11/16/2025
One of my gifts in this life is being able to recognize patterns in people’s behaviors, whether individual or groups.
And like most gifts, it was forged in a fire I didn’t choose, until I chose it.
Growing up in emotionally abusive and manipulative homes trained me into hyper-awareness, hyper-vigilance, and a constant scanning of the environment for danger. What was once survival has become discernment. What was once fear has become the ability to see. I know so many of you have the same story.
As an adult who has walked, sometimes crawled. through therapy, inner healing, prayer, and personal refinement, I’ve alchemized those old coping mechanisms into something sacred. Something useful. Something that helps people feel seen.
This morning, while journaling and praying, I s felt a strong need to address a pattern I’ve been watching for years:
None of us see absolutely clearly, I do not care how good we think we are. If you're human this applies to you.
Not one of us is free from the lens of our lived experience.
Not the intuitive.
Not the prophet.
Not the seer.
Not the therapist, doctor, teacher, healer, pastor, or friend.
We are all filtering reality through the places we’ve walked, the pain we’ve survived, the families that shaped us, and the shadows we’ve met (or avoided).
Even the most spiritually gifted people, the ones who see across dimensions, hear the whispers of Spirit, or move prophetically are still interpreting through a very human nervous system. A very human story. And that demands humility.
I see this in myself.
I see it in colleagues.
I see it in clients, family, and the people I meet every day.
And instead of judging it, I’m softening into gratitude.What an honor it is to walk through life with this kind of depth. To sit with people in their raw truth, their heartbreak, their healing, their revelations, their breakthroughs.
My privilege is enormous, and I don’t take it for granted.
I’m even finding appreciation for the parts of life I used to avoid. The darker currents, the demonic energies that really do exist on this planet, the seductions and distortions that pull people away from truth, peace, and their connection to God.
For a long time, like many on the spiritual path, I bypassed the dark. I wanted to stay in “love and light.” I wanted to believe everything could be fixed with insight and intention. (So much can, honestly. But we have to face the dark to even do this. )
But evil is real. (I've faced more in the last 6 months with my eyes opened in ways I sometimes wish weren't.) Manipulation is real.
Spiritual distortion is real, and honestly rampant online.
Now add in technology... phones, TVs, gaming, endless scrolling... is hypnotic by design. AI adds a whole layer to call for discerment in a bigger way.
Of course, it's not all bad, but absolutely engineered to pull our minds and hearts in directions we didn’t consciously choose.
When we’re already vulnerable...anxious, depressed, traumatized, lonely, it becomes even harder to discern what is ours and what is influence.
So what do we do?
We become aware. Oooooh, buddy, let the real crazy begin.
Aware of our own thoughts, emotions, patterns, triggers..not with judgment, but with loving attention.
We learn to sit with ourselves the way God sits with us:
“Oh hello, anger. I see you. Come sit with me. Who are you really?”
Anger might say, “I’m actually fear, I guess.”
Then we ask:
“What are you afraid of?”
“Where did that come from?”
“What would the opposite feel like?”
“Do you believe you deserve that?”
“Do you want to move toward it?”
“How can I help you feel safe right now?”
Curiosity kills compliance. (I'm trademarking this one!)
Curiosity breaks the spell.
Curiosity dismantles the lies that trauma tries to tell.
Be curious about your own mind.
Be curious about the sensation in your chest.
Be curious about the narrative running through your thoughts...especially the tormenting ones!!
God♥️Spirit♥️Divine Love ♥️will meet you every single time you turn inward with honesty.
No shame. No punishment. Just presence.
Will you be still long enough to hear?
Will you face the dark with courage?
Will you sit with yourself without judgment or attachment?
I will sit with you.
