becomes a master of oneself. Self-starvation is, simply, an extension of self-restraint. It is an exercise in self-purification and the strengthening of one’s soul. In this sense, it is at once a moral act as it is a political one. In fact, insofar as the emphasis is on inflicting suffering on oneself as part of training one’s soul, of eliminating the thought of wrong-doing and injustice from oneself, the moral aspect is much more pronounced. A fast is the expression of a spiritual force.”

It’s this very fact about how ingrained spirituality is in Indian culture that I feel very blessed to have experienced. It seeps through the major like our struggle for independence as well as the day-to-day.

I have been fasting once a week for a while and though I am yet to find the self-restraint and the self-discipline to go completely without food or water for even a day, instead I have been eating sattavik food, i.e. simple food without excessive oil, spices, salt, chillies, or lemon for three out of four meals in a day. And even with that, I find myself craving for salt and a heavy tadka (tempering) of spices in my food for dinner at the end of the day.

I have done this for seven weeks now and it is only last week that I realized that fasting essentially reinforces the realization that my soul is born to be a medium for the divine to act through me. Anything above and beyond that, ie. any strong flavours, pleasures in life, comforts, successes, or even disappointments, and struggles are not to be distracted by. And definitely not to be attached to!

Gandhiji used fasting as a “spiritual force” against the British rule. Through his efforts and the efforts of so many other freedom fighters, we no longer have to resort to desperate means for our independence. But I would still encourage fasting, or at least practicing some form of aswada or palate control to remind ourselves of our temporary halt on Earth - we are spiritual beings having a human experience, lets always remember that and let that guide our thoughts, words and actions, and fasting is a great means to reinforce this reality. Our true nature can be felt, not mentally understood, and fasting makes that experience very real.

Love and light,

Vishanka

P.S. To be reminded of Gandhiji’s struggles, and our people’s struggle for independence, do read this article here by the New York Times dated 11 February, 1943.

We often make decisions from a place of fear.

This fear is felt as a constriction in the heart space, a knot in the stomach space, the tightening of our muscles, or a constant, random stream of thoughts in the mind.

To make decisions from a place of love, bring your attention to each of those spaces where you feel tension or a knot and slowly but deeply, breathe into them. Feel the knot releasing, that space emptying and then expanding as you breathe into it some more.

This state of expansion is the perfect soil for love to flood through your body.

Try to hold your awareness of this state for as long as you can and make decisions from this expanded state.

Take a deep breath, pause and release your breath with a long sigh.

Repeat this three times.

Then ask yourself - Was I in my head space, feelings space or soul space?

To live a life in alignment with your soul, it’s crucial to keep coming back to your soul space. This is the space where you are most in alignment with your soul path.

Checkin with yourself on where your awareness is focused multiple times a day till living from your soul space becomes your most natural state.

That’s when life will feel like it’s flowing. Hurdles are only things you need to clear but not get triggered by. And, decisions will be made from your truest core.

I wrote about Gay Hendrick’s Zone of Genius last time. And as I’m on my journey of stepping into my zone of genius, I realized that before I could make the “big leap” into my zone, there are some absolutely crucial “housekeeping” things, if you will, that I need to first take care of.

Think of two almost identical-looking runners, ready to race each other in a 100-meter race. Now runner A has never won a match before but he has been training hard for the last six months - he has been eating right, stretching his muscles, participating in marathons and sprints, and meditating to get into the right mindset in preparation for this big match. And runner B has won multiple matches before but because of an injury, hasn’t been able to practice at all for the last six months and this is his first match since the injury.

Who do you think will win?

If you follow tennis, in the last few years, Roger Federer, the man with the most number of Grand slam titles has lost more matches than won to players who are much younger than him because they are in much better physical condition, and perhaps, mental and emotional condition than Federer.

Stepping into our zone of genius is similar - we have to do the work, before the actual work. We have to prepare before we play.

I mentioned in the previous post that before we can step into our zone of genius, or walk our soul path, it is important to connect with our higher self (I use higher self, inner self, and soul interchangeably). In this post, I want to go deeper into how we can connect with our higher self. Look at the previous post to read about the soul path or the zone of genius.

How can we connect with our higher self?

Inner work.

Inner work is crucial to walk into your genius.

Inner work includes three main foundational pillars:

1. invoking the feminine energy to connect with your heart and soul, i.e. inner self

2. Healing, releasing, clearing, and nurturing your inner child

3. Invoking the masculine energy to find opportunities in line with your genius and walk the path

Pillar 1: Invoking the feminine energy

We all have both the masculine and feminine energies within us - Shiva and Shakti.

The feminine energy is associated with nurture, protection, intuition, creativity, care, deep inner strength, love, and acceptance. We need this energy to mother parts of us that are hurt, or wounded.

Its free-flowing nature helps connect with your heart and soul and listen to their voice. This connection is what will guide you on your soul path or your zone of genius. Allowing the free flow of feminine energy is necessary to awaken and be able to listen to your inner compass.

To invoke your feminine energy:

1. Move your body - dance, do some light stretches, or do yoga that opens up the feminine energy

2. Walk in nature as mother Earth is full of healing feminine energy. Try to grow plants and look after them

3. Cultivate a playful mood. Indulge in playful games, banter and joyful activities

4. Check-in with yourself multiple times in a day - ask yourself how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking, and what is that you need…

5. Speak to yourself as you would speak to a friend with kindness and acceptance

6. Meditate - practice guided feminine energy activation meditation. I like to put on the sound of water while meditating as it helps me surrender and release control

7. Give yourself time to go with the flow

Pillar 2: Release work

What is clearing or release work?

Just like crystals, water and ice carry the divine wisdom within them, we too carry the divine wisdom, but along with that, deeply embedded are past hurt, pain, fears, limiting, self-sabotaging and scarcity beliefs, thoughts, patterns, programs, and energies. Phew!

And, just as a pipe cannot allow water to flow through it freely if it holds within dirt and debris, it’s difficult for our higher consciousness to surface without us clearing things of the past that we have held on to, whether consciously or subconsciously.

Clearing is super important and one that can take years, if not lifetimes. As we go through challenging experiences, often, unknowingly we allow feelings of discontentment, self-doubt, worry, anxiety, hurt, pain, self-judgment, and guilt to stay rent-free in our hearts and energetic fields. And as we carry them with us through our lives, they resurface every once in a while in the form of challenges - a small trigger is often enough for them to make an appearance.

Those feelings protected us in the past, but they no longer serve us; hence, it’s time to release them.

To release:

1. In your meditation:

   • Ask - what needs to be healed and released?

   • If you’re already aware of that which no longer serves you, focus on it and breathe healing crystalline light into it. Imagine golden light surrounding you and filling up those knots where past energy is stuck

   • Use your feminine healing energy to accept that part of you

2. Practice guided healing meditation

3. When you find yourself indulging in negative self-talk, again choose your feminine energy and try to let go of self judgment and guilt

4. Call on the universe for guidance (see the post on communicating with angels). Ask them for help with release work

5. Affirm:

   • Thank you for healing all past wounds, self-doubt, limiting, self-sabotaging, and scarcity mindset, thoughts, patterns, energies, worries, and anxieties that are blocking divine love, abundance, and creativity.

   • Thank you for healing, releasing, clearing, and transmuting all that no longer serves me in all space, time, dimensions, realities, and energies.

   • I am no longer resisting or holding on to limiting, scarcity, self-sabotaging beliefs, thoughts, patterns, and programs. I have released them without pain or resistance.

Pillar 3: Invoking the masculine energy

The masculine energy is associated with leadership, clarity, planning, organization, grounding, strength, focus, determination, and power.

The masculine energy helps us take that big leap into our zone of genius. It helps us set goals clearly and walk the path with confidence and strength.

Even spirituality needs to be grounded. Last year I realized that wisdom alone is not helpful till you don’t implement all that you’ve learned.

Walking the soul path is a fine balance between going with the flow (feminine energy) and taking deliberate, focused action.

To invoke the masculine energy:

1. Be clear and assertive in your communication. Of course, you are not always required to be assertive, but when you feel the time is right, definitely don’t shy away from being compassionately assertive

2. Challenge yourself to take risks. When you feel called to step out of your comfort zone, use that as an opportunity to lean into your masculine energy

3. When you find yourself pulled into your feelings or your thoughts, again try to step out of that internal energy and ask yourself - what is the smallest action I can take at this point?

4. Check-in to see if you have any stigmas or judgment around masculine energy. Try to shed light on it and release those.

5. Affirm:

   • I am confident

   • I know when to take action

   • I am focused, organized, and disciplined in how I approach my tasks

Working with the foundational pillars

Inner work essentially involves quieting the mind and feelings and allowing our true selves to surface.

The more I surrender to my inner work, the more I realize that my zone of genius is not something that I have to go to, but rather it is something that I always was, and it’s now time to proactively choose what I always was.

Love and light,

Vishanka

I first heard of Gay Hendricks back in 2020. That was a period of massive internal transformation for me, and though I felt called to his work, I somehow ignored that voice and moved on.

It’s August 2022. I’m going through a similar transformation, and once again I felt drawn to Gay Hendrics’ most famous work on the zone of genius.

I watched this video here (you may skip parts of it but please do give it a watch - I am glad I didn’t ignore the voice this time!) where he talks about the four zones that we spend a majority of our time in:

1. Zone of competence - We are good at what we do, but there are many others who do it much better

2. Zone of incompetence - We are quite bad at what we do and really struggle to get things done

3. Zone of excellence - We are really good at what we do and are quite comfortable in that space

4. Zone of genius - We just flow. There is a sense of creativity that seamlessly flows through us

As Gay Hendricks struggled in multiple departments in life, one day he fell in the snow and hurt his head badly and had an out-of-body experience. It was at that moment that he experienced divine consciousness or oneness and after he regained his consciousness, he made his first “big leap.” He committed to spending more of his time doing things that would help him stay in that highest state of consciousness.

As he made this commitment, opportunities began opening up for him, but most importantly, he surrendered to those opportunities - he did not resist them, but instead, allowed the flow of the universe to flow through him and guide him.

I like to call this zone of genius—where you are in complete alignment with your deepest truth and the universe—your soul path.

We all have the potential to lead a path of guidance and surrender.

But I believe there are two key aspects to walking your soul path or stepping into your zone of genius -

1. To recognize the soul path, we have to be connected with our inner self, because our heart and soul are the inner compasses on our soul path.

2. We have to be willing to commit and surrender to this path without judgment. Constantly questioning the path will only make it difficult for us to fully thrive in this path

In this post, I am going to go deeper into the soul path, or the zone of genius, and in the next one, I will share details about connecting with our inner self and using that as guidance for stepping into our zone of genius.

So, what is the soul path? (actually, what is it not?)

The soul path feels natural and right.

It is not the path that you would choose out fear - do you hear yourself saying that if I don’t do this, this will happen …, or, I should do this because …

It is not a path that you would choose on a strong passionate pull or a magnetic desire (in today’s world, it’s very easy to mistake desire for your soul’s yearning)- do you find yourself saying, I really want this … where you find yourself running after it …

What makes identifying the soul path tricky is that sometimes we have to walk the paths of fear or desire to realize our soul path. It is through struggles and failures that we realize what is not for us (see my post here, for my story.)

And that is alright.

Also, what is tricky is that our soul path is not a static path. The path is ever-changing as our consciousness expands. For example, for a child with average intelligence, her path through school is pretty standard - 1st to 10th grade and then college and then perhaps a master’s degree. But say the child suddenly shows her unique talent in music or art or dance or math; the teachers and parents decide that she needs a unique path, so she probably skips a level or changes her school.

It is the same with our soul path. It is not static, but ever-changing in response to our commitment and involvement.

As we step up, the path too changes.

So how do we recognize our soul path, and the steps going forward?

That is when connecting with the universe and our inner self becomes crucial. It’s our inner compass on this unique path.

What is our inner compass?

(I will talk about this in detail in the next post, but here’s an overview)

It is pure consciousness.

It is the Starseed.

It is that which manifests as love, abundance, and creativity.

It is that which we have all come from and will return to.

It is omnipresent, but often forgotten and hidden under layers of lower consciousness.

To walk the path of the soul, it is important to get in touch with our higher consciousness.

Why have we forgotten our pure essence?

To be honest, there is no one to blame. It just is like this.

Earth is energetically in a plane where we are subject to a constant influx of higher and lower energy.

As an analogy, think of the reserves of energy on Earth - we have coal, which is a fossil fuel and unsustainable, and then we have the sun, which is sustainable. Now, it is up to us to either tap into the finite source of energy (which would give instant gratification), or the sun and other natural sources of energy, which will take planning and commitment going forward but give longer-lasting benefits.

Cosmic energy on Earth is just like that - there is both the higher consciousness and the lower, it is up to us to choose wisely.

How do we choose wisely? How do we choose to align with higher consciousness?

By raising our awareness.

It is only through awareness can we ignite the strength within us to make wise choices - not through thinking and using our logic, but it is through cultivating our inner knowing that we can choose our higher self.

How do we raise our awareness?

Meditation is key.

But essentially, get in touch with your higher self by immersing yourself in any activity where your mind and feelings switch off, and time becomes still, or perhaps, non-existent.

The more we immerse ourselves in these activities, the more our awareness muscle strengthens, because, during those activities, we realize what it means to be in a state of bliss, peace, harmony, and joy.

That is our zone of genius.

The goal is to be able to tap into our awareness at will, or ideally, to achieve a constant state of heightened awareness. Without that, it is very difficult to switch off from the highs and lows of daily life and tune into our divine inspiration, which is what guides us on our soul path.

To make this state of awareness a habit, start by making your “non-transactional” activities a habit -

1. Meditate every single day - sometimes, multiple times in a day if you feel like you need more guidance

2. Empty your mind and feelings by focusing on your breathing and by breathing deeply

3. Spend a few minutes every day doing things that bring you child-like joy and spend time in nature

4. Adopt a playful attitude towards life

5. Affirm - I am expanding in love, abundance, and creativity

6. Respond, don’t react

7. Practice clearing (I explain this in detail in the next post)

Conclusion

In this post, we have looked at what is the soul path, or our zone of genius, and how connecting with our higher self is an important step to walking our soul path.

Without the sun, there is no light, and without the connection to our higher self, there is no guidance on our soul path.

When you make the commitment to become healthy, you don’t see the results overnight. We have to work through years of unhealthy habits, we have to let go of things that no longer serve us, and we have to consciously choose healthy again and again and again till it becomes second nature to us.

It is the same with shifting gears from leading a logic/desire/fear-driven life to living a source-driven life.

Be patient with yourself on this journey because though it might be long (or short!), there might be bumps along the way where you might find yourself reverting to old habits, and they may be times when you feel completely lost; to get through, there is only one key - surrender.

When you feel like you can’t surrender anymore, surrender some more.

Love and light,

Vishanka

P.S. - You can know more about Gay Hendricks’ Zone of Genius in his book Big Leap

Like the scent of honey that a bee catches in the air, inspiration is that sweet smell that our spirit latches on to when we wander.

But here’s the thing - there are layers of inspirations wafting around us, and we only catch the one for which our frequency is a match.

The others simply pass us by.

It is up to us, to raise our frequency and catch divine inspiration that feeds our soul.