By Lori Lines

The Industry of Inferiority
Weakness is a multi-billion-dollar business! Whether we are trying to fix our bodies, strengthen our minds, heal our hearts, or uplift our spirits, there is a program, coach, supplement, or book that is “guaranteed” to work. 
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Let’s face it; the capitalistic beast is well-fed by our insecurity, inferiority, and inadequacy. It isn’t always as blatant as a lose-20-pounds-in-10-days diet fix; Many industries, such as fashion, fitness, home improvement, or business networking, benefit from our socially conditioned fear that we are inherently flawed and incapable.

Dig a little deeper, and you will soon realize how the inferiority industry doesn’t only fuel capital gain; it strengthens the social façades that uphold the matrix, keeping us locked in our left brain and dulling the senses of the right. If we remain focused on fixing our weaknesses, we are distracted from our strengths and deviate from our destinies.

The Divine Destiny
While some factions would have us believe otherwise for their gain, we are born from the perfect, unconditional love of the Divine. As a result, we are Divine beings with incredible power, potential, and purpose. We have the spiritual authority to consciously create and manifest whatever life and personhood we choose. Yet when we are under the impression that “fixing” ourselves contributes to our growth, we impair our personal development and spiritual growth. 
When we view ourselves as broken or flawed, we lower our vibration, detract from our strengths, and give power to the perception of weakness. Unfortunately, people do it all the time,

• The woman who believes not having children is a personal failure and fixates on what she could be missing instead of exploring her gifts as a lightworker and how she could share love, nurturing, and healing more broadly.

 

• The student who is so frustrated with their struggles in language classes that they drop out of school, overlooking how much potential they have in science and eventually medicine.

 

• The insecure dad who beats up on himself because he is not adept at sports and pulls away from his children, denying himself and them the opportunity to share his profound capacity for compassion and fatherly wisdom. 

When we focus on what we are not, we fail to become what we are meant to be. Instead of pouring our effort and intention into our potential, we remain stagnant and stuck, eternally grieving who we were never intended to become! Tirelessly working towards our higher purpose will never be as draining as sitting back, wishing, and waiting for things to be different.

Acceptance and Allowing
We must celebrate our strengths, breathing life and power into them, channeling our life force from the bottomless pit of the impossible into the infinite wellspring of potential and possibility. Many have been conditioned to think that speaking about their gifts or sharing their strengths makes them boastful braggarts. However, this is the conditioning of a society that benefits from our insecurity!
 
Thinking about, exhibiting, and discussing your strengths will not only lift your spirits and raise your vibration but will also empower and inspire others and build healing connections with them and Spirit. What’s more, discussing your gifts with like-minded, empowered people can foster meaningful growth and development through the expansive exchange of ideas and the sharing of perspectives. Openly sharing our gifts can positively impact ourselves and others in so many ways,

• The dedicated doctor who speaks to an experienced herbalist and learns ways he can better help his patients through natural medicine.
• The devoted teacher who discusses her passion with a friend and is reminded of how meaningful her impact is.
• Parents who openly discuss how they overcame child-rearing issues and inspire other families that they can find growth too.

Ultimately, celebrating our gifts and supporting those who do the same propels us all forward in our spiritual growth toward the divine current of ascension. Sharing truly is caring!

True Power Over Weakness
Made from the limitless potential and all-seeing vision of Source Creator, is it really conceivable that you are inherently flawed or weak? The argument for innate weakness and imperfection are nullified by unconditional love, infinite ability, and endless possibility of the Divine. The concept of inferiority and inability is born of ego comparison and normalized and supported by our social conditioning.
 
By using other people’s lives and aptitudes as our benchmark for strength, success, and fulfillment, we continue to perpetuate the belief that we are lacking; We can never fill another person’s shoes, fulfill their destiny, or amount to their growth trajectory. 

True power over weakness means challenging the concept of weakness altogether. Rather than focusing on your differences as weaknesses, you can find genuine empowerment by reframing them as opportunities to highlight your strengths, develop more personal tools, and gain new perspectives.
 
Hidden Potential, Higher Purpose
Ultimately “weaknesses” are thinly disguised individual differences. The differences that make you unique and, thereby, essential to manifesting your destiny and that of the universal collective. Thinking of each member of the collective as a puzzle piece, yourself included, exemplifies how our fundamental differences and natural-born strengths complete the Divine vision for individual and universal growth, enlightenment, and ascension.

“If you are always trying to be normal, you’ll never know how amazing you can be”
 – Maya Angelou.

In love and truth,
​Lori Lines

By Lori Lines

Hypnosis has been found to ease mental health conditions like anxiety, phobia, and post-traumatic stress, reduce pain associated with childbirth, fibromyalgia, and inflammatory diseases, and curb undesired habits such as smoking and overeating. Hypnotherapy has minimal side effects, if any at all, can be done in a matter of sessions, and is all-natural. Most people could benefit from hypnosis at some point in their lives, including you!

“But I don’t think I can be hypnotized”
What most people mean when they say they can’t be hypnotized is that they don’t think they could fall into a catatonic trance at the snap of fingers, speak Martian gibberish, or cluck like an oversized chicken. Often, those unfamiliar with hypnosis confuse stage hypnosis with the healing practice of hypnotherapy or the soothing exercise of self-hypnosis.
 
Stage hypnosis is just that; it is meant for the theatrical venue of the stage. To achieve the desired effect, highly extroverted people are hand-picked from the audience, and, with a little suggestion and a lot of encouragement, they put on quite the performance.

Therapeutic hypnosis isn’t the process of will-draining zombification you see on tv! Hypnotherapy doesn’t turn you into a hapless observer of your own actions; It requires you to be an active participant in your personal development.

“I’ve never been hypnotized”
Because hypnosis engages the unconscious mind, we are often unconscious of our hypnotic experience, failing to realize we are hypnotized. For instance, people can still engage in conversation and reason during hypnotherapy sessions. If you have ever drifted off into thought while driving a long stretch of highway, lost track of time watching hours of tv, achieved a deep state of relaxation doing yoga, or concentrated on your breath to ease pain or panic, chances are you have been hypnotized!

Hypnosis is a state of increased attention, relaxation, concentration, and at times suggestibility. It is trance-like, not because we zone out but because we have zoned in so intently. Often viewed as a sleep-like state, hypnosis is a very active, high level of consciousness. Moreover, people in a hypnotic state seem so “out of it” because they have bypassed the chatter of their conscious mind and entered the more expansive, tranquil focus of the unconscious mind.
 
“I don’t want a hypnotist controlling my mind”
Suggesting that a hypnotherapist will control your mind is like saying a tour guide has kidnapped you. Yes, the tour guide knows the city and its streets very well, but you must agree to go for the trip and stay for the journey. You can disembark at any time. Meaning being hypnotized is a choice, and to reap the benefits, you need to be willing and motivated every step of the way. Therefore, while the hypnotist facilitates the journey, you are required to actively participate in reaching your destination. In fact, it isn’t enough to be willing. There are two prerequisites that only you can fulfill.
 
#1 – You must harness the intellectual mind
To harness the intellectual or conscious mind, you must first bypass your critical faculties, the processes by which you automatically accept or reject information. Like a computer antivirus, your critical faculties automatically label something as detrimental or already established and safe. The only way to bypass the conscious critical faculty is to focus on something else. This is how the image of the stopwatch became so synonymous with hypnotism. However, anything that fosters hyper-focus can be used, be it breath, sound, sight, or sensation.

#2 – You must open the unconscious mind
To open the unconscious mind, you must be able to engage in selective thinking. Essentially, selective thinking is the ability to have steadfast conviction in an idea or suggestion to the degree that you ignore all unrelated or contrary concepts or arguments. The four fundamental selective thoughts and ideas of being successfully hypnotized are:

Concrete understanding of how hypnotherapy works
Positive expectations based on this understanding
A clear vision of what you want to achieve
A firm belief that you will accomplish this vision

“What if I still can’t be hypnotized?”
The truth is if you still believe you cannot be hypnotized, chances are you are resisting it. It isn’t a harsh criticism or a personal failure; it simply means you must learn the art of allowing. Consider practicing more mindfulness and meditation and reaching out to a certified hypnotherapist like myself to help establish and strengthen the selective thoughts and beliefs you need to guide your desired journey. 
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“The art of allowing is the conscious, gentle guiding of your thoughts in the general direction of the thing you desire.” 
~Abraham Hicks

In love and truth,
Lori Lines

By Lori Lines

The Power of Words
Think back to a time when someone gave you heartfelt praise, “great job,” “impressive,” or “way to go”! Were you filled with pride, a sense of appreciation, or the satisfaction of accomplishment? Alternatively, can you remember when someone diminished your efforts or harshly criticized you? “I’m disappointed in you?” “Is that the best you could’ve done?” What emotions did that stir within you? How did it make you feel?

Words can hurt, or they can heal. Some wield words as weapons striking out to cause injury. Others carelessly toss words around, unconsciously letting them fall where they may. And there are those sacred moments when we use our words like a soothing balm to comfort the pain of others. Words have power. Yet like a sword, they cut both ways.

“Main Character Energy”
A new term for an old mindset, main character energy, can refer to someone who sees themselves as the main character across circumstances, with others playing supporting roles. This type of worldview is dangerous because things can become deeply personal! A neighbor not saying hello, leads to a whirlwind of theories about how we have offended them. A warm moment between coworkers becomes fodder for a passionate attraction they supposedly feel for us. And an offhanded remark or inconsiderate putdown becomes a profound affront to us, shaking the foundation of our self-esteem.

The reason for someone’s words may be a poor night’s sleep, the fact that you remind them of a selfish ex or demanding parent, or they may not even have intended it the way you perceived it. They may have a blunt way of communicating, or something may have been lost in translation due to text or email. It often has very little to do with us when someone says something offensive… or does it?

Seeing Things as We Are
Anaïs Nin once said, “we don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are.” And that is why despite the words of others often having very little to do with us, our perception and response ultimately have everything to do with us. Therefore, it is essential to recognize when we feel offended so that we can identify our triggers, mitigate our defensiveness, and use the moment to awaken instead of agonize. 

We might feel shameful, sorrowful, or fearful when we are offended. Some people become indignant, full of rage, or vengeful. These are all defense mechanisms the ego-self employs to protect itself from being wounded or triggered. And fundamentally, defense mechanisms are a means of rejecting and denying something that may or may not be true but, nevertheless, disrupts our sense of self and worth. So, be mindful when you feel yourself shutting down or lashing out!

Your Trigger, Your Responsibility
Once we can recognize when we are offended, we soon discover that when someone’s words are offensive, it is often because they poked around an old unhealed wound. It is essential to identify these triggers to strengthen ourselves against future pain and offense and heal past traumas and emotional blockages. 
Some questions to ask once you have recognized that you are offended are…

When have I experienced this before?
Who or what do these feelings remind me of?
How did it make me feel then?
How does this trigger me to feel now?
How does this contradict how I perceive myself?
How does this affirm how I perceive myself?

Of course, these questions are just the beginning of learning to acknowledge, find the root of, accept, and heal triggers. Remember, a trigger isn’t a “bad” or shameful thing; it can be a powerful tool for self-exploration and personal growth!

Toxic or Tactful Defensiveness?
Just as triggers aren’t all “bad,” vulnerability isn’t all good. We are often encouraged to be receptive and open-hearted; Genuine has become synonymous with wearing our hearts on our sleeves. However, this, like most extremes, is not healthy. To swing too far on the spectrum, being totally “open” leaves us defenseless against those who would do us harm, destabilize our self-wroth, and compromise our sense of self. Too far in the opposite direction, we would be narrow-minded, emotionally detached, unable, and unwilling to change.
 
Ultimately, it is the difference between a blockage and a boundary. Boundaries are a matter of self-worth. Blockages stem from self-doubt. Toxic defensiveness is a cage, limiting our growth and keeping away everyone and everything that would challenge our limiting beliefs or lead to change. Tactful defensiveness creates a healthy boundary between you, others, and their opinion. It allows you to define who you are while adapting to who you are becoming.
 
How to Not Take Things Personally
Taking things personally can significantly impede our self-esteem, ability to communicate with others, and journey to enlightenment. How much more evolved would we all be if we took things a little less personally and chose to be responsive instead of reactive? Learning to do so is a practice; Each day, it is a moment-to-moment choice to move through life consciously, mindful of the grey areas between our perception, reality, and the perception of others. Practicing a CALM approach to life, you will soon discover the freedom of not taking things personally!
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Confidence - Create a self-care routine and spiritual practice that nourishes self-worth and personal conviction.
Accountability – Non-judgementally, hold yourself accountable for your perceptions, reactions, growth, and healing. 
Learn – Take a step back and explore what the “offense” has triggered for you and why. Be willing to learn more about what you need to heal.
Move On – Acceptance is a big part of the journey. Even if someone intended to harm you, accept that you cannot control others, only your response; Know when it is time to let go and move on.

In love and truth,

​Lori Lines

By Lori Lines

Clinical or Cavalier?
When exploring whether narcissism is evil, we must first distinguish between narcissistic personality disorder, a mental illness, and a narcissistic or egocentric person. Those who suffer from mental illness should never be vilified. As a society, we should instead support the availability of necessary resources and encourage those in need to seek them. For our purposes, when we refer to narcissism and narcissistic individuals, we mean people without a clinical diagnosis who

• Believe they do not need to follow the rules or norms
• Feel entitled to what they want when they want
• Lack of awareness regarding their behaviors and impact
• Feel no remorse or guilt for their actions or beliefs
• Feel superior to everyone
• Have no empathy 
• Exploit people
• Abuse power
• Value recognition, power, and wealth at the expense of all else

As a final note, those who are clinically narcissistic often have a very fragile, low sense of self-worth. Whereas non-pathological narcissists tend to view themselves with so much grandeur, it reaches megalomanic extremes. 

The Unconscious Choice
Let’s face it, given the decision between being a likable, considerate, and humble person and a haughty, condescending, and oppressive person, the choice is clear. Very few people consciously choose to be narcissistic because selfish people are social pariahs. Yet, some still make the unconscious choice of narcissism. But why?
There are many reasons why people subconsciously choose to view the world through a narcissistic lens. They may

• View themselves as the center of the universe
• Believe others view them as the center of the universe
• Fear accountability and hard work
• Feel safer behind the wall of inauthenticity
• Think it is cool, confident, or attractive
• View themselves as deserving or overdue
• Want to hide the pain of a known emotional wound
• Want to repress the pain of an unknown wound

Of course, we can all be unconsciously egotistical from time to time. We might assume that we contributed the best ideas at the meeting, our favorite shows are superior to those of our spouse or roommate, or that we deserve to be mom’s/dad’s/our children’s favorite child or parent because of all we do for them. It’s normal and even healthy to know that we are unique and maybe a cut above in some areas of expertise and competency. It becomes unhealthy, toxic, and extreme when narcissists start to view the whole world as beneath them, believing everyone should acquiesce to, and mold their lives around, their narcissistic demands.

But Is It Evil?
Here are a few examples of narcissism at work. You can be the judge of whether it is evil or not…
The totalitarian dictator who expects the complete subservience of his people. When his regime leads to war and famine, dissenters are imprisoned or killed to protect his image as a leader of a utopian nation. 

The starlet who has plastic surgeons, chefs, ateliers, makeup artists, and photo editors to perfect her image. When asked how she looks so flawless, she tells her impressionable audience it is diet and exercise, causing her fans to strive for unattainable ideals and suffer from a lack of self-worth.

The husband who feels that his wife and children owe him for what he provides. So, he cheats on his wife and abuses his family without guilt or remorse because he feels entitled as “the man of the house.”

So, is narcissism immoral? Is a narcissistic person against the common good? If you agree it is, then that means the egocentric worldview and the behavior it inspires on the individual, societal, and global levels is innately evil by definition.
 
The Root of Evil
A wound is often where the seed of narcissism is planted. Almost all narcissists are wounded. However, not all are self-aware enough to realize that they are. While others acknowledge their trauma but are too afraid or don’t hold themselves accountable for healing it. As a result, they abuse and exploit others to try and balance the scales of injustice or project accountability for their pain relief on those around them.

It is a vicious cycle because they keep going from relationship to relationship, be it romantic, platonic, or familial, wounding others, resulting in their rejection at the end of a long and bitter emotional game of tug of war. This in turn triggers their trauma of abandonment, rejection, or unworthiness, until they find someone else to wound.
 
Often, we think that infamous reality stars, celebrities, professional athletes, influencers, and corrupt politicians make the unconscious choice of narcissism out of an intense obsession with power, fame, and money. However, no matter how famous or infamous they are, almost all narcissists are the same. Their lust for control and wealth is only a symptom of a deeper wound of inferiority, rejection, erasure, abuse, oppression, and abandonment. 

Unfortunately, the impressionable audience of political pantomime or unreal reality shows is conditioned to believe that the narcissistic way of life is the secret to success. “Me first. Me at the expense of others. Me at all costs” becomes the toxic and evil way of life for the masses who hungrily consume the media. As a result, we become a culture where narcissism is not just acceptable; it becomes cool, attractive, and admirable.
 
Hope Begins in The Dark
So, is that it? Are we just meant to walk around on narcissistic eggshells, trying to avoid injury or insult? Don’t worry; Where there is shadow, there must be light! This is to say, even though narcissists can be construed as evil or have evil tendencies, they could play a higher role in spiritual awakening to those willing to seek it.
 
Narcissism has been called a voluntary blindness, an agreement not to look beneath the surface.  But, when we are willing to nullify this unspoken agreement with the narcissistic mind or culture, we illuminate everything that hides behind it, the wounds of the narcissist, the societal façades, and even our own wounds and limiting beliefs that allow us to become victims, to begin with. 

When we break free from the oppressive evil of narcissism, we learn to hold ourselves accountable for our own healing, well-being, growth, and awakening. It is rather magical and miraculous how such self-serving energy can, in fact, serve others, teaching us to take better care of, and accountability for, ourselves, our intentions, and our journey. In this way, we are no longer victims of narcissism; we are its pupils!

“The Only Good Is Knowledge, The Only Evil Is Ignorance” 
Fundamentally, narcissism is the willful ignorance of the needs, desires, and worth of other people, nations, cultures, or societies. It is choosing to ignore all else to further one’s own intentions and desires. Good is when we can acknowledge and embrace the merit of all people and societies and their inherent right to pursue their own needs and goals. Ultimately, isn’t that what awakening truly is?

To ascend to 5th-dimensional consciousness, we must be willing to honor ourselves as individuals while embracing the oneness of the universe and unity of being. When we take an honest, objective look into the world of narcissism, we can see its hidden truth. And while this truth is dark, it can illuminate the path of enlightenment. 

In love and truth,
​Lori Lines

By Lori Lines

The Man Behind the Curtain
Do you remember the scene from the Wizard of Oz when Toto pulls back the Wizard’s curtain? It’s been a long time since many of us have seen the movie but close your eyes and try to recall the “wizard’s” reaction…It was filled with threatening anger, panic, and fear, and finally, when the man behind the curtain was revealed, profound sadness and a tale of loss. The Wizard of Oz is a whimsical tale of talking lions and flying monkeys, yet the anxiety of being revealed as who they are behind the curtain is painfully real to many.
 
Another common childhood memory may have similar undertones. Guests are coming over, and your mom whips herself into an anxious frenzy, ensuring you are dressed and pressed, every hair in place, and the house is spit shinned. Mom may even caution you to be on your best behavior for the arriving company. Perhaps you are this parent today.
 
Of course, we all have private lives that we neither hide nor advertise from the anime aficionado and weekend nudist to the grieving child or separated spouse. However, when masks become part of our daily wardrobe, we can become bound in the straitjacket of inauthenticity.

Unmasking the Ego
Why did mom scurry around the house, making things picture-perfect? Why do some people buy homes and cars beyond their financial means? Why do couples stay together when they no longer love or even like each other? It all comes down to three letters, EGO. The ego is the bridge between the outside world and the inner self. It can be a protector, facilitator, or translator when it is healthy and whole. When the ego self is wounded and damaged, it can cause us to respond defensively, aggressively, or deceptively. 

What hurts the ego, causing us to respond in this way? Ego wounds are emotional traumas that overwhelm our coping skills and defense mechanisms. This is why many ego wounds occur in childhood when the ego is still developing, and we have little recourse in response to the shame, guilt, fear, and pain we may encounter. Of course, the ego can be damaged at any life stage. And, because we all have varying levels of trauma tolerance, everyone’s ego can be affected by different events in different ways. 

Examples of Ego Trauma
Parental Abandonment 
Academic Challenges
Divorce from a Spouse
Rejection from a Peer Group
Disregarded by a Romantic Interest
Teased by Family or Friends
Professional Failure
Mocked By a Teacher
Feeling Like an Outsider (financially, physically, intellectually, etc.)

Perfection, The Enemy of Authenticity
Ego wounds often result in inauthenticity because people are trying to avoid reinjury. Consequently, wounded individuals strive to project a perfect image to avoid experiencing shame, rejection, guilt, or abandonment again, thereby protecting the ego. Defending an injured ego indefinitely actually weakens the ego instead of strengthening it. Think of it as a broken limb, for example. We wear the cast temporarily as we heal, but it must eventually come off, or the appendage will atrophy. 

And, what happens when the ego’s defenses atrophy? The ego becomes preoccupied with its defenselessness and vulnerability, causing fear, anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. Trying to hide this angst and sorrow creates a vicious cycle of masking and hiding behind façades.
 
It is crucial to remember that the inner child or lower self, the ego self, and the higher self are all part of a singular individual. We are discussing it now as something separate to highlight our accountability for and sovereignty over the ego self. It is up to us to heal and strengthen our ego self so we can represent ourselves and navigate the world in empowering constructive ways. 

Authenticity is the Measure of Awakening
It would be remiss to not acknowledge the price we often pay for living authentically. We must first be willing to be vulnerable. By exposing our true selves and living honestly, we open ourselves to the risk of rejection, abandonment, judgment, shame, and failure. We must also be willing to accept that not everyone will celebrate or approve of us. And we need to understand that when we are denied, it will be for who we are and not who we’ve led others to believe we are, which can be even more painful at times.

However, the price of authenticity actually pales greatly in comparison to its gifts. The rewards of living an authentic life are plentiful. We gain freedom, self-love, self-worth, inner peace, joy, and empowerment. When we choose to honor our truth, live vulnerably, and let go of fear and a need for acceptance, we also find clarity, release, and awakening.
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The Authentic Self, the Soul Made Visible
It’s rather miraculous how the routine choice to observe yourself, reflect on your truth, and respond authentically can be such a transformative practice, though not in the way you may think. By living authentically, you don’t change who you are becoming; you become who you were always meant to be, which is also the fundamental truth of awakening. 

In love and truth,
​Lori Lines

By Lori Lines

Over the past decade, there has been a rebirth in ancient energy healing principles, like reiki or pranayama yoga. The recent scientific study of energy medicine has even helped left-brained thinkers understand that everything is energy and how energy influences itself and everyone and everything.

With this resurgence of energy-mindedness, certain refrains have become quite common; “Be the energy you wish to attract,” “like attracts like,” and “positive energy, positive results.” These are more than just buzzwords and spiritual jargon. Fundamentally, they mean that similar energies, vibrations, or frequencies are drawn to one another. This is not a new concept, of course. It simply suggests that like-minded people and similar thoughts, emotions, and even dis-eases tend to align, amplifying their singular effect.

Can opposites attract? Of course! However, there is often a caveat, and this may be one of the few instances where math might clarify things! If you take negative 3 and add it to positive 6, the sum is positive 3. Unfortunately, the same thing tends to happen energetically when two people come together. The lower vibration or negative frequency of one person will often lower the higher vibration or positive frequency of the other person, leaving the positive 6 or positive person at a loss. But wait energy, vibration, frequency! What does it all mean?

A Quick Energy 101 Refresher
Energy comes in various forms, kinetic, thermal, electrical, or metaphysical, for instance. It is the potential for something such as an object, thought, or physical body’s ability to transfer energy from itself to or influence something else. This energy transmits its power through vibration, the rhythm at which the energy exerts its force. For example, a vibration can occur as a thought or hug, on a nanoscale, or as an earthquake.

What separates a hopeful thought from a pessimistic one or your houseplant from your chair, energetically speaking, is its vibration and frequency. Different molecules or energies vibrate at different rates, high and fast or low and slow. The speed at which an object or person vibrates is its frequency. Keep in mind that we often use frequency and vibration interchangeably.

Spiritually, this is how a person who festers in worry and hopelessness will slow or lower their vibration and, in turn, slow or reduce someone else’s more positive frequency. While it may sound like we are all just molecules unconsciously bouncing into each others’ energy, this is very far from the case! We have the ability to choose to maintain and protect our vibration, lower it, or raise it to match the frequencies of others. 

The Fallacy of Fitting In
You tend to approach tasks in the office with peaceful empowerment, but you get accused of not taking things seriously, so you begin to mirror coworkers’ tension. You are a new book club member and get dissenting looks when you respond passionately to the book, so you dampen your enthusiasm during future meetings. Or, perhaps you feel guilty when friends and family admonish you for acting above or beyond them; as a result, you try better to belong. These are all common ways we try to fit in, either because we don’t want to stand out or we don’t want to make others feel left out.

 Like the student who knows all the answers but stops raising their hand to avoid ridicule, fitting in starts with trying to belong but may ultimately hinder their academic growth and learning. When it comes to altering our energy to fit in, it may start with temporarily slowing our frequency but may eventually result in an inescapably lower vibration that deviates from our path of spiritual growth and enlightenment.

Raising our vibration to match higher vibrational spirits can be just as disruptive. If you have ever encountered spiritual figures like Louise Hay, Eckhart Tolle, or Deepak Chopra, you may have noticed people seem to scramble to catch their attention, enter their auric field, and essentially match their energy. This can lead people to lose their sense of self, become ungrounded, and sometimes experience a spiritual crisis when they don’t have the foundational power to maintain that elevated vibration. It is akin to becoming a CEO without adequate business training and experience, your enterprise will crumble!

The Infallibility of Independence
Everyone’s journey is unique, as is how their energy fluctuations affect their journey and how their journey affects their energy fluctuations. When we manipulate this relationship by unnaturally altering our vibrational frequency, we compromise our sense of accountability, hinder our growth, and impede our enlightenment. 

Of course, not everyone will appreciate your refusal to fit it, namely those whose frequency you can only match by minimizing your own! However, the peace, balance, and universal harmony you discover will be reward enough. Without fail, when you honor your unique vibration, you will start to align with what is meant for you and attract only that which serves your greatest good and highest purpose. It is undeniably liberating, empowering, and enlightening how far going with the flow of your own frequency can carry you. In fact, with enough conviction, it can transport you to a whole new world, the new world of ascension!

In love and truth,
​Lori Lines

By Lori Lines

Let’s face it, everyone encounters adversity in their lives. It can be a daily inconvenience, like a parking ticket, a painful or disruptive circumstance like a job loss or breakup, or a life-altering event such as a serious illness or the death of someone you love. No one is exempt; Adversity is one of life’s great equalizers. 
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So, why do some people crumble under the burden or hardship, with those that never recover, while others seem to withstand the burden, heal, grow, and perhaps thrive? While there can be multiple factors at play, ego dramatically influences how we face, endure, and overcome adversity.

The Many Faces of Ego
From the scientific study of psychology to the intuitive wisdom of spirituality, the ego has many faces. At times vilified, “the ego must die!” Celebrated by others as “the voice of reason and sanity.” With so much divergence, what can be agreed on? 
Ego is accepted across disciplines as the conscious part of the personality, a mediator between our inner workings and the outer world. It is who we think we are and often who the world believes us to be. 

The ego’s fundamental role is to serve as a gatekeeper between our outer experience and the lower and higher self. Like a switch operator, the ego decides whether it will direct adversity’s call to the lower or higher self. The ego makes this decision, actually all its decisions, on what it perceives as facts about the self.

The types of “facts” the ego believes can be self-deprecating

• I am unworthy
• I am vulnerable
• I am victimized

Self-aggrandizing

• I am better than others
• I cannot fail
• I am perfect

Or self-honoring

• I am worthy
• I am capable
• I am empowered

Though the ego doesn’t tend to judge itself exclusively by one perspective, most people will view themselves in primarily self-deprecating, self-aggrandizing, or self-honoring ways, rarely balanced across all points of view. 

The Burden of the Ego
Those who are arrogant and self-loathing often bear the burden of ego. For these people, the ego becomes a locus of attack and defense. They often believe that adversity happens to them or at them like arrows flung in battle. They view themselves as either vulnerable victims or superiorly separate from life’s hardships. 
Self-loathing people often view hardships as a punishment, at times deserved, for being lesser than or failing. In this way, these people align with their misfortune, embodying it, becoming the suffering itself. This can worsen their hardships, making them harder to overcome.
 
Self-aggrandizing people often view their hardships as beneath them, rarely deserved, because they are above it all. In this way, these people resist their misfortune, denying it, fighting it, and making the misfortune an enemy. This creates attachment to their hardships, making them harder to move past.
 
In both cases, the ego convinces the self that when adversity stops, there will be peace. As a result, the individual becomes a slave to the ego because misfortune is inevitable and unavoidable. There needs to be another way!

The Benefits of Ego
Those who are self-honoring often heal and grow from the benefit of ego. For these people, the ego becomes a locus of acceptance and accountability. They view themselves as worthy, empowered, and self-knowing when facing life’s adversities. They often believe misfortune simply happens like a storm crossing the sky.
These self-respecting people often view hardships as happenstance, learning opportunities, karma, or destiny. These people do not identify with their misfortune at all. Instead, they acknowledge, accept, overcome, and release it, neutralizing the adversity and the potential for suffering. This makes it easier to take accountability, learn, and adapt. 

In this case, the ego faces adversity with self-worth, empowerment, and self-knowledge.

• Self-worth contributes to environmental mastery
• Empowerment contributes to adaptability
• Self-knowledge contributes to self-actualization

Meaning instead of waiting for the end of adversity to have peace. Having personal conviction brings peace and ends adversity.

Facing Adversity with Neutrality 
By seeing adversity as

• A necessary part of the human experience
• Karma or Divine order
• A lesson or chance to learn

You will no longer become attached to it and stop worsening your suffering by aligning with it or resisting it. When you face adversity with neutrality, viewing it objectively as something unavoidable and unbiased, like the ebb and flow of the tide, you can significantly minimize your suffering or prevent it altogether.

Albert Einstein once said adversity introduces a man to himself. Still, there is more to it! Adversity also introduces us to our higher self. Ultimately, adversity is not just one of life’s great equalizers. It is also one of life’s greatest teachers!

In love and truth,
​Lori Lines