Karilyn Owens
The Discernment Process

Discernment is a tool in our spiritual arsenal – one of the Holy Spirit gifts to us. It guides us to the will of God, which is to say the best possible outcome for us.

The Discernment Process
open heart, love
Karilyn Owens
Word of the Year: Blossom

This year I choose blossom as my Word because it represents my intention to grow from the roots I planted as a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5) and build back what was broken through the vehicle of relationship.

Word of the Year: Blossom
Karilyn Owens
The Power of Decisions

It was the morning of the most important interview of my career; with emotions running haywire and hormones adding a dizzying effect, I decided that I just couldn't go to my interview that afternoon. The fear shouted so loudly that I couldn't hear the voice of wisdom that knew to show up despite the very big feelings. This was my dream job, after all!

The Power of Decisions
Karilyn Owens
Drop the Baggage

God recently revealed to me that I am holding onto the weight of my past. By holding onto my past, I’m not only carrying around a weight I was never meant to carry, but I am blocking the blessings of God’s plan for me in the future. So today I ask you: What weight are you carrying that is hindering your upward momentum?

Drop the Baggage
Karilyn Owens
10 Ways to Manage Depression

Covid-19 caught nearly all of us by surprise, leaving us ripped of our routines, schedules and normal circumstances — everything we typically rely on for stability and consistency. If we weren’t already prone to or struggling with depression, COVID-19 certainly stirred up prime circumstances for depression to show up (many of us without any prior experience with mental illness or the coping skills to deal with it in healthy ways).

10 Ways to Manage Depression

spirituality

Be The Light

My sweet boy, Nova, has always been drawn to the sun; he has an uncanny ability to seek out light wherever it may be. His pastime of sunbathing reminds me of the lesson I have been working to master as of late: be the light. Yesterday at CorePower, Aubrey set our intention of "be the light," which I excitedly affirmed for my own practice. Not only do I strive to seek out the light in dark, troubling times, but I now choose to be a light unto those who cannot see it themselves.

What is the point of cultivating light and love in our lives if we do not share it with others?

I recently listened to a webinar with Neale Donald Walsch which clarified the very spiritual lesson I have decided to own as my calling: shine light into the darkest of places for those who need it most. I am blessed to be able to discern the positive nature of any situation (although this was not always a practice of mine).

See Someone's Soul

I had the absolute blessing of visiting Denver over the weekend, a city that is quickly capturing my heart (along with a certain Denverite).

We visited Core Power Yoga for a session that my body seemed to not be having; the Denver elevation made for little sleep the night before and we had a busy day of sightseeing by way of bicycle. Nonetheless, I went in with an open heart and a determined mind. An hour of child's pose is better than no yoga at all.

I am once again convinced of the necessity to get on my mat, no matter how tired my body may be. The grounding and heartwarming strength delivered to my soul transcends any shortcomings of my physical body.

A Raven Beginning

As I walked along the park path, a giant blackbird flew overhead. I have seen these hawk-sized creatures in another neighborhood park without the slightest clue as to what they were. The bird landed on the roof peering over the park. A Mockingbird quickly flew to his side, flitting about playfully with a rambunctious spirit. I see Mockingbirds nearly every visit to the park, so I pondered the relationship to the blackbird. I had a hunch that this bird is not a crow given its gargantuan size.

How to Find Joy Through Suffering

One of my favorite Buddhist teachings on the lotus flower reminds me that we must lean into our pain and suffering.

Without suffering, there's no happiness. So we shouldn't discriminate against the mud. We have to learn how to embrace and cradle our own suffering and the suffering of the world, with a lot of tenderness.

-Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering

We are constantly bombarded by suffering, either our own or the collective world's agony. The tragedy in Istanbul along with personal, familial obstacles reminds me to lean into such occurrences and whatever feelings arise from them.