Time for an update! I've been starting to pull together some writings I worked on sporadically over the past months, to tell the story of where this adventuresome life chapter has taken me, and how I've been growing. I hope you enjoy! It's been a wild and spirit-guided journey... A rollercoaster of change and exploration, …
Continue reading Nomad Life Continues: Journey to Arizona Update #1
Today was the memorial service for my paternal grandfather Ray, who passed on December 10, 2024. It was a beautiful service and reception, which was lovingly put together through the hard work of many people (big shoutout especially to my aunt Sandy and my dad, Ray the 3rd!), and attended by over 200 people. I …
Continue reading Eulogy for my Nanu: Honoring my Grandfather, Ray Arata Jr.
Hello dear friends, family, readers! I have just returned from a two week trip to Costa Rica. A multidimensional adventure and personal healing journey! An experience that, all together, feels like a deep, profound, and restorative dream... a dream that planted seeds of hope and life deep in the soil of my consciousness and body, …
Continue reading Costa Rica, August 2023- Another Healing Journey! Part 1.
My head is clear for the first time in months. It's been a journey since the last time I wrote. I got a restraining order. I ran a marathon. I moved out of my house and drove across the country. I visited Sedona... a place of dreams and miracles, to which a piece of …
Continue reading Three Steps to Surviving & Thriving When Sh** Hits The Fan
Sometimes it feels like life is moving very fast. When I focus on that, I get dizzy. The truth is that I am capable of moving with the flow of life and not being overwhelmed. This means embracing life as it is and accepting all that comes... it means taking real action without hesitating or …
Happiness: at least a strong hint about who you really are There's no reason to say 'No' to happiness when it comes. How many times have I shortchanged myself, held myself back from enjoying the moment in front of me, because I thought I had somewhere else to be, was worried about being late, was …
When we decide to take a leap towards our dreams, based on our intuition, heart, and higher guidance... we step into the unknown. This spiritual unknown is a lot like the wilderness, and it can trigger a lot of fear in us. Some points for counteracting the chaotic side of the wilderness and thriving: 1 …
Continue reading Tips for Traversing the Spiritual Wilderness
There are spirits that can only be found in the woods, on the trail, alone. They tend to congregate in the places that are hard to get to. When they possess you, you feel a great, expansive joy. It is a communion with an ancient and sacred part of life. There is no avoiding spirits, …
Fear is an opportunity to change your mind. At the first moment you feel fear, envisioning an upcoming challenge, or something that would be out of your comfort zone, for instance... your mind wants to turn and look at the possibilities for what could go wrong. In that moment, you have another option, and it …
I want to write about some of the gems I’m finding in my search for religion lately, and I find myself hitting a bit of an internal wall about it. I fear that religious language is triggering of a negative response in people, maybe people I know and am friends with. It would have been …
Expressions from this side of the here & now 