Feel the LIGHT and CELEBRATE!

When we come into this physical existence, we already know ALL of the universal truths:

  • ABUNDANCE and LIMITLESSNESS and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
  • We KNOW that we are worthy of LOVE and JOY
  • We KNOW that the Universe is a SAFE place and it WILL PROVIDE everything that we need.

But as soon as we arrive on this physical plane, we start to get clear messages from those around us of the limiting beliefs that are so prevalent in the world:

  • SCARCITY and LACK and LIMITATION and FEAR
  • UNWORTHINESS and ORIGINAL SIN
  • WORRY that we won’t get what we need and that the Universe is a HOSTILE PLACE governed by chaos.

We buy into the belief that life HAS to be a struggle – that joy is something we MIGHT be worthy of (briefly) but only AFTER we struggle sufficiently.  That we aren’t inherently worthy of love and feeling good.  We learn that we have to work hard for the good stuff OR that sometimes even working hard isn’t enough and sometimes the chaos just gives us shitty stuff no matter how hard we work or try for the good stuff.

As we gain direct experience in life, these beliefs and messages get reinforced.  So after the initial “sponge” period of childhood (age 0-8ish) where our subconscious mind is programmed with all of the prevalent beliefs in our environment,  we begin to put these beliefs into practice in our lives.  We begin to “give out” these limiting ideas and beliefs with our thoughts, words and actions.  So what we “get back” from life is evidence that matches what we are giving out.

We get into a cycle of this and get stuck there in that “self-fulfilling prophecy.”  We often feel frozen there – knowing that we don’t like it* BUT not knowing how to break out of that cycle.

Eventually our life circumstances will get so unbearable that something “snaps” and we decide that we’ve had enough.  Or sometimes we hit “rock bottom,” or maybe our tolerance of the shitty stuff and shitty feelings just wears out.

THAT is the beginning of our remembering and we begin to remember the truth we were born knowing.

Sometimes it comes in one grand event but more often it comes in the smaller moments of “That’s it, I’m tired of this shit!  There’s got to be a better way.”

So we begin (or renew) our search for answers. We read books, talk to a therapist, go to a meet up, google stuff, read articles and blogs – and along the way we find nuggets of wisdom that jog our memory.  We receive messages that resonate with something deep in our hearts.  It might be something we can’t quite put our fingers on, but we just KNOW that there’s a message in it for us.  It just sounds true and it feels GOOD.  These nuggets shine a light to illuminate our path back to the truth.

So we keep searching and listening and watching for these clues.  They’re like bread crumbs along the path to help us find our way back home:
To help us remember what our True Self already knows.
To show us the way to a life of ease and joy.
A life free of fear and anxiety and worry and ALL of those unhelpful and unproductive things that feel awful.

Once we begin to find answers, that resonate with us, it’s like a light shining in the darkness.  We begin to feel better even if only for short periods.  That gives us hope and motivation to keep looking for ALL the answers we need to hear.  Eventually we hit on something that feels like THE THING we have been searching for.

Once we find THAT thing it’s like time speeds up and it feels like we’re flying!  Changes begin to happen more and more rapidly.  We begin to shift, and experience more and more of the joy and freedom we KNOW is possible, but never could have dreamed of just a short time ago.

Once this begins to happen we can look back on the time when we felt frozen in the pain, despair and unsupportive thought patterns, and it feels like that whole time was “just a moment” even though when we were in it it felt like it might never end.  It felt like we’d been frozen there forever and we might never escape.

Sometimes this process can feel like we are just taking a shot in the dark – even when we get confirmation that we’re on the “right path.”  But the nuggets of wisdom that bring us the good feelings propel us forward as we bring back the TRUTH to our awareness.  That feeling of “bringing it all back” into our conscious awareness is magical.

This path of awakening is not always linear, and often there WILL be bumps and obstacles and icky feelings along the way, but we CAN remember what we forgot.

No matter how lost we sometimes feel we ARE worth saving – even though it feels like a long shot – we CAN “have it all!”  WE DESERVE IT!


In the moments when you find an answer you’ve been seeking, or notice evidence in your life that things are shifting for you: CELEBRATE!  That helps solidify the remembering.  That helps strengthen the neural pathways in our brains for the “new” beliefs and thoughts that create and support the good stuff that we are wanting in our lives.

CELEBRATION IS WHERE IT’S AT!!!  Celebrate it ALL!

Celebrating EVERY good feeling and experience – no matter how “small” will magnify it and help you create more.

Don’t worry if it looks for feels silly!

Don’t worry if someone is watching!

You’re worth it!  More good stuff and more good feelings are TOTALLY worth the tiny moment of embarrassment.

Soon you won’t give a shit if people are watching!
All of the great stuff you are experiencing in your life will be the only thing that matters.

Heaps of Love to you ALL!

Christina

P.S. If reading this message has given you that “good feeling of remembering,” if it has resonated somewhere deep inside you – celebrate NOW!!!

Then SUBSCRIBE to read more messages like this one <3

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CELEBRATE with the song that inspired this message:

Give yourself the gift of Community + Retreat Schedule

Hands-Holding-Seedling-TogetherGoing to Unschooling conferences always leaves me feeling renewed and refreshed in my resolve to parent and educate my kids in more respectful and gentle ways.  Great conversations and workshop sessions have given me new tools and a fresh perspective on things I was struggling with.   I’ve always loved the feeling of gathering with a like minded community, but after revisiting The Continuum Concept at the RE conference last year, it became clearer than ever how VITAL it is to REGULARLY gather with my tribe!  In our journeys toward more freedom and a more harmonious family life, it is SO important to seek the support of other individuals who have similar values, goals and struggles!

Often we feel isolated when we are living a life that is so different from the societal norm.  That isolation can actually be detrimental – not only eroding our resolve to honor the principles we try to live by, but it can also be harmful to our health and relationships if we don’t have the support we crave as humans!

With less than 3 months to go I am getting SO excited about this year’s Radiant Retreat and this opportunity to support each other.  Whether we are new to this way of life or we have been at it for a while, we ALL need this community and each other’s support!

As you Register and plan your travels to this year’s Retreat, I wanted to provide a basic outline of our Retreat Schedule to help with that process.  In the upcoming weeks we will be filling this in with the details for kids’ activities and workshops for parents, plus opportunities to just visit and connect with our Radiant Tribe throughout the weekend.

We hope you can join us for the fun, support and camaraderie that only a like minded community can offer!


Below is a BASIC SCHEDULE outline.


 

Thursday
Nov 5

10am-6pm
Registration/Information Desk Open
Set Up Campsites/Bunks
Kid’s Activities

12-4pm
Smoothie and Snack Bar

4-6pm
First Workshop Session of the Retreat: Meet and Greet Happy Hour

Since Kid Village doesn’t open until Friday, we’re going to do this session “Park Day” style while the kids play on the playground.  Bring your camping chair and a cold beverage (in an opaque container for adult beverages!) and say, “HI.”

Whether you’re new to this way of life or you’ve been doing it a while, join us to share your questions for the weekend and your fears, joys and triumphs with Unschooling and Partnership Parenting!

6-8pm
Chili Cookoff and Community Potluck Dinner

Bring a pot of your famous chili OR a side dish to share and get to know the Radiant Tribe.

8-10pm
Community Campfire and S’MORES!


Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Nov 6,7,8
(same basic schedule each day)

8am-2pm
Registration/Information Desk
Coffee, Smoothie and Snack Bar
Massages
Face Painting
Canoe Rides

9-11:30am
Kid Village Childcare
Kids’ Activities
Workshop Sessions

12-2pm
Lunch Break

2pm
Campsite Checkout for anyone leaving early
(you can remain in the Park until 10pm however)

2-6pm
Kid Village Childcare
Kids’ Activities
Workshop Sessions
Massages
Face Painting
Arts and Crafts
Canoe Rides

6-8pm
Dinner
(BYO or pre-purchase catered meal)

8-10pm
Evening Activity
Each night will be different: Community Campfires, Dance Party, Women’s Sacred Circle, SUDS (Secret Society of Unschooling Dads), Open Mic Night


Monday

Morning
Break Down Campsites
Clean Up

11am
Check out of Dining Hall and Bunkhouse
(can remain in the Park until 10pm)

Noon
Playground: BYO Lunch/Snacks and Feedback/Planning for next year!

2pm
Campsite Checkout
(can remain in the Park until 10pm)

Click here if you still need to Register.
Click here for  Staff Opportunities to reduce your registration costs.
Click here for general info on the Retreat.

Can’t wait to hang with the Radiant Tribe!  

Heaps of Love,
Christina and the Radiant Team
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Uncover your Highest Values and Life Purpose with Donna Vail

DonnaVailWelcome Donna Vail to our Radiant Tribe!

Donna is the mother of six and has been educating her children at home for almost 20 years.  She empowers families to find and follow their Life Purpose through her writing, speaking, workshops and private coaching.  Donna helps families who are moving from school to home education, as well as those who are moving from a school-at-home approach to one that is led by the Highest Values and Life Purpose of each family member.  Join Donna at the Radiant Living & Learning Retreat for her 2 part workshop:

Unveiling Life Purpose for You and Your Children

Unschooling is an experience to be shared as a family, but it can be greatly enhanced when parents have the vision to facilitate children to their individual greatness.  One of the most stressful areas in unschooling is the inability to understand how your child is communicating their life purpose so you can accurately provide for their needs and not distract them from their purposeful path.  Many parents struggle with knowing their own life purpose and how to manage it productively.  This can make it impossible to facilitate the life purposes of the rest of the family.

The key ingredient is knowing how to identify your highest values and priorities, and those of your children.  Once you know these highest values, you can begin applying them directly to your everyday life.  Raising your children, providing an inspiring learning environment, doing your own work to provide for the family and relate to others is enriched when you identify with your highest values. This process can make the difference between living a meaningful life or one of quiet desperation. Let’s face it, freedom is never free. It comes with great responsibility and if we’re not tuned in or we’re unsure, we become enslaved by our indecisiveness.

In this workshop Donna will take you through the process of determining your highest values, discovering the key to family dynamics and how your perceptions shape your life.  We will also learn how to determine your children’s highest values and how to customize their learning experience into every day purposeful living and learning.

You will walk away from this workshop not only listening better, but also going through the process to have a clearer breakdown of what’s most important in your and your children’s lives.

  • Discover why you do what you do
  • Let go of pushing
  • Hear what your children are really telling you

You will be empowered with new self-understanding and inspiration to love more, live more and learn more.

This workshop is designed for parents but Part One is also appropriate for teens that are interested in using Donna’s process to discover their Highest Values and Priorities.

Part One:
Values Determination Process for Parents and Teens,
Prioritizing

Lunch Break

Part Two:
Values Determination Process for Children’s Values,
Family Dynamics and Customized Learning
(Pre-req: Must have attended Session One)


To learn more about Donna and her process visit www.AnInspiredEducation.com

Connect with Donna at: www.facebook.com/DonnaVailInternational


Links for
More info on the Radiant Living & Learning Retreat
or
Registration

Early Bird discounts are available through August 15.


Finding the Courage to Forge Your Own Path with Dr. Adrienne Carmack

Radiant Living & Learning is pleased to welcome Adrienne Carmack, MD as a workshop facilitator at the Retreat!

AdrienneCarmack
Mother of three unschooled children, Adrienne began her adulthood on a very traditional path to the American dream. Once she got there, she realized the inherent flaws of the dream and began to tune in to her own intuition. She became a mother, reworked her medical practice to create an entirely new practice model to fit her life, and has published a book blasting the medical profession for its absurdities:
Reclaiming My Birth Rights.
Read more at: AdrienneCarmack.com

 

Join Adrienne for her session at the Retreat:
Finding the Courage to Forge Your Own Path
 where she will share how trusting her intuition has helped her move from Medical Doctor to Birthing Rights Advocate and what she envisions creating for her future.  Adrienne invites attendees to share how they have (or are hoping to) untangle themselves from society’s webs in order to live a life they love. “Let’s learn from each other as we all move closer towards that which feels true.  Let’s share what has worked or what is holding us back so we can visualize what’s possible together!”

What does “Radiant Living” even mean???

By 2007 life events had led me to a point where I could no longer ignore the fact that I was put on this earth to
1. learn how to confidently hear and follow my “Inner Voice of Wisdom” and
2. help others do the same.

Often I just call it “The Voice” but it goes by many names: Intuition, Instinct, Gut Feelings, Higher Self, Inner Knowing, Emotional Guidance and more.  No matter what we call it or what we believe it to be, we’ve all “heard” it at one time or another – or THOUGHT we heard it and wondered.

Sometimes we listen and sometimes we don’t.

At pivotal moments in my life, this Voice has “come through” very loud and clear as it echoed in my head.  Other times it has taken a more subtle form: gentle nudges, strong feelings, hunches, feeling “guided” to take a certain action and other hard to describe phenomena .  But however my Inner Wisdom ultimately communicates with me, it always rings true in my heart and I have learned after 41 years of “experimentation” that it’s in my best interest to listen.

We are born tuned into The Voice, but the voices of our family, teachers and other “authorities” often steer us away from listening.  Sometimes this is done subtly and sometimes with strong coercion, threats or punishment.  By the time we are grown, most of us have learned to successfully ignore or drown out our Inner Voice of Wisdom with the external voices that hold power in our lives, our communities and in our culture in general.

What does all this have to do with Alternative Education or Partnership Parenting?

For me, choosing to approach education and parenting in this way is:

  1. a result of hearing (and finally following) my Inner Voice of Wisdom
    and
  2. a means by which I can continually practice listening – and recalibrating my actions and choices to line up with my Inner Wisdom

Almost every external voice I’ve ever heard has said things like:

  • “Children are too young and inexperienced to know what they want.  They CAN’T know what’s good for them.”
  • “Learning is difficult and can only happen when children are FORCED to sit and attend to ‘unpreferred’ activities.”
  • “There are certain things EVERY child MUST know and they must learn it in the time frame and order in which ‘educational professionals’ prescribe.”
  • “We must DEMAND respect from children (without reciprocating that respect).  We should not be our children’s ‘friends’ and if we don’t discipline, punish and force our children to do certain things, they will never learn respect, responsibility or be motivated to do anything productive with their time.”

My Inner Voice of Wisdom has NEVER agreed with these ideas on education and parenting that seem to be dominant in western culture at large.  The moment I made the decision to Unschool and try parenting without using punishment, the most profound sense of Peace came over me.  I’ve learned over the years that this sense of Peace is a strong indication that my actions are coming into alignment with my Inner Wisdom that has never steered me wrong.

Of course doubts and questions have arisen as our family has made our way toward Unschooling and Partnership Parenting, but these have just been opportunities for me to practice quieting those external voices and tune into myself and my children to find the answer that is right for our family.  And when things are still unclear I seek out experienced people on this path whose voices resonate with my my own Inner Wisdom.

Trusting children is a primary component to Unschooling and Partnership Parenting.  In my experience, learning to hear, trust and follow my OWN Inner Wisdom is ESSENTIAL to learning to trust my children.  How can we ever trust THEIR Inner Wisdom if we are unwilling or unable to trust our own?

So for me, Unschooling and working toward parenting in a non-coercive way can only be accomplished if I am CONTINUALLY tuning into my Inner Voice and recalibrating my actions to line up with that Voice.

Why RADIANT Living & Learning?

I’ve found that people who live from the inside out – meaning their motivations, choices and actions come from an authority within – these people GLOW.  Their lights shine more brightly in the world.  They RADIATE beauty and confidence and love and acceptance.  We are drawn to these people because we want to be like them – maybe not precisely imitating the details of their lives – but we want to live our lives with the confidence and authenticity they do.  There is a light in each of us that is trying to shine just as brightly.

We cannot live & learn “radiantly” when we are following someone else’s agenda.  That just dims our LIGHTS or blocks them out entirely.  When we are following our Inner Wisdom, pursuing our passions and fulfilling our life purpose, we SHINE.

At Radiant Living & Learning Events you will hear from Radiant Community Members who are creating the lives they desire by following their own inner voice.

If something you read on this website resonates with YOUR Inner Voice of Wisdom or makes you pause to reconsider the way you’ve always done things, the Radiant Living Community is sure to provide more inspiration and encouragement to confidently create the life you desire for yourself and your family.

We hope you will join us ONLINE or IN PERSON soon!

Heaps of Love,

 

 

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